Basketball referee Troy Raymond commits suicide

College basketball and former NBA referee Troy Raymond committed suicide in a New Orleans hotel room late last week just hours after police found his wife’s body in their Houston-area home.

Police found his wife, Leslie Anderson Raymond, 41, deceased at their home in Spring, Texas, at 2:08 p.m. on Friday.

Constable Tim Holifield of Montgomery County Precinct Three told CBSSports.com that the medical examiner ruled the cause of death a homicide caused by asphyxiation due to manual strangulation.

“We’re not prepared to tell you who’s responsible,” Holified said. “But certainly Mr. Raymond is a person of interest — and his death brings about more questions than answers.”

Holified said that during the course of the investigation while at the residence on Friday, investigators were notified that Troy Raymond had been found dead in a hotel in New Orleans due to a single gunshot wound to the head.

— Reported by Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports.

Scottie Pippen wins $2.37M judgment over airplane deal

Scottie Pippen thanks his family and friends

Former NBA basketball star Scottie Pippen has won a $2.37 million judgment against a Miami businessman, Craig Frost, and a Miami company, CF Air.

Pippen, who has a home in Fort Lauderdale, and his wife, Larsa Pippen, filed suit against Frost in 2007 regarding Pippen’s disastrous ownership of his own airplane through a company called Air Pip.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Air Pip had fallen apart in 2004, and Pippen lost a related $5 million judgment in Missouri to U.S. BankbizWatch . Pippen lost a further appeal of that judgment in 2007.

Pippen tried to argue that he was a victim of a conspiracy by those he trusted to put together the airplane deal.

— Paul Brinkmann of the South Florida Business-Journal

Police to interview Kobe Bryant about sprained wrist of fellow churchgoer

Kobe Bryant

Police said Tuesday they were seeking to interview Los Angeles Lakers all-star guard Kobe Bryant over allegations he sprained the wrist of a man possibly trying to take his picture at a San Diego church.

The man said Bryant, who has won five NBA championship rings with the Lakers, grabbed his wrist and took his phone away, only to give it back when he found no photos of himself or his wife inside, San Diego Police Detective Gary Hassen told Reuters.

“Detectives have the case and are hoping to talk with Mr. Bryant,” Hassen said of the incident at Carmel Valley Catholic Church on Sunday.

The man, who was not identified by authorities, was treated for a sprained wrist at a local hospital, Hassen said.

— Reuters

Members of Nets given OK to attend Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries wedding

Kim Kardashian

The New Jersey Nets can accept their invitation to Kim Kardashian’s wedding.

A team official says the Nets have been granted permission to attend the reality star’s marriage to forward Kris Humphries on Saturday in California.

General manager Billy King and other members of the Nets’ basketball operations department are expected to attend the ceremony of their free agent forward, the official told The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the guest list was to remain private.

— As reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Hornets continue drive for sponsorships, ticket sales despite NBA lockout

The NBA’s current lockout has not hindered the Hornets’ push to solicit more support from area businesses and fans.

Entergy, the lone Fortune 500 company in the metro area, agreed Monday to become the Hornets’ fourth major Crescent City Champions sponsor, joining Cox Communications, 7-UP and Ochsner Health System.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but each Crescent City sponsorship deal is estimated to be about $1 million, sources said.

“Building strong corporate support for the Hornets in New Orleans is fundamental to our mission to keep the team in this great city and to ultimately find local ownership,’’ Hornets president Hugh Weber said.

— Report by John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

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