IN BRIEF : Kareem to Take New Team on Road

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will lead a basketball team of American all-stars on a tour of Australia and Asia in July.

The veteran center, who will retire from the Lakers at the end of the NBA playoffs after a 20-year pro career, will head a team that will play three games against the Australian national team from July 24 through 28.

The U.S. all-stars will also play a game in Taiwan on July 29, and negotiations are under way for an appearance in Hong Kong, a spokesman said.

Kareem’s team will include NBA veterans Otis Birdsong, Cedric Maxwell, Kyle Macy, Artis Gilmore and Calvin Natt, plus Bob McAdoo, who is playing in Europe with an Italian team, Tracer Milan.