Cleveland to Shaq: We're Big Enough for Ya

10-story-tall Nike ad just doesn't make sense anymore

(NEWSER) - Cleveland is moving on with life: Workers today began removing an enormous mural of LeBron James from a downtown building, reports CBS4 . The Nike ad is 10 stories tall and has been a fixture of the Cleveland skyline for a few years. It's so big that workers will spend all of today on the job and may not finish. "We are removing the LeBron James Witness mural in downtown Cleveland and expect the process to be completed within a few days," a Nike spokesman tells AP . More»

Cavs star also gives himself a present: a 48-point game

(NEWSER) - It must be nice to be LeBron James. The Cavaliers star turned a vital 25 years old and showed off his youthful vigor by scoring 48 points to beat the Atlanta Hawks yesterday. Then, as is the case with so many 25-year-olds, his friend and teammate Shaquille O’Neal gave him a Rolls Royce Phantom that retails at about $400,000, reports the Cleveland Leader . More»

NBA great was touched by news coverage of terrible crime

(NEWSER) - Touched by the girl's story, Shaquille O’Neal paid for the funeral of Shaniya Davis. More than 2,000 people gathered Sunday to mourn the slain North Carolina 5-year-old, allegedly prostituted by her mother and raped and asphyxiated by another man. Shaq got in touch with the girl’s father after her body was identified. The funeral director who handled the arrangements declined to say how much the services cost but estimated that a child’s funeral “averages around $4,500,” reports the Fayetteville Observer . More»

(NEWSER) - We're months away from the NBA season, but the scrutiny of the monster pairing of Shaq and LeBron has already begun in earnest. Can the superstars exist in harmony on one team? The Wall Street Journal sniffs out a little trouble, noting that the two haven't exactly acted like best buds since Shaq's trade to Cleveland this summer. "Everyone thinks you have to like each other to win a championship, but that's not true," says O'Neal. "You don't have to go on vacation together." More»

(NEWSER) - LeBron James is about to get some big help—literally. The Suns and Cavaliers have agreed in principle to a deal to send Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland in exchange for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, and the 46th pick in today's draft, multiple team execs tell the Plain Dealer. The trade will save Phoenix around $9 million, or more if Wallace accepts a retirement buyout. More»