The great ones are great for a reason, the game never stops and neither do they. LeBron James has been working hard all summer to come back even better than he was last year. Is that even possible? In a recent interview with CBS Sports, James made it clear that he wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfection. “I’m still getting better,” he said. “I don’t want to be the same player I was this past season, I want to come into
Pastuszek: Could Yi Jianlian Help an NBA Playoff Team?
BEIJING – All is back to normal in Chinese professional basketball. Yi Jianlian is a champion again, yet he can’t get a sniff from the NBA – even after dominating throughout the season for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, who won the CBA championship by sweeping all three playoff rounds. Could Yi, who can now safely be called an NBA washout, be a replacement piece that could help one of several injury-riddled NBA teams in the playoffs? The answer that Yi’s camp has been
Bernucca: What the preseason has shown us so far
Even for hoops addicts, watching NBA preseason games presents a challenge. The baseball playoffs are under way, the college football and NFL seasons are in full swing, and there is this small matter of a presidential election. There is no subscription package for the preseason. League Pass takes a pass until the regular season starts later this month. So the only way you can watch games right now is on NBA TV, which isn’t part of the basic package of a number
Tweet of the Day: Bruce Bowen
Continuing with the ongoing theme of the week for the NBA, our Twitter feed takes us back to China. Former San Antonio Spurs small forward, now NBA analyst for ESPN, Bruce Bowen succinctly expressed the excitement that Chinese basketball fans have for the game. He sent out this tweet from Shanghai at the Miami Heat’s open practice:
To say that the Heat received a warm welcome would be an understatement. The Mercedes-Benz Arena, site of Sunday’s exhibition game against the Los Angeles
Internationals conspicuously absent in top international jersey sales
Nearly 20 percent of the NBA is comprised of international players, including some of the game’s biggest stars. But when it comes to international jersey sales, American players still dominate. On the first list of the top 15 international jersey sales released Thursday by the NBA, the top 10 spots went to American players, with tried-and-true veteran Kobe Bryant holding the No. 1 slot. The list was based on sales at adidas locations outside the United States during the 2011-12 season. Following Bryant
China barely gets Olympic berth, beats Jordan 70-69
From Paulo Kennedy of FIBA.com, in Wuhan, China: (Rasheim) Wright then hit two miraculous driving baskets before Yi Li drove down the middle for a jam. Wright then tied the game away with a long, shot-clock beating 3-pointer and the game was tied at 69. Yi Jianlian was then unwisely fouled in the backcourt, with Jordan in the bonus, giving him his chance to win the game. He missed the first, then the second bounced around before dropping in. Jordan had one
Jordan may play in the Olympics (No, not Michael) – UPDATED
By Chris Sheridan Of the 12-team field for the 2012 Olympics, eight of the 12 competitors are set: Team USA, Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Great Britain and Tunisia. We’ll know the identity of the 9th — China or Jordan — before the end of the weekend. If it is Jordan, led by former New Zealand national team coach Tab Baldwin, there will be one extra American athlete at the Opening Ceremonies in London. He is Rasheim Wright, a 30-year-old 6-foot-4 guard from Philadelphia’s