Former NBA player DENNIS RODMAN "has named a team of former NBA players to participate in an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang, North Korea." Rodman leads a team that includes former NBA All-Stars KENNY ANDERSON, CLIFF ROBINSON and VIN BAKER. Other players include CRAIG HODGES, DOUG CHRISTIE and CHARLES D. SMITH. They "will play against a top North Korean Senior National team on Wednesday," marking North Korean leader KIM JONG UN's birthday (AP, 1/4). ... Olympic Gold Medalist VICTORIA PENDLETON "will compete in the BBC's Great Sport Relief Bake Off." Pendleton "will be tasked with baking signature, technical and showstopper dishes" for judges MARY BERRY and the "suspiciously orange" PAUL HOLLYWOOD (BEDFORDSHIRE NEWS, 1/2). ... CRISTIANO RONALDO "has been named to receive one of the highest annual honours" awarded by the Portuguese government. Ronaldo will receive the “Grand Officer” of the Order of INFANTE DON HENRIQUE, principally awarded to Portuguese nationals. JOSE MOURINHO is "a past recipient." Occasionally foreign nationals have received the honor, such as former Portugal manager and current Brazil coach LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI, as well as Microsoft Founder BILL GATES (INSIDE SPANISH FOOTBALL, 1/3). ... Former NBA player YAO MING "has joined hands" with e-education agency VIPABC to "provide online English teaching sessions for children in China's less developed west." Yao said, "Lots of places in China's west are indeed short of educational resources ... The lack of teachers is a particularly serious problem, which cannot be solved within one or two years" (XINHUA, 1/4). ... Serie A AC Milan coach MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI has said that he will "leave AC Milan at the end of the season." Allegri: "You can’t stay at a club for life. I had four years here and think I did well, so I thank everyone" (EFE, 1/5). ... Golfer LYDIA KO's new coach, DAVID LEADBETTER, said that he urged the "Mona Lisa" of women's golf to "think carefully about changing coaches because of her success under former mentor" GUY WILSON. Leadbetter said that Ko's mother, TINA, approached his associate, SEAN HOGAN, and said they were "looking for a coach in the U.S. because, unfortunately, Lydia's coach [Wilson] is not going to be able to travel with her fulltime." Leadbetter said,
"We said to her, 'Are you sure you want to do this because obviously you've had such great success up to this point in time.'" Leadbetter said IMG, Ko's new management company, "didn't have a lot to do" with the coaching change.
He said it was "a bit of misnomer" that he was also with IMG. His junior academy "was managed by the company, but he wasn't."
He said the coaching change happened "prior to her joining IMG," so that "argument is really null and void" (FAIRFAX NZ NEWS, 1/4).
