Is Rihanna to blame for J.R. Smith‘s struggles during the Knicks/Pacers playoff series? Some Knicks fans out there think so. Rih-Rih and J.R. were spotted partying together after a Knicks win in Game 2 of the series last week and he hasn’t been the same since. So one Knicks fan in particular who goes by the name @peruvian_gawd took it upon himself to call Rihanna out for it on Instagram today. And, according to a screen grab that he posted to his own Instagram page a little while ago, Rihanna responded by going in on the Knicks and J.R.
Being a member of the Nets organization surpassed some of my greatest ambitions. It was never about an investment; it was about the NETS and Brooklyn. My job as an owner is over but as a fan it has just begun. I’m a Brooklyn Net forever. It’s been an honor to work with Mikhail Prokhorov, Dmitry Razumov, Christophe Charlier, ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment, Brett Yormark and all the wonderful people involved in making the Nets first class. My sincerest thanks goes to Bruce Ratner, who first introduced the idea of moving the Nets to Brooklyn. A thank you and deepest appreciation goes to the fans. You are the lifeblood of any team.
The Nets have made their mark on the NBA and as they enter a new era, Roc Nation does as well; as we embark on Roc Nation Sports. Our newest endeavor is committed to building the brands of professional athletes as we have done for some of today’s top music artists. For Roc Nation Sports to function at its full potential, NBA rules stipulate that I relinquish my ownership in the Brooklyn Nets. It was a tough decision but as I stated earlier, it’s not about ownership. Congratulations to The Nets on a great season and making the playoffs! I will always be a Brooklyn Net.
Could the Jay-Z era of theBrooklyn Nets be over after it just really got started? The rapper/mogul is reportedly looking to divest his ownership stake in the NBA franchise in order to be able to represent players as an agent.
Entertainment mogul and rapper Jay-Z has started the process of divesting his small share of ownership with the Brooklyn Nets to extend his Roc Nation Sports representation business into basketball, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Jay-Z – whose real name is Shawn Carter – owns less than 1 percent of the Nets, but has been a central public figure in the franchise’s marketing and move from New Jersey to Brooklyn. Selling his share of the Nets is a necessary prelude for Jay-Z to obtain his National Basketball Players Association certification as an agent. NBA rules mandate that no one individual affiliated with a player representation company can have an ownership stake with an NBA team.
It was already speculated that Hova would make this move after he announced the formation of Roc Nation Sports one week ago. The sports representation agency’s first signing was Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano. However, considering Jay-Z’s ties to the Nets and personal connections with players like LeBron James, it was a given that he had his sights on eventually representing NBA players, too. If all goes to plans, Jigga plans to be free of his stake in the Nets by the 2013 NBA Draft, freeing him up to pitch his services to the next crop of pro ball players. But don’t expect the “Big Pimpin’” rapper to be discussing the finer points of NBA contracts just yet. Says Yahoo! Sports:
Much like the arrangement with CAA’s baseball side, Jay-Z will let the firm’s basketball agents handle contract negotiations and day-to-day business with athletes. The potential impact will come with athletes linking to Jay-Z’s global reach in marketing, entertainment and business.
While his team may be winning on the basketball court, Chris Bosh is losing at home. The Miami Heat forward’s mansion was burglarized of $340,ooo worth of jewelry. Damn homie.
Chris Bosh is missing $340k in jewelry … after burglars struck his Miami home early this morning while the NBA star was out celebrating his birthday … this according to police. Miami Beach PD says Bosh called cops around 12:30 AM after he and his wife returned to their pad after partying at a nightclub in South Beach and noticed their house had been ransacked. According to cops, Bosh noticed a jewelry drawer was open and several expensive items were missing — including watches, rings and purses. Fortunately, cops say the bad guys didn’t take the Miami Heat star’s NBA championship ring. Cops say there was no sign of forced entry and they’re currently trying to meet with anyone who has access to Bosh’s home.
It definitely seems like an inside job. Reports the NBA:
“We think it was probably an inside job,” Hernandez said. “It’s very difficult to prevent crimes such as this from happening.” Police were interviewing Bosh’s housekeepers and anyone else, such as a contractor or repair person, who may have recently had access to the home. They were also fanning out to check local pawn shops for the stolen items.
Bosh, celebrating his 29th birthday, arrived at the party Wednesday night via helicopter and a yacht. Numerous local and social media sites reported that most fellow Heat players were there, including stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, many of them dressed in Saharan garb. Guests were greeted by a pair of camels – Henri and Jacob – at the door and the birthday cake was a jewel-festooned chocolate elephant ridden by a miniature Bosh figure. Entertainment included belly dancers and fire eaters. Hours before finding his crib in disarray, Boash had been celebrating his 29th birthday at Club Bamboo in Miami. Some of his teammates including Dwyane Wade, as well as Ne-Yo and Flo Rida, were all in the spot.
Basketball publicationSlam and Hip-Hop publication XXL have collaborated to create a special one-off magazine called Kings of the Game. The cover subjects of the new issue are Allen Iverson, Rick Ross and Tyga. It’s not a coincidence that the A.I., Rozay and T-Raww cover the mag since they all have ties to Reebok, the brand that sponsored the issue.
While you might not think that SLAM and XXL have much to do with one another, rap and basketball has always interacted with a mutual love and respect – as seen at weeklong events like the NBA All-Star Weekend – and spill over into one another when it comes to fashion. Hip-hop fans love to look fresh with clean kicks just as much as basketball fans and players do.
To celebrate looking good and embracing fashion and footwear in both hip-hop and ball, XXL and SLAM have joined forced to create (for the first time ever) a custom Kings of the Game issue, featuring Mr. Rack City Tyga, Miami boss Rick Ross, and all-time NBA great Allen Iverson – all brought to you by the storied Reebok brand.
The collector’s edition mag will be in stores in NYC this week and nationwide next week. Maybe Swizz Beatz will be on the next one?
Being an NBA athlete, you get used to women throwing themselves at you with no ounce of shame or tact. Well, NBA championMario Chalmers isn’t feeling that and let two young women know. Chalmers embarrassed two women for claiming they were partying with the Miami Heatpoint guard when all they really did was ask for a quick picture. The unidentified women saw Chalmers at a rooftop establishment and asked for a photo. When the picture was posted on Instagram by one of the ladies, they captioned it with, “Roof top bottle poppin with nba champ @mchalmers15.” Chalmers wasn’t thrilled in the slightest about how they spun the brief encounter and quickly responded to the photo very matter-of-factly, “Ummm false. Yall just asked for a pic.” Needless to say, the women’s mentions were assaulted with people making fun of the two for their blatant thirst for fame. As embarrassing as this is, it serves them right and should be a lesson to all groupies. While you can sleep with an athlete and pen tell-all books about your raunchy escapades, but famous athletes can put you on blast just as easily.
The basketball community lost a legend this week as Tyron “Alimoe” Evanspassed away. Last night on TNT, former NBA Champions Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith paid tribute to the fallen hooper, proving that his respect went much further than the streets of Harlem. ”We all knew Alimoe personally. Alimoe was the first guy I called, that I watched Streetball other than Rafer Alston, that I knew was going to be an NBA player at that time. I said ‘Alimoe,’ what are you doing out there?’ I said ‘you’re and NBA player,’” Smith said on Inside the NBA on TNT. ”NBA players, when they play against street ball guys, they play the way you’re playing. They dominate the way you are,” Smith said of Alimoe. “He was the only guy I ever watched that I said ‘he should have been in the NBA and didn’t make it, and didn’t attempt to make it.” ”I agree, Kenny. He was 6’7″, he could handle the rock, he could shoot. He actually had the whole package and he should have been in the league,” added Shaquille O’ Neal. ”Rest in peace, Alimoe. Love you brother.” SLAMis also reporting that The Black Widow’s favorite basketball player sent the deceased streetball legend one last gift before he went on into the next life. “Today, his favorite NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant sent his sneakers signed to Alimoe for Al to have forever,” Joseph Vecsey of SLAM said. “I know Alimoe is not only going to be smiling wide in Heaven when his family receives them for him to have, but he’s also going to be doing some bragging. I can see him now saying, ‘Y’all better do some reading around here…the Black Mamba is a fan of The Black Widow.’” Check out the video down below.
