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The U.S. men’s basketball “Redeem Team” ended a frustrating eight-year stretch and regained international basketball prominence by beating Spain 118-107 and winning the gold medal on Sunday. After winning gold at the 2000 Sydney Games, the Americans missed the podium entirely at the 2002 world championships and settled for bronze after they were knocked out of the semis at the 2004 Athens Games and the 2006 worlds. Spain made things difficult for the Americans. They came out strong, led for most of the first quarter, and fought to keep within reach for the entire game. But the Americans managed a...

The 'Redeem Team" does it, beating Spain in a close game tonight.

NBC Questions Kobe Bryant’s Pride of Being on Team USA 2008-08-17 -By Warner Todd Huston In a recent interview with USA Olympics basketball team member Kobe Bryant, NBC Sports reporter Chris Collinsworth seemed to question Kobe’s patriotism when the player said that he was proud to wear the team USA uniform. Wondering if it was “cool” to be proud of being on Team USA, Collinsworth seemed to surprise even Bryant with the temerity of the question. Why Collinsworth wouldn’t think it would be “cool” to be proud to be on the American Olympic basketball team is anyone’s guess. In a...

[UPDATE: The Spanish Olympic basketball teams are sponsored by Li-Ning, the Chinese footwear company sometimes called “the Nike of China.” See bottom of post.] Thanks to a comment by a reader named Will, on an earlier post about Spain’s basketball team, we were alerted to an article in The Guardian by Sid Lowe — a Madrid-based correspondent for the site’s excellent Football Weekly podcast — about the photograph above. As Lowe explains: Spain’s Olympic basketball teams have risked upsetting their Chinese hosts by posing for a pre-Games advert making slit-eyed gestures. The advert for a courier company, which is an...

Spain's Olympic basketball teams have risked upsetting their Chinese hosts by posing for a pre-Games advert making slit-eyed gestures. The advert for a courier company, which is an official sponsor of the Spanish Basketball Federation, occupied a full page in the sports daily Marca, the country's best-selling newspaper.The advert features two large photographs, one of the men's basketball team, above, and one of the women's team. Both squads pose in full Olympic kit on a basketball court decorated with a picture of a Chinese dragon. Every single player appears pulling back the skin on either side of their eyes. The...

BEIJING – On his way out of the game, Yao Ming thrust his fist through the air, and soon made that long, wobbly walk to the Chinese bench. The end of a brilliant and historic night for basketball, the end of responsibility for Yao. His work is done. Let him rest. “The game was a treasure,” Yao said, “and it will be a treasure for the rest of my life.” Here was a surreal sight on Sunday night in these Olympic Games. Here was the embodiment of Yao Ming’s legacy: His heart, his determination, his immensity. He made possible a...

Following the Russian basketball victory over Iran in the second day of competition at the Beijing Olympics, both teams - including the coaches - congratulated each other by hugging and shaking hands, despite the fact that the coach of the Russian national team was an Israeli. The game was the first time in years that Iran had not boycotted a sporting event in which it would compete against Israeli sports figures. Prior to his position as the Russian Olympic coach, David Blatt was a coach for Maccabi Tel Aviv. The friendly post-game exchange was far from hidden, with one photographer...

In a basketball game which featured approximately 600 dunks, including several worthy All-Star Weekend, it might come as some surprise that the most significant aspect of America’s 101-70 win against China was the play of its defense. In the shock and awe of the final score, it would be easy to forget that after 15 minutes of the 40, the score was 31-29. That will give a more honest picture of where the US is in relation to basketball powers like Spain and Argentina. For those first 15 minutes, China played as perfect a basketball game is it could ever...

The Revolutionary Political Blog has a story on the Barack Obama three point basketball shot at this link: http://www.mikefrancesa.com/wordpress/?p=938 The site claims that a military source revealed that Obama actually missed five three pointers in a row before making the shot that has been broadcast all over the MSM. The video was edited to make it seem like Obama canned the three on his first attempt.

On the way in to work this morning, I heard a sound-bite where Obama states that the only jobs blacks in America can get is by playing basketball. Has anyone else heard this? Does anyone know where I can get the sound-bite or a video? Thank you.

PHOENIX -- Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in January and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse earlier this month.

LOS ANGELES – After 72 hours of having the game’s showcase event consumed by talk of conspiracy, the Lakers brought another ugly word to the NBA Finals. Collapse. As Kobe Bryant and his LA teammates watched helplessly, the Celtics came from 20 points down in the third quarter to take an improbable, amazing 97-91 win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at the Staples Center. Boston leads 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Sunday night as the Celtics will have a chance to win the 17th championship in franchise history. For the Lakers, the...

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2008 – The University of Kansas national champion men's basketball team began their victory lap in the nation’s capital yesterday by visiting wounded warriors and signing autographs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. The University of Kansas national champion men's basketball team poses for a picture with injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. The team and coaching staff kicked off their two-day tour of the nation's capital by visiting wounded warriors June 2, 2008. Defense Department photo by John J. Kruzel  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Towering players in...

As Manu Ginobili dribbled out the final few seconds of the second-round series clincher, Tony Parker walked over and gave him a congratulatory pat on the head. There would be no exuberant celebration for the San Antonio Spurs when the final horn sounded, just a few hugs for a job well done. This playoff-savvy group was exhausted after a seven-game triumph over the younger, upstart New Orleans Hornets, but its title defense endures -- for now. Ginobili scored 26 points, hitting four free throws in the final minute, to send the Spurs to the Western Conference finals with a 91-82...

The San Antonio Spurs' Big Three came through, but they'll still have to win one on the road to keep their title defense alive. Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Tony Parker added 15 points in the Spurs' 99-80 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in Game 6 on Thursday night. The win forced a seventh game on Monday in New Orleans in the Western Conference semifinals. Home teams are 20-1 in the second round.

Warming up before Game 4, Tim Duncan decided to have a little fun. He threw the ball behind his back and between his legs, then went up for the lay-in. Yep, it was going to be that easy. Duncan had his best game of the series against New Orleans -- 22 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks -- to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 100-80 victory over the Hornets on Sunday. "I'm just trying to do my part," Duncan said. "It's just that. You've got to step up at playoff time. It's win or go home. So you've got...

To hear Howard Avery describe it, Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie knew nothing of his son when their paths happened to cross at a recent AAU basketball event. As fate would have it, though, that chance encounter led to a scholarship offer from the Wildcats and perhaps the earliest verbal commitment in the history of college basketball's winningest program. Michael Avery, a 6-foot-4 eighth-grader from Lake Sherwood, Calif., says he will play for the Cats. Now on with the business of finding a high school. "That's the funny thing," Howard Avery said with laugh. "We've got our college. Now we need...

The San Antonio Spurs' Big Three congregated around the scorer's table during a timeout in the fourth quarter, not long before they put the game away for good. Tim Duncan patted Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. They all laughed. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili scored 31 points apiece in Thursday's victory, marking the third time in the last 15 years two backcourt teammates each scored 30-plus points in the same postseason game. The NBA's defending champions were not going into an 0-3 hole against the New Orleans Hornets. (more at link)

Midway through the first quarter after missing two jumpers, Tim Duncan threw the ball up yet again, then held his arms wide. While it wasn't the same as the messy gash Steve Nash took in last year's playoffs, the Spurs' comebacks and win in double-overtime Saturday may have cut deep into the Suns' hopes of beating San Antonio in the playoffs. This time, would the shot fall? It did. And much later the Spurs' big man hit an even bigger one. Duncan's first 3 of the season with just ticks left sent his team into double overtime against the revenge-minded...

Book Review: Aspire Higher: Winning on and off the Court with Determination, Discipline, and Decisions. Written by Avery Johnson with Roy S. Johnson. Published by HarperCollins, 2008. On page four of his book, Avery Johnson tells the story of a young player that he recently had in training camp that was very good at numbers, but not so good at basketball. Avery's assessment was that the guy “needed to be on Wall Street, not in the NBA.” He summed up his assessment of the potential player by saying that “Basketball wasn't his gift – numbers were.” Unfortunately, a similar assessment...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama says growing up without a father led him to play basketball and the game offered him a chance to identify racially in Hawaii, a state without a large black population. "Here is a place where being black was not a disadvantage," Obama told Bryant Gumbel in an interview. "Here was a sport in which we were dominant. All those things, I think, contributed to the idea that there's something special about this." The Democratic presidential candidate talked about his love of basketball in a segment to air Tuesday on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel."...

With the ball, Spc. Cortez Cox, a water purification specialist, and Staff Sgt. Howard Benjamin, a section leader, both with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), teach Radwaniyah children how to defend and take the ball away during day two of a three-day basketball camp at Patrol Base Lion’s Den. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT). BR>PATROL BASE LION’S DEN — Radwaniyah area children were treated to something a little out of the ordinary when U.S. Soldiers at Patrol Base Lion’s...

WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) — More than 100 college presidents and athletic directors are urging NCAA President Myles Brand to re-examine the presence of alcohol ads on broadcasts of games, suggesting that college sports and beer advertising are a “bad mix.” The Center for Science in the Public Interest has said some of CBS’s game telecasts may have exceeded the amount of beer advertising allowed. In a letter sent yesterday, the presidents cited the amount of beer advertising during CBS’s broadcast of the “March Madness” college basketball tournament. “Beer advertising during the games continues to undermine the many positive attributes of college...

What a comeback and what a great game.

4/6/2008 - SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- College basketball officials recognized the contributions of American servicemembers throughout the world during the men's NCAA Final Four weekend April 4 through 7 in San Antonio. Military members were present during college basketball's biggest weekend while singing the national anthem, presenting the colors, sitting in the stands and watching live from bases directly fighting the war on terrorism. The military was saluted throughout the weekend as officials of the NCAA saluted American warriors at festivities throughout the weekend. NCAA coaches and the public talked to and thanked troops serving on the front lines in...

For Kelly Costa, the NCAA Women's Final Four Tournament in Tampa is about parties and socializing. "I don't care about sports," said Costa, who lives in St. Petersburg. "I can't wait to check out all the parties and the great lesbian scene and being around a lot of great girls." The Final Four games Sunday and Tuesday will showcase the nation's best women's basketball match-ups. But the tournament will also usher in what is widely believed to be the largest lesbian gathering in the history of the Tampa Bay area. Other than the Dinah Shore golf weekend in Palm Springs,...

Pittsburgh's original Pipers came and went like a comet. They caught fire, streaked spectacularly and flamed out instantly. The Pipers left town while at the top of their game, disintegrating faster than any champion in the history of professional team sports. It happened 40 years ago, after they won the championship in the inaugural season of the American Basketball Association. Connie Hawkins, the most maligned and underpaid superstar in sports, lifted the Pipers to the title before an unexpected crowd of almost 11,500 at what is now Mellon Arena.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) ― One person is dead and another wounded after an argument during a pickup basketball game in Riverside escalated into gunfire. Police have released few details on the incident, which happened Sunday afternoon on the outdoor courts at Central Middle School. Neighborhood residents said they heard arguing followed by several gunshots, then saw people scattering from the area. Eric Sheppard lives across the street from the school's playground. The 46-year-old said he often hears arguing coming from the basketball courts, but they usually resolve it. On Sunday, the trash-talking turned deadly.

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My top five (listed in alphabetical order) Tim Duncan Kevin Garnett Lebron James Kobe Bryant Chris Paul

HOUSTON -- All-Star center Yao Ming is out for the season with a stress fracture in his left foot, a stunning blow to the surging Houston Rockets. General manager Daryl Morey made the announcement Tuesday, hours before the Rockets put their 12-game winning streak on the line against the Washington Wizards. Yao was having a terrific season, averaging 22 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. "It is not an injury we feel he can play with," Rockets team doctor Tom Clanton said. "I've made the recommendation that it be treated surgically and we are working with him to get other...

#1 Memphis versus #2 Tennessee ......at Memphis.

Kelvin Sampson will not coach Indiana at Northwestern on Saturday, a source has told CBSSports.com. Advertisement It is unclear whether Sampson is being suspended pending a hearing with the NCAA or terminated. But an official announcement is expected soon.

For one week at least, there's Nos. 1 and 2 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, and then there's everyone else. It's not a stretch to make that argument when No. 1 is 25-0 Memphis and the week's new No. 2 is 23-2 Tennessee -- and the fact the two square off Saturday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) on the Tigers' FedExForum home court. Memphis and Tennessee, their campuses separated by 383 miles, will be the first 1-vs.-2 matchup in the coaches' poll since last Feb. 25, when No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 2 Wisconsin 49-48 in Columbus. The two...

Kansas activities officials are investigating a religious school's refusal to let a female referee call a boys' high school basketball game. The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary's Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game. The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs. Campbell then walked off the court along with Darin Putthoff, the referee who was...

Bob Knight embraced all the proper things in college basketball: discipline, dedication, loyalty, smarts and toughness. His teams always had a high graduation rate, and there never was a whiff of rule-breaking associated with his programs. And yet, instead of being serenaded to a chorus of hallelujahs as he exits Texas Tech in midseason, Knight is being reminded yet anew of his legendary imperfections and combustible nature. Knight never was as disciplined as he demanded his players to be, which was the enigmatic dimension of his larger-than-life personality. His ideals were impeccable. He just could not live up to all...

Memphis replaced North Carolina as the No. 1 team in college basketball Monday, the Tigers' first appearance in 25 years at the top of The Associated Press poll. Kansas, the nation's only other undefeated Division I men's team, moved up to No. 2 while the Tar Heels dropped to fifth after their loss to Maryland. Drake and Baylor were two new entries to the rankings, joining the Top 25 for the first time in a long time. Memphis' only other appearance at No. 1 was as short as possible - a one-week stint in 1983. "We've got one extra day...

The first six years of Johnson’s NBA career saw him play for five different teams. It was a vagabond NBA life that even included being cut on Christmas Eve by the Nuggets. Yet Johnson didn’t just persevere, he ultimately thrived. The man refused to listen to his doubters, many of whom questioned whether he can lead an NBA team. “You don’t have to be first to come in first,” said Johnson, . . . who recently became the fastest coach in NBA history to reach 150 wins. “You can be last and still come in first. And I was last....

DES MOINES, Iowa - The points kept coming, and so did the assists. David N. Arseneault shattered the NCAA assists record when he had 34 in Grinnell College's 151-112 win over North Central University of Minnesota in a Division III game Saturday. He made a total of 86 passes. The previous high of 26 was set in 1989 by Robert James of Division III Kean University. The Division I record of 22 was achieved by three players, including current Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson at Southern in 1988 and Sherman Douglas of Syracuse in 1989. Grinnell, in central Iowa, is...

Lubbock police say a claim made by a south Lubbock man that Texas Tech coach Bob Knight shot at him during a hunting outing is unfounded. James Simpson, 51, said he believes Knight or a member of his hunting party shot at him after he told them to stop hunting dove near his property near south University Avenue Oct. 21. Simpson said bird shot struck his residence while he was cleaning his pool, and he was later shot in the back and neck after he confronted Knight. Knight"This guy is lying," said John Sims, Knight's attorney. "In my opinion he's...

LOS ANGELES Coach Phil Jackson said he deserved the reprimand he got from the NBA on Wednesday for making a sexual reference in a comment following the Los Angeles Lakers' loss in San Antonio. The Spurs made 13 3-pointers in their 107-92 victory on Tuesday night, and Jackson was asked if too much penetration was leading to open outside shooters. “We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts,” Jackson said. “It was one of those games.” The 2005 film, which won three Oscars, depicts two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair. “But in retrospect,...

"A convicted killer -- who is also a former men's basketball player -- testified Wednesday in the sexual discrimination trial of fired Fresno State women's basketball coach Stacy Johnson-Klein. He talked about drug usage, and cover-ups. In videotaped testimony, Terry Pettis said that from 2002 to 2003, men's basketball coaches told players ahead of time about upcoming drug tests -- even though those tests were supposed to be random and unannounced."

— Indiana head basketball coach Kelvin Sampson might be a former National Coach of the Year and might have Assembly Hall rocking with an undefeated record at home, but the coach had to admit a small setback Wednesday. He doesn’t know the Indiana University fight song and had to resort to a crib note to sing it. “I actually know the words now,” Sampson joked. “I got the Indiana part, but the rest of the words are a little bit garbled.” His opener was an example of Sampson’s humor that lightened up the benefit dinner at the Washington Community Building....

An appeals court reinstated a charge of indecent exposure against a woman who disrobed in front of a 14-year-old boy.

PITTSBURGH - Duquesne coach Ron Everhart is "embarrassed, disappointed and angry" about the drug-related arrests of former junior college star Stuard Baldonado, a promising recruit who drew national sympathy a year ago after being shot but now has an uncertain basketball future. But Everhart and athletic director Greg Amodio said Thursday they are determined to prevent Baldonado's case from tarnishing his teammates and the school or derailing a promising program that appears to be on the brink of winning for the first time in 14 years. "I know from a basketball perspective it's not going to affect our program in...

(CBS4) FT. LAUDERDALE -- Harley Davidson bikers along with former NBA Star Dennis Rodman geared up for the second annual South Florida charity ride. Hard-core bikers from all over South Florida came out to the 2800 block of North Federal highway. About 100 bikers started their ride on Saturday morning around noon, in Fort Lauderdale and made several stops in Broward County. People were able to enjoy taking pictures with Rodman, who said he is never too busy to enjoy the beautiful weather and people. “These are good people and I’m not too good to come and hang around with...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Five people were wounded when a basketball player opened fire on his opponents during a pickup game at a community park, officials said. The incident happened Friday night after a verbal argument turned physical, and police believe gang ties may have played a role in the shooting, said Sacramento County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran. Two groups of about a dozen people each met around 8 p.m on the basketball court in Churchill Downs Community Park in South Sacramento, Curran said. Four men and one woman, all between 19 and 23 years old, were taken to...

Superstar forward Kevin Garnett was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics in a National Basketball Association (NBA) blockbuster deal settled on Tuesday. The Celtics have called an evening news conference to announce the deal, reportedly set to send a host of talent to Minnesota in exchange for making Boston an instant contender for the Eastern Conference crown next season. The deal brings together 10-time NBA All-Star Garnett with long-time Celtics playmaker Paul Pierce and veteran guard Ray Allen. None of the three have ever been able to claim an NBA championship despite years of success on the...

Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser died on Thursday morning of an apparent heart attack shortly after jogging. Prosser was rushed to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Prosser, 56, was one of the most well-liked coaches in the industry and known for his witty and sarcastic sense of humor.