Archive for the 'Miscellaneous' Category

Talking Soccer At STAPLES Center

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 31, 2009
in Miscellaneous
. Closed

SOCCER-WORLD/Few NBA teams have as many soccer fans on their roster as the Lakers.

Here’s the short list:

- Kobe Bryant loves the game he grew up playing in Italy, and still follows international and club soccer closely. The world’s best basketball player has soccer skills, too.
- Pau Gasol is from Barcelona, Spain, home to some of the world’s greatest players and one of the world’s best club teams (FC Barcelona, also Kobe’s favorite squad).
- Sasha Vujacic played soccer in his native Slovenia and while playing professional basketball in Italy as a teenager.
- Adam Morrison is possibly the NBA’s best FIFA 2010 (video game) player, while Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton aren’t far behind. The three are occasionally joined by Lamar Odom four two-on-two games of FIFA on the team plane.

There are plenty of soccer players that are big fans of the Lakers as well, including respective stars of L.A.’s two Major League Soccer clubs: David Beckham (L.A. Galaxy) and Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA). Both players attended Friday evening’s Lakers loss to the Mavericks, and are bracing for a big L.A. soccer showdown on Sunday afternoon (2 p.m., Galaxy @ Chivas USA on ESPN2).

This in mind, we spent some time chatting with Bornstein about how Kobe’s soccer skills help his hoops game, the massive goal the defender scored to send the USA to the World Cup and how it’s made him a hero in Honduras (the Honduran President called him).

Bornstein, a big Lakers fan who grew up in Torrance, CA (before moving to Los Alamitos in Orange County) and starred at UCLA, sat down with us at halftime. Here’s a transcription of our conversation:

San Jose Earthquakes vs Chivas USAMT: So when you sit here and watch Kobe, do you recognize how some of his body movement is similar that which you might see on the soccer field?
Bornstein: Oh yeah, whenever I watch Kobe, he’s more free flowing than many of the other players. He moves around the court very similar to how you react when you’re on the soccer field. You also see that with Steve Nash, another player who’s very interested in soccer and grew up with a soccer mentality. They incorporate that into their basketball game and obviously they’re really great players.

MT: And I suppose it goes the other way with you and your USA National Team teammates, who often have an edge athletically on other countries as many Americans played other sports - like basketball - growing up?
Bornstein: I completely agree with that. I played every sport growing up - baseball, basketball, football, soccer. My body type was such that I fit into soccer the best. I’m obviously not that tall (about 5-9 and 1/2) but I can dunk a tennis ball.

MT: I know Kobe’s been to a few Galaxy games…
Bornstein: Yeah, he’s friends with David Beckham and Beckham’s coming to America has brought out a couple of big time athletes in other sports, but it would be amazing to see Kobe come to a Chivas game wearing Chivas gear. I think it’s great when other sports support each other in the same city; I try to go to as many Dodgers and Lakers games as I can. We all are competing for the same goal - to win championships.

MT: I know that everybody’s excited for the coming World Cup this summer in South Africa, particularly with the full coverage on ESPN and ABC all in HD…
Bornstein: Definitely. ESPN coming in is huge for soccer, and we’re already seeing more and more highlights on SportsCenter, which may show that there are more and more fans in America. The World Cup can only keep that going.
Continue reading ‘Talking Soccer At STAPLES Center’

Ronnie Lester Donates To Alma Mater

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 30, 2009
in Community and Miscellaneous
. Closed

PRESS RELEASE FROM EL SEGUNDO:

Los Angeles Lakers Assistant General Manager Ronnie Lester will donate $100,000 to the University of Iowa Foundation to support the Carver-Hawkeye Arena Enhancements Campaign.

“As a member of the Carver-Hawkeye Arena campaign committee, I am pleased to step forward to make this gift,” said Lester. “Coach Lickliter has the program moving in the right direction, and I want to do my part to help this important project.”

Lester is a member of the committee that is leading the fundraising effort to upgrade the 26-year-old facility. The goal of the Carver-Hawkeye Arena Enhancemens Campaign is to raise at least $20 million to modernize the current facility, despite no state funding.

“We are thrilled to receive this gift from Ronnie Lester,” said UI Director of Athletics Gary Barta. “He is one of the all-time great basketball players at Iowa. It’s always special to see former student-athletes reach back and support the Hawks.”

At the request of Lester, the UI Department of Intercolegiate Athletics will name the training room at the remodeled Carver-Hawkeye Arena in honor of longtime UI athletic trainer John Streif.

“John Streif has been a terrific friend to me for more than 30 years. He has worked tirelessly to support me and numerous other athletes over four decades now,” said Lester. “His dedication to the Hawkeyes is legendary, and I’m honored to name the training room for him.”

“On top of his generosity, it is terrific that Ronnie has chosen to honor John Streif,” said Barta. “I can’t think of anyone more deserving.”

A former two-time All-American standout from the University of Iowa, Lester left the university as the Hawkeyes’ all-time leader in both points (1,675) and assists (480).

Opening Night Traffic Advisory

Published
by
Ty Nowell
on October 26, 2009
in Lakers.com News and Miscellaneous
. Closed

Staples CenterLA Live is hosting a movie premier at 6pm on Tuesday, 10/27 and the movie theatre at LA Live is having its grand opening later in the evening. Increased traffic and congestion around STAPLES Center is expected from 3-11pm.

For those attending, STAPLES Center doors will open at 5:30pm. Please be in your seat by 7pm as we will be having our ring ceremony and raising of the championship banner to celebrate the 15th NBA Championship in Lakers franchise history.

Please arrive early to allow adequate time to get to STAPLES Center, find parking and enter the arena.

Tex Winter Makes A Visit

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 26, 2009
in Miscellaneous
. Closed

Certainly everyone around L.A.’s practice facility was excited to see hoops legend and Lakers Basketball Consultant Tex Winter around the offices on Monday.

Just after practice concluded, Winter entered the facility to spend time with Lakers players and coaches, in addition to speaking briefly with a few media members.

The triangle architect, who suffered a stroke in April, is in town for L.A.’s Tuesday evening ring ceremony.

Powell Sports Fresh Art

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 2, 2009
in Josh Powell and Miscellaneous
. Closed

Ron Artest suggested that Josh Powell led the team in trash talking, a contention up for debate amongst their teammates.

What’s set in stone, however, is J-Peezy’s lead on the tattoo front, which he cushioned by acquiring additional art in the offseason:

Josh Powell

Photo By Noah Graham, NBA Photos

Farmar Back on “NUMB3RS” Tonight

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 2, 2009
in Jordan Farmar and Miscellaneous
. Closed

During the previous season of CBS drama “NUMB3RS,” Lakers point guard Jordan Farmar showed off his acting chops while guest starring as himself in an episode.

Apparently, his appearance impressed the show’s producers enough to garner an invitation back for this season, in an episode entitled “Friendly Fire” that will air Friday night on CBS.

To see Farmar in (a different kind of) action, tune in at 10 p.m.

Media Day On the Horizon

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on September 28, 2009
in Miscellaneous
. Closed

Throughout the summer on Lakers.com, we’ve taken a shot at Kobe Bryant’s top 31 Moments, shot the breeze with Lamar Odom, followed Pau Gasol’s MVP performance in EuroBasket 09, gone behind the scenes with Ron Artest when he signed and so on.

But on Tuesday in L.A.’s practice facility, we’ll get a chance to catch up with the whole gang of purple-and-gold-clad basketball players.

Stay tuned to Lakers.com and the Basketblog tomorrow; you can also follow me on Twitter (@LakersReporter) for frequent updates.

Lakers Top 10 Moments

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on September 23, 2009
in Miscellaneous and Off-Season
. Closed

ts_0809top10_02Over the past two weeks, we’ve been posting the Top 10 Moments of L.A.’s 2008-09 Championship season.

Each moment features a written summary and the NBA’s video feed from that game; there are worse things, of course, for Lakers fans than reliving the title-garnering journey.

The most recent moment we posted was No. 2 - “Fisher For Three … Twice,” - which is a moment that has already dug its way into Lakers lore.

The rest of the moments can be viewed by CLICKING HERE, while Moment No. 1 will go up on Thursday afternoon.

Shot Swatting Champ

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on August 12, 2009
in Miscellaneous and Off-Season
. Closed

With the Lakers coming upon their 50th season in Los Angeles, we’ve been digging into the history books, which always nets a fun fact or two.

Here’s one:

After moving from the Buffalo Braves to the Lakers in 1973-74 as a third-year player, Elmore Smith set a still-standing league record of 17 blocks in one game, which he accomplished against Portland on Oct. 28, 1973 (a 111-98 Lakers win). You have to wonder whom he was guarding … Ouch.

The NBA has pages devoted to stats such as these, where we learned that fellow Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shares the NBA record for seasons leading the league in blocks (4), along with Utah’s Mark Eaton.

Of course, the league didn’t start keeping track of blocked shots until 1973-74, and Wilt Chamerlain retired the year before. Who knows how many shots the Stilt might have blocked in a single game? Alas, for Smith, it was his most prolific shot-blocking season, in which 4.9 balls per game were sent a different way.

Not bad at all, but it’s the 17 in one game that we’ll remember most. For a point of reference, Andrew Bynum’s best game in 2008-09 featured six blocks, and Pau Gasol’s only five. Do your thing, Elmore.

Dodgers CF Matt Kemp on Lakers.com

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on August 7, 2009
in Miscellaneous and Off-Season
. Closed

For the latest segment of the “Popcorn Machine,” we went to Dodger Stadium to sit down with a serious basketball fan who dabbles in center field for the L.A. Dodgers: Matt Kemp.

Kemp, who came to several Lakers games this past season, played high school hoops with Shelden Williams* at Midwest City in Oklahoma on a squad that was so good, they won back-to-back state championships.
*Williams, who starred at Duke and was the No. 5 overall pick in 2006, recently signed a free agent contract with Boston.

Kemp almost continued his hoops dream in college, but instead decided to sign with the big leagues as his game continued to grow and scouts became superfluous at his high school baseball games.

So, on Tuesday afternoon prior to L.A.’s 17-4 win over Milwaukee, Kemp joined us in the Dodgers dugout to detail his basketball past, speculate about Lamar Odom’s baseball prospects (the lanky lefty fancies himself a pitcher), guess that Jordan Farmar would be the Lakers’ best baseball player and give us his top five musical artists as compared to those of Josh Powell and Shannon Brown.

TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST, CLICK HERE.