NBA Plans Minor League for International Market

In a shift in strategy on international expansion, NBA Commissioner David Stern said the league might place a developmental league overseas within five years.

“We might be the first league that decides to have a minor league that will move lock, stock and barrel to another continent for another season,” Stern said Saturday. “An NBA developmental league, once it exists, has enormous potential for international play.”

Stern said such a venture would be modeled after the WNBA--with the league owning all franchises, setting salary levels and centralizing business operations.

Stern’s comments, made in a meeting with reporters on the final day of the league meetings at Vancouver, marked a significant shift in the league’s position on expanding overseas. Previously, the NBA insisted it preferred to support the development of foreign leagues and would not want to place its own product into those markets for fear of diminishing the home-grown commodity.

Stern also expressed dismay that many people in Vancouver have taken it as a foregone conclusion that the Grizzlies, who were sold Thursday, will be moved to St. Louis.

Motor Sports

Sprint car driver Kevin Gobrecht died early Saturday at a hospital after an accident during a World of Outlaws preliminary race at Greenwood, Neb. Gobrecht, 30, was on lap 15 of the 20-lap Channellock Fall Classic at NAPA I-80 Speedway on Friday night when his car rolled during a turn. Gobrecht’s car was on its top when it was hit by a car driven by Matt Moro, who was not injured.

CART rookie Juan Montoya, 23, won the pole for the Texaco Grand Prix of Houston, turning in a fast lap of 93.651 mph, and adding a point to his series lead over Dario Franchitti. Montoya leads by 29 going into today’s 100-lap race. . . . Heinz-Harald Frentzen of Germany drove his Jordan to the pole position for the Formula One European Grand Prix during rainy qualifying at Nuerburgring, Germany.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed into Matt Kenseth, knocking Kenseth out of the race, and Casey Atwood made the best of it, winning the crash-filled MBNA Gold 200 NASCAR Busch Grand National race at Dover, Del., with a 91.382 mph average. Earnhardt, the series leader, leads Kenseth by 113 points with five races remaining. . . . A post-race inspection by NASCAR officials Friday night found that Greg Biffle’s Ford truck was using an unapproved part during his victory in the Orleans 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas. Action will be taken Monday.

Sam Schmidt, a hometown favorite who is called Elvis because he sports Elvis Presley-like sideburns, will start on the pole in today’s Vegas.com 500, an Indy Racing League race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Schmidt had a qualifying speed of 209.465 mph set Saturday in an Aurora-powered G Force.

Shawn McConnell of Brea won the scratch main four-lap event Saturday in Speedway motorcycle racing at the Costa Mesa Fairgrounds. Mark Adams of Orange won the support class four-lap race and Huntington Beach’s Stuart Glass and Deon Stokes won the sidecar main four-lap race.