Below is a 2.5 minute bio video on Phil Knight, who helped make Nike a global powerhouse:

Pop star Justin Timberlake, who has Memphis roots, has agreed to become a limited partner in Robert Pera’s bid to buy the Memphis Grizzlies, a source close to Pera confirmed Thursday night.

Pera, a 34-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur, agreed in June to buy the Grizzlies from Michael Heisley. His bid continues to undergo vetting by the NBA and is pending approval from the league’s owners.

– Reported by Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal

LeBron James is constantly being compared to Michael Jordan.

And if James’ dreams come true, you’ll be able to compare their acting skills on top of everything else.

On Sunday, James was fielding questions from his Twitter followers, when one asked if the three-time MVP loved the movie, Space Jam.

James offered this reply: “I love that movie. Wish I could do Space Jam 2!”

– Reported by CSN Philly

“Entourage” star Jerry Ferrara is sporting a pretty gnarly gash and bruise under his left eye this morning … after taking an elbow to the face during a basketball game yesterday. [Photo]

Ferrara went to Twitter to explain his injuries … writing, “Caught a elbow playing bball from a very non athletic dude.”

– Reported by TMZ.com

Kevin Durant is going from representing the red, white and blue to walking the red carpet.

Adding to a resume that already includes being a three-time NBA scoring champion and Olympic gold medalist, Durant was the star as his movie ”Thunderstruck” premiered in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown entertainment district Sunday night. It opens in other theaters Friday.

Durant strolled down a red carpet in a black T-shirt, grey vest, white jeans and black sneakers to answer questions about his acting skills instead of the deadly shooting ability that propelled the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals last season.

”Of course, people are going to look at it a little different because I’m a basketball player and I’m doing something different,” Durant said. ”A basketball player is what I do. It’s not really just solely who I am. I like to do other things.

”It’s all about conquering your fears. That’s one thing I did with this, stepping in front of a camera and people yelling ‘Action!’ It’s not the norm for me. I did something outside the box, and I’m glad it turned out pretty well.”

– Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

We presume that the target audience for Kevin Durant’s upcoming movie “Thunderstruck” is a young fan base.

Anyway, here’s the official Thunderstruck movie trailer:

InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner spent most of July in Las Vegas, and last week spent time at the famous Palms Hardwood Suite. You’ve seen this pad on MTV and in countless luxury and reality shows. The Palms Hardwood Suite had hosted a Hoops for St. Jude party earlier. Here’s a video tour of a really, really nice place to stay:

If you’ve poked around on the internet, you’ve probably seen the pictures of Dirk Nowitzki in traditional Kenyan clothing and partying at some sort of ceremony in Africa with his fiance, Jessica Olsson.

His lady’s mother is from Kenya and her father from Sweden. The pictures that made it to cyberspace were accompanied with various stories and quotes attributed to Nowitzki. The stories suggested that it was a marriage ceremony. Nowitzki didn’t specify that, however.

So we went to the Mavericks to figure out what’s what. And spokesfolks from the team are adamant that Nowitzki remains single, for the moment. There are wedding plans, but they haven’t taken place yet.

– Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News (Blog)

Eight female badminton doubles players were disqualified from the London Olympics after trying to lose matches to receive a more favorable place in the tournament, Indonesia’s team leader said Wednesday.

The Badminton World Federation investigated two teams from South Korea and one each from China and Indonesia. It accused them of “not using one’s best efforts to win a match” and “conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport” in matches Tuesday night.

Erick Thohir, the head of Indonesia’s Olympic team, told The Associated Press that the Indonesian team will appeal. He also accused China of losing on purpose in the past.

“China has been doing this so many times and they never get sanctioned by the BWF,” Thohir said. “On the first game yesterday when China did it, the BWF didn’t do anything. If the BWF do something on the first game and they say you are disqualified, it is a warning for everyone.”

– Reported by the Associated Press

2K Sports today announced an unprecedented partnership with entertainment mogul Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter to serve as Executive Producer of NBA 2K13, the next installment of the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation franchise.

“This has been a unique opportunity to collaborate with 2K Sports and be a part of one of the best sports video games in history,” commented JAY-Z.  “NBA 2K13 will be the next evolution in sports and basketball culture, and I’m ready to usher in the new era of the franchise.”

JAY Z’s interests and influences extend well beyond his illustrious music career as a 14-time Grammy award winner, as evidenced by his part-ownership of the 40/40 sports clubs and of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, having recently helped craft that team’s iconic black-and-white logo and visual identity. As Executive Producer of NBA 2K13, JAY Z’s artistic vision and style will permeate the experience, from the overall look and feel of the game, to the hand-picked soundtrack, interactive in-game menus and more.

“We aren’t content with just being the best, and we will continue to grow the NBA 2K franchise into one of today’s premier entertainment experiences,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “JAY Z’s role in NBA 2K13 represents a unique fusion of basketball, music, art, and entertainment, and illustrates the evolution of NBA 2K into something much bigger than simply the best basketball video game series ever made.”

The audio and visual aesthetics of NBA 2K13 will reflect a balance of basketball and musical influences, with JAY Z himself hand-picking the game’s soundtrack. The 24-song collection features some of his top hits, along with an eclectic mix of music’s biggest acts.

The WWE has issued an full apology after an on-air personality joked that one of the wrestlers was “like Kobe Bryant at a hotel room in Colorado … he’s unstoppable.”

It all went down during a live broadcast of “Monday Night Raw” … when a manager named Abraham Washington — who was wearing a live mic — was ringside for a match involving a wrestler named Titus O’Neil … and during the action, A.W. let the Kobe crack fly.

The comment is an obvious reference to Kobe’s 2003 sexual assault case — when he was accused of raping a woman in his hotel room in Eagle, Colorado. The accuser eventually reached a settlement with Kobe and dropped her case.

– Reported by TMZ.com

NBA forward Matt Barnes was arrested tonight for an outstanding traffic warrant, and for allegedly mouthing off — BIGTIME — to the arresting officer, TMZ has learned.

According to law enforcement sources, Barnes was busted by police in Manhattan Beach, CA for a misdemeanor traffic warrant, and we’re told he also resisted the arresting officer.

Barnes is currently being booked by Manhattan Beach PD for the traffic violation, and for resisting an executive officer … a felony.

– Reported by TMZ.com

The Game chalked up two points … and two broken bones … during a basketball game in L.A. this weekend … when a slam dunk went terribly wrong.

TMZ has learned … Game broke a bone in his thumb and his wrist during a playoff game in the famous Drew League in Los Angeles.

According to our sources, Game fell after a slam dunk … and while he was on the ground, somebody accidentally stomped on his right hand … crushing the bones.

– Reported by TMZ

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has finally met his estranged father after 42 years of separation, following an exhibition game in the Philippines.

Philander Rodman Jr., who has acknowledged fathering 29 children by 16 mothers, says he was happy and surprised that his son agreed to meet him late Wednesday. He tried to meet the basketball Hall of Famer during another game in Manila in 2006.

“It was great,” he said Thursday of the first time he held his son’s hands since they last met in December 1969.

“I’ve been trying to meet him for years. And then last night, boom, I met him. I was really, really happy and very surprised,” he told The Associated Press.

– Reported by Oliver Teves of the Associated Press

Kris Humphries may not be the sharpest tool, but he sure is potent, because TMZ has learned his ex-girlfriend, Myla Sinanaj is PREGNANT.

Sources directly connected with Myla tell us Myla confirmed Monday that she’s 3 months pregnant and says Kris is definitely the father.

This could be used in Kris’ divorce with Kim Kardashian, because Kris has claimed he was devastated by the break-up and suffered emotionally. This development further cements the fact that Kris moved on quickly.

We’re told Myla plans to have the baby but wants to raise it alone, because she believes Kris has betrayed her by talking crap about their relationship.

– Reported by TMZ

A wax replica of New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was unveiled today at Madame Tussauds in Times Square, in the middle of Manhattan.

In case you can’t tell, the real Melo is the guy in the suit on the right.

A California court on Friday extended a restraining order against former basketball star Dennis Rodman and told him to stay away from his ex-wife who testified he showed up drunk at her apartment.

The decision comes as Rodman, 51, and his former spouse, Michelle, continue to battle in court over unpaid child support payments that her attorneys say total about $800,000.

It was a busy day for the former couple, who after the ruling on the restraining order also had a separate hearing on child support.

In the first hearing, Orange County Court Commissioner Renee Wilson extended a restraining order she first granted as a temporary measure on May 30. Wilson’s ruling keeps the restraining order in place at least until a child support trial scheduled for late October, when the matter is set to be revisited.

Wilson also ruled that Rodman, a Hall of Fame retired National Basketball Association player known for his great rebounding skills, will be allowed to visit his two children with Michelle. But Wilson ordered that an off-duty sheriff’s deputy must be present to monitor the visits.

– Reported by Dana Feldman of Reuters

Superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant doing battle in the NBA Finals was as popular as expected.

The 2012 NBA Finals – the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to become NBA Champions – generated the most-watched and highest-rated five-game average for The Finals since 2004 and the second most-watched in ABC history, according to Nielsen.

The Finals averaged 16,855,000 viewers (P2+) and 11,584,000 household impressions, up five percent from 16,084,000 viewers and 11,061,000 household impressions in 2011. The series generated a 10.1 household rating, up six percent compared to a 9.6 last year through five games.

Thursday’s Game 5 broadcast delivered a 10.9 HH rating, 18,461,000 viewers and 12,538,000 household impressions, up 1 percent compared to Game 5 last year (10.8 rating, 18,313,000 viewers and 12,472,000 household impressions).

NBA Finals Game 5 was the highest-rated program of the night and helped ABC win the night among all programs on broadcast and cable. This marks the 30th consecutive time the NBA Finals have led ABC to win the night.

2012 NBA Finals - Top 10 local markets: 1.Oklahoma City (43.8); 2.Miami (33.1); 3.Tulsa (26.9); 4.West Palm Beach (20.1); 5.Cleveland (17.4); 6.Memphis (15.9); 7.New Orleans (14.4); 8.Atlanta (14.2); 9.Chicago (14.1) 10.San Antonio (14.0).

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was recently a guest on ESPN and had a discussion with ESPN TV personality Skip Bayless that mostly centered around LeBron James and NBA championship games.

And Cuban made some fantastic points worth hearing, on LeBron and more. Here’s the video:

Hoops superstar Kevin Durant is one game away from losing the NBA Finals, and now one lawsuit away from losing his famous nickname — “Durantula” — because a guitarist claims KD jacked it from him.

Durant was sued today in Federal Court by a guy named Mark Durante — a guitarist who, according to the lawsuit, was a big deal in the 80s … playing with Public Enemy, The Aliens, The Next Big Thing, and (our favorite) The Revolting Cocks.

TMZ obtained a copy of the lawsuit, in which Durante says he adopted the name “Durantula” for his “on-stage and performance persona” — and has used it to market “music, recordings, apparel, t-shirts, guitars, and related merchandise.”

– Reported by TMZ