|
|
---|
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Top Ten Popular Basketball Player-Team and Lebron James International Career
Posted by pece at 9:51 AMThe World's Greatest Basketball Players and Their Glorious Contribution-
LeBron James Endorsements-
James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glacéau, Bubblicious, Upper Deck, McDonald's and State Farm. With Nike, James has released six signature shoe styles, and four additional shoes (20–5–5, Soldier, Soldier 2, Ambassador). He has acted in a 2007 series of commercials called "The LeBrons", as well as had his likeness voiced by Kenan Thompson in a 2009 commercial series titled "MVPuppets". In December 2007, James was ranked at #1 in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 with annual earnings of $27 million.
James and Ice Cube have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James' life. James will act as executive producer if the show is greenlighted. James appeared on the cover of the February 2009 edition of GQ magazine. He stars in the Lions Gate film, More Than a Game (2009).
Miami Heat (2010–present):
On July 9, James officially completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Heat. On the same day, the Heat threw a welcome party and introduced James, Wade and Bosh to the 13,000 Heat fans at American Airlines Arena. The rock concert atmosphere featured the trio arriving to plumes of smoke with Bosh and Wade pointing to the crowd and James strutting around. Howard Beck of The New York Times described the national fan reaction to the party: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries."
In New Jersey on October 31, he was booed by Nets' fans as expected. Boos came when James’ name was called during the pregame introductions, and continued whenever he touched the ball. When James was running the point, fans had more time to notice and the booing was more intense. There were loud cheers when he had a couple of powerful dunks. On November 2, James had a game-high 12 assists in a 129-97 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Heat public relations announced that James's 12 assists was the highest in franchise history by a forward. On November 9 in a 116-114 loss to the Utah Jazz, James finished with 20 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, his first triple-double with the Heat. It was his 29th career triple-double, the seventh that came in a loss. In a well publicized arrival after spurning the franchise, LeBron James had his second triple double of the season with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in a blowout victory.
Public image-
During the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James drew criticism when he declined to sign a petition started by his teammate, Ira Newble, regarding the Chinese government's alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, stating that he did not know enough about the issue. A year later, James did talk publicly about the issue, saying, "At the end of the day we're talking about human rights. And people should understand that human rights and people's lives are in jeopardy. We're not talking about contracts here. We're not talking about money. We're talking about people's lives being lost and that means a lot more to me than some money or a contract."
James has received criticism from Cleveland fans and critics for attending Cleveland Indians games against the New York Yankees dressed in a Yankees hat. James said, "As individuals I want every Indian to succeed. I love all these fans for coming out and supporting us. But team-wise I want the Yankees to win." Despite residing in Ohio for all of his childhood, James added that he grew up as a Yankees fan, a Dallas Cowboys fan and a Chicago Bulls fan. In January 2008, Nike released the Air Zoom V LeBron shoe, which featured a Yankees-type motif and was made available only in New York City.
In March 2008, James became the first black man to appear on the cover of Vogue, posing with Gisele Bündchen. He was the third man to appear on the cover of Vogue, after Richard Gere and George Clooney. Some sports bloggers and columnist considered the cover offensive, describing the demeanor of James and his holding Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong, a dark savage capturing his light-skinned love interest.
In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama. On October 29, 2008, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's 30-minute American Stories, American Solutions television advertisement. It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert.
In August 2008, a source close to James said he would strongly consider playing in Europe for Olympiacos if given a $50-million annual salary. James later said he may sign a contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the conclusion of the 2008–2009 NBA season.
On July 6, 2009, James courted controversy when he ordered organizers to confiscate CBS video tape of him being dunked on by Xavier University guard Jordan Crawford at the Nike LeBron James Skills Academy.
On July 23 in an interview for his upcoming book "Shooting Stars", James admitted to smoking marijuana at one point during his high school career to help cope with all the stress resulting from constant media attention he was receiving at the time.
James, with comedian Jimmy Kimmel, co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. James himself was nominated for three ESPYs: Best Male Athlete, Best NBA Player (winner), and Best Record Breaking Performance. The performance for which he was nominated was when he scored 48 points in Game 5 of the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, including 29 of the last 30 points and all of the team's 25 points in overtime. In other comedic pursuits, James hosted the 33rd season premiere of Saturday Night Live. The show's creator Lorne Michaels praised him for his versatility.
In April, 2010, Forbes ranked James as the second most influential athlete behind Lance Armstrong.
In September, 2010, The Q Score Company ranked James as the sixth most disliked sports personality behind Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Kobe Bryant. James bought a home in Coconut Grove, a Miami, Florida suburb, on November 12, 2010 for $9 million.
1. LeBron James
Undisputedly the No # 1 player on the circuit, LeBron James was selected as Number one pick in 2003 NBA Draft by Cavaliers at age 18. He has numerous awards to his credit, such as NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA Most Valuable player, and a member of the USA National Team that won the Gold Medal in 2008 Olympics. He has been at All NBA and All Star for every season since 2005. James represents the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2. Kobe Bryant
Selected to play for the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, now with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant is has been a favourite since time immemorial. His partnering with Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most memorable ones from 2000 to 2004. In 2010, he became the highest scorer in Lakers franchise history. Bryant was named player of the decade by TNT and Sporting News. He is a twelve time member of the All NBA Team and a member of the US National Team.
3. Dwayne Wade
Wade led the US National Team to their Gold Medal in 2008 and was named Sportsman of the year in 2006 by Sports Illustrated. He entered the mainstream in 2003 in the NBA Draft, where he led his franchise, Miami Heat, to their first NBA Championship. Wade’s jersey was the highest selling shirt in the ‘05,’06 and ‘07 seasons. Fighting injuries in earlier seasons, he remained fit for a whole 79 games last season.
4. Chris Paul
Team captain of New Orleans Hornets, Chris Paul was NBA Rookie of the Year in 2006. He threw 22.8 points per game and has won more games with a shot than anyone on his team, assisting with 11 points per game. Known for his passing ability, Paul was missing from action due to an injury, yet managed to score adequate points when he was playing.
5. Dwight Howard
The centre player for the Orlando Magic, selected in the 2004 NBA Draft, Howard was a two time Defensive Player of the Year. He has several records to his name for blocks, rebounds, field goals and free throws. Howard is known for his religious beliefs and charitable work.
6. Tim Duncan
At 6 foot 11, Tim Duncan is all about raw power. Representing the San Antonio Spurs, he is a forward and centre. The 1997 Number one NBA Draft pick, had a long list of achievements to his name during his college career. This winner of NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, he had initially started out as a swimmer. Despite being Captain of the San Antonio Spurs, Duncan is quiet and unassuming.
7. Pau Gasol
Born in Spain, Pau Gasol, the 7 foot tall giant and NBA Rookie of the Year, was picked by Atlanta Hawks in 2001 NBA Draft. Moving on later to Memphis Grizzlies and currently with Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol had a great last season. He helped his team win the NBA Finals for the second time last season.
8. Kevin Durant
This 2007 National College Player of the Year and 2006-07 Big 12 Player of the year, Kevin Durant, is a player for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is a small forward and shooting guard who can also play forward equally well. In his NBA Draft in 2007, he was selected by Seattle Supersonics, where he won NBA Rookie of the Year. Durant made his first All Star Game appearance this season Considered a somewhat underrated player, he averages 25 points per game.
9. Brandon Roy
Selected sixth in the 2006 NBA Draft, by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and then going on to join the Portland Trail Blazers, Brandon Roy was NBA Player of the Year in 2006-07. Nicknamed B-Roy, he was known for the effect he had on the Trail Blazers in the first season he played with them. The existing captain was moved out to make way for Roy. He will be playing with the Trail Blazers till atleast the 2013-14 Season.
10. Rajon Rondo
Currently point guard for the Boston Celtics, Rondo was selected by the Phoenix Suns during his 2006 NBA Draft. The highlight of his career has been the 2009 NBA Playoffs, in which he helped his team reach the second round. In 2009, Rondo signed a 5 year extension with the Boston Celtics for $ 55
GENEVA (2010 FIBA World Championship) - FIBA, the world governing body of basketball, today announced that four players are to be suspended, and their national federations fined, after recent fighting at a friendly tournament in Greece.
On 19th August, at a game between Greece and Serbia, a fight broke out towards the end of the game involving two players - Antonis Fotsis (GRE) and Milos Teodosic (SRB). This resulted in a wider, violent brawl between several players of both teams.
The game was stopped immediately and never resumed.
FIBA started an official investigation after the game and has now announced its findings.
Serbian player Nenad Krstic is suspended with immediate effect for three games in main official FIBA competition which include the World Championships, Olympics and Continental Championships. The player is also fined a total of CHF 45,000.
His teammate, Milos Teodosic, is also suspended with immediate effect for two games in main official FIBA competitions.
The Serbian Basketball federation will be fined a total of CHF 20,000.
Greek players Antonis Fotsis and Sofoklis Schortsanitis are suspended with immediate effect for two games in main official FIBA competitions.
The Hellenic Basketball Federation will be fined a total of CHF 20,000.
Money from the fines will be used to support education programs for young basketball players.
FIBA believes that the judgement will send a strong message to all players that their behaviour on and off the court must be exemplary and in line with the rules of basketball at all times.
All parties have the right to appeal the decisions taken.
The FIBA World Championship begins in Turkey on 28th August 2010-
Rank | Team | GP | W-L | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | USA | 9 | 9 - 0 | |||||
2. | Turkey | 9 | 8 - 1 | |||||
3. | Lithuania | 9 | 8 - 1 | |||||
4. | Serbia | 9 | 6 - 3 | |||||
5. | Argentina | 9 | 7 - 2 | |||||
6. | Spain | 9 | 5 - 4 | |||||
7. | Russia | 9 | 6 - 3 | |||||
8. | Slovenia | 9 | 5 - 4 | |||||
9. | Brazil | 6 | 3 - 3 | |||||
10. | Australia | 6 | 3 - 3 | |||||
11. | Greece | 6 | 3 - 3 | |||||
12. | New Zealand | 6 | 3 - 3 | |||||
13. | France | 6 | 3 - 3 | |||||
14. | Croatia | 6 | 2 - 4 | |||||
15. | Angola | 6 | 2 - 4 | |||||
16. | China | 6 | 1 - 5 | |||||
17. | Germany | 5 | 2 - 3 | |||||
18. | Puerto Rico | 5 | 1 - 4 | |||||
19. | Iran | 5 | 1 - 4 | |||||
20. | Lebanon | 5 | 1 - 4 | |||||
21. | Cote d'Ivoire | 5 | 1 - 4 | |||||
22. | Canada | 5 | 0 - 5 | |||||
23. | Jordan | 5 | 0 - 5 | |||||
24. | Tunisia | 5 | 0 - 5 |
Key Player-
Rising Star
Legend
0 Comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)