Hooped Up

Lakers re-establish swagger against Denver
Only the Lakers, content to be good rather than great in typical behavior for a defending champion, can decide when they’ll bring their best and make a stand.

They made their choice and their stand in the second half Sunday at Staples Center, pushing back the Denver Nuggets, 95-89. The Nuggets were eliminated by the Lakers the past two postseasons but then won the first two regular-season meetings between the teams.

With a defense led by Ron Artest against Denver star Carmelo Anthony, the Lakers held the Nuggets to 37 second-half points and overcame a nine-point halftime deficit. The effort was meant to quell notions that the Nuggets could threaten the Lakers this season.
OC Register

Read More »

With help from PowerBar Energy Blasts, Lamar Odom can dunk on the moon without breaking a sweat. Heck, he can even take a detour through Saturn and still get the jam done with aid from Enegry Blasts, now that’s impressive.

You should thank your lucky stars that PowerBar wasn’t available when Darryl Dawkins was in prime, because your telescope would be useless I tell ya.

Now ima go do a slamma jamma on pluto!!

Like a deer frozen by on coming dunkmobile headlights, Ray Allen had no choice but to eat this jam Lamar Odom served up. If you missed it, Rasheed Wallace also caught a bad one from Ron Artest that deserves some mentioning too. It was was pretty nasty.

See what I mean, after the jump.

Read More »

Featuring nine members of the gold medalist 2008 U.S. Olympic Team and a total of 11 Olympians who have captured a combined 15 Olympic medals (nine gold medals and six bronze medals), USA Basketball revealed today 27 players who have been named to the 2010-2012 USA Men’s National Team program. The selections were announced by USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo.

Read More »

During the Super Bowl, Charles Barkley tried to sell me some Taco Bell by dropping lyrics with Lamar Odom and a dreadlock backing him up on the mic / teleprompter — it didn’t really rock.

One of the biggest benefits of winning an NBA championship last year, is the obligatory visit to the White House to meet the President the this year. Especially if the President in office is Barack Obama and not that other guy that use to “run things” before.

Being a huge hoops fan, Barack Obama was probably the first President to actually watch the playoffs and finals with interest and he commended the defending champion Lakers on defeated Orlando in last year’s NBA Finals for their 15th NBA title. When they visited the White House to meet me.

“Nobody exemplifies excellence in basketball better than the Los Angeles Lakers,” Obama said. “I want to congratulate everybody who helped make this team what it is, from the assistants to the front office staff to the trainers and the ticket-takers, all the fans back in LA who bleed purple and gold. You all should be very proud.”

The President also commended the Lakers on their efforts to help earthquake victims in Haiti.

See video of the Lakers visit to the White House after the jump.

Read More »

As expected, the Lakers rolled over the Chris Paul in a suit Hornets 110-99 and by the 4th quarter there was even an Adam Morrison sighting. But Lamar Odom decided to have his fun in the 1st quarter with the Lakers up one, by crowning Hilton Armstrong.

Goodtimes!

I had no idea that today is World AIDS Day, but thanks to this PSA with ballers Luke Walton, Lamar Odom, Sam Dalembert teaming up with Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah I do now. It’s pretty crazy that after all these years since AIDS came into the worlds spotlight heightening awareness. People are still being affected by this terrible virus at an alarming rate.

AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33.2 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2 million lives in 2007, of which about 270,000 were children.

If you feel you’ve been put at risk to get HIV or AIDS, get tested.

To quote, English writer and critic Edith Sitwell. “Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.”

With that quote, I give you the All-Eccentric team. To make this squad you had to be on a NBA roster in the past year and be considered borderline crazy to the untrained eye.

Read More »

The Odoms or as I your girlfriend probably calls them, the Kardashians. Hit the late night talk show circuit as husband and wife for the first time on Chelsea Lately this weekend and if missed it, don’t fret or put another exclamation mark on your dramatic suicide note to the world.

Through the genius of the Internet and its slack copyright laws, I bring you the interview in its entirety.

via Lakers Hype + Ball Don’t Lie