The Lakers reveal the first of 3 statues of Kobe Bryant The statue depicts Bryant amid his 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. Bryant's wife, Vanessa, specially requested certain elements, such as replicas of his five championship trophies. Ayana Archie
The Paris Olympics medals will have pieces of the Eiffel Tower A hexagonal, polished chunk of iron taken from the iconic landmark is being embedded in each gold, silver and bronze medal that will be hung around athletes' necks at the Paris Games and Paralympics. The Associated Press
Does playing soccer on artificial turf increase cancer risk, especially in kids? Longtime University of Washington goalies coach Amy Griffin is not an activist by nature. But 15 years ago, she identified what she believed was a trend that she couldn’t ignore in good conscience — young goalies being diagnosed with blood cancer. Stephen Howie
Gabby Douglas comes back to competitive gymnastics this month, eyeing the Olympics Twelve years after stunning the world gymnastics stage with a historic Olympic performance, Douglas, now 28, will compete in a qualifier for the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. Bill Chappell
ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to launch a sports streaming platform The platform will include games from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, NASCAR and college sports, including the men's and women's NCAA Tournament, as well as golf, tennis and the FIFA World Cup. The Associated Press
Seattle's World Cup schedule is here The schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been released, and it includes six games on Seattle soil. Lumen Field will host four group play games between June 15 and 26, including a United States Men’s National Team match on June 19. Vaughan Jones
The 2026 World Cup final will take place at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium The complex home to the New York Jets and Giants and located in East Rutherford, N.J., will be renamed the New York New Jersey Stadium during the July 19 final. Emma Bowman
How often will Taylor Swift be shown during the Super Bowl? Now you can bet on it The tectonic collision of two entertainment powerhouses — the NFL and Taylor Swift — dominated TV screens this fall. Now, sportsbooks are looking for their bite at the apple. Becky Sullivan
Napkin used to secure Messi's first contract with FC Barcelona to be sold at auction Soccer star Lionel Messi's first unofficial contract with FC Barcelona was done on a napkin. It's now going to auction with a starting bid of nearly $400,000. Diba Mohtasham
Actor and former NFL player Carl Weathers has died at 76 Carl Weather was known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky films, and contributions to The Mandalorian, Happy Gilmore, and other productions. Chloe Veltman
