Basket, NBA: Sharpshooting guard Stephen Curry of Golden State Warriors, who set a single-season record for three-pointers made, won the NBA Most Valuable Player award for the 2014-15 campaign, the league said. Curry led the NBA top regular season team in scoring, assists and steals, becoming the second Warriors player to take the honour, joining Wilt Chamberlain, who won it in 1959-60 when the franchise played in Philadelphia. The 6-foot-3 Curry captured 100 of 130 first-place votes, from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, as well as the fan vote on NBA.com.
Table Tennis: China’s world number one Ma Long has set his sights on a maiden table tennis singles gold at the Rio Olympics next year after breaking through for his first world title on home courts in Suzhou. The 26-year-old had long been overshadowed by champion compatriots Zhang Jike and Wang Hao in China’s lofty pecking order but stepped out of their shadows with a 4-2 win over Fang Bo on Sunday. The win was just reward for hard graft, said Ma, who had been dumped from the semi-finals by the now retired Wang at his three previous world championships. “It is like a dream come true. Glory is attained from hard work, step by step. I hope I can go up another level at the Rio Games,” Ma said.
Rugby League: Keighley have retired the club’s number 6 jersey in memory of their former player Danny Jones. The 29-year-old Wales international died on Sunday of a suspected cardiac arrest after falling ill four minutes into the Cougars’ League One game at London Skolars. He collapsed at the side of the field, an air ambulance was called and he was taken by road to the Royal Free Hospital, where extensive efforts failed to resuscitate him. Keighley said on their Twitter account: “The club can announce the number 6 jersey has been retired in memory of Danny Jones. #RIPJonesy.” Meanwhile, players, fans and administrators came together to raise almost £30,000 in just over 24 hours to support Jones’s family.
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Cricket: England batsman Jonathan Trott (picture) has announced his retirement from international cricket. Trott was recalled for the tour of the West Indies for the first time since leaving England’s 2013-14 Ashes tour due to a situational anxiety condition, but has found runs tough to come by. His six innings brought three ducks, two more single-figure scores and just a solitary half-century and led him to conclude his game is not “at the level you need to be at to play for England”. Trott played 52 Tests, 68 ODIs and seven T20s in his eight-year international career. He made nine Test centuries, starting with one against Australia on his debut in the 2009 Ashes, and averaged 44.08.
Giro d’Italia: Richie Porte will front Team Sky’s bid for glory at the Giro d’Italia. The 30-year-old Australian cyclist, who has won Paris-Nice, Volta a Catalunya and Giro del Trentino this season, will lead a nine-man team during a competition which begins in San Lorenzo this Saturday. Porte’s squad features the Italian duo Salvatore Puccio and Elia Viviani, alongside Bernhard Eisel, Sebastian Henao, Vasil Kiryienka, Leopold Konig, Mikel Nieve and Kanstantsin Siutsou.