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A14 sports
Monday 3 February 2025
Eagles land in New Orleans for Super Bowl week

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The back sweatsuits with a “Su-
Eagles have landed. per Bowl LIX” logo across
The Philadelphia Eagles’ the chest and made their
charter flight touched way to their buses with-
down in New Orleans on out much fanfare. Media
Sunday afternoon, a week members were kept be-
before their Feb. 9 Super hind barricades and there
Bowl matchup against the were no interviews.
Kansas City Chiefs, who The Eagles (17-3) ad-
were slated to land about vanced to the Super Bowl
90 minutes later. by beating the Washington
Eagles players and staff de- Commanders 55-23 in the
scended from their plane NFC championship game.
onto the tarmac under The Chiefs (17-2), who are
sunny skies before board- seeking to become the first
ing six buses bound for their A member of the flight crew waves a Philadelphia Eagles flag after arriving at New Orleans team to win three straight
downtown hotels. international airport, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Kenner, La. ahead of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football Super Bowls, took the AFC
One of the pilots dangled game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. crown with a 32-29 victory
a green-and-white flag Associated Press over the Buffalo Bills.q
from the cockpit window play on the pronunciation as many last names in Loui- letters “eaux.”
that read, “Geaux Birds,” a of French words — as well siana — that end with the The players mostly wore

Luka Doncic heads to the Lakers and Anthony Davis goes to the

Mavs in blockbuster trade

By TIM REYNOLDS teammates of the trade.
AP Basketball Writer “They said Luka. I said,
Luka Doncic led Dallas ‘Luka Garza?’” Booker
to the NBA Finals last sea- said, referencing a Minne-
son. Anthony Davis won a sota center.
championship with the Los Booker wasn’t trying to be
Angeles Lakers. funny. He just thought what
They have switched teams many probably thought —
now — in an absolute that there was no way the
blockbuster. Mavs would move Doncic.
Doncic has been traded by “It’s crazy, man. I really
the reigning Western Con- don’t know what to say
ference champion Maver- about it,” Booker said.
icks to the Los Angeles Lak- “Luka being a guy that
ers for Davis. The trade was everybody has claimed is
announced Sunday morn- untouchable and untrade-
ing, after the teams got the able. The NBA shows you
required league approval again. Can’t predict. It’s
on all the terms involved in a business. They’re always
the deal. having a conversation
Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic drives against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) about you. So don’t think
during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.
Markieff Morris are headed Associated Press you’re safer than you are.”
to the Lakers, while Davis with a strained left calf. The to be a tumultuous sum- The deal, at least for now, Added fellow Suns star
and Max Christie are going trade may come at a seri- mer, him being eligible for pairs Doncic with LeB- Kevin Durant: “Insane. It’s
to Dallas. ous price for Doncic, who the supermax and also a ron James as the new 1-2 crazy. Crazy. Damn, would
The Utah Jazz also are in- now can’t sign a five-year year away from him being punch in Los Angeles, while of never thought Luka Don-
volved in the deal, getting supermax contract exten- able to opt out of any con- Davis would be forming a cic would get traded. At his
Jalen Hood-Schifino and sion this summer that could tract,” Mavericks general new star duo with Kyrie Ir- age, midseason, the NBA
two draft picks — second- have been worth around manager Nico Harrison told ving in Dallas. And it also is a wild place, man. If he
rounders this year, one from $345 million. The Dallas Morning News. reunites Doncic with his can get traded then any-
the Lakers and one from It was never clear if the “And so we really felt like former teammate, Lakers body is up for grabs.”
the Mavs. Mavs would have offered we got out in front of that. coach JJ Redick. And there was immedi-
The trade news broke such a massive deal. Don- We know teams, they’ve Doncic was one of the ate shock on social media
about an hour after the cic would have also had had it out there, teams Mavericks players on the when the news hit as well.
Lakers beat New York at an option to leave as a have been loading up to floor when Redick came “Luka getting traded from
Madison Square Garden. free agent after the 2025- try to sign him once that out of a game for the final Dallas has to have a deep-
Davis was not with the Lak- 26 season if he wanted, comes available.” time on May 11, 2021. er story behind it,” Cleve-
ers for the game; he has and it’s certain that other Doncic is still extension eli- There was one game still land center Tristan Thomp-
been back in Los Angeles teams would have — and gible this summer, with the going on in the NBA on son wrote on X. “This just
because of an abdominal probably already were — max that the Lakers could Saturday night when re- doesn’t happen on a ran-
injury that needed assess- planning for that scenario offer him being five years ports began swirling of the dom Saturday night.”
ing. with hopes of landing the at about $230 million — a trade, that being Phoenix- “Wait what?” posted Pat-
Doncic has not played Slovenian star. $115 million difference than Portland. Suns guard Devin rick Mahomes, the star Kan-
for Dallas since Christmas, “We really feel like we got what the supermax could Booker said someone in sas City quarterback who
when he exited a game ahead of what was going have been. the stands told him and his sits courtside.q