BASKETBALL
Bryant ready to play
Kobe Bryant, No. 3 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, had a faint smirk when he stood in front of the photographers’ backdrop in his gold jersey Monday and held up a white sign reading: “Kobe Bryant.” Even heading into his 20th NBA season, Bryant isn’t exempted from the Los Angeles Lakers’ regular preseason rites. The little things don’t appear to bother Bryant as much as they might have when he was closer to championship parades than retirement parties. Bryant only played 35 games last season after shoulder surgery and only played six games in the 2013-2014 season after suffering a broken leg. But if Bryant, 37, is beginning the final season of his career this week, he insists he doesn’t know it. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” Bryant said. “Hell if I know. … If it is, it is. If it isn’t, I’ll be ready for next season.”
To the surprise of many, including the San Antonio Spurs themselves, San Antonio signed two of the most coveted free agents in the offseason in forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and David West. “Over the years we’ve missed out on a bunch of people,” Tim Duncan said during the team’s media day on Monday. “We’ve always done it through free agency on a different level and the draft. This is the first time we’ve ever added a guy of [Aldridge’s] caliber.”
The Chicago Bulls have a new coach and the same old questions as the season draws closer. Most of the group is back from a team that won 50 games but was ousted in six games by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. The Bulls will conduct their first training-camp practices Tuesday under new coach Fred Hoiberg, who replaces Tom Thibodeau. General Manager Gar Forman praised Hoiberg on Monday for building relationships with the players. “You can see the players responding to it,” Forman said. “And I think the players are as excited as we are about everything Fred’s going to bring to the table. He’s had a great summer. Our guys have responded and that’s been a real positive.”
The shortest Golden State Warriors offseason was filled with talk show appearances, golf outings with the president, award shows and worldwide travel.The Warriors returned to work Monday, three months after winning their first NBA title in 40 years, intent on repeating. With almost every significant player back again this season and a full year of experience in Coach Steve Kerr’s system, the Warriors believe they can be even better despite the bright target on their backs as defending champions. No one expects it to come easy. “We can’t think we’re going to be the same team and show up and win 67 games and win a championship,” MVP point guard Stephen Curry said. “It’s not going to be easy. For us, it’s about doing what we do well and doing it better.” Now it’s back to work less than 15 weeks after the Warriors won the title by beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the NBA Finals.
TENNIS
Sharapova’s return cut short
Playing her first match in nearly three months, Maria Sharapova retired with an arm injury Monday in the third set of her opening match at the Wuhan (China) Open. The third-ranked Sharapova called for a trainer to look at her left forearm after the first game of the final set. She played two more games before telling the chair umpire she could not continue. Sharapova was leading Barbora Strycova 7-6 (1), 6-7 (4), 2-1 when she decided to stop. Sharapova missed the entire hard-court season, including the U.S. Open, with a leg injury. She said, “I’ve had my share of serious injuries, and I know this is far from it, something I just have to take care of.”
Austin Krajicek of the United States rallied to beat James Duckworth of Australia in the first round at the Shenzhen (China) Open on Monday. Krajicek lost the opening set but fought back to take the second on a tie break and level the match before taking a 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-1 victory. John Millman of Australia is also through to the second round after Ernests Gulbis retired with injury when the Latvian was losing 7-6 (7), 2-0.
Seventh seed Nick Kyrgios of Australian is through to the second round of the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur after Colombian Santiago Giraldo retired with injury when losing 6-1, 2-1 on Monday. It is Kyrgios’ first tournament since he lost to Andy Murray in the first round of the US Open earlier this month. Last year Kyrgios lost in the opening round of the Malaysian Open with a bone stress injury to his left forearm and underwent rehabilitation in Melbourne. In the day’s other first round match, Germany’s Benjamin Becker knocked out Sam Groth 6-1, 7-6 (6).
Second-seeded Carina Witthoeft was taken to three sets in her opening match of the Tashkent (Uzbekistan) Open before advancing to the second round on Monday. Witthoeft beat Kristyna Pliskova of Czech Republic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The German player will take on Donna Vekic or Kiki Bertens next in the Uzbekistan capital. Margarita Gasparyan, the No. 6 seed from Russia, beat Alexandra Panova 7-6 (2), 6-1, while Nao Hibino of Japan and Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany also advanced.
HOCKEY
Vegas, Quebec City seek teams
Las Vegas and Quebec City are moving closer in their bids to land a NHL franchise. A Bill Foley-led group and Montreal-based communications giant Quebecor are in the third and final stage of a process to potentially bring the league to Las Vegas and Quebec City, respectively. “They have been invited to make presentations to the Executive Committee on Tuesday,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an email. Later in the day, the committee will report to the NHL Board of Governors. “Evaluation process will continue,” Daly wrote. “No defined timeline.” Quebecor spokesman Martin Tremblay confirmed its group will make a presentation. A message seeking comment was sent to Foley’s group. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said earlier this month the league is “not feeling any timeline pressure,” in the expansion process. Bettman has proposed an expansion fee of $500 million, a significant jump from the $80 million fee paid by the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, when the NHL last expanded to 30 teams in 2000. It is expected to take at least two years before the NHL would potentially have 32 teams playing.
MOTOR SPORTS
Hinchliffe back in car
James Hinchcliffe’s smile and sense of humor were on full throttle Monday, four-plus months after life-threatening injuries put his IndyCar career on hold. Hinchcliffe returned to the cockpit with his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team for a test session at the 14-turn, 4.048-mile Road America course at Elkhart Lake, Wis., that is expected to host a June 2016 IndyCar race. Hinchcliffe, a Toronto native, was severely injured May 18 during an Indianapolis 500 practice crash. A broken part of suspension from Hinchcliffe’s car pierced his upper left thigh, and safety crew members successfully kept the 28-year-old from bleeding to death as he was quickly taken to a hospital. Besides two surgeries, Hinchcliffe said Monday that he also suffered a serious neck injury in the accident, and recently was cleared to “start training his neck.” Hinchcliffe’s recovery was a long one, he didn’t want to rush the process, and said doctors left decision-making up to their patient. He said all went smoothly, in and out of the car, during his morning test session. The racer was running his first full-time season with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2015, after spending three seasons at Andretti Autosport. Hinchcliffe is a five-year veteran in the open-wheel series, with four victories, including a win five weeks before his accident, in April, at an inaugural road course event in New Orleans.