Popovich dropped a typically sarcastic line about Duncan’s coaching expertise (or lack thereof), per Marc Stein of the New York Times. “Tim Duncan doesn’t know a lick about coaching," said Popovich. “I don’t even know why I hired him.” Unless Popovich is second-guessing his hire, we can safely assume this is another example of his famously dry wit. When the Duncan hire was first announced in July, Popovich provided the first clue that he would keep ribbing Duncan....

As part of Spurs media day, the legendary coach addressed the growing number of athletes following Colin Kaepernick’s lead in protesting the national anthem. He said something more thoughtful than whatever it is you’re going to hear during Monday night’s presidential debate. PHOTOS: National anthem protests around sports “I absolutely understand why they’re doing what they’re doing, and I respect their courage for what they’ve done,” Popovich said via the San Antonio Express-News....

The Swedish teen climate activist delivered a speech on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in which she warned that “our house is still on fire” having made a similar comment during her debut appearance last year. Thunberg criticized world leaders for not keeping promises made in the Paris Agreement to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the catastrophic impact of global warming. Speaking at a panel titled “Averting a Climate Apocalypse,” Thunberg said: “I’ve been warned that telling people to panic about the climate crisis is a very dangerous thing to do....

Thunberg, 18, urged lawmakers to end fossil fuel subsidies and take more serious action to help keep the planet in reach of the global warming target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels—the limit scientists have set for staving off the worst impacts of climate change. Her testimony before the House’s Oversight and Reform Committee’s environment subcommittee coincided with Earth Day and the first day of President Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit with dozens of world leaders....

In the video, published by the dog owner’s child, who goes by the username u/oldsadman, the dog’s owner can be seen holding Sambucca, laughing at the way the dog is staring into space with its mouth open, unable to move or bark. The post was accompanied by a caption that read: “My mum’s dog had to go to the vet. She came back very, very high.” Sambucca is a greyhound who, as the owner explained further down in the comment section, used to race but was then given up before they rescued it....

The Lyon striker has admitted that he sees this summer as the ideal time to take on a new adventure after seven years as part of the first-team fold at his home-town club. Lyon: Lacazette future has changed He has plundered 129 goals in 275 appearances for Lyon, with a new personal best of 37 for a single campaign set in 2016-17. Atletico were expected to snap him up when the window re-opens, allowing him to be paired with fellow France international Griezmann in the Spanish capital, but those plans have had to be shelved....

Do Palestinians, the Christian ones at least, believe in Santa Claus? “One hundred percent,” says local wholesaler Majed Zedan. “St. Nicholas, he used to live in Beit Jala!” But that was 1,600 years ago, in a time before Islam and the Israeli state. All that remains today of the original Father Christmas are ancient fragments of bone in a bullet-pocked church, while the Arab Christians who revere him – “the living stones around the Holy Places,” as they like to say–are fast disappearing....

“There is absolutely no ability for us (Group of 5 schools) to be in that national title conversation,” Frazier told ESPN.com. “That’s just reality. Anyone that says we can, that’s a flat-out lie.” That’s spawned a conversation about Group of 5 schools looking into their own separate playoff, and they should do it. Sporting News examined this trend in a five-part series before the start of the College Football Playoff era....

The appeals-court panel last week overwhelmingly affirmed a March 2015 district court ruling that accepted the settlement between the league and approximately 5,000 former players who filed concussion-related lawsuits. MORE: Faces of the head trauma crisis | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to donate brain to concussion research Some 20,000 retired NFL players are covered by the settlement that could cost the league more than $1 billion. The players seeking a rehearing object to how the settlement treats chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, a degenerative brain disease....

During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley about the probability al-Qaida or a similar group would resurface in the country after the withdrawal. Austin replied that the likelihood of this occurring was “medium,” the Associated Press reported. “I would also say, senator, that it would take possibly two years for them to develop that capability,” Austin said....

The veteran midfielder announced on Friday he will be leaving Camp Nou at the end of the season following 22 successful years in Catalonia, in which he has lifted 31 trophies with the club. Iniesta, who also won the European Championship twice and scored Spain’s winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final, is one of the most decorated graduates from Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and played alongside Guardiola, before working under him when the now Manchester City boss was in charge of the Blaugrana....

‘I’m still alive!’ - Gundogan responds to City shirts Second-half goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling overturned Theo Walcott’s opener after five minutes to give the home side all three points at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola was delighted to see his players do enough to keep the supporters in their seats as they claimed a second home win in a row to move into second in the Premier League table....

Kante only getting better at Chelsea after Leicester heroics The Manchester United manager finds himself on the illustrious shortlist after his success in charge of Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid. The self-dubbed ‘Special One’ led the former to an unlikely Champions League triumph in 2004, before winning a trio of Premier League titles at the Blues across two seperate spells. Mourinho lifted his second Champions League trophy in charge of Inter, before clinching a La Liga title at Madrid....

Guardiola impressed by Pochettino’s work Aguero reached the agreement almost exactly a year ago but the club have never made an official announcement and it is understood there are no plans to in the future. It comes as something of a revelation for Guardiola to have announced it now, less than 24 hours after he and Aguero sat down at a Manchester restuarant along with one of the striker’s agents....

Ambrose is on loan NAC Breda this season, but has spent five years at the Etihad club, where he has honed his skills as a forward after initially playing at Auxerre. Guardiola’s arrival in 2016, however, revolutionised things, with the Catalan’s attention to detail when it comes to ball retention especially astounding the 20-year-old . “With Pep, it’s possession and more possession,” he told SFR Sport. “If you make a silly mistake, he stops training for five or 10 minutes and talk about the pass....

A TikTok is circulating online from @miriam_gilmore_, as she filmed the hallways and the canteen at her school, with the footage amassing more than 6 million views, and can be seen here. “My school banned backpacks yesterday so this happened,” she captioned the footage, shared on Friday. The video, captioned “can we have our bags back yet?” shows students carrying their books and belongings in interesting ways. “Laundry basket” the on-screen text reads, continuing: “Is that a shopping cart?...

The India number one’s contract with Stabaek was set to expire in December 2017 and was approached by a host of ISL franchises before the player opted to make a move to Bengaluru FC. Neymar to win 2018 Ballon d’Or Read More: LOOKING BACK AT GURPREET’S TIME IN EUROPE At the end of the ISL draft, there were talks of Bengaluru not being strong in the goalkeeping department having picked Lalthuammawia Ralte, Abhra Mondal and Calvin Abhishek....

Since the Venezuelan wonder boy won an international competition in Germany in 2004, he’s created a sensation in classical music. Simon Rattle of the Berlin Philharmonic called him “the most astonishingly gifted conductor I’ve come across.” The son of a trombone player, Dudamel grew up with music. He recalls finding a yellowed book on sight reading—“it was a small book with a wonderful smell”—in his father’s library when he was 4 or 5, and he began to teach himself....

The Guard member was assigned to Eagle Pass South Station in Texas and discovered a black gym bag left in the high grass on May 5, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press release. Once Border Patrol was called in to search the bag, they found eight AK-47 style pistols and 10 AK-47 style 30-round magazines. The guns and ammunition were sent for processing where it was revealed that the four weapons had been reported stolen....

His acceptance speech went viral after offering three cardinal rules for sustainability and longevity. The Broadway musical Hadestown reimagines the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, one of the first star-crossed lovers. The adaptation livens up the classic Greek myth, drenched with New Orleans–style jazz, a colorful set and unforgettable performances. It nabbed eight wins out of 14 nominations, with one of them going to de Shields. It was de Shields’ third Tony nomination after being recognized for Play On!...