Sports Blog

As it is expected, Phil Jackson, may favorite coach of all time  was inducteed to the Hall of Fame.

Phil Jackson learned to coach from Red Holzman, and he practiced the craft on superstars like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

“Who could have been more fortunate than I am, to have stumbled into this success?” Jackson said Friday night in his induction speech at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jackson won nine NBA championships as a coach — tying Red Auerbach for the record — and one more as a player. But it was with the New York Knicks in their championship season of 1969-70, when Jackson was recovering from spinal fusion surgery, that he found his future calling.

Soaking up knowledge from his Hall of Fame mentor, Jackson developed the approach that allowed him to integrate lesser talents into a team with stars like Jordan and O’Neal.

After nearly five years of marriage, Shaquille O’Neal has filed to divorce his wife, Shaunie.

They were married in Beverly Hills in 2002 and  have four children together and both have a child from previous relationships.

According to court documents, Shaunie should be given primary custody of the children, while Shaquille should get liberal visitation rights.

Lebron James scored 31 points, most by an American player in an Olympic qualifier, and the United States capped its dominance in the desert by beating Argentina 118-81 on Sunday to win the FIBA Americas championship.

Then James and Anthony climbed the podium and were given gold medals — a first for the two players whose international careers had consisted of nothing but bronze.

“I’m tired of bronze,” Anthony said. “I’m speechless right now. This is my first time ever winning the gold medal.”

Dwight Howard made all seven of his shots and scored 20 points, and Anthony added 16 points for the Americans, who were never challenged while winning 10 games in 12 days and will head to Beijing next summer as one of the favorites.

The Americans are headed to Beijing, looking good enough to be golden again.

Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points, Michael Redd had 23, and the United States earned a spot in the 2008 Olympics by crushing Puerto Rico 135-91 on Saturday in the semifinals of the FIBA Americas tournament.

A 78-point second half gave the Americans their third-highest scoring game since they started using pros in 1992. The Dream Team scored 136 points against Cuba in its first game, and the Americans had 137 against Russia in the 1994 world championships final.

James added 19 points and nine assists, Kobe Bryant scored 15 points, and the three stars keyed a dominant third quarter stretch that showed why the Americans will arrive in China as one of the gold medal favorites. Then they headed to the bench, where they sat while fans chanted their names in the final minutes.

Kobe Bryant scored 27 points — 15 in the first quarter — and the United States cruised into the semifinals of the FIBA Americas tournament as the No. 1 seed by beating Argentina 91-76 Thursday night.

The Americans took control early and were never threatened in the matchup with the defending Olympic gold medalists, who also came in undefeated despite playing this qualifying tournament without the core of their team.

Carmelo Anthony added 18 points and LeBron James had 15 for the Americans, who will face Puerto Rico in one of Saturday’s semifinal games. A victory there gives them a berth in the 2008 Olympics.

Kevin Martin signed a five-year contract extension Wednesday reportedly worth more than $50 million after he averaged a career-high and team-leading 20.2 points, along with 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.23 steals-per-game during the Kings 2006-07 season. The 26th overall pick in the 2004 draft out of Western Carolina also shot 38.1 percent from the 3-point line and 84.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Petrie, the Kings’ president of basketball operations, said Martin’s performance last season is only a prelude to greater success. Off the court, Petrie and the Kings like Martin’s commitment to the Sacramento community.

Yi Jianlian is finally going to play for the Milwaukee Bucks. He signed a standard rookie scale contract with the Bucks in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

On draft night, Yi Jianlian said he was surprised he was picked for the Bucks, but thought he’d play for

The United States dominance in both ends of the floor against Canada tells us all that they are prepared for the Olympics.

The Americans held the Canadians to just two field goals in a dominant second quarter, pulling away for a 113-63 victory Saturday to remain unbeaten in the FIBA Americas tournament.

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points, equaling the second-best U.S. total in an Olympic qualifying game, and Michael Redd added 19, including five 3-pointers. But the United States didn’t pull away until it tightened its defense after a competitive first

With all the superstars lead by Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade, are the US team ready to bring back the glory in the Olympics for men’s basketball?

They are the most decorated team yet they lack the cohesiveness and the chemistry, I believe, needed to win the Olympics. Right now they need to be in the Finals to even qualify. It will be a hard task but their hardworks will bring into fruition.

The USA Basketball team will bring back the Glory of the Olympics! 

Former Minnesota Timberwolves Eddie Griffin died last week when his sport utility vehicle collided with a freight train in a fiery crash in Houston.

Houston police said in a report that the SUV ignored a railroad warning and went through a barrier before striking the moving train about 1:30 a.m. Friday.

The driver’s body was badly burned and there was no identification. Investigators used dental records to identify Griffin.