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Lady Gaga was no match for the NBA’s playoff schedule.
The Washington Wizards announced Tuesday that the Grammy winner’s May 15 concert at the Verizon Center has been moved up to May 12 because it conflicts with a possible Game 6 in the club’s Eastern Conference playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.
— Associated Press
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The video game company 2K has announced that Oklahoma City Thunder superstar, four-time NBA scoring champion, and recently crowned 2013-14 NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant will make his solo debut as video game cover athlete on NBA 2K15, the next installment of the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation franchise. With the selection, Durant completes a banner year in which he garnered the NBA’s top award for the first time in his career and fulfilled his lifelong dream of being the feature athlete on an NBA 2K cover, all while cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players of this generation.
“I’m honored to be selected for the cover of NBA 2K,” said Durant, who is currently leading the Oklahoma City Thunder against Los Angeles Clippers during this year’s NBA Playoffs. “I’ve been an avid fan and player of NBA 2K since I was a kid, and being selected as the sole cover athlete of NBA 2K15 is an amazing accomplishment at this point of my life. I feel like my time has come.”
“We’re continually challenging ourselves to align the NBA 2K franchise with the best of this generation, and Kevin Durant brings one of the NBA’s greatest into our stable of kings,” said Alfie Brody, Vice President of Marketing for 2K. “Our goal is to consistently bring an unmatched experience for the millions of fans that play the NBA 2K series, while paralleling the NBA’s evolution and growth year-over-year.”
In addition to his accomplishments as four-time NBA scoring champion, and winning the 2014 NBA MVP award, Durant’s impressive basketball resume includes four All-NBA team selections, five NBA All-Star selections, and the 2007-2008 NBA Rookie of the Year award, solidifying him as the perfect choice to bring NBA 2K basketball to fans across the globe
Here’s NJ.com with a report on the woman that “hung out” with Donald Sterling, and was the recipient of his discriminatory demands:
V. Stiviano has finally spoken, and what she said probably wasn’t what anyone expected:
V. Stiviano, the woman at the center of the NBA scandal, said she did not leak the audio of racist remarks that probably will cost Donald Sterling ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers, and she hoped Sterling would apologize publicly for his hurtful comments.
She also said she does not believe he is a racist.
“I think he’s highly more traumatized and hurt by the things that he said himself,” she told Barbara Walters of ABC News on Friday. “I think he can’t even believe or understand sometimes the thing he says, and I think he’s hurt by it. He’s hurting right now.”
She added: “I think Mr. Sterling is from a different generation than I am. I think he was brought up to believe these things … segregation, whites and blacks. But through his actions he’s shown that he’s not a racist. He’s shown to be a very generous and kind man.”
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And, this is from CNN.com: Despite their numerous conversations, she does not consider him a racist. “No, I don’t believe that in my heart,” she said. ” I think the things he says are not what he feels. Anyone can say anything in the heat of the moment. “I think he comes from a different generation … he was brought up to believe these things … segregation, whites and blacks. But through his actions, he’s shown that he’s not a racist. He’s shown to be a very generous and kind man.” She said he slammed her pictures on social media because of pressure from naysayers who criticized her and questioned why she’s always around him.
Here’s TMZ.com reporting on Eric Williams, who played for the Boston Celtics and other teams in the NBA, and later made some appearances on the TV show “VH1 Basketball Wives.” We have no idea if this report is accurate or not. TMZ tends to be good at knowing when former pro athletes are struggling, though. Anyway, keep in mind that they are usually on point with stuff, but also do make mistakes.
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Former NBA player Eric Williams — who spent 12 seasons in league — says he is homeless and broke … this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports.
Williams — who also appeared on “Basketball Wives” — made the shocking statements in a letter he wrote to a Colorado court recently explaining why he could not attend a child support hearing in CO earlier this month.
Among the reasons, Williams says a “court-ordered citation for me to appear was not delivered to my home address as I have no home.”
Here’s TMZ reporting:
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Homeless before his teens, a father at 15 … and a college basketball champ who persevered to play 11 years in the NBA. Sound like a great movie? Derek Anderson hopes some big time Hollywood types think so.
The former Kentucky Wildcat and Portland Trailblazer tells TMZ Sports he’s shopping around an autobiographical screenplay he wrote — and hoping to hook a director like Lee Daniels or Mark Wahlberg.
His story is pretty wild … while injuries hampered him at times in the pros — his game was tight enough that Michael Jordan handpicked DA to rep the Jordan brand.
Here’s the latest NBA-related TMZ gossip report:
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After months of rumors … from adultery to divorce … Keyshia Cole has finally confirmed she and her NBA star husband ‘Boobie’ Gibson are separated.
Cole appeared with The Breakfast Club on Power 105.1 in New York this morning and when asked about the current status of her relationship with Gibson said, “We co-parent.”
Cole implied that she and the Cleveland Cavaliers star are living apart — and that he comes to her home at 8:30 AM every morning to pick up their son to take him to school. Cole says she picks the kid up at the end of the day … adding, “We good.”
Here’s TMZ reporting on Byron Scott:
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Three-time NBA champ Byron Scott has filed for divorce … seeking to end his 27-year marriage to his college sweetheart Anita Scott … TMZ Sports has learned.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the former Lakers player (who later served as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers) … filed the papers on March 13.
Byron and Anita met at a nightclub in Los Angeles when Byron was still a student at Arizona State … and according to Anita, he courted her with flowers, love letters and poetry.
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Shaq wants to be back in a video game.
Shaquille O’Neal says he’s seeking redemption for “Shaq Fu,” his infamous fighting game originally released in 1994 that’s now considered to be among the worst games ever made. The four-time NBA champion is launching a crowd-funding campaign to create a “Shaq Fu” follow-up titled “Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn.”
In return, backers could receive anything from a pair of autographed size-22 sneakers to a pick-up basketball game and lunch with Shaq, depending on how much they donate.
“The old `Shaq Fu’ was a `ha, ha, ha,'” said O’Neal in a telephone interview this week. “This will not be a `ha, ha, ha.'”
— Associated Press
Here is TMZ reporting on some dodgy stuff that they generally seem to be in the know about:
Lamar Odom’s drug dealers could be linked to the $250,000 jewelry heist at Lamar and Khloe’s house … because we’re told the dealers threatened to break in to get the money Lamar never paid.
Multiple sources involved in Lamar’s drug deals last year tell TMZ … Lamar wasn’t paying his tab. In fact, our sources say he was in the hole $15K to just one dealer back in Sept. and he owed another more than $40K.
Lamar would fend them off by saying he was loaded and therefore good for it. He would also justify not paying from time to time because the quality of the drugs was “wack.”
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Jason Collins had plenty of gifts for Matthew Shepard’s parents: a basket, a blowout, an autographed No. 98 jersey that he wears in honor of their son.
They also shared some laughs.
Collins played the final eight minutes of the Brooklyn Nets’ 112-89 romp over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, and although his three points and four fouls weren’t much to look at in the boxscore, rarely has the 35-year-old center been this proud of a performance.
“I got them a bucket,” the center said.
After his cameo in Brooklyn’s recovery from a 44-point loss against the Trail Blazers 24 hours earlier, Collins, the first openly gay athlete in America’s four major sports, met with the parents of the slain Wyoming college student who was tortured and murdered in 1998 because he was gay.
— Associated Press