Sports
Semi Ajayi Channels Kobe Bryant After Hull City’s Premier League Promotion
Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi celebrated Hull City’s return to the Premier League in iconic fashion after recreating Kobe Bryant’s legendary locker-room championship photo following the club’s playoff final victory at Wembley.
Ajayi posed beside the Championship playoff trophy in a striking recreation of Bryant’s famous image with the NBA Championship trophy after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2001 title triumph. The side-by-side image quickly went viral among football and basketball fans, with many praising the Nigerian defender’s tribute to the late NBA legend and his “Mamba Mentality.”
The moment came after Hull City secured promotion back to the Premier League with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the Championship playoff final. Oli McBurnie scored the decisive late goal to send Hull back into England’s top flight and spark emotional celebrations among players and supporters.
Ajayi played an important role in Hull City’s defensive setup, operating on the right side of a back three throughout the playoff final at Wembley.
The Nigerian defender finished the match with six clearances, one interception, one recovery, and a perfect tackle success rate while helping Hull City keep Middlesbrough quiet for long periods before McBurnie’s dramatic late winner sealed promotion.
Ajayi also showed composure in possession, completing 18 of his 23 passes (78%), including five successful passes in the final third, while recording 38 touches and six progressive carries from defence.
For Ajayi, promotion marks another major milestone in a career that has steadily grown over the years. After developing in Arsenal’s academy, the London-born defender went on to feature for clubs including Rotherham United and West Bromwich Albion before joining Hull City.
The 32-year-old has also become one of Nigeria’s most reliable defenders on the international stage, earning over 50 caps for the Super Eagles and helping the country reach the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Following the final whistle, Ajayi shared his excitement online with a short but emotional message:
“We did it!”
But it was his Kobe Bryant-inspired tribute that truly captured attention across social media.
Bryant’s original photo — taken moments after the Lakers’ NBA championship triumph in 2001 — became one of the most iconic images in sports history, symbolising sacrifice, focus, and the relentless pursuit of greatness. By recreating it after Hull’s promotion, Ajayi appeared to pay homage not only to Bryant himself, but also to the mentality required to survive the pressure of a long Championship campaign.
Hull City will now prepare for life back in the Premier League, while Ajayi gets another opportunity to prove himself at the highest level of English football.
And if his Wembley performance and viral tribute are anything to go by, the Super Eagles defender looks ready for the challenge ahead.
Sports
Canada’s Leylah Fernandez wins in first round at Bad Homburg Open
Leylah Fernandez is back on the winning track.
The Canadian snapped a three-match singles losing streak with a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 win over Great Britain’s Katie Boulter in the first round of the Bad Homburg Open in Germany on Sunday.
Fernandez exacted some revenge on Boulter, who beat the Canadian in another three-setter earlier this month at Queen’s Club.
Sunday’s match took three hours and 12 minutes as Fernandez fought off 19 of 24 break-point chances for Boulter.
The Bad Homburg Open is a grass-court tune-up for Wimbledon next week.
Fernandez will next face the winner of a match between No. 8 seed Iva Jovic of the U.S. and Wang Xinyu of China.
Sports
David feels championship thrill while recovering
Jayson David had a tremendous PBA Philippine Cup stint that naturally, he was expected to be a key contributor for the Gin Kings in the Commissioner’s Cup that recently ended.
That was supposed to be the case, only for a season-ending injury to derail his march into a contributor and total stardom with the crowd-darlings.
From someone expected to lighten the load for the Kings, David turned into a spectator after tearing his left ACL in March in a game against the NLEX Road Warriors.
That, however, didn’t dampen his joy when Ginebra won its first title in three years after defeating TNT in Game 7 last Wednesday.
“I’m just so happy because I saw their dedication,” a beaming David told the Inquirer, alluding to his teammates. “Everyone really worked together while I’m sidelined and observing.
“They went through a lot, but now we won a championship and everyone, even me, can breathe better now.”
David has since had surgery and has begun going through rehab sessions, doing all that while being present every game for his Ginebra brothers.
And it’s a bittersweet feeling, the one of not being able to play and seeing his brothers win.
While he enjoys the support that Ginebra gives during his time of recovery, the tough-as-nails guard couldn’t help but feel like he could do more for his fellow Ginebra swingmen.
“I have this feeling since the playoffs came, when every time I see us trailing, I always think to myself, ‘sayang, if I was just there, I can help on defense to stop this player,’ but it’s okay,” he said.
“My teammates stepped up, so I’m happy that they got me a championship even if I’m not on the team this time,” David added.
Already undergoing therapy sessions, David expects to be back as early as February next year.
“I feel like I can come back in February or March next year. I’m not sure but I’m certain it’s early next year.” INQ
Sports
Purse, payout breakdown, winner’s share
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Wyndham Clark has a commanding lead at the 2026 U.S. Open, but now comes the hard part — closing it out when everyone expects you to do so.
At seven under, Clark leads four players by six strokes heading into the final round at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island. That group is led by World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who is a win away from completing the career Grand Slam. And if he did so on Sunday, it would be quite the 30th birthday present.
Scheffler, Sahith Theegala, Tom Kim and Sam Stevens are all tied at one under, while Emiliano Grillo, Keith Mitchell, Sam Burns and Xander Schauffele are even par and seven off the lead.
The winner Sunday will also take home the $4.5 million winner’s check, although the top-four finishers all earn at least one million dollars.
Clark has been in this position before, although things were a little different when he won the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He was tied for the 54-hole lead with Rickie Fowler, and Rory McIlroy was just one behind.
Now? He leads by a half dozen.
“I would say I’m definitely a lot more confident and believe I can do it — in ’23 there was still doubts,” Clark said Saturday. “Not necessarily doubts, but I hadn’t done it, so there was a lot of unknown. Now that I have done it, I know I can do it, and I can do it again. So I’ll definitely lean on that experience and other experiences from when I’ve won that I can break through and do this again.”
The total purse for the U.S. Open is $22.5 million, which is the same total purse (and winner’s share) as the 2026 Masters. Aaron Rai took home $3.69 million for winning the PGA Championship last month, and Cameron Young won $4.5 million at the Players Championship in March.
Below is the payout breakdown for the U.S. Open. All the professionals who missed the cut receive $10,000 each.
2026 U.S. Open total purse, payout
1st: $4.5 million
2nd: $2,430,000
3rd: $1,532,530
4th: $1,074,363
5th: $894,841
6th: $793,443
7th: $715,320
8th: $640,654
9th: $579,815
10th: $532,572
11th: $486,021
12th: $449,379
13th: $418,729
14th: $386,466
15th: $358,812
16th: $335,767
17th: $317,331
18th: $298,895
19th: $280,459
20th: $262,022
21st: $246,121
22nd: $230,220
23rd: $214,780
24th: $200,492
25th: $188,048
26th: $177,447
27th: $169,381
28th: $162,237
29th: $155,324
30th: $148,410
31st: $141,497
32nd: $134,583
33rd: $127,669
34th: $121,447
35th: $116,377
36th: $111,307
37th: $106,468
38th: $101,859
39th: $97,250
40th: $92,641
41st: $88,032
42nd: $83,423
43rd: $78,814
44th: $74,205
45th: $69,596
46th: $65,448
47th: $61,300
48th: $57,382
49th: $55,077
50th: $52,773
51st: $51,390
52nd: $50,238
53rd: $49,316
54th: $48,855
55th: $48,394
56th: $47,933
57th: $47,472
58th: $47,012
59th: $46,551
60th: $46,090
61th: $45,629
62th: $45,168
63th: $44,707
64th: $44,246
65th: $43,785
66th: $43,324
67th: $42,863
Sports
NFL news: Raiders No 1 pick Fernando Mendoza reveals Tom Brady’s QB advice
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Fernando Mendoza is gearing up for his first season in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders selected Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 draft after he led the Indiana Hoosiers to an undefeated 2025 season and a national championship. While Mendoza added the Heisman Trophy to his list of incredible accomplishments last year, he still has a lot to learn when it comes to being an NFL player.
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Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko talks with quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins during minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, Nev., on June 9, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Mendoza recently shared some of the advice that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has lent him in the first two months of being with Las Vegas.
“I think what he said as a quarterback is you need to be the most everything. You need to be the most competitive. You need to be the most leader. You have to have the most leadership,” he said, via the Raiders’ YouTube page.
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Raiders minority owner Tom Brady yells encouragement to players during the first half of a Raiders training camp mock game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Aug. 2, 2025. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
“You need to be the toughest, both mentally and physically. And you’ve got to embody all these things and lead by example before gaining that equity and respect from your teammates in order to lead effectively.”
Mendoza will also have Kirk Cousins to lean on in certain situations, even as the veteran quarterback doesn’t see his relationship as a mentor-mentee situation.
“I think to say I’m mentoring them is a bit of a reach, probably more of a narrative than it is the truth,” Cousins said last week, via The Athletic. “They’re pretty good players and pretty experienced, and I’m learning a lot from them too and asking questions of them.”

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, attends a news conference at the Raiders Headquarters in Henderson, Nev., on April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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It’s unclear whether Mendoza will be the Week 1 starter. Cousins has proved to have some left in the tank to play. He signed a two-year, $12.6 million deal with the Raiders in the offseason.
Sports
A Vikings Star Player May Need to Leapfrog RT1 Brian O’Neill in the Extension Line
After quarterback, edge rusher is the NFL’s most important position (see some of Jeff Diamond’s recent thoughts on VT). Does that mean Andrew Van Ginkel needs to be next to earn an extension? He’s a Vikings star player even if he’s often overlooked.
The 2024 second-team All Pro is moving into his final season. He’ll demand $23 million, an amount that puts him in a good spot within the broader edge rusher market but nowhere near the top. Seeing a new deal arrive should be a priority for the Vikings’ front office. Quite possibly, the undone Van Ginkel extension needs to get in ahead of the Brian O’Neill deal, somebody who has more commonly been in the headlines.
A Vikings Star Player — Andrew Van Ginkel — Needs an Extension
Part of the problem for Van Ginkel in 2025 was health, or lack thereof. The edge rusher got into just a dozen games, starting eleven.
He was nevertheless able to climb up to 7 sacks. That’s a step behind the 11.5 sacks he tossed up in 2024. What’s missing from the basic analysis is that Van Ginkel not only played in less games but had lesser pass rushing snaps. Brian Flores tasked him with pass rushing on just 173 plays, per PFF. He had 414 pass rushing snaps the year before.
He was, in other words, a terror off the edge. His issue is that he got less opportunity, making the final tally appear more modest.
Worse yet (for the Vikings, at least) is that Minnesota doesn’t have a great replacement. Dallas Turner is already being burdened with jumping into the Jonathan Greenard opening. Nobody else on the roster boasts the sort of promise to suggest that an EDGE1 job as early as 2027 makes sense. Bo Richter, Tyler Batty, and/or others will have something to say about the matter, but we’re merely considering the most likely path ahead.
So, an extension would appear darn near necessary.
Over the Cap clarifies that top edge rushers — think guys like Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Danielle Hunter, and some others — can clear $40 million per year on their deals. Van Ginkel won’t see his name among those guys.
Goodness, Will Anderson Jr. is now at the top of the market with a contract averaging a cool $50 million per season. Doubling the Van Ginkel $23 million would mean sitting at $46 million, still short of the Anderson contract.
In all likelihood, Andrew Van Ginkel could see his annual average get to somewhere within the $25 to $30 million range. Greenard climbed up to that $30 million benchmark in his new Philadelphia deal but that’s within the context of being younger and having a better reputation for tracking down quarterbacks. The $30 million average should be considered the high-end of any potential Van Ginkel extension.
Taking a guess would mean doing precisely that: guessing. Nolan Teasley is a mystery since he’s still so new.
What’s not a mystery is the abilities that Andrew Van Ginkel can offer. He’s a unique player in a league that boasts a pile of unique players. Nobody on Minnesota’s roster can do what the EDGE1 is capable of doing. As a result, the Vikings star player may end up being the priority to extend.
The Vikings could put more than $11 million into the 2026 budget with an extension.
Sports
Belgium vs Iran LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Thibaut Courtois Saves Belgium As Iran Rely On Counters | BEL 0-0 IRN
Ahead of the game, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said that although his team is still being treated unfairly by the host U.S. at the World Cup through travel restrictions and visa refusals.
“I am very glad that the Iranian nation is behind us,” Ghalenoei said through an interpreter. “Our martyrs in Iran, we play for them. But I know that this kind of behavior has hurt our people. Even if we spent billions of dollars, we would not be able to have justice for our people. It just shows we are an oppressed country. But nevertheless, I hope we achieve peace, and I hope this kind of behavior does not become institutionalized in the World Cup.”
Sports
Marizanne Kapp’s unbeaten 81 sinks India as South Africa secure six-wicket win | Cricket News
Marizanne Kapp produced a match-winning all-round performance as South Africa defeated India by six wickets in their Women’s T20 World Cup Group A clash on Sunday.Kapp starred with both bat and ball, first returning figures of 2/27 before unleashing an unbeaten 81 off just 45 deliveries to guide South Africa to victory with five balls to spare. Her knock included seven boundaries and four sixes and proved decisive in the 161/4 chase of India’s 158/7.India were left to rue missed chances, with substitute fielder Radha Yadav dropping Kapp twice at crucial moments, allowing the South African all-rounder to capitalise fully.Batting first on a two-paced surface, India struggled to build momentum and could only manage a modest total despite reaching 158/7. Deepti Sharma top-scored with 29 off 21 balls, while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur made 24 off 22 deliveries.India’s innings had begun brightly, reaching 54 without loss, but they suffered a dramatic collapse, slipping to 83/4 before Deepti and Harmanpreet added a stabilising 33-run stand for the fifth wicket. However, poor shot selection and loss of momentum restricted them to a below-par total.South Africa’s chase initially looked steady rather than aggressive, with openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits negotiating the new ball carefully. However, India struck back through Shree Charani, who produced a double-wicket maiden to shift the momentum. She took a sharp return catch to dismiss Wolvaardt for 20 and then bowled Annerie Dercksen for a duck two balls later.Despite the setback, South Africa rebuilt through a crucial 97-run partnership between Kapp and Brits, which ultimately shaped the outcome of the match. The duo rotated strike efficiently and found regular boundaries, keeping the required rate under control.Brits contributed 40 off 36 balls before falling in the 17th over, edging a catch to deep backward square, a wicket that could have come earlier had Radha Yadav not spilled another straightforward opportunity.Kapp continued unfazed and carried her side over the line, punishing loose deliveries and taking advantage of her reprieves to finish unbeaten on 81 as South Africa reached 161/4 in 19.1 overs.The result pushed South Africa up the points table to third place, behind India and table-toppers Australia, keeping the group stage race tightly poised.
Sports
Women’s T20 World Cup: India vs South Africa highlights
Marizanne Kapp finishes unbeaten on 81 as she guides South Africa to a six-wicket victory over India at Old Trafford in the Women’s T20 World Cup, a win which keeps alive their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
READ MORE: Brilliant Kapp leads South Africa past India
Available to UK users only.
Sports
USMNT ticket prices drop for group match, soar for knockout round
June 19, 2026; New York, U.S.; U.S. fans celebrate at the Brooklyn Bridge park watch party after Alex Freeman scores their second goal. Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images When it was revealed in December that if the United States Men’s National Team won Group D, it would play on July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., the get-in price was in the $700 range, where it remained until the last few weeks.
Now that the USMNT has won Group D, it will cost more than $3,000 for a ticket to the round-of-32 match, per TicketData.com, as millions of Americans have jumped on the bandwagon, hopeful of a historic run on home soil.
For round-of-16 and quarterfinal matches, get-in prices have also soared over $3,000 for matches that the Americans could play in if they advance to those rounds.
Meanwhile, ticket prices for the U.S.-Turkey Group D finale match, which does not mean anything for either team, are dipping. The prices began to fall on Friday night, when Paraguay defeated Turkey.
Paraguay’s win secured the Group D title for the U.S. team, lowering the get-in price from more than $2,000 on Friday morning to less than $1,400 a day later, according to TicketData.com. The U.S. plays Turkey on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
FIFA’s official resale platform posted Category tickets at $1,150, which is higher than the original price, but well below any tickets listed for that match earlier this week.
StubHub ($3,393 including fees), SeatGeek ($3,209) and FIFA’s ticket platform saw significant increases in prices for the U.S. round-of-32 match in Santa Clara as of Saturday morning, which had been around $2,000 earlier this week.
The U.S. could play Bosnia and Herzegovina, who take on Qatar on Wednesday on the final day of Group B play. If that match is a draw, it is unclear who the U.S. will face on July 1.
–Field Level Media
Sports
At Shinnecock Hills, this road gives public a peek behind the hedges
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Tuesday afternoon, Halla Arnadottir and Sveinn Ogmundsson were following their son Arni Sveinsson during a U.S. Open practice round at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, which they had previously never visited, when the person they were walking with told them something about the course that might strike a new visitor as a bit peculiar.
The pavement they were walking on between holes 13 and 14 was actually a road.
“Really?” Arnadottir said.
Really. Occasionally, the person said, cars will even stop and snap a photo — when the club isn’t hosting a major championship.
“Oh, wow!” Ogmundsson said.
Indeed. At Shinnecock, there are humps and bumps, and lefts and rights, and wind, sand and fescue. And a road. Tuckahoe Road is its name, and it cuts across the esteemed course. On the western side of Tuckahoe are holes 1 through 9 and 14 through 18, and holes 10 through 13 are on the eastern side of the road.
And it’s in play on holes 12 and 13 — on the 472-yard, par-4 12th, it’s just ahead of the green, and on the 367-yard, par-4 13th, it’s just in front of the tee box. Below, you can see flyover videos, which were shot by the USGA.
Here’s a flyover of 12.
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Here’s a flyover of 13.
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This year, the 12th also played a part in a … 427-yard drive. During Thursday’s first round, Bryson DeChambeau’s tee shot bounced before Tuckahoe, then bounced on it, before finishing just short of the green. DeChambeau went on to birdie the hole.
Notably, in 2016, the club attempted to have Tuckahoe rerouted around the course. This year’s U.S. Open will also be the second straight Open where a road cuts through the course — last year, Interstate 76 divided Oakmont.
Sunday, you can get one last look at the road in tournament play. A few weeks later, you can then drive on it.
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