Last season, the NBA's Most Valuable Player announcement timeline went like this: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was announced as the winner one day before he and the Oklahoma City Thunder played a home game in the Western Conference finals.It seems like that script may get followed again.The NBA will reveal this season's MVP on Sunday one day before Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder play host to a West finals home game against the San Antonio Spurs. The announcement is coming on Amazon Prime Video shortly after 7:30 p.m. EDT.Gilgeous-Alexander was the overwhelming betting favorite in recent weeks to win what would be his second consecutive MVP trophy. He was announced last month as one of three finalists, joining the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.No matter the order, this will be the fifth consecutive season that players born outside of the U.S. will finish 1-2-3 in the MVP race Gilgeous-Alexander is Canadian, Wembanyama is French and Jokic is Serbian. Last season the order was Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greek, of Nigerian descent). In 2024, it was Jokic, then Gilgeous-Alexander and then-Dallas guard, now Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (Slovenian). In 2023, it was Philadelphia's Joel Embiid (who was born in Cameroon and has since become a U.S. citizen), then Jokic, then Antetokounmpo. In 2022, it was Jokic, then Embiid, then Antetokounmpo.Golden State's Stephen Curry was the last player born in the U.S. to be in the top three of the MVP balloting; he was third in 2021 behind Jokic and Embiid. Antetokounmpo also won in 2019 and 2020; the last U.S. winner of the award was James Harden, then of Houston, in 2018. Harden has played for four different franchises since then.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Max Verstappen's maiden attempt at the Nurburgring 24 Hours concluded in devastating fashion on Sunday when mechanical failure struck his Mercedes AMG GT3 whilst holding a commanding position at the front of the field.The Dutch driver, sharing duties with experienced sportscar competitors Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella, had built an advantage exceeding 30 seconds when disaster struck with approximately three hours and 20 minutes left on the clock.A broken driveshaft brought their challenge to an abrupt halt, robbing the four-time Formula One world champion of what had appeared a likely victory on his endurance racing debut.The team eventually managed to repair the car, but any realistic prospect of claiming the win had evaporated.Verstappen made an immediate impression when he first took the wheel on Saturday evening, displaying the aggressive, rapid approach that has defined his Formula One career.Starting from 10th position following his initial pit stop, he carved through the field with a series of overtaking manoeuvres to seize the lead.The Dutchman's pace proved relentless throughout both daylight and darkness, regularly posting the quickest sector times of any competitor during the gruelling event.His night-time battle with Maro Engel in the sister Mercedes proved particularly captivating, with Verstappen eventually securing the position after an intense 20-minute duel.By the conclusion of his third double stint on Sunday morning, he had stretched the team's advantage from six seconds to more than 30 seconds before handing over to Juncadella.The problem first manifested as an ABS warning shortly after Juncadella had taken over from Verstappen in the pits.Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG customer racing, explained the sequence of events: "Just after the pit stop Dani reported some noise from the rear right, and first of all we had an ABS failure, which leads us to assume an electric failure-something we could reset."The team initially attempted to keep the car circulating, believing the issue would not significantly affect performance.However, Juncadella soon detected increasing noise and vibrations, forcing him to reduce speed dramatically to preserve the vehicle before nursing it back to the garage.Upon inspection, mechanics discovered extensive rear axle damage stemming from the driveshaft failure, requiring a complete replacement that would take between 45 minutes and an hour.Despite the crushing disappointment, Verstappen expressed genuine enthusiasm for the endurance racing format and the legendary Nordschleife circuit."I think in general it's just the competition, the endurance style racing where you share with teammates. The 24-hour race here, the track is super challenging, so it's a whole combo," he said shortly before the mechanical failure ended his hopes.The four-time world champion confirmed his intention to return to the event, though acknowledged scheduling constraints may prove challenging."I will for sure try. It always depends a bit on my schedule, but let's first enjoy now," Verstappen stated.The race had been a "bucket list" ambition for the Dutchman, who prepared extensively by competing in shorter events at the circuit in recent months alongside his Formula One commitments.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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