NBA Unveils Full Regular-Season Schedule

The NBA unveiled its full regular-season schedule Wednesday night. An extended All-Star break for the first time in league history was announced, but there will be plenty of intriguing matchups before the February showcase. LeBron James returns to Miami on Christmas Day as his Cavaliers take on the
Heat in one of five holiday games.

James, of course, won two titles with the Heat before bolting back to Cleveland this offseason. The remaining four games on Christmas are: Wizards-Knicks, Thunder-Spurs, Lakers-Bulls and Warriors-Clippers. The Spurs will unveil their fifth championship banner on Oct. 28 against the Mavericks, one of three Opening Night games with the other two being Magic-Hornets and Rockets-Lakers.

Team USA Begins Training Camp In Chicago

(Chicago, IL) -- Team USA is set to begin another round of training camp in Chicago today as the team prepares for the upcoming FIBA World Cup. Sixteen NBA finalists will eventually be trimmed down to a final 12-man roster. The U.S. will play an exhibition against Brazil Saturday at the United Center, followed by two more next week at New York's Madison Square Garden against the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The FIBA World Cup begins August 30 in Spain.

Latest Effort To Stop Clippers Sale

Donald Sterling's latest effort to stop the Clippers from  being sold  has quickly been denied by an appeals court. Steve  Ballmer's $2 billion bid to purchase the team closed Tuesday after a California court confirmed Shelly Sterling's authority to sell the team on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust. Donald Sterling appealed the decision on Wednesday and was promptly denied.

The sale was prompted after former owner Donald Sterling was banned for life from the NBA by commissioner Adam Silver in late April and fined $2.5 million for his racially offensive comments.