Phoenix Sun and Chicago native Quentin Richardson put up an air ball on his first shot in the final round of the 3-point shootout, but he closed out by making nine in a row to edge Philadelphia’s Kyle Korver by one point.
CHALLENGE MET: Suns teammate Steve Nash won the skills challenge, completing the final dribbling, passing and shooting course nearly 12 seconds faster than Denver’s Earl Boykins.
SAY WHAT?: Cavaliers star LeBron James appeared on the cover of this week’s “Sports Illustrated” with the headline “Best Ever?”
ROOKIES REPRESENT: How did the Bulls players do in the NBA Rookie Challenge Game? Luol Deng had 17 points, and Ben Gordon kicked in 13 for the rookies, but Kirk Hinrich missed all seven of his shots and had six assists for the sophomores, who won 133-106.
THEY SAID ‘YEAH’: R&B star Usher is buying a minority ownership stake in the Cavaliers as part of Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert’s $375 million purchase of the team from Gordon Gund, Bloomberg news reports. Usher joins Jay-Z (Nets) and Nelly (Bobcats) as part owners of NBA franchises.
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