Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 2-20-18

Sports
Larry Fitzgerald Will Return To Cardinals In 2018
LARRY FITZGERALD
The Arizona Cardinals will have a much different look in 2018 without former head coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer, but arguably the best player in franchise history is returning for a 15th season.
On Thursday, the Cardinals announced that Larry Fitzgerald has informed them he is not planning to re- tire just yet.
Fitzgerald will be 35 be- fore the start of next season, but he is coming off another extremely productive year in which he caught 109 passes for 1,156 yards and six touch- downs. He was also selected to his 11th Pro Bowl.
Steph Curry Hints He May Be Involved In Bid To Buy Carolina Panthers
STEPHEN CURRY
Steph Curry hinted on Saturday that he may have in- volvement in a bid to buy the Carolina Panthers.
Curry was asked by the Charlotte Observer’s Kather- ine Peralta at NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles whether he has any involve- ment in buying the Panthers. Peralta says Curry was pretty quiet on the subject and that he hinted he may have something going.
“It’s ongoing. I’ll just leave it at that for now. It’s ongoing,” Curry said, via Peralta.
Peralta also speculated that Curry may have signed a non-disclosure agreement, which would prevent him from discussing any potential bid.
Curry grew up in Charlotte and is a longtime Carolina Pan- thers fan. He has shown his support for the team by attend- ing their games, banging the “Keep Pounding” drum before games, and through social media posts indicating his fan- dom.
Mobile's Bubba Wallace, Jr. Finishes 2nd In Daytona 500
BEAUTY UNLIMITED
TIFFANY
This week’s Beauty Unlimited feature, Tiffany, knows it will take more than what the others are doing to be successful. She knows you will have to have that certain something different to catch the attention of the powers that be. Just understand that Tiffany will not quit until she’s where she wants to be. This week, Tiffany is our Beauty Unlimited feature.
Donovan Mitchell Tops
NASCAR driver Darrell "Bubba" Wallace, Jr. is already making waves in his rookie Monster Energy Se- ries Cup season.
Wallace, the first full- time African-American driver in the sport since Wendell Scott in 1971, also happens to drive Richard Petty's No. 43 car (the win- ningest car in NASCAR his- tory).
That's a lot on his shoul- ders.
But the 24-year-old Wal- lace, who hails from Mobile, Ala., finished second in the Daytona 500 Sunday to kick off his rookie season.
Wallace, driving in his first Daytona 500 and only his fifth Cup race, pushed Austin Dillon in the draft over the closing mile and edged Denny Hamlin for second place.
After his surprise runner- up finish to Dillon in the overtime thriller, Wallace met with the media at Day- tona and the weight of the moment overtook him.
Wallace talked with the media after first hugging his mother, Desiree, who he credits with being a huge support.
"It's a sensitive subject, but I'm just so emotional over where my family has been the last two years and I don't talk about it," Wallace said. "But it's just so hard, and so having them here to
DARRELL "BUBBA" WALLACE, JR.
support me is ... pull it to- gether, bud. Pull it together. You just finished second. It's awesome.
“I just try so hard to be successful at everything I do, and my family pushes me each and every day. And they might not even know it, but I just want to make them proud. Second is horrible, but it's still a good day. But yeah, I just love my family and having everybody here from my mom, my sister, my uncle, everybody here just means a lot."
The second place finish is a huge spark for Richard Petty Motorsports, and Petty himself said that he's more hopeful than he has been in years with Wallace behind the wheel.
Crew chief Drew Blick- ensderfer said that Wal- lace has been a unifying presence with the team.
Wallace also seems to be gaining fans. His powerful drive on Sunday at Daytona and his emotional response will certainly aid in his pop- ularity.
Larry Nance, Jr. For Verizon
Slam Dunk Title
Donovan Mitchell’s
rookie season just keeps get- ting better.
Mitchell needed at least a 47 on his final dunk in the championship round to defeat Larry Nance, Jr. of the Cleveland Cavaliers and se- cured a 48 for the win.
Both players employed family members to aid their respective causes. Mitchell brought up his little sister for his second dunk in the first round. Nance, Jr. used his father’s old uniform and dunk from Nance, Sr.'s win in the inaugural Slam Dunk contest in 1984 and later had his fa- ther toss an alley-oop that he windmilled on his first dunk in the final round.
But Mitchell closed the contest with an ode to Verizon Slam Dunk legend and the old- est player in the NBA, Vince Carter (of the Sacramento Kings), stripping off his Jazz jersey to don Carter’s old
DONOVAN MITCHELL
Toronto Raptors’ No. 15. He finished the reverse 360 Carter used to win the 2000 Verizon Slam Dunk contest in Oakland.
Mitchell earned a 50 on his first dunk in the final round, throwing the ball off the glass to himself for what has become his signature dunk early on in his rookie season. He clipped Nance, Jr. 98-96 in the final round.
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