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In a trailblazing announcement Monday, the Washington Wizards center said he was gay. Experts say that could give the 34-year-old second-tier athlete a career boost.

A veteran of 12 seasons in the league, the basketball player says he's going public now because he's confronted "who I really am and what I really want." While some players from major team sports have come out after retiring, he's the first to do so while still planning to play.

There were big NBA playoff games Friday night, plus a potentially game-changing injury for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks to NPR's Tom Goldman for the sports news of the week.

Thomas McAllister believes in his Washington, D.C. teams so much that he's vowing not to shave until one of them - the Redskins, Wizards, Capitals or Nationals - goes all the way. The Washington Post says he hasn't shaved since last June, a day before he got married.

The Los Angeles Lakers' 33-game run in 1971-72 still stands as the NBA record. There is a case to be made, though, that the game has changed a lot since then and that the Heat's streak deserves special attention.

Spring's around the corner, and baseball's back in full swing with spring training and the World Baseball Classic entering the elimination stage. While the Miami Heat have been on a tear, Grambling State just completed the opposite: a winless season at 0-28. Host Scott Simon is joined by Howard Bryant of ESPN.

We often put athletes on a pedestal. But after the latest accusations of bad behavior — accusations that include a murder charge against Oscar Pistorius — it may be time to lower that pedestal several notches, says Frank Deford.

The man who brought Showtime to Los Angeles has died. Under Lakers owner Jerry Buss, the team won 10 NBA championships. His players loved him, and his business smarts helped market the team in ways the league had never seen before. Buss had been hospitalized recently and was undergoing treatment for cancer. He was 80 years old.

The Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius was charged this week with the murder of his girlfriend at his home in South Africa. His appearance in the 2012 Olympics marked the first time a double amputee had ever competed. Also, with Selection Sunday just four weeks away, no team in college basketball can hang onto the No. 1 spot. Weekend Edition Saturday Scott Simon talks with Howard Bryant of ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine.

The NBA's All-Star Game is just next weekend, and it's a surprise which teams are hottest going into the break. In Pennsylvania, the Paterno family is gearing up to address last summer's devastating Freeh Report. Civil War-era baseball also made headlines this week. NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman shares all this with Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon.