Former Chicago Bulls player Scottie Pippen is close to signing a two-match deal with Finland's Torpan Pojat (ToPo). The plan is that Pippen, a six-time NBA champion and now 41 years old, would play for ToPo in December or January.
"We are discussing details now, such as when and in which matches he will play," ToPo's general manager Aleksi Valavuori said.
"He would be the best player ever to have played in Europe."
He declined to reveal how much Pippen would be paid for the two matches, but said it it was not a six-figure amount in euros. Dennis Rodman, another former Chicago Bulls player, played one game for ToPo in 2005.
Cycling - Valverde case goes to CAS
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is to decide whether Spaniard Alejandro Valverde can participate in the World Championships this month, the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) said in a statement.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) banned Valverde from the competition last month because of his possible implication in the Operacion Puerto anti-doping investigation and called on the RFEC to open disciplinary proceedings against the rider.
However, the RFEC maintained that Valverde, who denies being involved in doping practices, would be entered for the World Championships on Sept. 30 and refused to open proceedings.
The RFEC and the UCI have now agreed to use the CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland to try and break the deadlock.
Baseball - Top Cuban hitter defects
The top slugger of Cuba's last baseball season, Alexei Ramirez, said yesterday he has defected in the Dominican Republic to fulfil his dream of playing in the US Major Leagues.
The 25-year-old right-handed hitter, who plays outfield and second base and helped Cuba win the gold medal in the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro in July, adds to a growing list of athletes who have defected from Communist-run Cuba in recent years.
"The dream of every baseball player is to get to the Major Leagues, and I want to be part of the world's best league too," Ramirez told Reuters.
In 2002, Cuba's best pitcher Jose Contreras defected and touched off a bidding war between the New York Yankees, who won, and the Boston Red Sox. He now plays for the Chicago White Sox on a $27m contract. news