Newsmakers

Sold Former L.A. Lakers great Magic Johnson has sold his small ownership stake in the NBA team to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. The Lakers announced the deal Monday. Soon-Shiong is a businessman, philanthropist, UCLA professor and 25-year Lakers season ticket holder. Johnson previously has said he is interested in owning a larger chunk of another NBA team, which would require him to sell his stake in the Lakers. Johnson bought his shares of the Lakers in the mid-1990s.

Suspended The NHL has suspended Phoenix Coyotes forward Shane Doan for three games following a blindside hit to the head of Anaheim’s Dan Sexton. Doan will lose more than $73,000 in salary as a result of the suspension, the NHL said. While referees have the right to assess in-game penalties for these illegal checks, Doan was not penalized for the hit Sunday.

Retained The Indiana Pacers say they’ve picked up the contract options for Darren Collison and Tyler Hansbrough. Indiana got Collison in an August trade with New Orleans. He averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 assists in his rookie season with the Hornets. Hansbrough was Indiana’s first-round pick in 2009, No. 13 overall. He averaged 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds but missed most of the season with an inner ear infection that caused dizziness and made him sensitive to light.

Banned Olympic gold medalist runner LaShawn Merritt has been banned from track through July 2011 for using a banned substance found in an over-the-counter male enhancement product. Merritt won the 400-meter Olympic title in Beijing. He accepted a provisional suspension earlier this year and received a 21-month suspension from arbitrators. The suspension is retroactive to last October and he’ll be eligible for the 2011 world championships next August.

Donated The NBA says it has donated more than $145 million to charity through its NBA Cares program, exceeding the goal commissioner David Stern set when it was launched. To celebrate NBA Cares’ five-year anniversary, the league kicked off a week of service, with a number of teams taking part in community projects. Stern announced the initiative on Oct. 18, 2005, saying it would raise and donate $100 million in five years.

Dead The fan known as “Freddy Sez,” Freddy Schuman, who banged a spoon against a skillet at Yankee Stadium for more than two decades, has died. He was 85. The Yankees said Schuman died Sunday at Lenox Hill Hospital. New York put some of Schuman’s memorabilia, including a sign and Yankees jacket, on display inside the ballpark and said it will become part of a display at the team museum.