basketball
Cutting-edge ‘tracking’ technology helps NBA teams better evaluate players
Two years ago, when STATS provided a sneak peek of SportVU, Houston Rockets executive vice president Sam Hinkie didn’t gush about the revolutionary player-tracking technology. Instead he thought, “About time.” “We’ve been yearning for something like this for several years,” Hinkie said. “We were excited …
Jim Boylan out as Bucks’ coach
ST. FRANCIS, Wis. — Jim Boylan will not return as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. The announcement Wednesday, long expected, comes three days after the Bucks were swept out of their first playoff appearance in three years. General manager John Hammond says a search for …
Jason Collins receives ‘incredible’ support after gay revelation
Jason Collins said he has gotten “incredible” support since coming out as the first openly gay player in one of the four major U.S. pro sports leagues, and hopes he may have made the path easier for others to follow.
Jason Collins honored Matthew Shepard by wearing No. 98
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — NBA veteran Jason Collins changed his jersey number to No. 98 this season. The number was in silent tribute to Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming college student who was killed in 1998 near Laramie. Collins this week became the first …
Ex-NBA all-star accused of living in home that wasn’t his
PHOENIX — A former NBA All-Star is facing several criminal charges after a police report said he squatted in a Paradise Valley, Ariz., home and then tried to list the place for rent on Craigslist. KPHO reports Chris Gatling is accused of breaking into a …
Jason Collins gets support from White House
WASHINGTON — The White House is commending NBA veteran Jason Collins for becoming the first active male player in the four major American professional sports to come out as gay. White House spokesman Jay Carney called that decision courageous and says the White House supports …
MORRISSEY: Jason Collins leads the way for gay athletes
RICK MORRISSEY: There. That wasn’t so bad, was it? By coming out on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Jason Collins has become the first openly gay male professional athlete in the four major American team sports. The world didn’t end. No biblical plague arrived. People seemed … fine.
NBA’s Jason Collins becomes first openly gay athlete in major sports
NBA veteran center Jason Collins has become the first active male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay.
MCGRATH: Information tops ‘branding’ any day of the week
The airport waiting area offered a television but no remote to change channels, so ESPN was the choice and old pal Stephen A. Smith my companion during a recent flight delay. With the self-assured zeal of a revivalist preacher, Stephen A. assured us Kobe Bryant …
NBA playoffs: Feel the Thunder!
We dedicate the start of the NBA playoffs to the fabulous, fallen Kobe Bryant, whose bend-but-don’t-break body finally collapsed during his 48-minutes-or-bust attempt to carry the Los Angeles Lakers on his creaky back to the postseason. Over the second half of the regular season — …
Russell Westbrook out for Thunder; needs knee surgery
Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and be out indefinitely. The Thunder announced the injury Friday.
Mike Brown re-hired as Cavaliers coach
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are bringing back the most successful coach they’ve ever had. Cleveland officially re-hired Mike Brown on Wednesday, bringing back a coach who guided them to five straight playoff appearances and their only trip to the NBA Finals before he was fired …
Cavs reportedly reach out to Phil Jackson
CLEVELAND — The Cavs’ coaching search remains focused on Mike Brown, with another former Los Angeles Lakers coach maybe in the mix. Brown appears to be the leading candidate to replace Byron Scott and return to Cleveland, where he coached five seasons and went to …
AP source: Knicks’ J.R. Smith wins NBA sixth man award
A person with knowledge of the voting results tells The Associated Press that J.R. Smith has won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. The Knicks have called an afternoon news conference at which Smith will be given the award, the person tells the …
NBA PLAYOFFS: Capsules on other series
EASTERN CONFERENCE
#1 MIAMI (66-16) vs. #8 MILWAUKEE (38-44)
Regular season: Heat 3-1.
The Bucks didn’t make it easy on the Heat early in the season, playing them tough in a 113-106 loss in November, and then beating them in Milwaukee 104-85 on Dec. 29. …
Kobe: ‘Frustration is unbearable’ after injury
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant took to Facebook in the wee hours of Saturday morning to vent about the Achilles tendon injury that likely ended his season, writing the “frustration is unbearable” but the setback will not end his career. The Lakers’ star felt a …
