Proving that Shaq, internet power broker, stands unfettered from his tumultuous last week where he was accused of hacking into and implanting child porn into a former employee’s computer, this morning, @The_Real_Shaq tweeted that he’s auctioning off four tickets to the home opener vs. the Heat on October 26, along with four jerseys.



The auction is part of the @TwitChange campaign, which launched on Sep. 15 as a charity-auction series to support aHomeInHaiti.org. The campaign was created by aHomeInHaiti.org founder Shaun King, and has signed up other Twitter celebs such as @KimKardashian, @JustinBieber and other members of the in-crowd. Check out the bidding war for Shaq’s tickets (currently, $2,550 for the set) and learn more about the cause at the eBay link.

Nice to see that Shaq clearly remembers a time when Googling “hack” and “Shaq” purely yielded YouTube clips of him bricking free throws, as he looks to rise above the pending lawsuit, not to mention the unending speculation that this latest move to Boston is purely Kobe-motivated.

Appearing live in a hotel lobby near you, it’s Shaq lip syncing – also piano player mimicking – to Peter Cetera’s Glory of Love. This gets pretty exaggerated.




Thanks for posting first, Hoops Doc. I too wouldn’t hate it if Shaq settled down a little.

To put this into context…

Via WashingtonPost.com’s Crime Scene:

On Saturday, state and local officials raided booths at the [St. Mary's County farmer's] market in Charlotte Hall, Md. and came away with $88,413 worth of merchandise with counterfeit trademarks, authorities said.

Authorities said they hauled away clothing with fake logos from the National Football League, Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association.

There were counterfeit Coach, Gucci and Louis Vuitton purses, too.

St. Mary’s Sheriff’s officials said seven suspects were identified and prosecutors are reviewing the case.

When I first read this, I was confused (probably because I’m terrible at thievery). If it’s all counterfeit, why is the lot worth $80 Grand? Well, as my source @asilentflute asserts: “must have been a sh*tload.”

Way to be discreet, merchants.

Currently, there are NBA memorabilia items up for auction on ebay that are both priced higher and more ridiculous – for example, a framed, vinyl-copy of the Thriller album signed by Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan. However, this has to be the most curious case of trying to cash in on a superstar’s early accolades that I’ve seen since last year when I found someone selling eight scrapbooks of Lebron James complete press clippings for $250 K. For just under five grand you can purchase a set of four yearbooks from Lower Merion High School, in Ardmore Pennsylvania, from 1993-96.

It’s no coincidence, that during that four year span, the Lower Merion “Aces” varsity basketball team was led by Kobe Bryant. He was also voted to Homecoming King and Most Likely to Succeed his senior year. (A+ to the seller for including every single shot of Kobe from each book in the listing.)

Redacted: Bears mentioning that First Cuts posted this find yesterday – someone selling an 8th grade yearbook that Kobe signed for $9,995.00! His message: “Blosom, you are a good dancer and very sympathetic. Love, Kobe Bryant.” (H/T @chrislittmann)

That Malcolm X by Edward Jackson is part of Grant Hill’s extensive collection of fine African American art. But first off, wasn’t he fantastic last night? I can’t remember a game where I saw someone disrespect Kobe with so many mid-range jumpers. His team is still going to lose the series, but I’d love to see Hill keep up.

Even though the Suns appear to be on their way out of this year’s NBA playoffs, Grant Hill, painting and sculpture aficionado, is just starting to pique as a renaissance man. For instance, we recently learned that Hill signed on to executive produce a documentary about Duke basketball. He discussed his philosophy on having passions outside the game with USA Today this week:

Hill doesn’t believe he’s the exception among NBA players in his unique interests, which include exhibits for 20th century African-American art.

“A lot of times they’re scared to comment on it or to share their interests with the public,” Hill says of other athletes. “We should. It’s encouraging to see that. When I shared my art collection there were a lot of positives that came from that. Hopefully it showed a lot of other athletes it’s OK if you have a hobby or interest you’re involved in. Use your platform as an athlete to expose, to share, to bring knowledge to people.”

That was deep Let’s be honest, Hill’s going to have to have another assassin’s game and Phoenix needs to win game three in anyone other yours truly is going to acknowledge that Grant Hill, film auteur, art connoisseur is in the midst of a renaissance. Otherwise, it’s just an aging athlete doing stuff with money.

Immediately following last night’s NBA Draft lottery, columnist David Steele, posted on Twitter asking that armed guards keep Michael Jordan from coming anywhere near D.C. until the draft is over. Wizards fans who remember when Jordan drafted Kwame Brown with the #1 pick in 2001 do not find this statement one bit outlandish.

I thought it worthwhile to revisit that hot debacle, and my research led me to discover that not only did Kwame expect, presumably, that he would average more than 10 points per game more than once (10.9 ppg, his career high in 8 years in the league), but he also thought he might get a chance to shine alongside M.J.

Here’s an exert from a June ’01 article in USA Today:

One of those dreams is possibly playing with Jordan, who is contemplating a comeback this season. Broken ribs 2 weeks ago slowed Jordan, but he is getting in condition to play again.

“I had to make my (selection) as if Michael Jordan will not be playing,” Jordan said. “If I decide to play, it’ll only add to what we’ve done.”

Brown is eager to play with Jordan.

“Who else has a chance to say that their boss is the best player ever,” Brown said. “If he plays, I can learn a lot, and I can still learn from him even if he doesn’t.”

Jordan did in fact return during Brown’s rookie season to lead the team in scoring with 22 ppg in 60 games, Brown contributed 4.5 ppg in 57.

Without getting too carried away with the hindsight here, what’s appropriate to describe these statements? Lousy with delusions of grandeur?

Apropos of nothing other than that Wizards fans have been having entirely too much fun today.

In photo: Raymond Towler, the other guy, enjoys the National Anthem before last night’s Celtics-Cavs game while standing on the court alongside a afflicted looking Shaq. (Did Shaq know what was coming?)

He’s wearing the number 52, because that’s his age. Prior to last week, the last time Towler was not an inmate was when he was in his early 20s.

Yesterday, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported that Towler, a lifelong Cavs fan who used to watch games on a 13-inch television while locked up, would be the Cavs guest of honor at the game last night after being released after serving 29 years for a false conviction that he raped an 11-year old girl.

(Sidebar: Falsely convicted of Murder. That’s the only false charge that comes to mind that’s on-par with being falsely convicted on raping an 11-year old girl)

The Cavaliers set him up nice: treated him and his family to a dinner in the VIP lounge, he stood on the floor during pre-game warm-ups, they let him take two three-pointers (he made one), and the team even showed up for two quarters of their playoff game.

Considering the Cavs lost Towler’s homecoming game 120 – 88, I can’t decide whether his reaction would be positive – because hey, no more heinous crimes on my record, woot – or if he’d rail on the team like any other diehard fan. I’d say any margin less than 20 is guaranteed good tidings from the guy who just got out of prison after falsely being convicted of raping an 11-year old (Man, I still can’t get over how awful that is). But torched then cauterized by 32 points in game five of a playoff series? I’m not sure even a newly freed man is going to be able to take the bad with the good.

I couldn’t care less what Mike Brown and Lebron James have to say about last night’s game, I want to hear this guy’s post-game quote.

Photo via ESPN.com

Like his Washington Wizards teammate and blogging kinsman Gilbert Arenas before him, Brendan Haywood has decided to retire from the blog game. When he started out blogging for Yardbarker earlier this year Haywood, the self-proclaimed Bad Guy, hoped to openly express his opinions w/o having to worry about people calling up the organization and inquiring as to why exactly he wants to buy Backstreet Boys records for Elin Woods? Well, as Victor Mancini would say, Hope is just a stage of your life (or blogging career) that ends – and can be seemingly be expedited when you support Mike Vick.

Haywood goes out on his Yardbarker blog saying…

I’ve had a great time blogging, interacting with the fans and letting yal know my points of view on different dicey topics but with the way this season has gone –at this point, I don’t want anything written about me that’s not basketball related. When you’re winning and you’re on top, you can really speak your mind and put your thoughts out there. When you’re losing and trying to stay afloat, you’ve got to know when it’s time to be seen and not heard.

I know some of my blog topics have been controversial but I just felt like writing a boring blog about how I went to the gym and got a certain amount of shots up just wouldn’t cut it. I tried to keep yal on the cutting edge and really let yal know what’s going on in my mind and it was hard to do at times. It was hard because a lot of times when you make comments, people really blow them out of proportion and interpret them in a lot of different ways than you originally meant them. Gilbert Arenas told me that it would be like that when I first started blogging but I guess I had to see for myself. I was amazed at how people cold really misinterpret my words!

Haywood won’t be concluding his blogging career on the heels of his own Blogger of the Year award like predecessor, Agent Zero. He did get 234 comments (not all negative too) on that Elin Woods post though. And speaking of comments, those who left comments on his retirement announcement post are mostly sad to see him go – there’s only six comments, but that’s six more than I’d probably get if I retired from blogging. Even Buster Douglas stopped by with some kind words for Haywood:

Dag, just when I was going to ask you for four Cavs floor seats!!!

Take care Brendan, now who’s going to fight with Chantelle’s?

Truly understand that people are going overboard.

I agree with not just blogging about your sport, because you want to show people who you really are.

Thanks for keeping it real!

Just another case of blogging bringing 7-footers and former Heavyweight champions together as brothers.

The legacy that is Washington Wizards blogging moves on to rookie JaVale McGee, who says the point of this blog secretly is to dare anyone with a Ps3 to a challenge on Call of Duty Modern Warefare 2.

This is turning into quite the lineage you created, eh Gilbert?

We’re moving offices tomorrow. My day job, that is. The Steady Burn offices remain intact – we’re going to do a few more rounds of funding before we explore further capital gains, probably after we see if the world exists after 2012.

On the short list of wants for my new office is one of those Nerf basketball hoops that you hang over the door. Something subtle like this…

I figure it will impress my clients, as well as make the Fresh Direct delivery guys want to be me. While I peruse e-commerce for the perfect hoop, check out these Top 8 Moments in Nerf Basketball History…

Nerf Basketball Dunk Contest

Amazing No-Look Shot

Trick Shots feat. Basketball Jones and John Cena

My Dad is the Nerf King

Meet The Nerf Kings

Revenge!

Nerf Basketball Dunk Contest, The Sequel

Nerf Basketball Mix Tape

Leave more suggestions for ways I can heighten the new office aesthetic in the comments.

Brett Youmark, chief executive of the in limbo New Jersey Nets, tells Richard Sandomir of the NY Times, “From Day 1, we’ve had two strategies..One, to market ourselves as if we’re staying long term in New Jersey to give people a reason to come see us. But it’s important to seed our brand in Brooklyn.”

Not an easy strategy to execute considering how delayed and convoluted the Nets’ plan to move the team from New Jersey to Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn has become – they’ve kind of reached the “oh, geez, this is awkward” phase in their relationship with Jersey.

Made easier, however, when you got guys like Devin Harris, who’s willing to do a promotional appearance in the bread aisle at Pathmark.

Sandomir on Harris:

His off-the-court schedule shows that he had breakfast with a hero police officer at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Hackensack, N.J., helped clean Branch Brook Park in Newark before its Cherry Blossom Festival and took a cooking class at Fabulous Foods in Moonachie, N.J., with youngsters from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Morris, Bergen and Passaic counties.

Harris drove an eighth grader in Hawthorne, N.J., to school in his Ferrari, appeared with Nets center Brook Lopez at M&M’s World in Manhattan (M&M’s is the team’s official candy), conducted clinics, hiked, climbed rocks and bowled with youngsters.

The Ferrari, M&M’s, even sitting at a table signing photos at the Pathmark – none sound too strenuous. But everything adds up to him being the Net who’s made the most appearances in his just under two years with the team.

Not bad for a 26-year old who’s the marketing face of an organization mired in uncertainty. I like the attitude on this guy.

A Net Reaches Out to Fans, Wherever They Are (NYT)