CNN
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Two protestors were arrested at the London Marathon on Sunday for throwing red powdered paint onto the course shortly before the men’s elite race passed by, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

Video posted on social media by a group called Youth Demand showed two protestors wearing “Stop Arming Israel” t-shirts jump over the barriers at Tower Bridge, stop in the road, and throw powdered paint in the air.

One of the motorcycle outriders tackled the two protestors to the ground as the leading group of the men’s race ran past unobstructed.

Police added that the paint appeared to be “chalk-based” and wasn’t expected to pose any hazard to the runners.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa secured a thrilling victory, striding away from everyone else to set a new women’s-only world record too.

Assefa finished the course in 2:15:50, smashing the previous women’s-only record – the fastest marathon time set by a female runner without male pacemakers – by 26 seconds. Although the 28-year-old flirted with breaking Paula Radcliffe’s course record of 2:15:25 set 22 years ago, that was ultimately a step too far for her.

She dominated the closing stages of the race, dropping Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei who clung on for second place and finished in 2:18:43.

Olympic champion Sifan Hassan crossed the line 16 seconds afterwards in third, after she had lost touch with the leading group around the halfway point.

In the men’s race, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe secured the biggest win of his career with a time of 2:02:27, attacking at the drinks station while his competitors slowed down and going on to cross the line alone.

Behind him, Jacob Kiplimo – the half-marathon world record holder – finished second in an impressive 2:03:37 in his much anticipated marathon debut.

In a thrilling race for third place, Alexander Mutiso Munyao crossed the line a hair’s breadth ahead of Abdi Nageeye and had to wait for organizers to confirm his podium spot. Marathon great Eliud Kipchoge finished in sixth place.

In the women’s wheelchair race, Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner set a course record, sprinting down the finishing straight on The Mall to cross the line in 1:34:18. She finished just two seconds outside her own world record, setting a blistering pace that none of her competitors could match. The USA’s Susannah Scaroni finished almost four minutes back in second place while Switzerland’s Manuela Schär rounded out the podium with a time of 1:41:06.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race to take his seventh overall, and fifth consecutive, title in London. The 39-year-old completed the course in 1:25:25, almost a minute ahead of second-placed Tomoki Suzuki, securing his second major marathon victory of the week after winning in Boston on Monday.

CNN
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A dramatic, historic buzzer-beating dunk by Aaron Gordon sparked wild celebrations on Saturday night as the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 101-99 to tie their playoff first round series 2-2.

With 1.8 seconds remaining, Nikola Jokić’s airball appeared to signal that the game was headed to overtime with the scores tied at 99. But Gordon had other ideas, slamming the ball down with 0.1 seconds on the clock before wheeling away in jubilation.

What followed was nearly three minutes of suspense as Gordon and Co. waited on the court for the referees to determine whether he had released the ball before the buzzer had sounded. When it was announced that he had, the Nuggets’ celebrations restarted in earnest, and boos rang out from the crowd at Intuit Dome.

Whether they wanted to or not, the LA crowd had just witnessed NBA history – Gordon’s slam was the first game-winning, buzzer-beating dunk ever made in the playoffs since the dawn of the detailed play-by-play era in 1997-98.

“Nice pass,” Gordon joked with Jokić at their post-game press conference.

“Joker was trying to get in his bag with the Sombor Shuffle. He’s made shots like that before. So, I’m just trying to clean up everything on the glass. He shot it with enough time to give us a chance to rebound it,” the former Slam Dunk Contest finalist added. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”

The Nuggets led by two points at halftime, but arguably the most notable event up to that point had come with 6.6 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

When James Harden was fouled by Christian Braun near midcourt, Harden began exchanging words with the Nuggets shooting guard. The resulting skirmish saw Gordon rush in and catch Norman Powell’s face with an open hand.

Despite Clippers fans chanting “Kick him out!” Gordon received a technical foul, along with Harden, Braun, Powell, Jokić and Kris Dunn.

Denver went from strength to strength in the third quarter, outscoring LA 35-17 to open up an 85-65 lead. But, spurred on by 10 points by Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers fought back in the fourth quarter and took the lead for the first time in the game with 1:11 remaining thanks to Bogdan Bogdanović’s offensive rebound and basket.

A free throw and a basket from Jokić made it 99-97, before Ivica Zubac appeared to send the game to overtime. Gordon’s heroics ensured that would not be the case.

Gordon finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jokić led the scoring with 36 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists – in doing so becoming only the fourth player in NBA history to rack up at least 35 points, 20 rebounds and eight assists in a playoff game.

Braun and Michael Porter Jr. each added 17 points for Denver, while Leonard led the scoring for the Clippers with 24 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

It is the second time in the series that the Nuggets have prevailed by fine margins – they won Game 1 by two points in overtime. Game 5 takes place in Denver on Tuesday night.

Elsewhere in the NBA, Steph Curry ensured that the Golden State Warriors did not miss the injured Jimmy Butler, racking up 36 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in a 104-93 win over the Houston Rockets to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to make it to the second round of the playoffs, completing a four-game sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies with a 117-115 victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was back to his best after a difficult first three games in the series for the NBA MVP favorite, scoring 38 points.

CNN
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With the 257th and final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected cornerback Kobee Minor from the University of Memphis.

As the last player selected in the draft, Minor joins one of the most unique fraternities in sports and becomes the newest man to earn the nickname “Mr. Irrelevant.”

“I love it. I’ve never been a highly recruited guy. I’ve never been one of the top guys so really this isn’t anything new to me,” Minor said on a video call shortly after being drafted by the Patriots.

“I am just going to go out here and do what I got to do, put my head down and grind like I always been.”

A fifth-year senior, Minor finished his collegiate career with the Memphis Tigers after initially playing for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Indiana Hoosiers.

Last season, Minor has 38 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections for the Tigers.

While the final pick in the draft doesn’t always enjoy great success on the field, there are plenty of other perks that come with the dubious honor.

In 1976, the late Paul Salata, who himself had been a 10th round draft pick in 1951, decided that he wanted to give the last draft pick something to smile about. He invited the 487th pick Kelvin Kirk to Newport Beach in California and the concept of “Mr Irrelevant” was born.

It’s since become one of the most endearing concepts in sports.

The event known as “Irrelevant Week” is now run by Salata’s daughter, Melanie Salata-Fitch, who was in Green Bay to announce Minor’s selection on Saturday.

Salata-Finch told CNN that planning for the week begins from backstage as soon as the draft is over.

Irrelevant Week takes place in Newport Beach, featuring a parade in honor of the draftee, a “roast and toast” dinner and a golf tournament. The festivities are tailored to each athlete, and they are encouraged to submit a wish list.

There are VIP trips to Disneyland and the Playboy Mansion, players have met celebrities like Will Farrell and Jimmy Kimmel and driven the cars of their dreams.

At the end of the week, the players leave Newport Beach with more than just fond memories. Stuffed into their luggage is the Lowsman Trophy, a tongue in cheek reference to the Heisman Trophy given to the best NCAA player every season. The player on the trophy is depicted fumbling the ball.

But occasionally Mr. Irrelevant has found success on the football field.

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, had an immediate impact for the 49ers. In his rookie season, he was pressed into the starting role due to injuries and engineered a five-game winning streak that was instrumental in the team’s run the NFC Championship game that year.

The next season, Purdy earned the starting quarterback role and led the team to a Super Bowl appearance, where the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.

Another notable Mr. Irrelevant was kicker Ryan Succop, the final pick in the 2009 draft by the Chiefs. Succop went on the enjoy a 14-year NFL career, winning a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.

Following his selection, Minor posted on his Instagram story, “Mr. Irrelevant. I’ll take it.”

Time will tell what awaits for Minor in his NFL career, but it’s sure to be an exciting ride for the Dallas, Texas, native.