Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman is heading to North Korea with the VICE media company — tattoos, piercings, bad-boy reputation and all.

The American known as "The Worm" is set to arrive Tuesday in Pyongyang, becoming an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri praised striker Mario Balotelli's resolve in the face of racist taunting during a tense Milan derby which finished 1-1 on Sunday.

Both clubs had fears that Balotelli's first derby since his playing days for Inter would lead to ugly taunting of the striker, who recently signed for the club from Manchester City.

Diego Maradona returns to Italy on Monday where he will again find himself facing questions over allegations that he owes millions of euros in taxes.

The Argentine World Cup winner, still an idol in Italy after leading Napoli to Serie A titles more than 20 years ago, will watch his former club in Udinese and then give a news conference on Tuesday.

The Golden State Warriors ended a five-year hoodoo by beating San Antonio 107-101 in overtime on Friday, ending a 16-game losing streak against the Spurs.

Jarrett Jack had 30 points and 10 rebounds while David Lee added 25 points and 22 boards for the Warriors, who beat the NBA-leading Spurs for the first time since January, 2008.

The Justice Department has joined a lawsuit against disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong that alleges the former seven-time Tour de France champion concealed his use of performance-enhancing drugs and defrauded his longtime sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service.

The lawsuit alleges that riders on the postal service-sponsored team, including Armstrong, knowingly violated their postal service agreements by regularly using banned substances and methods to enhance their performance.

Paralympic icon Oscar Pistorius was granted bail by a South African magistrate on Friday, pending a high-profile trial for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Pretoria magistrate Desmond Nair ruled Pistorius was not a flight risk and does not pose a danger to society after an emotionally charged four-day bail hearing.

The Palestinian football federation chief said on Friday it was "too soon" for a match against Israel as proposed by Barcelona although he praised the idea.

"This idea would cause a quake in the region if it were to take place, but it is too soon and the ball is in the Israeli camp," said Jibril Rajoub.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has tipped Gary Hooper to end his five-game goal drought when his side take on bottom of the table Dundee at Parkhead on Sunday.

The striker has failed to find the back of the net in February as he suffers a dramatic dip of form following some impressive displays in January that earned him the player of the month award.

Egyptian club Al Ahly will experience rare crowd support Saturday when they play Congo Brazzaville side AC Leopards for the CAF Super Cup.

Post-Arab Spring security concerns meant the Cairo Red Devils played six of seven home games behind closed doors last year en route to a record-extending seventh CAF Champions League title.

Late goals by Tottenham's Mousa Dembele and Chelsea's Eden Hazard advanced the English clubs to the Europa League's third round on Thursday night, while Newcastle also reached the final 16 and Liverpool and defending champion Atletico Madrid were eliminated.

Playing in an empty stadium because of previous fan violence, Fenerbahce defeated BATE Borisov 1-0 on Cristian's penalty kick in first-half stoppage time following a 0-0 tie in the first leg. A lit flare was parachuted into the stadium and landed on the field.