Kobe Bryant to have procedure repairing finger damage. After putting off the procedure so he could help the U.S. capture Olympic gold, Kobe Bryant says he’ll have surgery before the regular NBA season. Bryant plans to reveal the date of his procedure to repair ligament damage to his right pinkie at his kb24.com Web site. Bryant suffered the injury in a February game versus New Jersey . Recovery is expected to take about six weeks. L.A. ’s season begins Oct. 28 versus Portland .

Fighter’s dream of medal cut short by dehydration. A bantamweight Olympics boxer won’t compete after he collapsed from apparent dehydration while still training. Gary Russell Jr. is said to have struggled to make the 119-pound weight limit to compete for a gold medal, but was found unconscious this past weekend in China after taking a long run. The two-time national champ was found in his room at the Olympics athlete’s village, but he was revived without hospitalization. “We became alarmed a couple of days ago when we saw he wasn’t sweating like he should,” says boxing coach Dan Campbell. “When these kids try to make weight, sometimes they cut corners. What we believe is he did not increase his fluid intake after we told him to.” Russell was a favorite to win the U.S. boxing team a top Olympics prize

NBA stars drop China 101-70 in Olympics. All-star NBA players Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and Yao Ming met on Asian turf with Ming representing his homeland of China in an Olympics game that saw the U.S. win 101-70. Still, Ming enjoyed a hero’s welcome Sunday among the natives, an estimated 300 million of whom play basketball. Wade scored 19 points, LeBron James hit 18 and Bryant matched Ming’s total with 13. The game in Beijing was the first time that any of the NBA stars played against Yao since March when he underwent season-ending foot surgery. Read more at Playa Hater.

Tyson Gay “pretty confident” about Olympics. Sprinter Tyson Gay says he’s “injury-free” after working out in Beijing Sunday, having previously hurt his hamstring. The 100-meter and 200-meter world champ had injured the muscle during last month’s American Olympics trials. Gay had already qualified to compete in the 100 at Beijing, but suffered the hamstring mishap during the 200 trials. The runner says he’s “pretty confident” about his performance expectations for the 100-meter race for a gold medal.

Paul Pierce thinks he’s a better player than MVP Kobe Bryant.

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce feels that he, not Kobe Bryant, is the best player in the NBA. Is Pierce out of his mind or is he indeed better than the reigning MVP? Get answers at Playa Hater.

Tennis star moves closer in defense of her title
Venus Williams has beaten Naomi Cavaday in the first round of Wimbledon. Williams took out her competition in 77 minutes on Tuesday, moving closer to the defense of her 2007 title at the British tournament. “I felt that my level was good,” says Williams. “I think it’s nice to have a really challenging opponent early on, especially having not played since the French. So it was good to have that challenge early on.” Williams overcame an early distraction to grab the win: “I was about to serve. I felt something on my leg. I looked down. It was a bee, a big old bumble bee. I was trying to get it to go off. I was trying to get it off without getting stung, you know how they usually fly back at you. Then I ended up losing that service game, so I guess the bumblebee got me off to a bad start.”

Sheriff disses Shaq after dis of ex-teammate
Although Shaquille O’Neal insists his “freestyle” against Lakers star Kobe Bryant – circulated widely on TV and the Web – was all in fun, an Arizona cop isn’t laughing. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is demanding Shaq’s law enforcement shields, saying the Phoenix Suns center’s behavior didn’t become his special deputy reserve status. Arpaio promoted Shaq to reserve colonel last year, but he doesn’t approve of the NBA star’s public use of profanity and the word ni**er. Among lyrics Shaq delivered at a New York nightclub this past weekend: “Kobe, tell me how my a** tastes.” The dis followed L.A.’s six-game championship loss to Boston last week, which O’Neal attributed to his trade from L.A. to Phoenix. “I want his two badges back,” Arpaio tells The Associated Press, “because if any one of my deputies did something like this, they’re fired. I don’t condone this type of racial conduct.” O’Neal has said he wants to be a sheriff after retiring from the NBA. For more, go to Playa Hater.