Four teens were wounded this evening at a Brooklyn basketball court in the city’s latest incident of gun violence, authorities said.
The victims — a 13-year-old girl, two 16-year-old boys and an 18-year-old man — were struck around 6:30 p.m. at Fish Playground on Fulton Street in Brownsville, cops said.
“There was a basketball game going on and there were a lot of people in the park,” said witness Tony Herbert, who identified himself as an advocate for the neighborhood.
“Two young guys came in , announced themselves with a gang code sound,… and began firing,” he said.
— Reported by Natasha Velez and Kevin Sheehan of the New York Post
How Deron Williams reacted to Magic trading Dwight Howard to Lakers
Deron Williams had checked out of the Dwight Howard rumors after Team USA’s Las Vegas training camp. Honestly. Too many twists and turns.
So when he woke up Friday and found out Howard was headed to the Lakers, his disappointment was only marginal.
“We went down that road,’’ the Nets’ franchise player said after Team USA made it to the gold-medal game by trouncing Argentina Friday night.
“Mentally I wasn’t in the Dwight sweepstakes anymore. It just got kind of old. I’m happy for him. I know he wanted to get out of Orlando. He did that and he’s going to a great franchise and I wish him the best of luck.’’
The 12-year veteran was a key reserve for the Clippers, his impact going way beyond his marginal numbers (5.2 points, 4.3 rebounds) for a team that reached the second round of the playoffs for the second time in franchise history. But sources said the 34-year-old power forward is holding up this later stage of the hiring process for frontcourt free agents, with the Lakers and the Nets among the teams he’s considering and negotiation leverage seemingly gone because so many of his colleagues seem willing to take minimum deals.
Golden State was interested in Martin before last week signing power forward Carl Landry to a two-year, $8 million deal that, by comparison, looks lucrative. Veterans of varying pedigrees like Leandro Barbosa, Jermaine O’Neal, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Josh Howard, Michael Redd, Louis Amundson, Joel Przybilla and Anthony Tolliver are among the players waiting longer than normal for a job. Przybilla was expected to pick between Milwaukee, Portland and Dallas over the weekend, according to a source close to him, but there’s no word just yet.
Agent Mark Bartelstein, who represents a lot of the league’s middle-class players, is navigating this changed landscape but refuted the notion that the money is all gone at this point.
Brose Baskets Bamberg added size and experience to its roster by inking versatile forward Bostjan Nachbar to a one-year deal, the club announced Tuesday. Nachbar (2.06 meters, 31 years old) arrives from Unics, where he averaged 4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 7 Turkish Airlines Euroleague games last season. He helped Unics to reach the Euroleague Quarterfinals and the VTB League title game. Nachbar had previously played for Efes Pilsen, where he averaged 8.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague games in 2010-11. Before that, Nachbar had a terrific 2008-09 Eurocup season with Dynamo Moscow. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 13 games, finishing fourth in the competition in scoring and third in free-throw shooting at on 91.2%.
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.
Unicaja Malaga kept building its roster for the new Turkish Airlines Euroleague season by announcing Monday the addition of point guard, Marcus Williams, who signed a two-year contract with the Spanish club. Williams (1.91 meters, 26 years old) arrives to Unicaja from a season spent in China with the Jiangsu Dragons, with whom he averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds. Unicaja will become the second European club for Williams, who played the 2010-11 season with Enisey Krasnoyarsk of the Russian League. In Krasnoyarsk, he averaged 15.3 points, 6.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds over 28 games.
Five people were shot on a Harlem basketball court Wednesday night during an annual basketball tournament, officials and witnesses said.
Gunfire erupted around 10 p.m. at the Holcombe Rucker Park court on Frederick Douglass Boulevard near W. 155th St. after a dispute during a game for the Entertainers Basketball Classic, witnesses said.
“They started arguing, about a bad call or something like that,” said Rodney Harris, 47. “The guy was standing no more than five feet away from me. He pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot once. He then shot one more time. Everyone started running.”
“He was real close to me,” Harris said. “I thought I got shot.”
Nate Robinson, a former point guard for the Knicks, was at the game but escaped unscathed, witnesses said.
The NYPD conducts an investigation after a shooting occurred during a basketball tournament at Rucker Park on Wednesday.
Five people were shot last night at a basketball game at Harlem’s famed Rucker Park where ex-Knicks guard Nate Robinson was among those scrambling for safety during the chaos, authorities and witnesses said.
The mayhem broke loose just before 11 p.m. at the courts on West 155th Street and Eighth Avenue during the annual Entertainers Basketball Classic, which has featured numerous NBA superstars.
“All of a sudden the game stopped because an argument broke out in the stands,” said witness Rodney Harris Jr., 47, who was five feet from the melee.
The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Tornike Shengelia, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.
“Toko had a very good summer league which led us to signing him for this season,” said King.
Shengelia (6-10, 230), whose draft rights were acquired by Brooklyn from Philadelphia in exchange for cash considerations, was selected in the second round (54th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft. Shengelia has been a member of the Republic of Georgia’s National Team since 2008. He played the 2011-12 season for Belgacom Spirou where he averaged 8.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 18.4 minutes in 20 Belgium League games. He helped his team qualify for Euroleague play, and posted 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds during nine games over the season. Shengelia represented the Republic of Georgia at 2011 Eurobasket, averaging 8.8 points and 4.6 boards for the Senior National Team.
Playing in five games for the Nets in the 2012 Orlando Pro Summer League, Shengelia posted averages of 10.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game, while shooting .529 from the field and .824 from the free throw line.
As expected due to reports from last week, the Brooklyn Nets have signed guard C.J. Watson, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.
Watson played in 49 games for Chicago in 2011-12, making 25 starts. The 6-2 guard averaged 9.7 points and a career-high 4.1 assists in 23.7 minutes per game for the Bulls. As a starter, Watson posted averages of 11.3 points and 4.6 assists in 29.2 minutes per game. In the 2012 postseason, Watson started five of the Bulls’ six playoff games and averaged 7.3 points and 5.5 assists in 27.3 minutes per game.
After going undrafted out of the University of Tennessee in 2006, Watson was signed by the Golden State Warriors as a free agent call-up from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League in January of 2008. After two and a half seasons with the Warriors, Watson was traded to Chicago prior to the 2010-11 season. Over five NBA seasons, Watson holds career averages of 7.8 points and 2.6 assists in 305 games. Watson has made postseason appearances in each of his two seasons with the Bulls. In 22 career playoff games, he has averaged 4.3 points and 2.9 assists in 13.6 minutes per game.
