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I’ve been a strong critic of NBA commissioner David Stern over the last few years. There have been a few instances where he totally rubbed me the wrong way, with my major gripe being the infamous dress code forced upon its players. The specific banning of necklaces, chains, pendants, and doo-rags pretty much said “we don’t want our black players to look like black players”, and it pissed me off.

The latest crop of players like Josh Childress, Carlos Delfino and Juan Carlos Navarro leaving the NBA to play overseas has accidentally started a firestorm of interest from top stars like Kobe, LeBron, and Dwayne Wade. LeBron spoke up first by stating he’d be willing to entertain a $50 million dollar deal to jump ship. Kobe followed suit by saying he wouldn’t sign another NBA contract until he tested the global market.

“As players, the business of the game (is) evolving, I think free agency now is becoming a global thing …. When players become free agents, the team they’re currently with – their competition is no longer the rest of the teams in the NBA. But it’s global. So, the market’s opened up. So we’ll just have to see how the league responds to it.”

…..then Wade threw in his two cents…

“They throw 30, 40, 50 million a year at me? I can’t turn that down,” said Heat star Dwyane Wade, a free agent in 2010.

Ba-da-da-pa-paaaaaaaa I’m Lovin It!!!

Kobe is so popular that there is speculation that he will create an international bidding war. Check out this video of Kobe walking through the crowd at the Beijing Olympics, kids are crawling all over themselves just to touch his arm.

Leaving the NBA could potentially turn these men (Kobe and LeBron) into billionaires over time if they play their cards right.

It wasn’t that long ago that black men weren’t even allowed to play alongside whites, let alone own a piece of the most prestigious franchise in the MLB. Jay-Z is looking to become a minority owner in the New York Yankees, according to Time Out Magazine.

He’s already part owner of the New Jersey Nets, and almost bought into London-based soccer team Arsenal Football Club in 2005 before the deal fell through.

“I had invested in the Nets, and they (Arsenal bosses) asked me if I was interested in investing. But I get that from time to time,” Jay told London’s Time Out magazine. “Someone told me yesterday that someone else had a piece of the New York Yankees, ‘We wanna talk to you, yadda yadda yadda.’ I mean, I love the Yankees so I’m in the middle of following that through, but sometimes it comes to be nothing. That (Arsenal) was one of the times it came to nothing.”

All this will be worth if it I can just see George Steinbrenner through up the ROC diamond at a Yankees game…. .seriously.

First of all, I apologize for the lack of updates this weekend, I went on a little trip an Stank-O is focusing on school now. But Sportaphile is back full strength now.

The VERY first piece of news I see is Shaq’s HILARIOUS freestyle dissing Kobe Bryant. Things like this is why Shaq is one of the most lovable athletes in the last 50 years. He’s downplaying the freestyle now, and I believe him. There may be a little competitive “one upsmanship” but I doubt theres serious dislike.

“I was freestyling. That’s all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever,” O’Neal told ESPN.com Monday. “That is what MC’s do. They freestyle when called upon. I’m totally cool with Kobe. No issue at all.”

The NBA season is over and gone.

Garnett and Kobe have left the public eye to go enjoy their lives and they’ve taken every ounce of excitement with them. This little odd period between mid-june and the beginning of September is downright brutal. No NFL games to watch… no NBA games to watch… we’re left with Major League Baseball, golf (with no Tiger Woods since he’s injured), and Tennis.

Slim pickins indeed.

Theres a dim light at the end of the tunnel in the form of the Beijing Olympics, but who knows how that’s going to turn out. They don’t start until the first week of August, so we’re gonna trudge along for the next six weeks or so and HOPE something truly interesting happens to hold us over.

Just like Kevin Garnett didn’t look sissyfied crying during his interview with Michelle Tafoya.

…..ok I’m lying. These guys must be REALLY comfortable with their sexuality, because they’re breaking all kinds of records for suspect behavior. The Celtics hater in me just won’t let these kinds of things go, I have to soothe the pain of the Lakers choking somehow.

<---- Here's an inside look at what the Celtics private celebration party looked like.

Ta-Ta-La-Licious!!!!