AP Sports SummaryBrief at 4:31 p.m. EST

Analysis: NBA All-Star reserve voting to lead to some snubs

There’s going to be some angry people in the NBA on Thursday night. With good reason, too. The votes from the coaches are now in, and on Thursday, the NBA will reveal the 14 players, seven apiece from the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, who got picked to be reserves for the All-Star Game. Here’s the problem. There’s about 25 or so guys who have serious arguments for those 14 remaining All-Star spots. That’s going to lead to some hurt feelings.

Brother vs. brother: Kelces prepare for Super Bowl showdown

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Donna Kelce is going to have to pull out her custom jersey — the one with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s front stitched to Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce’s back — one more time this season. For the first time in Super Bowl history, a pair of siblings will square off on the NFL’s biggest stage. Kelce helped the Chiefs return to their third championship game in four seasons on Sunday night when they beat the Bengals for the AFC title. Jason has the Eagles back for the second time in six years after their NFC title win over the 49ers.

Banchero headlines field for All-Star Rising Stars event

Paolo Banchero is headed to NBA All-Star weekend. The only question is whether it’ll be for one game or two. The Orlando Magic rookie and No. 1 pick in last year’s draft was announced Tuesday as a participant in this year’s Rising Stars Game. It’ll be held on Feb. 17 in Salt Lake City. That’s two nights before the All-Star Game. Banchero leads all rookies with a 20.7 points-per-game average. He may still be selected as an All-Star reserve. Those players will be revealed Thursday.

Boxer Klitschko joins fight against Olympic path for Russia

GENEVA (AP) — Olympic gold medalist Wladimir Klitschko has joined Ukraine’s fight against IOC plans to let some Russians compete at the 2024 Paris Summer Games. The former heavyweight champion has suggested in a video message that sports leaders will be accomplices to the war if athletes from Russia and its military ally Belarus can compete at the next Olympics. The International Olympic Committee wants to let Russians and Belarusians who have not openly supported the war to try to qualify for Paris. They would compete as neutral athletes with no flag or anthem. Olympic sports bodies must agree on their own policies.

Column: The only rivalry in golf is about tours, not players

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Jon Rahm starts his year with two wins in a row. Rory McIlroy answers by winning his 2023 debut. AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson says that would seem to be the start of what could be a great rivalry this year. Except golf already has a rivalry that no two players can beat. That rivalry is about tours. That’s how it felt in Dubai when McIlroy birdied his last two holes to beat Patrick Reed. Those two have a history. But it was hard to ignore the final round being portrayed as the establishment against the Saudi-funded newcomer. And it will be like that at the majors.

NASCAR bans Chastain’s wall-hugging move at Martinsville

NASCAR has banned the “Hail Melon” move Ross Chastain used last year at Martinsville to earn a spot in the championship race. Chastain last October mashed the gas and deliberately smashed into the wall so that the energy would speed his car past his rivals. NASCAR said Tuesday the move would draw a penalty in 2023 under a previous rule about compromising safety. It was part of a series of competition tweaks for 2023 that includes the removal of an automatic four-race suspension to a crew chief if a tire comes off a car.

Column: Kennedy takes bold risks with NASCAR family business

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ben Kennedy is the great-grandson of NASCAR’s founder. The 31-year-old graduate of the University of Florida wants to earn his way to the top of NASCAR and has learned the sport from the bottom to the top. He is the architect of aggressive schedule changes and the unique Clash at the Coliseum. The race returns Los Angeles for a second year this weekend. NASCAR also will celebrate its 75th anniversary with its first ever street course race in downtown Chicago.

UK police chiefs apologize to Hillsborough disaster families

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s police chiefs have promised a “cultural change” as they apologized to families of the victims in the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy. The U.K.‘s worst sports disaster saw 97 people killed during a crush of soccer fans at an overcrowded stadium. Authorities spent years blaming fans for the disaster, and an initial inquest ruled the deaths an accident. But a second inquest concluded in 2016 that the victims were unlawfully killed as a result of failings by police and others. The National Police Chiefs Council and College of Policing said Tuesday that the code of ethics used by police forces will be reviewed.

Jitoboh’s recovery coming into focus year after eye injury

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jason Jitoboh won’t step foot onto a basketball court without his glasses. And he doesn’t even need them to see. The darkened lenses merely provide extra protection for what eyesight Jitoboh has remaining. Florida’s 6-foot-11 center took a finger to his left eye at Tennessee last January and spent the better part of a year trying to get right. He’s had four surgeries already and might have a fifth following the season. He faces the second-ranked Volunteers for the first time since his injury when Florida hosts Tennessee on Wednesday.

Analysis: NFL wasn’t at its best in conference championships

The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs prevailed on championship weekend to reach Super Bowl 57. But the NFL didn’t exactly have a stellar weekend as infuriating flags and non-calls dominated both the NFC and AFC title games. The NFC championship was a blowout because the San Francsico 49ers lost all their quarterbacks. An emergency third quarterback would have come in handy Sunday but the league and its players ditched the third quarterback designation more than a decade ago. The AFC title game went down to the wire but questionable calls including an intentional grounding on Joe Burrow proved crucial.