'Front-row seats to something amazing': In 2024, the sports world, again, had unforgettable moments

‘Front-row seats to something amazing': In 2024, the sports world, again, had unforgettable moments

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United States’ Stephen Curry (4) reacts after a three-point basket against France in the men’s gold medal basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

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United States’ Stephen Curry (4) celebrates after beating France to win the gold medal during a men’s gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. (12) celebrates with Patrick Mahomes (15) after scoring the game winning touchdown in overtime as San Francisco 49ers place kicker Jake Moody (4) walks off the field during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas.(AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

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Iowa’s Caitlin Clark looks on during a news conference announcing the AP NCAA Women’s Coach and Player of the Year Thursday, April 4, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

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FILE 0- United States’ Alex Sedrick reacts after scoring the winning try during the women’s bronze medal Rugby Sevens match between the United States and Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, France, Tuesday, July 30, 2024.. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates with wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. after Hardman scored the game-winning touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in overtime during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

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United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates after winning a women’s World Cup slalom skiing event in Are, Sweden, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati, File)

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Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) blocks a shot by Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Matt Dumba (24) during the second period of Game 2 of the first-round of an NHL Stanley Cup Playoff series, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

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Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad raises the NHL hockey Stanley Cup trophy after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Final, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

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FILE- Scottie Scheffler walks to the tee on the 11th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

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Scottie Scheffler is greeted by fans wearing T-shirts with Scheffler’s booking photo after the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

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Georgia’s goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili celebrates with fans after a Group F match between Georgia and Portugal at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

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Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze celebrates after scoring on a penalty kick during a Group F match between Georgia and Portugal at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

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FILE -0 Simone Biles, of the United States, celebrates after winning the gold medal at the medal ceremony during the women’s artistic gymnastics individual vault finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

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Simone Biles, of the United States, competes during the women’s artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

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Simone Biles, of the United States, poses with her medals after the women’s artistic gymnastics individual apparatus finals Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

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Noah Lyles, of the United States, in lane seven, wins the men’s 100-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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Noah Lyles, of the United States, celebrates after winning the men’s 100-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

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Cole Hocker, of the United States, top, celebrates after setting a new Olympic record winning the men’s 1,500-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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Cole Hocker, of the United States, celebrates after winning the men’s 1500-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

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Sifan Hassan, of the Netherlands, celebrates after crossing the finish line to win the gold medal at the end of the women’s marathon competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

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Sha’carri Richardson, of the U.S., crosses the finish line to win the women’s 4 x 100 meters relay final at the Summer Olympic Games in Saint-Denis, France, Aug. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (17) of Japan, celebrates after hitting a double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

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South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson (5) fights for a loose ball with Iowa guard Sydney Affolter (3) and guard Kate Martin (20) during the second half of the Final Four college basketball championship game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

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New York Mets’ Pete Alonso reacts after hitting a three-run home run during the ninth inning of Game 3 of a National League wild card baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

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New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after scoring against the Minnesota Lynx during the third quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)

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New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu holds up the championship trophy after the Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman celebrates after hitting a walk-off grand slam home run during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

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Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown (85) catches a 52-yard touchdown pass in the end zone as time expires to give the Commanders an 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) hurdles over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)

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United States’ Coco Gauff kisses the trophy after defeating China’s Qinwen Zheng in their women’s singles final match of the WTA finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/File)

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Spain’s tennis player Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd after losing against Netherlands’ Botic Van De Zandschulp during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

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Spain’s Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

By Tim Reynolds

Patrick Mahomes threw a walk-off pass to win the Super Bowl. Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam to win a World Series game. Stephen Curry said “nuit, nuit” to win an Olympic basketball title in Paris, Noah Lyles won 100-meter gold by about the smallest margin possible, and Sabrina Ionescu won a WNBA Finals game with a 30-foot heave.

Depending on who you rooted for, some made you cheer, some left you crushed. Some were the sort that have never been seen before, in a good way: Shohei Ohtani, on the night he started baseball’s 50-50 club, drove in 10 runs in a performance for the ages. Some were the sort that have never been seen before, in a jarring way: Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 golfer, got arrested before the second round of the PGA Championship and taken away in handcuffs to jail — where he had a sandwich and started warming up for the tee time he ended up making.

And maybe the best way to describe what we had, when all these things happened, are the words Washington Commanders right guard Sam Cosmi used after his team beat the Chicago Bears with a Hail Mary pass:

“Front-row seats,” Cosmi said, “to something amazing.”

Not PARSE.LY: Stephen Curry

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Thunder fend off Magic comeback to win 105-99

An ‘embarrassing’ night for Stephen Curry and the Warriors, who fall by 51 at Memphis

“Nuit nuit”

Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors’ superstar sharpshooter, made his Olympic debut one to remember and saved his best for last. He hit four 3-pointers in the final minutes, each shot more dramatic than the last, to seal the U.S. win over host France for gold.

Curry’s signature celebration is the “night night,” where he puts his hands together at the side of his face, as if it’s time to go to sleep. In Paris, he brought shirts that made it perfectly clear to the French what that meant — yes, the message written on the shirts was “nuit nuit.”

A Super walk-off ...

Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes did something no one has ever done: He threw a Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass on the final play of the title game.

San Francisco kicked a field goal to open overtime of Super Bowl 58, and Mahomes had 75 yards to go to try and answer. He scrambled for eight yards on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive alive — a huge play that probably very few remember. He went 8 for 8 on passes in overtime, engineering a perfect drive.

The finale: a 3-yard toss to Mecole Hardman with 3 seconds left in overtime, and the Chiefs were back-to-back champions.

... and an Olympic walk-off

OK, technically, the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team won the Olympic bronze medal with a kick (a conversion, they call it).

But the real moment was Alex Sedrick, running the length of the field and into history.

Sedrick got the ball with about 8 seconds left, ran through three Australia defenders and took it all the way down the field for a try that tied the game at 12-12 with no time left. Her kick won bronze for the Americans, a result that made star Ilona Maher — the undisputed face of the sport in the U.S. — an even bigger name and breathed new life into the sport in a country where it still has tons of room to grow.

The women’s Final Four

In this case, let’s make three games — Iowa vs. UConn, South Carolina vs. N.C. State, then South Carolina vs. Iowa for the title — one moment.

Maybe a movement is the better word.

Caitlin Clark’s record-setting year, South Carolina’s undefeated run to the national title, UConn’s return to the Final Four, they were all part of a scintillating year for women’s basketball. The WNBA saw enormous growth — Clark, its rookie of the year, helped fuel that in a big way — and more eyeballs were on the game than ever before.

On the track

Everything at an Olympics is a moment for someone; a lifetime of work typically coming down to a few seconds.

But in Paris, a few stood out more than others.

Start with Sifan Hassan, trading elbows in the stretch of the marathon to win her third distance medal — this one gold. Or Cole Hocker, looking like Forrest Gump in coming from nowhere to beat the two favorites in the men’s 1,500-meter run.

The highlight, of course, was Noah Lyles’ .005-second victory in the 100-meter dash. He ran the fastest time of his life and didn’t take the lead until the absolute last instant, a finish that even had commentators guessing wrong about who actually prevailed.

The big swings

Of the 346,000 swings taken by batters in Major League Baseball this year, three probably jumped out more than the rest.

There was Freddie Freeman, hitting the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history to move the Los Angeles Dodgers a step closer to beating the New York Yankees and winning the title.

There was Pete Alonso, saving the season for the New York Mets with a home run to lift them past the Milwaukee Brewers in the deciding game of an NL wild-card series.

And then there was Shohei Ohtani, a night like none other in a season like none other. On the night in Miami when he joined — created, really — baseball’s 50-homer, 50-steal club, he hit three home runs, stole two bases and drove in 10 runs on a 6-for-6 night.

From way downtown

Cleveland’s Max Strus lived every kid’s hoop-in-the-driveway fantasy ... down by one, time running out, let-it-fly ... a 59-footer to give the Cavaliers a 121-119 win over Dallas.

But the buzzer-beater of the year: Take a bow, Sabrina Ionescu. From just inside of the logo, her 3-pointer with 1 second left gave the New York Liberty a win over the Minnesota Lynx in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals — and the Liberty would win the title in five games.

Scheffler’s year

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler had a year of moments — most of them great (nine wins worldwide), one of them bizarre (the arrest at the PGA Championship).

But the signature moment of 2024 for Scheffler might have been weeping as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in honor of his Olympic golf gold medal in Paris. He rallied from six shots back with a final-round 62 to win the gold.

A ‘Bobbery’

On the way to winning the Stanley Cup, Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had a save he’ll never forget.

Bobrovsky — out of “desperation,” he’d say later — dove backward across the goal mouth, reached out blindly with his left wrist and somehow got his glove side in the way of Tampa Bay’s Matt Dumba’s shot to keep the game tied at 2-2. It wound up being a game-saver; the Panthers got a goal from Carter Verhaeghe 2:59 into overtime for a 3-2 win.

Saquon goes up, up and away

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley used a spin move — and a leap — on the same play. The 180-degree hurdle was one of the signature moves of 2024 in the NFL.

It made a 14-yard reception unforgettable. “Best play I’ve ever seen,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.

A prayer answered ... and not answered

They call it a “Hail Mary” in football, the desperation pass into the end zone with no time left to try and win a game.

The Wahington Commanders pulled it off against the Chicago Bears, Jayden Daniels’ throw going into team lore. And Virginia Tech thought it had pulled one off against Miami, only to have officials — who originally said the Hokies won — overrule the call after replay review, sealing a win for the Hurricanes.

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

Tim Reynolds

NBA writer