BASKETBALL
Deng comment sank Hawks
A racist comment about African-born British NBA standout Luol Deng made in a conference call reportedly triggered the chain of events that has forced the sale of the Atlanta Hawks. A day after Hawks owner Bruce Levenson said he was selling the NBA club after racist remarks in an e-mail he sent more than two years ago came to light, several US media outlets reported that a comment about Deng touched off the probe that uncovered the e-mail. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the player was Deng, who was born in what is now South Sudan. After the meeting, which took place less than two months after NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned then-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life for making racist remarks, a Hawks co-owner asked for an internal investigation and an Atlanta law firm undertook the task. In reviewing more than 24,000 documents, the e-mail sent by Levenson was discovered. In it, the Hawks owner makes remarks regarding racial issues about spectators. The NBA was notified and began its own probe and Levenson, the team’s majority owner since 2004, voluntarily decided to sell the Hawks.
CRICKET
Saeed Ajmal suspended
Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has been suspended from international cricket after Tests found his bowling action was illegal, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday. Ajmal, the world’s No. 1 bowler in one-day internationals, was suspended “with immediate effect” following an assessment in Brisbane last month. The 36-year-old was reported for a suspect action after last month’s first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. He can apply for a reassessment once he has modified his action. “The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations,” the ICC statement said.
RUGBY UNION
All Blacks to play in Samoa
The All Blacks are to play their first-ever Test in the Pacific Islands next year against Samoa as part of their build-up to the World Cup, the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said yesterday. The long-awaited clash is to take place in Apia on July 8 next year. NZRU chairman Brent Impey said the match was a way of marking the close rugby links between Samoa and New Zealand, who have fielded numerous players of Samoan heritage, including greats such as Bryan Williams, Frank Bunce, Michael Jones and current All Black Keven Mealamu. “Importantly, we are not only honoring rugby’s Pacific heritage, we are also providing players with a meaningful Test as part of our plan to ensure the All Blacks are in the best possible shape to win in England in 2015,” he said.
SOCCER
Algerian fans in spotlight
Algeria risk playing their upcoming home games behind closed doors if their supporters misbehave at today’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Mali. Their behavior is very much under the spotlight after the throwing of a piece of slate at a club match hit and killed JS Kabylie’s Cameroon striker, Albert Ebosse, on Aug. 23. The threat of a home ban on fans came from Algerian Football Federation (FAF) president Mohamed Raouraoua. “The FAF has already taken the blame from FIFA over the anti-sporting behavior of our fans,” he said on Monday. “Another incident in the Mali game will penalize our national team, who will have to play their next few home matches without their supporters,” he said.
BOUNCE BACK: Curry scored 46 points in the Warriors’ victory over the Spurs, after ‘everybody stepped up’ following Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City Nikola Jokic scoring 50 or more points had never been enough for the Denver Nuggets to win — until now. Jokic on Wednesday night tied the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season with 55 points, as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-116 for their sixth straight victory. The Nuggets were 0-4 in his previous 50-point outbursts. “It’s a good feeling,” the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player said. He equaled Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 55 in a double-overtime game at the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 23. Jokic has been on a roll during Denver’s winning streak. He is the
TIGHT GAME: The Detroit Pistons, the NBA’s second-best team, barely outlasted the Washington Wizards, who fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss Cade Cunningham’s triple double, Daniss Jenkins’ three-pointer at the buzzer and Javonte Green’s overtime dunk lifted Detroit past Washington 137-135 on Monday, stretching the Pistons’ win streak to seven games. In an unexpected thriller, the NBA’s second-best team barely outlasted a Wizards club that fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss. “We knew how big this game was for us,” Jenkins said. “We wasn’t going to let nothing stop us from getting this W.” Cunningham made 14-of-45 shots and 16-of-18 free throws for a career-high 46 points, and added 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and two
The tri-nation Twenty20 international series featuring hosts Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, is to be played entirely in Rawalpindi from Tuesday next week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said yesterday, after this week’s suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad. The change came after at least eight Sri Lankan players asked to leave over security fears following Tuesday’s bombing that killed 12 people and wounded 27. Their country’s cricket board issued a stern directive to the team to stay put or face consequences. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the decision to stay was taken after “close consultations” with hosts Pakistan who
LIKE FINE WINE: Thirty-eight-year-old Djokovic won his 101st title of his career in Athens, becoming the oldest tournament winner since Ken Roswell, 44, in 1977 Elena Rybakina on Saturday clinched her biggest title since Wimbledon in 2022, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (7/0) at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. The world No. 6 put on yet another serving masterclass and was at her returning best as she became the first Kazakh and the first player representing an Asian country to lift the WTA Finals singles trophy. Having gone 3-0 in round-robin play, Rybakina earned a record US$5.235 million and would finish the year ranked No. 5 in the world. “It’s been an incredible week, I honestly didn’t expect any result, and to go so far,
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