New alliance forms to combat LIV Wall will join Clippers after buyout Hamilton calls out racism in racing

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FILE - Houston Rockets’ John Wall controls the ball during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers in an NBA basketball game April 14, 2021, in Houston. Wall and the Rockets have agreed that his contract will be bought out, a move that will free him to sign with any team of his choosing, two people with knowledge of the situation said Monday, June 27, 2022. (Carmen Mandato/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan speaks during a news conference before the start of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton talks to the media after the qualifying session for the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on June 11, 2022. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP) (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **

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The PGA Tour is awarding 10 cards to European tour players and bringing back a direct path to the big leagues from Q-school as part of an expanded partnership with Europe that aims to strengthen themselves against the Saudi-funded LIV Golf. The joint venture with Europe is a 13-year deal that goes through 2035, and the PGA Tour increases its stake in European Tour Productions, the tour’s media and commercial branch, from 15% to 40%. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, above, last week outlined significant changes to the schedule that will feature a January-to- August season starting in 2024 and create purses of $20 million on average for eight elite events. The changes outlined in a conference call Tuesday give European tour players immediate access to the PGA Tour. The leading 10 players — excluding those already on the PGA Tour — will have full cards for the following year. The partnership is likely to create better coordination of a global schedule for both tours. The Scottish Open next week is the first tournament co-sanctioned by both.

John Wall and the Rockets agreed that his contract will be bought out, a move that will free him to sign with any team of his choosing, according to reports Monday night. ESPN reported that Wall plans to sign a free agent contract with the Clippers. Free agency opens Thursday. Wall, a five-time All-Star with the Wizards, played 40 games for the Rockets in 2020-21. The team and Wall, 31, reached an agreement for the veteran guard not to play last season in the early stages of the Rockets’ rebuild. He will receive roughly $41 million from the Rockets rather than the $47.4 million he was supposed to make in the last year of a four-year contract. Wall would join the Clippers on a mid-level exception of about $6.4 million — basically the same amount he’s giving back to the Rockets. Wall has a lengthy injury and surgical history. In other notable NBA news, nine-time All-Star guard Russell Westbrook reportedly will exercise his option to return to the Lakers and play for $47.1 million next season. Westbrook, 33, averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 78 games last season.

Formula One great Lewis Hamilton said “archaic mindsets” have to change after retired champion Nelson Piquet reportedly used a racial slur against him. Hamilton’s comments came after F1 and FIA condemned racist language. “It’s more than language. These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life,” Hamilton tweeted on Tuesday. “There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action.” The only Black driver in F1, Hamilton is a seven-time world champion. Piquet, a 69-year-old Brazilian who won three F1 titles, was discussing a crash between Hamilton and Max Verstappen during last year’s British Grand Prix when Piquet used the word “neguinho” — which means “little Black guy” — in November on a YouTube podcast named Enerto. The clip went viral Monday. Piquet is a staunch supporter of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right politician running for re-election in 100 days. Hamilton has campaigned tirelessly to fight racism and has been outspoken on human rights abuses. —News services