Hamilton

He added: “It’s something that definitely needs to be tackled. But that’s probably something that needs to be done in the background, I would imagine.”

Hamilton made an oblique reference to the 2021 championship decider in Abu Dhabi, where he controversially lost out on the title to Verstappen as a result of former race director Michael Masi failing to apply the rules correctly during a late-race safety car period.

At the time, race stewards declined to overturn Masi’s decisions. The Australian was later fired by governing body the FIA, before a report into the incident concluded that Masi’s decisions were the result of “human error”.

Speaking before this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Hamilton said: “I don’t know if they’re aware of the weight of their decisions. They ultimately steer careers. Can decide results of championships, as you’ve seen in the past. Some work needs to be done there, I’m sure.”

The FIA does not comment on stewards’ decisions as they are meant to operate independently from the governing body.

Lewis Hamilton hailed his best qualifying result at Ferrari for Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix as a “huge step” after what he described as a “hard slog” of a season so far with the team.

The seven-time world champion will start third after an impressive display from Ferrari, with team-mate Charles Leclerc finishing second fastest behind Lando Norris, who secured pole position.

Hamilton has endured a difficult time since joining from Mercedes last winter – and has yet to win a race for the team.

He faces a tough task in changing that statistic this weekend with Norris looking imperious, although three of the past five races in Mexico have been won from third.

But Hamilton is just happy to see things improving for the team.

“Definitely happy to be making progress and finally be up there,” he said.

“Charles has been used to these results, or at least being close to the front most of the year, but for me it has been a hard slog, being like sixth, seventh or eighth – mostly eighth.

“So to get P3 is a huge step for us and I am really grateful for the efforts of the team and the amazing support I’ve had from the team.”

This is also the first time this season that both Ferraris have qualified in the top three and Hamilton added: “These guys have been so quick all year and it’s an amazing feeling.

“The team truly deserve it, so we are just working as hard as we can and I’m super grateful to everyone in this team for continuing to push and not give up.”

The McLaren drivers go into the final five races free to race with each other and with no internal team rules hanging over them – other than not to crash with one another.

Norris had been facing undefined “repercussions” after colliding with Piastri while taking third place from him at the first sequence of corners in Singapore.

Following the crash between the two at the start of the sprint at the US Grand Prix last weekend, these have now been removed.

“There is a degree of responsibility from my side in the sprint and we are starting this weekend within a clean slate for both of us, just going out and going racing,” said Piastri.

The Australian, who won at Zandvoort, has seen his lead erode after being beaten by Norris in each of the past four races, but he said he had also been surprised Verstappen had come into the equation so quicky.

“The run of form he’s had since Monza has been a bit of a surprise,” said Piastri.

“There were flashes earlier in the season but there were also some pretty big dips. We know they have been throwing a lot of things at their car trying to improve it but he has come to the fight quicker than I expected.”

However, when asked if he was concerned about Verstappen, Piastri said: “It’s not really something I think about. He has been consistent and strong the last few weekends but there is no benefit in worrying about or focusing on that.

“The thing that’s going to help me win the championship is get the most out of myself, the car, the team. He’s there, he’s in the fight but ultimately it doesn’t change how I go about my racing.”

Norris added: “Max has had very good form the last month or so. They have been performing better than we have.

“He has won a good amount of races and he’s Max Verstappen. You’d be silly if you didn’t want to give Max a chance.

“At the minute, they are in better form, a lot of races they have been quicker. But we still have chances. We have a better car from now until the end of the season and we just have to make use of that.”

Verstappen said: “It’s clear we had a good run, definitely been enjoying it a lot more like that and we will try to carry that momentum forward. We know we need to be perfect to the end to have a chance, but we just try to maximise everything and see where we end up.”

The seven-time champion is a supporter of Vasseur, who was instrumental in signing him.

Speaking during the drivers’ news conference before this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, Hamilton said: “It is a little bit distracting for us as a team. The team have made it clear where they stand in terms of re-signing Fred.

“Fred and the whole team are working really hard on a future for the team.”

Vasseur’s contract was due to expire at the end of this season, but it was renewed just two and a half months ago.

Ferrari tend not to comment on stories about the future of the team, considering it media speculation.

But when reports linking Horner to the team first emerged in the summer, Ferrari used channels to communicate to the media that there was no truth in the claim. The company’s position has not changed since.

“I feel so grateful and honoured to have shared my life with such a beautiful soul, an angel and true friend.

“Bringing Roscoe into my life was the best decision I ever made, and I will forever cherish the memories we created together.”

Roscoe was adopted by Hamilton in 2013, alongside a second bulldog, Coco. Breeders told Hamilton that Coco’s life would be limited by problems surrounding her birth, and the dog died of a suspected heart attack in 2020.

Sharing pictures from Roscoe’s life on Instagram, Hamilton reflected on the loss of his second dog: “Although I lost Coco, I have never been faced with putting a dog to sleep before, though I know my mum and many close friends have.

“It is one of the most painful experiences and I feel a deep connection to everyone who has gone through the loss of a beloved pet.

“Although it was so hard, having him was one of the most beautiful parts of life, to love so deeply and to be loved in return.

“Thank you all for the love and support you’ve shown Roscoe over the years. It has been so special to witness and feel.”

At midseason, junior quarterback Taylor Lee of Oxnard Pacifica is a revelation, someone who didn’t start last season and has thrust himself into MVP consideration with 19 touchdown passes in his last three games and 26 in five games for the unbeaten Tritons (5-0).

“He’s amazing,” L.A. Hamilton coach Elijah Asante said. “Someone’s going to get a real good quarterback. The kid can play.”

On Thursday afternoon, Hamilton and Pacifica decided to play each other after both schools were given forfeit victories. Instead of taking the forfeits, they played at Hamilton, and Pacifica won 42-14 with a running clock through much of the second half.

Lee completed nine of 10 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns.

He could have thrown touchdowns all night but Hamilton was able to run off plenty of time in the first half with short passes until drives were halted by a fumble and interception. Freshman quarterback Thaddeus Breaux completed 31 of 45 passes for 270 yards, with touchdown passes to Kristian Leslie and Jacob Riley. Leslie caught 16 passes for 125 yards.

What’s impressive about Lee is his ability to run Pacifica’s no-huddle, quick tempo offense. At the end of the second quarter, he moved the team quickly down field in 30 seconds, completing four consecutive passes for 82 yards and ending with a two-yard touchdown pass to Will Jones Jr. for a 28-0 halftime lead. It was like watching Corona Centennial’s effective no-huddle offense.

“We try to do it that way,” coach Mike Moon said.

Lee has benefited from a receiving group he’s known for years through youth football.

“I’ve been playing with the receivers since I was 6,” Lee said.

There’s also the offensive line made up of seniors.

“They’re my best friends,” Lee said.

Pacifica has to keep improving with its Marmonte League opener against Oaks Christian next week.

Hamilton (2-3) starts Western League play next week against Fairfax.

Thursday’s game brought no injuries and lots of sportsmanship. Both coaches were thrilled to have the opportunity to play. “A blessing,” Moon said.

McLaren have traced the engine failure in last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix that dented Norris’ title hopes to a broken oil line – a McLaren issue rather than a problem with the Mercedes engine.

Leclerc’s fastest time was his third attempt to do a lap on the soft tyres after aborting his first two runs.

The second incident led to a scare because Leclerc passed a Sauber just after a red flag was thrown because of gravel on track, despite braking as hard as he could.

He was worried he would receive a penalty, but stewards immediately reviewed the incident and accepted there was nothing he could do.

Verstappen was 0.575secs off Hamilton, while the second Williams of Alex Albon was seventh.

A number of drivers ran wide during the session, and the red flag was as a result of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar running off track at the Ascari chicane and spraying the circuit with gravel.

Gravel at the second Lesmo, deposited by Norris, also needed to be cleared.

Other drivers to run wide and kick up gravel included Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who was ninth fastest behind George Russell’s Mercedes.

Russell ended the session parked on the grass beside the track before the Roggia chicane as a result of a power loss, which left him stuck in seventh gear with the rear wheels locked.

Hadjar completed the top 10.

The hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” is making its way to the big screen on Sept. 5.

Lin-Manuel Miranda announced the theatrical release date for the Tony Award-winning musical Tuesday night during an interview on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

“We always wanted to release it theatrically, but then the pandemic hit and so we decided to release it on streaming, so that everyone could see it at home whenever they wanted,” Miranda said on the show. “[Soon] you will be able to see ‘Hamilton’ in movie theaters nationwide and in Puerto Rico.”

The show’s cinematic release marks a major milestone: It’s been nearly 10 years since the off-Broadway premiere of “Hamilton,” which was based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father of the United States. Created by Miranda, who also composed the music, lyrics and book, the hip-hop- and R&B-inflected musical used source material from “Alexander Hamilton,” a 2004 biography written by Ron Chernow. The musical went on to win 11 Tony Awards, including best musical, and the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2016.

The film was shot in June 2016, during a live performance at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, and features much of the original cast. This includes Miranda as Alexander Hamilton; Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr; Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton.

The film was originally slated for release in movie theaters in October 2021. Disney paid $75 million for worldwide movie rights in 2020 and released it later that year exclusively on its streaming platform; the film went on to win two Emmy Awards in 2021.

The “Hamilton” anniversary is being celebrated in more ways than one. Prior to Miranda’s “Tonight Show” interview, Madame Tussauds New York unveiled a wax figure of Miranda dressed as Alexander Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

Two special performances of the hit musical will also take place at the same theater today. Every actor who has performed on the Broadway musical since its opening has been invited, according to the Associated Press.

Attendees for the matinee were already selected via a lottery process and the evening performance is an invite-only fundraiser for the Immigrants: We Get the Job Done Coalition — a host of 14 immigrant service organizations that uplift immigrant communities across the country.

Tickets for the film are now available for purchase.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur injected some perspective into Hamilton’s situation.

“For sure when you are seven-times world champion, your team-mate is in pole position and you are out in Q2, it’s a tough situation,” Vasseur said.

On the race result, Vasseur pointed out that Ferrari had gambled on a one-stop strategy starting on the hard tyre on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult, and it “didn’t work”.

“I can understand the frustration from Lewis,” he said, “but this is normal, and he will come back.”

Vasseur, who was instrumental in persuading Hamilton to leave Mercedes to join Ferrari for this season, pointed out that the results in Hungary made his driver’s weekend look worse than it was.

Yes, Hamilton had been 0.247 seconds slower than Leclerc when he was knocked out of qualifying after the second session. But Leclerc himself had found it hard to progress, and Hamilton had been just 0.155secs adrift of his team-mate in the first session.

The past two races have seen a stall in the positive momentum Hamilton had been building after a difficult start to his Ferrari career.

Since Miami in early May, there has been little to choose between the two drivers in qualifying, and Hamilton out-qualified Leclerc in three of the four races before Belgium, a week before Hungary.

Two errors of different kinds in the qualifying sessions for the sprint and grand prix at Spa made Hamilton look uncompetitive when he was anything but.

Hamilton was a match for Leclerc on pace in Belgium, but an off followed by a spin caused by a combination of factors relating to a new braking material saw him out in the first session in sprint qualifying. And the same thing happened when he misjudged the exit of the 180mph+ swerves at Eau Rouge and went slightly outside track limits in qualifying for the grand prix.

Even with the problems in Belgium and Hungary, and the need to adapt to a new car of very different characteristics at the start of the season, Hamilton’s average qualifying deficit to Leclerc is 0.146 seconds this year.

That’s not what Hamilton would expect of himself, but it should be viewed in the context that Ferrari – and many others in F1 – regard Leclerc as the fastest driver over a single lap in the world.

Hamilton’s critics point to his struggles against George Russell in his final season at Mercedes last year.

The 40-year-old has found the ground-effect cars introduced into F1 in 2022 do not fit his late-braking style as well as the previous generation of cars. And it does remain a mystery that he has not been able to adapt as well as would have been expected, or apparently as well as other drivers.

But Vasseur rejected any idea that he might be worried about Hamilton’s situation.

“He’s demanding,” Vasseur said, “but I think it’s also why he’s seven-times world champion, that he’s demanding with the team, with the car, with the engineers, with the mechanics, with myself also. But first of all he’s very demanding with himself.”

FANS are concerned for Lewis Hamilton after his dejected message to his Ferrari colleagues.

Hamilton had a nightmare Hungarian Grand Prix today, finishing in a disappointing 12th.

2

2

The seven-time world champion failed to pick up any points and sounded like a broken man over the team radio post-race.

Hamilton said: “Really sorry about this weekend guys, for losing you points.”

He also reportedly sat in his car for some time after parking it up.

It comes after the Brit’s woeful qualifying session yesterday that saw him exit in Q2 while team-mate Charles Leclerc secured a shock pole.

Hamilton again sounded crestfallen over the team radio, saying: “It’s me every time. I’m useless, absolutely useless.

“The team have no problem. You’ve seen the car’s on pole so we probably need to change driver.”

Told by a member of the Ferrari team that his assessment was wrong, Hamilton replied: “It clearly is. I just drove terribly. It is what it is.”

Hamilton has not finished on the podium in 14 races since making his move to the Scuderia.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

And to cap a disastrous weekend for Ferrari in Hungary, Leclerc slipped to fourth and slammed the team over the radio.

He raged: “This is so incredibly frustrating. We have lost all competitiveness.

“You just had to listen to me, I would have found a different way of managing those issues.

“Now it’s just undriveable. Undrivable. It’s a miracle if we finish on the podium.”

McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Grand Prix and celebrated by kissing his model girlfriend Margarida Corceiro.

Elijah Asante, the football coach at Hamilton High who’s never been shy about making predictions, wants it to be known that he believes freshman quarterback Thaddeus Breaux is a future first-round NFL draft pick.

He calls him “the Franchise,” and has plans to let him throw 50 passes a game.

Breaux, who is 6 feet 3 and 205 pounds, welcomes the challenge of living up to high expectations. Working out with the Yankees on their new grass field with lights earlier this week, Breaux stood out with his size. On Saturday, he’ll get to show off his arm in the Culver City passing tournament.

Last season, the Yankees went 2-9 in Asante’s first season after taking over just a few weeks before practice began. He’s ambitious, having tried to schedule Mater Dei this season but settling for a season opener against Gardena Serra on Aug. 28. Doubt him at your own peril because he twice had teams beat Mater Dei when he was head coach at Carson and helped quarterback James Boyd become City player of the year at L.A. Jordan.

The Yankees appear to have more depth and talent this season. Besides Breaux, Miles Manilay is a returning safety, Jacob Riley has shown promise as a receiver and Micah Butler is an imposing 6-3, 275-pound junior lineman.

Asante is bringing back his best one-liner, “We will shock the world.” The big question is what is Asante referring to.

Manilay, with a 4.38 grade-point average and a sister who attends Harvard, is one of the captains. He sees a much improved team but also isn’t about to let Asante off the hook.

“I don’t know what world he’s talking about,” he said when asked about “shocking the world.”

Stay tuned.

Naomi Schiff is a familiar face to Formula 1 fans as she co-hosts all the action from the motorsport as part of the Sky Sports presenting team

Popular among F1 fans and a key figure in Sky Sports’ presenting team, Naomi Schiff will be at the forefront of this weekend’s racing excitement as they showcase the much-anticipated British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Racing enthusiasts will witness home hero Lewis Hamilton make his premier appearance at Silverstone as a Ferrari driver, while Lando Norris aims to forge ahead in his quest for the 2025 world championship title, rivalling teammate Oscar Piastri.

Naomi, a retired racing driver herself, is set to deliver all the electrifying updates from the event to eager viewers. The presenter, who hails from Belgium, has Rwandan and Belgian heritage and grew up in South Africa, has transitioned from her racing pursuits to television presenting.

Now at 31 years old, not only is Naomi thriving in her new role, but she’s also embracing the joy of impending motherhood with her French husband Alexandre Dedieu. We delve into her life beyond the screen…

Marriage and baby news

Naomi celebrated her marriage to Alexandre in 2024 with two ceremonies – a modest official exchange and big wedding, reports the Express.

After their civil union in September, Naomi expressed her joy on Instagram, sharing pictures and writing: “Officially Mr. & Mrs. ‘Oui’ was never in doubt, it’s always been you. So grateful for this beautiful moment and excited for forever. Can’t wait to celebrate our big day in the days to come!”

Naomi shared breath-taking snaps in a bridal white dress and long veil from her wedding, posting: “From unforgettable moments to cherished memories, our wedding day was everything we dreamed of and more. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us, filling our day with laughter, love, and joy.”

Not long after their nuptials, Naomi thrilled her followers with news that she’s expecting, unveiling her bump in a clip with the caption: “Been keeping the tiniest little secret.”

In May, she revealed she was “halfway” to greeting their bundle of joy.

F1 absences explained

Whilst Naomi is set to embrace maternity leave soon, spectators have noted her sporadic absences at races.

Given this year’s packed F1 schedule with 24 races, Sky Sports F1’s large presenting roster means some faces will naturally be missing from time to time. Despite the varied presenter lineup, Naomi is slated to cover 12 races for Sky.

During an Instagram Q&A session, Naomi addressed whether she picks which weekends she’s on, saying: “The @skysportsf1 on-screen team is pretty big. So, it’s about being able to split races amongst everyone both numbers-wise but also geographically”.

She pointed out that scheduling can be tricky due to personal commitments that jostle for attention within the Sky Sports F1 presenting crew’s annual calendars.

Bond with Lewis Hamilton

Naomi’s bond with F1 legend Lewis Hamilton has seen the driver step up to defend her during times of controversy.

When Naomi ventured into presenting at the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team car launch and co-hosted Sky Sports F1 show Any Driven Monday in 2022, a critic doubted her suitability for the role, according to The Sun.

The sceptic posted: “Meet Naomi Schiff, Sky Sports latest Formula 1 commentator. Can you guess what her main qualification for the job is? Hint: It isn’t Formula 1 experience.”

Naomi retorted with three yawning emojis to express her indifference to the criticism. Champion Lewis Hamilton was quick to come to Naomi’s defence on Twitter (now renamed X), disagreeing with the detractor’s view.

He commented: “Naomi is an ex-professional racing driver & totally qualified to give her opinion as part of the Sky team. She’s been a great asset since joining & we should welcome more representative broadcasting with open arms.

“Still have a long way to go to change these attitudes in sport.”

Sky Sports is hosting coverage of the British Grand Prix throughout the weekend with the race coverage starting on Sunday, July 6 at 1.30pm

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who suffered a blow to his already slim championship hopes when he was taken out of last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, was only 10th fastest, complaining about the balance of his car.

Red Bull are one of a number of teams with revised floors for this event, the others McLaren, Aston Martin, Haas, Williams and Sauber.

At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso used the new floor in the first session, to end up 11th fastest, while team-mate Lance Stroll ran the previous specification for comparison and ended up just one place behind.

In warm temperatures and in front of a large crowd, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto both had huge spins at the ultra-fast Copse corner, remarkably without going off track and damaging their cars.

It’s inevitable that Ferrari are facing this criticism. After Leclerc and Hamilton qualified 11th and 12th at their first home race of the season in Imola, Leclerc described the team as being “P-nowhere”.

Both drivers have bemoaned the lack of upgrades. The first of these since the fourth race in Bahrain finally arrived in Austria last weekend, and both drivers agreed they were a step forward, but that it would take time to judge how much. More are coming.

Nevertheless, Vasseur insists the car is better than the team have shown in recent races.

“The initial goal was to fight for the championship,” he said in Canada, “but I think it’s true for us, it’s true for McLaren, for Red Bull, for Mercedes. We are all in this mood to fight for the championship at the beginning of the season.

“If you compare with expectations, probably McLaren is one step ahead compared to everybody. And we didn’t do a good job on our side.

“Just speaking about us, we didn’t do a good job, in a couple of races.”

He points out that, after both cars were disqualified in China, they were 60 points behind Red Bull and 40 behind Mercedes two races into the season. Now, they are second in the constructors’ championship. On the flip side, they have nearly half the points of McLaren.

Vasseur describes this as “a decent recovery”.

The fact Ferrari have a stronger combined driver line-up than Red Bull and Mercedes is reflected in the fact that, despite their position in the constructors’ championship, Leclerc is fifth in the drivers’ – behind both McLaren drivers and the lead drivers from Red Bull and Mercedes.

“McLaren are still one step ahead,” Vasseur says. “It means we have to continue to try to do a better job each day and improve.

“You have to put everything together in the right place if you want to achieve a good result today, because in the tyre usage and the tyre performance, or what performance you get from the tyres, I think there is much more than between the cars.

“The car doesn’t matter. If the team is doing a very good job on the tyres, they will be in front. It will be like this until the end of the season. But it’s the same for everybody, we have to do a better job.”

As for Hamilton, he sees this as a building year for 2026, when new rules bring in revised cars and engines and Ferrari expect to be fighting at the very front.

He has generally not been especially comfortable with the type of cars introduced with the 2022 regulations, which demand a different driving style from those that came before. Next year’s cars are different in design again, and may well be different in driving character, too.

“The fact is with this car hopefully we can still fight for second in the constructors’ championship,” Hamilton says. “That would be great.

“But I want a car that can win next year. So that’s the priority. That’s what we’ve come here to get.”

There once was a time the City Section had the best quarterbacks, the days of John Elway (Granada Hills), Tom Ramsey (Kennedy) and Jay Schroeder (Palisades) all playing against each other.

This fall, the City Section has lots of quality returning quarterbacks, making it possible for them to get some attention at a time the talent level has been dwindling overall.

Let’s start with Diego Montes of Kennedy. He’s 5 feet 11, 160 pounds, an A student and certified baller. All he did as a junior was pass for 2,508 yards and 24 touchdowns and rush for 1,400 yards and 25 touchdowns. He had a 91-yard run.

“I have more stamina,” he said after a spring of running track. “We run tempo offense, so being able to get up on the line right after you bust a 20-yard run or chip away at the defense, you’re in better condition. I’m not scared of putting my shoulder down.”

Liam Pasten of Eagle Rock had 3,602 yards passing as a junior and has his own hair-cutting business, so defenders be nice because he can make you look good in other ways.

Chris Fields of Carson, Jack Thomas of Palisades, Seth Solorio of San Pedro and Elijah McDaniel of Dorsey are the rarest of the rare — they left Southern Section schools to join the City Section, coming from Lawndale, Loyola, St. John Bosco and Warren, respectively. Each has a chance to lift and provide big-time contributions this fall.

One of the top freshmen quarterbacks in Southern California should be Thaddeu Breaux of Hamilton. At least he’s expected to have the opportunity to pass and pass. Coach Elijah Asante is projecting 50 pass attempts a game.

There’s returning quarterbacks at Cleveland, Taft, South Gate, Birmingham and elsewhere, so that’s a good sign the offenses in the City Section should be in good position to roll from the opening games on Aug. 22.

They should remember there’s NFL Hall of Famers from the City Section who once wore jerseys they are wearing. The names of Elway, Bob Waterfield (Van Nuys) and Warren Moon (Hamilton) come to mind.

Official practice begins at the end of next month.

David Greenwood adored basketball so much in middle school that he would play for three different teams in three different parks on the same day, multiple times a week.

His brother, Al, would be in the car driving around with him between games while David traded in his sweaty uniform for a fresh one, repeating the process over and over.

“He was relentless,” Al said, “because he loved the game.”

At home, David would get tossed around in driveway games by the cement contractor father who was twice his size, only to keep getting back up for more contact. In practices, he shot blindfolded to perfect his form, his brother having to let him know when he was close to going out of bounds so that he could get his bearings.

UCLA’s David Greenwood (34) shoots a basketball during a game against San Francisco at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on March 15, 1979

(Peter Read Miller / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

Greenwood, the determined Compton kid who went from a star high school player at Verbum Dei to one of the top scorers in UCLA history to an NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons, died Sunday night at a Riverside hospital from cancer. He was 68.

True to the nature of someone who played through debilitating foot injuries throughout his career, Greenwood did not inform family of his illness until the end of his life.

“Everything happened so quickly,” said Bronson Greenwood, David’s nephew. “It was kind of a shock.”

One of the all-time great high school players in Southern California, Greenwood and teammate Roy Hamilton were among the final players recruited by legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. They were shocked when Wooden retired shortly after their senior season of high school and was replaced by Gene Bartow.

But they decided to stick with their commitments, lured in part by the pitch of a coach they would never play for in college.

“He told me if I went to USC or UNLV or Notre Dame, I’d be an All-American,” Greenwood once told The Times of Wooden’s proposal. “But if I went to UCLA, I’d be able to test myself against 12 other high school All-Americans every single day. … It was kind of like, ‘Come here and test your mettle.’ ”

Greenwood’s work ethic continued to push him as a Bruin. His practices with the team were followed by an hour in another gym, his brother feeding him passes. Along the way, he never shortchanged himself or teammates.

College athletes selected in the NBA draft pose with NBA commissioner Larry O’Brien, center, at New York’s Plaza Hotel on June 25, 1979. The players are, from left: Calvin Natt, Northeast Louisiana, drafted by New Jersey; Sidney Moncrief, Arkansas, drafted by Milwaukee; Bill Garthright, San Francisco, drafted by New York; O’Brien; Earvin Johnson, Michigan State, drafted by Los Angeles; Greg Kelser, Michigan State, drafted by Detroit; and David Greenwood, UCLA, drafted by Chicago.

(Associated Press)

“If he said he was going to shoot 100 free throws,” Al said, “it wasn’t 50, it wasn’t 65, it was 100 — and he didn’t stop until he got to 100.”

Having been dubbed “Batman and Robin” in high school, Greenwood and Hamilton remained close at UCLA, rooming together and biking to campus from where they lived in the Fairfax District. Hamilton remembered Greenwood as a remarkable rebounder who whipped outlet passes to him to get fast breaks started.

“We would always know how to motivate each other,” Hamilton said, “and connect with each other on the floor.”

Becoming a star by his sophomore season, Greenwood averaged a double-double in points and rebounds as a junior and a senior, finishing each season as an All-American. The 6-foot-9 forward’s go-to move was starting with his back about 10 to 12 feet from the basket before faking one way and unleashing a spin-around jumper.

One of his favorite memories as a Bruin, according to his brother, was a comeback against Washington State toward the end of his career in which the Bruins wiped out a late double-digit deficit, winning on Greenwood’s putback dunk only seconds before the buzzer.

The Bulls’ David Greenwood shoots over the Bullets’ Elvin Hayes during a game in 1981 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Greenwood played for the Bulls from 1979-85.

(Focus On Sport / Getty Images)

UCLA never recaptured the Wooden glory during Greenwood’s four seasons, reaching the Final Four his freshman year and a regional final his senior year. But Greenwood remains No. 15 on the school’s all-time scoring list, having tallied 1,721 points.

After the Lakers selected Magic Johnson with the first pick of the 1979 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls took Greenwood second as part of their massive rebuilding efforts. (Hamilton was also a lottery pick, going 10th to the Pistons.)

“He wasn’t exciting, he was steady,” Al Greenwood said of his brother. “You knew you were going to get a double-double every night out of him regardless of what the score was.”

Greenwood started every game in his first NBA season, averaging 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounds while making the all-rookie team. The Bulls went 30-52, their loss total more than triple the 17 losses that Greenwood’s teams had absorbed in four seasons as a Bruin.

But he persevered through the losing and a series of foot injuries caused by a running style in which his heels would hit the ground before his toes. Al remembered his brother coming back to Los Angeles to play the Lakers and taking his shoes off at home, saying it felt as if they were full of broken glass.

“That was how his feet felt a lot of the time, but he just played even when he shouldn’t have,” Al said. “I always called him The Thoroughbred.”

Former UCLA standout David Greenwood talks about his career during a National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame induction event on Nov. 21, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo.

(Colin E. Braley / Associated Press)

Greenwood would undergo one Achilles’ surgery on one foot and two on the other, never missing a full season in the process.

In October 1985, before the widespread use of cell phones, Greenwood learned he had been traded to San Antonio for future Hall of Famer George Gervin while listening to the radio. Late in his 12-year NBA career, he was a surprise playoff contributor for the Detroit Pistons when they won the 1990 NBA championship. Hamilton worked for CBS Sports as part of the production team broadcasting the Finals that year.

“Having my best friend in the world on the team and winning a title,” Hamilton said, “that was a joy for me.”

Greenwood went on to own several Blockbuster video stores and coached at his alma mater, guiding Verbum Dei to state championships in 1998 and 1999. His nephew recalled a soft side, his uncle picking him up and giving him a good tickle.

Greenwood is survived by his brother, Al; sister, Laverne; son, Jemil; and daughter, Tiffany, along with his former wife, Joyce. Services are pending.

ATOMIC Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton opened up about her skin cancer battle, revealing she was diagnosed with the disease after getting a persistent itchy spot on her back.

In an emotional Good Morning Britain interview, the singer, 42, revealed she’d had basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

9

9

9

BCC is the most common skin cancer type in the UK.

It begins in the basal cells — a type of cell within the skin that produces new skin cells as old ones die off – and is more likely to develop on skin regularly exposed to the sun, like the face, head or neck.

The cancer often tends to appear as a pearly lump, but it can also develop as a scar-like patch on the skin or rough, scaly growths.

Natasha initially mistook the diseased patch of skin as a mosquito bite.

She told her hosts Kate Garraway and Rob Rinder that she developed an itch after catching a bit too much sun while on holiday in Majorca.

Natasha said: “So I had been on holiday, I wasn’t actually in the sun a lot, my baby was only about five months old and I was breastfeeding.

“One afternoon I had her on my lap, my back was in the sun and I burnt.

“I don’t know if it was later that day or the next day, I had an itchy spot on my back.

“I felt it, I went “oh mosquito bite”.

‘It wasn’t until four weeks later when I was at home and it was itching I was like ‘hang on a minute, that seems a bit long for a mosquito bite’.

‘I asked my husband to have look and he went “oh that’s not a bite,” he took a picture.

Natasha revealed: “Originally it had just been a dark freckle that I’d had on my back for many years.

“It wasn’t even raised, it wasn’t a mole, it was just a freckle.”

The star sought specialist help and was diagnosed with BCC.

9

9

9

She was able to have the cancerous skin removed and is now living cancer-free.

But she revealed: “Now I have to be really vigilant, I have to check my skin all the time.

“Since then I’ve had a few things appear where I’ve had to go back to the dermatologist, they’re on the ‘watch list’.  

“This is probably something I am going to have to keep an eye for the rest of my life,” Natasha said.

The 4 signs of BCC

When you think of signs of skin cancer, a mole probably comes to mind.

This is usually the case with melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease.

But non-melanoma skin cancer – which includes BCC – can manifest in other more subtle ways.

According to Macmillan Cancer Support, a BCC might have some of these features:

1. A smooth, firm lump that may be pearly, pink, red, brown or black – on black or brown skin, it is more likely to be pearly, brown or black
2. A lump that is sunken in the middle like a crater
3. A flat patch of scaly, crusty or irritated skin
4. A scar-like area of pale, shiny skin

This type of skin cancer tends to be painless but it can cause itchiness or bleeding.

9

9

9

Over time, a BCC may develop into an open sore that does not heal.

Any part of your skin can be affected, but it’s most common in areas exposed to the sun, such as the:

• Head, face and ears
• Neck and shoulders
• Back
• Hands
• Lower legs

BCCs mainly people with fair skin, but those with other skin types may also be at risk, according to the British Skin Foundation.

Those with the highest risk of developing a basal cell carcinoma are: 

• People with pale skin who burn easily and rarely tan
• Those who have had a lot of exposure to the sun, such as people with outdoor hobbies or outdoor workers, and people who have lived in sunny climates
• People who have used sun beds or have regularly sunbathed.
• People who have previously had a basal cell carcinoma

Almost all cases of BCC can be cured and it’s almost never a danger to life, according to the charity.

However, if a BCC is not treated early, it may get larger and may be more likely to come back.

Treatment can include surgically removing the affected area of skin.

SCOTTISH Labour have won a shock victory in the Holyrood by-election – defying bookies’ odds.

And the win is a major boost to Anas Sarwar’s hopes of beating John Swinney to Bute House at next year’s Holyrood election.

1

Scottish Labour had been written off by many, with bookies putting them third most likely to win the seat behind both the SNP and Reform.

Punters were offered odds of 11-1 on Labour before polls opened, and the SNP were 1-6 favourites, with Reform second favourites.

However the party has defied expectations and lived up to the quiet confidence from some insiders that they were always in the race.

The victory is a stunning defeat for the SNP who believed the seat was an easy victory following the death of popular local Nats MSP Christina McKelvie.

Labour’s campaign was seen as low key and Mr Russell came in for criticism from rivals for swerving TV appearances.

With the benefit of hindsight, this was one of two mistakes Red Bull made in the Spanish Grand Prix.

After the stewards launched an inquiry into the Verstappen-Russell incident in Turn One, Red Bull decided to order Verstappen to give the place back.

Team principal Christian Horner said the decision was based “on recent experience and looking at recent incidents”.

Verstappen had kept fourth position by taking to the escape road after the two had made light contact while Russell tried a passing move. He believed he was justified in keeping the place because he felt the Mercedes driver had barged him off the track.

Horner said Red Bull had contacted FIA race control and received nothing back and that, as it had gone to the stewards, “it looked for all intents and purposes that it was going to be a penalty”.

Horner added: “The argument is, was George under control at that point in time? Would he have made the corner? We’ve seen so many occasions this year where penalties have been given.

“You’re expecting to get a penalty, so that’s why it was, ‘OK, do you know what? We’re going to have to give this place up.'”

The stewards’ verdict was published some time after the race. It said that Russell had “momentarily lost control of the car and collided” with Verstappen, who “did not deliberately leave the track”. As a result, it said, they took no further action.

In other words, in their view, Verstappen could have justifiably kept the place.

There are two parts of the racing guidelines in play here. To be entitled to be given space – ie, to have been judged to have won the corner – the driver overtaking on the inside has to have his front axle “at least alongside the mirror of the other car prior to and at the apex”.

Russell seems to have complied with this.

But the car must also “be driven in a fully controlled manner particularly from entry to apex”.

This, the stewards decided, Russell had not. And that was also Verstappen’s opinion.

Horner said: “With hindsight, was it a mistake? Yeah, but I think that’s where it would be nice, as the referee, as a race director, to either say, ‘Play on,’ or ‘you need to give it back.’ It’s very hard for the team, subjectively, to try and make that call, because you’re going on historical precedents.”

The second decision Red Bull got wrong, Horner admitted, was the decision to pit Verstappen for fresh hard tyres under the safety car, one that Verstappen immediately questioned vociferously once he was back on track.

Horner acknowledged they should have left him out on his soft tyres. “He would have got passed by the two McLarens. Would he have got passed by (Charles) Leclerc? But you can only go with the information you have to hand.”