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Tyler Skaggs’ family sues Angels over pitcher’s death B2 Wednesday, June 30, 2021 SECTION B Paul Farmer . Sports Editor . 427.6926
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Serena Williams withdraws with leg injury Tribune Content Agency BERLIN — Serena Williams is out of Wimbledon in the first round after injury forced her to retire in the early stages of her match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Williams, who was seeking a historic 24th Grand Slam title at an event she has won seven times, was tearful as she withdrew from the match. Williams had broken Sasnovich and led 3-1, appearing to be in full control of Tuesday’s contest on Centre Court. But she suffered an
ankle injury in the fifth game after seeming to slip while playing a forehand. With Williams’ movement clearly limited, Sasnovich broke back and Williams left the court for treatment as she took a medical timeout. She re-emerged to huge applause and bravely tried to continue but was visibly in severe discomfort. The 39-year-old called a halt to proceedings with the match tied at 3-3, after letting out a scream of pain as she tried in vain to reach the ball.
Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images/TNS
A leg injury brings Serena Williams to her knees before withdrawing from her women’s singles first-round match against Belarus’s Aliaksandra Sasnovich on the second day of the Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in London, Tuesday.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images/TNS
Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury dribbles against the Los Angeles Sparks at Phoenix Suns Arena, Sunday.
Breaking down Taurasi’s storied WNBA career by the numbers Alexa Philippou HARTFORD COURANT
In her first game back after a month on the sideline with a fractured sternum, Diana Taurasi did Diana Taurasi things – like making history. Early in the second quarter of the Phoenix Mercury’s 88-79 win over the L.A. Sparks on Sunday, Taurasi’s take to the rim and ensuing basket through contact earned her her 9,000th career point, making her the first player in WNBA history to hit that threshold. The three-time WNBA champion finished the evening with 25 points, upping her career point total to 9,019. “Yeah, it’s cool,” Taurasi, who was also the first WNBA player to
score 8,000 career points, said after the game nonchalantly. “It’s just another record that hopefully will be broken by someone who loves basketball, who dedicates her whole life. I think today was nice to do in front of the home crowd, the first game where we had full capacity and to get it in a win. So there was a lot of positives of getting it today. “I did it all with one team, and that means a lot to me. There’s been so many players and coaches and management that’s come through Phoenix, and that’s really helped me, and I always say I was lucky to be drafted here. I was lucky that they believed in me, that they really put everything behind me, so that
means probably more than all the points.” In honor of Taurasi’s new milestone, here’s a breakdown of some of the numbers that showcase the unparalleled scoring prowess of the UConn legend:
7,488 The point total of Tina Thompson, the next closest player to Taurasi on the all-time scoring list. Candice Dupree of the Seattle Storm, a former teammate of Taurasi’s, is the closest active player with 6,822 points. Taurasi surpassed Thompson’s mark to become the league’s all-time leading scorer on June 18, 2017, her 13th season in the WNBA. The year before, Taurasi became the fastest player in WNBA history to
reach 7,000 career points, doing so in 80 fewer games than Tamika Catchings.
19.6 Taurasi’s scoring average throughout her 17-season career. She’s never averaged below 16 points per game in a season in which she was healthy. According to Across the Timeline, five other players have averaged at least 19 points over the course of their career, but Taurasi is the only one to date to sustain it for longer than seven seasons.
25.3 Taurasi boasts the top scoring average in a season from her 2006 campaign (her 860 points See Taurasi, Page B10
Kevon Looney exercises player option, returns to Golden State Tribune Content Agency Warriors center Kevon Looney is exercising his $5.2 million player option to return to Golden State next season, a league source confirmed with The Chronicle. This comes as no surprise to the team. Looney, 25, is coming off a bounceback season and is in line to be the Warriors’ starting center in 2021-22. Golden State is poised to have at least two centers on the roster: Looney and James Wiseman. Juan ToscanoAnderson and Draymond Green can also fill in as small-ball centers. The No. 30 pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Warriors, Looney is the team’s fourth longest-tenured player behind Green, Stephen
Curr y and Klay Thompson. After head coach Steve Kerr called him a “foundational piece” in spring 2019, Looney endured an injurymarred 2019-20 season. A core muscle surgery helped him return to his reliable ways. Though Looney averaged just 4.1 points per game this past season, he was rarely out of position defensively or slow to box out his man. His defensive real plus-minus – a stat measuring a player’s average impact on his team’s defense by points allowed per 100 offensive possessions – was third on the Warriors, behind Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. Golden State outscored opponents by 7.2 more See Looney, Page B10
Sonoma Raceway building new Turn 11 Club
Sharks’ season ticket sales take a hit after down years
Daily Republic staff
Tribune Content Agency
SPORTS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FA I R F I E L D — Sonoma Raceway has broken ground on an upgraded hospitality facility overlooking the iconic, hairpin Turn 11. The Turn 11 Club of Sonoma Raceway will offer a premium, luxury hospitality and viewing
experience on major event race weekends as well as the year-round racing events at the track. “Our goal is to create a welcoming and high-end focal point for our facility that represents Sonoma Valley well,” raceway Executive Vice President and General Manager Jill Gregory said in a statement. “We look forward to
entertaining our guests in this new space beginning next summer.” The existing Turn 11 building, which was the original raceway administration building and the oldest building on the property, will be demolished this week and construction of the new See Club, Page B10
The San Jose Sharks anticipate having the ability to host capacity crowds next season, but it may be a long time before every seat at SAP Center is filled on a regular basis again. The Sharks’ poor on-ice performance the last two years – combined with
other possible factors out of their control – has led to a notable decline in the team’s season ticket sales for the upcoming season. Sharks Sports & Entertainment president Jonathan Becher said the franchise to date has sold roughly 9,000 season tickets or equivalents for next season, a decrease
of about 1,500 from two years ago when the team was coming off an appearance in the Western Conference final. Becher said season tickets are renewing at about 84 percent, a rate similar to other years when the Sharks did not perform well on the ice. See Sharks, Page B10
