Auction jersey worn by Mourning has autographs of Obama and 12 stars

A basketball jersey worn by Hall of Fame forward Alonzo Mourning and autographed by US President Barack Obama and a dozen stars of the sport is being auctioned online. Huggins and Scott Auctions is handling the bidding, which started at $900 and will run through February 11.
Mourning, a seven-time All-Star who won an NBA title with Miami in 2006, wore the jersey when he played in a set of pickup basketball games at Fort McNair in Washington to celebrate Obama’s 49th birthday on August 4, 2010.
Obama played in pickup games alongside and against NBA stars Mourning, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Magic Johnson, Pau Gasol, Chris Paul, Baron Davis, Chauncey Billups, Shane Battier and Grant Hill plus Women’s NBA standout Maya Moore.
Several wounded US soldiers were invited to watch the games and after one contest, Mourning gave his jersey to one of them, Jack Thebau. It was later signed by Obama and the players involved.

Mavericks owner Cuban buys
into US Futsal League
Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and an investor on the US television show “Shark Tank,” is backing a new American sports venture, the Professional Futsal League (PFL).
The fledgling league announced Wednesday that Cuban has purchased a principal ownership stake in the five-a-side football competition. “I couldn’t be more excited about partnering with and investing in the PFL,” Cuban said in a statement. “Futsal is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and it’s time to make it even bigger in the US market.
“We are ready to introduce the best global brands and the world’s best players to our growing fan base and I’m thrilled to be part of the PFL.”
Cuban, whose holdings also include the Landmark Theatres chain and Magnolia Pictures plus the cable TV network AXS, hopes to launch play in 2017. The league’s co-owner is Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations. While futsal has made little US impact, an indoor version of football, arena soccer, is played using artificial turf inside ice hockey boards. The Major Arena Soccer League has 20 teams, three of them based in Mexico.