Epic Showdowns and Historic Firsts: Sports News Roundup

Catch up on the latest in sports: Euro 2024 quarter-finals preview, LeBron James' new Lakers contract, the NHL's first female assistant coach, Spain's fierce challenge against Germany, and more. Highlights include NBA gambling scandal, Mark Cavendish's Tour de France triumph, and Shohei Ohtani skipping the home run derby.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Quick guide to Euro 2024 quarter-finals

The eight remaining teams at the European Championship will take centre stage in the quarter-finals to be played on Friday and Saturday. Here is a quick guide to the fixtures (times in GMT). SPAIN v GERMANY

NBA-James signs two-year deal to stick with Lakers - reports

LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, has agreed to sign a two-year, $104-million maximum contract to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. Both ESPN and The Athletic, citing sources, said four-times NBA champion James would have a player option for the 2025-26 season and a no-trade clause.

NHL-Seattle Kraken hire NHL's first ever female assistant coach

The Seattle Kraken made history on Wednesday with the hiring of assistant coach Jessica Campbell, who will become the first ever full-time female coach behind a National Hockey League (NHL) bench. Campbell, 32, a former Canadian women's national team star and assistant coach with the Kraken minor league franchise Coachella Valley Firebirds for two seasons, joins new head coach Dan Bylsma at the league's youngest franchise.

Soccer-A decade in the making, 'De la Fuente's pack' face toughest task yet against Germany

Spain have looked in imperious form in their four straight wins so far at Euro 2024, giving their eagerly anticipated quarter-final match-up with hosts Germany on Friday the air of a "final before the final". The squad have moved on from the possession-based "tiki-taka" style that helped them win the World Cup and back-to-back European Championships over a decade ago to a ferociously attacking approach over a year under the guidance of manager Luis de la Fuente.

NBA-Banned former Raptor faces felony in gambling case, court filing shows

Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter will face a federal felony charge in a case related to the sports gambling scandal that earned him a lifetime ban from the NBA, according to a court filing seen by Reuters on Wednesday. An "information sheet" filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn on Tuesday cited the related case as one charging four men with conspiring to cash in on bets that Porter would miss certain performance targets in two games while knowing that he planned to exit early for alleged health reasons.

Cycling-Cavendish eyes more stage wins after making Tour de France history

Mark Cavendish says he will not stop hunting for more Tour de France stage wins after finally breaking the record he shared with Belgian great Eddy Merckx on Wednesday. The 39-year-old sprint king blew away his rivals in the fifth stage of this year's race, his legs pumping him to the front of the bunch before he roared over the line with arms aloft at the end of a 177-km ride to Saint-Vulbas.

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani to skip home run derby

Shohei Ohtani is planning to skip the annual midseason home run derby. The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger belted a go-ahead home run on Tuesday night, his league-best 27th, but said his recovery and rehabilitation from offseason elbow surgery will prevent him from taking part in the July 15 event held the day before the All-Star Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

MLB roundup: Dodgers earn walk-off win over D-backs

Teoscar Hernandez drove in three runs, including the game-winner on a ninth-inning single, as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run home run as part of a three-hit night, helping the Dodgers prevail after they lost two of three games over the weekend at San Francisco. Hernandez also had three hits.

Kemba Walker named to Hornets coaching staff

Kemba Walker was named to the Charlotte Hornets coaching staff on Wednesday, one day after announcing his retirement from the NBA. A four-time All-Star point guard, Walker was named player enhancement coach on new head coach Charles Lee's staff.

Tennis-Alcaraz, Sinner advance at Wimbledon but Ruud shown the door

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and top seed Jannik Sinner took contrasting routes into the third round of Wimbledon but eighth seed Casper Ruud was unable to find a way through and felt the gloom on a cloudy Wednesday. Alcaraz came close to dropping the first set of his contest against Australian Aleksandar Vukic but the third seed sprang to life and blew away his opponent with a 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2 victory during which he showed flashes of last year's title-winning form.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)