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Rodman 'sorry' about North Korea situation
Dennis Rodman is apologizing. Again.
Last week, he said he was sorry about his bizarre, drunken outburst on CNN about an American citizen held prisoner in North Korea.
Now, Rodman says he's sorry about what's going on inside North Korea, a nation renowned for its human rights abuses.
But the eccentric former NBA star known as "The Worm" isn't contrite about his latest puzzling visit to the secretive state.
FULL STORYReport: Rodman reveals name of Kim's kid
Eccentric former basketball star Dennis Rodman may not have brought imprisoned American Kenneth Bae back with him from North Korea, but he did emerge with something that set tongues wagging: the purported name of Kim Jong Un's baby daughter.
Rodman, who calls North Korea's young ruler his friend, returned this weekend from his second trip to the reclusive, nuclear-armed nation this year.
As he passed through Beijing airport on Saturday, he remained tight-lipped about what went on during his latest visit.
But he appears to have been more candid in an interview Sunday with the Guardian, a British newspaper, in which he described the "relaxing time by the sea" he spent with Kim and his family. And he also let slip the baby's name.
FULL STORY
Spurs, Heat meet in game 7
Game 7 of the NBA Finals will be all about heart, Miami Heat superstar LeBron James said.
The four-time MVP is seeking his second NBA crown when his Heat hosts the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Both teams are well-prepared, he said, and they know each other well. They know what will work on offense, what to do on defense. What gives a team an edge will be each player's mental makeup.
"I think it's about heart and determination at this point," he said Wednesday.
UConn women blow out Louisville for title
Connecticut's powerful offense scored almost at will Tuesday night as the Huskies blew out Louisville 93-60 to win the NCAA women's Division I basketball championship in New Orleans.
The title is head coach Geno Auriemma's eighth at UConn, tying him for the most all time with Tennessee's recently retired Pat Summitt.
The 33-point margin is the largest in the history of the tournament final.
FULL STORYEx-Rutgers athletics chief gets $1.1M payout
Rutgers University will pay former Athletic Director Tim Pernetti more than $1.1 million after his resignation in the wake of a scandal involving the videotaped abuse of basketball players by the team's former coach.
CNN obtained the terms of Pernetti's separation package through a New Jersey Open Public Records Act request after Rutgers and Pernetti had agreed to keep the terms confidential.
The state university will pay Pernetti his annual $453,000 salary through June 30, 2014. In addition, he will get a lump sum equal to 18 months of salary - $679,500 - payable by next month, according to the agreement.
Rutgers coach fired after abusive video broadcast
Rutgers University fired head basketball coach Mike Rice on Wednesday after ESPN broadcast a video showing him physically and verbally abusing players.
"Based upon recently revealed information and a review of previously discovered issues, Rutgers has terminated the contract of Mike Rice," the school said in a tweet Wednesday.
"You f**king fairy ... you're a f**king fa**got," Rice appears to say during one session depicted on the video.
Miami Heat's 27-game win streak over
The Miami Heat's 27-game win streak ended Wednesday night with a 101-97 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers' run of 33 straight consecutive victories remains the NBA record.
FULL STORY
Brackets busted: Florida Gulf Coast defeats No. 2 seed Georgetown
In an epic upset that will leave many fans crumpling their NCAA Tournament brackets in disgust, No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast laid a 78-68 thumping on No. 2 seed Georgetown on Friday night in Philadelphia.
The Eagles held a slim 2-point lead at halftime but went on a 21-2 run early in the second half, and the Hoyas could never recover.
FULL STORY FROM BLEACHER REPORTHeat extend winning streak
The Miami Heat came from behind again Friday to defeat the Detroit Pistons 103-89 and extend their winning streak to 25 games.
Detroit has now lost 10 straight games.
FULL STORY FROM BLEACHER REPORTMonday's live events
The murder trial of Jodi Arias has captivated many. Watch CNN.com Live for gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial.
Today's programming highlights...
11:00 am ET - 'March Madness' briefing - It's that time of the year where some workers slack off, take sick days and schedule vasectomies. It's the NCAA Men's Division I college basketball tournament, and this year's "Final Four" takes place in Atlanta. Officials from the city and Turner Broadcasting discuss festivities surrounding the games.
LA Lakers owner Jerry Buss dies
Long-time Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss has died, the team said in a statement Monday.
Buss, 80, had been suffering from an undisclosed form of cancer. He died at Cedars-Sinai hospital after being hospitalized for much of the past 18 months, the team said.
The team will remain under the ownership of the Buss family, the statement said.
Mike D'Antoni tapped to be L.A. Lakers next head coach
After ousting its coach days into the new season, the Los Angeles Lakers today announced the hiring of Mike D'Antoni to lead the talented NBA team.
Media reports had suggested that Phil Jackson would return to the Lakers, whom he'd previously led to five of his record-setting 11 league championships as a head coach. Instead, Los Angeles chose to bring in D'Antoni, who has coached the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks over 10 seasons.
"Knowing his style of play and given the current make-up of our roster, we feel Mike is a great fit, are excited to have him as our next head coach, and hope he will help our team reach its full potential," general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a press release.
After the team opened this season with one win and four losses, Lakers management fired Mike Brown, the former Cavaliers coach who had succeeded Jackson before the start of the 2011-2012 season. The squad has won its last two games under interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff.
The hiring reunites D'Antoni with Steve Nash, the two-time league MVP he coached while both were with the Suns. Other stars on the Lakers roster include six-time NBA titlist Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, who came over from the Orlando Magic in the off-season.
L.A. Lakers fire head coach after 1-4 start
[Updated at 4:35 p.m. ET] The Los Angeles Lakers' 0-8 preseason and 1-4 start to the regular season were too much for the front office to take.
The NBA team on Friday fired second-year head coach Mike Brown, whose efforts to implement a new offense and mesh free-agent signings with stars who won a title two years ago didn't turn into wins.
"Really, it came down to ownership and management looking at the record, looking at the improvement level, and wondering a month or two or three down the road, will we be in the same spot," General Manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters.
No federal criminal charges against ex-coach Fine, feds say
Federal criminal charges will not be filed against former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernard "Bernie" Fine, who was accused of sexually abusing children, U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian announced Friday.
A yearlong investigation of Fine "revealed insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal charges," according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of New York. As a result, the office is closing its investigation, it said.
NBA Commissioner David Stern stepping down
NBA Commissioner David Stern has announced he will retire in 2014. The board backs Adam Silver to replace him, according to NBA.com.
Follow details from Sports Illustrated.
UNC coach Roy Williams has surgery to remove tumor, school says
University of North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams underwent surgery this morning to remove a tumor from his right kidney, UNC sports information director Steve Kirschner said in a statement.
“The surgery went well and according to plan,” Dr. Eric Wallen, professor of urology at UNC, said in a statement. “Coach Williams did great. I fully expect him to coach this season and for years to come. He could miss some practice time if we perform another procedure sometime in October, but he would be able to resume his coaching duties prior to the start of the regular season.”
The school said the tumor was found during a physical earlier this month. The surgery took three and a half hours, the school said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Williams and his family for a full recovery,” says UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. “Obviously his health and prognosis are my greatest concerns. He’s in great hands with the medical staff at UNC Hospitals. The basketball team is also in outstanding hands with Steve Robinson, CB McGrath, Hubert Davis and Joe Holladay. As Coach Williams frequently says, he has the best staff in the country and I know they will do an excellent job as Coach Williams recuperates. We will be ready for his return as soon as he is able to do so, but I have stressed to him that he returns only when he has been given the medical approval and he is ready to do that. Hopefully that will be soon and for a long, long time to come.”
Williams is set to begin his 10th season as the head coach of the UNC Tar Heels. He has the fourth highest winning percentage in college basketball and is first among active coaches.
Rockets sign Lin as Knicks decline to match
[Updated at 2:10 a.m. ET Wednesday] Seven months after dropping him from their team, the Houston Rockets signed Jeremy Lin when the New York Knicks failed to match Houston's three-year, $25-million offer for the point guard.
"We are thrilled to have Jeremy back as part of the Rockets family," Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said in a statement Tuesday night. "In his limited opportunity last season, Jeremy showed that he has all the skills to be a great player in this league for many years to come."
The Harvard-educated basketball phenom captured worldwide attention by leading the Knicks to a string of victories last year.
Jonathan Supranowitz, the Knicks' vice president of public relations, announced Tuesday night that the Knicks would not match Houston's offer.
FULL STORY
Anthony Davis files trademarks for unibrow phrases ahead of NBA draft
If you don't know Anthony Davis from his crushing performances while playing basketball for the University of Kentucky, you likely recognize his face.
Okay, let's be honest, you likely recognize his unibrow.
At nearly any Kentucky game it was never hard to spot fans supporting and pulling for Davis while wearing unibrow T-shirts or even glasses with a unibrow attached - even his mom wore one.
SportsPickle.com: Ten best Davis unibrow tributes
Which is perhaps why Davis, who is a hot commodity and is expected to be picked first in the NBA draft on Thursday, is recognizing a moneymaking opportunity and seizing upon it.
Davis officially filed trademark requests with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the two best-known catchphrases associated with him: "Fear the Brow" and "Raise the Brow."
The trademark applications show he's filed trademarks for both phrases for practically everything from T-shirts to banners. Although it's normal for people to trademark slogans for everything under the sun, we had to chuckle when we saw that aftershaves, shaving preparation and skin cleansers were included on the list.
While Davis couldn't make any money off of the merchandise sold with his name or nicknames while playing in the NCAA, it's clear this likely top-choice player is making sure to get down to business ahead of the NBA draft and his likely stint on the U.S. Olympic team.
And it isn't a bad idea to get the ball rolling. Davis, if he plays anything like he did at Kentucky, is going to be a big draw wherever he lands. There's been plenty of speculation that he could get some top endorsement deals and be a Kevin Durant of sorts as he enters a stacked NBA field.
Many people over the course of his time at Kentucky have begged and pleaded with Davis to pluck away the unibrow. But in a way, it's come to define him and rally his fans behind him. So we're willing to bet that if he does get a big endorsement deal once he's in the NBA, it probably won't be with an eyebrow waxing company.
James leads Heat to NBA title
The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 Thursday night in Miami to win the NBA championship in five games.
League MVP LeBron James scored 26 points, and had 11 rebounds and 13 assists for Miami. Chris Bosh scored 24 points and Dwyane Wade 20 for the Heat.
Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant led all scorers with 32 points.
It was James' first title since signing with the Heat as a free agent in 2010. James won two MVP awards over seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers but no NBA titles. James was drafted by Cleveland out of high school in nearby Akron, Ohio.
SI: LeBron earns validation, place in history with first championship
"This is a dream come true for me. This is definitely when it pays off," James said after the game. James was named the series MVP.
The Heat lost last year's finals to the Dallas Mavericks.
"We had to go through last year," Wade said after the game, according to NBA.com. "As much as it hurt, we had to experience it to get here, this season."
The Heat, who won four games straight to win the best-of-seven series, took a lead early in the game and never let up, leading by 25 points in the final minutes of the third quarter.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks said his young team will learn from the finals experience.
"I think when you play against the best, you learn. You don't get better by playing bad teams," Brooks said. "We've played against the best three teams in the last few years and we've learned."
Durant had a game-high 32 points but said losing in the finals is the hardest thing he and his team have been through.
SI: Finals failure will prove necessary for Durant, Thunder's development
"It's tough, that's the only way to explain it. As a whole I'm proud of the guys for how we've fought all season," Durant said. "I wouldn't want to play for anyone else or any other city."
New Orleans Hornets win top pick in NBA Draft
The New Orleans Hornets hit the jackpot Wednesday night, winning the top pick in the NBA Draft Lottery.
The worst teams in the NBA went into the evening hoping for the best of luck in the lottery, which determines the order of the league's June 28 draft of college (and a few high school) players. The lottery was held at ABC's "Good Morning America" studio in New York.
The lottery is weighted, so the team with this season's worst record, the Charlotte Bobcats, had the best chance of getting the coveted No. 1 pick. But it's not a sure thing, as the Hornets' prize illustrates. The Hornets had the fourth-worst record this season but will select first; the Bobcats will choose second. Last year, the league's eighth-worst team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, won the lottery and were able to grab top-rated Duke point guard Kyrie Irving. The Cavaliers were in the lottery again this year, as they failed to reach the playoffs despite having Irving. FULL POST
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