MetaFilter posts tagged with NBA

"Donald Sterling Continues To Get Away With Being The Most Evil Man In Sports"

ocherdraco — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:28:43 -0800

The Donald Sterling Rule "Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling lives by his own rules. And the only one that matters, apparently, is this: all bad deeds go unpunished. Over the last six years, nearly two dozen L.A. residents have sued Sterling for engaging in racist housing practices and Jim Crow-style bigotry. In a 2003 deposition, the 76-year-old real estate mogul admitted to paying a former employee to have sex with him in an elevator. Three years ago, the U.S. government charged him with "willful" mistreatment of African-American and Latino tenants, and earlier this month, he agreed to pay the Dept. of Justice nearly $3 million to settle a federal racial-discrimination housing lawsuit, the largest award ever for a case of its kind." So why, asks California's Tenants Together, has the NBA said nothing about Sterling's less than sterling behavior? Dan Wetzel asks why the landmark settlement has gotten practically no media coverage. Sterling's problems extend to a lawsuit from his former GM, Hall-of-Famer Elgin Baylor. The landmark lawsuit: United States v. Donald Sterling. A list of Sterling's misdeeds, from Deadspin.

Breaking the NBA color barrier

drezdn — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:27:30 -0800

Transcending The same year Jackie Robinson started playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Wat Misaka became the first "person of color" to play in the NBA. Though he only played three games with the New York Knicks. Misaka helped lead the University of Utah Utes to a NIT title after serving in the US military, stationed in Hiroshima months after the first atomic bomb was dropped.

You know how to whistle, don't you? Just put your lips together and blow....

msalt — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:40:02 -0800

The book the NBA doesn't want you to read. Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was convicted of passing inside information on NBA games to gamblers, for thousands of dollars. He has written a book purporting to reveal many explosive scandals about NBA officiating (detailed excerpts). It was scheduled for publication by Random House (cached Amazon page), then cancelled after an alleged lawsuit threat by the league. Donaghy's book names names about organized referee manipulation 1) favoring Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers, 2) to extend playoff series, 3) against strong defenders such as Raja Bell, 4) betting with each other on calls during games, 5) makeup calls, 6) feuds with players, etc. In 2007, when Donaghy was arrested, a league investigation found that every single NBA referee gambled in violation of the rules, half betting in casinos. In response, they relaxed the rules against betting.

Artis Gilmore, best hoopster denied HOF entry

planetkyoto — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:55:19 -0800

Basketball doesn't have baseball's numerous simmering controversies over Hall of Fame inductees, but the greatest basketball player denied enshrinement may be 11-time ABA and NBA All Star center Artis Gilmore. At 7-foot-2 plus 4 inches for his towering afro, they called him "The A-Train" for his powerful but unpretentious play, and today on his 60th birthday he still owns career records in the NCAA (22.7 rebounds per game) and NBA (59.9% field goal percentage). OK, I only posted this so I could link to these three photos. Despite an ABA career in which he averaged 22.3 points and 17.1 rebounds per game, NBA career averages of 17.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, ranking in the top ten in rebounds, blocked shots, games, and minutes played, among the top 25 all-time in points, and first overall in field goal percentage, Gilmore has yet to be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. For the past three years, he failed to receive even a single vote of support from a panel of nine anonymous members serving on the North American screening committee. He remains ineligible for enshrinement until 2012.

This is Not the Greatest Song in the World

pokermonk — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:49:11 -0800

Ron Artest--now wearing #37 for the LA Lakers in honor of Thriller's 37 weeks at #1 on the charts--has dropped what should only be described as the definitive Michael Jackson tribute song. (audio possibly NSFW) Artest is no stranger to half-crazy. Allegedly, he appeared to Kobe Bryant in the shower after the Lakers' 39-point elimination loss in the 2008 NBA Finals, promising to deliver Bryant to the promised land. Artest is also infamous for his melees with fans during the Malice in the Palace. (Previously on MeFi)

The Magic's Kingdom

geekyguy — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:01:09 -0800

She did it again. The Orlando Magic took no chances as they extended their undefeated record at home in the playoffs. The Magic remain undefeated when Gina Marie Incandela sings the national anthem(YT). Since first singing the national anthem for them in February, the team has won every game she sings at. Five years ago she was diagnosed with PDD-NOS autism and she now is a poster child for early intervention(YT). Not to get in a rut singing only the national anthem, Gina has released a CD single.

Wayman Tisdale 1964-2009

uaudio — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:31:18 -0800

Wayman Tisdale is dead at age 44. The 2nd pick in the 1985 NBA draft, he played for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and the Phoenix Suns. His first love was always music, retiring in 1997 to focus on a successful career as a jazz bassist. He released eight albums and was well sought out as a studio musician. He discovered he had osteosarcoma after a fall down some stairs uncovered a cyst, which unfortunately resulted in the loss of his leg, and eventually his life. A very talented guy, he will be missed.

The Disposable Superstar

Roach — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:28:56 -0800

Tom Friend's retrospective of Chauncey Billup's career is as fine a profile of leadership, tenacity, and redemption as comes along in American sportswriting. And I'm not even a basketball fan

The Greatest Series Ever?

Lacking Subtlety — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:55:11 -0800

For those who might be unaware: One of the great basketball games concluded last night in thrilling fashion during triple overtime. It is only par for a series that has gone into overtime for the fourth time in games in six games (one of which was double OT, and last night's aforementioned triple OT). The heroic moments and failures of players are too numerous to count at this point, but five of the six games have been decided by 11 points... TOTAL. On Saturday 8PM EST, what is arguably one of the greatest series ever, will conclude with the final game 7. Game 1 Bulls Game 2 Celtics Game 3 Celtics Game 4 Bulls Game 5 Celtics Game 6 Bulls Adding more to the gravity of the series, is the fact that both teams figure heavily into the history of the NBA; one being the greatest franchise ever (17 titles) and the other being the best franchise of the 1990s (6 titles, two 3-peats) Celtics History Bulls History

Not everyone is Magic Johnson

ThePinkSuperhero — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:42:26 -0800

How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.

If X is Kobe Bryant and Y is the ball...

jourman2 — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 09:20:45 -0800

The selfless NBA stats geek, by Michael Lewis. Michael Lewis previously on mefi Battier, even as a teenager, was as shrewd as he was disciplined. The minute he figured out where he was headed, he called a sensational high-school power forward in Peekskill, N.Y., named Elton Brand — and talked him into joining him at Duke. (Brand now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.) “I thought he’d be the first black president,” Wetzel says. “He was Barack Obama before Barack Obama.” Last July, as we sat in the library of the Detroit Country Day School, watching, or trying to watch, his March 2008 performance against Kobe Bryant, Battier was much happier instead talking about Obama, both of whose books he had read. (“The first was better than the second,” he said.) He said he hated watching himself play, then proved it by refusing to watch himself play. My every attempt to draw his attention to the action on the video monitor was met by some distraction.

He hates to lose

up in the old hotel — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:40:00 -0800

Dallas Mavericks owner, celebrity dancer, Dairy Queen manager, and bloviating billionaire Mark Cuban has been accused of insider trading. In its complaint, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused Cuban of selling his entire stake in Momma.com (since renamed) to avoid a $750,000 loss in 2004. But not even the government has a gag big enough to cover Cuban's mouth. On his blog, Cuban says the SEC is picking on him and presented an excerpt of a deposition of Mamma.com's CEO. And Cuban would like you to believe that he's being politically persecuted for his support of the 9/11 conspiracy film, "Loose Change." Cuban's Magnolia Pictures, which redacted Redacted, was said to be interested in a distribution deal.

Go OKC!

parmanparman — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:58:00 -0800

Goodbye Seattle! Hello Oklahoma! Get ready for the NBA's newest team, the Oklahoma City SuperSonics! Whither Seattle basketball? Methinks not.

Taking aim at ESPN

mediareport — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:46:36 -0800

Sports Business Journal has a detailed look behind the buzz over "The Emperor’s New Clothes: How ESPN’s Multi-Platform Strategy Hasn’t Improved Ratings," a sharply critical PowerPoint presentation making the rounds of sports league offices and advertising buyers in recent months. A good read for folks interested in the business of sports, decreasing TV ratings for many leagues, the blurriness of the ad/news line and the difficulty of measuring eyeballs across media. [via Romenesko]

"After looking at this pad, Hugh Hefner is a square"

dersins — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:45:57 -0800

Ursa Major, the former home of deceased basketball great (and cocksman extraordinaire) Wilt Chamberlain is for sale. History. Slide shows.

NBA to replay the final 51.9 seconds of game

pwb503 — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:39:03 -0800

For the first time since 1982, the NBA will require two teams to replay a portion of a previous game. The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat will replay the final 51.9 seconds of their December 19th game because the official scorer ruled incorrectly that Shaquille O'Neal fouled out.

Chinese nicknames for NBA players

srboisvert — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:13:13 -0800

Chinese Nicknames for NBA Players. Find out who the Stone Buddha is and whether he can hold off the German Racecar, the Sweet Melon and the King of Dragons.

NBA Player-Season Map

Kwine — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:28:42 -0800

Completely amazing graph of every NBA player for every season in which he played at least five minutes since 1979. Points Per Game are on the Y-Axis, sum total of every other stat on the X-axis, with the data points colored with RGB depending on the player's statistical tendencies during that season. Full explanation of methodology here. Gigantic monitor recommended. Via the always excellent TrueHoop.

Sole model

XQUZYPHYR — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:35:54 -0800

NBA star challenges the industry with a $15 sneaker. Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury skipped the typical endorsement deals and teamed up with retailer Steve & Barry's to promote his "Starbury" basketball sneakers. What makes them so special isn't as much the design or even the name attached to the shoe, but Marbury's idea to sell them for $14.98. And far from just a product endorsement, Marbury is putting his money where his feet are. In addition to waiving endorsement fees and only receiving a percentage of actual sales, Marbury has also worn the shoes on the court since the start of the 2006 NBA season, and both the shoe- and Marbury- have held their own against a shoe ten times its price.

A New Game Plan for Team USA

thisisdrew — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 10:34:40 -0800

I have a plan that will save USA Basketball.
"these are the very kids who could save American basketball. ...Now, am I 100 percent sure this is feasible (or even legal)? No. But do you have a better idea? Because what we're doing now certainly isn't the answer."

Curse of the College Coaches Continues

pwb503 — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:43:17 -0800

Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, is back to coach the Golden State Warriors again. Excecutive VP, Chris Mullen who played under Nelson at Golden State re-hired him after parting ways with former Stanford coach, Mike Montgomery who was their ninth coach in the past 12 seasons since Nelson's departure.

NBA Gets Some Balls

pwb503 — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 12:55:27 -0800

Even after the bad PR brought about by the new balls used in this year's World Cup, the NBA announced today (Draft Day!) a new official game ball to be used starting next season (ESPN coverage). The new ball designed by Spalding is the first official game ball change since 1970 and only the second change in the last 60 years. Vegans will be happy to hear that it's no longer made of leather. Mark Cuban will surely weigh in with an opinion on this...

NBA players and their families.

justgary — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 15:16:03 -0800

Ever wonder what your favorite NBA player would look like photo shopped into a cheezy family portrait? Wonder no more. (via spofi)

There are plenty of times when knowledge gets in the way of judgement...

togdon — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 11:45:30 -0800

There's an excellent two part dialog between Bill Simmons and Malcolm Gladwell on ESPN's Page 2 this week. The two cover a wide variety of topics such as writing, how a kid with no TV from the middle of nowhere in Canada can be a sports fan, the NFL, the economics of sports, and everyone's favorite NBA GM Isiah Thomas.

Bryant scores 81

jonson — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 21:38:58 -0800

Can you score your way out of disgrace? Kobe Bryant's 81 points tonight were the second most points ever scored by a single player in the 59 year history of the NBA, and the most scored since Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point night 44 years ago (when the league was much whiter than it is today). With a new campaign from one time sponsor Nike and sports writers increasingly touting Bryant as a leading MVP candidate, two of the three elements of modern sports superstardom (sponsorship, good press) have returned to Kobe since the rape allegations that threatened to end his career. Will the final piece of the puzzle (public sympathy) be next?