Sports

Antetokounmpo to Zion: Don’t rush the process – TSN

Published

5 years ago

January 23, 2020

PARIS — The NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player has simple advice for the player many are viewing as a future MVP after his show-stopping debut.

“Don’t rush the process,“ was the message that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sent to Zion Williamson on Thursday from Paris.

The 19-year-old Williamson made his highly-anticipated NBA debut for New Orleans Pelicans against San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

The NBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick had the crowd on their feet and asking for more after scoring 17 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter of a 121-117 loss which took a back seat to Williamson’s impact.

Antetokounmpo, an NBA All-Star for the past three years, knows what it’s like to be surrounded by hype and urged Williamson to take his time.

“You’re going to be a beast, the whole league knows you’re going to be a beast,“ Antetokounmpo said in Paris, where the Bucks will take on the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. “Just take it step by step, day by day.“

Because of the time difference, Antetokounmpo was already asleep in his Parisian hotel when Williamson was putting on a show in New Orleans.

“I wasn’t able to watch it because it was late here. But when I woke up I watched the highlights and saw that he scored 17 points (in barely more than three minutes ),“ Antetokounmpo said. “It’s amazing. I’m really excited for him.“

Antetokounmpo is one of the front runners for the MVP title again this year, and will be looking for a fifth triple-double of the season against the Hornets, the first regular-season game to be played in France.

The 25-year-old Antetokounmpo is in stellar form himself. He had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in just 31 minutes of the Bucks’ 111-98 win against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, reaching a career milestone of 10,000 points in the process.

Williamson missed the first half of the season after having knee surgery, and Antetokounmpo urged the 6-foot-6, 285-pound rookie out of Duke not to push his body too hard, too early.

“Obviously he’s a tough kid. My advice that I give to him: just have patience, work hard and make sure you’re healthy,“ he said. “Because I saw some highlights and saw he was wearing a sleeve on his knee that was hurting. Don’t rush, don’t rush the process.“

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver thinks Williamson is well equipped to handle the pressure.

“It comes with the territory and he has been under a spotlight long before he even played in the national limelight at the Duke University,“ Silver said. “He is going to be a social media star these days and again, it’s not easy for these young players, but I think he is built to be a big-time player and can handle these big moments.”

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Sports

Tampa Bay Lightning select Victor Hedman as captain, succeeding Steven Stamkos

Published

7 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Anne Joseph

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning selected Victor Hedman as the team captain on Wednesday as training camp opened, making the big defenseman the successor to Steven Stamkos.

Hedman, who is going into his 16th season with Tampa Bay, was considered the obvious choice to get the “C” after the Lightning did not re-sign Stamkos and their longtime captain left to join Nashville.

“Victor is a cornerstone player that is extremely well respected by his teammates, coaches and peers across the NHL,” general manager Julien BriseBois said. “Over the past 15 seasons, he has been a world-class representative for our organization both on and off the ice. Victor embodies what it means to be a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and is more than ready for this exciting opportunity. We are looking forward to watching him flourish in his new role as we continue to work towards our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”

The 33-year-old from Sweden was a key contributor in the Lightning hoisting the Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21, including playoff MVP honors on the first of those championship runs. Hedman also took home the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2018 and finished in the top three in voting five other seasons.

Ryan McDonagh, who was reacquired early in the offseason in a trade with the Predators, and MVP finalist Nikita Kucherov will serve as alternate captains with the Lightning moving on to the post-Stamkos era.

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Edler to sign one-day contract to retire as a Vancouver Canuck

Published

22 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.

The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.

He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.

The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.

Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.

“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”

Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

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Sixth-ranked Canadian women to face World Cup champion Spain in October friendly

Published

1 day ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.

Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.

The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.

In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.

Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.

Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.

The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.

Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.

It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.

Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.

FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.

And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.

“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

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