Sports News Roundup: Nike, Kobe Bryant merchandise sold out on website; Woman's tribute to Bryant upsets competitor and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Nike says Kobe Bryant merchandise sold out on website

Nike Inc said on Tuesday merchandise associated with Kobe Bryant, the NBA star who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, was sold out on its website. A search for Kobe-branded products on the footwear maker's website directs customers to an obituary page for the player.

Woman's tribute to Bryant upsets competitor at slalom

A swimsuit-clad woman crossed the finish line holding a banner in memory of late NBA great Kobe Bryant at the Schladming World Cup slalom on Tuesday and sent racer Alex Vinatzer into despair. The Italian celebrated taking the lead in the second run only to discover that the woman, whose banner read '24 RIP KOBE', had triggered the clock before he had crossed the line.

Petition to make Bryant the new NBA logo nears 2 million signatures

Nearly 2 million people have signed an online petition to use Kobe Bryant's image as the new logo for the National Basketball Association following the death of the Los Angeles Lakers great on Sunday. Bryant, one of the NBA's all-time greatest players, and his 13-year-old daughter were among nine people who died on Sunday when the helicopter they were in crashed into a hillside outside the town of Calabasas, California.

Teenager Gauff to join Serena on U.S. Fed Cup team

Serena Williams will be joined by teenage sensation Coco Gauff as part of the U.S. team that will face Latvia in a Fed Cup qualifier next month, the United States Tennis Association said on Tuesday. The USTA announced two weeks ago that Williams would return Fed Cup action for the Feb. 7-8 tie in Everett, Washington and now rounded out the team with Gauff, Sofia Kenin, Alison Riske and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Kobe Bryant's high school coach lost his 'hero,' LeBron James 'devastated'

Kobe Bryant's high school basketball coach said he lost a hero when the former NBA superstar was killed in a helicopter crash, one of the tributes that continued to pour in on Tuesday while investigators sifted through the wreckage looking for clues. Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people died in a helicopter crash in hilly terrain during foggy weather near Los Angeles on Sunday. His death sent shockwaves through the sports and entertainment world.

As baseball loosens grip on CBD, former football players urge NFL to follow

In the bone-crunching, muscle-wrenching sport of football, staying on the field when injured is a challenging priority for NFL players. And with another major U.S. sports league opening the door to allow players to use marijuana and associated compounds like CBD, a debate is heating up about the way football players manage pain.

Johnson unwilling to commit to Olympics due to crowded schedule

Recent world number one Dustin Johnson is not ready to commit to this year's Olympics in Tokyo due to a crowded schedule, he said on Tuesday. The July 30-Aug. 2 Olympic golf tournament at Kasumigaseki Country Club will be held two weeks after the British Open, and two weeks before the start of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff series.

Koepka says proposed new world tour might actually happen

World number one Brooks Koepka said on Tuesday he thinks the Premier Golf League (PGL), a proposed series that could potentially overshadow the main tours, might actually happen after plans were announced last week. While Koepka acknowledged he still had much to learn about the specifics of the proposed circuit, he said he would likely be one of the first to decide whether to participate.

Andreescu named in Canada team for Fed Cup qualifier

U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu has been named in the Canadian team that will face Switzerland in next week's Fed Cup qualifier but will only make her season debut if her knee injury has fully recovered, Tennis Canada said on Tuesday. World number six Andreescu, who missed this year's Australian Open due to a knee injury suffered at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen last October, will be joined in the Canada squad by Eugenie Bouchard, Gabriela Dabrowski, and Leylah Annie Fernandez.

Reprising Houdini act, Federer scrapes through against Sandgren

Roger Federer performed his second Houdini act of this year's Australian Open on Tuesday, saving seven match points en route to a nerve-wracking 6-3 2-6 2-6 7-6(8) 6-3 comeback victory over American world number 100 Tennys Sandgren. Friday's third-round win against local hope John Millman, when the 20-times Grand Slam champion won six straight points from 8-4 down in the final set tiebreaker, was touted as the great escape.