University of Nevada briefs

Barkley to attend Governor's Dinner

Retired NBA star and TV commentator Charles Barkley will be the featured speaker at the University of Nevada's 40th annual Governor's Dinner. The event will be held on Friday, July 18 at the Governor's Mansion.

Barkley is one of four players in NBA history who have compiled at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Karl Malone. H was also named as one of the NBA's 50 greatest players of all-time.

He finished his career averaging 22.1 points and 11.7 rebounds a game. In addition, he won a gold medal with "The Dream Team," the 1992 United States Men's Olympic basketball team. Barkley now serves as a commentator on TNT's NBA coverage.

Doors for the Governor's Dinner will open at 5:30 p.m. with hosted cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The sitdown, family-style dinner provided by the Peppermill will begin at 7.

For ticket information, call Heather Pennington, (775) 682-6965. Individual tickets and table sponsorships will be available later in the spring. All proceeds from the event will benefit Wolf Pack athletics.

Butler signs as free agent with 49ers

University of Nevada linebacker Ezra Butler was one of 11 rookie free agents signed by the San Francisco 49ers, the team announced on Thursday.

All of the players on the 49ers roster, including Butler, a 6-2, 235-pound linebacker, and the rookie free agents reported to the team's mandatory mini-camp on Friday. The team had two practices on Friday and will have two more practices today and one practice on Sunday.