NBA basketball player Shaquille O’Neal speaks onstage at the 27th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner on September 24, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis) Shaquille O’Neal is joining the ownership group of the Sacramento Kings. The Kings announced Monday that O’Neal has acquired a minority stake in the team under new owner Vivek Ranadive. The Kings will introduce the four-time NBA champion at a news conference Tuesday in Sacramento.
O’Neal tormented the Kings during the height of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and handed Sacramento its biggest blow by rallying the Lakers from a 3-2 deficit to win the 2002 Western Conference finals. O’Neal retired after the 2010-11 season and has worked as an analyst for TNT the last two seasons. article by Antonio Gonzalez, AP via thegrio.com
NBA player Chris Paul attends Movie Premiere ‘Let Me Explain’ with Kevin Hart during the 2013 BET Experience at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on June 27, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for BET)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Chris Paul has already seemingly done the impossible by turning the long-languishing Los Angeles Clippers into a force in the Western Conference. Now he’s taken on another big task — rebuilding the reeling NBA players’ association. Paul was elected president of the players’ union Wednesday, replacing Derek Fisher and giving an organization cloaked in turmoil some much-needed star power at the top.
The vote by NBA player representatives came six months after the union fired Billy Hunter as executive director, a position that remains vacant and follows about 18 months of in-fighting and drama that occurred during the negotiations for the latest collective bargaining agreement. Hunter countered with a wrongful-termination lawsuit in May, accusing Fisher of conspiring with NBA officials during the 2011 lockout. “It’s not about me as president or the first vice president, it’s about the players as a whole,” Paul said in a conference call Wednesday night. One of Paul’s greatest gifts on the court is an ability to get everyone involved and make his teammates better. Now he’ll try to do the same thing with the union. After the lockout ended and the lawsuits started to take hold, there was a feeling among many players and observers that putting a big name in the big chair would help galvanize the group and get star players interested in participating again.
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers have signed Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, to his guaranteed rookie contract. Financial terms were not immediately known, but the deal can be worth up to $22.8 million over four years. Bennett was somewhat of a surprising selection by the Cavaliers, who believe the 6-foot-8, 240-pounder from UNLV can play power forward. He’s recovering from shoulder surgery, but the Toronto native is expected to be ready for the start of training camp. He averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds as a freshman with the Runnin’ Rebels. The Cavs also said they have finalized their deals with first-round pick Sergey Karasev, a guard from Russia, and second-round selection Carrick Felix from Arizona State. Karasev helped lead Russia to the gold medal in the World University Game this summer. Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press via espn.go.com
On Friday, July 26th the Entertainers Basketball Classic (EBC) will suspend their summer tournament for one weekend to host the Trayvon Martin Invitational in memory of the slain Florida teen. In conjunction with Vibe Magazine and NYC radio station Hot 97, the tournament will host New York’s elite streetball teams (within the tri-state area), top NBA players and celebrities who will come together at the legendary Rucker Park. There will be 2 games every night at 6pm & 8pm with the winning teams of each game advancing toward the Invitational Championship game which takes place on Monday, July 29 at 8pm. Bringing young and old together, the EBC in conjunction with activist Kevin Powell will host community leaders at the park to speak to the Harlem fans and attendees. CEO and founder of EBC, Greg Marius states “This is an extremely difficult time for many people, I can not begin to express my sympathy with Trayvon Martin’s family but only show my support by joining together as a community to make a difference. If we do not make a stand for all the injustices now, who will?”
A pair of Kobe Bryant‘s 2000 NBA championship rings brought in a combined $282,337, in an auction that closed Saturday morning. The monthlong sale, held out of West Berlin, N.J., by Goldin Auctions, brought in a total of $433,531 from Bryant’s memorabilia. “Collectors surely recognized that these are historically significant pieces of memorabilia that are rarely made available for a player like Kobe Bryant,” said Ken Goldin, Founder of Goldin Auctions.
Goldin Auctions will donate $62,565 of the proceeds to the Bully Project, one of Bryant’s favored charities. “We’re delighted to have been chosen to benefit from the auction of these once-in-a-lifetime items from Kobe Bryant,” said Lee Hirsch, the director of “Bully.” “Athletes set a powerful example when they speak out against bullying and we deeply appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in this auction for helping us to amplify this message.” Bryant’s memorabilia, including high school uniforms, rings and an All-Star medallion, was provided to Goldin Auctions by Bryant’s mother, Pamela, after a family dispute over ownership was settled out of court. article by Eric Pincus via latimes.com
Kevin Durant and Monica Wright MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant is engaged to Minnesota Lynx guard Monica Wright. Wright confirmed the engagement following Minnesota’s 91-59 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday night. Durant, who was selected with the second overall pick in the 2007 draft, just completed his sixth season in the NBA. The 24-year-old forward averaged 28.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists last season. Wright is in her fourth season in the WNBA. She played her college ball at Virginia and turns 25 on July 15. Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com
The Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade released a fitness app called “Dwyane Wade Driven” while his team was simultaneously celebrating its third NBA championship with a parade and rally. The app offers customized training programs and videos for basketball players and other athletes. “It shows people ways to work out, a lot of different ways to work out, whether it’s basketball drills or not,” Wade told The Associated Press. “A lot of people work out at home. A lot of people don’t have access to a gym. A lot of people don’t have trainers. So it’s kind of like I’m the personal trainer for basketball and fitness and I’ll show them a lot of things I do with my body and for my body.” The app was available for download starting Monday. It includes basketball drills and a fitness routine, along with ways for users to track their progress. Driven Apps, the publisher, plans to release additional bundles for users to download once they have mastered or completed the initial Wade program.
Jason Kidd (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) The Brooklyn Nets have hired Jason Kidd as their coach, bringing the former star back to the franchise. Kidd just retired after his 19th NBA season and the Nets decided to hire him despite his lack of coaching experience.
The move reunites Kidd with the franchise he led to consecutive NBA Finals in 2002-03, when they played in New Jersey. “Welcome home, Jason,” owner Mikhail Prokhorov says Wednesday in a statement. Copyright 2013 The Associated Press; article by Brian Mahoney, AP via thegrio.com
While LeBron James and the Miami Heat are currently down 0-1 against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, he was awarded another accolade to be another notch added to his belt. Coming off his fourth MVP season in 5 years, King James has been selected to cover the upcoming NBA2K14 video game. The multi-platform basketball simulation has been the premier sports experience for over the past decade and it’ll be the first time James has graced the cover. Included within NBA2k14 will be bonus features inspired by LeBron James’ overall career. NBA2K14 will be released October 1st, 2013, right as the NBA season will be resuming its play. Will you buy? Let us know what you think in the comments below. article by Kyle Harvey via thegrio.com
BOSTON— NBA veteran Jason Collins has marched in Boston’s gay pride parade with Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy III, his onetime roommate at Stanford University. Collins wore a T-shirt that read (hash)BeTrue when he joined thousands of marchers Saturday. NBA veteran Jason Collins marched in Boston’s gay pride parade. (AP Photo) In April, Collins became the first active player in one of the four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay. He wrote in an article for Sports Illustrated that the decision to go public came when Kennedy marched in last year’s parade and Collins didn’t feel that he could join him. Deveney: Collins supported by gay-tolerant NBA Stern worked to create Collins also said the Boston Marathon bombing reinforced the notion that things can change in an instant, so he might as well live truthfully. Collins played for six teams in 12 seasons and becomes a free agent next month. article via sportingnews.com
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