NBA
2015-16 rosters feature 100 international players
NEW YORK – The NBA’s 70th season began with 100 international players from 37 countries and territories.
Opening night was Tuesday, and all 30 teams will have at least one international player on the roster for the second consecutive year. Toronto leads the league with seven while Cleveland, Minnesota, San Antonio and Utah have six each.
The league says a record 10 African and nine Brazilian players are on rosters. Canada leads with 12 players, followed by France with 10.
Among the prominent international players set to make their NBA debuts this week: Orlando’s Mario Hezonja of Croatia, Denver’s Emmanuel Mudiay of Congo and the Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis of Latvia.
Stockton joins Montana State as assistant coach
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Hall of Famer John Stockton joined Montana State as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team for the upcoming season.
Among the players the former Utah Jazz point guard will be coaching will be his daughter, Lindsay, who is a senior guard for the Bobcats.
Stockton said in a statement Tuesday that head coach Tricia Binford “took a flier” and asked if he’d be interested in the position.
He says he’s enjoyed watching the team for the past three years and that it will be a fun group to work with.
Binford says Stockton has coached four current players on the team already and is someone the program respects and trusts.
Soccer
Wambach officially retires after White House party
Abby Wambach, the leading career scorer – male or female – in international soccer, announced her retirement from soccer Tuesday shortly after the U.S. national team celebrated its Women’s World Cup victory at the White House.
Wambach, 35, said before the World Cup this past summer in Canada that she wanted to cap her 15-year career with the game’s most prestigious championship. She got her wish.
Wambach, who grew up in Rochester, New York, has appeared in 252 international matches with 184 goals.
She will play the final four matches of the national team’s 10-game victory tour before stepping away from the team. Her final match will be Dec. 16 against China in New Orleans.
President Barack Obama honored the U. S. women’s soccer team for their victory in the 2015 World Cup.
During a ceremony at the White House, Obama said the team’s victory had inspired the whole country.
Obama singled out midfielder Carli Lloyd, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player after scoring three goals in the final. He noted that Lloyd’s title on Wikipedia was jokingly changed during the game to president of the United States, a job Obama said “is about to open up.”
Sexwale heads to Egypt to seek African support
GENEVA – FIFA presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale traveled to Cairo on Tuesday to seek support from African soccer leaders.
Sexwale, a South African mining tycoon and former political prisoner, says he will fly to Egypt after an invitation from African soccer confederation president Issa Hayatou. The confederation’s executive committee is holding a two-day meeting in Cairo.
Sexwale said he met with Hayatou – currently the interim FIFA president – in Zurich last week.
Sexwale is one of eight men hoping to stand in next year’s emergency election to replace Sepp Blatter. The 54 votes from African countries – FIFA’s largest confederation – could prove decisive.
Associated Press
