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The AP reports:
The international basketball federation has cleared Britain’s men’s and women’s teams to compete in the 2012 London Olympics without qualifying.
The world governing body FIBA gave the teams a special exemption at a central board meeting Sunday after receiving guarantees that the host will improve its long-term basketball program after the games.
The AP reports:
Travis Outlaw and the New Jersey Nets were up to the challenge of providing excitement for the NBA’s European fans.
The Toronto Raptors more than did their part, too.
Outlaw scored the final eight points for New Jersey in a 137-136 triple overtime win Saturday night that gave the Nets a sweep of their two games in London.
The game featured four missed buzzer-beaters and provided exactly the kind of thrilling finish league officials were looking for when they decided to bring regular-season games to Europe for the first time… Brook Lopez had 34 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets but fouled out in the second overtime.
Deron Williams added 21 points and 18 assists for his fifth straight double-double since joining the Nets from Utah last week.
Sasha Vujacic had 25 points—including six 3-pointers—and Kris Humphries added 20 points and 17 rebounds for New Jersey. Outlaw finished with 14 points.
DeMar DeRozan finished with 30 points for Toronto (17-46) for the second straight night.
The AP reports:
The New Jersey Nets are still far away from their Russian owner’s goal of making the team a global brand and NBA champion. But for now, at least, they’re the league’s most successful team in games played in Europe.
Brook Lopez scored 25 points and New Jersey ended a six-game losing streak with a 116-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday in the first regular-season game on the continent.
Kris Humphries had 18 points and 17 rebounds and Deron Williams earned his first win since being acquired from the Utah Jazz last week, adding 16 points and 11 assists…
The Nets and Raptors will face each other again at the O2 on Saturday, as the NBA decided to bring regular-season games to Europe for the first time as part of its push to increase its fan base on the continent. The O2 has hosted preseason games for the last four years.
The attendance for Friday’s game was an announced sellout of 18,689, but there were some empty seats.
“I loved the crowd,” said Bargnani, who was the highest-scoring European player on the night. “I really felt the excitement. I was nervous in the first half. I think it’s going to be better tomorrow.”
The unusual venue meant the public announcer had to do some extra work, explaining some of the basic rules every now and then to the British crowd— like pointing out that a player fouled while shooting gets two free throws.
And with crowd support split between the two teams—despite the Nets being listed as the home team—players had the rare experience of being booed by rival fans before every free throw, and then cheered by their own supporters if the shot was good.
Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports:
The devastating floods that wreaked havoc throughout Australia have slowly disappeared from the daily news cycle, but Patty Mills’ efforts to raise money and awareness about the plight of his homeland is just hitting its stride.
Mills teamed with the Blazers to raise nearly $5,700 through a variety of fund-raising efforts in January. Now, through a grass roots campaign to sell T-shirts that Mills helped create, the Australian point guard has set a new goal of raising $50,000 to aid his battered country.
“When you’re on the other side of the world, when you’re far away from your family and friends, you really feel helpless,” Mills said. “So I’m trying to do all I can to help out.”
Mills came up with the idea to sell T-shirts with friend Josh Unruh, a former South Salem and St. Mary’s basketball player who owns a T-shirt company (WheresMyShirt.com) that raises money for charities. Mills designed the shirt and the two made an initial batch of about 300 to sell at a women’s basketball game at St. Mary’s during the NBA All-Star break.
The shirts sold out.
“So we made some more,” Mills said. “We’ve just been getting batch after batch because they just keep going out.”
The AP reports:
The World Anti-Doping Agency could suspend the Turkish drug-testing laboratory that reported an apparent “false positive” for American basketball star Diana Taurasi.
WADA director general David Howman tells The Associated Press the agency has asked the Ankara lab to explain why it declared Taurasi’s samples positive for the banned stimulant modafinil, a decision which led to her contract being terminated by her Turkish club.
The AP reports:
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The numbers don’t lie—Ricky Rubio is struggling with his shot.
The Spaniard is shooting just 20 percent from beyond the 3-point line in the Euroleague this season, a stat that has concerned fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team that used a first-round draft pick in 2009 to claim him.
As for Rubio himself, he’s not sweating it.
“Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn’t,” Rubio told The Associated Press after a recent 80-56 win over Roma Lottomatica. “I’m not worried. You have to keep shooting and believing in yourself.”
Rubio is averaging only about six points per game, but he is also doing what he does best—finding passing angles few others see and creating offense.
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Legendary Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant is set to become the first athlete to have a hand and footprint ceremony at the world renowned Grauman’s Chinese Theater on February 19, 2011. The ceremony will take place during the City of Los Angeles’ hosting of the NBA All Star Weekend festivities and will be followed later that evening with a lavish star studded gala event for Bryant, 1,200 VIP guests and select members of the public.
“To be a part of such elite company is a tremendous honor. I’m proud to be the first athlete to be recognized,” stated Bryant.
Jeru Tillman of Southfield Village Entertainment stated, “Today’s athletes are among the best known and most talented entertainers in the world. We are pleased Kobe will be honored for the many years of enjoyment he has given us on the basketball court.”
Mr. Bryant has been named Most Valuable Player of the NBA finals for the past two years, and has won five NBA championships in his career. He has twice been the NBA scoring champion and was part of the gold medal winning U.S.A. Basketball Men’s National Team at the 2008 Olympics.Throughout his 14‐year career, Mr. Bryant has become a pillar in the world wide philanthropic community specifically dealing with children’s charities. He has enjoyed a long relationship with St. Jude’s Hospital, After School All Stars, The Boys & Girls Club of America and has granted more wishes than any other NBA athlete to children with life threatening medical conditions via the Make–A‐Wish Foundation. Through his Kobe Bryant Family Foundation and the Kobe China Fund, he has sponsored Hispanic and African American children with scholarships, leadership grants and cultural exchanges allowing them to learn Mandarin and martial arts as well as donated for the relief efforts of victims of the Schezuan earthquake.
Mr. Bryant will join over 200 stars including Marilyn Monroe, Brad Pitt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Smith, Harrison Ford and John Wayne who have had their hand and footprint ceremonies.
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By Jeff Lenchiner
Streetball legend and former NBA player Rafer Alston has found a new job in basketball, and it’s taking him overseas.
Alston’s longtime manager and close friend Eddie Lau told InsideHoops.com that the guard is traveling to China today where he will sign a contract to play for the Zhejiang Guangsha Basketball Club.
In other news, in addition to his other roles, Lau is now also Alston’s agent.
Alston began his NBA career in 1999, playing for Milwaukee. He went on to play Toronto, Miami, Houston, Orlando and New Jersey, and had a career average of 10.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 spg.
Known in Rucker Park and other famous playgrounds as “Skip to my Lou,” Alston has great flair to his game. Over his years as a professional, he learned how to separate Alston the NBA player from Skip, the kid in the playground. It’ll be interesting to see footage of how he performs overseas.
The AP reports:
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Allen Iverson says he expects to continue playing basketball at the highest level possible once he has a lesion in his right leg examined in the United States.
Iverson posted on his Twitter page Friday that he was returning home for examinations, and possibly surgery. Iverson says he has no plans to retire and still loves the game.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Iverson is still playing overseas, in Turkey. I haven’t heard any rumors that he’s headed back to the NBA anytime soon, or at all.
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Euroleague.net reports: Less than a week before the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 starts, Turkish powerhouse Efes Pilsen has reinforced its perimeter game with the addition of veteran scorer Ronald ‘Flip’ Murray, the club announced Friday. Murray (191, 31), who signed until the end of the current season, has spent his entire professional career in his native United States, playing for eight NBA teams in as many years. Murray last played with Chicago, averaging 10.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29 games after arriving there in February of 2010. He has also played for NBA teams in Milwaukee, Seattle, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Atlanta and Charlotte.
InsideHoops.com editor says: I’m a bit surprised Murray was unable to find a job in the NBA this season. He’d have been a decent scoring option off a bench for the league minimum.