PRO BASKETBALL
NEW YORK (AP) - The NBA charged Donald Sterling on Monday with damaging the league and its teams by making racist comments, setting up a June 3 hearing after which owners could vote to terminate his ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers.
The league also said the banned owner has engaged in other conduct that has impaired its relationship with fans and merchandising partners.
“All of these acts provide grounds for termination under several provisions of the NBA constitution and related agreements,” the league said in a statement.
Sterling was banned for life and fined $2.5 million by Commissioner Adam Silver after the release of a recording in which he made racist remarks. He has until May 27 to respond to the charge, and the right to appear at the hearing and make a presentation before the board of governors. He has the right to a lawyer at the hearing, but strict courtroom rules of evidence would not apply.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The Memphis Grizzlies parted ways with team CEO Jason Levien and director of player personnel Stu Lash in a front-office shake-up that follows the Grizzlies’ elimination in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
General manager Chris Wallace has assumed interim responsibility for basketball operations. Jason Wexler, the Grizzlies’ chief operating officer, remains responsible for business operations.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - The Golden State Warriors and Steve Kerr completed the coaching contract they agreed to last week.
The sides finalized the five-year deal worth up to $25 million and the team said it will introduce Kerr at a news conference Tuesday at its downtown Oakland practice facility.
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HORSE RACING
NEW YORK (AP) - California Chrome can breathe easy - he’s allowed to wear a nasal strip when he goes for the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes on June 7.
Belmont Park stewards cleared the horse to use the strip that opens his nasal passages, just as he did in winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
New York tracks have a rule prohibiting any equipment not specifically approved by stewards, and nasal strips were not on the list. A statement from the New York Racing Association and the state’s Gaming Commission said the track’s three stewards unanimously agreed to lift the ban.
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GOLF
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) - Tiger Woods says his back injury was so debilitating that it caused him to doubt whether he would play golf again.
“Forget about playing golf at the highest level. I couldn’t get out of bed,” Woods said.
Woods said the doubt was erased after microdiscectomy surgery March 31. He said the procedure, which relieved pain from a pinched nerve, provided immediate relief, although he said there’s still “no timetable” for his return to golf - or even for taking a full swing. As of now, he remains limited to chipping and putting.
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Lucy Li became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open by winning the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay in California.
The 11-year-old Li shot rounds of 74 and 68 on the par-72 Old Course to win by seven strokes. The golfer from Redwood Shores, California, will surpass Lexi Thompson as the youngest competitor in a U.S. Women’s Open when she tees off at Pinehurst on June 19.
Thompson was 12 when she qualified for the 2007 Open.
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PRO FOOTBALL
CLEVELAND (AP) - Johnny Manziel passed his first weekend in the NFL without any problems.
Browns coach Mike Pettine said Manziel had a “positive” experience in Cleveland’s rookie minicamp, which had limited media access as the team attempts to control the hype around the popular Texas A&M star.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) - The Chicago Bears and Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2017 season.
Marshall announced on Twitter that the extension is worth $30 million and that he’s donating $1 million to the “mental health community.” He signed the deal during an appearance on ABC’s “The View” talk show.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - One of the hidden benefits of AT&T’s $48.5 billion planned purchase of DirecTV is that it raises the possibility of making DirecTV’s programming crown jewel, NFL Sunday Ticket, more broadly available on mobile devices.
Making exclusive live NFL game programming available on AT&T smartphones could trump Verizon’s deal with the NFL for certain live game streams on its phones, because NFL Sunday Ticket involves most NFL games, not just a handful on certain nights of the week.
ATLANTA (AP) - The hope for another Atlanta Super Bowl hung over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Falcons’ new stadium.
There were Super Bowl reminders everywhere in at the ceremony, and none were subtle. The new stadium is scheduled to open in 2017. Atlanta officials hope the Super Bowl is played in the stadium as soon as 2019.
A plane pulled a banner which read “Break Ground on Super Bowl Too.”
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Michael Sam is out of the TV spotlight and the St. Louis Rams are hoping to avoid being the subject of another high-profile show.
Coach Jeff Fisher told The Associated Press that it’s “probably unlikely” the NFL will choose the Rams for HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
The Rams are among teams eligible to get chosen for three reasons: They haven’t appeared on the show for the past decade, haven’t hired a new head coach and haven’t reached the playoffs either of the past two seasons.
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BASEBALL
NEW YORK (AP) - Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is expected to miss at least six more weeks with an injured right knee.
The left-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list May 11. He was examined by Dr. James Andrews last week and had his knee drained. Sabathia also received a cortisone and stem cell injection Thursday to treat a degenerative cartilage condition.
The team confirmed that the procedure means Sabathia likely will remain sidelined through at least the end of June, maybe longer.
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AUTO RACING
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Kurt Busch made his attempt at completing The Double a lot tougher after crashing during practice at Indianapolis.
Busch spun coming out of the second turn on the 2.5-mile oval and slammed hard into the outside wall. It was the biggest crash of the month.
Andretti Autosport said the car would not be repaired by the Indy 500 and Busch will drive teammate Marco Andretti’s backup car. Busch will still start 12th.
Busch is the fourth driver to attempt completing the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Both races are Sunday.
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SOCCER
MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal was hired as Manchester United manager and tasked with repairing the damage from David Moyes’ disappointing 10 months in charge and reviving the fortunes of one of the world’s biggest clubs.
The 62-year-old Dutchman has signed a three-year contract and will take over at Old Trafford after the World Cup in Brazil, becoming the first United manager from outside Britain and Ireland. United great Ryan Giggs is retiring and will be his assistant.
SAO PAULO (AP) - FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke arrived in Brazil to oversee the final preparations for the World Cup, saying he expects “busy days ahead” to make sure everything is ready in time.
The FIFA official in charge of the tournament arrived a day after Brazil held the last two test events at its delayed stadiums, including at the Sao Paulo venue that will host the opener in a few weeks.
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PRO HOCKEY
BROSSARD, Quebec (AP) - The Montreal Canadiens are without star goaltender Carey Price for the rest of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Rangers.
Coach Michel Therrien announced the decision before the Canadiens’ 3-1 loss in Game 2 of the series. Dustin Tokarski got the surprise start in place of Price ahead of regular backup Peter Budaj.
MINSK, Belarus (AP) - Alex Ovechkin will miss at least one game at the world championship after injuring his right leg in a collision during Russia’s game against Germany.
The star forward needed hospital treatment Sunday after taking a hit to his right knee from Marcus Kink midway through the third period. He stayed on the ice for several minutes before he needed assistance to leave.
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Montana coach Wayne Tinkle was hired as Oregon State’s new coach.
Tinkle took the Grizzlies to the NCAA tournament three times in his eight-year tenure with the team. Montana finished below .500 only once during that span.
The 48-year-old replaces Craig Robinson, brother-in-law of President Barack Obama, after he was fired earlier this month following six seasons with the Beavers in which he failed to make the NCAA tournament.
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CYCLING
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Lance Armstrong was ordered to give sworn videotaped testimony next month about using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France seven times.
Armstrong has been sued by a Texas company seeking the return of about $12 million in performance bonuses. An arbitration panel has issued subpoenas for testimony from Armstrong on June 12 and his longtime business manager Bill Stapleton on June 9.
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ATHLETES UNIONS
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina union for public workers will allow scholarship student-athletes at public universities to join as state employees.
The State Employees Association of North Carolina’s governing board voted Friday to open the group’s membership to athletes at the state’s 17 public campuses, which would include Atlantic Coast Conference members North Carolina and North Carolina State.
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