LOS ANGELES >> Alijah Arenas, a Los Angeles high school basketball star who’s committed to playing for the University of Southern California next season, was in an accident early Thursday, the university said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded shortly before 5 a.m. to single-vehicle collision in the Reseda area of the San Fernando Valley. The LA Fire Department further said the vehicle was a Tesla Cybertruck that crashed into a tree.

An 18-year-old man was transported to the hospital in stable condition, police said. The police department did not identify the driver.

Multiple news outlets including the Los Angeles Times and ESPN said Arenas was the driver, citing unnamed sources.

USC men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman said in a statement on X: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Alijah and his family following this morning’s accident. Please keep him, his teammates and friends, and the entire Arenas family in your prayers.”

Arenas is a son of former NBA player Gilbert Arenas. He attends Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles and played for them in the Division II state championships this year, making it all the way to the finals.

NFL

Shannon Sharpe is stepping away temporarily from ESPN amid sexual assault lawsuit >> Former NFL star Shannon Sharpe said he is stepping away temporarily from his ESPN duties while he deals with what he called false allegations in a $50 million civil lawsuit filed against him by a woman who alleges he raped and threatened her.

Sharpe said in a statement that he would return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason. The first preseason game is set for July 31.

Attorneys filed the lawsuit Sunday in Clark County, Nevada, for a woman listed in court documents as Jane Doe. The lawsuit also accuses Sharpe of using physical force on her and inflicting emotional distress.

The woman first met Sharpe at a gym in Los Angeles in 2023 when she was 20 and a nearly two-year relationship followed, according to court documents. Sharpe, 56, is accused of raping the woman in October 2024 and again in January, the documents said.

NBA

Cleveland’s Evan Mobley wins NBA Defensive Player of the Year award >> Evan Mobley said his goal coming into the season with the Cleveland Cavaliers was to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Cavs consider Mobley to be their best defensive player, and the league thought even more highly of him. Mobley held off fellow finalists Dyson Daniels of Atlanta and Draymond Green of Golden State for the award, the results being announced in a broadcast on TNT.

Green won the award in 2017, was a top-three finisher for the fifth time, and was bidding to become the 11th player in NBA history to win it at least twice. Mobley won it for the first time, after finishing third in the voting in 2023. Daniels was a finalist for the first time.

Celtics list Tatum as doubtful for Game 3, Mazzulla tells radio station wrist bruise is ‘severe’ >> Jayson Tatum remains listed as doubtful for the Boston Celtics, meaning the reigning NBA champions do not expect him to play Friday when they visit the Orlando Magic in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.

Tatum is dealing with a bone bruise in his right wrist, an injury suffered on a hard fall after getting fouled in Game 1 of the series. Tatum did not play in Game 2, when the Celtics prevailed for a 2-0 series lead.

Tennis

Swiatek avoids another upset against Eala at Madrid Open, Gauff recovers from 0-6 start >> This time, Iga Swiatek had the answers against teenage sensation Alexandra Eala.

After a quarterfinal loss to the rising star from the Philippines last month in Miami, Swiatek rallied to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory in the second round of the Madrid Open on Thursday.

The second-ranked Swiatek, who is the defending Madrid champion, is trying to reach her first final of the season.

Coco Gauff got off to a poor start but came back to defeat Dayana Yastremska 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 in a second-round match.

Soccer

Soccer player gets 14-month jail sentence for causing death of cyclist in England >> A soccer player from a third-division English club was sentenced to 14 months in prison for causing the death of a cyclist three years ago, West Yorkshire police said.

Lucas Akins, a forward for League One team Mansfield, was driving a Mercedes when it struck 33-year-old cyclist Adrian Daniel at an intersection near Huddersfield on March 17, 2022. Daniel died 10 days later.

Akins, 36, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court after having previously admitted causing a death by careless or inconsiderate driving.

College football

Division II expands football playoffs from 28 to 32 teams to accommodate automatic qualifiers >> The NCAA Division II football playoffs will expand from 28 to 32 teams beginning this season to accommodate the format change that will award 16 conferences automatic bids.

According to Division II policy, bracket expansion must be considered when automatic qualifiers make up more than 50% of the field. That prompted the expansion to 32 teams, the NCAA announced Wednesday.

Division II football schools in January approved a proposal that requires all conferences be represented in the championship bracket. Division II football was the only team sport across all three divisions that did not use automatic qualification.