IN BRIEF : Kareem Assault Case Not Settled

Lawyers for Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and an Italian man who claims Abdul-Jabbar injured him during a shoving incident in a Phoenix shopping mall have failed to reach an agreement. The negotiations Thursday before Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Barry Schneider could have avoided a trial scheduled to begin Tuesday in Municipal Court. Abdul-Jabbar, 41, the NBA’s all-time top scorer, faces two misdemeanor charges in the April 21, 1988, incident. Fernando Nicolia, 40, of Rome claims he suffered facial injuries when Abdul-Jabbar stiff-armed him as he was trying to videotape the basketball player in the Metrocenter mall.