phoenix suns

Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa returned to Brazil after his mother died. He flew to his hometown of Sao Paulo late Thursday after learning of the death of his mother, Ivete Barbosa.

Team officials are not sure when Barbosa will return. His mother had been ill, and he missed two weeks of training camp because she was hospitalized.

Tracy McGrady snapped out of a slump to score 22 of his 27 points in the second half Wednesday night, and the Houston Rockets beat the Phoenix Suns 94-82 in a game that featured a scoring landmark for Shaquille ...

Amare Stoudemire scored 49 points, falling a point short of his career high in the Phoenix Suns' 113-103 victory over Indiana on Wednesday night.

Stoudemire was 17-for-21 from the field, made 15 free throws without a miss and had 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals.

He just missed his career high of 50 points, set against Portland on Jan.

The wife of Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O'Neal said Thursday that her marriage to the NBA star is on the mend.

During an interview about the launch of her new video-sharing Web site, Shaunie O'Neal told The Associated Press that the couple plans to stop divorce proceedings soon.

"Neither one of us could probably answer why we were getting one in the first place," Shaunie O'Neal said.

Stanford men's basketball fans would have preferred to continue watching Brook Lopez in a Cardinal uniform. They'll have to be satisfied with watching him play in the NBA.

Lopez, a third-team All-American this past season, began his professional career on Thursday night when he was selected in the first round by the New Jersey Nets with the 10th overall pick.

Robin Lopez, who also declared himself for the NBA draft, went to the Phoenix Suns with the 15th overall pick of the first round.

Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice.

Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in January and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse earlier this month.

Just in case anybody had forgotten that Kobe Bryant has never won an NBA title without Shaquille O'Neal, the big man sent out a reminder.

The Phoenix Suns center can be seen rapping that "Kobe couldn't do without me" in a video posted online at celebrity news and gossip site TMZ.com During the two-minute video, a grinning O'Neal lurches through an improvised rap in which he skewers the Lakers'...

Vinny Del Negro has accepted an offer to coach the Chicago Bulls. The team said Tuesday that general manager John Paxson will introduce Del Negro at a news conference Wednesday.

Del Negro is the Phoenix Suns' assistant general manager and has never been a head coach. His selection ends a coaching search in which the Bulls pursued Mike D'Antoni and Doug Collins.

Terry Porter will be the Phoenix Suns' next coach, ending the club's monthlong search for a successor to Mike D'Antoni.

Phoenix general manager Steve Kerr said Saturday he had agreed to terms with Porter, who was an assistant with the Detroit Pistons.

The 45-year-old Porter played in the NBA for 17 seasons and teamed with Kerr in San Antonio. "He's got a great combination of leadership skills," Kerr said in a telephone interview.

"He's a great communicator.

Terry Porter will be the Phoenix Suns' next coach, ending the club's monthlong search for a successor to Mike D'Antoni.

Phoenix general manager Steve Kerr said Saturday he had agreed to terms with Porter, who was an assistant with the Detroit Pistons.

The 45-year-old Porter played in the NBA for 17 seasons and teamed with Kerr in San Antonio.