In Sacramento, Ailene Voisin profiles NBA Kings Dir of Player Personnel and NBA D-League Reno Bighorns GM PEJA STOJAKOVIC is "back in the mix at 38" after he "agreed to start on the ground level." His new gig "is not glamorous; he has always been humble." In the role, his duties "include assembling talent and overseeing the minor-league franchise, serving as an on- and off-court mentor to Kings and Bighorns, and using his extensive overseas contacts and experience to help the Kings re-establish their presence within international basketball" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 9/23).
CHARITY STRIPE: Seahawks RB MARSHAWN LYNCH as part of a group called American Football Without Barriers "was one of several players who traveled to Istanbul in March for an off-season escape and to teach Turkish kids the mechanics of football." The trip to Turkey "was the latest in a series on international treks for the organization, which is spearheaded" by Jets OT BRENO GIACOMINI, Browns TE GARY BARNIDGE and their childhood friend, AHMED AWADALLAH, who is now a businessman in Istanbul. Awadallah recently said that sign-ups for the women’s football teams "have doubled since the visit" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/23).
NAMES: MLB Giants GM BOBBY EVANS and Warriors President & COO RICK WELTS on Monday were part of a "gathering hosted by sports media company Chat Sports as part of its Minds Behind the Game series." The discussion, moderated by Chat Sports CEO JAMES YODER, "provided little by way of news but still lent a peek into what has made the two franchises so successful in the stands and at the gate" (USA TODAY, 9/23)....Former MLSer LANDON DONOVAN last night “took the stage” at the Univ. of Redlands’ Memorial Chapel to speak to a “sold out crowd of more than 1,300” about his career, fatherhood, the future of U.S. soccer, the women’s World Cup and his hometown of Redlands, Calif. The discussion “was led by” Redlands AD JEFF MARTINEZ (REDLANDS DAILY FACTS, 9/23)....Baseball HOFer HANK AARON and MLB Commissioner Emeritus BUD SELIG on Feb. 12 “will headline a luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa to support the Barbara Sinatra Center for Abused Children at Eisenhower Medical Center" in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The event “has become an annual baseball-themed lunch” (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 9/23)....The Florida Sports HOF’s ’15 class will include NBC football analyst TONY DUNGY and late Univ. of Miami play-by-play announcer SONNY HIRSCH (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 9/22).
