In Brief

pro basketball

Several NBA stars attend first
negotiations since February

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul were among the players who attended a negotiating session between the NBA and the union Thursday in New York.

Players' association executive director Billy Hunter said 14 players participated in the meeting in Manhattan. The sides agreed to have another session before training camp so players can take part again. The collective bargaining agreement expires June 30, 2011.

The four-hour bargaining session was the first since February's All-Star weekend, when the players rejected the owners' proposal. Commissioner David Stern has estimated the league will lose about $370 million this season, which the union disputes.

Also: Rod Thorn was hired as team president of the Philadelphia 76ers. The 69-year-old quit his job as the New Jersey Nets' president and general manager in July.

miscellaneous

No criminal charges to be filed
in death of Cunningham's son

The death of former football star Randall Cunningham's 2-year-old son was ruled an accidental drowning, and no criminal charges will be filed, Las Vegas Metro Police officer Barbara Morgan said Thursday.

Christian Cunningham was found June 29 floating in the hot tub of the family's Las Vegas home.

Randall Cunningham, a former quarterback at UNLV and in the NFL, is the pastor of a local church.

Also: David Beckham will reject the chance to make one final appearance for England, a person familiar with the former soccer captain's plans said. Coach Fabio Capello said Wednesday that Beckham, 35, was too old to continue playing competitively for England but offered him an opportunity to say farewell to fans in an exhibition match.

Rebecca Bross took a commanding all-around lead entering Saturday's final of the U.S. gymnastics championships in Hartford, Conn. Bross, a 17-year-old looking for her first U.S. title, scored 60.4 points in qualifying to open a 2.2-point lead over Mattie Larson.

The top four seeds -- No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 2 Novak Djokovic, No. 3 Roger Federer and No. 4 Andy Murray -- advanced to the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Toronto. All but Murray won in straight sets.

Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic and second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki were upset in the third round of the Cincinnati Women's Open in Mason, Ohio. One of the top nine seeds -- No. 4 Kim Clijsters -- remained alive entering the quarterfinals.

Serena and Venus Williams told the U.S. Tennis Association they plan to play in the Fed Cup final against Italy in November, their first appearance in the event since 2007. The United States hasn't won a Fed Cup title since 2000.

NASCAR team owner Jack Roush was released from a Rochester, Minn., hospital Wednesday, two weeks after he suffered facial injuries in a Wisconsin plane crash. Roush was at the controls of a small plane that crashed while trying to land.

Erynne Lee was the only tri-medalist to advance to the round of eight at the U.S. Women's Amateur in Charlotte, N.C., defeating Lizette Salas 3 and 1. Tri-medalists Rachel Rohanna, who set an event record with an opening 65 in stroke play, and Jacklyn Sweeney were eliminated from the golf event.

Georgia hired Florida associate athletic director Greg McGarity as its athletic director, a person familiar with the search said. McGarity, an Athens native and Georgia graduate, will replace Damon Evans, who resigned July 5 after a late-night DUI arrest.