Brooklyn Nets Blog – Page 93 – NBA Blog

LeBron, Wade, Melo, CP3 set up 4-game Homecoming Tour

LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony are going home — and bringing friends with them.

With no end to the NBA lockout in sight, the All-Star group is set to lead a four-game “Homecoming Tour,” starting with a matchup in James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio on Dec. 1, followed by a Dec. 4 game in New Orleans, a Dec. 7 game in Chicago and culminating with a Dec. 10 contest in East Rutherford, N.J.

James, Paul, Wade and Anthony are committed to play in all four games of the tour, which was announced early Monday. Proceeds from the tour — which will include events such as food drives, educational outreach programs and clinics in each city — will benefit the four headlining players’ charitable foundations, and tour sponsor Google Plus will stream each game live.

“It’ll be very neat,” Wade told The Associated Press. “First of all, this is something we talked about doing a long time ago as players. To have an opportunity to go to these different cities that we’re from, to bring basketball to them at a high level and also have a charitable component in each city and to be with the guys, it’ll be cool. It’s something we’re looking forward to.”

Tickets for the first three games go on sale Tuesday. Tickets for the East Rutherford game will be on sale Wednesday.

— Reported by the Associated Press

James, Wade and Bosh had initially been listed to participate in a world tour of NBA stars, which also was to include Paul and Anthony. That tour was to include stops in Puerto Rico, London, Macau and Australia before it was cancelled.

“It’s not anything that I’ve heard about since then,” Wade said, with the change of plans to a domestic tour. “I was excited about the opportunity to go, obviously to play basketball with some of my friends, some of the best players in the game, to travel to different places and given them kind of what we get over here, the excitement of the game. It’s unfortunate.”

Instead, the passports are off and the domestic games are on.

“You could see, I was there to the end,” Wade said. “I wasn’t going to pull out of it, I was going to keep going and I wanted to play.”

— Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Julius Erving memorabilia auction nets $3.5 million

SCP Auctions says more than 140 items from Julius Erving’s personal collection sold for a record $3.5 million. The auction ran from October until Sunday.

Among the highlights: His 1974 New Jersey Nets ABA championship ring sold for $460,471; 1983 76ers championship rings sold for $244,240; 1983 All-Star game MVP trophy ($115,242); final game worn jersey from May 3, 1987 ($88,826); and 1974-75 ABA MVP trophy ($173,10).

SCP said the Nets championship ring set a record price for a sports ring.

Erving told The Associated Press last month he’s never been a “hoarder or collector,” and planned to donate a portion of the auction proceeds to the Salvation Army.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Shaq rejected entrance by NYC club

Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t power his way through the lane at a New York nightclub this weekend — getting TURNED AWAY at the door … all because he was dressed like a lumberjack.

TMZ has learned … Shaq rolled up to nightclub/restaurant Mars 2112 on Saturday night wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, tennis shoes and a beanie (pictured above with random fan later that night).

But according to the club promoter, Mike Mogul, Shaq’s attire wasn’t up to club standards … so security politely informed the retired NBA star that he would not be allowed inside.

— Reported by TMZ

Dr. J was almost an Atlanta Hawk

In an article on the Atlanta Hawks website, Jon Newberry tells the story of how one of the greatest players in basketball history almost played for Atlanta.

In the summer of 1972, Dr. J was looking to make a move to the NBA from the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Hawks were looking to facilitate that move. This is where the problems begin.

In a nutshell, Dr. J secretly signed a contract with Atlanta but was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks that same summer. A legal battle ensued which eventually barred Dr. J from playing for any team but the Virginia Squires.

— Reported by CSN Philly. The full NBA.com report is here.

Nets working hard to gain New York support

For fans seeking season tickets to next year’s debut in the Barclays Center, the Brooklyn-bound club started dishing out seats five months ago.

The results have been better than the ill-fated marriage of forward Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian: About 50% of their 100 suites — average price $250,000 — are already sold, the team said.

And season ticket sales for the 4,400 best seats in the new Brooklyn arena are about 15% ahead of expectations — with per-game costs ranging from $99 to $1,500.

The positive news comes despite the team’s inability to use its players — including stars Deron Williams and Brook Lopez — in any promotional capacity due to the ongoing lockout.

The Nets are luring buyers in other ways: the “All Access” 2012-13 season ticket holders receive unlimited complimentary food, along with first shot at seats for any of the other 180 events annually expected at the facility.

— Reported by Larry McShane of the New York Daily News

Security guard sentenced for bomb threats at NBA office

A private security guard who called in bomb threats to a National Basketball Association office in northern New Jersey that he was hired to protect has been sentenced to six months in prison.

Jose Quesada also must serve six months of home confinement once he’s freed and then three years of supervised release under the sentence imposed Wednesday.

He had pleaded guilty in November 2010 to knowingly providing false information indicating that malicious damage by means of an explosive would take place.

— Reported by the Associated Press

No reconciliation between Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian is not reconciling with Kris Humphries, and the divorce is full steam ahead … this according to sources with first-hand knowledge of the situation.

We’re told even though Kim is somewhat conflicted, she knows divorce is the right thing to do, and the purpose of the trip to Minnesota last weekend was to create face-to-face closure.

— Reported by TMZ

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries have counseling with pastor who married them

Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries and the pastor who officiated at the couple’s August wedding met for two hours Sunday at Humphries’ Minnesota home, RadarOnline.com has confirmed.

Pastor Joel Johnson, who is Kris’ hometown minister, spent two hours with the estranged pair at Humphries’ lavish lakefront home.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Kim flew overnight from Los Angeles for the gathering. She arrived in Minneapolis at 5:30 am.

Kim was seen making several emotional phone calls from the home’s porch, and Pastor Johnson declined to answer reporters questions about how the couple is doing.

— Reported by Radar Online

Kim Kardashian files for divorce from Kris Humphries

That was fast!

Kim Kardashian filed for divorce Monday just 72 days after tying the knot with Kris Humphries in a lavish ceremony that was taped for her reality show.

“I’ve spoken to her briefly and she says she’s sad and got caught up in all that was going on,” Ryan Seacreast, who produces her show, said on his KIIS-FM radio program Monday morning.

Kardashian, 31, lists the date of separation as today, Oct. 31, 2011, and cites the usual “irreconcilable differences,” according to her Los Angeles Superior Court filing.

She also says the couple has a prenuptial agreement and she doesn’t want to pay spousal support to Humphries.

— Reported by Jennifer Garcia and Mike Fleeman of People.com

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John Wall will play in Carmelo Anthony NYC-area exhibition game

John Wall says he plans to play in Carmelo Anthony’s exhibition game in New York, if and when it’s scheduled.

“Yeah, I’ve got to,” Wall said last week. “Carmelo’s like a big brother or a big homey to me. I listen, take a lot of advice from him. So I wouldn’t mind playing in his game.”

Anthony has said he wants to host an exhibition game in the area featuring LeBron James, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant, among others. So Wall would only add to the star power.

The game is expected to be scheduled for late November and may take place in the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York