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Steve Ballmer Buys Forum for $400 Million

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Los Angles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer buys Forum and completed the $400 million purchase of The Forum from Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. on Monday 5/4/2020.

Related: Steve Ballmer Net Worth

Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer Buys Forum

MSG Corp., which also owns the New York Knicks, felt that the city of Inglewood violated a previous agreement they had in place, not allowing competition in close proximity of the Forum when it gave the go-ahead to the Clippers to build a start of the art arena.

Steve Ballmer Buys Forum
Steve Ballmer, Owner of the Los Angeles Clippers finalized the $400 Million deal to purchase The Forum on May 4th, 2020.

The purchase is a strategic move for the Clippers, clearing the way for the team to build their new 18,000 seat arena nearby in Inglewood.

The Clipper’s plans for a new privately financed NBA arena in Inglewood near The Forum are progressing, with public hearings slated to start this summer.

Message from the Clippers President of Business Ops

“We are excited to welcome The Forum to our family,” said Gillian Zucker, the Clippers president of business operations who will oversee The Forum’s existing leadership team.

Related: NBA Players Breaking Rules With Secret Practices

The Clippers believe their new basketball arena and The Forum under the same ownership will allow for co-ordinated programming between the venues, improving traffic congestion around basketball games and concerts.

Steve Ballmer Los Angeles Clippers
From Left to Right: Coach Doc River, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Steve Ballmer

The new arena is a huge step in an effort by the Clippers to build their own identity out of the shadow of the Lakers.

Within the last year the Forum hosted close to 100 events, including concerts, boxing and mixed martial arts.

The Great Western Forum History

Many basketball fans remember The Great Western Forum was previously the home of the Los Angeles Lakers and NHL’s Los Angeles Kings until both teams moved to Staples Center in downtown LA in 1999.

The post Clippers owner Steve Ballmer closes $400 Million Deal To Buy The Forum appeared first on Basketball Forever.

What is the Best Record in NBA History?

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When you think of the best teams in NBA History, several historic teams come to mind. Most of which are the 90’s Chicago Bulls team led by arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time, Michael Jordan. In 1996 Jordan led the Bulls to the a 72-10 regular season record and another (Jordan’s 4th) NBA Championship. In this article, NBA Legends takes a look at a couple of the NBA greatest teams ever and answers the question What is the Best Record in NBA History?

Chicago Bulls Record 1996

Led by Jordan, the 1996 Bulls team also featured NBA Legends Scottie Pippen, the best NBA sidekick of all-time, and Dennis Rodman, arguably the greatest on-ball defender (and rebound machine) of all-time. With all that star power and only 10 losses in th regular season, many thought the record would never be broken.

Related: Michael Jordan’s Stats 1995-1996

1996 Chicago Bulls
1996 Chicago Bulls (From Left to Right); Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen.

And it wasn’t…Until 20 years later when Steph Curry and the 2016 Golden State Warriors had other plans.

Related: Scottie Pippen Comeback in 2007 that Never Was!

What is the Best Record in NBA History?

The 2016 Golden State Warriors had the best record in NBA History, with a regular season record of 73 wins and 9 losses. The record-breaking year broke the former record by 1 win. Set by the 1996 Chicago Bulls who finished with a record of 72-10 and won the NBA Championship.

Golden State Warriors Record 2016

Despite winning the most games in NBA regular season history (73), the 2016 Golden State Warriors did NOT win the NBA Championship that season. The Warriors lost in the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James.

Related: List of NBA Champions

2016 NBA Finals Game 7 Highlights

The epic best-of-seven series went to 7 games and instantly became one of the Greatest NBA Finals in League History.

NBA MVP 2016

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors won the 2016 NBA MVP. The 27 point guard took all of the 1st Place Votes. Kawhi Leonard finished 2nd, and NBA Champion, LeBron James finished 3rd in the voting.

John Wall Achilles Injury; Plans to be Better Than Ever

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After John Wall Achilles Injury, John Wall has vowed to come back from his Achilles injury better than ever.

John Wall Achilles Injury

It was a bold claim from Wall, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years.

Related: Space Jam 2 Logo Revealed by LeBron

“I can’t wait to show them what I got, what I’m about,” Wall told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on All the Smoke. “I’m gonna’ be better than I was before and that’s the scary part about it. ‘Cause damn near the whole five years I was an All-Star I played with two bone-spurs in my knee and my heel and people don’t know that.”

John Wall Knee Injury
Washington Wizards guard John Wall grimaces after suffering an apparent knee injury.

Although Wall was relatively durable throughout his first six seasons in the league, knee issues caught up with him in 2016.

John Wall Knee Injury

During the 2016 off-season, Wall underwent surgery on both knees.

But he returned to the Wizards in hot form the following years , averaging career bests in points(23.1), assists(10.7), and steals (2.0).

Wall was rewarded for his stellar play with a mega-max extension worth a whopping $170 million.

Related: John Wall Sign Massive $207 Million Extension

Shortly after signing the deal, Wall suffered another injury; not to his knees but to his heel.

Shortly after Christmas in 2018, he was ruled out for the season, and forced to undergo another surgery.

Then things got even worse.

Ruptured Achilles

While rehabbing his heel at home, Wall ruptured his Achilles tendon.

The Wizards ruled him out at least another twelve months.

It’s been a while since the world has seen John Wall play.

But now the man himself is saying that when he does return, he’s going to be better than ever.

Only time will tell.

The post John Wall Plans On Being Ever Better Than Before Achilles Injury appeared first on Basketball Forever.

Space Jam 2 Logo Revealed by LeBron

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Lakers star LeBron James decided to give fans a look at the new Space Jam 2 logo on his Instagram account today with a hat that reads “Space Jam: A New Legacy.”

Space Jam 2 Logo

It has been twenty-four years since Michael Jordan’s Space Jam movie hit theaters and on Thursday LeBron decided a glimpse at his sequel of the movie with the actual name and logo for the remake.

Space Jam 2 Logo

 

LeBron’s twitter caption also reads “2021” along with emojis for a rabbit and a carrot, both surefire signs that a Bugs Bunny appearance isn’t far off.

Warner Bros. first announced that a Space Jam sequel featuring LeBron James was in the works back in 2014.

After quite a few years of putting all the pieces in place, production finally began last year with the film scheduled for release in 2021.

LeBron James Space Jam 2

The post LeBron James Reveals Brand New ‘Space Jam 2’ Logo appeared first on Basketball Forever.

Scottie Pippen Comeback in 2007 that Never Was!

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Scottie Pippen Comeback? When it comes to NBA comebacks, Michael Jordan tends to be the first name that springs to mind. But Jordan’s superstar teammate, Scottie Pippen, almost had his own “I’m back” moment in 2007, two and a half years after hanging up the sneakers.

Scottie Pippen Comeback in 2007?

It was in the build-up to the 2007 playoffs that word spread about Pippen attempting a comeback, and it wasn’t long before the man himself declared the rumours were true.

The Bulls legend, 41 at the time, had been furiously working himself into shape and said he was fitter and healthier than he’d been in five years.

Scottie Pippen Comeback 2007

It was injuries that forced Pippen out of the league in the first place, with the six-time champ managing just 23 games across his final season in 2003-04.

Joining a Contender in 2007

So in 2007, Pippen’s plan was to finish his career on a high by joining a contender shortly before the playoffs for one last (dare I say) dance.

“Taking this break, it feels amazing,” Pippen told The Chicago Tribune. “I’m looking at somewhere I could play maybe 15 minutes. I’m not trying to be a big-money guy or anything, [just trying to] get with a team I can help in the playoffs.”

The Spurs, Pistons, Suns and Cavaliers were among the NBA’s top contenders at the time, while the reigning champions Miami Heat were another potential suitor.

Dwyane Wade was certainly on board with the idea.

“I’m already playing with [Gary] Payton and Shaq, two guys I used to play with on video games,” Wade said. “To add Scottie Pippen to the mix, that would be crazy.”

Gilbert Arenas was another player who advocated for Pippen to re-join the league.

“I know it’s hard when guys leave the game,” Arenas said. “They’re sitting there analysing, and they’re getting itchy. If he’s ready, he’s ready.”

Pippen Unable to Close the Deal

However, despite tirelessly rehabbing his existing ailments and working himself back into shape, Pippen was never able to get an NBA deal across the line.

Various teams considered it, including the Lakers, who were coached by Pippen’s old buddy Phil Jackson.

Jackson and Pippen held initial talks, but their reunion in Los Angeles could only be considered if Lamar Odom or Luke Walton struggled to return from injury.

But both of them returned to the court on time.

While Pippen’s aspirations for an NBA return eventually hit a dead end, that didn’t keep him off the court altogether.

Scottie Pippen Comeback in Europe

The former All-Star opted to make a brief return to the hardwood in Europe, where he played two games for Finland’s top team and one for Sweden’s.

And while Pippen never got to scratch that renewed NBA itch, the implications of him doing so could have been massive.

More Rings than MJ?

A successful last-hurrah championship run would have given Pippen one more ring than MJ.

That would give him an edge over Jordan in two ways, considering he’d already managed to earn more in salary than MJ, a stunning accomplishment considering he spent all of his prime playing on a notoriously bad contract.

To top it off, Pippen would have won a title without Jordan, while Jordan still wouldn’t have won without Pippen.

Despite his healthy relationship with MJ, there was no way Pippen wouldn’t have relished having one more ring than the man who overshadowed him throughout his entire prime.

The post appeared first on Basketball Forever.

NBA Players Breaking Rules With Secret Practices

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NBA players breaking rules? Secret practices? ome NBA players are breaking league rules and government orders purely in order to pick up a basketball again.

NBA Players Breaking Rules

With many team facilities still unavailable, numerous players have snuck into private gyms to get shots up, according to The Athletic:

“As of now, no player is allowed into his team’s facility or some other gym to work out. Development staffers are not supposed to be working with the players. If a player has a private gym at home, great. Many have said they do not. Others, according to multiple sources, are practicing secretly on their own at gyms that are supposed to be closed.”

It’s worth noting the NBA plans to allow small groups to return for team activities around May 8.

But COVID-19 doesn’t affect everyone equally.

NBA Covid-19 Pandemic

Players are still at the mercy of the local government decisions being made in the state they live in.

Christian Wood Detroit Pistons Covid 19
Christian Wood #35 of the Detroit Pistons plays against the Sacramento Kings at Little Caesars Arena on January 22, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. Wood was the 3rd player to test positive for COVID-19.

For example, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has already allowed the Atlanta Hawks to return to their gyms, while various contenders including the Lakers and Clippers are still waiting for the green light.

That had prompted some players to do whatever they can to gain access to hoops and equipment, even if it means breaking the rules.

This post appeared first on Basketball Forever.