BASKETBALL
Tiffany Jackson, a former standout at the University of Texas who was the No. 5 pick in the WNBA draft in 2007 and played nine years in the league, has died of cancer, the school announced. She was 37.
Jackson, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, died Monday. She was hired as head coach at Wiley College in April.
Jackson was a three-time All-Big 12 selection and was voted the national freshman of the year by the U.S Basketball Writers Association in 2004. She finished her Texas career ranked in the top five in career points, rebounds and steals. She is the only Longhorns player to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 150 blocks in a career.
“Tiffany had a great career and was an impact player,” former Texas coach Jody Conradt said. “She was recognized for her all-around game and the fact that she was tremendously mobile and could play multiple positions. She was beloved by teammates, and we share in the sadness of her passing.”
Jackson was drafted by the WNBA’s New York Liberty. She also played for the Tulsa Shock and the Los Angeles Sparks. Her best pro season came in 2011 with Tulsa when she averaged 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds.
After her cancer diagnosis, Jackson managed to return to the court to play a final season with Los Angeles in 2017 before retiring at age 32. She was an assistant coach at Texas for two seasons.
SOCCER
WORLD CUP: Landon Donovan is teaming with Clint Dempsey again at a World Cup.
The pair, who share the American record of 57 international goals, will work for Fox at this year’s tournament in Qatar. Donovan is paired with Ian Darke on one of five play-by-play teams. He joins Dempsey, hired last spring as a studio analyst.
Fox announced that the shifted World Cup opener between Qatar and Ecuador on Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. will be televised on its FS1 cable network. The main Fox network will televise 34 of the 64 matches and commentators will call all matches from stadiums in Qatar. Four years ago in Russia, Fox called 33 matches onsite, including all but one during the knockout rounds.
• Ukraine is set to join Spain and Portugal in a combined bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
A person familiar with the project told The Associated Press that Ukraine is being added to the Spain-Portugal bid. The revitalized bid, which has been in the works for more than three years, is scheduled to be announced on Wednesday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
• Paris will not broadcast World Cup matches on giant screens in public fan zones amid concerns over rights violations of migrant workers and the environmental impact of the tournament in Qatar.
It follows similar moves by other French cities, despite France going in as the defending champion. Some other European teams or federations are also looking at ways to protest.
GOLF
RYDER CUP: Whether Tiger Woods makes it to Italy or not for next year’s Ryder Cup, he’ll be an integral member of the U.S. team, captain Zach Johnson said at the year-to-go ceremonies.
“Given who he is and what he’s all about, I can tell you right now, I don’t know if he’ll be here next year, but he’ll be a part of this team in some capacity,” Johnson said. “He already is, practically. I can’t put this mildly – he loves the Ryder Cup. He has made it a priority of his and certainly of Team USA. He wants to be a part of it as best he can.”
Woods was a player on eight Ryder Cup teams and a vice captain in 2018. But he broke bones in his right leg and ankle in a February 2021 car crash outside Los Angeles. Next year’s event will be held on the hilly Marco Simone course outside Rome.
TENNIS
JAPAN OPEN: Top-seeded Casper Ruud lost and Nick Kyrgios won at the Japan Open.
Ruud, who reached the final at both the French Open and the U.S. Open this year, lost to Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-3. Kyrgios, who lost in the Wimbledon final, defeated Tseng Chun-hsin 6-3, 6-1 to reach the round of 16. He will next face Kamil Majchrzak, who beat Sho Shimabukuro 7-6 (2), 6-2.
The victory for Kyrgios came on the same day that his lawyer asked an Australian court to dismiss assault charges against him on mental health grounds. Magistrate Glenn Theakston adjourned the case until Feb. 3.
AUTO RACING
NASCAR CUP SERIES: Cody Shane Ware said he will skip the next NASCAR race because his broken right foot can’t handle the demands of a road course race.
Ware suffered an impact fracture and torn ligaments in a crash at Texas Motor Speedway on Sept. 25 but was able to race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway with a boot on his foot. The Cup Series races Sunday on the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a hybrid road course and oval that requires more shifting and braking than an oval.
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