NBA fans across America think Oklahoma City Thunder's mercurial point guard and Western Conference NBA All-Star reserve Russell Westbrook is the most exciting active professional basketball player on and off the court.

A recent study by global information measurement company Nielsen and E-Poll N-Score looked at the most exciting active NBA players. The study ranked Westbrook as #1 for having the most game on and off the court.

Known as a tough competitor with a flamboyant sense of style, Westbrook is also famous for throwing tantrums in the heat of games. In a recent nationally televised regular season game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Westbrook got visibly upset after he turned the ball over on an offensive five-second violation. He blamed his teammate Thabo Sefolosha for the lapse and got incensed when Thunder head coach Scott Brooks pulled him out of the game. Westbrook flipped a chair in the aftermath of that decision and had NBA analysts like TNT's Kenny Smith questioning his emotional maturity. more >>

The GameChanger Coaches Leadership Summit, scheduled to take place in Dallas next week, will draw together dynamic speakers and leaders from the world of sports to encourage attendees to stand in the gap to help impact "a fatherless generation."

Influential figures like Tim Tebow, Joe Ehrmann, Gabrielle Douglas, Glenn Beck, Nick Vujicic and Pastor Derwin Gray of Transformation Church are among more than a dozen speakers lined up for the Feb. 18 event organized by the Texas High School Coaches Education Foundation (THSCEF).

Although the GameChanger summit is tailored for coaches, anyone in leadership and athletics is invited to attend. more >>

A team of NBA stars, headlined by nine-time NBA All-Star and Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade, will join forces with popular Lakewood Church Senior Pastor, Joel Osteen, to talk about family and fatherhood this Friday during the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston, Texas.

The event, which will take the form of a panel discussion, will be held at Osteen's megachurch in Houston and will also feature Allan Houston, assistant general manager of the New York Knicks and former two-time NBA All-Star; Etan Thomas, retired NBA player, political pundit and children's advocate; and Carl Lentz, pastor of the fast growing New York City church, Hillsong NYC. Soledad O'Brien, CNN anchor, will moderate the event.

Some 24 million, or one out of every three children in America, live in homes where their biological father is absent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. more >>

Washington Wizards forward Nene had a life-threatening tumor surgically removed just over five years ago, and he now says God used cancer to test him and prepare him for helping others.

Nene was diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was just 25 years old and playing for the Denver Nuggets, and he recently told The Washington Post that he didn't realize the five-year anniversary of his surgery had come and gone on Jan. 14.

The Brazilian-born player – who changed his name to Nene in 2003 but was born Maybyner Rodney Hilario – is a Christian and credits God with blessing him to overcome the many obstacles he has faced. In addition to dealing with health issues including cancer, a severe knee injury and an ongoing case of plantar fasciitis on his left foot, the now 30-year-old Nene has also experienced the difficulties of poverty and leaving his native country as a teenager. more >>

Jeremy Lin rose to fame when he became a starter for the New York Knicks last February. While he is now wearing a Houston Rockets jersey and making fewer headlines in the sports world, the Christian guard is still thanking God for his opportunities.

After his first NBA start as a Knick last February, Lin managed to score 25 points and lead the New York team to a 7-game winning streak. The guard became the first player in NBA history to put up numbers of at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starting games, causing sports pundits, celebrities and fans to name him and the phenomenon "Linsanity."

One year later, the guard who now plays for the Houston Rockets opened up about the nostalgic year he underwent on his journey to Texas. more >>

A high school football coach in Alabama who made derogatory remarks against gay people in front of a psychology class has been suspended by the school for 10 days without pay.

"I don't believe in queers, I don't like queers. I don't… I don't hate them as a person but what they do is wrong. It's an abomination against God. I don't like being around queers," Lauderdale County High School football coach Bob Grisham said last month. He also insulted first lady Michelle Obama, calling her "a big fat gorilla."

"I misspoke in a debate-type situation," Grisham tried to explain after it was revealed that a student had taped his comments and posted the video online. "I have no hatred toward anyone or any group. People that know my heart, they know that." more >>