We’re in the quiet period before the 2012-13 NBA season, but things are still going on. Teams are trying to fill their last roster spots, Eurobasket ’13 qualifying is taking place, many NBA teams still need help at a position or two. Here’s all the latest news from around the basketball world: First reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder will sign center Serge Ibaka to a four-year, $48 million contract extension. Ibaka, 22, could’ve been a restricted free agent next
NBA owners, players and coaches are taking sides in the 2012 U.S. presidential election, with players and coaches favoring incumbent Democrat Barack Obama and most owners supporting Republican challenger Mitt Romney. According to research by HoopsHype.com, the largest individual donation was $15,000 (to the Romney campaign) by Michael Gearon of the Atlanta Hawks’ ownership group. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey donated $8,500 to the Romney campaign (outspending his colleague in Boston, Danny Ainge, by $6,000), and $7,500 Romney donations were made by
Serge Ibaka deal is 4 years, $48 million, league source tells Y! Sports. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) August 18, 2012 No NBA journalist breaks more news that Adrian Wojnarowski, who is finally flying back from Europe after covering the Olympics. (ESPN loathes him and fears him, FYI. And legend has it that Woj abhors the WWL — just a little inside info courtesy of this independent yet knowledgeable site). Woj’s latest scoop is a big one, because it ensures that every member of the
With the Olympics over, it’s just about time to turn our attention to the NBA season, which begins in two and a half months. But first, let’s take a quick look ahead to 2016, when there will be no age-limit restriction for the Rio Olympics. And in NBA talk, check out Moke Hamilton’s column about how the Nets and Knicks match up with each other, and in what has to be a frontrunner for most bizarre story of the year,
FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann FIBA has spoken. And their message to NBA Commissioner David Stern is this: We’re not changing the Olympics, bub. In an in-house interview with FIBA.com, secretary general Patrick Baumann took a strong stance against changing to a 23-and-under rule, which Stern and NBA owners are pushing for. Baumann said such a change would actually give the United States an unfair advantage because of the advanced developmental system in the U.S. compared to other countries. “There is
So I’m taking my daughter to school and look over to see a bus with smoke coming out of it and I see this ha instagr.am/p/Oby9z1rZ_J/ — Shelden Williams (@SheldenWilliams) August 17, 2012 How does that bus not get pulled over each and every single day?
The LeBron James haters include Osama Bin Laden’s translator. Seriously. Carlos Warner of Akron, Ohio, is a lawyer representing Muhammed Rahim, an Afghan who translated for deceased former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Rahim, who is imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, sent a letter to the Washington Post detailing his client’s complaints about his confinement. He also took a shot at James. “Dear Mr. Warner!” he wrote in a declassified letter. “Lebron James is very bad man. He should apologize to the city of Cleveland.” Warner, speaking to
NEW YORK — Since Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z became the faces of the Brooklyn Nets, the objectives of their mission have been made abundantly clear: Become relevant, move to Brooklyn, be better than the Knicks, steal the market. General manager Billy King made the deals and Prokhorov wrote the checks. The Nets embarked on an unprecedented spending spree this past summer and not only retained Deron Williams, but also surround him with some capable talent. Clearly, they are relevant. And yes, they are