TMZ "obtained" the pics (from?) and, yes, you can see how perhaps it is not the sort of pic one would just send to your totally platonic favorite former basketball player (John Starks). Alex VF's canny ploy of flying a plane with a "REGGIE MILLER STOP PURSUING MARRIED WOMEN" banner over public beaches is certainly paying off, in terms of "number of Americans who have now seen sexxxy pics of his fiancee." We also hear some vague and still-unconfirmed rumors that Ali and Reggie maybe made a tiny bit of a love connection, at one point? But who knows? No way to tell, certainly, from these photos.

Alex von Furstenberg, the heir to the Diller empire, ladies and gentlemen.

Of course not (racist). You can trace Barack Obama's basketball style directly back to one man and one man only:

Curry is married; the woman in question, Nova Henry, is not his wife, but the mother of his 3 year-old son. She and her young daughter were found dead in her Chicago apartment. Curry's 3 year-old son was in the apartment alive, and was apparently a witness.

Police are searching for a "known acquaintance" of the woman in connection with the murder. Curry, who now plays for the New York Knicks, was in Philadelphia Saturday for a game. He was back in New York later that evening, distraught and contemplating a trip to Chicago, the source said.

Henry's mother found her daughter and granddaughter in the apartment, officials said.

After joining the NBA, Eddy Curry was found to have a potentially fatal heart problem. In 2007, masked gunmen broke into his home, tied up Curry and his family, and robbed them. This month his ex-driver sued him for millions, with shaky allegations of gay sexual harassment—and coverage of that story, by the way, almost got Newsday's editors fired, according to reports.

Eddy Curry is having much worse luck than karma would seem to call for. [Chicago Tribune]

Eddy Curry, the Knicks' 6'11 (injured) center, totally tried to put the moves on his limo driver, according to that driver, David Kuchinsky, who may or may not be just a greedy lying ex-con bastard trying to extort money from the immobile multimillionaire:

Stunning court papers charge that Curry, a married father of several kids, repeatedly approached chauffeur David Kuchinsky "in the nude," saying, "Look at me, Dave, look" and, "Come and touch it, Dave."

New York Post FTW! This is no family paper, ladies and gentlemen! May I have another, sir?

Curry, 26, also made Kuchinsky perform "humiliating tasks outside the scope of his employment, such as cleaning up and removing dirty towels [into which Curry had ejaculated] so that his wife would not see them," the Manhattan federal court suit says.

Kuchinsky, 36, who is straight and Jewish, also alleges racism, saying Curry hurled slurs at him, including "f- - - ing Jew," "cracker," "white slave," "white devil" and "grandmaster of the KKK."

Contrast this with the Daily News' positively restrained version of the story; the Post has pulled out to a wide lead on this one. As you would expect, landing as it does in the Post's newsgathering sweet spot of racist wanton athlete penis allegations. Low 'Post' For Ho Jokes? Raper Paper Loving Knick Dick Caper!

Curry says it's all false. [NYP]

Cuban's basic defense: Yes, I sold a bunch of stock after the CEO of a company I partially owned told me confidential, nonpublic information that I knew would hurt the stock price. But I never agreed to keep the information confidential, so there! Then he says (through his lawyer) that the CEO of said company is full of shit because he can't even remember the conversation. They posted this excerpt of an interview with the CEO:

1) Q- We spoke earlier about you were telling Mr. Cuban in words or substance : “I have confidential information for you”.

A- Right.

2) Q- Do you recall anything Mr. Cuban said in response or reply to that statement by you ?

A- No, I do not.

Then they insinuate that the SEC's timing of the lawsuit is fishy. So there you have it: everyone is conspiring against Mark Cuban. We will continue to watch with an open mind.

[WSJ. And I know nothing about the law, but doesn't this defense sound strange on a logical level? You're not allowed to sell stock on inside information, but if you didn't agree not to do it, then you can? Any lawyers in the house here?]

Mark Cuban would be just another rich guy except for his penchant for saying whatever pops into his head. He constantly criticizes the NBA, which is a no-no by owners. The flipside is he gets great PR. Although half of it is bad! Oh well. He also has a blog that is sometimes hilarious and not well thought out a bit.

At the moment, Cuban wants to buy the Chicago Cubs from Tribune Co., which needs to sell the storied baseball franchise to raise cash, which it will burn in a vain attempt to save its newspapers. The idea of Cuban—a maverick—owning the Cubs absolutely kills traditionalists, who think he would totally ruin all the great Chicago traditions, such as having ivy on the outfield walls and losing constantly.

So is it possible that there was some shady conspiracy that caused this allegation from 2004 to surface just in time to (likely) torpedo any chance Cuban has of buying the Cubs? You would have to be a crazy conspiracy freak to believe this, for which there is no evidence whatsoever, so please don't sue us.

The Olympics were an eye-opener to some foreign athletes visiting China. Hundreds of millions of Chinese tuned into the games on television, and Kobe Bryant, the popular Los Angeles Lakers player, was greeted everywhere he went in Beijing to chants of “Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!”

Sales of his National Basketball Association jersey — and those of eight other N.B.A. stars, including Mr. Wade — top even those of China’s own basketball giant, Yao Ming.

What's with this lack of xenophobia? America didn't come to be the world's economic powerhouse by buying up the jerseys of foreigners. One sports marketing executive in China says the whole business is "extremely imperial," which is rather impolitic considering the context. But he does hint at the psychological aspect of the issue: "Anyone who can’t be the emperor of basketball or the queen of tennis won’t make it.”

The Chinese better step up their own basketball and tennis games quickly, or they may risk funneling money out of their own country to support their own middle class' taste for foreign goods. Hey, that's what we do!

[NYT]

The Spanish Basketball Federation insisted that certain media had "gratuitously" tried to "damage the image not just of the federation but of the country and Spanish sport" in general.

The backlash started with 20 Minutes, which claimed England had written off Spain as a racist country by launching another attack. El Mundo said I had written a "venomous" article in which, "without proof", I insisted the Chinese would be offended. Marca questioned the Guardian's credibility.

Then he goes on for eight more paragraphs explaining that he's just a reporter doing his job. Sample: "Far from venomous, I used a neutral and cautious tone, and stressed that no offence was meant."

Dude, just tell those critics to STFU.

[Guardian UK]

Spanish basketball player Jose Calderon (who's also in the NBA) wrote on his website:

It can't be long now before all of Spain's players are trotting out their close Asian friends before the cameras to tell them about that one time they came over and the Asian guy's old mom made some crazy food from China and the Spanish player totally ate it without batting an eyelash because he's really open to new cultural experiences.

Spanish newspapers also hit back at suggestions the pictures were racist, saying the team had donated money to charities helping the poor in Africa.

Well if Spain had known you people were going to be like that, maybe they were wrong to be nice to you in the first place.

[Reuters]

Among the members of the Spanish team: LA Lakers superstar Pau Gasol! This joke will go over smashingly in the Los Angeles Asian community, Pau. No apology has come out thus far. But let's all hope that Spain and China somehow end up playing each other in Olympic basketball, because China should smash them, what with the Spaniards being preoccupied with their fascist wars and influenza.

[NYP, Guardian UK]

Let's lay out the facts:

1. These ads do indeed depict what is widely considered to be the most humiliating possible thing that can happen to someone on a basketball court.

2. That humiliation arises from the balls-in-face aspect of the dunk, meaning it is fundamentally a homophobic sentiment. At least subconsciously.

3. Nike's ad placement shows they're appealing to a very specific basketball player/ fan demographic. It's doubtful they'd use this same ad campaign for the general public, without some tweaks.

There's also a racial aspect at work here, although it's more fuzzy. One strict interpretation would be that Nike is even more irresponsible for fomenting and supporting homophobia in the black community, where AIDS rates are higher and homophobia is, therefore, more deadly. The opposite, but equally strict, interpretation would be that basketball is a sport with lots of black players at its highest levels, and therefore using black slang, etc. in ads targeted specifically at basketball players is only natural and right.

Leaving aside my unrelated general hatred of Nike, I have to take a slightly more forgiving line with them here. Context is important! Didn't we learn anything from the freaking New Yorker's Obama cover? Hardcore basketball fans would scarcely think twice about these ads, except maybe to chuckle. Trash talk is a fundamental part of streetball.

That said, the larger point is that the joke here—as in other campaigns revolving around ALL OF AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR SPORTS—is based on the implacable homophobia of straight jocks. That can't be denied. So Nike should pull the ads. Or rework them to be friendlier to gay basketball fans, at least. Be aspirational, you bastards! The sad part is that this isn't a new low in homophobic advertising. It's the sports status quo.

I wrote this so non-sports people could understand it, because it is important.

Then, it stung me like a hundred bees. Preston has not told me everything. He is holding something back. We've only been together for two nights, and this was nothing serious, so I had no right to question him. WRONG!!! I had every right.

I did just that. I asked him if there was something I needed to know- more importantly, if he had a family. "I have two children. They live with their mother. I see them on the off-seasons."

Oh no! Terrance is cool with it though; he says he's been in that situation before. Plus, Preston gives him a present (and us a clue):

Preston had me sprung. Yup, he sure did. Because to solidify he was serious about me and him, by the end of the week he brought me one of his personal team's jersey.

"Here you go," Preston said as he pulled the jersey from behind his back. "This is for you."
"This is for me," I said jubilant. I stared at his number. I had memorized the double-digit number from when I googled him on-line. I was going to make sure to find his number while I watched him run up and down the court.

Double digits. Take note! Finally, they take a surprise trip:

We pulled up to a beautiful home. As soon as the car pulled up, an older woman came through the front door. It was his mother. Preston was taking me to introduce me to her. A wonderful woman. Such a warm spirit and very loving. She readily accepted me. I was now on the "in." I met two important people in his life.

Maybe this was love? Maybe Preston was the man of my dreams.

Maybe? I should be receiving an actual copy of Dean's book in the near future. So any further secrets contained within will be revealed.

[1224 Confessions]

"In the meantime, I hoped on the computer and googled Preston. Oh you best believe I checked him out. I mean what person wouldn't? Normally I would not have done it, but I wanted to know more about this talented basketball player. I had to find out his stats - height (Preston is a tall dude. I am tall, standing at 6'2, but I felt short next to his long lean muscular body). I checked his weight, rebounds, average points per game, how long he's been playing, and other vital information.

I was impressed. Preston was on top of his game. The press liked him and he was hometown favorite. In high school and college he was an all-around favorite, traveling across the country showcasing his talented ball-handling skills. The more I discovered, the more I liked. So, I was looking forward to spending more time with this amazing basketball player."

Later, they hook up again. Then "Preston" gets an urgent phone call. What happens next?

Check back tomorrow when Preston introduces Terrance to some important people.

Okay!

[1224 Confessions]

1. I would like a quiet tropical vacation. Beach access is a must.

2. I would like to see a favorite Martial Arts film, Dragon Inn, which has not been seen since the early '70s. (UCLA Films Archive.)

3. I'd like to do a trail ride on the Colorado Continental Divide trail for a few days. It's a beautiful trail that runs the length of the state of Colorado.

Email rsvp@iconomy.com to make this poor man's dreams come true!

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness...." Romans 1:18.

For those Bible readers that say Revelation is the scariest book in the Bible, check Romans out. It is one of the books I read the most and that verse is the one I try to always remember. If you read on, you would read it goes on to say God's wonders have been demonstrated in plain view since the beginning of time so men, we, are without excuse. I personally get so tired of that statement, "game recognizes game" because it's so true and it doesn't comfort me. That statement offers me no solace for the simple fact that it only serves as a catalyst to perturb me in an area I'd much rather ignore. The truth is "Game" does recognize game and "Game" does all it can to suppress, ignore or utterly decimate it.

Quick...

I love that word. Decimate. You know where it comes from? It's Latin from "deci" meaning "ten" and "mate" meaning kill. If Caesar's army, men or what have you would lose a battle, fight or all in all mess up, he would order something passed gangster. He'd order 10 men from his army bound and gagged in public view and, you guessed it, slaughtered. Just to get his point across to the rest that he wasn't in business for tolerance of failure. All these little Latin barbs I know are thanks to Latin classes I had while growing up in Catholic school. Actually made the English portion of the SAT a turkey shoot.

[pic via WSJ]