EX-NBA PLAYER GETS NINE-YEAR SENTENCE FOR PONZI SCHEME
trenton, n.j.» Former NBA player and University of Connecticut star Tate George was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison for running a real estate Ponzi scheme.
A federal judge in Trenton also ordered George to pay $2.5 million in restitution and serve three years of supervised release.
George was convicted more than two years ago on four wire fraud counts. His victims included current NBA player Charlie Villanueva, former player Brevin Knight and “The Apprentice” winner Randal Pinkett. They lost several hundred thousand dollars altogether, prosecutors said.
On the final day of a sentencing process that spanned several days beginning in December, George argued for more than an hour and a half for leniency while maintaining his innocence.
He didn’t offer an apology, but instead continued to say he was a wellintentioned businessman whose real estate projects and investments unexpectedly fell through.
Kobe receives most all-star votes
B new york» Kobe Bryant is the leading vote-getter for his final NBA AllStar Game, and Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry made late moves to join him in the starting lineup.
Leonard will start in his first AllStar Game and Lowry will start on his home court in Toronto after both made up ground in the final days of voting on Thursday.
Nobody was catching Bryant, who had 1.9 million votes and was selected an all-star for the 18th time.
MVP Stephen Curry of Golden State was next with 1.6 million and they will be joined in the Western Conference lineup by Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and Leonard.
Cleveland’s LeBron James and Indiana’s Paul George will start in the East frontcourt with New York’s Carmelo Anthony, who held off Chicago’s Pau Gasol by 360 votes.
Miami’s Dwyane Wade starts at guard with Lowry.
Mickelson strong in return
B la quinta, calif.» Phil Mickelson returned from a long layoff with a big mid-round run. PGA West’s TPC Stadium Course came back strong, too, in the CareerBuilder Challenge.
The 45-year-old Mickelson opened with a 4-under 68 at La Quinta Country Club in his first start since the Presidents Cup in October, playing a seven-hole stretch in 6 under.
“I’ve had a lot of time off,” Mickelson said. “It was fun to get back into the swing of it. We had a beautiful day here. Weather’s spectacular. Golf course was great. I had a good solid round.”
Lefty holed out for eagle on the par-4 eighth with a shot that spun back 15 feet, chipped in on the next hole for a front-nine 31 and added another birdie on 11. He three-putted for par on the par-5 13th and made two late bogeys to fall four strokes behind leaders Jason Dufner, Jerry Kelly, Jeff Overton and Anirban Lahiri.
•Rory McIlroy began 2016 with a masterful display of driving to set up a 6-under 66 at the Abu Dhabi Championship, upstaging top-ranked playing partner Jordan Spieth in the first round on Thursday.
McIlroy was one stroke behind early leader Henrik Stenson (65) after rolling in eight birdies in his first appearance after two months off, during which he underwent laser eye surgery.
Sounders sign top college player
B seattle» The Seattle Sounders have signed homegrown star Jordan Morris, convincing the top college player last season to start his professional career in the U.S. rather than overseas.
Morris was the Hermann Trophy winner as the top college player in the country after helping lead Stanford to its first national title. Morris skipped his senior season with the Cardinal for a chance to turn pro.