LeBron James’ new Air Force-themed shoes

Bill Russell Sues NCAA, EA Sports For Using His Image Without Consent or Compensation

Former Celtics star Bill Russell is suing the NCAA for using his likeness from his time in college without paying him or seeking his consent.

Russell, who led the University of San Francisco to consecutive national championships in 1955 and 1956, is featured in videos of the championship games, which the NCAA currently sells for $150 on its online store. In addition, EA Sports is named in the suit for using Russell's image in a "Tournament of Legends" feature on a basketball game.

The 77-year-old is seeking a court order blocking further sale of the videos and video games, plus disgorgement of profits from them and unspecified damages.

The suit, which was filed in Oakland, Calif., is the latest complaint to claim the NCAA violates federal antitrust laws by keeping former student basketball and football athletes from receiving compensation for the commercial use of their images and likenesses. Russell won 11 championships in the NBA with the Celtics before retiring in 1969 and was named one of the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1996.

Oklahoma City's Sefolosha signs with Turkish club

VEVEY, SWITZERLAND (AP)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha has signed to play for Turkish club Fenerbahce during the NBA lockout.

Sefolosha says in a statement that he will fly to Istanbul on Thursday after signing the deal on Tuesday. It includes an exit clause that allows him return to the United States if the NBA lockout ends.

The NBA has canceled the first two weeks of the season, which was scheduled to begin Nov. 1.

Sefolosha started 79 games in the regular season and all 17 playoff games as the Thunder reached the Western Conference finals last season. The Swiss player averaged 5.1 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Nets draft pick Bojan Bogdanovic also signed with Fenerbahce in June.

Michael Jordan Was a No-Show for Carmelo Anthony’s Wedding

Carmelo Anthony is one of the few professional athletes who represents the Jordan Brand. Endorsing the Jordan Brand places Melo in exclusive company; most players consider it an honor to be associated with Michael Jordan. One would figure it would lead to a strong relationship between the current Knicks star and former NBA legend, but apparently it’s not enough to make MJ show up to Melo’s wedding.
Asked by GQ if he was surprised by anyone who showed up for his wedding, Melo focused on who wasn’t there.
“Everybody came who said they were going to come, except Michael Jordan. He was supposed to come but you know, he’s Jordan.”
Melo said in the interview that he has a strong relationship with Jordan, and that it was an honor to be included with the Jordan Brand. But their relationship isn’t strong enough for Jordan to attend the wedding. If anyone could blow off Melo, maybe it’s Michael Jordan. Given his friction with today’s NBA players, it’s probably best he didn’t show.

AMARE DESTROYS “BLAKE GRIFFIN” IN THIS VIDEO

It’s time for Blake Griffin to get a taste of his own medicine!

In this ESPN behind the scenes footage shot of Amare Stoudemire visiting the studio, Amare gets a chance to pay back Blake Griffin for all the facials he has dished out around the league. After wrapping up an interview, Amare encounters a card board cutout of Blake guarding a Little Tikes hoop and jumps into action, suit and all. After decimating his foe with a thunderous dunk, Stoudemire fixes his suit and gets back to business. Big Pimpin baby!

Somebody at ESPN will undoubtably have to pay for the destroyed prop!

NBA players frustrated by game cancellations

Stephen Curry kept looking at his Twitter account on his cell phone Monday night, hoping someone would tweet him the good news. Instead, he received the opposite.

David Stern has canceled the first two weeks of the NBA season.

The discouraging reports buzzed into Curry’s phone, leaving the Golden State Warriors guard with the same frustrating reality every other NBA player now faces: They’re not going back to work anytime soon.

And with NBA owners and the players union unable to make much progress toward a new labor agreement, Stern warned more cancellations could soon follow.

Stephen Curry doesn't plan to play overseas while waiting for the lockout to end.(NBAE/Getty Images)

“I‘m kind of shocked,” Curry said. “We’ve been on the right track, and I’ve been hopeful. But to see this is even more frustrating.

“I know what’s at stake when they cancel games. I’m prepared for what’s to come. When you get to this point, the best thing to do is reconvene, not waste time, and figure out a way to get back on the floor.”

Even before Monday’s news, a handful of NBA players, includingNew Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams, Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson(Lithuania) and San Antonio Spurspoint guard Tony Parker (France), had signed contracts to play overseas with “out” clauses which allow them to return once the lockout ends. Some free agents, like J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler, have signed to play in China for the entire season, regardless of the lockout’s final outcome.

[Related: Have NBA owners already given players their best offer?]

Curry doesn’t plan to play overseas; instead, he’ll return to Davidson College to continue his education. His next basketball game could be a charity contest between current Warriors and those who played on the franchise’s 2007 Warriors playoff team.

“It looks like I’ll have time to play in it,” Curry said.

Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge will take a closer look at his options abroad. Aldridge said he is attracted to possibly playing in Spain, Turkey or Australia. He isn’t optimistic the lockout will end soon.

“It could get bad,” Aldridge said. “We thought it was going to be a good negotiation this time. We didn’t actually think this was going to happen. But we prepared for the worst. It’s a little more dramatic for me now that two weeks of the season are canceled.

“If this is what it takes, then I guess we have to do it. I definitely want to play. I don’t think fans really understand it. We didn’t want this lockout; the owners wanted it. I’m reading that the fans are attacking the players because they think we are not working with the owners, but we are. The owners are not working with us.”

[Related: Workers, local businesses hit hardest by NBA game cancellations]

Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand, who entered the league a year after the 1998-99 season was shortened to 50 games by the previous work stoppage, has attended three labor meetings in recent weeks in New York. He didn’t feel optimistic after leaving them.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Brand said. “I was at the meetings and we talked about solidarity and sticking together. It’s what it’s come to. There wasn’t a mass vote, but this is what we agreed on and we’re sticking together.

“We are sticking with the union and what we are doing. I wish we were playing, and I hope we don’t alienate our fans but, at the end of the day, we were locked out. It’s a lockout.”

Sacramento Kings rookie guard Isaiah Thomas has yet to draw his first NBA paycheck, so he doesn’t have nearly as deep a savings account as some of his peers. He’s made money this summer by working in basketball camps and playing in exhibitions during the lockout.

The last pick of this year’s draft, Thomas is in his native Seattle, taking online classes at the University of Washington and working out with his old teammates. He’s also vowed not to cut his hair until the lockout ends. He could go overseas to play if the lockout lasts another month but says he doesn’t regret skipping his senior year at Washington to turn pro.

“The worst thing about it is you really don’t know your next move right now,” Thomas said. “You’re just going off of what you hear. To get the news that the first two weeks are canceled makes it that much worse.”

For now, the players can only hope they won’t lose the entire season.

“We have to gut it out,” Aldridge said. “We have to get even closer now, even more united, during these tough times.”

Video: Brandon Bass raps about the lockout

We're not entirely sure Orlando Magic forward Brandon Bass is helping or hurting the players' cause in this NBA lockout with the video he's put online to help promote his song, "Billion Dollar Dreams."

In the slightly NSFW clip (there are a few blue words tossed in, but nothing over the top), Bass lounges around his apparent mansion before driving around downtown Orlando in a Maserati with his brights on. Can't say I'm a fan of either the song, nor driving with brights on. But the sentiment ("all I do is ball") is pure, and something we can get behind.

Via SLAM, here's the clip:

LeBron’s new shoe has military inspiration

MIAMI (AP)—A design for LeBron James latest signature sneaker was inspired by the U.S. Air Force.

Nike calls it “The Cannon” edition of the LeBron 9. The military-green theme is a nod to the Miami Heat having their first training camp since James joined the team last season at Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base.

Those installations in Florida’s Panhandle hosted the Heat for about a week, and players interacted with military personnel during that camp.

Nike says that edition of the shoe will be released first in South Florida starting at midnight Sunday “as a sign of appreciation and respect for LeBron’s South Florida fans and community.”

The sneakers carry a retail price of $170.

LeBron James jokes about taking his talents to the NFL

Miami Heat All-Star and former high school wide receiver LeBron James might be available for NFL teams to sign this season, as the lockout drones on and on. Or, he might just be curious as to whether or not other available and unsigned players (Terrell Owens? Matt Suhey?) could legally make an NFL roster five weeks into the season. You make the call.

It started when ESPN NFL scribe John Clayton mentioned on Twitter sometime on Tuesday afternoon that the NFL's trade deadline is next Tuesday. Piqued by the idea of NFL transactions, LeBron James decided to ask a follow-up:

Now, this could be a flight of fancy, an actual query, or just a musing regarding the potential for James' beloved Dallas Cowboys (because James grew up in Akron, Ohio; and lives in Miami, so ...) to add to their depth chart. If you're a jerk, you can call LeBron a narcissist for wondering on record. If you have half a sense of humor, you can get that it's just another lame NBA lockout joke, one we've all made 2200 times since last June.

Levity aside, let's all be thankful that Pat Riley doesn't have a Twitter account.

Cameramen Brawl Outside NBA Lockout Meeting

After the news about the first two weeks of the NBA being officially canceled.

It’s safe to say the frustration is starting to build up for basketball fans as the 2011-12 season continues to be in jeopardy. While David Stern’s meeting with the NBAPA was one of the 

biggest stories on Monday, it was the fight that escalated between two cameramen over coverage of the event that is becoming quite the popular topic on Tuesday.

The folks at BroBible.com were kind enough to provide this video of two cameramen squaring off against each other in the middle of the street outside of the hotel where the meetings took place. According to the video description, the two cameramen from different companies were fighting over space for the chance to interview Derek Fisher–the NBAPA president–and decided the best way to settle things was through fighting.

This can only mean one thing–the NBA lockout needs to come to an end so future fights like this can be prevented. For those of you depressed about the future of the NBA season this year–at least this will provide you with some laughs about the situation.

BREAKING NEWS: I’M BACK!

Caron Butler to join Miami Heat?

Sun Sports is reporting that, after some prodding, Caron Butler admitted that he wouldconsider a return to the Heat.Butler’s Mavericks defeated the Heat in the NBA Finals and won their first title. Unfortunately for Butler, he was again hampered by injuries and unable to play.

Butler’s (31 years old) name seems to be mentioned, every season,  as a candidate to land in Boston around the trade deadline. Obviously, that deal has never materialized. Butler said their are many teams he may be interested in joining, however, he was unable to “throw no (other) teams out there. But I (Butler) am open to any suggestions.”

Though Caron is past his prime and injury prone, I do believe he would be a welcome addition to the Heat roster who are devoid of capable big-men (please don’t mention Bosh and capable in the same sentence).

Butler’s comments to Fox Sports, and cited by, Chris Tomasson on Sun Sports were interesting. Here is a run down of the interview…

“It’d be interesting,” Butler said in an interview with FOX Sports Florida about the prospect of returning to the Heat.

Asked whether Miami is on his list, Butler eventually said, “Yes.” But he didn’t want to talk too much about the Heat, which is understandable.

Butler, 31, remains loyal to Dallas, which wants him back after a season in which Butler went down with a ruptured right patellar tendon Jan. 1 and could only watch as the Mavericks beat the Heat for the NBA title last June. And he has no idea what the new rules might be in the NBA.

“I love Dallas, what that organization, the fans, what they did for me when I went down and got injured,” said Butler, who went scoreless in 12 minutes in the South Florida All-Star Classic on Saturday night, an event put on at Florida International University by Heat stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. “They supported me and stood by my side. Winning a championship there and being part of that there, that’s always special. So I just don’t know what it’s going to end up like. You got to see how stuff is structured with the new deal, the new collective bargaining agreement.”

Butler said Mavericks officials told him before the lockout started July 1 they want to re-sign him. But it’s unclear what type of salary Butler, who made $10.56 million last season, might be able to command.

“They definitely told me they wanted me back,” Butler said. “I’m grateful for the organization. We’ll see what happens. I love Dallas. I like a lot of other places. But I really love Dallas.”

So where else does Butler like?

“That’s pretty much it,” Butler said of not wanting to mention any teams other than Dallas and Miami. “I don’t want to throw no (other) teams out there. But I am open to any suggestions.”

Perhaps Wade, who played with Butler with the Heat in 2003-04, will suggest Butler might want to return to Miami once free agency gets under way.

“Me and Dwyane, we always talk about a lot of things. So anything can happen,” said Butler, who said the two have yet to talk about the forward’s free agency…