Nicolas Batum announces retirement from NBA after 18 seasons

NAGOYA, Japan—Two-time Olympic champion Carlos Yulo began his 20th Asian Games campaign by topping the floor exercise in Subdivision 1 of men’s artistic gymnastics qualification on Monday, while other Philippine athletes delivered victories across several venues in Japan. Yulo scored 14.600 on floor but encountered difficulties in some of his other events, including vault and

NAGOYA—Long before Jean Claude Saclag stepped under the bright lights of the Inae Sports Center in Nagoya City, he was a wiry kid from Kalinga who learned early that toughness was not a choice but a way of life. In the mountains where he grew up, grit was currency, and Saclag has carried that same

The Philippine women's kata team delivered the country's third medal in the 2026 Asian Games after finishing third in the tournament on Tuesday at the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Japan.

LOS ANGELES — Versatile forward Nicolas Batum is retiring following an 18-year NBA career and a long stint with the French national team. The 37-year-old Batum announced his retirement in a social media video with his son on Monday. “I decided to retire from basketball for several reasons,” Batum told 10-year-old son, Ayden, in the video. “I want to come home and be with you. I’m going to take care of you and make room for others. I think I’ve done my time. My time with France ended two years ago. And the NBA is over too. You know, when you’ve played as much basketball as I have, at some point, you have to know when to stop. ... I’ve done everything I needed to do.” Batum played two seasons in the French league before being selected in the first round of the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. The 6-foot-7 forward spent seven seasons in Portland before playing the next six with Charlotte. Batum spent most of his final six seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, with a short stint in Philadelphia in 2023-24. He also was a stalwart on French national teams that won silver medals in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. Batum averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 37% from 3-point range during his NBA career.

The Philippines will officially secure its third medal in the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday as MMA"s Jean Claude Saclag battles in the men"s traditional -65kg final.

MANILA, Philippines–Team Philippines continues its campaign in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday with more athletes seeing action across several sports. The Philippines has a shot at its first gold medal in mixed martial arts, while Filipino swimmers return to action in Tokyo. The Gilas Pilipinas women’s teams see action in 5-on-5 and

READ: Follow Inquirer Sports’ special coverage of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 Paris Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Yulo, the first Filipino man and artistic gymnast to win an Olympic title, is back on familiar ground in Japan for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games alongside his younger brother, who is making his Asiad debut. The 26-year-old

READ: Follow Inquirer Sports’ special coverage of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 NAGOYA–An Indian MMA fighter suffered Asian Games heartbreak on Monday when she missed out on a chance at gold because she was 700 grams heavier than her opponent. Suchika Tariyal was left distraught after being forced to settle for a bronze medal in

NAGOYA–A “more mature” Zhang Boheng won the men’s all-around gymnastics gold at the Asian Games on Monday, beating his Japanese rivals ahead of next month’s world championships. China’s Zhang overcame an injury niggle to win gold in Nagoya ahead of Paris Olympics champion Shinnosuke Oka and reigning world champion Daiki Hashimoto. Zhang will hope to

READ: Follow Inquirer Sports’ special coverage of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 MANILA, Philippines–Kacey dela Rosa will lead Gilas Pilipinas’ own bid for a medal finish in women’s 3×3 U-23 basketball of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday. Dela Rosa teams up with Kennan Ka, Amyah Espanol and Maria Pasilang as Gilas plays Mongolia and

MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala will enter the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games as the highest-ranked player in the women’s tennis field, and Cignal TV will air her matches so Filipino fans can follow the world No. 18’s campaign. Eala sits atop a women’s singles entry list thinned by the absence of several of Asia’s leading players, most notably