Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASKETBALL LeBron, Shaq together

After months of hype, LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal are finally wearing the same uniform. The superstars, united by an offseason trade, were together Monday as the Cleveland Cavaliers held a media day like none before in the team's 40-year history. Nearly 150 media members chronicled the duo's first day together at Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, Ohio, as the Cavaliers prepared for a season they hope ends with an NBA title. James, the reigning league MVP, and O'Neal, a four-time champion, have been working out together for more than a week. Monday, they also clowned around in the locker room before they talked to the media and posed for photographs. All that star power couldn't keep the lights on. A power outage hit the practice facility Monday afternoon, causing James, who was waiting to do an interview, to sprint down a hallway shouting, "Media day's over!" With the power still out a few hours later, the Cavaliers did declare the event over. "I have four [titles] under my belt and it would be nice to get five," O'Neal said. "But I just want to come play and just have my name left somewhere in history. And it will be - win or lose. There's nobody like me. You know that." James said he has no problem sharing the spotlight with O'Neal. "It's a teammate," he said. "It's not like I adopted a kid or something. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be great. ... I've dreamed about playing with some of the greats. To have him a part of this franchise, to have him be a part of my team is going to be great."

The Orlando Magic have extended the contracts of Coach Stan Van Gundy and General Manager Otis Smith, a person familiar with the negotiations said Monday. The person says the team picked up options that extend Van Gundy through the 2010-2011 season and Smith through 2011-2012. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deals have not been officially announced. They led the Magic to only their second NBA Finals and first since 1995 last season. Van Gundy has led the team to consecutive division titles since taking over before the 2007-2008 season. He has a 111-53 record since taking over as coach ofthe Magic before the 2007-2008 season, replacing Billy Donovan after the Florida Gators coach decided to return to college only days after going to Orlando. Smith has overseen the franchise's resurgence since being promoted to general manager ahead of the 2005-2006 season.

The lead negotiator for the locked-out NBA referees removed himself from the talks in hopes of resolving a dispute that threatens to have replacements on the floor this week. Lamell McMorris said the negotiations with the NBA would be handled by general counsel Brian Lam and the executive board of the National Basketball Referees Association. The sides remain apart on the league's proposed changes to the referees' pension and severance packages, as well as a plan to develop younger officials.

The Phoenix Mercury feature All-Star Diana Taurasi, who led the WNBA in scoring for the third time and is averaging 23.8 points per game in the playoffs, in search of the team's second title in three years. The Indiana Fever, who eliminated the defending champion Detroit Shock, have the league's defensive player of the year, Tamika Catchings, geared up for a 1-on-1 showdown with Taurasi. The teams open their best-of-5 series tonight at US Airways Center in Phoenix, where the Fever beat the Mercury 90-83. Phoenix won at Indiana 106-90. Phoenix led the WNBA in scoring at 92.8 points per game. Indiana allowed 73.6 points per game, third fewest in the league.

Alabama senior forward Demetrius Jemison will miss the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon on his left leg. The injury was confirmed by a magnetic resonance imaging. He's scheduled to undergo surgery today. Jemison averaged 3.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 28 games last season.

TENNIS Venus Williams loses

Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 18, beat Venus Williams 7-6 (6), 7-5 and Chang Kai-chen, 18, from Taiwan, upset top-ranked and defending champion Dinara Safina 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5 in the second round at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Monday. A dejected Williams made a hasty exit from Ariake Colosseum, saying only she was looking forward to her next match in Beijing. Williams took a 3-0 lead in the first set but the 18-year-old Pavlyuchenkova fought back, breaking Williams to tie it 5-5 before holding serve and winning the tiebreak. Pavlyuchenkova hit a forehand down the line to go up 6-5 in the second set. She had a triple-match point in the 12th game and won when Williams' return was long. Safina was serving for the match in the third set when she double-faulted to give up a break. Chang, ranked 132nd and playing only the fourth time in a WTA main draw, held her serve and broke Safina again for the victory. Andrea Petkovic upset fifth seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

American John Isner beat Kittipong Wachiramanowong 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Thailand Open in Bangkok. The48th-ranked Isner, who had 21 aces, trailed 5-4 in the third set as the young Thai served for the match, but managed to overcome his wildcard opponent. Isner ousted Andy Roddick in the third round of the U.S. Open.

Sam Querrey, 21, cut his right forearm in a freak accident after practicing for the Thailand Open in Bangkok and will be out at least four to six weeks, the U.S. Tennis Association said. USTA spokesman Tim Curry said Querrey sat on a glass table after practice Monday and fell through, hurting his arm. The injury required emergency surgery. A right-hander from Thousand Oaks, Calif., Querrey is No. 25 in the ATP rankings.

FOOTBALL Poinsettia lands teams

The Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego has agreed to deals that will put teams from the Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference, along with Army and Navy, in the December game from 2010-2013. The four-year deal with the Mountain West extends the conference's tie-in with the Poinsettia Bowl. The game will have the second pick of teams from the Mountain West after the Las Vegas Bowl has selected. Navy, if it's bowl eligible, will play in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl. Army, if it's bowl eligible, will play in the 2013 game. The WAC will send a team to the Poinsettia bowl in 2011 and 2012, and will provide a replacement team if Navy and Army are not eligible in 2010 and 2013.

HORSE RACING Churchill to add lights

Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., will install permanent lights at the home of the Kentucky Derby in time for the 2010 spring meet. Spokesman Kevin Flanery said the overwhelming success of night racing at the track last summer led to the decision. The track averaged more than 29,000 fans during three special night racing events in June and July. There are no plans to move post time for the 2010 Kentucky Derby, scheduled for May 1. Flanery said the track will talk with fans and horsemen to determine the proper mix of day and night racing at the venue for the rest of the meet.

BASKETBALL Richardson on board with Tulsa's WNBA effort

TULSA - Nolan Richardson will coach Tulsa's WNBA team - if there is one.

Richardson will be introduced today as the prospective franchise's coach, the investors backing the effort say. Richardson, who won the 1994 NCAA championship at Arkansas, was fired by the Razorbacks in 2002.He later coached national teams from Panama and Mexico.

Before joining the Razorbacks, Richardson coached at the University of Tulsa.

The Tulsa World first reported the announcement.

The investors' news release says a final decision on whether Tulsa will get a franchise is expected next month.

Richardson did not immediately return a call seeking comment.