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Arsenal’s Max Dowman becomes youngest player to start a Premier League game at 16 years, 144 days

LONDON (AP) — Arsenal winger Max Dowman became the youngest player to start a Premier League match Sunday when, at 16 years and 144 days, he played for the newly crowned champions against Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.

In March, Dowman was the league’s youngest-ever scorer with a remarkable stoppage-time goal in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton after coming off the bench.

Also this season, he became the youngest player in Champions League history — at 15 years, 308 days — after entering as a second-half substitute against Slavia Prague in November.

Dowman is still in school. To abide by Premier League regulations for players under 18, Dowman has to change into his Arsenal uniform for training sessions and matches in a separate locker room than his senior teammates.

Arsenal will lift the Premier League trophy after the game against Palace.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The arrival of AJ Dybantsa gives Wizards hope

For the first time in almost a half-century, the Washington Wizards could be closer to contending for an NBA title with the arrival of AJ Dybantsa. The team drafted the 6-foot-9 forward with the first pick of the 2026 NBA draft after finishing as one of the worst teams in the league in the past three years. They got the No. 1 overall pick after winning the draft lottery in May for the first time since 2010 -- when they drafted John Wall. The Wizards hope, with the arrival of Dybantsa, that they can start winning games and competing for the playoffs with a chance to win their first championship since 1978. In the past three seasons, they finished with a combined record of 50-196. “We’re definitely getting a difference maker on the basketball court. There’s no doubt about that,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said. “What I would want our fans to know night one is that he is a worker. He is a passionate person who loves basketball and will continue to work and get better.”
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