Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and Pat Riley were enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night, but it was inductee Dick Vitale who, as expected, stole the show.Others in the class, which also included Adrian Dantley, Detroit Pistons and Shock owner Bill Davidson and former Immaculata University coach Cathy Rush, gave speeches. But the ESPN commentator held court, preaching with passion for almost 30 minutes about everything from basketball to broadcasting to family. more >>
The Cavaliers signed center Lorenzen Wright on Friday to help offset the loss up front of forward Joe Smith. Cleveland has been looking for some frontcourt size since Smith was traded as part of the three-team deal with Memphis and Milwaukee that brought guard Mo Williams to Cleveland. more >>
LeBron James could be excused for his poor shooting from behind the arc, and for being blown out in a game of H-O-R-S-E with a warehouse worker in a beach exhibition. James was still floating in the clouds from his Olympic experience. "I still haven't (come down). It's an unbelievable experience to go out there and represent your country the way we were able to do it, showcasing our talent to the world, playing the game that we love to play," James said Wednesday. "It was really fun that we were able to bring home our game, that's the game of basketball. more >>
Former Kansas stars Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were sent home Wednesday from the NBA's mandatory rookie transition program for violating unspecified league rules. Both the Miami Heat, who acquired Chalmers in a draft-night trade, and agent Sam Goldfeder confirmed to The Associated Press that the guard left the program. Neither would divulge the reasons why the former Kansas standout, who hit the overtime-forcing jumper in the Jayhawks' win over Memphis in the national championship game five months ago, was asked to depart early from the resort in southern Westchester County, a short drive north of Manhattan, where the event was taking place. more >>
San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili had arthroscopic surgery to repair a ligament injury in his left ankle. The Spurs said Wednesday that the surgery in Los Angeles had gone well and Ginobili will be in a splint and on crutches for three weeks. Then, his rehabilitation schedule will be determined after his ankle is re-evaluated. more >>
Thunder can be heard from miles away, an early warning that a storm is about to arrive. So, perhaps it's only fitting that the name of Oklahoma City's NBA team didn't sneak up on anyone. Six weeks after the name first surfaced, team officials officially announced Wednesday that the team formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics would be known as the Oklahoma City Thunder. more >>
As Oklahoma City's NBA team prepared to reveal its name and logo, the NBA's Web site showed "Thunder" as the name and the color scheme as blue, yellow and orange. The franchise planned to formally reveal the team's nickname, colors and logo at 5 p.m. CDT. more >>
LeBron James has gone from the gold-medal stand to the silver screen. The Cavaliers' megastar, fresh off helping the U.S. basketball team win gold at the Beijing Olympics, will be at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend for the debut of "More Than A Game," a documentary chronicling his rise to stardom and how he and four childhood friends overcame long odds to win a national championship in high school. more >>
Lisa Leslie scored four of her 18 points and added a blocked shot in the final 1:39, and the Los Angeles Sparks rallied for a 58-53 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Saturday night. Candace Parker added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Sparks (17-12), who have won three consecutive games after losing six of eight. Shannon Bobbitt contributed 10 points. more >>
Former Seattle SuperSonics owner Howard Schultz is dropping his lawsuit against new team owner Clay Bennett, ending an attempt to return the team from its new home in Oklahoma City. After two recent rulings in Schultz's lawsuit went in favor of Bennett, the Starbucks Corp. CEO filed a motion for dismissal Friday in federal court. more >>
Talk about pressure. Patrick Ewing Jr. is following in the footsteps of his famous father again. The New York Knicks acquired the younger Ewing from the Houston Rockets on Friday in exchange for the draft rights to center Frederic Weis, one of the most widely panned picks in franchise history. more >>
The New York Knicks acquired Patrick Ewing Jr. in a trade with the Houston Rockets on Friday. New York sent the draft rights for center Frederic Weis to Houston in exchange for the son of former superstar Patrick Ewing, who played for the Knicks from 1985-2000. more >>
San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who helped lead Argentina to a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics, will need surgery to repair a ligament injury in his left ankle. The Spurs said Friday that Ginobili will have surgery next week. The team will announce a timeline for his return after the surgery. more >>
Golden State guard Monta Ellis will be sidelined for at least three months after severely spraining his ankle during an offseason workout, forcing the Warriors to start the season without the player expected to lead their revamped roster this fall. Ellis, who got a six-year contract extension worth $66 million on July 24, sprained his ankle and tore a deltoid ligament while working out in his hometown of Jackson, Miss., last Thursday, said Chris Mullin, the Warriors' top basketball executive. more >>
Oklahoma City's new NBA franchise has finally set a date to announce its name and team colors. The team said Wednesday that it would unveil the name and colors simultaneously on its Web site and at a downtown event Sept. 3. Clay Bennett's ownership group has applied for trademarks for six names: Thunder, Energy, Wind, Marshalls, Barons and Bison. more >>
Oregon officials say an autopsy shows former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth died when his enlarged heart failed. Duckworth died Monday at 44 on the Oregon coast, where he was on a goodwill tour for the team. The Oregon State Police said Wednesday the autopsy was done by Dr. Larry Lewman, a state medical examiner who concluded that Duckworth died of "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure." more >>
Former NBA player Wayman Tisdale had part of his right leg amputated Monday because of bone cancer. Tisdale, 44, revealed on his Web site that the surgery was scheduled for Monday. His wife, Regina, told The Associated Press on Tuesday night the surgery had taken place as planned. more >>
Former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth, a "gentle giant" with a feathery touch from the paint, has died. He was 44. Duckworth, part of a Trail Blazers goodwill tour, was scheduled to hold a basketball clinic on the Oregon coast when he died Monday night. The Depoe Bay Fire Department said it responded about 10 p.m. to a report of a man who was down and not breathing at Salishan Lodge at Gleneden Beach, north of Newport on the central coast. more >>
