Prospect's European Exile Ruffles Feathers

Olson calls NBA rule "farce," plans to push for changes benefiting college basketball

(NEWSER) - Lute Olson is sick of an NBA rule that results in top basketball prospects spending just one year in college, the Los Angeles Times reports, and says he'll no longer recruit such players for his University of Arizona program. Olson, who's seen the rule cost Arizona two top players this spring alone, calls it a "farce" and say he'll push for changes. More»

(NEWSER) - Women get excited over dresses at the Oscars. J.E. Skeets of Yahoo Sports gets excited about suits at the NBA draft. Here are his picks for the best- and worst-dressed players at last night's big event:

• Best Dressed: Brandon Jennings—"What's not to like?"
• Worst Dressed: Hasheem Thabeet wasn’t a disaster, but "shiny light grey on a seven-foot-three-inch frame is not a great look."

NBA's success rate has hovered around 75% for half-century

(NEWSER) - Basketball's free-throw statistics have stayed steady at a rate that amazes academics, the New York Times reports. While most aspects of basketball and other sports have seen records steadily edge up over the years, free-throw shooting hit a plateau of a 75% success rate in the NBA more than 50 years ago and has barely budged since then. More»

Cocaine killed the athlete 22 years ago, but the impact lingers

(NEWSER) - Twenty-two years ago, Celtics legend Larry Bird called the sudden death of new Boston draftee Len Bias "one of the the cruelest things I've ever heard." The legacy of the Maryland basketball great, whose NBA career ended with cocaine use just two days after it began, retains its nuance and potency even now, writes Michael Weinreb for ESPN. More»

Mayo scandal shocks few, and penalties remain slight

(NEWSER) - The NBA can't stop agents from scurrying around high school and college basketball these days, offering illegal gifts to sign young players. Although the players are getting younger—more go pro right out of high school—punishments for players and agents alike remain slight, the New York Times reports. More»