Sports Archive

Karma Much? James Harden Elbows Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace (Video)

By Deirdre B Pride | Filed in Sports

denver-nuggets-v-los-angeles-20120512-215331-054

See……God doesn’t like ugly. Once again Karma reared it’s ugly head Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace was it’s victim. To remind you, Ron aka Metta refuses to shake James’ hand, and hasn’t even so much as apologized for elbowing James so hard that he sustained a concussion. Unlike Metta, James’ elbow to the face was deemed unintentional and it appeared that way to me as well. When will these jocks realize that being humble and thankful is always the better look. He certainly isn’t living up to his new name.

Be the first to comment

Tags: James Harden, Ron Artest

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving Awarded Rookie of the Year (Video); See Why

By Deirdre B Pride | Filed in Sports

Kyrie Irving Participating in the 2012 Taco Bell Skills Challenge

Kyrie kick much azz in votes:

2011-12 KIA NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD VOTING RESULTS

Rookie, Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland	117	2	1	592
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota	-	49	23	170
Kenneth Faried, Denver	1	30	34	129
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio	1	9	15	47
Iman Shumpert, New York	1	7	7	33
Klay Thompson, Golden State	-	5	15	30
Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento	-	6	10	28
Brandon Knight, Detroit	-	6	3	21
Chandler Parsons, Houston	-	3	5	14
MarShon Brooks, New Jersey	-	1	1	4
Kemba Walker, Charlotte	-	-	3	3
Josh Selby, Memphis	-	-	1	1

Be the first to comment

Tags: Kyrie Irving

Meta World Peace Refuses to Shake James Harden’s Hand

By Deirdre B Pride | Filed in Sports

As the Lakers snuffed out the Nuggets, talks of their next opponent, the Thunder is now the focal point. With Meta returning to the courts after his seven game suspension for elbowing James Harden in the head, people are wondering how the reunion will play out and so am I.

When Meta was asked if he had apologized to James for the unruly act, Meta said he has not apologized to James and it doesn’t sound like he will either. He added that he wont even shake James’ hand because he doesn’t start. “I don’t shake substitutions’ hands,” World Peace said in a reference to Harden’s Sixth Man of the Year status. “He doesn’t start!!!” Of all the arrogant nonsense right? At the very least he owes that man an apology, but James, who has taken the high road said he’s over it.

“I’ve let it go a while ago,” Harden said. “… My focus is definitely on something else.” Hopefully that’s not the remnants of that concussion he sustained talking.

Let’s just hope this dude gains some sportsman like conduct and at least apologizes to the man. Surely this move isn’t conducive to his new name.

source

Be the first to comment

Tags: Meta World Peace

LeBron James Wins 3rd MVP Title; Miami Heat’s First Ever

By Deirdre B Pride | Filed in Sports

LeBron James loves telling the story about his first MVP award.

In James’ first season of organized basketball, he was the best player on an undefeated team, but everyone on the roster got an MVP trophy from coach Frank Walker Sr.

“Right then and there, I knew that this is what I wanted to do,” James said Friday.

On Saturday, the Miami Heat forward was set to get another MVP award – one that puts him on a list alongside seven of the game’s absolute greats.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that James will be announced as the winner of the NBA’s top individual honor, and that he’ll be formally presented the trophy by Commissioner David Stern on Sunday afternoon before Miami faces Indiana in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

James is winning the award for the third time in four seasons. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone have won at least that many MVP trophies.

Abdul-Jabbar won six times, Jordan and Russell five times each, Chamberlain four times. After this weekend, they’ll be the only players with more than James.

“I think LeBron is an MVP candidate every year,” Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said last month. “It’s just who he is. He only does everything. So I don’t know what more you can ask from him.

“LeBron, to me, is the favorite every year. The years he doesn’t win it, it’ll usually be because people are just tired of voting for him. Statistically, if you go all-around game, I don’t know how you don’t vote for him every year.”

James said last week that while another MVP award “would be amazing and would be humbling,” it’s not what drives him. In his ninth season, James still has not won an NBA title and it’s clear that, although he wanted to reclaim the MVP trophy, winning a championship is far and away his top basketball priority.

“I think he’s probably as committed as he’s ever been in his career,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said this week, asked to summarize James’ season. “And he’s always been committed. … We all respond to his energy on the court.”

A news conference was scheduled to take place on the court at AmericanAirlines Arena after Saturday’s Heat practice.

James averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists – making him only the fourth player with those totals in at least two seasons, according to STATS LLC, joining Oscar Robertson (five times), John Havlicek (twice) and Bird (twice).

Add James’ 53 percent shooting and 1.9 steals per game into the mix, and the club gets even more exclusive. Only Jordan had a season with numbers exceeding what James did this season in those categories – 1988-89, when he averaged 32.5 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and 2.9 steals on 54 percent shooting.

And Jordan wasn’t even the MVP that year, the trophy going to Johnson instead.

Voting results will be announced Saturday as well. Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant was widely expected to be James’ top competition for the MVP, after winning the NBA scoring title for a third straight season. Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs also had seasons that generated some MVP buzz.

James’ teammates also lobbied for him to be defensive player of the year this season, noting that probably no one else in the league routinely plays four positions on offense while sometimes being asked to guard anyone from a point guard to a center on defense. James was fourth in that balloting.

“LeBron has been unbelievable,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade told The AP before the playoffs. “He’s done it at both ends, every night, offensively and defensively.”

Last season’s MVP, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, appeared in only 39 of 66 regular-season games this season because of a variety of injuries. His season ended in Game 1 of the Bulls’ first-round series against Philadelphia, when he tore a knee ligament.

Many in the Heat organization thought James should have won the award a year ago as well, when he dealt with constant fallout from “The Decision” to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent and sign with Miami, where he, Wade and Chris Bosh formed a “Big Three” that has been celebrated at home and reviled in just about every other NBA arena.

James has said he played more out of anger and to silence criticism than anything else last season. So this season, his mindset changed, with him trying to revert to old ways, first as a superstar-in-waiting at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, then during his seven seasons with the Cavaliers.

It apparently worked.

“I wanted to get back to who I was as a person,” James said.

It’s the first time that the Heat will be hosting an MVP celebration.

Shaquille O’Neal won his only MVP award before coming to Miami, and James won the 2009 and 2010 trophies with the Cavaliers – receiving 225 of a possible 244 first-place votes in those seasons.

The NBA MVP trophy is named for Maurice Podoloff, the league’s first commissioner. Heat assistant coach Bob McAdoo won the award once, for the Buffalo Braves in 1975.

Be the first to comment

Tags: Lebron James

Mystery Solved: Woman Who Walked on Basketball Court Deemed “Disoriented”

By Deirdre B Pride | Filed in News, Sports

article-2142182-12F8D40A000005DC-191_634x803

Woman who walked on the basketball court during the Nuggets vs Lakers game was disoriented due to a person matter.

Savannah McMillan-Christmas, 20, rushed toward player player Ty Lawson in the first half of the playoff game shouting ‘Where’s Kenyon?,’ referring to a former Nuggets player, Kenyon Martin.

Rumors swirled that the woman was drunk, a stalker and banned from the Pepsi Arena, but police have come forward to defend her, saying none of the stories are true.

In a video of the incident, one can hear sportscasters relay every moment of the game until they suddenly realize the commotion.

‘Well, that’s a new one’ an announcer says, confused. ‘Maybe she was chasing something,’ the other offers. ‘That was bazaar.’

McMillan-Christmas was escorted off the court and out of view before the quick-thinking announcers decided to opt for an instant replay of the action.

‘She is literally “out there,”‘ jokes one of the announcers over the slow motion replay.

McMillan-Christmas was arrested for trespassing, according to Sports Illustrated, and driven home by her mother.

‘I happened to see her walk on to the court and I thought,`Uh, oh,’” said Denver police detective Todd Erickson, part of the Pepsi Center’s security detail.

‘I happened to see her walk on to the court and I thought,`Uh, oh.’”

Detective Todd Erickson

Reports of her being heavily intoxicated and a stalker were debunked by law officials who took pity on the woman who they said was ‘crucified.’

‘She appeared to be somewhat despondent, but that’s all,’ said Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson to the Denver Westword.

‘I feel for the family. To call someone a stalker, well, that’s a criminal description, not just a slang term.’

Chris Christmas, the woman’s father, said that his daughter is suffering from personal issues that caused her to rush the court.

‘I was in shock when I saw her on the floor,’ Mr Christmas said to Yahoo.

‘There is a personal issue in her life that she has been dealing with that makes her impulsive. She was really excited about the game. Her emotions overwhelmed her.’

He said that his daughter will definitely ‘regret’ her actions, but that the media attention was unwelcome.

‘She is traumatized. We would respect if everyone would be sensitive to this,’ he said.

McMillan-Christmas’ criminal history in Colorado shows three traffic violations, according to the Denver Post.

It has to be hard to have your personal business unintentionally spilled out to world. This too shall pass. I wish her the best.

Be the first to comment

Cuteness: Chris Paul’s Son Does the “Blake Face” (Video)

By Deirdre B Pride | Filed in Hilarious Whispers, Sports

Chris Paul’s son imitates Blake Griffin’s dramatic rendition of the gas face.

He said:

If Chris Paul’s son decides not to follow his all-star father’s footsteps into professional basketball, it certainly appears he’s got a bright future in Hollywood. The L.A. Clippers star was talking to reporters following a playoff win against the Grizzlies over the weekend when his 2-year-old stole the show.

Paul was describing a sweet pass to Blake Griffin for a monster dunk late in the fourth quarter. “I just know I got into the lane,” Paul told the Los Angeles Times. “I saw the two guys looking at me and I saw Blake [Griffin].”

In other words, when Blake wants the ball, he makes a certain facial expression as a signal for the lob pass.

Then Paul turned to his son, also named Chris, having him show off his version of the “Blake Face” for the media.

The pic is a file photo from when Chris had to wear a protective mask and the little one wanted to imitate his dad so they made him one.

source

1 Comment. Join the Conversation

Tags: Chris Paul

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Wins by Unanimous Decision

By Deirdre B Pride | Filed in Sports

money-inside-getty2-5-5 Getty credit via Yahoo Sports

Floyd Mayweather Jr. won last night’s bout against Miguel Cotto by an unanimous decision.

When the fight was over, both fighters hugged each other. Floyd congratulated Cotto saying, “You are a hell of a champion. You’re the toughest guy I ever fought.”

Floyd earned a guaranteed $32 million plus he and Miguel Cotto will share the pay-per-view revenues. This will make Mayweather’s 43^rd win.

Floyd went on to say, “When fights are on pay-per-view, you want to give the fans what they paid for and that’s excitement. It comes with the territory when you fight a future Hall of Famer like Miguel Cotto. I had to fight hard, suck it up. He’s a tough competitor. I knew I’d have to come in the ring, fight hard and execute the game plan. Cotto is a future Hall of Famer. He’s no pushover, and he came to fight. He didn’t come just to survive, he came to fight. I dug down and fought him back.”

It didn’t take long for the Pacquiao talks to begin again. Mayweahter said, “I tried to make the Pacquiao fight and that didn’t work, so I fought Miguel Cotto instead and gave the fans a great fight. I’m just trying to make that fight. I want to fight Pacquiao, but he needs to take the test and I’ll fight him. He speaking about the random drug testing that he says Pacquiao refuses to do. Miguel Cotto agreed to take the blood and urine test. Pacquiao can do the same.”

And like I said, I’m done getting hyped up about a Pacquiao vs Mayweather bout. Not to mention the random excuses that are continuously thrown around. It just wont happen. Oh, don’t forget “The Money Man” has to go to the big house next month to serve his 90 days and he can’t file a motion of any kind to further delay it. Sux right?

Be the first to comment

Tags: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Shaq Graduates with a Doctorate Degree (3.8gpa)…….”Call Me Dr. O’Neal”

By Deirdre B Pride | Filed in Education, Sports

Shaq has graduated with a doctoral degree in education.

He officially received his degree along with 1,100 other students today in Miami, at the James L. King Center. Shaq actually had to get down on one knee to get his hood and you know it didn’t end there. Shaq was so happy he picked up the presenter, Dr. David Kopp. The biggest man on campus was congratulated by cheers.

Shaq walked over and hugged school president; Sister Linda Bevilacqua, walked off the stage and posed for photos in his cap, gown and hood. On his way back to his seat he walked down the line giving other grads hi-fives like he did during opening games. The students loved having the honor of having Shaq as a fellow grad.

I hope you’re not think that this is an honorary degree because IT ISN’T AN HONORARY DEGREE; Shaq actually put in the work and earned it with hard work. The good doctor graduated with an GPA of 3.813 while completing 54 credit hours comprised of 16 courses and six credit hours of self-directed research. He did most of his course work via satellite, video conferencing and Blackboard.com. The title of his doctoral capstone project was “The Duality of Humor and Seriousness in Leadership Styles.’’ Oh so fitting.

He posted on his facebook page……”Call me Dr. O’Neal.” With that said, you must do so or you may not get a reply. Once a person has earned the honor, you should address him as such unless he gives you permission to do otherwise. If not, you’re being totally disrespectful. R.E.S.P.E.C.T While he’s at it he may need to ask for that raise. Impressive!!

I didn’t hear anything about Shaunie and the kids being in the building, but his proud mom Lucille was definitely there; singing his praises. “I’m proud because I know he earned that title,” Lucille O’Neal said. “With all the money he’s got, he could have [paid for an honorary degree]. But he didn’t. And now I get to call him Dr. O’Neal.”

Sanjay Sands, who received his masters in business administration on Saturday, was among the many students who tried to snap pictures of O’Neal on their cell phone as the ceremony proceeded. But Sands said he couldn’t “get any good ones,” and will simply leave with the memory he and Shaq once shared the same stage.

“What he did just shows education doesn’t stop,” Sands said. “He’s already been successful and has decided to take his career another step forward. As a millionaire athlete he could probably not do anything, just relax, retire. But he still wants more. I admire that. We all admire that.”

Said Bevilacqua: “We have many notable graduates among our 55,000 alumni, but I would have to say Dr. O’Neal would give new meaning to big man on campus. It’s so important for young students to see that you can achieve great success in a variety of ways in our world. You can achieve tremendous prominence in many things, but what is most important is that we see ourselves as life-long learners. I think Dr. O’Neal is a very powerful example of that.”

After leaving school early in 1992 to enter the NBA Draft, O’Neal went back to Louisiana State University eight years later and earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies, fulfilling a promise to his mother. In 2005, he earned a master’s of business administration through the University of Phoenix’s online degree program.

After leading the Heat to the NBA title in 2006, O’Neal decided it was time to go back to school again and on a tip from the Heat’s foot doctor decided to enroll at Barry in Miami Shores. He spent the past 4 1/2 years — including his final two seasons in the NBA — quietly working toward his doctoral degree in organizational learning and leadership with a specialization in human resource development. He studied before and after games, and between his work on television as an analyst, often staying up to the wee hours of the morning to get work done.

“Everyone thinks this is honorary. But this is not honorary. I put in four and a half hard years staying up late at night, studying, reading, rewriting papers Dr. Kopp marked up,” O’Neal said.

“The work was very rigorous, but very enjoyable. And I’m not done. I think I’m going to try law school next. I’m thinking about it. We’ll see.”

O’Neal’s mother, Lucille O’Neal, a few of his siblings and all of his children sat and stayed through the entire two hour commencement ceremony. O’Neal gave his parents most of the credit for driving him to further his education, pointing out how when he used to get in trouble his mother would make him come up with jobs for every letter in the alphabet.

“’A’ was a basketball player. ’B’ was basketball player. ’C’ was Cop. And ’D’ — even though I didn’t believe it — was Doctor,” O’Neal said. “… I remember my mom coming in and saying ’If you really put your mind to it you probably could be a doctor.’ Thank God for parents like mine.

“Of all the things I’ve done in my life, this probably is my No. 1 accomplishment.”

His mother agreed.

source

Be the first to comment

Tags: Dr. O'Neal, Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal

Floyd Mayweather Covers E$PN the “Money Issue;” Makes $ports History

By Deirdre B Pride | Filed in Sports, Who's on the Cover

Just like he says, the man is the highest paid in sports….check the stats. Floyd will be going up against Cotto on PPV tonight. It’s not the fight I wanted, but I’ll take what I can get at this point. I’m done being optimistic about seeing a Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight…..done.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.,

known as “Money,” is in the money yet again with the largest contract guarantee for one fight in boxing history.

Mayweather — the cover subject of the new “Money issue” of ESPN the Magazine — will earn at least $32 million for his junior middleweight title challenge against Miguel Cotto on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET, $59.95) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The $32 million figure is on Mayweather’s bout agreement, which was filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Friday, according to executive director Keith Kizer.

According to Kizer, the previous largest guarantee in Nevada — where most of the biggest money fights have taken place — was the $30 million Mike Tyson was guaranteed for the infamous ear-bite heavyweight championship rematch with Evander Holyfield in 1997.

Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael in his blog.

“It’s the biggest guarantee ever in the history of the sport,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who said his company was responsible for guaranteeing the money. “Nobody ever had a guarantee bigger. Floyd is in a league of his own. I think that this shows it again.”

Mayweather stands to earn many millions more because he also will earn significant money on the profits from the pay-per-view, which is expected to sell well in excess of 1 million units.

Schaefer said the fight is tracking better than any previous Mayweather fight except for his 2007 fight with Oscar De La Hoya, which sold nearly 2.5 million subscriptions and set the record.

In his previous two fights, Mayweather was guaranteed $25 million for his bout against Victor Ortiz in September and $22.5 million for his fight with Shane Mosley in May 2010.

“This is just a testament to his star power,” said Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s closest adviser. “Floyd Mayweather is a one-man walking conglomerate. Of course, this is exciting. Over the last 12 months he is the highest-paid athlete in sports.”

Cotto is guaranteed a career-best $8 million but also stands to earn millions more because of what he will earn from the pay-per-view upside.