Top Sports Stories of 2009

Look back at the top sports stories from 2009.

Scoring Big - Bryant scored 30 points on Sunday and Pau Gasol scored 14 while grabbing 15 boards for the Lakers.

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Lakers Win NBA Championship - Kobe Bryant got the 7-foot-1, 325-pound monkey off his back when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. It was the first NBA title for Bryant since Shaquille O’Neal was traded from the Lakers in 2004. With the addition of Ron Artest, the Lakers are the favorites to repeat as NBA champions in the 2009-10 season.

He's Really Fast - Usain Bolt has taken another bite out of the world's record for the 100-meter dash. He again shattered the world mark Sunday, turning in a mark of 9.58 seconds. That's 0.11 seconds faster than the world record Bolt set at the Beijing Olympics.

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Usain Bolt Runs 19.19 and 9.58 - Usain Bolt picked up where he left off at the 2008 Olympics and ran past the competition during the 2009 Berlin World Championships. Bolt set new world records in the 100 meters (9.58) and 200 meters (19.19), improving on the times he set in Beijing.

Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets - The Pittsburgh Steelers, looking to dump troubled wide receiver Santonio Holmes, traded the former Super Bowl MVP to the New York Jets for a fifth-round draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. While it’s a low risk for the Jets, Holmes will miss the first four games of the season due to a league suspension.

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Steelers Win Super Bowl - In what turned out to be arguably one of the greatest Super Bowl games of all time, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23, capturing the organization’s sixth championship. The turning point in the game was James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown before halftime.

Thierry Henry Handball - The biggest sports controversy in the world occurred in November and involved France soccer star Thierry Henry, who used his hand twice to control a pass before scoring the game-winning goal against Ireland. With the loss, Ireland failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, sparking outrage by Irish fans that felt the game should be replayed.

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Thierry Henry Handball - The biggest sports controversy in the world occurred in November and involved France soccer star Thierry Henry, who used his hand twice to control a pass before scoring the game-winning goal against Ireland. With the loss, Ireland failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, sparking outrage by Irish fans that felt the game should be replayed.

Ramirez Traded To Chicago - Manny Ramirez is taking his act to Chicago. The White Sox are expected to acquire Ramirez on Monday off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ramirez, who returned from the disabled list last week, didn’t start any of his final four games with the Dodgers.

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Manny Ramirez Suspended - The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger was suspended 50 games on May 7 for violating Major League Baseball’s Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) policy. He tested positive for taking a women’s fertility drug and it was later discovered Ramirez tested positive for PEDs in 2003 as well. Ramirez struggled following his suspension, hitting just 13 home runs.

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A-Rod on 'Roids? - Add another name to the list of baseball stars tainted by allegations of steroid use. And it's a big one: Alex Rodriguez. The New York Yankee star joins Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens on the list of stars publicly accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

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Alex Rodriguez Took PEDs - A-Rod became A-Roid after New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez admitted to using steroids between 2001-2003 while with the Texas Rangers. This came two years after a Katie Couric interview in which Rodriguez denied using performance-enhancing drugs. Winning cures all in New York, and jeers turned into cheers when the Yankees won the 2009 World Series.

Plaxico Burress Sent To Jail - While one NFL superstar was getting out of jail, another was going behind bars. New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress accepted a plea deal of two years in jail for criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree after shooting himself in the right thigh at a New York nightclub.

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Plaxico Burress Sent To Jail - While one NFL superstar was getting out of jail, another was going behind bars. New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress accepted a plea deal of two years in jail for criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree after shooting himself in the right thigh at a New York nightclub.

Big Diesel Heads East - Hoping that he would be the final piece to help put LeBron James over the top, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for aging center Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal helped young studs Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade win NBA championships; can he do the same with King James?

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Shaq Traded To Cleveland - The Shaquille O’Neal experiment in Phoenix was unsuccessful, so the Suns traded the center to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. With the motto, “Win a Ring for the King,” O’Neal was to provide another scoring threat for LeBron James. The plan has yet to pan out during the first quarter of the 2009-10 NBA season with O’Neal’s production way down as a member of the Cavaliers.

Eagles Sign Vick - Looking to add another weapon to their dynamic offense, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick to a two-year contract. The quarterback had been out of the NFL since 2006 after a felony conviction for dogfighting landed Vick in jail for nearly two years. In his first game back in Atlanta, Vick scored two touchdowns in an Eagles 34-7 victory over the Falcons.

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Eagles Sign Vick - Looking to add another weapon to their dynamic offense, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick to a two-year contract. The quarterback had been out of the NFL since 2006 after a felony conviction for dogfighting landed Vick in jail for nearly two years. In his first game back in Atlanta, Vick scored two touchdowns in an Eagles 34-7 victory over the Falcons.

Allen Iverson Returns to 76ers - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia’s prodigal son, returned home to the 76ers after a short-lived retirement by the point guard. Iverson lasted just three games in Memphis before he was granted his release. This is perhaps Iverson’s last chance in the NBA, as the 34-year-old has had a hard time adjusting to the possibility of not being in the starting lineup.

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Allen Iverson Returns to 76ers - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia’s prodigal son, returned home to the 76ers after a short-lived retirement by the point guard. Iverson lasted just three games in Memphis before he was granted his release. This is perhaps Iverson’s last chance in the NBA, as the 34-year-old has had a hard time adjusting to the possibility of not being in the starting lineup.

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New Gig - The Dallas Cowboys may not want him, but the Buffalo Bills do. So the Terrell Owens show heads to Western New York. The Bills have decided to take a chance on the high-maintenance but talented receiver. They signed him to a one-year deal worth $6.5 million. The signing deal comes two days after Owens was dumped by the Dallas Cowboys.

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Terrell Owens to Buffalo - The Dallas Cowboys reached their breaking point with wide receiver Terrell Owens, releasing the future Hall of Famer following the 2008 season. Owens landed quickly on his feet with the Buffalo Bills. While he hasn’t caused any controversy, Owens has had a disappointing season on the field with the Bills.

Tiger and Wife Reconcile? - Perhaps Tiger Woods is forgiven. According to several media reports, Elin Nordegren visited the Mississippi clinic where Woods is receiving treatment for sexual addiction. Elin appeared more “upbeat” about their relationship after meeting and has renewed hope the marriage can be saved, according to one report.

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Tiger's Marriage Crumbles - In a span of three weeks, Tiger Woods went from the world’s greatest golfer to the world’s biggest sleazebag. The number of women Woods allegedly slept with during his marriage has passed the number of major golf championships he’s won. If losing sponsors wasn’t damaging enough, reports claim Elin Nordegren is seeking a divorce from Woods.

Settling His Debt - Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. used a portion of his $10 million paycheck from last Saturday's fight with Juan Manuel Marquez to pay off the Internal Revenue Service. Mayweather agreed to pay $5.6 million in back taxes before the IRS was poised to take the money from his purse. Mayweather's tax attorney says the five-division champion has satisfied all his IRS debts.

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Floyd Mayweather Returns - After a nearly two-year layoff, Floyd Mayweather returned to the ring to reclaim his title as the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing. Mayweather showed no ring rust in defeating Juan Manuel Marquez in September, setting up a possible showdown with Manny Pacquiao on March 13, 2010.

Mama Leslie - Leslie returned from maternity leave in 2008 and averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds a game.

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Lisa Leslie Retires - The WNBA’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, Lisa Leslie, retired from professional basketball after 12 seasons in the league. The 37-year-old Leslie was a four-time Olympic gold medalist (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) and three-time WNBA MVP (2001, 2004, 2006). Leslie was the first player to dunk in a WNBA game in 2003 and the first player to ever win the WNBA Finals, All-Star Game and MVP awards in the same season.

Found Dead - On July 4, 2009, Steve LaTreal McNair was found dead in a condominium in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. McNair’s body was riddled with multiple gunshot wounds, including two to the body and two to the head. Also found dead – with a single gunshot wound to the head – was a female victim, 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi.

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Steve McNair Killed - Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was found dead alongside his girlfriend Sahel Kazemi in a Nashville condominium on July 4. The apparent murder-suicide raised questions about McNair’s personal life as his wife was unaware of her husband’s romantic affair with the 20-year-old Kazemi.