Durham to start a downtown mixed use revitalization project

INDIANAPOLIS -- Diana Taurasi scored 20 points, DeWanna Bonner had 11 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Indiana Fever 89-78 on Wednesday night in a single-elimination game of the WNBA playoffs.Tamika Catchings, who played in her final game, and the entire Indiana team knelt with their arms intertwined during the national anthem. Two members of the Mercury, Kelsey Bone and Mistie Bass, also took a knee.This game of basketball is important for a lot of reasons. One of them is bringing people together. Even uniting people, Catchings said about the impromptu kneeling during the national anthem. Well, we thought it was important to have a voice about something greater than basketball.WNBA President Lisa Borders, who was in Atlanta for the playoff game between the Dream and Seattle backed the players choice to kneel.I support our players expressing their views on important social issues, Borders said in a statement. Standing for an anthem is a sign of respect and a demonstration of unity across many cultures throughout the world. The call to action is for all of us to invest time and resources to help rebuild and strengthen our communities. And we have been actively working with the players on this next impactful effort.Briann January made a reverse layup with 2:39 remaining to pull Indiana to 77-72 and she drew an offensive foul on Taurasi on the other end. Erlana Larkins had a putback on Indianas next possession to cap a 10-1 run to make it 77-74.But Phoenix answered with a 6-1 run -- on free throws by Taurasi, Penny Taylor and Bonner -- for an 83-75 lead.Brittney Griner added 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks for Phoenix, which will play at New York on Saturday. Bonner was just 2 of 5 from the floor in the first half.When I got in the second half, I told myself I was going to be aggressive, Bonner said. Because I felt like I was a little tentative and a little scared in the first half.Catchings and Marissa Coleman each scored 13 points as all five starters for Indiana scored in double figures. Shenise Johnson made two free throws to tie Tiffany Mitchells franchise record with 42 consecutive made free throws.Catchings left the floor at the final buzzer to a standing ovation from the crowd and she hugged every Indiana teammate, including a long embrace with January. Then she hugged each player on the Phoenix team.Before the game, Catchings received the 2016 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award prior to the opening tip. She is the first three-time winner since the awards inception in 1997. Cheap Blue Jays Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. Blue Jays Jerseys 2020 . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. Fake Blue Jays Jerseys . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Wholesale Blue Jays Jerseys . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Five creditors, who say that they are among those owed more than $14 million by former Duke star Christian Laettner, filed papers last week to try to get him to voluntarily file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.Laettner has until July 19 to respond. If he doesnt pay the debt or make some negotiated arrangement, the creditors could take possession of his property for their benefit.One of Laettners lawyers, Hassan Zavareei, told ESPN.com on Wednesday that a recent payday of approximately $10 million to Laettners real estate firm, Blue Devil Ventures, could potentially be directed to satisfy those creditors.Some of the largest creditors are pro athletes, including?Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, owed $3.62 million and former NFL linebacker Ernest Sims, who is owed $1.48 million.Laettner and former Duke teammate and roommate Brian Davis founded Blue Devil Ventures in 1995. In December 2005, the company bought seven buildings in Durham to start a downtown mixed use revitalization project. The project was expected to cost $160 million, but Blue Devil Ventures sold mostt of the project to two developers by 2013 before it was flipped this February for $187 million.dddddddddddd They still had an interest worth about $10 million when the sale went through.In the past, Laettners real estate firm was ordered by the courts to pay back $3.7 million to former NFL defensive end Shawne Merriman for a property investment gone bad. Davis and Laettner also were ordered to pay former?Chicago Bulls?star Scottie Pippen $2.5 million as a result of failure to repay a loan Pippen made to them in their futile attempt to buy the?Memphis Grizzlies.?The?two also were forced to pay back former Duke player and current Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins in the amount of $671,309.After leading Duke to two championships in 1991 and 1992, Laettner made $61.5 million in his NBA career. He was served with a notice of foreclosure on his house in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, in March of last year, and the house was sold in October, records show. ' ' '