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| LeBron as a Cav again? Seriously? Probabaly not. |
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| Superman has the Magic |
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| Stephen A Smith |
Remember the 1990’s when it was a good time to be alive? Cable was taking off tremendously, and MTV became one of the biggest channels ever known. During that era, the network released its annual “Rock n’ Jock” sports special, in which musicians, actors, and other entertainers played along with superstar athletes. It started out with softball, but quickly grew into basketball which became a big hit.
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament was very excited to work alongside Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1994 while he was the main man for the Violators squad. Apparently, Kareem rubbed Ament the wrong way. As any musician would do, he let out his anger by writing a song called “Sweet Lew”, smiting Kareem about his lost cause of building hotel chains for tall people:
I grew up trying to copy you, Bruce Lee, and a kung-fu
Act a jazzman, yogi too
Little did i know, a loose screw
But you had your own shoe
Build him high, build him tall, a taiku with a basketball
Tear 'em down, one and all
7'2" is a long way to fall
Sweet lew, how's the view?
Sweet lew, how could you?
It sounds like an urban legend, but Brian Cronin of Sports Legend Revealed had something to say in this Los Angeles Times article released Wednesday:
During the early 1980s, Collins formed an investment group called All-Pro Enterprises Inc. with Abdul-Jabbar the most famous name involved, but also including such famous NBA Players as Ralph Sampson, Terry Cummings and Alex English (among others). The group spent most of its money on real estate. They bought the Balboa Inn in Los Angeles for $4.2 million, the Inn of Laguna in Los Angeles for $4 million, the Belmont Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama (I am unsure how much it cost), a $1.4 million Newport Beach restaurant and a $22 million Los Angeles health club. Here, by the way, is where the "building hotels for tall people" came into being. Presumably as part of the deal when they purchased the Balboa Inn (but possibly it was something done even before the group bought the hotel), one of the suites in the hotel was built especially for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, complete with nine-foot high doors.
It seems like Kareem really needed that Cultural Ambassador job after all.
“Bruce was more of those steady factors, where he did the same thing night in and night out, whether it was a preseason game or a championship game,” coach Gregg Popovich told Jeff McDonald. “That’s just who he was. We gave him that role, and he lived it and breathed it.”
With all the success Kobe Bryant has had recently on the court, the situation with his divorce has been put off radar. Today, the inevitable has happened with he and Vanessa Bryant with their divorce settlement.
TMZ has reported that Vanessa Bryant will be collecting half of Kobe’s earnings (totaling $75 million in assets), and includes all three of Kobe’s mansions in the Newport Beach area. What hurts the most is the house that Kobe was having built now belongs to Vanessa.
In case anyone was curious, it seems as if Vanessa may have had this idea brewed up long ago. TMZ also reported a few weeks ago about how Vanessa’s mother did the same motive to her then ex-husband:
TMZ spoke with Stephen Laine -- an inventory manager for a food company who was married to Vanessa's mother from 1990 to 2003 ... and helped raise Vanessa from a child into adulthood.
Laine tells us, "Her mother taught her well to wait for the ten-year mark [before divorcing]."
He explains, "In California ... it's considered a long term marriage and then she gets paid for life or until she remarries ... just like her mother is doing to me."
Laine continues, "I have to pay her mom $1,800 every month and clearly they don’t need it."
Sources close to Vanessa tell us ... Kobe's soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law is currentlyliving in one of the BBaller's mansions ... and we're told Vanessa is very good to her.
Laine gripes, "I have a six-year-old daughter and that money could be used toward her college fund or something ... you'd think she'd care ... but no, she's spiteful."
By the way everyone, Kobe has a game tonight against Orlando. Let’s hope this doesn’t affect him too much.
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| A photo from The Chat Room's Facebook page. |
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| D.Wade and his McLaren. |
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| The McLaren being craned in. |
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| Dwyane and Gabrielle on their red carpet. |
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| Dwyane cutting his truly dapper cake. |
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| Rick Ross performing at the birthday bash. |
From the all-time leading scorer to writing a New York Times Bestseller, Kareem Abdul Jabbar can say he has now done it all has now done it all.
Wendesday, Kareem met with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to discuss his new role as a Cultural Ambassador for the United States. Already a worldwide figure, it’s the perfect role for one of the NBA’s greatest, and already he is going to have his work cut out for him. From the US Department of State:
During the meeting, Secretary Clinton reiterated the United States’ strong commitment to engaging young people worldwide and to using people-to-people diplomacy as a means to create opportunities for greater understanding.
Secretary Clinton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar discussed his upcoming trip to Brazil as a Cultural Ambassador and the strong relationship between the people of the United States and Brazil.
“I am excited and honored to serve my country as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who has focused his efforts after his NBA career on engaging youth through socially-minded projects and education. “I look forward to meeting with young people all over the world and discussing ways in which we can strengthen our understanding of one another through education, through sports, and through greater cultural tolerance.”
From January 22-28, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will travel to Brazil to meet with underserved youth in Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. As a Cultural Ambassador, Abdul-Jabbar will lead conversations with young people on the importance of education, social and racial tolerance, cultural understanding, and using sports as a means of empowerment. In addition, he will participate in basketball clinics with young people in both cities.
This is truly a worthy accomplishment for a man who has earned his role.
