Newsmakers
Awarded Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner won the WNBA defensive player of the year award for the second straight season, the league announced Thursday. The 6-foot-8 star became the first player in league history to average at least four blocks a game with 105 in just 26 contests. Bill Laimbeer was honored as the league’s coach of the year after guiding New York to a franchise-record 23 wins. Chicago’s Allie Quigley repeated as the league’s sixth woman of the year after averaging 11.1 points in just 22.5 minutes a game.
Honored Boxing great Muhammad Ali, a three-time world champion, basked in the attention in Louisville, Kentucky, where he received the first Grawemeyer Spirit Award winner for his role in inspiring others from the University of Louisville. Ali, 73, who is battling Parkinson’s disease, stayed seated but raised his right hand briefly to acknowledge the crowd, which chanted: “Ali! Ali!”
Granted Switzerland’s justice ministry says it granted U.S. requests to extradite former FIFA vice president Eugenio Figueredo, who is accused of bribery and fraudulently obtaining American citizenship. The ministry says Figueredo, an 83-year-old Uruguay native, has 30 days to appeal the decision. He was among seven football officials arrested May 27 in early-morning hotel raids in Zurich. Figueredo, who has been detained in a Zurich-area prison, faces 20 years in prison on racketeering charges.
Suspended FIFA says it suspended secretary general Jerome Valcke with immediate effect, hours after he was the subject of allegations over a deal for 2014 World Cup ticket sales. FIFA says it has requested “a formal investigation by the FIFA Ethics Committee” following a “series of allegations.” A former FIFA ticketing partner made allegations about selling top-tier World Cup tickets at three times face value.
Announced Britan’s Andy Murray said he will donate 50 pounds ($78) for every ace he hits from now until the end of the year to help the cause of refugees. Murray, who is playing in this week’s Davis Cup semifinals against Australia in Glasgow, decided on the idea after seeing images of migrants coming to Europe on the news.
Scheduled American Steve Johnson will play the first singles match against Uzbekistan’s No. 1 player Denis Istomin in their Davis Cup World Group playoff in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The second match pits Jack Sock against Farrukh Dustov.