Briefly

Chicago Bulls’ Pippen announces his retirement

Scottie Pippen announced his retirement from the Chicago Bulls, the team he and Michael Jordan led to six NBA titles in the 1990s.

“This was a very difficult decision for me to retire from playing a game that has been such a great part of my life,” Pippen said in a statement released Tuesday in Deerfield, Ill., by the Bulls. “My family and I would like to thank the fans and the entire Chicago Bulls organization.”

“His contributions to this franchise during his tenure here have been innumerable,” said Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “As an organization, we thank him for everything.”

“Scottie Pippen is the epitome of a true professional. He is a great teammate and a winner who is one of the best to ever wear a Bulls uniform,” said John Paxson, the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations, who played with Pippen in Chicago.

•Seattle SuperSonics guard Ronald “Flip” Murray will sit out the next week after straining his left quadriceps during the team’s first preseason workout.

•Sam Cassell was a no-show on the first day of training camp, sending a message to the Minnesota Timberwolves that he was displeased about not getting a contract extension.

•The Denver Nuggets signed free agent forward Rodney White to a 2-year deal, a day after a judge allowed him to leave Washington D.C. for the first time since his arrest last month on a gun charge.

White’s future in the NBA was in doubt after a Secret Service agent arrested him and two other men Sept. 5 for randomly shooting a gun in the air. White spent 10 days in jail and wasn’t allowed to go 30 miles outside of Washington until Monday.

•Eddie Griffin agreed to terms with the Timberwolves. Terms of the deal weren’t released.

•The Atlanta Hawks have extended the contract of general manager Billy Knight, and added the title of executive vice president. Terms of the multiyear contract extension were not disclosed.

College Basketball

Buckeye caught driving drunk

Ohio State junior guard J.J. Sullinger has been charged with drunken driving in Columbus, Ohio, and is scheduled to appear in court two days before the Buckeyes start practice.

Sullinger, 22, was stopped by Columbus police early Sept. 4 after he was observed driving erratically, according to police. His blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.099, above Ohio’s legal limit of 0.08.

•Connecticut freshman guard A.J. Price was in critical condition at Hartford (Conn.) Hospital with an undisclosed illness, a hospital spokeswoman said.

“The public should know that he is not contagious and does not represent a public health concern,” spokeswoman Lee Monroe said.

Price was considered a top national recruit when he was signed by the national champions out of Amityville High School in New York. He led Amityville to two state championships, and averaged 28.5 points last season.

Tennis

Shaughnessy upset at Japan Open

Fifth-seeded Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States was upset 7-5, 7-6 (5) by Youlia Fedossova, a French teen ranked 448th, in the first round of the Japan Open in Tokyo.

Three other seeded players lost: No. 3 Shinobu Asagoe of Japan, No. 6 Nicole Pratt of Australia, and No. 8 Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain. No. 4 Kristina Brandi of Puerto Rico had to rally from a set down on another rain-marred day.

•The 2005 Australian Open in Melbourne will feature the first men’s Grand Slam final played at night. That championship match – in the 100th anniversary of the tournament’s first edition – will start at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 30. That’s 12:30 a.m. PST.

Auto racing

Andretti joins Nextel Cup team

John Andretti and ppc Racing, one of the top teams in NASCAR’s Busch Series, will get together on a Nextel Cup team that will begin racing Oct. 16 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Andretti will run five of the last six events of the season, excluding Martinsville, Va., and the entire 36-race schedule in 2005, the team announced.

Sports people

Renato murdered by thieves

Soccer player Cleonicio dos Santos Silva, 28, was shot and killed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by thieves apparently trying to steal his car. The striker for FC Zurich, also known as Renato, died Monday and was buried Tuesday, according to the Brazil Soccer Confederation. … Olympic gold medalist Cael Sanderson was hired as an assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State, where he went 159-0 and won four NCAA championships. … Skier Ivica Kostelic cut short his World Cup training in Austria and entered a hospital in Zagreb, Croatia, for heart checkups. … Norm Schachter, who refereed the first Super Bowl and the first “Monday Night Football” game, has died in San Pedro, Calif. He was 90.