Sports Notes - WHAT'S IN THAT LAKER WATER??? - June 2007

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Saturday June 30, 2007

KOBE BRYANT WANTS OUT OF LAKER LAND - WHAT'S IN THAT LAKER WATER???

Please… tell me TRUE… What's in that Laker water?

The once proud (excuse me) SHOWTIME franchise seems to be coming apart at the seams or are their wheels just falling off! Kobe Bryant wants to be traded; he wants it so bad that he said he would play on Pluto. Hmmm….

Since the days that Shaquille O'Neal said that nobody was going to tear the organization down the fact is that nobody has to they are doing it to themselves.

Since that time there wasn't enough room on the same team for Shaq and Kobe. The Lakers favored Kobe, Shaq's feelings were hurt and he left town in a trade to the Miami Heat. At that point the Lakers were KOBE'S TEAM.

Also since that time Shaq has been on an NBA title winning team with the Heat (2006) and the Lakers can't get to the big dance with only Kobe. The Lakers TIME BOMB is EXPLODING AGAIN. Here's the recent exploding bomb drill:

First: 74-year-old Lakers owner Jerry Buss gets busted for drunk driving while being in the company of a 23-year-old young lady.

Second: The next day Kobe Bryant said he wanted to be traded and he also expressed his desires on a radio sports talk show by emphatically stating that he wanted to be traded and out of Laker land.

Third: Jackson and Buss talked to Kobe on the phone to find out why Kobe doesn't love the Lakers anymore.

Fourth: Bryant says he changed his mind and will stay.

Fifth: It is disclosed that Bryant doesn't feel the Lakers are trying to field a contender for the NBA championship…that he feels that the organization was not honest with him when he re-signed with them three years ago.

Sixth: A 24-second video clip was shot in late May, a few days before Kobe Bryant went public with his trade demands was released with Bryant chastising the organization while pointing out certain teammates. The video reportedly has Bryant talking about the trade that the Lakers reportedly turned down last season that would have brought Jason Kidd to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum. Result...Bryant NO HAPPY

Seventh: The Lakers have a problem working out a great deal due to salary cap problems and Kobe is getting a large chunk of it. Bryant earns over $22 million a year and has $88.6 million remaining for the four years that remain on his seven-year, $136.4 million contract he signed July 15, 2004. The deal was made the day after Shaq left town in a trade to the Heat.

Eighth: In the NBA draft they had the 19th choice and chose Javaris Crittenton a guard from Georgia Tech. In the second round they had the 40th pick and they selected guard Sun Yue from China. used their 48th position by selecting center Marc Gasol of Spain. During the draft telecast an analyst stated that Kobe still wanted out of the organization.

Ninth: Kobe is not happy with Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak and the players they drafted are not likely to turn the Lakers fortunes around.

The Black eyed Peas asked the question the best by singing … WHERE IS THE LOVE?

It raises the bigger question of not only where is the love but where will Kobe Bryant be playing next season? PLUTO IS A LONG WAY.

Excuse me…but ahhh… please don't pass me any of that LAKER WATER.

ODEN, DURANT TOP NBA DRAFT & MORE

As expected center Greg Oden from Ohio State University was the number one pick in the NBA draft. The Seattle Supersonics followed with the second first round pick by selecting forward/center Kevin Durant from Texas University.

Both have already reaped the rewards of their basketball skills and popularity by being on the cover of ESPN the magazine. Oden also signed an endorsement deal with Spalding.

Oden, a 7-foot center, completed a stellar freshman year with the Ohio State Buckeyes, leading the team to a 35-4 record, a Big Ten regular-season and tournament title before advancing to their first national championship game since 1962.

The 19-year-old Oden lived up to his billing as a two-time national high school player of the year, leading the Buckeyes in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (9.6) per game and topping the Big Ten in shooting percentage (.616).

Spalding also signed Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards. Arenas, a 6-4 guard with lightning quick moves, reached NBA stardom with three consecutive selections as an NBA All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007), as the Wizards all-time leader in three-point field goals (529) and the league’s third leading scorer for 2006-2007 with a 28.4 clip. He is the first player from the 2001 NBA Draft class to earn All-Star recognition. Full Spalding story

13 International Players Drafted

Thirteen International players were selected in the two rounds of the NBA draft involving the 30 NBA teams. Five International players were selected in the first round and eight in the second.

The Milwaukee Bucks selected China's Yi Jianlian with the sixth pick in the first round making him the number one International player selected.

China and Spain had two players selected in the draft. The Los Angeles Lakers chose China guard Sun Yue with their second round pick and 40th overall.

In the first round and the 24th overall the Phoenix Suns selected Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez. They then traded him to the Portland Trailblazers. The Los Angeles Lakers selected Spain center Marc Gasol with 48th overall pick.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS SPECIAL

The San Antonio Express-News has produced a special publication for Spurs fanatics and enthusiasts. Cleverly titled, “Four for Four,” the book celebrates the four years – 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007, that the San Antonio Spurs have played in the NBA Finals and won the Championship. Full story

OSCAR DE LA HOYA' S Golden Boy Promotions Expands

Oscar De La Hoya Golden Boy Promotions, has expanded its shareholder base by adding Brener International Group, LLC, an investment vehicle of Mr. Gabriel Brener, to its already impressive list of shareholders.

Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by Oscar De La Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company.

In 2006, in its fourth year of promoting, Golden Boy Promotions broke a record by selling over 2 million in pay-per-view homes.

Golden Boy Promotions currently has close to 50 fighters under contract, from future hall of famers Bernard Hopkins, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Sugar Shane Mosley to current world champions Daniel Ponce De Leon, Jhonny Gonzalez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Fernando Montiel and Joan Guzman. Also included on the company’s roster are top contenders Librado Andrade, Juan Lazcano, Rocky Juarez, Oscar Larios, Israel Vazquez, Demetrius Hopkins and Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista, as well as 2004 Olympians Abner Mares and Vicente Escobedo, and highly regarded Antonio Escalante, Rock Allen, Billy Dib and rising Lightweight Star Francisco “Panchito” Bojado. Full Story

FIFA REELECTS SEPP BLATTER

Sepp Blatter was reelected as President of FIFA. Those of the 207 FIFA member associations who were eligible to vote returned FIFA President Blatter for a third term of office until 2011.

Blatter is only the eighth president in the 103-year history of world football's governing body. He was first appointed to the helm of FIFA in Paris on 8 June 1998. Four years later in Seoul on 29 May 2002, the associations confirmed his position. Full story

JIM MURRAY FOUNDATION

The Jim Murray Memorial Foundation (JMMF) recently named 2002 USC Murray Scholar Arash Markazi to its Board of Directors.? Markazi becomes the first Murray Scholar to serve on the JMMF Board.

"It seems ever since I met Linda McCoy-Murray in 2001 when I received the Jim Murray journalism scholarship, I have been riding a cloud that will never go down and living a dream that will never end," said Markazi.

"That summer I was selected as a Time Inc. editorial intern and worked at Sports Illustrated in New York. Not only was I living and working in New York City, a dream of mine since childhood, but I was working for the magazine that Jim Murray helped found in 1953, and the one that inspired me to become a sports writer in the first place."

Sports Illustrated's senior editor Chris Stone noted, "When I first received Arash's clips, I mistakenly believed he was a 10-year journalism veteran. His work is funny, really damn funny, but not at the expense of accuracy or careful reflection. It is also strikingly original, much like the man (Jim Murray) for whom his award is named. He (Arash) has an air of danger about him and I mean that in the best sense of the word."

In 2005, Markazi was promoted to staff writer at SportsIllustrated.com and moved from New York to Los Angeles where he has covered everything from the World Cup to the Rose Bowl.

In December 2005, the Los Angeles Times named Markazi one of the Faces to Watch in 2006 after he had written a number of intimate and quirky portraits on big-name athletes such as Wayne Gretzky, Ronaldo and Matt Leinart.

"It all began with the Jim Murray Memorial Scholarship and the support of everyone involved with the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation. After all, it takes more than just a little luck for a little guy to get this far," Arash humbly proclaimed.

"Arash will be a fabulous asset to the JMMF Board. He is young, energetic, and as a Murray Scholar, he definitely understands our passion and goals and will be instrumental in helping the JMMF grow," said Linda McCoy-Murray, president and founder of the JMMF."He will spearhead the activities of the new Murray Scholar Alumni Association and various other projects for next year's JMMF 10th anniversary events.

For information on the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation, please call 760-771-8972, or email MurrayScholars@aol.com or visit the JMMF Web site www.jimmurrayfoundation.org.

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