Washington Wizards apologize after $10k April Fools’ prank draws backlash

The Washington Wizards apologized on Thursday after an April Fools’ Day in-game promotion during their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers prompted criticism on social media.During Wednesday night’s game at Capital One Arena, a fan was brought on to the court for a blindfolded half-court shot promoted as being worth $10,000. The shot missed, but arena staff and performers reacted as if it had gone in and briefly presented the fan with a ceremonial check as part of what later was revealed to be a scripted skit.Video of the sequence circulated online and led to questions about whether the fan had been misled.“To do this to a fan that chose to come see a 17-win team is unhinged,” Jemele Hill, a contributing reporter for the Atlantic, wrote on X

Bodycam footage shows Tiger Woods’s shock after crash: ‘I’m being arrested?’

Bodycam footage of Tiger Woods’s arrest for DUI shows the golfer looking surprised when he was handcuffed by police officers at the scene of a vehicle crash last week.“I do believe your normal faculties are impaired, and you’re under an unknown substance, so at this time you’re under arrest for DUI,” Martin County Sheriff’s deputy Tatiana Levenar told Woods after officers conducted a series of field sobriety exercises on the 50-year-old.“I’m being arrested?” Woods asked Levenar. She responded: “Yes, sir.”The footage, obtained Thursday by the Guardian, also shows the moment officers found pills in Woods’s pocket

England interest rekindled and injury substitutes arrive as county cricket returns

With more of a sparkle in its eye than for years, the County Championship shimmies into life on Good Friday, coat done up, gloves fastened.After years of wrangling, the schedule has been settled (for now), and the three-year Kookaburra ball trial, which had seam bowlers weeping into their Weetabix, dumped, but there is still place for a regulatory tweak, and it’s a substantial one. This year, the England and Wales Cricket Board is trialling substitutes, allowing a player to be replaced by a fully playing sub, rather than just a covering fielder. And the terms of reference have broadened too: the system will cover sickness and significant life events – such as the birth of a child or a family illness – as well as injury.“Most seasons we get three or four questions about a player being replaced to witness the birth of a child,” said Alan Fordham, the ECB’s head of cricket operations, “and the answer has been no

‘You need enemies’: joy for Super League as Bradford and Leeds finally resume rivalry

It will almost feel as if Super League has stepped back in time on Friday night as the rivalry that defined the competition’s early years returns after a 12-year hiatus, and it will not just be across West Yorkshire that eyes will be on Odsal Stadium for Bradford Bulls’ derby with Leeds Rhinos. In a small corner of New Zealand, Lesley Vainikolo will interrupt his Saturday morning to watch the return of the derby he starred in for Bradford during the early 2000s, and he will probably not be alone.Dubbed the Volcano because of his incredible try-scoring record, with 149 in 152 games for the Bulls, Vainikolo rarely gives interviews these days. But the lure of discussing one of Super League’s biggest fixtures returning was too much to resist. “There is no way I’d miss it,” says the 46-year-old, who is now director of rugby at Wesley College near Auckland, the school that forged the career of Jonah Lomu

‘World is his oyster’: new Derbyshire home and mentor offer Shoaib Bashir fresh start

A new season dawns and for Shoaib Bashir it represents a new beginning. Overlooked by England for the entire Ashes despite two years of investment, and having had a nomadic career up to this point, the former Surrey youth player has joined Derbyshire on a two-year deal in the hope of calling somewhere home.Not that the off-spinner’s goals have changed. In his first media appearance since that winter carrying drinks, the 22-year-old is determined to win back his Test spot. Swapping Somerset for Derbyshire is a case of looking for regular game time, plus the chance to work with a decorated head coach in Mickey Arthur

Weakened Leicester show why away sides need Champions Cup miracles

The odds on multiple away wins in this weekend’s Champions Cup last 16 are not terribly good. Since the single-leg concept was born three years ago there have been 24 matches, with the hosts losing only two. If that strike rate alters significantly this time it will certainly confound the bookmakers.Bordeaux Bègles, the defending champions, have even been quoted at 1-100 to beat Leicester on Sunday, a remarkable price for a two-horse race. It might be slightly different if the Tigers were at full strength but, as the bookies are keenly aware, that is very much not the case with, among others, Ollie Chessum, Joe Heyes and Nicky Smith all non-runners