TELEVISION
Osaka starts media firm
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka is launching a new media company in partnership with four-times NBA champion LeBron James aimed at telling stories that cross cultural barriers, the former world No. 1 announced on Tuesday. Hana Kuma, which translates to “flower bear,” is to produce stories that are “culturally specific, but universal to all audiences,” and already has multiple projects lined up, the Hollywood Reporter said. “What excites me is being able to inspire people and tell new stories, particularly ones that I would have wanted to see when I was a kid. I always wanted to kind of see someone like me,” four-times Grand Slam champion Osaka, who has a Haitian father and Japanese mother, told the New York Times.
SOCCER
Lukaku loaned to Inter
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is to rejoin Inter on a one-year loan deal after a disappointing spell with the English Premier League club, reports on Tuesday said. Inter are reported to have negotiated an 8 million euros (US$8.4 million) loan fee to sign Lukaku, who reportedly agreed to a pay cut to leave Stamford Bridge. The Belgian joined Chelsea in a club-record ￡97.5 million (US$119.2 million) deal before the start of last season, saying the transfer was an emotional return home after he played for the club from 2011 to 2014. However, after scoring four goals in his first four appearances, the 29-year-old’s second stint with Chelsea quickly turned sour. A controversial interview with Italian TV in December last year featured Lukaku saying he was unhappy with the way he was used by Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel and hinting he was already thinking about leaving.
ICE HOCKEY
Matthews named MVP
Toronto Maple Leafs ace Auston Matthews was named the NHL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) on Tuesday, scooping the prestigious Hart Trophy after a prolific goalscoring campaign. Matthews also earned the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player in voting by the NHL Players’ Association earlier on Tuesday. The two awards followed a 60-goal season from Matthews which led the NHL. Matthews has scored at least 34 goals in each of his six seasons in the league, and was the top scorer last year and this year. “I want to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs, top to bottom,” Matthews said after receiving the MVP award. “I want to thank the fans, Leafs Nation, there is nothing like playing in front of you.”
FOOTBALL
Gronkowski retires again
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski on Tuesday announced his retirement from the NFL for a second time, walking away from a partnership with quarterback icon Tom Brady that included four Super Bowl victories. The 33-year-old, regarded by many as one of the best tight ends in history, initially retired in 2019. After sitting out the 2019-2020 season, Gronkowski came out of retirement and was pivotal in helping Tampa Bay clinch the Super Bowl in the 2020-2021 campaign. However, he said his second retirement is permanent. “I will now be going back into my retirement home, walking away from football again with my head held high, knowing I gave it everything I had, good or bad, every time I stepped out on the field,” Gronkowski said in a statement on Instagram.
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal would be motivated by criticism ahead of the Clasico, Barcelona assistant coach Marcus Sorg said yesterday. Teenage winger Yamal has been in the spotlight in the Spanish capital after joking that Real Madrid “steal” and “complain” during an appearance on a social media stream. Champions Barca face Real Madrid today in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu, looking for a fifth consecutive win over their rivals. “Lamine is a top player and I think [the criticism] will be motivating for him,” Sorg told a news conference. “I hope we all see him tomorrow [give] the best performance.” The 18-year-old Spain
‘A HISTORIC moment’: ‘I think we all need to take a step back and appreciate Leo Messi is playing in Major League Soccer,’ league commissioner Don Garber said Lionel Messi raised the Golden Boot. He then got Inter Miami started with his head. The Argentine opened the scoring with a diving header in the first half, then capped the scoring in the 96th minute as Inter Miami opened the MLS playoffs with a 3-1 win over Nashville SC in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference best-of-three first-round series on Friday night. Messi and Ian Fray had the assists on Tadeo Allende’s second-half tally for Inter Miami, who now get two chances to advance out of the first round for the first time in Messi’s two-and-a-half-year tenure with the team. Game
‘COMPLETE GAME’: ‘To be honest, I’m not sure about the history, but I’m very happy about what I did today,’ Yamamoto said through a translator after the game Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a World Series game from another era. Sandy Koufax had October outings like this, and so did Orel Hershiser, but those types of performances have vanished in modern baseball. Until this 178cm starter from Japan delivered like the aces of old. Yamamoto threw a four-hitter for his second consecutive complete game, the first in the World Series since 2015, and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 on Saturday night to tie their best-of-seven matchup at one game apiece. “It’s kind of the throwback,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “When he starts a game, he
Japan’s narrow defeat by Australia showed they can compete with the best teams in the world, coach Eddie Jones said after his side fell to a 19-15 loss yesterday. Australia coach Joe Schmidt led the Wallabies for the first time against Eddie Jones, his predecessor and now Japan coach. During Jones’ second tenure as Australia coach, the Wallabies lost seven of nine tests and were eliminated in group play at the 2023 World Cup. “What I’m super pleased about is that now we [Japan] are a team that stays in the fight,” Jones told reporters. “We kept going, we could have won
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