Hooped Up

With no apparent interest from NBA teams, Allen Iverson is set to retire, according to an online report.

Commentator Stephen A. Smith published a statement on his Web site Wednesday attributed to Iverson. It said Iverson plans to retire but also that “I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level.”

The statement also said Iverson has tremendous love for the game and the desire to play, adding there is “a whole lot left in my tank.”

“His legacy would be huge,” Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star LeBron James said. “He’s one of the best when you talk about guys 6-foot and under in the game of basketball. He played injured and he played hard every single night. I don’t think it should end this way, but if it does, he’s left a lot of great things behind.”
Press Release

It came, appropriately, on a lob pass.

Jason Kidd waited until just the right moment, like he always does, and flipped the ball high over the defense.

Roddy Beaubois went up and got it, then flushed it through the net with authority. That gave Kidd his fifth assist of the game against Houston and his 10,335th for his career, pushing him past Mark Jackson for second on the NBA’s all-time assist list. He’ll never catch John Stockton, of course. That 5,000-dish lead is something Kidd will never make up.

Doubtful that anybody else will make it there, either.
Dallas Morning News

Only two people know all the details of the NBA’s 2008 betting scandal: former NBA referee Tim Donaghy and his associate, former professional gambler Jimmy “The Sheep” Battista. Both men served time in federal prison for their roles in the gambling scheme.

A source close to Battista who says the gambler explained to him the details of the betting operation tells 7Sports that Battista says he was working with 13 referees and not just Donaghy, as the NBA has claimed.

The source says Battista showed him what the gambler claims are phone records and game notes confirming the names of all 13 referees involved.

The source also tells 7Sports that Battista claimed to have a “Big 5″ of “dependable” referees and that Donaghy was the “King,” delivering a winning bet in 78 percent of the games he officiated.

Battista pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transmit wagering information in connection with Donaghy and served 15 months in federal prison.
News Boston