SH Blog: The omnipresent LeBron; Suns save on Beasley; Rodman worming release of prisoner?

This is how you know your star transcends the universe where it was created.

LeBron James – two-time defending champion, four-time MVP, best player on the planet – was the topic of three different stories Tuesday. And none of them were about NBA basketball.

Not one, not two …

Three.

• The first story is about a venture into the world of sitcoms. James is teaming with longtime confidant Maverick Carter, Fenway Sports Group CEO Tom Werner and premium cable network Starz to produce “Survivor’s Remorse,” a show about two friends from Philadelphia who made it off the tough streets and now have a whole new bunch of problems that come with success. According to the release from Starz on comingsoon.net, James said, “When my business partners Tom Werner and Maverick Carter brought up the idea of creating a television series that would capture the story of what happens when you make it out, I jumped at the chance. For Maverick and I even to be where we are right now, given where we came from, is kind of hard to believe. I felt like it was a story that needed to be told, and nobody can craft a story like Tom Werner. He has an incredible vision for television and I’m really excited to partner with him and the rest of our team.” James will be an executive producer, which means he is putting up money.

• The second story is about James’ college legacy. Hunh? Yeah, we all know that James skipped college and went right to the NBA from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s in Akron, Ohio, but he now has his own locker in Ohio State’s locker room, which is named after OSU alumnus Michael Redd. Confused? Doug Lesmerises explains for Cleveland.com: “One locker stood out. It was impossible not to notice right away in the men’s locker room that amidst the nameplates over the lockers for Aaron Craft, Sam Thompson, Lenzelle Smith and others, there was a No. 6. First of all, numbers that end with anything between six and nine can’t be used in college basketball, because an official only has five fingers on his hand for when he signals fouls to the scoring table. So that stood out. Also, the nameplate for was the NBA’s MVP, not a college kid. But maybe he can help the 2013-14 Buckeyes on the court? “I think that he’s going to have to earn his stripes,” OSU coach Thad Matta said. Ohio State said the locker is there to salute James, who made the Buckeyes the first team to wear his Nike gear, with the LeBron logo instead of the swoosh, back in 2007. “We always want to pay our respects to him for what he did for us in ’07 in terms of we were the first LeBron school. And obviously we get tremendous product from him, and I know he’s very proud of what he does for us,” Matta said.

• And the third story takes us to the halls of justice. No, LeBron is not in trouble. In fact, he should have more money to contribute to his TV show and the OSU basketball program now that a somewhat frivolous lawsuit targeting him has been tossed out by a federal judge. From Michael Neibauer of bizjournals.com: “A lawsuit alleging defamation against LeBron James, filed by a D.C. lawyer who claims to be the NBA superstar’s father, has been tossed by a federal judge. Leicester Bryce Stovell, whose $4 million paternity lawsuit against James was dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in September 2011 — a decision later upheld by the D.C. Court of Appeals — has lost a second bid to link himself with the Miami Heat star.” A hat tip to Hoopshype, as we never would have found this story on our own.

The blog now shifts to news surrounding the mere mortals occupying the rest of the NBA universe. And there’s some good stuff.