By Jason Garcia and Sara K. Clarke, Orlando Sentinel - When AirTran Airways unveiled an Orlando Magic-themed Boeing 717 last week, the newly painted jet came with a celebrity endorsement: NBA star Dwight Howard.

Howard, the Orlando Magic center and a fan favorite, will endorse the airline in radio spots, online advertising and billboards.

Howard joins AirTran's other celebrity endorsers, including NFL quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Donovan McNabb, Major League Baseball players Ryan Braun and Tom Glavine, and race-car driver Danica Patrick.
No endorsements were forthcoming from the Orlando-based airline's pilots union, some of whose members picketed the carrier last week at General Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee, Wis.

In addition to serving as a

CBS News - New York City, NY, USA - Despite beating Venezuela by 43 points in its first outing at the FIBA Americas Championships, there are no plans to block off traffic on the Las Vegas strip for a championship parade following the Sept. 2 gold medal game just yet. Still, after getting a whiff of the competition, it's safe to assume the U.S. National Team will be in that final, will take home the gold and should start working on its conversational Mandarin in preparation for next summer's Olympic games in Beijing.

That might reek of the same pompous air Americans have been accused of stubbornly clutching onto even

ESPN - USA - Kobe Bryant headlines the list of 17 players who are expected to report for U.S. national team minicamp this weekend in Las Vegas.

The three-day camp on the campus of UNLV will be used to select the finalists for next month's FIBA Americas tournament, the regional qualifier for the 2008 Olympics. The roster must be trimmed to 12 players before the tournament starts on Aug. 22.

There are 32 players in the national team program, but 15 are unavailable for minicamp, leaving the Americans with fewer players than expected. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said last week he thought 18 or 19 would be