Referees

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 by the NBA on Wednesday and criticized by numerous gay-rights groups for directing an anti-gay slur at referee Bennie Adams during a game Tuesday against San Antonio. Bryant was irritated after he was called for an offensive foul and received his 15th technical of the season during the game. He punched a chair on the Lakers' bench before he sat, threw down a towel and yelled "Bennie!" before muttering a curse word followed by the word "faggot.

Teemu Selanne charmed a media throng, while teammates handled a post-practice meal Monday. He strolled through the Ducks' lobby, stopping to chat with those working the front desk. He stepped into the Southern California sun, where more than a dozen fans waited, ranging from a 5-year-old boy to a woman in her 60s, who squealed, "Teemu!" In the group, pen and camera ready, was Karl Hedlin, a 59-year-old man wearing a Winnipeg Jets jersey who came from Edmonton to see Selanne.

Tuesday night's triple-overtime thriller between the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns was a great preview of what's ahead. No, not the playoffs. The whining. As we watched Kobe Bryant make a great move, hit an uncontested jump shot from the left top of the key and then carry on a heated discussion with one of the referees all the way to the timeout huddle, we were reminded of what the NBA is. Same thing when Pau Gasol, a really decent guy who takes enough of a nightly beating to make him an honorary member of the UFC, walked almost the length of the court while jawing with another man with a whistle.

Reporting from Las Vegas Football's loss may be boxing's gain. With the NFL in labor limbo, Baltimore Ravens safety Tommy Zbikowski returned to pro boxing Saturday and produced a first-round technical knockout over a flabbier foe, Richard Bryant. The 25-year-old Zbikowski pounded a left hook to Bryant's belly, and the 235-pound man lost his breath and slumped to the canvas. Bryant was so out of wind that referee Russell Mora stopped the fight at the 1:45 mark of the first round.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland said he admonished Joshua Smith for comments the freshman center made that were critical of the officiating after the Bruins' 63-52 loss to USC on Sunday, calling Smith's remarks "totally poor judgment. " "He has to be a big boy," Howland said Tuesday. "You cannot say something like that and not expect it to come back. " After fouling out for a second consecutive game, Smith said, "the refs were terrible. The one where I fell and [USC's Nikola ]

Shaquille O'Neal has been fined $35,000 by the NBA for his public comments about the officiating. O'Neal criticized the referees following the Boston Celtics' 86-78 loss at Orlando on Christmas. He was angry after picking up his sixth foul when Magic center Dwight Howard fell to the court as they were wrestling for position. O'Neal said: "I just wonder why I've never gotten that call in 20 years. Don't pick and choose when you're going to make the call. … That's what happens when you've got control freaks.

The whistle blew, and the possibilities seemed endless. Score tied, no time on the clock and Kansas' school-record home winning streak in serious jeopardy. Except for the little matter of the foul on UCLA guard Malcolm Lee. Lee remained confident that time had expired and the game was headed to overtime. Bruins forward Tyler Honeycutt thought the Jayhawks would merely be awarded the ball out of bounds with less than a second to play. What happened shocked them both.

Juan Manuel Marquez endured a classic battle with Michael Katsidis on Saturday, retaining his lightweight world title with a ninth-round onslaught of punches that caused referee Kenny Bayless to stop the fight. Mexico's Marquez battered the Australian challenger in the ninth round, landing hard uppercuts and hard rights that went mostly unanswered. When Katsidis backed up and took two more rights to the left side of his head, Bayless stepped in at the 2-minute 14-second mark, waving off the bout in front of 4,920 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Lamar Odom limped down the corridor inside Staples Center, his right foot sore and "burning" from the pain, his mental state one of disbelief because of a crucial technical foul called against him that his coach said "changed the context" of the game. Odom had tried to do all he could to help the Lakers come back from a 13-point deficit, scoring 22 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and playing 42 minutes 20 seconds on a right foot that has bothered him for a while and that will require an MRI exam Monday.

David Stern smiled as he helped hand out championship rings before the Lakers' season opener, but he wasn't as player-friendly a few minutes earlier. The NBA commissioner made it clear that increased enforcement of technical fouls was here to stay, telling reporters in a pregame news conference Tuesday that players needed to be on their best behavior this season. No more complaining. "The spirit of it is that our players don't do that in elementary school, in junior high, high school, college, and then they get their master's [degree]