After weeks of delay, the shortened NBA season began on Sunday. Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin spent roughly 12 and a half hours watching basketball on Christmas Day. He breaks down the day's games, and also looks back at the major sports moments of 2011.

The upcoming NBA season is in jeopardy after players rejected the league's latest offer for a new labor deal on Monday. "After two years of making a genuine and concerted effort to try to close a collective bargaining effort with the league and our teams, we've come to the conclusion today that that process has not worked for us," NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher said. The players have now begun the process of disbanding the union, and filing an anti-trust lawsuit against the NBA owners.

The NBA remains stuck in a lockout this morning as negotiations between players and owners have failed to produce a new collective bargaining agreement. Tomorrow is scheduled be the first day of the 66th season, but instead the stadiums will remain closed and fans will stay at home. It’s a big disappointment for fans, but for many people, their livelihoods are on the line too.

NBA players and owners failed to end a labor dispute on Thursday, forcing the NBA to cancel its preseason, which was supposed to begin on November 1. Mitch Lawrence, NBA columnist for The New York Daily News, reports on the latest.

Pat Summitt has had a successful career, leading the University of Tennessee’s Lady Vols to eight NCAA championships. Yesterday, the 59-year-old legendary coach announced that she has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. WNBA player Tamika Catchings played for Coach Summitt at the University of Tennessee for four years. She said she was shocked by the news, but, she explained, "When you think about all of the things Pat’s been able to accomplish, a lot of it has come from her determination and she’s had so many trials and tribulations throughout her life, but look at her. You know, she’s still standing strong." Despite her fighting spirit, Summitt's diagnosis raises questions about Alzheimer's disease, particularly because Summitt is younger than most who suffer from Alzheimer's.

After hours of negotiating, NBA players and owners failed to come to an agreement over salary caps and team revenue. Those involved said the meetings were friendly, but players will remain on lockout until a settlement can be reached. While players have proposed a string of pay cuts to be enacted over the next few years, team owners say it is not enough to make the teams profitable. The Players Association and team owners will meet in two to three weeks to discuss this issue again.

Shaq told his fans first in a video posted to Twitter, "I'm about to retire... love you!"  He and his size 23 basketball shoes are done with the game. "He could dance, he could move, he could pass," says Takeaway Sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin. He explains why Shaq was such a dominant force and what he might do next.

The NBA Finals will kick off tonight with Game 1 between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat. As fans get ready for the first game, we hear from them about why their team has what it takes to win it all. Representing the Miami Heat is Michael Garrett, who started following his team when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined. T.C. Fleming, on the other hand has been a fan for a long time. He moved to Dallas when he was two years old and has been a Mavs fan ever since.

Last night the Miami Heat beat the Bulls and will go on to face the Dallas Mavericks. Ibrahim Abdul-Matin says it's going to be a tough series. "I'm rooting for Dallas, but I think the Heat is going to win it." But that's not all that's happening in sports — ice hockey is heating up as well, tonight's hockey game between Tampa Bay and the Boston Bruins is one to watch. Ibrahim Abdul-Matin says the French Open is also worth turning on your television for.

The Chicago Bulls will face the Miami Heat in the eastern conference finals and both teams have something to prove, says Takeaway sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin. Tiger Woods withdrew from the Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida tournament after suffering a knee injury. It's becoming apparent that Woods is getting older.

One shining moment, you reached for the sky.... When you hear the song "One Shining Moment," how do you feel?  Loved by some and hated by others, the emotional anthem has wrapped up the NCAA basketball championship for 25 years. Where do you stand on “One Shining Moment”? And what is it about sports that so often inspire divisive songs? Jon Solomon has his opinions on the matter. A college basketball journalist for Princetonbaskeball.com, he’s also a DJ at WPRB – Princeton.

More than 140 million people have been watching the NCAA men’s basketball tournament this year. And nearly everyone involved with March Madness is profiting handsomely from the games. That is, everyone but the players. "Frontline" correspondent Lowell Bergman investigates NCAA labor issues in his new documentary, “Money and March Madness,” which airs on PBS tonight. Sonny Vaccaro believes that student athletes should benefit; he signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe contract.

Virginia Commonwealth University, ranked number 11, turned the college basketball world upside down yesterday, with an upset win over the number one Kansas Jayhawks, earning a trip to the Final Four of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. VCU now faces Butler, while Kentucky goes against Connecticut. Takeaway sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, believes VCU's huge upset and deep journey into the tournament will give the team a huge boost, with top prospects actually considering going to the school.

The sweet sixteen round of the NCAA tournament got underway last night, and we’re down to two games in each region of the tournament bracket. Takeaway Sports Contributor Ibrahim Adbul-Matin was in Badger territory. Butler beat Wisconsin and the Arizona Wildcats blew Duke out of the water. "Now we know there will be a new champion this year and that's really exciting," says Ibrahim Abudl-Matin as he looks ahead to the Elite 8.

The first week of college basketball's biggest tournament is drawing to a close. Who has fallen, and who has lived to battle another day? We check in with Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, to get a recap as well as a look at what's happening next week. Also, don't forget we're still accepting your March Madness brackets! 

It's true that February is generally considered the Dark Ages of the sports year, but there's actually a lot of activity going on this week. First up, news yesterday that St. Louis Cardinals slugger, and resident king of baseball, Albert Pujols arrived in camp without a contract extension, and thus, will not negotiate again until after the season. 

The Huskies, the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team, tied UCLA's men's basketball record of 88 consecutive wins on Sunday when they defeated Ohio State at Madison Square Garden. Helen Wheelock is a huge Huskies fan; she was at Sunday's game and can't wait for them to go for number 89, and sole possession of the record, tonight against Florida State.

Bob Feller was pitching at 102 miles per hour in the 1930s. But the baseball player was also known to fans for stopping mid-career and joining to fight and serve his country in World War II. Feller died last night at the age of 92, and for thoughts on him and the other sports stories of the day is Takeaway Sports Contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin.  

There's a lot of story lines happening in basketball this season. Which should we be paying attention to? The Miami Heat finally getting into its stride this season? A leader for The New York Knicks? Takeaway Sports Contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin talks about the biggest stories so far in the NBA.

Even if you’re not a sports fan, chances are you know the name Meadowlark Lemon. For 24 years, he played with the Harlem Globetrotters. Over the past five decades, his audiences have included popes, kings, and every U.S. president since Eisenhower. In total, he’s played over 16,000 career games — more than any other player in basketball history.