tennis
POLICE examine poison claim AT WIMBLEDON
LONDON — Detectives are investigating allegations that a British player at Wimbledon was poisoned, after she fell ill with a bacterial infection that can be spread through rat urine, London's Metropolitan Police said Thursday.
Gabriella Taylor (above), 18, was playing in the junior tournament when she became sick July 6 and had to drop out.
Her mother, Milena, said Gabriella was hospitalized in intensive care and diagnosed with leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread by animals. She told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that "the bacteria the infection team found is so rare in Britain that we feel this could not have been an accident."
London's Metropolitan Police said detectives were investigating an allegation of poisoning "with intent to endanger life" or cause bodily harm that took place in Wimbledon, a district of London, between July 1-10. No one had been arrested, they said. Police were awaiting medical information about what, if any, poison was involved.
Britain's National Health Service says leptospirosis is uncommon in the United Kingdom, with fewer than 40 cases a year reported. It can be caught by touching soil or water contaminated with the urine of infected animals, particularly rats. It usually causes mild flulike symptoms, but in some cases it can lead to organ failure and internal bleeding.
Taylor on Wednesday posted on Twitter a picture of herself on a tennis court with the caption: "So happy to be back on court!! Taking it step by step!"
nba
New LeBron deal: 3 years, $100M
LeBron James is staying with the Cavaliers on a three-year, $100 million deal, reports said. His $31 million salary for next season will make him the league's highest-paid player for the first time, ESPN said, and his $33 million salary in 2017-18 will be the highest single-season salary in NBA history.
James, 31, made it clear on the day of the NBA championship parade in Cleveland that he would return to defend the title. What wasn't clear until Thursday was the type of contract he would sign. James played on one-year deals during his first two years in Cleveland.
"I can't be more excited than this opportunity," James said on a video on the website uninterrupted.com. "I just can't wait to get the group back together."
Schedule released: Kevin Durant will return to Oklahoma City on Feb. 11 and join the Warriors for an NBA Finals rematch at Cleveland on Christmas Day. Dwyane Wade will return to Miami and Derrick Rose will go back to Chicago early in the 2016-17 season in the scheduled unveiled Thursday. The season begins Oct. 25 in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers will raise their first championship banner against the retooled Knicks, which acquired Rose from the Bulls in June. Wade, who signed with the Bulls this offseason after spending his entire career with the Heat, plays in Miami as a visitor for the first time Nov. 10.
Times wires
