President-elect's basketball jones subject of intense speculation
New York Daily News Dec 1, 08 11:14 AM CST
(Newser)
-
With inauguration approaching, Washington is gripped by an all-important question, the New York Daily News reports: Where will Barack Obama play basketball? Will he keep his campaign promise to build a court in the White House? Will he play at a nearby military base? Or, as rumor has it, hit the glass-enclosed court at the upscale gym where Condoleezza Rice works out?
More »
Associated Press Nov 22, 08 1:24 PM CST
(AP)
-
Tennis great Jimmy Connors got himself into a little scrape with the law last night. Details are sketchy, but police arrested the eight-time Grand Slam champ after some kind of confrontation outside the arena of his beloved UC Santa Barbara basketball team. Cops says Connors, 56, refused to leave the area when ordered to do so at the start of the team's game with top-ranked North Carolina. He was booked and released.
More »
Special interest groups want to pick Obamas' puppy, church, chef
New York Nov 20, 08 10:06 AM CST
(Newser)
-
With the incoming first family's private decisions being scrutinized as breathlessly as the president-elect's cabinet picks, you already know about the battle over the puppy, and the private-or-public-school competition. New York reports on three other hotly contested issues: The French-trained chef hired by Laura Bush may be replaced to reflect the incoming multiculturalism, but by whom? On the short list are Oprah's former chef and that of the Denver Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony.
More »
Players turn on the acting and sound effects to convince refs to give the call
New York Times Nov 19, 08 8:00 AM CST
(Newser)
-
The grunts and bellows of pro basketball players approaching the hoop has become as much a part of the game as the dribbling, the New York Times reports. Players shout to alert—or, as often, persuade—the ref that they are being fouled before they take a basket. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade are considered among the game's best actors.
More »
APPRECIATION
Wooden, Knight just two to praise man who scored Olympic gold, NCAA, NIT titles
San Francisco Chronicle Nov 18, 08 3:05 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Pete Newell will be remembered as perhaps the “greatest basketball coach of all time,” Bruce Jenkins writes for the San Francisco Chronicle . The legendary UC-Berkeley coach died yesterday, at 93; he was the first man to win NIT and NCAA titles and Olympic gold. “He built empires out of sawdust,” Jenkins writes, “all the while molding impressionable youngsters into the men they would become.”
More »
OPINION
NBA needs to crack down on bench players blocking the view for no good reason
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Ill.) Nov 12, 08 8:46 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Imagine not being able to watch an NBA game because the players were in your way. That’s just what the league needs to crack down on, Mike McGraw writes in the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald , who’s “disgusted by the lack of respect shown to fans” who shell out good money for seats behind the bench, only to miss the action when the scrubs won’t sit down.
More »
Voters line up around the country on long-awaited day
Associated Press Nov 4, 08 10:51 AM CST
(Newser)
-
Barack and Michelle Obama cast their votes for president in Chicago today with their daughters in tow, the AP reports. They were ushered in ahead of lines that snaked around the block as neighbors who’d gathered to see his arrival cheered, the Chicago Tribune reports. Obama kissed the cheek of his poll worker and displayed his “I Voted” slip to applauding onlookers before heading to Indiana for some last-minute campaigning.
More »
New injury fells Trail Blazers center minutes into his delayed NBA debut
Oregonian Oct 30, 08 3:36 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Greg Oden's NBA debut last night lasted just 13 minutes, the Oregonian reports. The Trail Blazers center and top 2007 draft pick—who sat out all last season with a knee injury—injured his foot in the first quarter of the team's 96-76 loss to the Lakers. Oden, still without a single point to his name in the NBA, is expected to be out for up to a month.
More »
Political career a surprise move for quiet youngster
New York Times Oct 24, 08 9:51 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Those close to Sarah Palin as she was growing up remember her as quiet and reserved—“almost a wallflower type,” said one friend, a far cry from the tough, outspoken campaigner she has become. “I don’t think Sarah ever wanted to lead,” notes a college buddy. But somewhere between high school basketball, beauty pageants, a sportscasting job, and the Wasilla City Council, something changed, the New York Times reports in a profile.
More »
ANALYSIS
He's got the endorsements, but needs that championship
Advertising Age Oct 20, 08 10:16 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James may rake in more cash than any other NBA endorser, but he’s still not the “global icon” he set out to become 2 years ago. (His jersey is only the third-best seller in the league.) That could change if he wins a ring, writes Advertising Age . “To an extent, championships define athletes," says the CEO of James’ marketing company.
More »
Basketball is essential outlet when things get tense
Los Angeles Times Oct 4, 08 1:44 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
For Barack Obama, shooting hoops is an essential element of any tense day. In frequent sessions usually closed to reporters, the senator faces off with friends from the campaign and elsewhere, even flying in Chicago buddies to hit the court, the Los Angeles Times reports. But his aides make sure he’s careful: He wouldn’t want to “turn up with a busted lip” at a key event.
More »
Scandal fallout continues to batter league
USA Today Sep 23, 08 1:57 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The NBA referee who admitted gambling on basketball begins his 15-month federal prison sentence today, reports USA Today . The conviction of referee Tim Donaghy, 41, has rocked the NBA, even though officials determined he didn't bet on the specific games he worked. An NBA-sponsored investigation into gambling and referees is under way.
More »
OLYMPICS
We're 'back on top,' boasts ecstatic LeBron James
Associated Press Aug 24, 08 5:51 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The US Men's Basketball Olympic team pulled off a hard-fought victory to beat Spain 118-107 today to grab the gold medal. The US team has won gold every Olympics but three, including embarrassing defeats in 2004. "Much respect to Spain, but the US is back on top again," boasted player LeBron James. The