Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri made several references to a fresh start for the franchise while explaining what he said was a difficult decision to remove Jason Kidd as coach after five seasons.

Ujiri also said he wasn’t referring to the trade of Luka Doncic, or anyone connected to the February 2025 deal that ended up being a huge setback for the franchise.

“Honestly, that trade has played no part in how I have thought about anything,” Ujiri said at a news conference Wednesday. “I’m in no position to criticize or blame or even really investigate some of the things that happened then. We have to figure out a way to slowly move on from this, and I have to hold myself accountable for doing this.”

Ujiri said he spent plenty of time talking to Kidd since he was hired two weeks ago. He declined to share details of those conversations.

“Being transparent with everybody, I think a new slate was a good way to look at this,” Ujiri said.

Dallas made two deep playoff runs with Kidd and Doncic, reaching the NBA Finals in 2024, two years after a loss to Golden State in the Western Conference finals.

The Mavericks traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 season, getting Anthony Davis as their centerpiece in return. Dallas missed the playoffs that season and again in 2025-26, during which the oft-injured Davis was traded while sidelined with an injury.

Kidd, the Hall of Fame point guard who led the franchise to its only championship as a player in 2011, finished with a .500 regular-season coaching record (205-205) with the Mavs.

Spurs to play in Paris next season

Victor Wembanyama is going home to France next season.

The San Antonio Spurs — and this season’s unanimous Defensive Player of the Year pick in Wembanyama — are headed to Europe next season for a pair of regular-season games. They’ll play the New Orleans Pelicans, first in Paris on Jan. 14 and then in Manchester, England, on Jan. 17.

Wembanyama and the Spurs played a pair of games in Paris in January 2025 against the Indiana Pacers.

NFL

League cooperating with Florida AG

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is cooperating with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier after being issued a subpoena.

Uthmeier sent the subpoena to the NFL on May 13 as his office investigates whether the league has committed potential civil rights violations related to the Rooney Rule and the league’s other employment practices, policies and programs.

“I think we have been very clear about our programs, and we obviously evaluate them all the time, not just for how they get better, but also to make sure that they’re consistent with the law,” Goodell said Tuesday during league meetings in Orlando, Florida. “We’re engaging with the Florida attorney general and will continue to. We’ll share everything we’re doing with them. We think it’s certainly within the law, but also something very positive.”

Uthmeier threatened possible enforcement actions against the league in March if it didn’t suspend the 23-year-old Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions. At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.

Uthmeier said in a letter to Goodell that the Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.”

Hockey

U.S. beats Germany at World championship

Matt Coronato and Ryan Leonard scored in the shootout and the United States bounced back from a loss to Finland on Monday with a 4-3 win against Germany on Wednesday at the ice hockey world championship.

Isaac Howard, Max Sasson and Tommy Novak scored in regulation for the U.S., which got 31 saves from Devin Cooley.

Switzerland routed Austria 9-0 on Wednesday to keep a perfect record

Theo Rochette, Nico Hischier and Damien Riat each scored two goals as the Swiss won their fourth straight game to lead Group A in Zurich with 12 points.

In Group B in Fribourg, Czechia rallied late to edge winless Italy 3-1.

Tennis

French Open players plan media protest

Players at the French Open are planning to reduce media appearances ahead of the start of the Grand Slam to complain about their share of the prize money.

A group have already targeted the upcoming clay-court tournament for reducing players’ share of revenue to an alleged 14.3% — compared to 22% at other ATP and WTA events.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No.4 Coco Gauff were among leading players who threatened a boycott of the Slams earlier this month if they don’t start receiving more compensation.

Briefly

Football: Women’s flag football is on track to gaining NCAA championship status. A title game may even take place right before the sport makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games. The NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact voted Tuesday to recommend that Divisions I, II and III add a national collegiate flag football championship as soon as the spring of 2028.

Soccer: Congo’s soccer team has canceled a three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned farewell to fans in the capital Kinshasa because of an outbreak of Ebola in the east of the country.

Soccer: Arsenal was crowned Premier League champion for the first time since 2004 on Tuesday after Manchester City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth.

NASCAR: Kevin Harvick, who captured the 2014 Cup Series championship and won 60 races at the sport’s top level, was selected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with former teammate Jeff Burton and Larry Phillips.

— From news services