Odell Beckham, Dez Bryant play catch before facing off (Video)

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There is clearly mutual respect between Odell Beckham Jr. and Dez Bryant.

The two star receivers played a bit of catch before the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys faced off on Sunday.

The kids would call this game recognizing game. @DezBryant and @OBJ_3 having a pre-game catch.#NYGvsDAL pic.twitter.com/JcgcgNoJ8C

— Joe Trahan (@JoeTrahan) September 11, 2016

Unsurprisingly, there are no drops here. These two are way too good for that. Now, will anyone be upset that Beckham avoided contact here? Either way, it’ll be fun to watch these two, and we’ll see who ends up having the better overall season when all is said and done.

Football – Larry Brown Sports
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#Beckham, #Before, #Bryant, #Catch, #Facing, #Odell, #Play, #Video - #Football

Shaquille O’Neal Used A Classic Mafia Movie Trope To Explain Why He Had To Leave Kobe Bryant

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Getty Image

Perhaps you’ve heard, but it’s Shaq Week over at NBA TV. In the lead-up to his Hall of Fame enshrinement this weekend, the network is doing all sorts of career highlights and retrospectives, one of the major events being “The Big Conversation,” an hour-long sit-down with TNT co-host Ernie Johnson, which premiered Wednesday night.

At one point, the discussion inevitably turned to his tumultuous relationship with Kobe Bryant, which ultimately led to his defection to Miami. And Shaq certainly didn’t disappoint when answering the question why he left Los Angeles. Via NBA.com:

“I didn’t want to leave, but being the veteran in the business of basketball, I realize that they’re can’t be two kings,” O’Neal said. “Every great movie that I’ve seen, mafia movies, the younger boss always takes out the older boss. So I knew it was going to happen. I said to myself going into the Finals, I put together this super team. I brought in Gary Payton. I brought in Karl Malone, Kobe, myself. I said if we don’t win, change is going to have to be made. Once we lost, I knew I was going to be in trouble.”

It’s a hilarious comparison, but essentially pretty accurate in terms of how things actually played out. The Lakers did, in fact, make a decision to move forward with Kobe rather than Shaq. But as opposed to being fitted for a pair of cement boots, the Big Diesel went onto to win a championship with the Heat, then slipped comfortably into a journeyman’s groove toward the end of his career, a fate much unlike that of most overthrown mafia dons, fictional or otherwise.

(NBA.com)

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#Bryant, #Classic, #Explain, #Kobe, #Leave, #Mafia, #Movie, #ONeal, #Shaquille, #Trope, #Used - #Basketball

Phil Jackson: Kobe Bryant ‘was always sensitive to criticism’

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Phil Jackson once labeled Kobe Bryant “uncoachable,” but years after making the remark, he’s clearing up what he meant by it.

The latest edition of Today’s Fastbreak’s Phil Jackson Chronicles focuses on Jackson and Bryant, and the evolution of their sometimes difficult relationship. In it, he disputes that he ever said Bryant was “uncoachable.”

“Shaq was traded, I didn’t re-sign with the Lakers and I wrote a book,” Jackson said of the end of his first tenure with the Lakers. “I never really said that Kobe was ‘uncoachable.’ What I did write was that I couldn’t coach him anymore. In any case, Kobe was always sensitive to criticism, so he was hurt by the book.”

Bryant was driven by criticism and doubters, so it’s no surprise he didn’t like Jackson’s original comments. It sounds like the coach didn’t mean them as brutally as many people took them, though.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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Phil Jackson Considered Trading Kobe Bryant for Grant Hill

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Phil Jackson took a trip down memory lane, looking back at the 11 years he spent as Kobe Bryant’s head coach.

The Zen Master says that Kobe demanded a trade during their first season together, and Jackson claims that he very briefly toyed with the idea of taking the Detroit Pistons up on their offer for Grant Hill.

Phil Jackson briefly entertained idea of trading Kobe to #Pistons for Grant Hill. What if it happened? #Lakers https://t.co/5tOpgdOYPu

— Today"s Fastbreak (@TodaysFastbreak) September 2, 2016

Jackson and Bryant would continue to butt heads, but formed a legendary partnership that netted them five NBA championships.

Per Today’s Fastbreak:

“Kobe showed up at the press conference that introduced me as the new Lakers coach. He came up to my hotel room afterwards and we had our first face-to-face connection. He said he had read all about my championships with the Bulls and had studied several game tapes, so he was very excited. Kobe was 20 years old and had already played three NBA seasons.[…] “The Summer League was in Los Angeles that year and we sat together to watch the games that the Lakers had. Jim Cleamons was one of my assistant coaches in Chicago and would also be on my staff with the Lakers. So it was JC who coached the team of free-agent hopefuls and draft choices. As I explained the unfolding of the elementary triangle offense that JC had installed, as well as more of the advanced principles, Kobe was still excited. It was clear to me that he not only was willing to learn, but that he really wanted to learn.

 

“Then he fell and broke his wrist in our first exhibition game. For several weeks, Kobe had to be sidelined and watch guys like (Shaquille O’Neal), Glen Rice, Ron Harper, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, A.C. Green, Brian Shaw and Robert Horry pile up a 10-1 record. Shaq had really bought into the triangle and was well established at the heart of our offense. […] When Kobe was healed and ready to return, I was a bit reluctant to make a major alteration in our winning combination. So I suggested that Kobe come off the bench. ‘I don’t see myself not starting,’ was his response. ‘I don’t want to be known as a bench player.’ Here was a 20-year-old already concerned about his legacy. So we had a little pushback, an indication of what might lie ahead.

 

“A couple of weeks later, we’re still winning and Shaq is completely motivated. But Kobe was only averaging about 19 points per game. So Kobe called Jerry West and wanted to know how Jerry and Elgin Baylor both averaged 30 points. Kobe also said that he wanted to be traded. Of course, Jerry told me about the conversation. And, for a few minutes I thought about taking the Pistons up on an offer they made to trade Kobe for Grant Hill. Make that a few seconds. […] The thing was that Kobe already saw himself as being one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. I thought that, in time, he would indeed reach that goal.”

The post Phil Jackson Considered Trading Kobe Bryant for Grant Hill appeared first on SLAMonline.

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Kobe Bryant to have own day in Los Angeles on August 24

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Kobe Bryant has been among the more prominent members of the Los Angeles sporting landscape and community for the past 20 years. On Wednesday, the city will honor him in a special way.

It was announced on Monday that August 24, 2016 will be “Kobe Bryant Day” in Los Angeles. The date 8-24 was chosen because Bryant, of course, wore both numbers on his uniform during his Hall of Fame career.

The City of Los Angeles declares 8.24 "Kobe Bryant Day." pic.twitter.com/7y2u0RPBLv

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) August 23, 2016

The event will be another in an eventful week for Bryant. He rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. Bryant also announced he’s launching a $ 100 million investment fund called Bryant Stibel. On Tuesday, Bryant will celebrate his 38th birthday. Not a bad week at all for the Mamba.

Basketball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Angeles, #August, #Bryant, #Kobe - #Basketball