Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden continues his summer tour of conversing with the “greats” in his latest Footlocker commercial. While currently preparing to compete for the United States in the upcoming FIBA World Cup, Harden gets a chance to chop it up with someone that knows a thing or two about playing in a World Cup match. The spot features United States soccer legend Landon Donovan, who made headlines this summer when he was cut from the United States Men’s National
So far there has been one worthy suggestion for Team USA’s most fitting new nickname: “The Unknowns.” By the end of this week, perhaps something else will be more fitting, like the “C-Deem Team.” I was the guy four years ago who dubbed the 2010 World Championship team the “B-Deem” team as it traveled to Turkey, learned of how hard it would be to not lean on Kevin Durant, and got out of Istanbul with the gold medal by trouncing the
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self had some interesting things to share this weekend regarding Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Andrew Wiggins. A former Jayhawk, Wiggins has been at the center of a potential trade between the Cavaliers and the Timberwolves for Kevin Love. There have been reports that the two teams currently have a deal in place , but Wiggins can not be traded right now due to NBA rules that prevent him from being moved the first 30 days after signing his contract. Self
Friday was a big day for the Sacramento Kings. As many prepared for the 2014 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction, including 14-year veteran Mitch Richmond who played seven seasons with in Sactown, Kings forward Rudy Guy was accepting an invitation to join Team USA in Chicago. Should he make the final cut, Gay would help to fill the huge void now felt with the recent losses of Paul George (injury) and Kevin Durant (withdrawal). Gay was a member of the 2010
Kevin Durant quit. Paul George broke his leg. So what do we have here? The darkest days for USA Basketball since 2004 (Athens Olympics, which opened with a 19-point loss to Puerto Rico)? Here is the news story on Durant quitting. Yes, quitting. This is shameful, in my opinion. No national team anchor has ever done this. The fact that it comes at the same moment that Durant is leaving Nike and finishing details of an unbelievably lucrative $325 million sneaker and apparel deal with
In the two-plus decades since the 1992 Olympics, the Dream Team has been celebrated and romanticized. References to it are wistful and reverential. The Dream Team represents perfection. In the basketball world, it was the greatest. How easily we forget that the basketball power structure in the United States thought the idea of having NBA players in the Olympics was repulsive. At the 1989 vote in Munich to allow NBA players in the Olympics, the U.S. organization (later USA Basketball), which
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant made news today when he announced that he was withdrawing from Team USA. The United States basketball team has been preparing for the 2014 FIBA World Cup, and Durant was expected to be the veteran leader amongst the team this year. [Read more…]
Thursdays on Twitter are typically when everyone posts pictures from something from their past. The trend is called “Throwback Thursday” or “#TBT.” NBA athletes are not excluded from participation, as many often post old photographs, sometimes from their childhood, high school or college. Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, who is said to be joining the Cleveland Cavaliers as soon as Andrew Wiggins is eligible to be traded on August 23rd, posted a photo from his high school days. Just prior to the big