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LOS ANGELES -- Derrick Rose is at a crossroads in his basketball career and one of the biggest moments in what could be a make-or-break year for the former NBA MVP didnt happen on the court.It happened in a court.Rose was vindicated Wednesday in a $21.5 million lawsuit that accused him and two friends of raping an ex-girlfriend when she was incapacitated from drugs or alcohol.The reticent Rose, who remained stoic most of the trial including during his testimony about intimate sex acts, smiled outside court, thanked jurors and put his arm around some who posed for photos with the hoops star.I am thankful that the jury understood and agreed with me, Rose said in a statement. I am ready to put this behind me and focus on my family and career.Jurors in Los Angeles federal court had sat through graphic testimony with somber expressions, but it took them less than four hours to conclude there was a lack of evidence to support the womans claims and dismiss her account as unbelievable.It felt like she was playing us, said Jared, 25, one of several jurors who spoke to reporters outside the courthouse, none of whom gave full names. The second her lawyer started questioning her, she would start crying. ... That could be realistic, but I feel lm pretty good at reading people, and I felt as if it was false.The case included X-rated testimony from the men about poolside group sex at a mansion Rose rented in Beverly Hills in the summer of 2013 and multiple sexual encounters throughout an August night and into the next morning.The woman, who had previously dated Rose for less than two years, denied having sex at his place, saying she had a few tequila shots and felt drugged before going home. Her lawyer said the defense fabricated the story to make it look like she had willingly had sex with all three men.Her testimony was impaired by a blackout that erased most memories of the night except for flashes that included the three having sex with her at her apartment as she slipped in and out of consciousness.The woman pieced together events of the night by reviewing text messages to Rose, but the defense used those to say she was lucid and sober and had been angling for sex throughout the day and had invited him over.The issue for the jury was whether she consented to sex or was too intoxicated to do so. The men all said she was alert and willing when she stopped the three outside her bedroom door and said, One at a time.The tense two-week civil trial sidelined Rose during several preseason games with the Knicks as he attempts to prove himself with the new team and rebound from major knee injuries that hurt his career with the Bulls in his native Chicago.Rose, 28, is in the final year of a five-year deal that will pay him $21.3 million and the case threatened more than his bank account and reputation. Defense lawyer Mark Baute told jurors a lot was riding on their decision.Any finding he had sexually assaulted the woman could have violated a morals clause in his player contract and a lucrative deal with Adidas and jeopardized his career and the future of family and friends who rely on him for financial support, Baute said.Defense lawyers tarred the woman as a gold-digging liar who tried to sway jurors through emotions. They claimed she was angry he had dumped her, so she set him up and brought the lawsuit in hopes of a big payoff.They portrayed Rose and his childhood pals, Ryan Allen and Randall Hampton, who both work for him, as victims in the case.All three men were innocent from Day 1, Baute said.The womans lawyer called the men sexual deviants who conspired to gang rape her after she was drunk and incapable of consenting to sex. Attorney Waukeen McCoy said the case wasnt about money, but about holding the men accountable for moral and legal wrongdoing.Los Angeles police have an open investigation into the womans claims.The Associated Press does not generally name people who say they are victims of sex crimes.The accuser, who had become emotional and trembled at times while testifying, buried her head in her hands as the verdict was read. She left the courthouse without comment.Her attorney said she was devastated and he was considering appeal options.Its a shame for women, for this country, that a celebrity can come into court and slut-shame a woman like my client, attorney Waukeen McCoy said.After dismissing the jury, Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald offered his best wishes to the woman with her studies and to Rose in his career except when the Knicks play the Lakers.Nike Shoes From China . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. China Shoes Store . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. https://www.chinashoes.us/ . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Fake China Shoes . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Air Max From China . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury.Eric Gordon and the Houston Rockets?have agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal, a source told ESPNs Chris Broussard.The agreement was first reported by The Vertical.The Rockets had a busy Saturday. Before reaching the deal with Gordon, they also agreed to terms with power forward Ryan Anderson, his agent told ESPNs Marc Stein.Finding another outside shooter to complement newly hired coach Mike DAntonis up-tempo offensive system was next.Gordon has never played a full 82-game season, but he was snagged to give shooting guard James Harden another playmaker on offense, something Harden and DAntoni talked about prior to the start of free agency.Gordon, 27, arrived in New Orleans in the 2011 offseason as the prize of the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers.But Gordons career with the Hornets/Pelicans has been defined by his time off the court. The former seventh overall pick out of Indiana played just nine games in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, and he has missed an average of 29 games per season since. In large part because of injuries, the eight-year veteran never turned into the offensive dynamo he seemed to be ready to become after averaging 22.3 points per game with an 18.56 player efficiency rating in his third and final sseason with the Clippers.ddddddddddddGordon averaged a respectable 15.3 points and 39 percent shooting on 3s in five seasons with New Orleans, but he routinely shot in the low 40s from the field and never topped a 16 player efficiency rating in a season when he played double-digit games.After rejecting a four-year extension from the then-Hornets in January 2012, Gordon signed a maximum offer sheet worth $58 million over four years with the Phoenix Suns that summer to play for then-coach Alvin Gentry. Despite Gordons declaration via a statement that Phoenix is just where my heart is now, New Orleans matched the deal for the restricted free agent.Gentry was hired as Pelicans coach last offseason, and Gordons first season under him resulted in a 56.6 true shooting percentage -- the highest of the guards New Orleans career.But Gordon finished 2015-16 ranked 27th among shooting guards in real plus-minus (minus-0.48) and missed 37 games after breaking the ring finger on his right (shooting) hand twice as the Pelicans sputtered to a 30-52 record.Information from ESPN.coms Calvin Watkins and Justin Verrier was used in this report. ' ' '