SPORTS SECTION E
MONDAY, JULY 6, 2026
WORLD CUP - PAGE 8
‘VJ’ stays with 76ers, Ayton traded to Wizards !"#!963$#8$5!!8 A%+&B#8C)0-(#6.+-)0 =,:?==,Q:'2=?*+4+<2)5*+: WHILE Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe will continue in the resurgence of the Philadelphia 76ers, Deandre Ayton is out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ reconfiguration of their line up in the National Basketball Association. The Bahamian duo were caught in the middle of the NBA's Free Agency last week as the landscape of a number of teams are changing before the 2026-2027 season gets underway in October. The Sixers traded veteran Paul George, two first round picks and two second round picks to the rivalled Boston Celtics for Jaylen Brown in a blockbuster deal on the opening day of free agency on July 1, sending shock waves in the NBA.
Bahamas to face Puerto Rico tonight in the FIBA Americas 2027 World Cup Qualifying Tournament Philadelphia made the surprise move after Boston was unsuccessful in securing a deal for the Milwaukee Bucks' forward Giannis Antetokounmpo who was sent to the Miami Heat along with forward Bobby Portis. With the move, Brown will team up with centre Joel Embiid, all-star guard Tyrese Maxey and Edgecombe, who is coming off a sensational rookie season that ended with the 76ers making it to the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Edgecombe, the 20-yearold third pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after spending
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his freshman year with the Baylor Bears, got the news while he was in
training camp with The Bahamas men's national team for their pair of games
this weekend in the final window of the first round of the FIBA Americas 2027 World Cup Qualifying Tournament at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. The Bimini native put on a spectacular show on Friday night (see the full story on page 6) with a game-high 26 points, including hitting 6-of-10 of his three-pointers, to go along with nine rebounds, four steals and three assists as the Bahamas routed Jamaica 123-74 before a jammed-packed crowd. When asked after the game, Edgecombe said he was thrilled to have Brown join their squad and
he's looking forward to playing with the MVP, who led the Celtics to their 18th NBA championship title in 2024. "I like it. He's a winner. He plays hard. He's a leader and so I'm looking forward to getting out there and hooping with him," said Edgecombe about Brown. Since the trade, Edgecombe said he had a chance to contact Brown. "We had a little conversation with him. He showed some love while checking in and I was checking in with him, welcoming him to the team and stuff like that," Edgecombe said.
SEE FIBA, Page 2
Devynne Charlton settles for third in the hurdles at the Wanda Diamond League !"#!963$#8$5!!8 A%+&B#8C)0-(#6.+-)0 =,:?==,Q:'2=?*+4+<2)5*+: WORLD indoor 60 metres hurdles champion and record holder Devynne Charlton found herself right in the thick of things in a hotly contested women's 100m hurdles at the Wanda Diamond League on Saturday. With its first meet being hosted in the United States at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Charlton battled through the first eight hurdles with her American training partner Masai Russell. But Russell, the Olympic
champion and world leader, managed to surge ahead to take the tape in 12.24 seconds to tie the meet record that was set by former American world record holder Kendra Harrison in 2016. As Russell pulled away for the win, Nigeria's Tobi Amusan battled back to sneak into second place in 12.34, leaving Charlton in a photo finish for third with American Grace Stack, both timed at 12.41. Two of Jamaica's top competitors, Danielle Williams and Ackera Nugent, were fifth and sixth in 12.51 and 12.63 respectively, while three Americans, including
Harrison (eighth in 12.66) rounded out the field. Tonea Marshall got seventh in 12.65 and Alaysha Johnson was ninth in 12.86. With this being the fifth of eight meets for the year, Charlton is now sitting in third place in the Diamond League standings with 19 points. Amusan tops the list with 28, followed by Russell with 24. Jamaica's Megan Simmonds, another training partner of Charlton and Russell, didn't compete in the meet. The only other Bahamian in the Diamond League ranking is Olympic and world women's 400m
champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who controls the 200 metres with 19 points, followed closely by American Anavia Battle with 19 and Jamaican Shericka Jackson in third with 16. Miller-Uibo is The Bahamas' most decorated competitor in Diamond League history, having won the 200m title three consecutive years from 2017-2019 and the 400m in 2017 as the first double champion. The Wanda Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field competitions in 15 disciplines to earn points throughout the year, culminating with the finals in Brussels, Belgium,
over the weekend of September 4-5. The Wanda Diamond League offers a record total of $9.24 million in prize money. The total prize money awarded per meeting will be $500,000 at each of the 14 regular series meetings, and $2.24 million at the Wanda Diamond League Final. The prize money per discipline will be between $30,000 and $40,000 at the series meetings and between $60,000 and $100,000 at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 4-5.
Nairn victorious in Barbados At the Barbados Grand Prix at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex in St Michael, Barbados, Laquan Nairn cleared 25-feet or 7.62 metres to win the men's long jump. Nikaoli Williams cleared the same distance for second place. Nairn was coming off his loss at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations' Senior and Junior Nationals, held two weeks ago at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium. He is the defending Commonwealth Games' champion.
Jonquel has double ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr exits game double to help Liberty against Twins with toe injury beat Lynx 99-86 !"#7'99:#;76<8=69# '(()*+,-&.#/0&((
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NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees second baseman Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr left yesterday’s game against the Minnesota Twins after the fifth inning because of right big toe discomfort. Chisholm was examined by team physician Dr Christopher Ahmad and X-rays were negative. He will get re-evaluated before the opener of a four-game series at Tampa Bay today. Chisholm fouled off a pitch from Joe Ryan in the fifth and winced on the swing. After taking a timeout, Chisholm hit a fly ball to right field on the next pitch. José Caballero moved over from third base to second and Amed Rosario entered the game at third base. Chisholm singled in the second inning but was picked off during a rundown on the next pitch during an at-bat by Max Schuemann. An All-Star last year, Chisholm is batting .225 with 12 homers and 33
NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 36 points, Jonquel Jones had a double double and the New York Liberty beat Minnesota 99-86 on Friday night, spoiling Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve’s first attempt to become the WNBA’s career wins leader. Reeve is tied with Mike Thibault at 379 regular-season victories. Her next chance will be tonight when the Lynx host Chicago. New York (13-8), which won the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday, wasn’t about to let history occur on Friday night. Stewart got the team going early then Jones and Sabrina Ionescu took over. Jones finished with a double double - 14 points and 15 rebounds - and Ionescu had 17 points. Jones also contributed five assists and two steals. Minnesota (15-5) led 47-46 with 3:32 left in the half before the Liberty closed the second quarter on a 13-2 run. Jones got it started with a three-point play and Pauline Astier closed it with a running
!"#$%&'($%)*(++,-$.)//$012,1&34$.'56789$:'2+,$:&$);&2<$=+2*>$:)>>+<$&?:$=@$A2**+,&:)$ BC2*,-$D&@E+$F+C2,$6G89$<?'2*>$)$'?*<&C*$2*$:1+$,+E&*<$2**2*>$&H$)$=),+=)33$>)4+I$ J?*<)@I$.?3@$KI$GLGMI$2*$!+C$%&'(5$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$6NO$O1&:&P3),%#>#?@00,"9 RBIs in 85 games this season. In 2025, Chisholm hit .242 with career highs of 31 homers and 80 RBIs
along with 31 stolen bases in 130 games. On Monday, he exited New York’s 7-3 loss to Detroit following a
collision with right fielder Jasson Domínguez on a high pop-up by Hao-Yu Lee in the fourth inning.
1234567#12368 layup just before the entertaining first half ended with New York up 59-49. Stewart had 16 of her 18 points in the first half in the opening quarter. The Liberty put the game away with an early 7-3 run in the fourth that was capped by Jones’ 3-pointer which made it 85-68. The Lynx could only get within 12 the rest of the way. Kayla McBride led Minnesota with 18 points and Courtney Williams added 16.