Sports

LeBron James, renowned as the court’s King, has once again exhibited his mastery in controlling the media narrative. Despite the Los Angeles Lakers’ 4-0 series loss to the Denver Nuggets, James skillfully steered attention toward retirement during the post-game press conference following the decisive fourth game. This strategic maneuver distracted from the Lakers’ defeat and the outstanding performance by Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

ATHENS: Police have issued a ban on traveling fans ahead of the Greek Cup final later on Wednesday because of fears of violence, despite an order for the match to be played without supporters in the stadium. League champion AEK Athens face PAOK in the central city of Volos after the authorities took several months to find a venue. Regional police chief Giorgis Dizes thanked the two clubs for publicly requesting that fans respect the ban.

RIYADH: Gamers Without Borders, the world’s largest charitable esports event, has concluded this year’s edition by raising a total of $10 million for its humanitarian aid partners. The money will go to Direct Relief, International Medical Corps, UNICEF, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the UN’s World Food Programme and the UNHCR. The donations were made by teams, players and gamers worldwide. The funds will be used for urgent humanitarian projects and add to the work achieved through the $30 million in donations from the GWB’s three previous editions.

CHENNAI, India: Chennai Super Kings powered their way to a record-breaking 10th Indian Premier League final with a 15-run win over defending champion Gujarat Titans in the playoffs on Tuesday. Gujarat will have another chance to meet Chennai in the final when they take on the winner of Wednesday’s playoff between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants. Opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scored in the match with 60 off 44 balls before cameos from the Chennai middle-order batters guided the home team to 172-7.

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo saved his best goal since arriving in Saudi Arabia for when Al-Nassr needed it most on Tuesday, scoring the decisive strike in a dramatic 3-2 victory against Al-Shabab. The Yellows found themselves 2-0 down in this crucial Riyadh Derby that they had to win and a spectacular second half strike from the five-time Ballon D’Or winner did just that.

MADRID: Seven people accused of racially abusing Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior have been arrested in Spain, police said Tuesday. Three were detained in Valencia for alleged abuse against Vinícius in a Spanish league match on Sunday. Four were arrested in Madrid for allegedly hanging an effigy of the player off a highway bridge in January. The arrests come after an outpouring of support for Vinícius after he said he was abused in Valencia. The case prompted widespread reaction from sports figures and government officials in Spain and worldwide.

ABU DHABI: The UAE national jiu-jitsu team have emerged overall champions at the prestigious Thailand Open Grand Prix 2023, earning an impressive 20 medals at the tournament held in Bangkok. The team, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Company, displayed clear dominance across the two days of competition, amassing nine gold, seven silver and four bronze medals.