Timberwolves Sold, Will Stay in Minneapolis

The Minnesota Timberwolves announced the team is being sold to businessman Glen Taylor, a former state senator. The sale, for an unspecified amount, is pending NBA approval.

The team was first sold last spring to a Louisiana group that planned to move the club to New Orleans. But the league refused to approve the deal and expressed hope for a buyer who would keep the team in Minneapolis.

Taylor, 53, served 10 years in the Minnesota Senate, resigning his office in 1990 to concentrate on his printing and graphics companies. Taylor’s wealth is estimated at $400 million.

*

Toni Kukoc said he has agreed to a six-year, $26-million deal with the Chicago Bulls that will make him the highest-paid player in the club’s history. Michael Jordan was paid $3.9 million for the 1992-93 season, but made a reported $32 million in endorsements.

*

The prosecutor in the assault and battery case against former Laker Michael Cooper said there’s a good chance the case will be settled without a trial.

Cooper, now an assistant coach with the Lakers, was arrested July 27 in Corrales, N.M., for assault and battery on his wife.

Corrales prosecutor Michelle Frechette said entering counseling probably would be a factor in Cooper’s favor. Cooper began inpatient therapy Thursday, according to his attorney, Joe Lang.

*

The Phoenix Suns and forward A.C. Green have sued the NBA over the league’s invalidation of Green’s contract.

The league rejected the contracts of Green and the Bulls’ Horace Grant, who had signed with the Orlando Magic, saying the deals were designed to circumvent the salary cap.

Green signed as a free agent before last season, then exercised his escape clause after the season and re-signed with the Suns for five years at about $26 million.

*

The city of Tacoma and the Seattle SuperSonics have agreed on a contract for the team to play next season’s home games in the Tacoma Dome. The SuperSonics will play in Tacoma, 30 miles south of Seattle, while the Seattle Coliseum is rebuilt at a cost of $74 million. It is expected to be ready for the 1995-96 season.

*

Rod Baker, after considering an offer to join mentor George Blaney as associate head coach at Seton Hall, accepted a two-year contract extension to remain as basketball coach at UC Irvine through the 1996-97 season. Baker played for Blaney at Holy Cross and was his assistant in 1976-77.

Golf

Bernhard Langer, seeking the only major German title to elude him, shot a four-under 68 to tie Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke for the second-round lead in the BMW International Open at Munich. Clarke shot a 69.

Betsy King, despite a triple bogey on the 12th hole and rainy conditions, retained a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the McCall’s LPGA Classic at Stratton Mountain, Vt. King shot a one-over 73 for a 137.

Jim Albus and Bob Brue sloshed through the rain-soaked Nashawtuc Country Club to shoot opening-round 67s and share the first-round lead of the Bank of Boston Classic in Concord, Mass.

Miscellany

A jury in Columbiana, Ala., returned a $160,000 verdict against former Alabama football star David Palmer, who now plays for the Minnesota Vikings. Palmer was involved in a 1992 auto accident that injured a Tuscaloosa man.

Larry Donald’s 10-round heavyweight fight against Andrew Golota scheduled for Aug. 13 at the Olympic Auditorium has been called off because Donald injured his back.

Kerri Strug, a 1992 Olympic gymnast, was hospitalized in serious condition after falling off the parallel bars during a meet in Palm Springs. Strug, 17, of Tucson, Ariz., was in serious condition at Desert Hospital.

Chip Hanauer, driver of the Miss Budweiser, flipped in one boat, then drove a backup and to the fastest qualifying time for Sunday’s Texaco Cup unlimited hydroplane race in Seattle. Hanauer had an average speed of 157.936 m.p.h.

Names in the News

Lori McNeil has withdrawn from the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles tennis tournament next week because of a knee injury.

Jim Reilly, 46, a former Buffalo Bill and Notre Dame offensive lineman, died of a heart attack while playing basketball in Fredonia, N.Y., on Wednesday. Reilly was Buffalo’s third-round draft choice in 1970.