By The Associated Press

Published: Sunday, November 22, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 16, 2009 9:04 AM CST

Here's a look at weekend sports in brief around the world.

PRO BASKETBALL

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James may persuade NBA players to give up their No. 23s, but a league-wide retirement of Michael Jordan’s number seems unlikely.

James said Thursday he is considering switching his number next season and wants other players to do the same in honor of Jordan, the Hall of Famer who is often regarded at the league’s best player ever.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said on Saturday that “retiring a player’s number is a decision that has been made by the teams” and not the league.

The league has no policy preventing every player wearing No. 23 from petitioning for a change, though players generally have to wear a number five years before they can switch.

Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 and the NHL did the same with Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stafon Johnson already can speak in a soft, raspy voice less than three months after a weight bar crushed the Southern California tailback’s throat.

Johnson briefly demonstrated his remarkable recovery from a potentially fatal weight room accident Saturday before the No. 11 Trojans’ 55-21 loss to Stanford. Repeating the last words spoken to him by his grandfather, Johnson said, “God has a plan. Run, Stafon, run.”

Johnson also has regained the ability to swallow and eat solid food, an improbably quick achievement after several operations on his neck. His doctors have removed his tracheostomy tube from his throat, and he no longer has a feeding tube in his stomach.

Johnson has had three more operations since leaving the hospital Oct. 14.

GOLF

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Michelle Wie earned her first win on the LPGA Tour, closing with a 3-under 69 to finish two strokes ahead of Paula Creamer in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

Wie’s solid final round Sunday left her at 13-under 275 after starting the day at the Guadalajara Country Club tied for the lead with Cristie Kerr at 10 under. Morgan Pressel (67), Jiyai Shin (71) and Kerr (72) were three back.

The 20-year-old Wie qualified for a USGA event at age 10 and played an LPGA event when she was 12. She joined the LPGA this season and has begun to show the sizzling game that has made her the biggest attraction in women’s golf.

TENNIS

PARIS (AP) — Third-seeded Novak Djokovic scrambled to a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3) victory over local favorite Gael Monfils on Sunday to win the Paris Masters for the first time.

The victory gave Djokovic back-to-back ATP Tour titles after his win over top-ranked Roger Federer in the Swiss Indoors final last Sunday.

The third-ranked Djokovic also beat World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals in Paris and will be a strong favorite when he’ll try to defend his title at the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals from Nov. 22-29 in London.

ATHLETICS

LONDON (AP) — Caster Semenya’s lawyers say she was tricked into speaking to a reporter at The Guardian for a story in the British newspaper.

The 18-year-old South African runner, who won the 800-meter world championship title in August but had her accomplishment overshadowed by gender-test revelations, was quoted throughout in excerpts Friday and the full story published Saturday. The article was accompanied by several recent photographs.

Greg Nott, the managing partner for Dewey & LeBoeuf, issued a statement Saturday saying the quotes were obtained “under false pretenses and in a wrongful and unlawful manner.”

The Guardian rejected the claim in a statement Saturday, saying its reporter Don McRae was invited to speak to Semenya by her coach, Michael Seme. The Guardian said McRae spoke to Semenya on three different occasions, and that the runner willingly participated.

SOCCER

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA banned Diego Maradona from all soccer activities for two months for the Argentina’s coach expletive-filled rants after his team qualified for the World Cup.

A disciplinary panel for world soccer’s governing body heard Maradona give evidence during a three-hour hearing Sunday before excluding him from soccer until Jan. 15.

The 49-year-old coach will miss Argentina’s exhibition against the Czech Republic scheduled for Dec. 16. He also was fined $24,250.

FIFA said Maradona apologized to the world soccer family and showed “sincere remorse.”

The 1986 World Cup-winning captain launched his profane tirade at media critics after Argentina beat Uruguay 1-0 in its final qualifier last month.

SPORTS & ADVERTISING

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mean Joe Greene already had his four Super Bowl rings. Now, 30 years later, he also has his CLIO for one of TV’s most famous commercials.

Greene earned the award, given annually for excellence in advertising, for his role in the 1979 commercial in which he flipped his game jersey to a young fan who handed him a cold Coke as the weary Steelers’ lineman limped to the locker room following a game.

The commercial has been frequently cited as among the best in TV history.

Greene was not available to receive the award at the time it was presented. When Coke realized upon the 30th anniversary of the commercial’s airing that Greene still didn’t have it, a ceremony was held before the Bengals-Steelers game Sunday.

Tommy Okon, who played the wide-eyed youngster in the commercial, watched as Greene was given the award. He was 9 at the time of the filming.