Hooped Up

Philadelphia 76ers centre Samuel Dalembert is going to his native Haiti with the aid group Project MediShare to assist with the earthquake relief effort.

The 76ers released a statement Monday night saying Dalembert, who moved to Montreal as a teenager, did not return to Philadelphia with the team after a loss in Minnesota earlier in the day. He is being excused from practice Tuesday but is expected to play in Wednesday’s home game against Portland.

Dalembert is the NBA’s only Haitian-born player. He has taped a public service announcement for UNICEF encouraging fans to contribute. He will address the crowd before the 76ers’ home game Friday and make a US$100,000 donation to UNICEF. He will also match the donations made by fans at the game.

Press Release

With a career scoring average of 27.1 points per game (fifth highest all-time), Allen Iverson knows how to get buckets. But to often people forget that dude knows how to throw some sweet passes too, like this gem to Sam Dalemert for an alley-oop dunk on Nene.

After the jump, another angle of the dunk.

Read More »

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.

Another van glorious season of NBA basketball is about to begin and Hooped Up does a quick and dirty preview of all 30 clubs.

The team that use to have the Answer now only has questions. Can Samuel Dalembert be a consistent force in the middle? Can Elton Brand rebound from his second straight season ending injury? Can Louis Williams fill the void left by Andre Miller at the point? Read More »

Dwight Howard must have been listening to some Luducris before last night Magic versus 76ers game because my man was straight droppin’ bows on everybody in game 5. Both Sam Dalembert and teammate Courtney Lee caught bows from D12 in the first quarter and both actions could have consequences. The blow Lee caught might have him out for Game 6 injured and the one that Dalembert caught might cost Howard a game or a fine after the play is reviewed by the league today.

Next time, maybe Howard should listen to some Eddy Grant before the game. Nobody has ever through an elbow after listening to Electric Avenue in the history of the world and it’s a wicked tune!

Sam Dalembert is a Canadian despite the fact that  Leo Rautins won’t let him on the Canadian national basketball squad (boo!), and on this play he proves it. Watch as Dalembert chases down this loose ball like a hard nose hockey player chases a puck into the corner with reckless abandonment, and then passes it to Iggy who slams it upstairs where mom keeps the peanut butter.

If this doesn’t convince you that Dalembert is Canadian, you should have seen the Poutine eating clinic he put on after the game.

If you’re Orlando and you have a “BIG” fan that happens to be a former adult star, where do you hope she sits when she comes to see your team play??? Behind the oppositions bench distracting them with a plunging neck line, that’s where. Read More »

Canadian basketball has got to get rid of Leo Rautins, straight up to win anything!

“Samuel Dalembert hasn’t closed the door on playing basketball for Canada again but says he won’t don a Canadian jersey so long as Leo Rautins is coaching.

The 6-foot-11 centre was in Toronto yesterday as his Philadelphia 76ers beat the Raptors in an NBA pre-season game, just three months removed from his falling out with Rautins at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens.

“I think it would be very immature to just let one person ruin the great things that we have here,” Dalembert said.

But asked if he would consider playing for Rautins, Canada’s head coach, Dalembert said, “No. If you have one slap, you never know when you’re going to get another slap.”

Rautins dropped Dalembert from the team after he picked up just two points on 1-of-8 shooting and two rebounds in a loss to Slovenia – mere hours before Canada’s game against South Korea. ”

Toronto Star

Croatia strapped C4 to the Canadian national teams chest and blew them away in a 83 – 62 victory.  Although I’m sure the coach Leo Rautins,  labeled the beat down as a “moral victory” or “character builder” in his post-game locker room speech.

You know what other people call, people that win alot of “moral victories” Leo? Losers!  

Canada definitely suffered from the absence of Philadelphia 76ers centre Samuel Dalembert, whom Rautins sent home prior to Wednesday’s win over South Korea because he questioned the Haitian-born player’s commitment to the team.

The Canadians missed the interior defence the six-foot-11, 250-pounder was meant to provide especially in a must win game against top international competion.  

With this lose the road has come to an end for Team Canada’s bid for the Beijing Olympics and maybe Leo Rautin’s future as it’s head coach.