The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani was sentenced Thursday to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account.

Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal court in Santa Ana after pleading guilty last year.

He was ordered Thursday to pay $18 million in restitution, with nearly $17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the IRS. He was also sentenced to three years’ supervised release on top of the prison sentence and ordered to surrender to authorities by March 24.

“I am truly, deeply sorry for what I have done,” Mizuhara said. “I am prepared to be punished for it.”

Twins trade Helman to Cardinals for cash

The Twins swung a minor trade on Thursday, trading utilityman Michael Helman to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash considerations. The move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for the Twins, who were previously full at 40.

The Twins will need to clear one more spot to accommodate both left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe and outfielder Harrison Bader, both of whom agreed to one-year deals this week. Neither move has been made official yet.

Helman, 28, made his major league debut last season and played in parts of nine games for the Twins. He was 3 for 10 in his limited action and moved around the field, appearing in all three outfield spots and at third base.

While he would have been fighting for a roster spot in spring training, any chance of making the Twins’ roster decreased on Wednesday when the Twins agreed to a deal with Bader, a longtime major league veteran and Gold Glove outfielder.

— Betsy Helfand

NBA

Nurkic, Hunter on move before trade deadline

The Charlotte Hornets have acquired center Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick from the Phoenix Suns for guards Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic and a 2026 second-round pick, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the Hornets’ latest deal has not been finalized.

The moves comes after the busy Hornets traded center Mark Williams to the Lakers for rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and draft considerations on Wednesday night.

Other deals before the deadline:

• Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland has agreed to acquire forward De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks for two players and a package of draft compensation, a person with knowledge of the talks said Thursday.

The Cavaliers are sending Caris LeVert and Georges Niang to the Hawks along with future second-round picks and pick swaps.

• The Washington Wizards acquired guard Marcus Smart and a 2025 protected first-round pick from the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team trade with Sacramento.

The Wizards also received guard Colby Jones and center Alex Len from the Kings. Washington dealt forward Marvin Bagley III, guard Johnny Davis and a 2025 second-round pick to Memphis, the Grizzlies sent forward Jake LaRavia to Sacramento, and the Kings traded a 2028 second-rounder to Memphis

• The Toronto Raptors are acquiring Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk and two draft picks, a person with knowledge of the talks said late Wednesday.

Holmgren set to return

Chet Holmgren is ready to return to the Oklahoma City lineup.

Holmgren is not listed on Oklahoma City’s injury report for the team’s game Friday against Toronto, indicating that he has finally healed from a fractured hip that had sidelined him since November.

Skiing

Vonn hooks gate with arm, doesn’t finish race

Lindsey Vonn’s opening race at the Alpine skiing world championships lasted all of 25 seconds.

The American got caught on the 11th gate of the super-G on Thursday, causing her to briefly lose feeling in her right arm and leaving her “a little banged up.”

Vonn competed despite cold- and flu-like symptoms that prompted her to use a nebulizer to try to clear up her sinuses.

GoLF

Clark goes 7-under for lead at Phoenix Open

Wyndham Clark saved par after hitting his tee shot into the water on the par-4 17th hole and shot a bogey-free 7-under 64 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead in the first round of the PGA’s Phoenix Open.

Lee Hodges had two eagles on the back nine — his front — and added three straight birdies starting at No. 1 to shoot 65. He was tied with Taylor Moore, who eagled the par-5 third hole to cap a 7-under stretch in seven holes.

Kupcho, Koerstz Madsen share 1st-round lead

Jennifer Kupcho shot a 6-under 65 on Thursday to share the first-round lead with Nanna Koerstz Madsen at the LPGA Founders Cup.

Lauren Coughlin, a teammate of Kupcho on last year’s winning U.S. Solheim Cup squad, was one shot back along with Jin Hee Im and Angel Yin.

BRIEFLY

College basketball >> The St. Thomas men’s basketball team lost 102-86 to South Dakota State on Thursday. Drake Dobbs led the way with 23 points for the Tommies.

College football >> Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship just over two weeks ago, has agreed in principle to a seven-year contract valued at $12.5 million a year.

MLB >> First baseman Pete Alonso is staying with the New York Mets, agreeing to a $54 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

WNBA >> The Golden State Valkyries have their first big free agent signing with Tiffany Hayes, the reigning WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, joining the expansion franchise.

— From news services