Reuters Sports News Summary

The NFL and other U.S. sports leagues have backed a bid by the White House for expanded powers from Congress to detect and disable threatening drones. Women's Top 25 roundup: JuJu Watkins scores USC record 51 Freshman guard JuJu Watkins set a Southern California single-game record with 51 points as the 15th-ranked Trojans earned a 67-58 road win over fourth-ranked Stanford on Friday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA roundup: Domantas Sabonis sets Kings' double-double mark

Domantas Sabonis passed Oscar Robertson for the franchise record with his 30th consecutive double-double, posting 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings topped the Indiana Pacers 133-122 on Friday in Indianapolis. Sabonis, who played in Indiana from 2016-17 until he was traded to Sacramento in February 2022, added to his NBA-leading collection of double-doubles (43) while helping pace a balanced offensive effort for the Kings.

Reports: Seahawks hiring Leslie Frazier as assistant HC

The Seattle Seahawks are tapping Leslie Frazier to serve as assistant head coach under new head coach Mike Macdonald, multiple media outlets reported Friday night. Frazier took the 2023 season off after a six-year stint as the Buffalo Bills' defensive coordinator.

LeBron James' agent refutes trade speculation

LeBron James' agent says trade rumors regarding the Los Angeles Lakers superstar are untrue. "LeBron won't be traded, and we aren't asking to be," Rich Paul told ESPN on Friday.

Diamond Sports to broadcast 2024 Rangers, Guardians, Twins games

Bankrupt U.S. sports broadcaster Diamond Sports Group reached agreements on Friday to televise Texas Rangers, Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins games in 2024, giving it a roster of 12 Major League Baseball teams as it moves ahead with an Amazon-backed restructuring agreement. Diamond Sports is a Sinclair Broadcast unit that operates regional sports channels under the Bally Sports brand. It said in court filings in Houston bankruptcy court that the renewed agreements resolved a possible lose-lose scenario that could have canceled the teams' broadcast contracts outright, cutting into Diamond's revenue and leaving the teams scrambling to find new broadcast arrangements for a baseball season that begins in late March.

US FAA designates Las Vegas area 'No Drone Zone' for Super Bowl

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday it is designating the Las Vegas Area a "No Drone Zone" for the Feb. 11 Super Bowl as officials tighten security precautions before the National Football League championship game. The NFL and other U.S. sports leagues have backed a bid by the White House for expanded powers from Congress to detect and disable threatening drones.

Women's Top 25 roundup: JuJu Watkins scores USC record 51

Freshman guard JuJu Watkins set a Southern California single-game record with 51 points as the 15th-ranked Trojans earned a 67-58 road win over fourth-ranked Stanford on Friday. Watkins' point total was the highest in Division I women's basketball this season and the most by a freshman since Elena Delle Donne scored 54 in a game for Delaware in 2010.

Soccer-Vidal rides in on horseback to return to boyhood club in Chile

Chile's Arturo Vidal returned to his boyhood club, Colo Colo, in eccentric fashion at the Estadio Monumental David Arellano, arriving in a helicopter dressed as a king and riding a horse around the pitch holding a fake sword. The event drew 30,000 fans who celebrated the return of the 36-year-old midfielder, who joined the club last month after stints with Brazilian sides Atletico Paranaense and Flamengo, where he won the Copa do Brasil and Copa Libertadores.

Olympics-NHL players to return to Olympics in 2026

National Hockey League will send players to compete at the Winter Olympics in 2026 and 2030, the league announced on Friday, marking the return of NHL players to the Games for the first time since 2014. "The international composition of National Hockey League rosters is unparalleled, and NHL Players take great pride in representing their countries," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said at a press conference during All-Star weekend.

Connor McDavid pockets $1 million for All-Star Skills victory

Connor McDavid won the NHL All-Star Skills Challenge on Friday night in Toronto, the fourth time he has won the event in the past seven years. McDavid took home the $1 million prize after winning the Fastest Skater, Stick Handling and the Accuracy Shooting competitions in the opening round, and then winning the Obstacle Course in the final round.

WTA roundup: Lin Zhu continues title defense quest in Thailand

Second seed Lin Zhu of China took another step toward defending her title at the Thailand Open by defeating Australian Arina Rodionova 6-3, 6-3 in a quarterfinal match Friday in Hua Hin. Zhu had a 5-1 edge in aces and won 22 of her 29 first-service points (76 percent) to ease into the semifinals. Her victory at last year's tournament marked the first tour-level title of her career.