Tuesday's Sports in Brief

Apr 20, 2016 - 6:38 AM Conor McGregor has delivered a punch on social media rather than inside a UFC cage.

One of the UFC's top draws, McGregor created a stir when he tweeted that retirement was on the horizon and the UFC later tweeted that McGregor had been pulled from UFC 200 on July 9.

The 27-year-old McGregor tweeted, ''I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya's later.''

McGregor was scheduled for a rematch against Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 200.

UFC President Dana White told ESPN that he pulled McGregor from the card after he decided not to attend pre-fight promotional appearances in Las Vegas.

PRO BASKETBALL

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Stephen Curry's troublesome right ankle has no serious structural damage.

The reigning NBA MVP underwent an MRI exam on his injured right ankle in the Bay Area, and the Golden State Warriors said nothing of concern came up on the test. Curry remained questionable for Game 3 of his team's playoff series on Thursday in Houston.

Curry missed Monday night's 115-106 victory against the Rockets at Oracle Arena after cutting short his warmup routine because his troublesome ankle was tender. He will continue to undergo treatment for the injury ahead of Thursday, and coach Steve Kerr mentioned there is ample time for Curry to try to get healthy and stay off his feet.

UNDATED (AP) - Three people with knowledge of the process tell The Associated Press that the Sacramento Kings plan to interview Vinny Del Negro, Mark Jackson and Sam Mitchell as they begin their search for a replacement for fired coach George Karl.

The three veteran coaches are part of the first wave of what is expected to be a long process featuring numerous candidates. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team has not publicly disclosed the specifics of its search plans. The plans were first reported by ESPN.

Del Negro coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers, Jackson coached the Golden State Warriors before Steve Kerr took over last season and Mitchell is a former coach of the year with Toronto who spent last season as the interim coach in Minnesota.

NEW YORK (AP) - Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford has won the Sixth Man Award, becoming the first three-time winner as the NBA's best reserve.

Crawford received 51 first-place votes and 341 points from a panel of 130 sports writers and broadcasters in the U.S. and Canada. NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala of Golden State was second with 288 points (33 first-place votes), and Oklahoma City's Enes Kanter finished third with 182 points (19 first-place votes).

Crawford averaged 14.2 points in 79 games, coming off the bench in 74. He ranked second in the NBA in free throw percentage at 90.4 percent.

The 16-year veteran added this win to his awards in 2009-2010 with Atlanta and 2013-14 with the Clippers.

Kevin McHale, Ricky Pierce and Detlef Schrempf all won the Sixth Man Award twice. Crawford is the only player to win with multiple teams.

PRO FOOTBALL

Drew Rosenhaus has dropped Johnny Manziel as a client.

Last week, Rosenhaus told the troubled quarterback to seek help or he will no longer represent him. On Tuesday, the powerful agent removed his name as Manziel's representative.

Rosenhaus, whose clientele is among the largest in the NFL, represented Manziel for only a few weeks. Rosenhaus has been an agent for 27 years, and this is the first time he's terminated a contract with a player.

In February, Manziel's first agent, Erik Burkhardt, said he severed his ties with the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner so Manziel could get help.

Nike confirmed Tuesday that it no longer has an endorsement deal with Manziel.

OLYMPICS

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - International sports federations expressed concern over problems with venues for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, including power failures at the gymnastics arena this week.

Two top International Olympic Committee officials, meanwhile, will be dispatched to Rio for frequent visits to monitor the final preparations for South America's first games.

Members of the Association of Olympic International Sports Federations reviewed the status of the Rio Games, which open in less than four months on Aug. 5.

ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti told delegates at the SportAccord conference in Lausanne that IOC President Thomas Bach ''is worried like you, like me'' about details for Rio.

SYDNEY (AP) - Adam Scott has opted against competing at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.

The 2013 Masters champion issued a statement, published by the PGA of Australia, confirming he'd be unavailable for golf's return to the Olympics for the first time since 1904.

The No. 7-ranked Scott says his decision ''has been taken as a result of an extremely busy playing schedule around the time of the Olympics and other commitments, both personal and professional.''

He said he'd informed Australian captain Ian-Baker-Finch and other officials who ''are understanding of my position.''

Baker-Finch last month told a Melbourne radio station that he thought both No. 1-ranked Jason Day and Scott were excited about representing Australia at the Olympics.

COLLEGE SPORTS

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - An attorney representing two ex-North Carolina athletes says the school and NCAA are both responsible for UNC's long-running academic fraud scandal that he says denied athletes a quality education.

Michael Hausfeld said in a hearing in federal court that athletes who took even one of the irregular courses had been defrauded. Hausfeld is one of the attorneys representing ex-women's basketball player Rashanda McCants and ex-football player Devon Ramsay, who filed a lawsuit alleging neither defendant did enough to ensure athletes received a quality education.

The school and NCAA are seeking to have the case dismissed, while UNC is also seeking the dismissal of a related lawsuit filed by two other ex-athletes.

District Court Judge Loretta C. Biggs heard arguments in both cases Tuesday but didn't issue a ruling.