BASKETBALL

Anthony Davis finalized a five-year contract worth up to $190 million to return to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

One day after LeBron James agreed to a two-year, $85 million contract extension with the Lakers through 2022-23, Davis committed to the Lakers through the 2024-25 season. Agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who represents both Davis and James, confirmed the terms of both deals to The Associated Press.

GOLF

INTERNATIONAL GOLF: Annika Sorenstam was elected president of the International Golf Federation, replacing the outgoing Peter Dawson.

Sorenstam, a 72-time winner on the LPGA Tour and former No. 1, will take up the position on Jan. 1. The 50-year-old Swede was elected during the IGF’s virtual board meeting, and her first major task will be to help oversee the federation’s strategic planning for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

LPGA: Charley Hull fought through cold and windy conditions to shoot a 3-under 69 and take a one-stroke lead in the Volunteers of America Classic at The Colony, Texas.

Jessica Korda, Jennifer Kupcho and Pornanong Phatlum were a stroke back in the final event before the U.S. Women’s Open next week in Houston.

PGA: Russell Knox of Scotland shot a 6-under 65 on Thursday at breezy and wet El Camaleon Golf Club to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann was a stroke back with Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo and American Tom Hoge.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Andy Sullivan came within a stroke of tying the European Tour record for the lowest 36-hole score by shooting 6-under 66 in the second round of the Golf in Dubai Championship.

Sullivan followed up his round of 61 on Wednesday by making five birdies and an eagle, lifting him to 17 under overall and a three-shot lead over fellow Englishmen Ross Fisher and Matt Wallace.

• Christiaan Bezuidenhout started his chase for back-to-back wins on the European Tour with a 5-under 67 to sit in a six-way tie for the lead after the first round of the South African Open.

AUTO RACING

FORMULA ONE: An investigation has been opened into Formula One driver Romain Grosjean’s horrifying crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix, governing body FIA said.

The FIA said it could take up to eight weeks before the conclusions are made public.

The French driver was trapped in a burning car on Sunday when it sliced in half after penetrating a metal crash barrier and then exploded into a fireball.

Grosjean was inside the cockpit of the Haas car for nearly 30 seconds before scrambling out. He suffered only minor burns to the back of his hands and a sprained left ankle. He was discharged from a military hospital in Bahrain on Wednesday.

“The investigation into the Grosjean incident will look at all areas including competitor safety devices such as the helmet, HANS (a head restraint device), safety harness, protective clothing, survival cell, headrest, in-car extinguisher system and the Halo,” the FIA said in a statement. “Analysis will also include chassis integrity and the safety barrier performance.”

Grosjean credited the Halo frontal cockpit device, which forms a protective ring in front of the driver’s head and can withstand huge impact, for saving his life.

Researchers will also gather data from an onboard high-speed camera facing the driver and filming at 400 frames per second; from a device in the driver’s ear canal measuring head movement during a crash; and use in-car data recording the car’s speed and the force of impact.

It was estimated that Grosjean hit the barrier at about 137 mph.

• Formula One driver Kevin Magnussen will move to the IMSA sports car series in 2021 driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.

The Danish driver will be paired with Renger van der Zande in a Cadillac DPi-V.R, the team said Thursday. Ganassi is returning to the sports car series after a one-year hiatus.

Magnussen currently competes for Haas in F1 but the 28-year-old was not retained for next season. Magnussen won the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2016 and was developed in McLaren’s Young Driver Program. He is the son of former F1 driver Jan Magnussen.

SOCCER

ENGLAND: The Premier League agreed to a rescue package worth $330 million to ease the financial burden on lower-division teams as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

After months of negotiations, Premier League clubs gave their approval for a loan of $265 million that second-division Championship clubs will be able to use interest free. A fund of $65 million will go to clubs in League One and League Two – the third and fourth divisions.

“Our commitment is that no English Football League club need go out of business due to COVID-19,” said Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, noting the importance of the lower-division clubs to their communities.

The Premier League has committed to cover up to $20 million in interest and arrangement fees to enable the loan to be secured for Championship clubs, which will allow them to meet their tax liabilities up to June 30, 2021.

The British government has consistently said that the Premier League – rather than the taxpayer – must provide assistance to lower-league clubs, who have been stricken primarily by their inability to have fans in stadiums since March because of social restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak.

CURLING

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: USA Curling has canceled or postponed all events until at least May, meaning the reigning national champions in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles will represent the United States at the 2021 world championships in April in Calgary, Alberta, if the event is held.

SKI JUMPING

INJURY: Austrian ski jumper Eva Pinkelnig has undergone emergency surgery for a spleen rupture following a training crash, the Austrian ski federation said Thursday.

Pinkelnig fell after landing a jump during a practice session on the small hill in Seefeld, Austria on Wednesday and had surgery in a university clinic in Innsbruck in the evening. The federation said Pinkelnig was conscious and stable after the crash.

Harald Rodlauer, the head coach of the Austrian women’s ski jump team, refrained from giving a prognosis on her recovery. Pinkelnig has previously recovered from serious injury after a crash, suffering traumatic brain damage in a training accident in Oberstdorf four years ago.

The 32-year-old Pinkelnig won two silver medals with the Austrian team at the 2019 Nordic world championships in Seefeld. She also triumphed in three World Cups in eight days in January before finishing the 2019-20 overall standings in third place.

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