Closing Bell

Serena Williams made her return to singles play at Wimbledon on Tuesday, losing in the first round to Maya Joint 3-6, 7-6, 3-6. ESPN’s Chris Fowler in the middle of the second set said, “It hasn’t been a kind of raucous home crowd like it would be at the U.S. Open. It’s been a very fair crowd here. But clearly they want to see more from Serena.” ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez later in the set said, “Regardless of what happens in this match, how much fun is this?” Fowler: “What a gift for the sport” (“Wimbledon,” ESPN, 6/30).

Williams walked out to the court carrying a red Wilson tennis bag despite reportedly having yet to finalize a new contract with her longtime racquet sponsor. Williams, wearing an outfit from longtime sponsor Nike, also walked out with a bejeweled white bag with an embroidered “W” on it (SBJ). Williams received “a standing ovation” as she walked on court. The ESPN broadcast then panned to Williams’ box, which consisted of her husband Alexis Ohanian and her daughters Olympia and Adira (THE ATHLETIC, 6/30).

There were a number of famous faces in attendance to see Williams’ return, including her sister, Venus Williams; Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham and son Romeo; director Judd Apatow, wife Leslie Mann and daughter and actress Maude Apatow. Musician Niall Horan and actress Maura Higgins “were also spotted” (PAGE SIX, 6/30).

The Univ. of Wisconsin is targeting Shawn Eichorst as the school’s new AD, according to sources cited by ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Eichorst is currently Deputy AD & COO at the Univ. of Texas and has previously served as AD at the Univ. of Nebraska and Univ. of Miami (X, 6/30). It would be a homecoming for Eichorst, as he was a Deputy AD under Barry Alvarez at UW before his tenures at Miami (2011-12) and Nebraska (2012-17). He joined Texas’ athletic department in 2018. It is “unclear at this point who the other finalists were.” WildcatAuthority, the Arizona site for 247 Sports, reported that Univ. of Arizona AD Desiree Reed-Francois “was a finalist for the Wisconsin job,” but Reed-Francois “denied having interest.” Marcus Sedberry, previously one of UW’s Deputy ADs and the football GM, had been serving as interim AD. UW tabbed CSA Search and Consulting to help with the search (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/30).

Washington State is set to announce the most significant sponsorship deal in the athletic department’s history. The school is slated to unveil a five-year, $8.43M deal with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation that will touch everything from jersey patches to content series and youth clinics in tribal communities.

“We were talking through the tradition the tribe has in this area and so many of their tribal members that have gone to WSU, shared vision and shared values,” Washington State AD Jon Haarlow told Sports Business Journal. “As those conversations came to blossom and obviously NCAA makes changes and what can happen related to jersey patches, we thought, ‘Wow, this could be a perfect partnership.’”

The deal, which was brokered by Playfly Sports, will include a slew of assets across Washington State’s athletic programs, along with Colville Tribes entitlement games, Nike N7 games for men’s and women’s basketball and prominent integration across WSU athletics platforms and game-day experiences.

The agreement also includes a $250,000 donation to the Cougar Athletic Excellence Fund in Year 1, regional basketball development opportunities, and an AAU tribal tournament.

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The bidding for NBA Europe franchises ended on Tuesday, with sources saying a few of the various offers are from current EuroLeague teams, former Bucks owner Marc Lasry and existing soccer clubs hoping to launch first-time basketball franchises.

Those sources indicated many of the undisclosed bids exceeded the NBA’s preferred range of $500M to $1B and that ownership groups from Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Istanbul, London, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Paris and Rome all are in the running.

It is unknown which of those markets Lasry -- who sold the Bucks in 2023 -- is pursuing. But he was born in Marrakesh, Morocco, moved to the U.S. at the age of 7 and, according to sources, is likely not the only former NBA owner to bid for a franchise. Lasry was unavailable for comment.

“We’re extremely encouraged by the final bids we received for permanent franchises in a new NBA and FIBA-backed league in Europe, which reflect the tremendous interest and momentum around this project,” NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum said in a statement Tuesday. “This will be the biggest influx of capital European basketball has ever seen, and we have clear front-runners in each of our 12 target cities including many existing basketball and football clubs. We will now work with the NBA and FIBA Boards to finalize the long-form agreements.”

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday “upheld state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams.” The court’s six-justice conservative majority “ruled that state bans in Idaho and West Virginia don’t violate the Constitution.” The court “unanimously agreed that barring transgender girls and women also doesn’t run afoul” of Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education. More than two dozen other Republican-led states have adopted bans on female transgender athletes, and the decision “seems certain to extend to them as well.” Left “unresolved by the outcome are lawsuits challenging state laws and regulations in Connecticut, California and elsewhere that permit transgender athletes to compete consistent with their gender identity” (AP, 6/30).

Choice Sports Group has formed a partnership with attorney-agent Orlando Castaño Jr. and his 4Front Sports operation, giving the Boston-based agency access to a deeper women’s basketball talent pipeline while allowing Castaño’s players to tap Choice’s NIL, marketing and athlete development resources. The arrangement is designed to connect prospects from high school through college and into the WNBA or overseas play under a shared representation model.

Both sides said the agreement does not include equity in either agency or a change in ownership structure. Instead, younger 4Front clients will join Choice’s roster while continuing to rely on Castaño for professional contracts and legal matters. More established veterans, particularly those with several years of overseas experience, will remain exclusively under the 4Front banner.

Choice Sports Group, co-founded and managed by George Kaplan, launched in March and has 10 athletes under contract. The agency focuses on women’s basketball and offers athlete development services through its Full Court Press program, including NIL, branding, wellness and financial literacy.

Castaño, based in Newport Beach, Calif., runs 4Front Sports through his law practice and represents about 45 active clients. A certified WNBPA, FIBA and NFLPA agent with more than three decades of experience, his basketball clients include Portland Fire guard Carla Leite and Sparks assistant coach Ebony Hoffman.

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