Kevin Durant withdrew Thursday from the U.S. national team, the biggest loss yet for a weakening American squad.
Basketball
Metta World Peace might be changing his name … again.
Former University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebel Anthony Bennett is set to go to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade between the Wolves and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Former Long Beach State head coach Max Good was hired this week as a special assistant to UNLV head coach Dave Rice, bringing to the Rebels a veteran presence the team has desperately needed since Rice assumed control of the program in 2011.
The NBA will stage an exhibition game next August in South Africa. Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum made the announcement Tuesday in Johannesburg, where the NBA is holding a Basketball without Borders camp.
The San Antonio Spurs hired WNBA star Becky Hammon on Tuesday, making her the first full-time, paid female assistant on an NBA coaching staff.
Chairman Jerry Colangelo said the national team has no plans to abandon its summer home since 2006 despite the broken right leg Paul George suffered in last week’s Blue-White scrimmage at the Thomas & Mack Center. Team USA announced three addional cuts as it gets ready for next week’s training camp in Chicago with 16 players scheduled to participate.
Phoenix Suns forward P.J. Tucker was sentenced to three days in jail and 11 days of home detention Monday after pleading guilty to “super extreme” driving under the influence.
The fact Chase Jeter’s father was once a college teammate to UNLV head coach Dave Rice and assistant Stacey Augmon didn’t sway the decision of a player now ranked anywhere from eighth to 13th nationally. Nor should it have.
Chase Jeter, a 6-foot-10-inch power forward from Bishop Gorman High School, picked the Blue Devils over Arizona, UCLA and hometown UNLV Monday afternoon following the adidas Nations telecast on ESPNU.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league would re-open debate about the merits of participating in international events in the wake of Paul George’s gruesome injury, but did not foresee a major shift in policy.
Was Paul George’s injury during the USA Basketball Showcase caused by the court setup at the Thomas & Mack Center? Or was it simply a case of athletic misfortune?
Tony Parker is by far the youngest of the San Antonio Spurs’ Big Three, a fact that could have complicated things going forward as Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili get closer to retirement. As they are wont to do, the Spurs made things real easy.
The MGM Resorts sports books raised the Pacers to 20-1 after opening them at 10-1. At Wynn Las Vegas, the Pacers went from 12-1 to 30-1. It was a similar scene all over the valley.
Team USA player Paul George suffered an open tibia-fibula fracture in his right leg Friday night during the USA Basketball Showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center, according to a USA Basketball release early Saturday.
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE