Sħãlïq™

Hope the Clippers draft Ledo few years from now...

LeBron hints at competing in 2016 Olympics AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- LeBron James squeezed his mom's hands, the way he did as a kid. Moments before being honored again in his hometown, where they still love him and always will, James stood among family members and friends. With the days in this summer of summers dwindling quickly, this was another moment to savor. So as he waited to be introduced, James hugged his mom, Gloria, around the neck, took out his phone and snapped their picture. He was home. "I know this place," he said, "and it knows me." Fresh off leading the U.S. men's team to a gold medal at the London Olympics, James was praised Sunday during a minor league game for his recent basketball accomplishments - an MVP award, NBA title and the gold - and for giving back to Akron, where his "Wheels For Education" initiative has provided inner-city kids with supplies, programs, mentors, and above all, hope. "I was one of these kids," James said. "It means everything to me to be able to give back. I have a passion for it. I love seeing kids smile, and for them to have someone who can lead them. For me to be in this position and being able to help and give back, means a lot." James received a warm ovation from the crowd of 3,843 - more than double the average attendance - when he walked onto the infield at Canal Park, home of the Double-A Akron Aeros, during the middle of the eighth inning escorted by Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic. Full Story

Jozy's been a beast for AZ since day one with 'em. They gon' HAVE to retire his jersey.

Naw... she ain't that smart.

I like simplicity. Black ones = sexy.

If Kobe ended up with 7 rings... I'd rank him #1 on my all-time list. That's IF he ends up with 7.

Still dope.

^ Never heard of this guy.

Dumb move, IMO. <_< They'll regret it.

Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant, contrasts in leadership http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0817/nba_bryant_nash_576.jpg Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash are both leaders with different, but effective, styles. Will this work in L.A.? Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash together are really something, as a backcourt. The point guard playing alongside the shooting guard. That promises to be a huge national basketball story all season. But vastly more fascinating to me, and something I predict I'll write about again and again, is how differently these new teammates work as leaders. It's an interesting time for the NBA in this regard. Team USA and the NBA's two dominant teams of last season -- the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder -- are unabashed about blatantly loving each other. But for the occasional Mario Chalmers incident, the tone of how they talk about each other is not about berating each other. It's about engulfing each other in support, loyalty and fist bumps. That fact is dissatisfying to anyone who sees Michael Jordan's scowl as the ultimate sign of leadership. But it's undeniably working in basketball, as predicted by a thousand modern books on leadership. In a business where you win by being up, why be down? And, even though he's a card-carrying member of Team USA's love-bomb squad, there is no more overt icon of the old-school Jordan "berate 'em into professionalism" approach than Bryant. Jordan's best-known teammate, Scottie Pippen, even refers to Jordan's scowling at teammates as "doing the Kobe" in Jack McCallum's book, "Dream Team." Full Read

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Suns sign veteran C Jermaine O'Neal PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns have signed 16-year NBA veteran Jermaine O'Neal. The length of the contract wasn't disclosed. The 6-foot-11 O'Neal is expected to back up center Marcin Gortat, a role previously held by Robin Lopez, who has been traded. The 33-year-old center has career averages of 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. O'Neal was drafted 17th overall directly out of high school. Later, with the Indiana Pacers, he played in six consecutive All-Star games. He also played for Toronto, Miami and Boston. Source

Hornets sign guard Roberts New Orleans (AP) -- The New Orleans Hornets signed former Dayton guard Brian Roberts on Thursday. Roberts played in all five Las Vegas summer league games for the Hornets, averaging 13.8 points, 2.2 assists and two rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game. He shot 50 percent from the field and hit 54 percent of the 3-pointers he attempted to go with nearly 94 percent foul shooting. The 6-foot-1 Roberts spent the past three seasons playing professionally for Brose Baskets Bamberg in Germany. The club didn't release the terms of the contract. Source

Blazers bring on three new assistant coaches Posted Aug 17, 2012 10:01 PM Source

Wade says best is yet to come for LeBron MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- All LeBron James has done so far this year is win the NBA's MVP award for the third time, an NBA Finals MVP trophy to go along with that one, his elusive first championship and a second Olympic gold medal. Dwyane Wade thinks his Miami Heat teammate is just getting started. With the start of Heat training camp now just six weeks away, Wade said on Friday that he expects James to be even better this coming season now that the will-he-ever-win-a-championship question has been forever put to rest. "That monkey is off his back and now he's just playing basketball," Wade said while taking a break from his annual fantasy camp, where fans pay up to $12,500 to get a four-day luxury taste of NBA life. "I think we'll see a better LeBron James - scary to say, three-time MVP - than we've seen. And it's because all he has to do is play basketball now. He doesn't have to worry about what he hasn't done. It'll always be something, but he's got the biggest one off his back." Wade was a James fan instead of a James teammate this summer, when the U.S. men's basketball team won its second straight Olympic gold. Wade could not play while recovering from knee surgery but was in London for part of the Olympic tournament, and he said James made playing at a high level - such as a triple-double against Australia in the quarterfinal round - seem "effortless." It's been that way for a while, too. Full Story

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Seems like someone's had a 'Corn Shakes' overdose: http://i.imgur.com/77qno.gif

http://i45.tinypic.com/ayq2iv.gif>http://i.imgur.com/bgyq7.gif

That was expected. Still, I'm happy for Iblocka!

Kobe And USA Basketball Teammates Challenged Olympic Volunteers To A Drinking Game http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5016d81aecad04ef51000015-400-/kobe-bryant-usa-basketball-2012-london-olympics.jpg USA Basketball, and more specifically Kobe Bryant, had a lot of fun celebrating their record-setting, 83-point throttling of Nigeria last week, according to the London Times. The story is behind a paywall, unfortunately, but Sporting News pulled out some nuggets (via Yardbarker). As the London Times story goes, Kobe and a few of his teammates decided to celebrate their big win by going to a casino near Olympic Stadium. “Kobe Bryant, the $50 million U.S. basketball player, challenged a group of ... volunteers, known as the Games Makers, to a drinking contest when he and his teammates visited a casino next to the Olympic Park.” Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/kobe-olympic-drinking-game-london-times-2012-8#ixzz23sSeJvp7

KOBE'S WIFE: Being Married To An NBA Superstar Is Only Worth It If He's Winning Championships http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4efb505369bedd871400003f/vanessa-and-kobe-bryant-cuddle-in-2004.jpg We all know Kobe Bryant and wife Vanessa have been going through some rocky times of late. First, they were getting a divorce. Then they weren't and Kobe was trying to patch things up by building her a church (seriously). After that, all seemed well until Kobe started doing some things Vanessa didn't really appreciate in London. (No worries they're still together!) And now comes a completely out of context, rather weird, but ultra Kobe-esque line Vanessa reportedly uttered to New York Magazine . It's not online yet, but Sports on Earth's Nicki Jhabvala pulled it out from the print version (via The Basketball Jones): Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/kobe-wife-vanessa-winning-championships-2012-8#ixzz23sPvbchS

It won't look like that, IMO. That guy's forgotten to touch up the number, city name across the jersey. <_<

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