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• Lamar Jackson reveals he has requested trade from Ravens

  The Lamar Jackson saga has taken another turn, with the former MVP revealing he has requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens.

  Negotiations between Jackson and the Ravens over a long-term deal are deadlocked, with Baltimore seemingly unwilling to grant his wish of a fully guaranteed contract.

  Jackson just completed the final year of his rookie deal and the Ravens last month elected to place the franchise tag on the star quarterback.

  However, they gave him the non-exclusive franchise tag on, meaning he is free to negotiate with other teams.

  If he signs an offer sheet with another NFL team, the Ravens have the option of matching it to keep Jackson or decline it and receive the other team's 2023 and 2024 first-round draft picks as compensation.

  Had the Ravens placed the exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, he would have been locked up for the 2023 season by Baltimore and received a guaranteed salary of $45million.

  That decision flies in the face of the Baltimore's stated commitment to sign Jackson a long-term deal, and the 2019 MVP appears ready to move on, claiming the Ravens have "not been interested in meeting my value".

  In a Twitter thread titled 'A letter to my fans', Jackson wrote: "I want to first thank you all for all of the love and support you consistently show towards me.

  "All of you are amazing and I appreciate y'all so much. I want you all to know not to believe everything you read about me. Let me personally answer your questions.

  "In regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organisation for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value, any and everyone that's [sic] has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team win the Super Bowl.

  "You all are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I. No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I'll continue to be close to my fans of Baltimore Flock nation and the entire State of Maryland. You'll See me again."

  Responding as he spoke to reporters at the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said: "I'm getting ready for Lamar. … When Lamar gets back on this train, it's moving full speed."

• LeBron returns as Lakers lose to Bulls, Doncic faces ban as Mavericks suffer fourth straight loss

  LeBron James returned from a month-long absence with a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds but the Los Angeles Lakers' three-game winning streak was halted by a 118-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

  James had missed 13 games, having not played since February 26 due to what he called a torn tendon in his foot, and started on the bench for the second time in his 20-year NBA career, entering the game midway through the first quarter.

  But the four-time NBA MVP's return could not inspire the Lakers past the Bulls at Crypto.com Arena, with Zach LaVine scoring a game-high 32 points for the road team. The Lakers went 8-5 during James' absence.

  The Bulls led 91-78 at three-quarter time and kept the Lakers at arm's length throughout the final period, with James only managing five points in the final quarter.

  James shot six-of-11 from the field, missing both of his three-point attempts, with three assists along and five turnovers.

  Lakers' power forward Anthony Davis scored 15 points with nine rebounds and five assists, while Bulls All-Star DeMar DeRozan had 17 points with 10 assists.

  James was on the wrong end of a taunt from ex-Laker Patrick Beverley, who slapped the floor with the "too small" gesture, after making a two-point attempt with 1:12 left.

  The loss drops the Lakers below .500 with a 37-38 record to sit ninth in the Western Conference, while the Bulls have won seven of their past nine games to shoot into playoff contention in the East, placed 10th with a 36-38 record.

  Doncic faces ban as Mavs lose again

  Luka Doncic dropped 40 points with 14 rebounds but the Dallas Mavericks' playoff hopes suffered another blow with their fourth successive defeat, going down 110-104 to the lowly Charlotte Hornets.

  To make matters worse for Dallas, Doncic faces a one-game ban after he received his 16th technical foul of the season after using a profanity directed at an official following a correct no-call.

  Doncic will miss Dallas' game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday if the decision is not rescinded, which seems unlikely.

  Kyrie Irving only managed 18 points on five-of-15 shooting for the Mavs, who are 11th in the Western Conference with a 36-39 record, having lost seven of their past nine games.

  Morant leads Grizzlies to sixth straight win

  Ja Morant started for the first time since returning from suspension and scored 27 points to help the streaking Memphis Grizzlies beat the Atlanta Hawks 123-119 for their sixth straight win.

  Morant scored a team-high 27 points on nine-of-17 shooting, with Desmond Bane adding 25 points, including three triples, and Jaren Jackson Jr built on his Defensive Player of the Year case as he racked up five blocks and three steals to go with 15 points and eight rebounds.

  After being ejected on Saturday, Hawks guard Trae Young had 28 points on seven-of-14 shooting with 10 assists.

  Memphis' sixth straight win, and second in a row on the road, improved their record to 47-27 to sit second in the West.

• Steelers HC Tomlin 'excited' as burgeoning franchise QB Pickett enters second season

  Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin remains thrilled about drafting quarterback Kenny Pickett to be the future of the franchise, highlighting his excitement heading into year two.

  Pickett, 24, was the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, and the only player at his position to get picked in the first two rounds.

  He ended up starting 12 games in his rookie season, and while he finished with more interceptions (nine) than passing touchdowns (seven), his team managed to go 7-5 with him under center.

  Pickett's completion percentage of 63.0 was the 15th-highest ever for a rookie quarterback, and he showed off some impressive wheels, with 55 carries for 237 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

  He continued to improve as the year went on as well, recording wins in each of the last five games he played where he attempted more than one pass.

  At the league's annual owners meetings on Sunday, Tomlin spoke about how impressed he was with the former Pittsburgh Panthers star, who shared a practice field with the Steelers during his college career.

  "I'm excited about Kenny individually in terms of the growth that he's capable of making and, and what he's willing to do to realise that," he said.

  "I think I'm probably more excited about that because I've just been around him intimately now for 12 months. 

  "There were some anticipation things because of the close proximity [in college] that we've all talked about quite a bit, but the reality of having worked with him for 12 months, it's just more evidence of what we should be excited about – his willingness to work, his professional approach, his maturity in processing. It's exciting."

  There were questions about the Steelers' decision to retain offensive coordinator Matt Canada, but Tomlin said he is hoping the continuity and not forcing Pickett to learn a new offense will only be positives.

  "I think it's reasonable to expect that [continuity] to be significant," he said. "But we'll have an opportunity to make it so."

  Despite missing the playoffs in 2022 by going 9-8, it continued the Steelers' incredible streak of 19 consecutive seasons without a losing record.