US wins in pre-Olympic exhibition

Stephen Curry drove to the basket, laid the ball in, got fouled and ended up on the floor after drawing the contact. He noticed he was near the on-court photographers. So, he decided to go viral. Curry posed for a few seconds — one hand on his hip, the other on the side of his head, while giving those cameras a wide-eyed look — before getting to his feet. The showman put on a show in his debut with the U.S. Olympic basketball team, scoring 12 points in 19 minutes and helping the U.S. beat Canada 86-72 in its exhibition opener Wednesday night in Las Vegas. “Just having fun,” Curry, above, said. There was a lot to like and plenty not to like — for the Americans in their first tune-up for the Paris Olympics. The team will fly to Abu Dhabi on Thursday for a few days of practices and two exhibitions. On Tuesday, former President Barack Obama spoke at a gala to celebrate USA Basketball’s 50th anniversary. “It’s always a treat when you get to talk to one of the greatest people this world has ever seen,” said LeBron James of the former president, who also was at the game Wednesday.

Belichick joining ‘Inside the NFL’

Bill Belichick has added a second media job for the upcoming season. The CW Network announced Thursday that Belichick will be one of the analysts on “Inside the NFL.” Belichick, who coached the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles during his 24 years at the helm, will also appear on the Manningcast during “Monday Night Football.” Belichick joins Ryan Clark, Chad Johnson and Chris Long. Johnson and Long each played one season for Belichick. “I’m thrilled to join my new team at NFL Films and to work on such a historic television franchise,” Belichick said in a statement. “Inside the NFL,” which is in its 48th season, is produced by NFL Films. While Belichick was infamous for his short answers and refusing to engage with reporters while he was a coach, the times he has been revealing and forthcoming have often been on shows or pieces produced by NFL Films. Belichick was nominated for a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Studio Analyst for his work on the 2019 NFL Films series “NFL 100 All-Time Team,” which aired on NFL Network.

Colombia advances to Copa final

Colombia is headed to the Copa America championship game for the first time in 23 years after a contentious win over Uruguay in which it played the second half a man short and players brawled with fans in the stands following the final whistle. Jefferson Lerma scored in the 39th minute for a 1-0 win Wednesday night in Charlotte, North Carolina and a matchup with Lionel Messi and defending champ Argentina on Sunday. Daniel Muñoz was ejected in first-half stoppage time for an elbow that led to his second yellow card. Colombia held on to reach the championship for the first time since winning its only Copa title as host in 2001. Colombia extended its unbeaten streak to a team record 28 games. “They are very hungry as players,” Colombia coach Nester Lorenzo, above, said. In a match that included seven yellow cards in addition to the red, players from both teams pushed and shoved in a scrum on the field at the final whistle. Darwin Núñez and about a dozen Uruguay teammates went into the stands as fans brawled. —Associated Press