NBA elite compete in East-West game. LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Allen Iverson will wear the East jerseys tomorrow in Phoenix, while Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Amare Stoudemire will compete for the West. The 58^th annual All-Star game and its usual festivities are sure to bring out the biggest celebrities in entertainment and sports as spectators. Among the other weekend highlights, Howard will defend his slam-dunk contest title tonight. The All-Star game airs at 8 p.m. Sunday on ABC.

Falcons want to trade Vick contract rights. Former NFL superstar Michael Vick may still be worth a sum to his old team, despite his incarceration in federal prison. “With regards to Michael Vick, we’ve decided to seek a trade of his contractual rights to another NFL club,” says Atlanta Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. Though he is suspended from the league after pleading guilty to illegal dog-fighting, Vick has a multi-million-dollar contract that runs through 2013. It’s not known when Vick may be allowed to return to the league. But his lawyer recently said Vick would be let out of prison “any day now” to serve his remaining time in a half-way house.

Braves are angry over Furcal’s shenanigans. Atlanta Braves‘ shortstop Rafael Furcal reached a contract agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but just two days earlier the Braves had announced an agreement with star player, The Atlanta Constitution-Journal reports. Needless to say, the Braves were less than laudatory of Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer. “I think you have to be upset with the turn of events,” Braves General Manager Frank Wren said. “We usually don’t do business this way. You don’t expect people you have to deal with to do business that way.” Wren said he and Kinzer negotiated all contract details Monday night, and the Braves sent a term sheet to the agent’s office for Furcal to sign Tuesday morning. Term sheets are the final step, after an agreement is reached. However, the term sheet was never returned. “We were very surprised,” he said. “After reaching an agreement on Monday night, and being asked to produce a term sheet for signature on Tuesday morning, which we did, we were surprised that they didn’t return the term sheet. … All of a sudden, they said they needed to go back to the Dodgers.” The Braves’ offer was believed to be for three years and $30 million, with a fourth-year vesting option. Furcal got a three-year, $33 million contract with the Dodgers that includes a $13 million option for 2012 with a $3 million buyout, the Associated Press reported.

Woods says he’ll be back soon. Tiger Woods says expect to see him in the Masters Tournament in April. The 32-year-old golf superstar says that he’s ahead of schedule from knee surgery. “Right now, it feels great,” Woods said of the left knee he had repaired last June. “The leg has responded well. I’m actually stronger in my legs than I think I have ever been.” Speaking at a news conference to kick off the Chevron World Challenge in California, Woods said he began swing his clubs about two weeks ago. He wasn’t slated to return to full swing for at least another month. “It’s actually fun to get outside and start swinging again and working on my short game,” Woods said. “I’ve chipped and putted for a while, but as far as making bigger swings, I’ve actually just started.”

King James hasn’t said that he’ll leave Cleveland. Calling speculation that his superstar will leave the team in two years “an insult to the city,” the Cleveland Cavaliers owner denies such gossip. Dan Gilbert says any word of LeBron James heading to New York in 2010 is mere conjecture. James has made no mention of heading East when his contract expires in two years, says Gilbert. He adds that the Cavs and James will focus on competing for a championship.

ESPN recruits rapper to share views via Web. Commenting on everything from his love of the Red Sox to his recent Wimbledon-viewing party and little league football career, a rapper has joined ESPN. Lil Wayne is a guest blogger for ESPN The Magazine. “I don’t watch nothing but sports – no movies, no news, no television shows – so I thought this would be fun,” he writes in his first entry. An editor’s note introducing the commentary describes Weezy as “mega-rapper of the moment.” Doesn’t seem very nice.

Jets, Giants distance themselves from ex-Nazi backer. A potential $30 million-a-year deal has been called off after NFL fans complained about discussions between New York teams and a former Nazi-associated company. German insurance program Allianz was in the running to acquire naming rights of a stadium where the Giants and Jets will play beginning 2010. Jewish organizations criticized the proposed deal because Allianz once insured Nazi death camps and refused to pay claims to Jewish clients. Most commonly associated with the atrocities of the Holocaust, Nazi doctrine called for the extermination of Blacks and other non-White ethnicities.  

NBA player is latest athlete to face housing market struggle

Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson is offering a $1 million break on his Villanova, Pa., home. The 14,000-square-footer has six bedrooms, his-and-hers marble bathrooms, a 12-seat movie theater, pool house and four-acres of land. But after at least a year on the market, Iverson and his wife, who bought the house together in 2003, have generated little interest. The price is down to $3.9 million. So get out those checkbooks.

Coach says Ed Johnson won’t play this week, following incident

Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy (above) says the Colts’ Ed Johnson won’t suit-up this week following Johnson’s drug arrest early Wednesday. Cops say Johnson was pulled over for speeding in Indianapolis about 1 a.m. and was later charged with marijuana possession. The lineman was released on bond from the Hamilton County Jail. Team management says the incident will be further investigated to determine if any action is taken. The NFL says the matter will also be reviewed under the league’s substance abuse policy.

Puncher hit with claim of contract violation. At this rate, Floyd “Money” Mayweather could wind up known as Floyd “Need A Loan” Mayweather. First, he had $7 million in jewels stolen from his house and now he’s the target of a lawsuit. A Florida real estate dealer says the boxing standout wiggled away from an $8 million property purchase after signing a contract stating that his company put $1.7 million into escrow toward the buy. But the developer claims Mayweather never properly established the account before trying to move into the spot. Mayweather’s being sued for damages and costs associated with the seller’s having taken the property off the market.