Hundreds of fans, friends and family members attended the funeral of Lorenzen Wright, a 13-year NBA veteran who died of gunshot wounds in a mysterious case that police are treating as a homicide.
The body of Wright, 34, was found on July 28 in woods outside his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. He had been missing for 10 days. No arrests have been made and Memphis police will not discuss whether they have a motive or suspects.
Wright played at the University of Memphis before the Los Angeles Clippers made the 6ft 11ins forward the No 7 pick in the 1996 NBA draft.
He later played for Atlanta, Memphis, Sacramento and Cleveland. He averaged 7.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in 778 career games.
A hang-up call on the police emergency number from Wright's mobile phone in the early hours of July 19 has become a key piece of evidence in the investigation. The call was received by dispatchers in the Memphis suburb of Germantown, but they did not alert patrol officers or commanders because they could not confirm that it came from inside their jurisdiction.
The top police officials in Germantown said they did not learn of the call until July 27, eight days after it was made and five days after Wright's family reported him missing.
Meanwhile, the NBA has revealed that Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets will play two exhibition games in China next month against the New Jersey Nets. The games will be played in Beijing on October 13 and in Shanghai on October 16.
Yao, China's must popular sportsman, missed last season with a broken foot.
This will be the NBA's fifth set of pre-season games in China and the second involving the Rockets, who drafted Yao with the No 1 overall pick in 2002.
They took part in the inaugural China games in 2004.
Also, the Detroit Pistons re-signed centre Ben Wallace, 35, to a two-year contract worth $1.9 million (Dh6.9m) per season.
* Agencies
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
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Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
MATCH INFO
Hoffenheim v Liverpool
Uefa Champions League play-off, first leg
Location: Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim
Kick-off: Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)