Heat’s Thomas Has Surgery

Miami Heat forward Kurt Thomas will be sidelined about four weeks after undergoing surgery to help repair a stress fracture in his right ankle, the team said. . . . Point guard Chris Childs was activated from the injured list by the New York Knicks. An off-season acquisition as a free agent, Childs broke a bone in his right leg during a preseason game practice, and was on the disabled list when the season began. . . . The Orlando Magic put Penny Hardaway on the injured list and activated rookie Amal McCaskill, who has not played this season because of tendinitis in his right knee. Hardaway, who leads the Magic in scoring with a 21-point average, had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Sunday and will be sidelined 2-4 weeks. . . . The Denver Nuggets placed veteran guard Ricky Pierce on the injured list because of a strained back and waived center Rich King.

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Activism on the part of African Americans--and not diminishing talents--ended former Chicago Bull Craig Hodges’ career in the NBA, he contends in a federal lawsuit.

Hodges, 36, played 3 1/2 seasons for the Bulls, including their first two championship seasons of 1990-91 and 1991-92. Hampered by ankle and knee injuries, he sat out 26 games in his final season and averaged a career-low 4.3 points.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Hodges claims no other team would give him a tryout after his contract with the Bulls expired because the league blacklisted him.

The lawsuit says the league and the Bulls were embarrassed by Hodges during the team’s visit to the White House after winning its first title in 1991. Hodges wore African garments and handed President Bush a letter “calling for an end to injustice toward the African-American community,” the lawsuit says.