Hall of Famer Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, has died at the age of 86. His family announced the passing of the five-time champion as a player on Sunday, though they did not disclose the manner of death.

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” the Nelson family statement read. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”

Nelson retired in 2010 as the all-time leader with 1,335 regular-season coaching victories, a record later surpassed by San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich (1,390). His distinctive fast-paced style, utilizing smaller athletic players, became famously known as “Nellie Ball.”

The three-time Coach of the Year didn’t win any NBA titles during his 31-year overall tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks (1976-87), Golden State Warriors (1988-95, 2006-10), New York Knicks (1995-96) and Dallas Mavericks (1997-2005). But he put together 13 seasons of 50 or more wins, twice reaching 60 (once with the Bucks, once with the Mavericks).

“[Nelson] was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was never afraid to challenge conventional thinking,” the Warriors said in a statement. “His approach helped shape the game and paved the way for generations of players and coaches who followed.

“More than anything, Don Nelson will be remembered for his authenticity, larger-than-life personality, and incredible passion for basketball, and his influence on the Warriors franchise will endure for years to come.”

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012.

As a player, Nelson won five NBA titles during 11 seasons with the Boston Celtics.

He initially reached the NBA with the Chicago Zephyrs (1962-63) after being the No. 3 overall pick. He then spent two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers before joining behind a loaded Boston starting five and was one of seven Boston players to average double digits in scoring in 1967-68. He averaged a career best 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in 1969-70.

In 134 career playoff games, Nelson averaged 11.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. The Celtics retired his No. 19 jersey in 1978.

“Don Nelson revolutionized NBA basketball through his fearlessness, ingenuity and deep conviction,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He spent nearly 50 years in the NBA – winning five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics before building one of the most successful and pioneering coaching careers in league history. He brought an unmistakable personality to everything he did, and his impact on our sport will continue to be felt for generations.

“I send my deepest condolences to Don’s family and many friends throughout our league.”

In college, Nelson averaged 21.1 points and 10.9 rebounds in 72 games over three seasons at Iowa.

Nelson won the 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award to honor his overall contributions to basketball.

Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates while playing Alina Korneeva during day eight of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

World number two Elena Rybakina battled her way into the WTA Canadian Open quarterfinals on Sunday, while fourth-ranked Coco Gauff cruised into the last eight.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina outlasted Russian Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 after two hours and 49 minutes, before American Gauff eliminated Russian teen qualifier Alina Korneeva 6-3, 6-1 in Toronto.

Rybakina, down two breaks at 0-3 in the third set, rallied to book a quarterfinal against the winner of the last-16 match between four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and home hope Leylah Fernandez.

READ: Canadian Open: Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff advance while Andreeva exits

For the love of the game 🫶@CocoGauff continues her winning run in Toronto to secure a place in the quarterfinals.#NBO26 pic.twitter.com/1edtDqSaeR

— wta (@WTA) August 9, 2026

Gauff reached the last eight in Canada for the first time since 2023.

Her seventh WTA quarterfinal of the year will be against either Swiss 12th seed Belinda Bencic or Alexandra Eala, the in-form Filipina who won her first WTA title earlier this week in Washington.

Gauff, who has not dropped a set in Canada, fired 16 winners against 15 unforced errors.

READ: Alex Eala faces another big test vs Belinda Bencic at Canadian Open

“My main focus today was let me try and close it out,” Gauff said. “Probably not the way I should be thinking but it worked today.

“I’m proud of how the last three matches have gone and just knowing if I have to go the distance I’m ready but obviously would prefer to cut it short if I can.”

Gauff won seven of 12 break points she forced but lost all three of those against her.

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines acknowledges the crowd after losing to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during day eight of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

LIVE: Alex Eala vs Belinda Bencic – Canadian Open round of 16

MANILA, Philippines–The best stretch of Alex Eala’s career came to an end in the Canadian Open round of 16 on Monday (Manila time) in Toronto.

Seemingly weary after the amount of tennis she’s played dating back to her title run in Washington last week, Eala was overwhelmed by a ruthless Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 0-6, despite being cheered on by a massive Filipino crowd at Center Court at Sobeys Stadium.

READ: Alex Eala faces another big test vs Belinda Bencic at Canadian Open

Simply stunning 🌟@BelindaBencic ends the Eala run with a 6-4, 6-0 victory to power into the quarterfinals.#NBO26 pic.twitter.com/iiZIIEiFCx

— wta (@WTA) August 10, 2026

“I know most of you guys were cheering for Alex, but I still have to say it was very nice to play in front of you all. Thank you so much for the great crowd tonight,” said the 12th-seeded Bencic, who became the tournament’s youngest champion in 2015 at just 18 years old when she made her debut in the Toronto Masters.

Eala saw her career-best seven-match winning streak snapped by the Swiss star and former World No. 4, whose unpredictable service game put the Filipino ace in all sorts of trouble.

The loss spoiled what could’ve been an interesting quarterfinal matchup between Eala and fourth-ranked Coco Gauff. Eala beat Gauff, 6-2, 2-0, in the third round of Indian Wells last March after the two-time Grand Slam winner retired due to an injury.

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland is congratulated by Alexandra Eala of the Philippines after their match during day eight of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

While many players struggle against left-handers like Eala, Bencic flourished. The 29-year-old Bencic improved to 10-0 against lefties since 2024, a fact that left the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist in awe.

“On this day, I had to play against a left so I’m surprised by this statistic. Obviously, very tricky maybe it helped me a little bit that I played a lefty the round before against Taylor Townsend so that was a tough one and I got used to the serve a little but yeah, I mean, I wish I was a lefty too,” said Bencic, who overcame Taylor Townsend in the round of 32 on Saturday in a match that lasted more that three hours.

The 21-year-old Eala got off to a hot start after holding to love in the opening game. But that was the only time where she led as she had to play catchup the rest of the way against Bencic, who played like a well-oiled machine.

Eala managed to keep up and level in the first set at 4-4 before Bencic shifted to another gear and never letup.

Bencic broke Eala thrice in each of the two sets in a dominant display set up by her laser sharp serves.

Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski took the ball Sunday and every time that happens, we’re in for a strikeout show. Sure enough, he struck out six through his first three innings. His fifth strikeout was his 200th of the season. 

Ho hum, just easy 102 mph heat there. That was a theme early, as 29 of Misiorowski’s first 30 pitches were fastballs. If a pitch is that effective, why stray?

Again, that strikeout above was the 200th of the season for the power right-hander. Not only is he the first pitcher to 200 strikeouts this season, but he’s the second fastest to ever get there, by innings pitched. 

Misiorowski’s 200th strikeout came on the out that moved him to 129 ⅓ innings. Here’s the new top five fastest to 200 strikeouts in a season (via MLB). 

1. Spencer Strider, 2022, 123 ⅓ IP
2. Jacob Misiorowski, 2026, 129 ⅓ IP
3. Spencer Strider, 2023, 130 IP
4. Randy Johnson, 2001, 130 ⅔ IP
5. Gerrit Cole, 2019, 133 ⅓ IP

That 2001 Randy Johnson season saw him finish the year with 372 strikeouts and win the National League Cy Young award with the Diamondbacks, as well as the World Series MVP. Spencer Strider in 2023 recorded 281 strikeouts and broke John Smoltz’s single-season strikeout record.

Misiorowski isn’t just a strikeout machine. He entered Sunday leading the majors in ERA (1.63) and WHIP (0.73). He was also a huge favorite in the NL Cy Young race. Here are the odds, according to FanDuel: 

Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride set a new WNBA single-game record with 10 3-pointers during Sunday’s 103-90 victory against the Dallas Wings. There was a lot to celebrate for the Lynx, because the win also made them the first team this season to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

In the process, McBride set a new career-high of 43 points. She had a very efficient shooting night, going 10 of 14 from beyond the arc. She said she was not really aware she was close to breaking the record until a member of the coaching staff told her she needed one more 3-pointer.

“Just trying to win, really, that’s all it is,” she said postgame, while also admitting she had been angry about missing some shots in the third quarter. “Just hooping, trying to get a dub. When it’s going down, it’s going down. There is no better feeling.”

In 2019, Kelsey Mitchell became the first player in WNBA history to make nine 3-pointers in a game. Since then, that mark has been matched seven times — this season alone, Chelsea Gray had nine 3-pointers on June 11 and Marina Mabrey equaled that in two separate games later in the month. But no player was able to reach double digits from beyond the arc until Mabrey on Sunday. 

The bucket that earned her the 3-point record happened with 2:23 remaining in the fourth quarter. Fans at Target Center gave her a standing ovation to celebrate the achievement. 

McBride joined the team in 2021 but was one of the top free agents during this past offseason. She has not won a WNBA championship ring yet and had a chance to star fresh somewhere else, but she chose to return to Minnesota and Sunday was confirmation that she made the right decision.

“When you have a good moment, you want to just soak it all in. I’m just very grateful,” McBride said. “I’m 34 years old, it’s my 13th year in the league. I’m exactly where I want to be. Coming back here in the offseason was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m so grateful to the city of Minneapolis for just loving me the way they do.”

Besides’s McBride’s stunning performance on Sunday, the Lynx also got 20 points and a season-high 13 assists from Rookie of the Year favorite Olivia Miles. Miles was a key part of McBride’s record because the veteran had 22 points going 8 of 9 from the field off Miles’ passes, per ESPN Insights. Miles is the first true point guard the Lynx have had in a while and McBride said she has certainly benefited from her skills.

“It’s like a kid in a candy store. I’m very grateful for that,” McBride said. “Her ability to get in the paint and her ability in the pick and roll just creates so much for me. These types of moments don’t happen without that play…. It’s all about the team.”

The win helped Minnesota improve to a 27-7 overall record, which is impressive considering the fact that star player Napheesa Collier missed the first 27 games while recovering from surgery on both ankles. The Lynx have been the most dangerous team since May, and they are actually on track to break their franchise record for most wins in a single season. They set the current record last year when they went 34-10 overall.

Next up, Minnesota will take on the Portland Fire on the road on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. 

Nigeria’s Super Falcons crashed out of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after suffering a painful 1–0 defeat to rivals Cameroon in a fiercely contested quarter-final in Casablanca on Sunday night.

The defending champions dominated large parts of the match but were unable to find a way past a determined Cameroonian defence.

Cameroon took the lead in the 19th minute through a well-taken free-kick, catching Nigeria off guard and giving the Indomitable Lionesses an advantage against the run of play.

The Super Falcons responded strongly and created several opportunities. Gift Monday and Jennifer Echegini both came close to scoring, but Cameroon goalkeeper Michaely made important saves to keep her side ahead.

Nigeria coach Justin Madugu made his first change in the 38th minute, bringing on Uchenna Kanu for Rinsola Babajide as the Falcons looked for a way back into the game.

After the break, Madugu introduced more attacking options, with Toni Payne, Esther Okoronkwo and Asisat Oshoala joining the action.

Nigeria continued to dominate possession and territory, spending long periods in Cameroon’s half and putting the Lionesses under intense pressure.

However, Cameroon remained organised and disciplined at the back, frustrating the Super Falcons throughout the second half.

Even during the late pressure in stoppage time, Nigeria could not find the equaliser needed to take the match into extra time.

The result ends the Super Falcons’ hopes of defending their WAFCON title, but their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup hopes remain alive.

Nigeria will now turn their attention to a crucial play-off against South Africa’s Banyana Banyana later this week. The winner will advance to the inter-confederation play-off for a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

For the Super Falcons, the focus now shifts from retaining their continental crown to keeping their World Cup dream alive.