Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Portland's Damian Lillard had to have known they were going to the All-Star Game. Players averaging more than 30 points per game typically don't have to worry about not hearing their name called. Other players — like Miami's Bam Adebayo, Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton and Utah's Lauri Markkanen — had reason for concern. NBA coaches made them very happy. And probably made a few other guys very unhappy.

The International Olympic Committee has stepped up efforts to explain its position on trying to help Russian athletes qualify for the Paris Games. It comes amid a backlash from Ukraine and its allies. The Olympic body last week mapped a pathway to Paris for athletes from Russia and Belarus who have not actively supported the war. That provoked powerful pushback from Ukraine, which wants to see those countries remain banned from most international sports. The IOC also says there's no plan for its president Thomas Bach to accept Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy's invitation to visit.

The first Wednesday of February used to be the biggest day on the calendar for college football recruiting. Now it's an afterthought. Whether that's a good thing remains up for debate. There's a movement afoot to alter the recruiting calendar and change the December signing period. The emergence of the transfer portal has made December a busier period than ever before for college programs. Nearly all prospects now finalize their college plans in December rather than waiting until the February signing period.

The challenge of sustained success in the NFL relies in part on the draft, where good teams are forced to pick last. Well, the Chiefs turned all those late-round picks into crucial pieces in their Super Bowl run, right through a pair of seventh-rounders who made crucial plays in the AFC title game. It starts in the defensive backfield, where four rookies were on the field at the same time last Sunday night. Two had interceptions. Another rookie had a sack and yet another has been their leading running back. 

NFL prospects are facing the standard barrage of questions designed to probe their personality and attitude. They're less likely to get the outlier questions that players might find demeaning or embarrassing. It's a nod to the greater attention being paid to mental health concerns among athletes. The NFL warned teams in a memo last January that they could be forced to forfeit a draft pick between the first and fourth round and be fined a minimum of $150,000 for out-of-bounds questions, and individual club employees could also face fines or suspensions.

At 7-foot-4, 290 pounds, Zach Edey is the primary reason Purdue is a unanimous pick as the nation's top-ranked team. But if anyone has a chance to hold him in check it might be Trayce Jackson-Davis. On Saturday, the Hoosiers career blocks leader will take his turn when the two teams square off in a battle featuring the Big Ten's two best big men.

A Japanese company embroiled in the Tokyo Olympic corruption scandal says it will strengthen oversight to prevent further wrongdoing. The president of the Japanese entertainment company Kadokawa has bowed deeply with two other executives to show remorse in a news conference. He says the company has “seriously betrayed public trust.” 

Today is Thursday, Feb. 2, the 33rd day of 2023. There are 332 days left in the year.

There are some pretty good uses for an old cellphone, if it is not too beat-up or broken. Here are five things you can do with your old phone, and none of them require an active SIM card.

I am too practical to ever be cutting-edge fashionable.