A year in sports: AP photographers’ best images of 2025
From Rory McIlroy’s Masters breakthrough to Super Bowl celebrations, these are AP’s best sports photos of 2025.
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after winning in a playoff against Justin Rose after the final round at the Masters golf tournament, April 13, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) hurdles Chicago Bears defensive back Kevin Byard III (31) on a run during an NFL football game, Nov. 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar, File)
Philadelphia Eagles players celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Eagles won the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
England's Lucy Bronze celebrates after scoring a penalty during a shootout at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinal soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)
St. Louis Cardinals' Victor Scott II, bottom, scores against the San Francisco Giants on Brendan Donovan's double during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Sept. 23, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
Canada's Erik Read competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti, File)
Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan looses grip on his bat while playing a shot during the Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File)
Cameron Crazies student section try to distract Stanford's Oziyah Sellers's as he in-bounds the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke in Durham, N.C., Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown, File)
Golden State Valkyries center Temi Fagbenle (14) loses the ball against Seattle Storm forward Ezi Magbegor (13) and guard Erica Wheeler, right, during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, July 16, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Kazakhstan's Daisy Jepkemei competes in a heat of the women's 3,000 meters steeplechase after losing a shoe at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
A rain droplet falls on a Masters logo cut out during a practice round at the Masters golf tournament, April 7, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts sits in the dugout during a spring training baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Feb. 20, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt enters the field before an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)
FILE - Washington Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks (13) catches a touchdown pass as Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss, left, defends during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)
Baylor guard Jalen Celestine (32) is fouled by Mississippi State forward RJ Melendez, left, during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, March 21, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)
Green Bay Packers fan Jeff Kahlow watches before an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles, Nov. 10, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani watches his RBI-Double against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates winning the men's semifinal singles match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 11, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
Dani Baijens, of the Netherlands, center, tries to score during the second round, group D, handball match between The Netherlands and North Macedonia at the Handball Men's World Championship in Varazdin, Croatia, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia drives during a practice session at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race, Nov. 20, 2025 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Teammates shower Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz with play money in the dugout after his two-run homer during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, in Cincinnati, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Andrew Putnam hits on the 16th hole during the final round of the Sony Open golf event, Jan. 12, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
Bayern's Leroy Sane challenges for the ball with Leipzig's David Raum, bottom, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern Munich at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
A spectator takes a nap next to a court of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, May 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, right, works toward the basket as Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier defends during the second half of a WNBA basketball game , July 22, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
New Zealand's Jorja Miller gets her hair pulled by Charlotte Escudero of France during the Women's Rugby World Cup bronze match between New Zealand and France at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London, Sept. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Anthony Upton, File)
A boy shouts as the pack rides up the Montmartre hill during the last stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Mantes-la-Ville and Paris, July 27, 2025 in Paris (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)
Driver Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings compete during the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Alula, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)
Pavle Peric of Serbia is blocked by Iran players during a round of 16 match at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay city, Philippines, Sept. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
Qatar's Oumar Doudai Abakar competes in a men's 110 meters hurdles heat at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)
Milwaukee Brewers' Abner Uribe enters the game during the ninth inning of Game 2 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs, Oct. 6, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
Coco Gauff of the U.S. serves to Paula Badosa of Spain during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, File)
Here’s how every division stacks up heading into the season’s final stretch.
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Leading players say Grand Slam tournaments are out of step with the rest of tennis after being told to remove fitness trackers during matches at the Australian Open.
Matthew Stafford edged Drake Maye for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award on Thursday night in the closest race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners in 2003.
Reliable quarterbacks have been of utmost importance for decades in the NFL, but long-term satisfaction with the position across the league is becoming increasingly elusive.
Defense wins championships. That’s why NFL teams are becoming more willing to part with valuable draft picks for elite defenders.
Teams coming off long runs in their league tournaments have a short window to regroup ahead of March Madness.
James could take outright possession of his next record Saturday night, when he's scheduled to play in his 1,612nd career regular-season game — breaking a tie with Robert Parish.
The NBA has finally decided to consider expanding past its current 30-team footprint.
President Donald Trump is hosting a UFC fight on White House grounds to celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary. Trump has long supported UFC.
Rory McIlroy finally has his green jacket. Now the pressure shifts to everyone else at Augusta.
Here are the six biggest questions headed into the 2026 NBA postseason.