Washington Post: LeBron James, the NBA's most eligible bachelor, makes his long- awaited choice under the prime-time reality-television glare Thursday night.

Washington Post: Four of South America's five teams have reached the quarterfinals, and with each in separate brackets, the prospects of a one-continent final four is very real.

Washington Post: This LeBron James decision shouldn't be all that difficult, really. He needs to find the best place for him to win one or more NBA titles, without a wait.

Jenkins: If nothing else, the No. 1 pick affirmed John Wall's ability to turn negatives into positives. It was final proof that he had channeled all of his old volatility into explosive ambition. It was a personal reversal as surprising as one of those explosive crossover moves of his on the court.

Washington Post: Beneath John Wall's glitzy reputation and swagger is a 19-year-old whose inspiration comes not only from a mother who worked multiple jobs to support the family, but also from a father who was born in Washington and spent most of his final 30 years behind bars in North Carolina.

WashPost: The U.S. can advance at the World Cup with a tie and some help, but they'd rather do things the easy way. "We've been here before," captain Carlos Bocanegra says. "This time, we just need to win."

Washington Post: The ruffling and shuffling you hear in the background of this U.S. Open isn't a flock of seagulls arriving off the Pacific. Instead, it is a changing of the animal pecking order in the world of golf as Tiger Woods, after another over-par round here Friday, moves back to mortal status in his game, at least for the moment.

WashPost: I've said in this space before and I'll say it again before getting to witness another that my two favorite words in sports are "Game Seven." The nervousness, the sense of desperation, the poise, the unraveling, the precision, the turnovers, the back-and-forth, the push-and-pull make it so irresistible.

Washington Post: Phil Mickelson, gambler by trade, the favorite in the straight-and-narrow U.S. Open? Go figure.

WashPost: Brazil is there, as in every World Cup, a five-time champion that is the perennial favorite to win it all. But when the Selecao takes the field for its first match in South Africa against North Korea on Tuesday, the team won't be the Brazil of Pel, which played "the beautiful game," or the Brazil of the 1982 World Cup, which was so gifted that its attack was compared to poetry in motion. Gone is the razzle and dazzle.

Washington Post: There is but one argument for Phil Jackson as the greatest coach in the history of big-time pro sports in America, and surprisingly it has nothing to do with Michael or Kobe or even a record 10 NBA titles.

Washington Post: It's easy to appreciate both Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan for their talents and their triumphs this time of year. It's harder to acknowledge the truth and just say it: If Kobe Bryant wins his fifth title in the next two weeks and wins two more before he retires, he has to be given the nod as the greatest individual talent ever to play in the NBA.