Basketball
EX-JAZZ PLAYER SENTENCED: A former NBA player was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to selling crack cocaine to an undercover police officer last summer.
Henry Charles James, 41, of Fort Wayne, pleaded guilty to one charge of distribution of a controlled substance. The prison term will be followed by four years of supervised release, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Geller said Thursday.
James played in the 1990s for Cleveland, Sacramento, Utah, the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston and Atlanta.
James was originally charged with two counts of the felony for selling a total of $750 in crack to an undercover police officer on Aug. 30 and Sept. 7, according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana. One count was dropped as part of the plea agreement.
He was arrested after the second deal, to which he brought several children with him in his vehicle, Geller said. Geller could not confirm if they were James' children.
RICHARDSON HIRED: Micheal Ray Richardson, a former NBA player who was suspended last season while the CBA investigated anti-Semitic comments he allegedly made to a reporter, was hired Thursday as the head coach of the newly formed Oklahoma City Cavalry.
Richardson coached the Albany Patroons to the Continental Basketball Association championship series last season but was suspended after Game 1 while the league investigated a report that Richardson told the Times Union of Albany he had "big-time Jew lawyers" working for him.
DUI GUILTY PLEA: Illinois basketball player Jamar Smith, who was at the wheel in a crash that injured a teammate, pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol.
Champaign County state's attorney Julia Rietz said under the terms of Smith's plea agreement, the sophomore guard will serve 24 months probation after spending 15 days in the Champaign County Jail.
"Smith will receive no good time credit on his jail time because of the severity of the injuries to his teammate, Brian Carlwell," Rietz said. "He will also serve 100 hours of public service and take 75 hours of substance abuse classes, plus paying $850 in fines and $150 in lab fees and court costs."
Carlwell suffered a severe concussion when Smith's car struck a tree in Champaign the night of Feb. 12 during heavy snow. Police said the two, both 19 at the time and too young to drink legally, had been drinking tequila and beer before the crash.
Tennis
SHARAPOVA ADVANCES: Maria Sharapova beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Istanbul Cup.
The top-seeded Russian will meet Aravane Rezai of France in the last warmup before the French Open.
The 62nd-ranked Rezai, who ousted Venus Williams in the second round, is seeking her first WTA Tour title. She beat Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Elena Dementieva also rallied to beat Catalina Castano 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the clay-court championship. The second-seeded Russian plays fifth-seeded Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine in the semifinals.
RODDICK OUSTED: Defending champion Nikolay Davydenko and second-seeded Andy Roddick lost their quarterfinal matches Thursday at the Hypo Group International.
Davydenko fell to Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-4, and Roddick lost to wildcard Gael Monfils of France 7-5, 6-3.
Soccer
HOWARD GETS NOD: Tim Howard has replaced Kasey Keller as the top U.S. goalkeeper heading into the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The 37-year-old Keller has 97 international appearances and started for the United States at the 1998 and 2006 World Cups. Howard, 28, was a backup at last year's tournament in Germany and played 18 games for the national team.
Hockey
RETIREMENT: Brian Leetch, one of the NHL's top defensemen who helped the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1994, retired Thursday after an 18-year career.
Leetch sat out last season as an unrestricted free agent after spending 2005-2006 with the Boston Bruins, when the 10-time NHL All-Star had five goals and 27 assists in 61 games.
"I have been fortunate to be an NHL player since 1988," Leetch said in a statement. "I missed being in the NHL this past season, but believe it was the right time for me to stop playing."
CANUCKS RE-SIGN KESLER: The Vancouver Canucks re-signed center Ryan Kesler to a three-year contract Thursday.
The 22-year-old would have become a restricted free agent July 1.
Cycling
MORE ADMISSIONS: Eric Zabel and Rolf Aldag, former teammates of two Tour de France winners, admitted Thursday they took performance-enhancing drugs while riding for the Telekom team in the 1990s.