Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Rasheed Wallace announced his retirement from the NBA on Wednesday, according to the New York Knicks public relations department’s Twitter account.

BRISTOL, Conn. — Brittney Griner left an indelible mark on women’s college basketball. Now she’s ready to take on the pros.

The Phoenix Mercury took Baylor’s star center with the top pick in the WNBA draft Monday night. Despite knowing she was going first, the two-time AP Player of the Year admitted she was extremely nervous.

“It’s a dream come true, I’m like a little kid in Disney World the first time meeting all the characters,” Griner said. “Sitting at the table they said 15 seconds and my heart started beating so fast. I was grabbing the tablecloth underneath.”

Pictured: Brittney Griner, left, shakes hands with WNBA President Laurel J. Richie after the Phoenix Mercury selected Griner as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 15, 2013, in Bristol, Conn.

UCLA star Shabazz Muhammad, one of the most intriguing players in college basketball, has officially declared his intentions to enter the 2013 NBA draft.

The Bruins made the news official with a statement on their official website, where Muhammad shared his thoughts on his decision to leave for the pros.

“I am so thankful for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at UCLA and will always be proud to be a Bruin. From a young age, I have dreamed of playing in the NBA, and I believe that this is the right time for me to move to the next level.”

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—Kobe Bryant had surgery Saturday on his torn Achilles tendon, ending his season with two games left in the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff chase.

Lakers trainer Gary Vitti thinks Bryant will need six to nine months for recovery from the most serious injury of his 17-year NBA career. Given Bryant’s history of swift recovery from countless minor injuries, Vitti and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak both believe the 34-year-old guard could be back for their season opener in the fall.

Bryant fought back tears in the locker room moments after learning his tendon was torn, and he wrote a lengthy Facebook post about his injury early Saturday morning, saying his “frustration is unbearable.” “Why the hell did this happen ?!?” Bryant wrote. “Makes no damn sense. Now I’m supposed to come back from this and be the same player Or better at 35?!? How in the world am I supposed to do that??”

He added: “Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me…Then again maybe not!” “One day, the beginning of a new career journey will commence. Today is NOT that day.”

NEW YORK — The NBA fined Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant, $25,000 on Friday for making a “menacing gesture,” when he pretended to slice his throat after throwing down a big dunk during the Thunder’s victory against the Golden State Warriors.

The play that led to Durant’s costly celebration occurred with about 1:45 left in the second quarter of Oklahoma City’s 116-97 win at Golden State. Thunder guard Russell Westbrook blocked Stephen Curry’s layup, and Durant corralled the ball and went in for a soaring dunk at the other end of the court. He then made throat-slashing gesture and crossed his hands in prayer.

Monday was be a key day for negotiations between the Cincinnati Bengals and free-agent linebacker James Harrison.

Reports Sunday said the team and player could come to a contract agreement. Harrison, 34, is looking for work after parting ways with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he made the Pro Bowl five times, put up 64 sacks and collected 29 forced fumbles in nine years.

Despite nearly claiming a national championship in 2013, Michigan Wolverines star Trey Burke is foregoing the upcoming season in Ann Arbor.

‘After talking it over with my family and coaching staff and weighing all my options, I have decided to enter the NBA Draft. I feel that is the right decision for me and my future. It has been a dream of mine to play in the NBA, and I feel excited and well prepared to take that next step in my career,’ [Burke said].

The 6’0” point guard averaged 18.6 points and 6.7 assists on the year, often coming up with huge steals or making big plays down the stretch to close out games.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Eric Wright signed a one-year deal on Tuesday that will pay him $1.5 million next season, with a chance to make up to $3 million with incentives, the team announced.

Wright was suspended for four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy last season and had his grievance about his guaranteed salary denied. He lost $1.7 million in game checks during the four-game ban.

Wright was set to make $7.75 million in 2013, and that salary was no longer guaranteed due to that suspension causing the team to re-work his deal.

Wright started all 10 games in which he played for the team last season and finished with 39 tackles, one interception returned 60 yards for a touchdown, eight passes defensed and one fumble recovery. He spent the previous season with the Detroit Lions.

After helping the Nets relocate from New Jersey to his hometown of Brooklyn, rapper and entrepreneur Shawn Carter — better known as Jay-Z — will reportedly drop his stake in the franchise so that he can pursue a future representing NBA players as an agent.

A source reports that Carter’s Roc Nation Sports business will partner with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) on the new venture, which can’t be undertaken as long as he is affiliated with an NBA franchise in an ownership role, per league rules.

The process is expected to be completed in time for Roc Nation to compete for players entering the June NBA draft, but there’s no guarantee of the timing, sources said. Those within Roc Nation and the CAA alliance aren’t “chasing a clock on this,” one source said. “This isn’t about one draft, but taking the long view of the business.”