Memphis police say Lorenzen Wright was shot to death

Former NBA player Lorenzen Wright, whose body was found in the woods outside Memphis, Tenn., was shot to death and the case is being investigated as a homicide, police said Thursday.

Family members had said Wednesday that police told them Wright’s body had been found near an apartment complex. Police delayed confirmation, awaiting an autopsy that confirmed the identity based on dental records, authorities said in a statement. The Shelby County medical examiner’s office reported that Wright died of a gunshot wound, police said.

Wright, a 34-year-old Memphis native, was last seen around midnight July 18. His family filed a missing person report with police on July 22, but investigators said as recently as Monday that they didn’t suspect foul play.

Police said a 911 call was placed from Wright’s cellphone early on July 19. Investigators determined the call came from the area where the body was found and on Wednesday searched the woods and found Wright.

The 6-foot-11 Wright played 13 years in the NBA for the Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wright left the University of Memphis early for the NBA, and the Clippers made him the No. 7 selection overall in 1996.

He averaged 8.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 778 career games.

BASKETBALL

The NCAA added to self-imposed sanctions by Arizona’s men’s basketball program, vacating 19 wins from the 2007-08 season and removing an additional scholarship for violations involving Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson. The university announced its sanctions in February, including the loss of a scholarship for 2011-12 and numerous cutbacks in recruiting visits over the next two seasons.

The NCAA upheld most of those self-imposed sanctions, but determined the school had used two ineligible players in 2007-08 and would have to vacate all wins involving those players and eliminate their statistics. It also took away a scholarship for 2012-13 and pushed back a two-year probation period for the program to Thursday instead of starting it in February, as the university had decided earlier.

The sanctions stem from Olson’s involvement with the promoter of two tournaments that were held over a four-year span on the university campus.

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Rick Pitino, worried that his wife and kids would find out he had a one-night stand with a woman he met in a bar, acknowledged that he didn’t immediately tell police about demands for cars, cash and housing in order to keep the tryst secret.

The Louisville basketball coach told jurors in Kentucky he kept quiet for nearly two months, hoping he could “contain” the damaging information.

Intimate details emerged over the past two days as Pitino, 57, testified against the woman, Karen Cunagin Sypher, at her federal extortion trial. He recounted the sex, the threatening calls he said left him “sick to my stomach” and strongly denied allegations he raped Sypher.

Pitino had to pause, look down and gather himself as he told jurors the hardest part of the case: telling his family about the 2003 affair after he reported the alleged extortion demands to the FBI in April 2009.

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Eddie House’s agent says the veteran guard has agreed to terms on a $2.8-million, two-year contract with the Miami Heat.

ETC.

SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) — Bruce Vaughan took advantage of cool morning conditions with an opening-round 66 to take a two-shot lead in the first round of the U.S. Senior Open on Thursday.

Less than a week after finishing in a tie for 20th at the Senior British Open, Vaughan picked up where he left off with birdies on the 16th and 18th holes — the 18th a brutal, uphill 465-yard par 4, converted from a par 5. Vaughan then birdied the second, third and sixth holes on his back nine, before bogeying the par-3 9th, his final hole of the day.

It was still the best round of the morning at Sahalee Country Club.

“(I’m) more shocked probably than anything,” Vaughan said. “I did everything you were supposed to do. It was nothing crazy.”

Loren Roberts shot a 2-under 68, finishing about an hour before Vaughan. Amateur Tim Jackson was also at 2 under, a year after leading this tournament after two rounds and finishing in a tie for 11th. Tom Lehman, Michael Allen and Joe Ozaki were another shot back after 69s.

Roberts methodically worked his way around the course, taking advantage of the few birdie holes and posting just one bogey. He birdied the 14th with a tap-in, then dropped a 20-footer on the 16th. Roberts also then birdied the par-5 second hole, one of only two par 5s on the course.

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Yani Tseng shot a four-under-par 68 in the opening round of the women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale and is tied for the lead as she pursues her third major title.

The rising star from Taiwan shot a bogey-free round that included a birdie and an eagle on the two finishing holes, putting her in a tie for the lead with Australian Katherine Hull.

Anne-Lise Caudal of France took the early lead with a 69 at Southport, England, and she was matched later in the day by South Korea’s Kim Lang and Sun Young Yoo, along with Brittany Lincicome of the U.S. Fellow American Michelle Wie shot a 70, as did In-Kyung Kim of South Korea.

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Double heart transplant recipient Erik Compton shot a 7-under 63 in the inaugural Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., to share the first-round lead with rookie Matt Every. Playing on a sponsor’s exemption, Compton made nine birdies, seven over a nine-hole stretch.

The 30-year-old Compton has made four cuts in six starts this season. He was diagnosed at age 9 with a disease that inflames the heart and leaves it unable to pump as hard as it needs to. His first transplant came three years later and his second one came in 2008.

George McNeill, Pat Perez and Jeff Overton opened with 64s.

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The Atlanta Thrashers re-signed restricted free-agent forward Andrew Ladd to a one-year deal worth $2.35 million. Ladd, 24, obtained in trade with the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this month, appeared in all 82 games for the Stanley Cup champions last season, recording a career-high 17 goals along with 21 assists.