James Signs a Cavalier Contract

LeBron James signed his three-year, $12.96-million rookie contract Thursday with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected the 18-year-old Akron high school star with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.

James, who already has signed endorsement deals worth more than $100 million and will soon add more to his expanding business portfolio, will be paid $4.02 million next season.

As per the league’s collective bargaining agreement, the Cavaliers will pay James $4.32 million in 2004-05, and $4.62 million in 2005-06. The team has a club option for a fourth year at $5.8 million.

James’ contract represents a 20% increase on the deal the Houston Rockets paid center Yao Ming, last year’s top pick.

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Guard Luke Ridnour, a first-round pick of the Seattle SuperSonics, has a fractured pelvis but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp. An MRI exam showed a slight fracture, and he will be re-examined in two to four weeks.

The guard from Oregon, who was the Pacific 10 player of the year last season, was injured during a workout with the Milwaukee Bucks last month but thought it was a mild abdominal strain and worked out later with the SuperSonics and other teams.

Ridnour was Seattle’s second pick in the first round and 14th overall selection in the NBA draft last week. The SuperSonics selected him after taking Kansas forward Nick Collison with the 12th pick.

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Guard Jay Williams of the Chicago Bulls has been transferred to Duke University Medical Center, where he’ll continue rehabilitation for career-threatening injuries to his knee and pelvis.

Williams was released Wednesday from Illinois Masonic Hospital and flown to Durham, N.C., his family said in a statement

Williams bought a new motorcycle June 12. One week after its purchase, he slammed into a pole on Chicago’s North Side, putting his promising future in jeopardy.

Women’s Basketball

Shalonda Enis scored 29 points and Allison Feaster had 23 as the Charlotte Sting defeated the Detroit Shock, 92-79, in front of 6,511 in a WNBA game at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Sue Bird scored 21 points and had 10 assists to lead the Seattle Storm to a 76-72 victory over the Washington Mystics in front of 7,042 at Seattle.

Motor Racing

The same No. 30 Chevrolet that won the pole for the Daytona 500 will be out front for the start of Saturday night’s NASCAR Winston Cup Series Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The only difference is the driver this time will be Steve Park.

Jeff Green, at the wheel of the Richard Childress Racing entry in February, was fired in May and replaced by Park, fired the same week by Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Park bumped four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon off the top spot with a lap of 184.752 mph.

Kevin Harvick nearly knocked Park off the top spot, shuffling Gordon to third with a lap of 184.642, only 0.029 seconds slower than Park.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole for tonight’s NASCAR Busch Series race. He was the last of 48 cars to qualify at Daytona International Speedway and ran a lap at 186.308 mph to bump Kasey Kahne off the pole for the Winn-Dixie 250.

Kahne ran a lap at 186.243, and withstood challenges from Winston Cup regulars Michael Waltrip and Joe Nemechek. But he dropped to second after Earnhardt’s lap.

French police impounded the BAR team’s Formula One cars after a court order seeking payment of an old debt.

The seizure threatens the team’s participation in this weekend’s French Grand Prix at Magny Cours. Jenson Button of Britain and Jacques Villeneuve of Canada drive for BAR.

France Corbeil, of S.A.M. Partnership Production Group International, obtained a court order, which claims the team failed to pay commissions five years ago based on a sponsorship agreement with former BAR sponsor Teleglobe.

Miscellany

Defending champion Harvard and three other U.S. rowing crews advanced to the quarterfinals of the Temple Cup for student eights at the Henley Royal Regatta at Henley-on-Thames, England.

Harvard beat Northern Ireland’s Queen’s University by 1 1/2 lengths, while The “A” crew from Princeton defeated Ireland’s Trinity College by 4 1/4 lengths.

The Dartmouth Rowing Club made it to the final eight with a 2 1/2-length victory over England’s Caius College, while the “B” crew from Princeton beat Virginia by two lengths.

Sprinter Allyson Felix, who graduated from Los Angeles Baptist High in North Hills last month, is expected to make her debut on the European track and field circuit today when she runs in the women’s 200 meters in an IAAF Golden League meet in Paris.

Felix, 17, placed third in the 200 in the USA Track & Field championships at Stanford last month to qualify for the U.S. team that will compete in the world championships in Paris from Aug. 23-31.

Tim Leary has rejoined the UCLA baseball coaching staff, it was announced by Bruin Coach Gary Adams. Leary, a former UCLA star who helped pitch the Dodgers win the 1988 World Series, coached Bruin pitchers from 1997 to 2000.

Passings

Joseph C. “Duke” Marhefka, the last-known surviving player from the 1924 Pottsville NFL team, has died at age 101. He died in Easton, Pa., on Monday, said his wife, Gladys.