Federal government is investigating NBA players’ union

The federal government is investigating the business practices of the NBA players’ union.

The union confirmed Friday it has received a subpoena for documents from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan and says it will cooperate with the investigation.

The NBPA also said in a statement that it has appointed a special committee to oversee an internal inquiry, including a financial audit.

Recent reports have questioned the NBPA’s finances and spending practices, largely having to do with the hiring of family members and firms that employ relatives of Executive Director Billy Hunter. Hunter says he will cooperate with the internal inquiry, but will not be in involved in the effort so it remains independent.

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Rafael Nadal dispatched Janko Tipsarevic, 6-2, 6-2, to advance to the Barcelona Open semifinals, while Milos Raonic served 14 aces and upset second-seeded Andy Murray, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Nadal, a six-time champion at the tournament, will face fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. Raonic will next face David Ferrer.

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Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka needed nearly three hours to overcome Mona Barthel, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-5, for a place in the Porsche Grand Prix semifinals at Stuttgart, Germany. Azarenka will face fourth-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska, a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 winner over Li Na.

Second-ranked Maria Sharapova rallied to outlast Samantha Stosur of Australia, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5. Sharapova will face third-ranked Petra Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion who beat Angelique Kerber, 6-4, 6-4, in the last quarterfinal.

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Jason Dufner positioned himself for yet another shot at his first PGA Tour title, shooting a seven-under 65 on Friday to take the second-round lead in the Zurich Classic at Avondale, La.

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Stacy Lewis birdied five of her final nine holes for a five-under 67 and a one-shot lead after the second round of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic in Alabama.

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In front of some of the players he has molded into one of the greatest football teams of all time, Barcelona Coach Pep Guardiola stepped down on Friday, bringing to a close a four-year reign of unprecedented success.

Guardiola said he will leave the club at the end of the season, explaining at a news conference held at the Camp Nou that the demands of the job were too high and his energy levels too low to continue. His assistant Tito Vilanova will then take over the team.

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Moose Skowron, a five-time World Series champion and one of only two players to hit three home runs in Game 7s, died Friday of congestive heart failure at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill. He was 81. See Passings, AA5

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Ron Ballatore, who guided UCLA to the 1982 men’s NCAA swimming championship and coached at five Olympics, has died at 71 in Gainesville, Fla., after a long battle with bone cancer.

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Detroit Tigers left fielder Delmon Young apologized to his team and fans Friday, just before getting arraigned on a hate crime harassment charge for a fight at his hotel during which police say he yelled anti-Semitic epithets.

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Kurt Busch held on in a side-by-side, last-lap duel with local favorite Denny Hamlin to win the Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia.

The race marked the debut of X Games star Travis Pastrana in the series. He finished 22nd.