Basketball fanatic Barack Obama named legendary center Shaquille O'Neal as sports envoy to Cuba on Friday, in a new sign of thawing ties between Washington and Havana. When the imposing seven-foot one-inch player was dominating courts for the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat in Florida he was just a short hop from the island state. The United States and Cuba finally restored ties last year and officials from both countries are gingerly negotiating a new relationship, even as parts of the embargo fall away.
