Sports in brief: Sports news from around the world

Basketball: Lamar Odom is alert and his condition is improving after the former NBA star was found unconscious at a Nevada brothel a week ago, his family said Monday.

Alvina Alston, publicist for Odom’s aunt JaNean Mercer, said the former reality-TV personality is undergoing testing, but there is no word yet on when he might be released from the hospital. Odom is overcoming “insurmountable obstacles” and defying the odds, Mercer said in a statement.

“Each day Lamar is getting stronger and reaching significant milestones in his recovery,” the statement said.

Odom was found in extremely critical condition at the Love Ranch brothel in the rural community of Crystal, Nevada, on Oct. 13 and was hospitalized in Las Vegas. He regained consciousness and communicated for the first time Friday.

The brothel said workers saw him drink alcohol and take supplements sold as “herbal Viagra.” The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in 2013 against one brand he took, Reload, after it was found to contain sildenafil, the active ingredient in prescription Viagra.

He also told at least one of the women that he had done cocaine, but the brothel says it did not see him take any drugs or find any there.

Odom’s family, including estranged wife Khloe Kardashian, rushed to Las Vegas to be by his side at the hospital. Friends, teammates and loved ones also have visited and posted requests for prayers on social media.

Love Ranch owner Dennis Hof has said that Odom arrived Oct. 10 for a four-day stay and spent $75,000 on two women who accompanied him in a VIP suite.

Judge postpones Vanderbilt rape trial

Football: A Nashville, Tennessee, judge has postponed the trial of two former Vanderbilt football players who were convicted of rape but ordered to be retried.

Former players Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey had been scheduled to be retried Nov. 30. A Nashville judge granted a request Monday for the delay over objections from prosecutors, who said the victim had already been through one trial and had set time aside in November for the retrial.

Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins agreed that new lawyers hired by Vandenburg needed more time to prepare.

A jury convicted both players in January of raping an unconscious female student in a dorm room at the Nashville school. The verdicts were thrown out after it was revealed that a juror failed to disclose that he had been a victim of statuary rape.

Fangio’s 1956 Ferrari to be auctioned

Auto racing: A 1956 Ferrari built for Formula One racing legend Juan Manuel Fangio is going on the auction block in New York City, where it could sell for more than $28 million.

RM Sotheby’s says the Ferrari 290 MM, chassis 0626, will be offered on Dec. 10 as part of its “Driven by Disruption” sale.

The historic car never crashed despite a racing career that that lasted until 1964.

The $28 million pre-sale estimate makes it one of the most valuable cars to come to auction. A Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta that sold for $38.1 million at Bonhams in 2014 holds the record for any car at auction.

Fangio, an Argentinian considered one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time, raced the 3.5-liter, V-12 engine car in the 1,000-mile Mille Miglia event, finishing fourth overall in a race that wound all through Italy.

The car was specially designed for the five-time F1 world champion and was one of only four 290 MMs to be built.

Kings battling power outages at practice

NHL: The Los Angeles Kings’ practice schedule is on thin ice these days while power outages plague the neighborhood around their training complex in El Segundo, California.

The Kings were forced to cancel the on-ice portion of practice for the second time this month because the ice at the Toyota Sports Center wasn’t playable.

The area just southeast of Los Angeles International Airport has endured multiple power outages in October. The training complex is also home to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Kings didn’t know about the bad ice until it was too late to find another rink for practice.

Los Angeles has won two straight games after losing three straight to start the season.

Davis heads U.S. World Cup team

Speedskating: Olympic champion Shani Davis is one of 17 speed skaters to make the U.S. roster for the upcoming long track World Cup season.

Davis, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 1,000 meters, tied the fastest time in the world this year while winning the event at last weekend’s qualifier.

Veteran KC Boutiette returns to the team, joining Olympian Emery Lehman, Jonathan Garcia, Kimani Griffin, Joey Mantia, Brett Perry, Ian Quinn, Jeffrey Swider-Peltz and Mitch Whitmore.

On the women’s side, Olympians Brittany Bowe and Heather Richardson-Bergsma are joined by Erin Bartlett, Kelly Gunther, Maria Lamb, Paige Schwartzburg and Sugar Todd.

The season’s first World Cup meet is in Calgary, Alberta, on Nov. 13-15.