Lindsey Vonn, one of the Olympics’ biggest stars, is now its biggest hero

Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning.

🚨 Headlines

🏀 NBA trades: The Clippers are sending James Harden to the Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland and a second-round pick. Plus: The Grizzlies traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz, the Celtics and Bulls swapped Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vučević, and the Pistons added Kevin Huerter and Dario Šarić in a three-team deal.

Advertisement

🇺🇸 America’s flag bearers: Speed skating gold medalist Erin Jackson and bobsledder Frank Del Duca will serve as flag bearers for Team USA at the Milan Cortina Opening Ceremony on Friday.

🏈 Kraft also denied: Patriots owner Robert Kraft has joined his longtime head coach Bill Belichick in getting denied entry to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year as a finalist. First nominated in 2013, the 84-year-old will have to wait at least another year to make it to Canton.

⛳️ LIV granted OWGR points: The Official World Golf Ranking will grant points to LIV Golf events this season, with a catch: Only the top 10 players will receive points, and they’ll receive fewer than in most PGA Tour events under the OWGR’s “small field tournaments” classification.

🏀 Meet the dunkers: Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, Spurs wing Carter Bryant and Pistons center Jalen Duren will compete in the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend, leaving one spot still open. Three-time defending champion Mac McClung has already said he isn’t participating.

Advertisement

⛷️ The star of the Olympics is now the hero, too

Despite a torn ACL, Lindsey Vonn insists she will be in the starting gate for the women’s downhill on Sunday. She was already one of the stars of these Olympics. Now she’s one of the heroes, too.

From Yahoo Sports’ Jay Busbee:

With one agonizing, heartbreaking wreck on a Swiss ski slope last Friday, all of Vonn’s work to get back to the Olympics — a knee replacement, lengthy rehab, retirement, then un-retirement followed by race after race to qualify for these Olympic Games — seemed to evaporate.

But this is Lindsey Vonn we’re talking about, one of the toughest, most determined, most relentless athletes America has ever produced. Vonn metaphorically tightened her straps and clicked back into her skis.

Advertisement

“This is not, obviously, what I had hoped for,” she said. “I know there’s still a chance, and as long as there’s a chance, I will try.” Damn right. That is the true Olympic spirit.

For all the Olympics’ many sins — corruption, petty nationalism, doping controversies, political gamesmanship, endless grifting — there’s a deeper truth that surges above them all. The Olympics showcases the very best athletes in the world, and the finest elements of the human spirit, as well.

“Maybe I can’t do this with no ACL, but I still believe in myself, and that makes me smile. That makes me confident. That makes me happy,” Vonn said. “No matter what, I’m going to try my best, so what is there to be sad about? I’m still able to be here. I’m still skiing. I’m still living the dream at 41.”

Advertisement

Vonn has nothing left to prove, no reason to go back up that hill other than the fact that she simply couldn’t imagine doing anything else. That’s how you go from being a darling of NBC’s Winter Olympic promos to a legitimate national hero, by embodying the best of what we all strive to be.

She will continue to test her knee before the downhill competition begins on Sunday. Regardless of how she feels leading up to then, regardless of what happens on the slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo, she plans on being in that starting gate. She’ll push off. She’ll fire down the mountain for one more Olympic run.

She’ll have the eyes of the world on her, and the hearts of the world behind her. Who could ask for anything more?

Further reading: Why doctors say Vonn has ‘a great chance to perform well’ despite ACL tear (Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports)

Advertisement

🏀 NBA All-Star teams: Stars, Stripes, World

The rosters are set for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which will feature three teams competing in a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games.

• Game 1: USA Stars vs. World

• Game 2: USA Stripes vs. Game 1 winner

• Game 3: USA Stripes vs. Game 1 loser

• Game 4: Championship (top two teams from round-robin play)

Late addition: Commissioner Adam Silver named Kawhi Leonard an All-Star to bring the American player pool to 16, allowing for the creation of two 8-member teams.

📸 In photos: Olympic venues

The Milan Cortina Olympics will be held across 15 venues in eight cities spanning 8,500 square miles, making these the most spread-out Games ever. With the Opening Ceremony just two days away, let’s meet the venues.

Milan: Italy’s second-most populous city is home to one-third of the venues: Milano Ice Skating Arena (figure skating, short track speed skating), San Siro (Opening Ceremony), Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena (hockey), Milano Speed Skating Stadium (speed skating) and Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena (hockey).

Cortina d’Ampezzo: The co-host, which sits 250 miles northeast of Milan, has three of the 15 venues: Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre (alpine skiing), Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (curling) and Cortina Sliding Centre (bobsleigh, luge, skeleton).

Livigno: The small ski town 150 miles due west of Cortina, and just a couple miles from the Swiss border, is the only other city with multiple venues: Livigno Snow Park (freestyle skiing, snowboard) and Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park (freestyle skiing).

The rest: Five other cities have one venue each: Tesero’s Cross-Country Skiing Stadium (cross-country skiing, nordic combined), Antholz-Anterselva’s Biathlon Arena (biathlon), Bormio’s Stelvio Ski Centre (alpine skiing, ski mountaineering), Predazzo’s Ski Jumping Stadium (nordic combined, ski jumping) and Verona’s Olympic Arena (Closing Ceremony).

Advertisement

Good read: The 2026 Winter Olympics will give an untraditionally Italian region its moment (Andrew Gastelum, SI)

⚾️ Spring training: 30 teams, 30 storylines

Spring training is almost here, with pitchers and catchers beginning to report to camp early next week. So with America’s Pastime returning soon, here is one storyline to watch for all 30 teams, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Russell Dorsey.

AL East

• Blue Jays (94-68 in 2025): The quest to return to the Fall Classic begins

• Yankees (94-68): Similar team, similar results?

• Red Sox (89-73): Roster construction problems

• Rays (77-85): Getting Shane McClanahan back healthy

• Orioles (75-87): The time is now

AL Central

• Guardians (88-74): Travis Bazzana watch

• Tigers (87-75): The Skubal saga*

• Royals (82-80): A fresh start for Jac Caglianone

• Twins (70-92): Star trade watch

• White Sox (60-102): Fun times coming to the South Side

AL West

• Mariners (90-72): Can they build on 2025?

• Astros (87-75): The health of Yordan Alvarez

• Rangers (81-81): Getting back to contention in the AL West

• Athletics (76-86): What’s in store in Year 2 in Sacramento?

• Angels (72-90): What will they get from Mike Trout?

NL East

• Phillies (96-66): Keeping up in an improving National League

• Mets (83-79): New-look roster makes its debut

• Marlins (79-83): Taking another step

• Braves (76-86): The core needs to bounce back

• Nationals (66-96): CJ Abrams trade watch

NL Central

• Brewers (97-65): The post-Freddy era begins

• Cubs (92-70): The Alex Bregman effect

• Reds (83-79): Who is this team?

• Cardinals (78-84): The fire sale is complete

• Pirates (71-91): Making the most of Paul Skenes

NL West

• Dodgers (93-69): Embarrassment of riches on full display

• Padres (90-72): Navigating new financial constraints

• Giants (81-81): Avoiding mediocrity

• Diamondbacks (80-82): Nolan in the desert

• Rockies (43-119): The Paul DePodesta era begins

*What to watch: Skubal’s historic arbitration hearing, featuring an MLB-record $13 million gap between the player’s request ($32 million) and the team’s offer ($19 million), will take place today.

Advertisement

📺 Watchlist: Wednesday, Feb. 4

It’s hard to imagine a much better doubleheader than this. The Knicks host the Nuggets at MSG to kick things off (7pm ET, ESPN), then it’s Thunder at Spurs (9pm, ESPN) in their fifth and final matchup of the regular season.

Just how good is tonight’s slate? It features four of the seven betting favorites to win the NBA title in OKC (+135 at BetMGM), Denver (+600), New York (+1400) and San Antonio (+1600).

In New York or San Antonio? Use Gametime to grab tickets to tonight’s games at Madison Square Garden and Frost Bank Center.

Advertisement

🥌 Olympic Curling

The Opening Ceremony isn’t until Friday, but Winter Olympic competitions begin today with the round robin for curling’s mixed doubles event (1pm, Peacock).

Hometown heroes: The Italians are the defending mixed doubles champions. Can they secure another gold in front of the home crowd?

More to watch:

• 🏒 NHL: Bruins at Panthers (7pm, TNT); Blues at Stars (9:30pm, TNT) … The defending champion Panthers (28-24-3) are currently last in the Atlantic.

• 🏀 NCAAM: UCF at No. 8 Houston (7pm, FS1) … Can the Knights (17-4), coming off a win over then-No. 11 Texas Tech, pull off another upset?

• 🏀 NCAAW: No. 22 Maryland at No. 12 Michigan State (6:30pm, BTN+) … Two of seven ranked Big Ten teams.

• ⚽️ EFL Cup: Manchester City vs. Newcastle United (3pm, Paramount+) … City bring a 2-0 lead into the second leg of their semifinal against the reigning champs.

• ⛳️ LIV Golf: Riyadh (10am, FS1) … The breakaway tour’s fifth season opener is the first to feature 72 holes instead of 54.

• 🏁 NASCAR: The Clash (6pm, Fox) … The preseason exhibition at North Carolina’s Bowman Gray Stadium was postponed to Wednesday due to weather.

Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events happening in your city. Get tickets now!

🏈 Super Bowl trivia

The Patriots will make their record-extending 12th Super Bowl appearance this weekend, four more than any other team.

Advertisement

Question: Which four teams are tied for second, with eight appearances?

Hint: Two AFC, two NFC.

Answer at the bottom.

📸 Photo finish

41 years old. Still got it.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Trivia answer: Steelers, Cowboys, 49ers, Broncos

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.