SPORTS digest

King gets 52nd win at Sharon Speedway

HARTFORD

The first “Steel Valley Thunder” program of the 2017 season was completed after three straight rain outs. Six made the victory lap Saturday night.

Rex King took the victory in the season opening 25-lap Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Big-Block Modified feature. The victory for King —of Bristolville— was his 52nd career at Sharon, which is tops on the active driver win list.

Jacob Hawkins led wire-to-wire in the 25-lap Renegades of Dirt Modified make-up feature from the 2016 “Apple Festival Nationals.” In the regularly scheduled 25-lap E-Mod program, Joel Watson tracked down Matt Lux and made the winning pass with four laps to go. Chris McGuire started 11th and survived a caution-filled 20-lap Gibson Insurance Agency Stock Car feature for his first career win at Sharon.

Zach Myers also earned his first career Sharon win in the 20-lap Summit Racing Equipment Econo Mod feature. The Junior Sprints made their first appearance of the season and second ever as Jordan Simmons picked up the win.

LeBron James wins citizenship award

CLEVELAND

LeBron James has won the Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award given annually for “outstanding service and dedication to the community.”

Cleveland’s superstar is being honored for his educational work in Akron, his hometown. James has helped more than 1,100 at-risk students through his LeBron James Family Foundation.

The group partnered with the University of Akron in 2015 to provide full scholarships to students who meet eligibility requirements. He is also starting a new public “’I PROMISE” school to aid students and their families.

James mentors students by writing letters, calling their homes and rewarding them with tickets to Cavs games. He has also bought groceries, supplied uniforms and arranged outings to expose the youngsters new experiences.

The other four finalists for the award were New York’s Carmelo Anthony, Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, Portland’s CJ McCollum and Memphis’ Zach Randolph.

Agassi to coach Djokovic at Open

ROME

Novak Djokovic has announced that Andre Agassi will coach him at the French Open, which starts next Sunday.

Speaking after his loss to Alexander Zverev in the Italian Open final on Sunday, Djokovic says, “Andre is someone who I have tremendous respect for. ... He’s someone who can contribute to my life on and off the court.”

Second-ranked Djokovic split with longtime coach Marian Vajda and two other team members at the start of the month.

Djokovic says he talked on the phone with Agassi for the last couple of weeks but that the pair has no long-term commitment.

Djokovic says, “We’ll see where it takes us. ... He will not stay whole tournament.”

Agassi, who retired in 2006, won eight Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic has won 12 Grand Slams.

Pope says he wasn’t a ‘bravo’ soccer player

ROME

Pope Francis has told children at an Italian sports center he didn’t play soccer very well as a youth and was stuck with the nickname ‘’tough leg.”

An 11-year-old boy asked Francis during a parish visit in the Rome suburb of Acilia Sunday afternoon if he had played soccer as a child. Francis, a keen soccer fan in his native Argentina, said since he wasn’t ‘’bravo” he usually ended up playing goalie.

The pope said: ‘’When I was your age, I played soccer, but I wasn’t ‘bravo’ at playing soccer, and where I come from, they call you ‘pata dura,’ ‘tough leg.”’

He added: “I was a ‘pata dura’ and that’s why I usually was the goalie, so I wouldn’t have to move around.”

Staff/wire report