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Usually teenagers count down to when they can graduate high school and get out of Dodge to experience life.
But LeBron James stayed near his hometown of Akron and happily became the Cleveland Cavalier’s No. 1 draft pick in 2003. Then, he almost singlehandedly delivered the Cavs’ first NBA title when he led the franchise to its first NBA Finals at the age of 22.
But when the Cavs wouldn’t lure or pay big money to add marquee players, LeBron devised a plan with fellow 2003 draftees and Olympic gold teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to join the same NBA team to win league championships together.

The plan worked out so the trio is taking less money to join forces and LeBron is finally leaving the nest to play for the Miami Heat, which drafted D-Wade in 2003. However, going where there are no state taxes and playing in paradise isn’t really a sacrifice. But it would have taken big money to get the trio to come to a dump like Cleveland and the Cavs wouldn’t pony up.
Don’t question LeBron’s loyalty to his home state team. Any one watching his one-hour “Decision” special on ESPN on Thursday could see that it weighed on the reigning NBA MVP’s spirit. But as James said, he took the Cavs to places they’ve never been. And King James didn’t have a star sidekick, such as Scottie Pippen or Pau Gasol, as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant had to help them win multiple NBA titles.

I don’t agree that LeBron has tainted his legacy or that he ran away from a challenge in Cleveland to take the easy road to an NBA title by joining forces with Wade, another top 3 player, and Bosh, a top 10 player, in Miami. It’s common in the NBA these days. Players don’t stay with the same team like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Even Jordan left Chicago and played for the Wizards. Charles Barkley left Philadelphia to try to win an NBA title in Phoenix and Houston, and for the same reason, Karl Malone left Utah for Los Angeles, Clyde Drexler left Portland for Houston, Shaq left Orlando for L.A., and Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen left their teams for Boston. All of their legacies aren’t tainted because they left the team they’re most identified with. They are all Hall of Famers and LeBron will be also.
Shaq, a future Hall of Famer, pulled a LeBron when he left Orlando for Los Angeles in 1996. He was one of the top 3 players in the league and had taken the Magic to its first NBA Finals after he and his teammates dismanted Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. But Shaq became an even bigger star in L.A., winning three consecutive NBA championships and three NBA Finals MVP trophies. Then, he left L.A. for Miami and won a fourth title.
Kobe tried to get out of L.A. although he had three championship rings by riding Shaq’s coattails. After Shaq left L.A. for Miami, the Lakers made first round playoff exits two years in a row, so Kobe wanted to be traded out of L.A. and Phil Jackson was about to retire. But the Lakers’ wouldn’t let Kobe out of his contract and stepped up to surround Kobe with better players.

Had the Cavaliers done the same, Cleveland residents and 7 million ESPN viewers wouldn’t be witnesses to LeBron leaving for Miami. Cleveland is just not willing to pay for great talent.
Shortly after LeBron was drafted to Cleveland, I had a chance to be the Cavs’ official team reporter. I would have been the Vic Ketchman for the Cavaliers. Ketchman is the longtime beat writer for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ web site. But Cleveland’s front office low balled me, expecting me to take a pay cut to leave Florida for Cleveland. So I stayed in Jacksonville.
Ironically, LeBron has decided to take a pay cut to play and attempt to win NBA championships in sunny Florida. And as long as he wins some league championships, King James’ legacy will be intact, like Shaq, to prove he made the right move.

By Teneshia LaFaye

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The Celtics appeared to back Kobe Bryant into a wall when he received no help from teammates for Boston to take a 3-2 NBA Finals series lead into Los Angeles.
Kobe saw his legacy slipping away and said he wouldn’t be considered the greatest Laker ever if he lost his second NBA championship at the hands of the Celtics to make him 0-2 in the NBA Finals against Boston.
But a strange thing happened on the way back to L.A. Kobe’s teammates stepped up to his level of play and won back-to-back games for the Lakers’ 16th NBA title, their second in a row, to put them within one championship of the Celtics’ league-best 17 NBA titles.
Kobe had 23 points and 15 rebounds in L.A.’s 83-79 Game 7 victory on Thursday to earn the NBA Finals MVP trophy for the second year in a row. During the postgame press conference, Kobe admitted that it means a lot that his former Lakers teammate and three-time Finals MVP Shaquille O’Neal said that Kobe would be the greatest Laker ever if he closed out the Celtics.

Beating the Celtics in the finals gives Kobe and teammate Derek Fisher, five NBA titles to tie my favorite Laker, Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for the most by any Laker player. Kareem also won a title with the Milwaukee Bucks.
And now that Kobe has been crowned greatest Laker over Hall of Famers, such as Kareem, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and future Hall of Famer Shaq, Bryant can focus on how he stacks up to the greatest to ever play the game, six-time NBA champion and six-time NBA Finals MVP Michael Jordan.
Back-to-back NBA MVP LeBron James, a free agent who likely is not returning to his home state Cleveland Cavaliers, doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breathe as Kobe and Jordan. And LeBron better choose his next team very carefully and win his first NBA championship and a few more if he wants to get back into that conversation.
Jordan has one more NBA championship than Kobe, but Kobe, 32, has won his fifth three years younger than Jordan did. Of course, Kobe came straight from high school to the NBA while Jordan detoured to college and had a mini NBA retirement to try his hand at professsional baseball.
So Kobe is exactly where Jordan was in his prime and he has to recover from a knee injury and finger injury to try to match Jordan’s rings next season, and he’s hoping to bring back his coach, Phil Jackson, who was Jordan’s coach during Chicago’s two three-peats in the 1990s. If Kobe, Jackson and the Lakers, get a second three-peat, L.A. fans can certainly make a case that Kobe is as good or better than Jordan.
That would give Kobe a sixth NBA title to match Jordan and it would tie the Lakers with the Celtics for the league’s record in NBA championships. However, Celtics great Bill Russell, who the NBA Finals MVP trophy is named for, still boasts the most NBA titles for a player, 11. Only Lakers coach Phil Jackson has as many, six with the Bulls and now 5 with the Lakers.
So it will be interesting to see if Kobe can tie Jordan and if Phil can surpass Bill. Well, that’s a story for next year. For now, Kobe can celebrate reaching his quest of being the greatest Laker to play the game.

By Teneshia LaFaye

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Kobe Bryant led the L.A. Lakers to their first NBA title without Shaquille O’Neal this past summer, and the Lakers are favored to ruin Shaq and LeBron’s holiday when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit Staples Center on Christmas Day. Tip off is at 5 p.m. on ABC.
With just a couple weeks into the NBA season, the Lakers hold a league-best 23-4 record with Bryant, the NBA Finals MVP, averaging 29.3 points — second to Denver Nugget forward Carmelo Anthony’s league-best 30.3 points per game.

All eyes are going to be on the matchup between Kobe and LeBron James, the NBA MVP last season.
LeBron is averaging 28.8 points, third-best in the league, for the Cavs, who the Orlando Magic beat in the Eastern Conference Finals last summer to play the Lakers for the NBA championship.

By Teneshia LaFaye
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Kobe Bryant can opt out of the final year of his contract this summer and go help LeBron James and his former Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal to win Cleveland’s first NBA title.
But it’s very unlikely. Kobe is coming off an NBA Finals MVP performance and wouldn’t stoop to being a supporting player for league MVP King James. Plus, Kobe enjoys running the Lake Show too much.

However, two years ago, it was a different story.
Kobe hoped to be traded over to the L.A. Clippers or the Chicago Bulls in May 2007 because he was unhappy with the direction the Lakers were headed after a first-round playoff exit for the second consecutive season. Three years earlier, the Lakers’ front office traded Shaq to Miami and he went on to win his first NBA championship without Kobe.

Kobe felt duped after signing a new contract with the understanding that L.A.’s management would bring in marquee players to immediately put the Lakers back in contention for an NBA title, their first since Kobe and Shaq paired up for a three-peat from 2000-2002.
But when Kobe found out that the Lakers were actually rebuilding, he went to the national airwaves and expressed his desire to be traded on two national radio shows unless former GM Jerry West returned and the roster was upgraded to put the team in title contention.
It’s a good thing for Kobe the Lakers ignored his trade demands. The Lakers finally assembled a championship roster to win the franchise’s 15th NBA title this past season. And with the NBA Finals’ MVP trophy in his possession, Kobe is finally content to stay in L.A., where he was all smiles riding atop a tour bus with his wife, two daughters and teammates in a parade through downtown to celebrate the Lakers’ NBA title.


Actually, when Kobe was asking to be traded two years ago to avoid the team’s rebuilding, he remained optimistic that L.A. would come through with roster upgrades and he expressed a desire to stay in L.A. while voicing his desire to leave to win a championship.
And now that he’s led the Lakers to a coveted NBA championship and his team is likely to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals for a third consecutive year, it appears that Kobe will finish his career in L.A., unless the team becomes disloyal when his talent wanes and trades him after all.

By Teneshia LaFaye

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Michael Jackson loved his legions of fans and never hesitated to say “I love you more” in response to fans shouting, “We love you, Michael.”

He basked in the atmosphere when his fans showed up in masses to welcome him to New York’s Time Square during his visit to MTV’s Total Request Live show in 2001, and he jumped atop an SUV and briefly danced for the crowd who showered him with support outside the courtroom for his second child molestation trial in 2004.
So the King of Pop would be displeased to know that an estimated 250,000-750,000 fans who will descend on Los Angeles on Tuesday for his public memorial will be restricted from getting anywhere near the Staples Center unless they win a random raffle for one of 17,500 wristbands to enter the area and the next-door Nokia Theater.


Entry for raffle tickets on www.staplescenter.com ends on Saturday at 6 p.m. Pacific. The pop star’s public memorial is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday and most fans won’t even see it.

Always a crowd-pleaser, Michael would have been heartbroken if he had been performing inside the Staples Center and was told that 90% of his fans were kept outside and restricted from coming anywhere near the building. MJ would probably take the concert to the streets, and we’ve seen what a showman he was when his feet hit the streets. Think “Billie Jean”, “Thriller”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, The Wiz’s “Ease on Down the Road” and those crazy final minutes of his “Black or White” video.


The city of Los Angeles could have done better than a random raffle that will only satisfy 10% of Michael’s adoring fans who spent money that’s hard too come by in this global recession to travel to the memorial. Sure, the city is struggling with a half-billion dollar debt of its own, but it raised nearly half the cost for a $2 million downtown parade to celebrate the Lakers’ 15th NBA championship.
It’s not everyday that an iconic pop star dies, so why not parade Michael Jackson’s body through the city in a horse-drawn carriage with presidential protection, of course? The city would make the investment back 100 times over from patronage of L.A. area hotels, restaurants and other businesses by the quarter-million to 750,000 fans coming from all across the world.
If the city doesn’t want to put up any money to avoid the outcry of soon-to-be, laid-off government workers, it should consider asking L.A.-based AEG Worldwide to fund the parade. AEG, the world’s largest sports owner/promoter and the world’s second largest concert promoter, backed Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” comeback tour and stands to make at least $100 million from packaging the 100 hours of footage from the pop star’s rehearsals at the Staples Center, including his final practice in the wee morning hours before going home and dying of cardiac arrest.
AEG already threw $30 million into preparation for Michael’s comeback and paid $150,000 monthly to Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician present the entire time when the pop star died at his home. Dr. Murray’s outrageous salary, which comes out to nearly $2 million annually, to monitor the singer is enough to pay for a real public memorial to Michael Jackson.
There’s got to be a better way to honor the King of Pop than this half-baked ticket raffle for a hardly public memorial.

By Teneshia LaFaye

Buy a limited edition I Was There, King of Pop Commemorative Journal featuring many of these stories to remember the positive side of Michael Jackson’s life. The journal went on sale at the pop icon’s public memorial in L.A., and a limited supply is left over. Don’t let this moment pass you by. Get the journal while supplies last as a keepsake for MJ’s passing with spaces for your personal experience and pictures.

To receive your copy, please send $8 per copy in cash or money order to King of Pop Journal, 3832-10 Baymeadows Rd., Suite 205, Jacksonville, FL 32217 and make sure your name and address is on the envelope.

Or you can buy now for $7.35:

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In spite of winning his fourth NBA title with the Lakers on Sunday, Kobe Bryant still needs two more to equal Michael Jordan’s six with the Chicago Bulls.
But Kobe is just like Mike in buying power. Bryant, Jordan and Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen are tied for No. 2 behind the world’s No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods on Forbes’ list of the world’s Best Paid Male Athletes. See the list here

Woods, who was on hand in Orlando’s Amway Arena to watch Bryant win his fourth NBA championship, earned $110 million last year. Bryant, Jordan and Raikkonen each made $45 million.

Bryant, who grew up in Philadelphia rooting for Jordan and the Bills, has a chance to match his idol on the court if the Lakers manage to three-peat as they did from 2000-2002.

The Lakers’ championship run also is contigent upon their front office bringing back record-setting coach Phil Jackson, who has six titles with Jordan and four with Kobe, and Bryant’s supporting cast of Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom.

By Teneshia LaFaye
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As I wrote a couple weeks ago, electrifying singers Chris Brown and Rihanna keep moving in the same direction.
The former couple sat courtside behind the basket near the Lakers’ bench during L.A.’s 99-91 OT victory Thursday night in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Orlando Magic’s Amway Arena.
Brown and Rihanna arrived separately before tipoff and did not sit by each other although they both had seats behind the basket on L.A.’s side of the court.


Rapper Lil’ Wayne, reality TV star Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend New Orleans tailback Reggie Bush also sat in the section.
Brown, a Magic fan, has attended several of Orlando’s playoff games. He was spotted at Amway Arena last month with singer Usher, actor Chris Tucker and rapper Bow Wow during the Magic’s Eastern Conference Final home games against Cleveland. Brown, 20, has been in Orlando recording a new album, Graffiti.
Rihanna, 21, also is working on a new album, and she and her ex are also working on separate movie projects.
Rihanna, who has a home in L.A., flew into Orlando just in time for the game. The Barbadian pop star has been spotted in New York during the past few weeks partying with The Black Eyed Peas and suspected new beau Canadian actor/rapper Aubrey “Drake” Griffin. She was photographed leaving New York’s JFK International Airport earlier Thursday, obviously to fly to Orlando to see her Lakers play that night.

Rihanna and Chris will cross paths again later this month when they appear in an L.A. courtroom to resume Brown’s preliminary hearing on two felony charges for allegedly beating, biting and choking Rihanna the night before the Grammy Awards in L.A. in February. If convicted, Brown could be sentenced to probation or nearly five years in prison.
While at former Magic center Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando home last month, Brown recorded a home video declaring, “I’m not a monster.”

By Teneshia LaFaye
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LeBron James didn’t come through to deliver a No. 23 vs. No. 24 matchup in the NBA Finals, but Kobe Bryant continues to do his part and has the Lakers up 2-0 on the Orlando Magic, the team that outplayed and dethroned James and the Cleveland Cavs to win the Eastern Conference.
Bryant scored 29 points and made a fade-away jumper over Hedo Turkoglu for the Lakers’ go-ahead lead in a 101-96 overtime victory on Sunday to follow up on his 40-point Jordan-esque performance in a 25-point rout of the Magic in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Highlights from NBA Finals Game 2:

The best-of-seven championship series moves from Disney Land to Disney World when L.A. travels to Orlando for Games 3, 4 and 5, if necessary.
If Bryant delivers the Lakers’ 15th NBA title, he would likely be the NBA Finals MVP, which coupled with his fourth NBA championship ring, carries a lot more weight than James’ regular-season NBA MVP trophy. It also would be Bryant’s first NBA title without the help of Shaquille O’Neal.

Here’s Nike’s puppet commercial of Kobe holding his three rings over LeBron’s head:

Former Lakers general manager Jerry West may want to retract his earlier claim that LeBron is greater than Kobe when it’s Bryant who is leading his team on the game’s biggest stage for the second year in a row and a chance at another ring while James waits ‘til next season to try again for his first ring.

Here’s video of Kobe’s and LeBron’s opinion of each other:

By Teneshia LaFaye
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The Orlando Magic are making their first NBA Finals appearance since the year before their original Man of Steel Shaquille O’Neal left to win three NBA championships with the Lakers.
Shaq, now with the Phoenix Suns, never sold his house in Orlando, and he has said he wants to own the Magic someday.
But, the Magic’s former No. 1 draft pick also has allegiance to the Lakers, who Orlando visits Thursday to tip off the best-of-seven NBA Finals. Despite his public feud with Kobe Bryant, Shaq said earlier this year that he wants to retire his No. 34 in L.A.’s Staples Center, where he earned three NBA Finals MVP awards during the Lakers’ NBA championship triple-peat from 2000-2002.
So is Shaq pulling for the Magic to win their first NBA title or former ally and nemesis Bryant to win his fourth with the Lakers?
Well, Shaq, who already has four rings for winning another NBA title with Miami in 2006, wrote on his twitter page Wednesday afternoon:
“That’s right. I am saying it today and today only. I want Kobe Bryant to get number 4. Spread da word.”
This was in response to someone asking Shaq if he meant he was pulling for the Lakers when he wrote “I’m a go wit the lake show” on Twitter on Sunday night, a day after the Magic defeated LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavs in Game 6 for Orlando’s first Eastern Conference title since Shaq, Penny, Nick, Dennis and Brian won the title for the city in 1995.
Could Shaq be pulling for L.A. because the Magic’s new Superman and 2004 No. 1 draft pick Dwight Howard has replaced him as Orlando’s biggest star aside from Mickey Mouse?
Or it could be because it would be cheaper for Shaq to buy a Magic team that’s never won an NBA championship than one who has won the big one?
Regardless of the reason, Shaq has put it on the record that he is pulling for the Lakers to beat the Magic.

By Teneshia LaFaye
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The Orlando Magic will open the NBA Finals on Thursday with back-to-back games in Los Angeles to continue their improbable championship run after losing NBA All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson to season-ending right shoulder surgery in February.
Rafer Alston was acquired in a last-minute trade to assume Nelson’s point guard duties, and Orlando’s offense came alive to take down the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics and then Cleveland and NBA MVP LeBron James in the playoffs.
Now, the Magic are in their first NBA Finals since 1995, and it has been a team effort with Alston seamlessly getting the ball to Howard right under the basket, and Howard tossing the ball out to the Magic’s plentiful long-range shooting threats: Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee and Mickael Pietrus.
Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy is considering inserting Nelson back into the lineup after a fast recovery from surgery although the point guard isn’t yet back to All-Star form. On Tuesday, Nelson ran with the Magic’s second team in the first full day of team practice and participated in every drill. He hasn’t played a game in four months.
With Nelson at the point, the Magic has the NBA’s best record in January and went 2-0 against the Lakers in the regular season. In the two victories against L.A., Nelson led the way averaging 27.5 points after a third quarter outburst in their first matchup and a 15-point fourth quarter output in the second meeting.
Alston hasn’t been as productive as a scorer, averaging only 12.7 points in the Magic’s’ 18 playoff games. But he’s almost flawlessly run Orlando’s well-oiled offense with only 1.8 turnovers per game.
Obviously, the lineup of Alston, Howard, Turkoglu, Lewis and Lee has worked because the Magic is in its first NBA Finals since 1995.
So why fix what isn’t broken by bringing back Nelson, who isn’t fully recovered and has been out of action for four months?
Van Gundy said he will decide on game day. The Lakers aren’t taking any chances and are preparing for Nelson to be in the Magic’s lineup.
But if Nelson doesn’t return, Alston is more than capable of running the Magic’s explosive show.

By Teneshia LaFaye
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