A tearful and repentant Michael Avenatti, the brash lawyer who once represented Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against former US president Donald Trump, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for trying to extort up to $34 million (US$25 million) from Nike by threatening the company with bad publicity. Avenatti, 50, rose to prominence by sparring publicly with Mr Trump, but criminal fraud charges on two coasts disrupted his rapid ascent. He was convicted last year of attempted extortion and other charges in connection with his representation of a Los Angeles youth basketball league organiser who was upset that Nike had ended its league sponsorship.