Girl’s Flag Football Becomes a Sanctioned Sport in the CIF
In January, the CIF Southern Section approved the proposal to make girl’s flag football a sanctioned Sport. By the fall, the City Section followed suit, allowing high school girls throughout Southern California the opportunity to play the sport. Prior to the sport being sanctioned, the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers allowed a select group of high schools to compete in their League of Champions flag football league.
LeBron James Becomes the NBA All-Time Leading Scorer
In a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lakers star LeBron James surpassed Lakers legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar in career points to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Abdul Jabbar finished his career with 38,387 points but became the NBA all-time leading scorer in 1984. James scored 38 points in the match-up; He since has surpassed 39,000 career points.
Year of the Black NFL Quarterback
For the first time in history, two Black quarterbacks started in the Super Bowl when Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs battled Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. While Hurts broke a Super Bowl record for the most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 38-35 victory. History continued to be made at the beginning of the 2023 season when an all-time high of 14 Black quarterbacks started in week one of the NFL.
Westchester Girl’s Basketball Team Wins Open Division City Section Title
The Westchester Lady Comets basketball team defeated the Granada Hills Highlanders to become the CIF City Section Open Division Champions. Forward Mariah Blake scored 20 points in the contest. They finished the 2022-2023 season with a 29-2 overall record and a 12-0 Western League record.
Bronny James and Juju Watkins Named 2023 McDonald’s All-Americans
Former Sierra Canyon standouts Bronny James and Juju Watkins were elected to be 2023 McDonalds All-Americans. Both Watkins and James signed to attend USC as student athletes. Watkins helped the Women of Troy go undefeated in their first ten games, averaging 26.8 points per game. Over the summer, James suffered a cardiac arrest. Since his recovery, he competed in three games for USC.
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Coco Gauff Wins the US Open
WTA star Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the US Open title. Before the victory, Gauff became the youngest person to win the DC Open when she defeated Maria Sakkari in straight sets. Gauff also won the Cincinnati Open after defeating Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4. As of December 22, Gauff is ranked third in the WTA.
Coach Prime in Colorado
NFL Hall of Famer Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders finished his first year coaching the Colorado Buffaloes football team. Before the start of the season, it was announced that Colorado was leaving the Pac-12 for the Big-12. A highlight of the season was when the Buffs defeated Colorado State 43-35 in overtime. Although the Buffs had a 4-8 overall record, Sander’s notoriety attracted the support of several celebrities, including rapper DaBaby, NBA legend Paul Pierce and music producer DJ Khaled.
The Los Angelese Memorial Coliseum Turns 100
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum celebrated its 100th anniversary. The Coliseum hosted several historical events including the 1932 and 1984 Olympics and the 1959 World Series between the L.A. Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox. The Coliseum also hosted home games for the Chargers in 1960, the Raiders in the 1980’s and 1990’s along with the Rams for over 50 years
Lakers win the Inaugural NBA Cup
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 to win the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament (IST). Lakers forward LeBron James won tournament MVP honors and center Anthony Davis scored 24 points and 15 rebounds in the matchup. The Lakers went undefeated in IST games, defeating the Phoenix Suns 106-103 in the quarterfinals and the New Orleans Pelicans 133-89 in the Semifinals.
Jordan High School Football Team Wins Division III City Section Title
Jordan High School defeated Washington Prep 42-30 to win the CIF City Section Division III football championship. This was the first time Jordan won a championship since 1980. The game remained close throughout the first half, Washington Prep found a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Jordan rallied in the final minutes to secure the victory; they ultimately had an 11-4
