Russia bans 24 basketball players in gambling case

MOSCOW (AP) The Russian Basketball Federation says it has banned 24 players from 11 clubs as part of an investigation into gambling. The punishments follow an

MOSCOW (AP) The Russian Basketball Federation says it has banned 24 players from 11 clubs as part of an investigation into gambling.

The punishments follow an anti-corruption campaign under federation president Andrei Kirilenko, who played 13 seasons in the NBA with teams including the Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets.

The federation says in a statement that it analyzed bookmakers' data as part of the probe, which found cases of players betting on games involving their own clubs.

The players, who all play in the second-level Russian Superleague, were banned for periods ranging from six months to three years.

The federation did not provide a breakdown of which player had been banned for which offense, but said some had received reduced sentences because they gave ''honest'' confessions.