It was the perfect storm. An NBA All-Star suffers a major injury on national TV while playing a meaningless intrasquad scrimmage on a court many suspect does not meet NBA standards. Everyone at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Arena cringed when Indiana Pacers star Paul George broke his lower right leg while trying to block a … [Read more…]
When Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski were putting together their list of players for Team USA in preparation for the 2014 FIBA World Cup of Basketball they may have been listening to California Love on their Beats by Dre headphones. OK, that’s probably way not how Coach K and Jerry C. roll. But you can’t … [Read more…]
Brooklyn Nets center Andray Blatche could be headed to Spain this summer to play in the FIBA World Cup of Basketball. But he won’t be playing for Team USA. Blatche, who was born in Syracuse, New York, and attended South Kent high school in Connecticut, is about to become a citizen of the Philippines. Once … [Read more…]
The FIBA Basketball World Cup, known from 1950 until 2010 as the FIBA World Championship, is arguably the second-biggest sporting event behind the FIFA World Cup. And, based on all the stunning play during the qualifying rounds, the world can’t wait for #Spain2014. Spain will host the first-ever FIBA World Cup a year from now … [Read more…]
Basketball is arguably the second-most popular sport in the world, trailing only soccer. The number of foreign-born players in the NBA has risen dramatically since 1992 when the Dream Team took the sport into a different stratosphere. One of the sport’s greatest international stars is Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt. Oscar is one of 12 new members … [Read more…]
LeBron James’ Witness History tour in the Philippines lasted just 24 hours, but for the thousands of Filipinos who came to see the two-time NBA champion and reigning MVP the experience could last a lifetime. Basketball runs deep in the Southeast Asian nation, which is known for its more than 7,000 islands and very diverse … [Read more…]
One look at the current pool of players in the USA Basketball senior national team, head coach Mike Krzyzewski and president Jerry Colangelo immediately see a glaring need: big men. No Dwight Howard, no Chris Bosh, no Tyson Chandler. In their places are newcomers Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Larry Sanders (Milwaukee Bucks), Greg Monroe (Pistons), … [Read more…]
The U.S.-Spain titanic showdown in the gold-medal game lived up to all the hype. The game hung in the balance until the final quarter when Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James made crucial baskets to give the U.S. enough separation from a very game Spanish squad led by Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, … [Read more…]
Mike Krzyzewski got a well-deserved victory shower after the United States held off Spain 107-100 in the men’s basketball gold-medal game. Instead of a Gatorade bath, Krzyzewski got doused with water courtesy of LeBron James. Krzyzewski announced that the 2012 London Olympics would be his last game coaching USA Basketball. He’ll only remain as adviser … [Read more…]
For a country known for being good lovers instead of good fighters, France unleashed its dark side and took it out on Spain. Nicolas Batum and Ronny Turiaf, two players who don’t have thuggish reputations in the NBA, lost their cool at the end of a heated quarterfinal men’s basketball game at the London Olympics … [Read more…]