Ron Artest appears on TMZ, seriously

I have finally touched down in China and after the severe case of jet-lag, someone sent me to clip of Ron Artest on TMZ.

TMZ host Harvey Levin was talking about Lamar Odom's recent engagement to reality star Khloe Kardashian and threw it to Ron Artest to respond.

Allegedly, Ron is not speaking until he figures out what is in Harvey's cup. My money is still on some vodka tonic. Also the little exchange at the end is a misunderstanding when Ron thought Harvey asked him is "Is Kobe God" instead of "Is Kobe Gone?"

(Courtesy of NESW Sports)

By Ben Chew with No comments

Lamar Ties the Knot, or Should I Say the Gumdrop Pass?

Howling Wolf, Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, originally uploaded by Daryl L. Hunter - The Hole Picture.

After getting Shanghaied into that bachelor party (and who wouldn't have to be dragged kicking and screaming to a party at the Playboy Mansion just to make a bad Unknown in China joke?), illustrious TNLP writer BC may or may not have made it to the actual wedding. What we do know as the tiki torches fade and the chosen few fade into the LA night is the Odom-Kardashian wedding did, in fact go down. TMZ, which has been all over the story, and even unearthed Odom's babies' mama who kept the kids at home, noted mere hours before the ceremony took place that Odom rush Karl Malone'd a prenuptual agreement, which keeps all this a little sane in my opinion, really. Good move Candyman.

Post nuptuals, we must turn to two highly reliable sources for word on how the even went down. First, of course, we have testimony wrapped almost as neatly as a John Stockton assist from E!-online, which let's face it is the corporate power pimping this whole thing for its dual Kardashian shows. Here are the essentials from the E!-sponsored article (my comments in italics):

Vera Wang 2008, originally uploaded by IreneKaoru.

• Khloe "wore a tiered strapless Vera Wang gown, accented with a lavender sash. She carried white roses and was escorted down the aisle by stepdad Bruce Jenner, with sisters Kim and Kourtney at her side, while a 10-piece orchestra played in the background." Hakeem Olajuwon juh-reamy!
• Odom's best man was close friend and business partner Jamie Sangouthai, and other groomsmen were Rob Kardashian, and Robert Davis, Alex Harris, Lester Knispel and Jeff Schwartz. That means, no team mates and no later locker room bickering.
• "Lakers coach Phil Jackson, team general manager Mitch Kupchak and Odom's fellow pro ballers Ron Artest, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic were also headed for the big-and-tall table at the black-tie reception following the ceremony." I don't think I need to add anything to that.
• "Khloé donned a clingy, one-shoulder white dress for the party. Her hubby lost the jacket and the newlyweds enjoyed a first dance to Anita Baker's 'Angel.'" Maybe I broke out the Dream Shake too soon.
• "Still gleaming on Khloé's left hand was the 9-carat diamond ring Lamar bought her after a whirlwind courtship that began just this summer when they met at a party." What, he couldn't afford a 24-carat diamond with that new contract? Do they make diamonds like that?
• The "real" (sigh) bachelor party was held at STK in West Hollywood. Besides the expected attendees, Kourtney Kardashian's boyfriend Scott Disick also was present. What a name.
• The cake was from local bakery Hansen's Cake, and "in honor of the groom's notorious sweet tooth, bowls of candy were laid out."
• The musical highlight of the night seemed to be Babyface's rendition of "You Are So Beautiful."

With that note, we turn to twitter for our most reliable source of info.

• TheJetOnTNT Didn't do the pics y'all! Respected their wishes. But yes all the Lakers was there.. Highlight was Babyface singing though
• TheJetOnTNT Paparazzi was crazy ! Helicopters badoodles!
• KDonhoops Help. RT @TheJetOnTNT: Just left Lamars wedding! Very elegant.. Wouldn't expect anything else from queens cat!
• AlAllDay If god can create the world in 7 days he can create love in 30.

jay-leno-tonight-show-caricature, originally uploaded by caricaturas.

Jay Leno says, "Twitter is incredibly annoying. It's also incredibly rich. It's like the Paris Hilton of websites." I don't know about all that, but 1 o'clock a.m. in Hawai'i means time for go hiamoe! (sleep, ya bible-carryin' non-heathens.) Dream a little dream of candy and Kardashians, folks. Ooh, if they have a baby girl, they should call her Kandy Kardashian!

By snagamat with No comments

Report: Actual Whereabouts of the Unknown KNOWN

Aloha! snagamat here, taking the reins for a few as BC aka the Unknown goes off galavanting in China. Or so we're told. I did a little investigative work into my good friend's true whereabouts and found the real reason he's taking a week or so off is because he got a last minute invite to the Lamar Odom bachelor party that "never was." As BC wrote a few days ago, the bachelor party that was supposed to go down at Les Deux was nixed in favor of a more intimate get together. What he failed to mention was that "more intimate" meant the Playboy Mansion with the Heff, and he got to go!

The switch was made at Odom's team mate Jordan Farmar's suggestion, and fellow team mate Andrew Bynum's enthusiastic seconding. Farmar, of course, keeps a blog for Playboy.com, and Bynum has had some newsworthy fun at the Mansion. Also in attendance, of course, were Kobe, Pau, Joe Francis, and Rob Kardashian. Word not on the street is the party was kept uber-hush-hush because of the presence of Jay-Z, LeBron James, and Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov (middle) who probably used the occassion to discuss the future of the Nets and their move to Brooklyn.

Okay, the real reason it's hush-hush is because Ron Artest wasn't invited. Odom wanted Artest there, but there was a concern Ron Ron would get lost, as he still doesn't quite know where everything is in California yet. Regardless, hope you're having a good time BC! In the mean time, I hope to keep the quality of content consistent and alliterative for all you faithful TNLP readers. I hear aloha means good-bye too. Is that true? Stay tuned.

By snagamat with No comments

TNLP hits "The Middle Kingdom"

Hello fans and readers of That NBA Lottery Pick, this post is here to inform you that I will be on vacation (or what I like to call business) in China and Singapore from September 27-October the 6th. Essentially, selling ourselves to the Asian people.

However, do not fret. Outside the Boxscore's Snagamat will be cover for me as I take my week or so off. Also feel free to visit, Outside the Boxscore as we continue to cover the top 50 current NBA players.

This necessarily does not mean that I will not be posting or updating the site when I am overseas but I figure it's better to make sure that you the fans will be covered while I'm gone.

However, it will give me time to see the sites, try to locate Wang ZhiZhi, and spread the word of That NBA Lottery Pick.

Thank You for continuing to follow That NBA Lottery Pick and feel free to make your asian jokes in the comments

By Ben Chew with No comments

Lebron James on Jimmy Kimmel Live

I think this site has almost become the "Home for NBA players appearing on late night talk shows."

Yesterday, Lebron James appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about his first dunk that he ever did and his seriously pimped out mansion out in Akron, Ohio.

Seriously, dude has a Starbucks in his house. Let me repeat that IN HIS HOUSE. If you had a Starbucks in your house, why would you ever leave?

By Ben Chew with No comments

Lamar Odom calls off "bachelor party"

For those of you that had the RSVP to Lamar Odom's bachelor party, you were sadly turned away because Mr. Odom himself decided against it.

Here is more from TMZ:

TMZ has learned Lamar Odom has backed out of his bachelor party -- which Joe Francis and Khloe Kardashian's brother Rob were supposed to hold tonight.

Odom tells TMZ:

"I am extremely thankful to Joe Francis and Rob Kardashian, for agreeing to host my bachelor party this evening at Hollywood hot spot Les Deux.

I regret, I will have to cancel this event because I have now decided to have a private dinner with my teammates, a few close friends and of course Joe Francis and Rob Kardashian."

Man, I was really looking for forward to seeing what Joe Francis was going to pull off but I guess the midgets and candy were a little bit too much for Lamar to handle.

(Courtesy of TMZ)

By Ben Chew with 1 comment

Carmelo Anthony on Jimmy Kimmel Live

I guess you can say that this week is NBA players making the rounds on late night talk shows. Lebron was on David Letterman, Chris Paul was on Jimmy Fallon, and Carmelo Anthony made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

They broached a myriad of subjects from the building that is named after Carmelo Anthony and the day that he lost his trademark braids.

I'm still waiting for Marcin Gortat to make his appearance on "Talkshow with Spike Feresten." Oh wait, that got cancelled.

By Ben Chew with No comments

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom are getting married, seriously

Let's be honest, you thought that Kim Kardashian getting married to Reggie Bush was going to happen first didn't you? Well, the first Kardashian sister to marry a famous athlete is Khloe Kardashian.

She and Lamar are allegedly getting ready to tie the knot at the home of legendary music producer Irving Azoff and I guess become the power couple of the NBA. (I guess Kobe's wife might be a little jealous of losing that crown or not) This does seem like a publicity stunt since the couple only met a month ago but in Hollywood, anything can happen.

The one thing that I do know, Lamar's bachelor party is going to be pretty awesome since it is hosted by former "Girls Gone Wild" owner Joe Francis. Where else could you get strippers, midgets, and a ton of candy.

For most of you who think that I am kidding about that, check the invite courtesy of TMZ.

By Ben Chew with No comments

Can David Letterman beat Lebron James in a shoot-out?

Last night on the "Late Show with David Letterman", Dave had on Cleveland Cavaliers star Lebron James and challenged him to a little shooting contest.

I will say that Lebron appears to be in midseason form or at least able enough to beat a 62 year old man from Indianapolis, Indiana.

However, I will give Letterman some credit at least, for a 62-year old man even being close to Lebron in a shoot-out is pretty impressive.

By Ben Chew with No comments

Russian Billionaire wants to buy Nets, also dabbles in hookers

Do you know who that man is? Well, most of us at first glance probably have no clue who he is but that is Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov who is listed in the 40th richest man in the world by Forbes magazine and the richest man in Russia.

Then you might ask, what does he have to do with the NBA. Well, he wants to buy the New Jersey Nets to the sum of 700 million dollars.

We get more from the New York Daily News:

The Russian billionaire who is on the verge of funding the Nets' long-awaited move to Brooklyn is a hard-partying bachelor who was arrested in 2007 on suspicion he was involved in an upscale prostitution ring.

Mikhail Prokhorov, recently named the 40th wealthiest man in the world by Forbes, has an estimated net worth of $9.5 billion. And while Forbes estimates that the 43-year-old tycoon lost approximately 51% of his fortune in the last year, Prokhorov is still reportedly close to issuing a $700 million bond through his investment firm, Onexim, that would help Nets owner Bruce Ratner build the long-delayed Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn.

Prokhorov, who reportedly could also take over a majority stake in the team if a deal is reached, was arrested in January 2007 while on vacation at a French ski resort when police cracked down on a suspected prostitution ring. According to numerous reports at the time, Prokhorov told investigators that he flew beautiful women in from Russia because he enjoyed their company.

However, investigators suspected that Prokhorov had supplied the women as prostitutes to his wealthy friends and kept the billionaire in custody for several days before releasing him and dropping the charges. Prokhorov later told the French press that "my winter vacation in France was spoiled by local police, who arrested me and my friends without giving any reasonable explanations." A Ratner spokesperson refused to comment on Prokhorov's controversial past.

I'm pretty sure that most of us have used "my winter vacation" excuse many times. However, I have no qualms about someone from overseas taking a stake in the NBA. It can only help globalization along with the fact that the Nets stalled project to Brooklyn might be jump-started again.

This also might make a move that the NBA could move overseas or at least get an expansion team in Europe. However, that might put more teams at a distinct disadvantage, where would you rather go as a free agent, Memphis or Spain? Also, I do not think there is any red-blooded American who has a problem with a billionaire who has a frequent liking of hookers.

In closing, this deal might be good for the league if it goes through. Hell, the worst case scenario is that it eliminated Mark Cuban as the most eccentric NBA owner.

By Ben Chew with No comments

James Harden’s future is so bright, “he wears shades at night”

Current Oklahoma City Thunder rookie James Harden is believed to be one of the most talented players in the entire 2009 NBA Draft. This site does also get bonus points for having someone who knows him.

However, there is one thing that you did not know about Harden and that he liked to wear sunglasses at night.

In the picture above, he and his former Arizona State teammates (One appears to be Jeff Pendergraph) appear to be chillin’ while Harden rocks the sunglasses. I never really got the reason why you would wear sunglasses at night but I think it had something to do with the fact that you do not mess around with a guy in shades.



(Courtesy of The Sports Culture)

By Ben Chew with No comments

"He Beat the Buzzer", Top Ten Buzzer Beaters of 2009

Programming Note: I will be in San Diego over the next three days. So I will be off enjoying the sun and a nicely scheduled break from this site. See all of you on Monday.

I figured since I am going to be on vacation for the next couple days, the best way to tide your NBA appetites over is with the Top Ten Buzzer Beaters from last season.

Feel free to check out Outside the Boxscore as we cover the Top 50 NBA players in the league today.

By Ben Chew with No comments

When “Miller Time” was just getting started

One of the best pure shooters of all-time in the NBA was Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller and people do seem to forget that he eventually built his great shooting stroke over the entirety of his career.

In the clip above, this is his first ever NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and the Charles Barkley led Philadelphia 76ers back on November the 6th in 1987.

To think, the Reggie Miller's legacy started on that day with a ten point performance.

Update: Here is more of Reggie Miller's first NBA game. Kudos goes to WiltatKansas who arguably has been Classic Youtube Channel of all.

By Ben Chew with No comments

Brandon Jennings has a Theme Song

Current Milwaukee Bucks rookie guard Brandon Jennings has had a rather interesting life prior to coming into the NBA.

Instead of going to college, he went to play overseas in Italy. Now, even before he has stepped on a floor in the NBA, he has his own theme song.

The song is by inspiring rapper “The Answer” and the track is pretty solid. However, since Lil Wayne did one about Kobe, it is kind of passé.

(Courtesy of The Sports Culture)

By Ben Chew with No comments

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart tries to woo Lebron James

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
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www.thedailyshow.com
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Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" finally returned from it's three week hiatus and came back with a bang as their guest for the night was Cleveland Cavaliers star Lebron James.

Host Jon Stewart did his best to try and "woo" Lebron James to his beloved Knicks as he decided to give Lebron James some presents which included a "I Love New York" mug, a milkshake, and a T-Rex vertebrae.

When I went to New York, all I got was a lousy t-shirt and almost accosted someone who looked like Amy Adams.

(Courtesy of NBA Fanhouse)

(For those who cannot view the video outside the USA, here is the Hulu Link)

By Ben Chew with No comments

So Vince Carter was saving it for the UNC Alumni Game

Last week, the University of North Carolina played their annual Alumni game and some former NBA players showed up to showcase their ability to the Tarheel faithful.

Everyone from Raymond Felton to Jerry Stackhouse showed up to dazzle the crowd with their basketball playing ability.

Specifically, Vince Carter was the one who stole the show as he did a couple of highlight reel dunks. Orlando Magic fans must be happy to see these highlights.

(Courtesy of Ball Don’t Lie)

By Ben Chew with No comments

The “Circus” comes to town: Top Ten NBA Circus Shots from 2009

I remember when I was a kid; I was so excited to see the circus come to town. The clowns, peanuts, and huge elephants that would do tricks for our amusement, those were the days when the circus had a whimsical feel.

The NBA has its own version of the “Circus” in trick shots and circus shots that somehow made it into the basket.

P.T. Barnum would be proud.

(Courtesy of NESW Sports)

By Ben Chew with No comments

Michael Jordan's Finest Hour

Unless you have been under a rock, the Basketball Hall of Fame is inducting their class of 2009 today. It includes Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton, San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson, and Rutgers women's head coach Vivian Stringer. However, we all know the real reason why this is being covered so heavily and that is Michael Jordan is among the class as well.

Most of you probably expect a huge and long post dedicated to Jordan's greatness but instead I think it is easier to just show Jordan's greatness. Below are some of my favorite Michael Jordan YouTube clips that total up to one hour of pure Jordan greatness.

In closing, thanks for the memories MJ. It was a pleasure to see you play the game of basketball and there will never be another player like you.

By Ben Chew with No comments

The Nets Practice Jerseys Sponsored By….

The New Jersey Nets are finding creative ways to make revenue for their struggling franchise. TNLP recapped their 10-game tickets plan with reversible jerseys with Nets players on the front and opposing stars on their backs.

Well, the Nets have found another way to make some extra cash and they will be the first team in the NBA to do so. They are selling the rights to their practice jersey sponsorship to the company PNY Technologies.

Here is more from the Sporting News:

The New Jersey Nets are the first NBA team to sell a practice jersey sponsorship, which will put the logo of PNY Technologies on practice uniforms this fall.

The company, a flash-drive manufacturer based in Parsippany, N.J., also bought the naming rights to the Nets' practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J., to be called the PNY Center as part of a two-year sponsorship agreement. Brett Yormark, president of Nets Sports & Entertainment, refused to comment on the value of the sponsorship.

PNY officials would not disclose the specific value but said they are paying in the low six figures for the overall team deal.

To boost visibility and the value of the deal, the Nets' coaching staff will also wear PNY-branded gear during post-practice interviews. The deal also includes a team Web site presence, and the PNY logo will be seen on the media backdrop used for interviews at all practices. In addition, the team will give PNY four tickets to all Nets away games.

The deal comes as part of the company's renewal with the Nets and is not a season-presenting sponsorship agreement. Last year, the Nets had a season-presenting deal with Vonage. That deal is expected to be renewed for this season. PNY logo at practice center and in rendering on jersey

In today’s tough economic times expect many more teams to follow the Nets in this affair. It is truly unknown whether or not; this will actually have an effect on anyone’s consumerism of their product.

Also, why was the company given four tickets to all New Jersey Nets away games? That does not seem to make any sense at all. Would you not want to attend the home games?

I guess people who work for PNY would rather have the company seen than actually attend the Nets games in person.

(Courtesy of The Sporting News)

By Ben Chew with No comments

Allen Iverson + Memphis Grizzlies = ?

The final piece of the free agency puzzle has been laid to rest as Allen Iverson through his Twitter account has stated that he has signed a one year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Although it is unknown at this time what his role will be with the team, it seems that we might have to close the chapter on Allen Iverson being a dominant force. However, this deal is more intriguing that it may seem. Much like an episode of Night Gallery or the Twilight Zone, I'm waiting to see where the big twist is going to come from.

The Grizzlies have pretty much been the laughing stock of the NBA ever since their inception as the Vancouver Grizzlies but this might be the first time that a big ticket player has entered their frey. The team is still relatively young and it's current point guard situation is undesirable at best.

On the cynical side, this is distinctly a ticket-mover since the team is going down-hill faster than Kate Gosselin. The team is trying to stay afloat in Memphis and this might be the one thing that could raise attendance without breaking the bank.

One part of me wants Iverson to succeed and let the "Grizz Kids" to a playoff birth but in the Western Conference, I really doubt that it would happen. It would be a great story though.

At this point, we will have to wait and see regarding Iverson impact on the team and whether or not this move will be a success. Right now, we have more questions than "Answers."

By Ben Chew with No comments

Lamar Odom is getting his “Candy” from a Kardashian

Lamar Odom AKA “the Candyman” is now getting his candy from an unlikely source and no, it is not Kim Kardasian. Odom is currently dating her sister Khloe Kardashian who was on the most recent season of Celebrity Apprentice and that show with Bruce Jenner.

Now, I’m not going to cast doubt on Lamar Odom since he is dating a Kardashian and the less controversial one as well, however we do have to bring up that Rashad McCants was there first. I guess you can say that is the benefit of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, the celebrity ladies will come flocking to you.

Whether your prefer Khloe or Kim, a Kardashian is a Kardashian and they are famous for something dealing with their back-side. So I guess you can say, good job Lamar Odom. Let’s just hope they do better than Reggie and Kim.

(Courtesy of Lake Show Life)

By Ben Chew with No comments

It’s a Block Party, Top Ten NBA blocks from 2008-2009

With summer officially ending, the summer block parties are coming to an end as well.

However, the block party is never over specifically if you check out this top ten of best blocks in the NBA for the past season.

All you need to do now is throw some steak on the barbecue and grab some chips.

(Courtesy of Sportige)

By Ben Chew with No comments

Mo Williams/Kevin Durant/Rashard Lewis, don’t quit your day jobs

(Programming Note: I will be in San Francisco on Friday, so TNLP will be off tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend, everyone.)

Although this video is a bit old, the Ad Wizards over Nike have done it again when they created a music video for the “Hyperizers” called “Hyperize” to promote their new sneakers.

Who are the “Hyperizers?” Well, they are Kevin Durant, Mo Williams, and Rashard Lewis in some very interesting outfit and hair choices.

However, the joint is actually pretty good and a better idea than the “MVPuppets” (I still have bad dreams of puppet Kobe and puppet Lebron) Mo Williams, I mean “Fog Raw” can spit fire but I do not know about the rest.

(Courtesy of Real Talk NY)

By Ben Chew with No comments

Ron Artest’s “Heart will go on”

Let’s be honest, Ron Artest has taken this social networking thing to a whole new level and well on behalf of me, I thank him. He's already shot a music video in China, let people know "What's Poppin'" and re-enacted the Malice in the Palace.

In this video, Artest drops the Celine Dion ballad, “My heart will go on” and I think he nails it.

There are no other words to describe the "awesome" of this video.

(Courtesy of Ball Don’t Lie)

By Ben Chew with No comments

NBA players sue Topps over autograph payments

One of the locations where I love to get my news on the National Basketball Association is the entertainment site, TMZ.

Last week, they posted a story regarding nine current NBA players who are suing the trading card manufacturer Topps for not paying them the full amount they were promised for their autographs on certain cards.

Here is more on that story:

NBA star Tracy McGrady's autograph is over 16x more valuable than fellow baller Deandre Jordan’s -- this courtesy of a lawsuit filed against a trading card company.

Nine NBAers -- McGrady, Jordan, Brandon Roy, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, D.J. Augustin, T.J. Ford, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Randolph and DeAndre Jordan -- are suing Topps, claiming they were all only partially paid for their autograph deals.

The most interesting part ... how much Topps paid per autograph.

McGrady -- $50
Rose -- $25
Roy -- $18
Westbrook -- $10
Jamison -- $10
Ausgustin -- $8
Randolph -- $7
Ford -- $6
Jordon -- $3

All nine combined are suing for $300,000

The one positive that we learn from this story is that DeAndre Jordan has a little bit of catching up to do in terms of how much his autograph is worth. Three Dollars?

Hell, my autograph is at least worth $2 on the open market.

(Courtesy of TMZ)

By Ben Chew with No comments