PRO BASKETBALL
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Shelly Sterling says she has signed a binding contract to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for a record-breaking $2 billion.
Sterling confirmed the agreement made between The Sterling Family Trust and Ballmer in a statement issued late Thursday night.
The statement says she made the deal “under her authority as the sole trustee of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers.”
Shelly Sterling negotiated the sale after the NBA banned her husband for life and fined him $2.5 million for making racist remarks that became public.
Ballmer said in a statement that he loves basketball and will “do everything in my power to ensure the Clippers continue to win - and win big - in Los Angeles.”
The deal would need to be approved by the NBA.
MIAMI (AP) - Lance Stephenson and Roy Hibbert of the Indiana Pacers were fined for flopping in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Stephenson was fined $10,000 for his second violation of the playoffs. Hibbert was fined $5,000.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry received the NBA’s community assist award, spoke passionately about his charitable works, then dished out another assist to his former coach.
In his first public comments since Mark Jackson was fired, Curry said that he disagreed with the decision. Curry said the “semi-quick hire” of Steve Kerr was “kind of a shock” to most players, calling it “a weird, expedited situation that we didn’t see coming.”
CLEVELAND (AP) - A person with knowledge of the talks says the Cavaliers are interviewing Los Angeles Clippers assistants Tyronn Lue and Alvin Gentry for their coaching job.
The Cavs were meeting with Lue on Thursday and Gentry on Friday.
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TENNIS
PARIS (AP) - Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal improved his French Open record to 61-1 by beating big-hitting Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
Other seeded men to advance included No. 5 David Ferrer, No. 7 Andy Murray and No. 12 Richard Gasquet. For the women, No. 4 Simona Halep, No. 5 Petra Kvitova, No. 6 Jelena Jankovic, No. 10 Sara Errani, No. 11 Ana Ivanovic and No. 15 Sloane Stephens all moved on.
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PRO FOOTBALL
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell responded to criticisms by NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, who contended a double standard exists when it comes to the league doling out punishments.
In comments to ESPN, Smith specifically addressed the delayed discipline of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who has yet to be punished by Goodell after being arrested in March for allegedly operating a vehicle while intoxicated and while in the possession of prescription drugs and $29,000 in cash. Irsay was formally charged Friday.
Goodell was at Foxborough to speak at a football safety clinic for mothers, a program aimed at furthering safer play at all levels of the game.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Washington Redskins launched a Twitter onslaught at Sen. Harry Reid in their campaign to keep the team’s name.
The Redskins instructed fans to tweet the Nevada Democrat to show their “RedskinsPride” and “tell him what the team means to you.”
Fans did just that - but not always in a manner the Redskins would have preferred. Many told Reid they support his efforts to change the name. Soon, both “RedskinsPride” and “changethename” were trending in the D.C. area.
RENTON, Wash. (AP) - Doug Baldwin and the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a contract extension that locks up the former undrafted wide receiver through the 2016 season.
Baldwin was Seattle’s leading receiver as a rookie and after being slowed by injuries in 2012, bounced back with a standout season during the Seahawks’ title run last year. He had 50 catches in the regular season and five touchdowns and was especially reliable on third down.
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GOLF
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) - Rory McIlroy shut out the distractions in his life at the Memorial, making two eagles and three birdies on the back nine at Muirfield Village - along with a double bogey - on his way to a 9-under 63 and a three-shot lead after the opening round.
A week ago, McIlroy began his week at Wentworth by announcing he and tennis star Caroline Wozniacki had broken off their engagement. Then, he went out and won the BMW Championship for his strongest win in more than two years.
At the Memorial, McIlroy caught his spikes in the turf on his second shot at the seventh hole and felt pain the rest of the round
MALMO, Sweden (AP) - Sweden’s Jens Dantorp and England’s Eddie Pepperell shot 6-under 66 to share the first-round in the Nordea Masters, leaving second-ranked Henrik Stenson three strokes back.
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SPORTS MEDECINE
WASHINGTON (AP) - Saying he wants kids to play sports but play safely, President Barack Obama called for more and better research into the effects and treatment of concussions in youth athletes. The issue is one of growing concern for parents who spend weekends driving their kids from one game to another.
But without direct authority over youth sports leagues, Obama’s ability to address the issue meaningfully is limited to calling for research and trying to jumpstart a national conversation to teach parents, coaches and young athletes about concussions - the goal of a summit he hosted at the White House.
He also said a new attitude is needed where players who have been hit don’t feel wimpy for sitting out a game or two.
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SOCCER
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - U.S. captain Clint Dempsey’s sore left groin has improved, and coach Jurgen Klinsmann plans to start him in the Americans’ second World Cup warmup this weekend against Turkey.
The 23 players geared up for their final workout at Stanford on Thursday, a quick session in the pool, before leaving the Bay Area to fly east. Klinsmann said Dempsey was still slightly limited in his movements by design during Wednesday’s training, avoiding any sideways cuts or runs to avoid re-aggravating the groin. But the coach said Dempsey “definitely” will start Sunday at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
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LACROSSE
WASHINGTON (AP) - Native American brothers Miles and Lyle Thompson, the Albany stars who each broke the Division I lacrosse record for most points in a season, are co-winners of the Tewaaraton Award.
The trophy, given to the best player in the nation, was awarded Thursday night at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. The Thompsons are the first Native Americans to win the Tewaaraton and the first players to share it.
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CYCLING
RIFUGIO PANAROTTA, Italy (AP) - Julian Arredondo claimed the biggest win of his career with a solo victory on the 18th stage of the Giro d’Italia, while Nairo Quintana retained the overall leader’s pink jersey as the race returned to the mountains.
The 25-year-old Arredondo had been part of a breakaway and made his move with just under 2.5 miles remaining to ride alone up the summit finish to Rifugio Panarotta.
The Colombian had time to raise one arm into the air as he crossed the finish line, 17 seconds ahead of Fabio Duarte in the 106-mile leg from Belluno.
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