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Kwame Brown Former No.1 NBA Pick On Playing With MJ, Kobe And Clears Air – ‘I’m Not Crazy’

Posted on by Phil Lam X

The former NBA first overall pick Kwame Brown, often known for being outspoken and his public rants about life, society and what’s wrong with culture and sports, joins The Pivot today for an in-depth conversation about who he truly is as a man and what he stands for.

Ryan, Channing and Fred sit down with Kwame to peel back the layers of this once basketball great and find out if it’s anger or frustration that fuel his words.

Selected as the first overall pick at age of 19 in 2001, Kwame talks about his experience as a child and rough upbringing to making it out to discover a life as not just a professional basketball player, but one of the best in the country at his young age.

Kwame talks about playing with Michael Jordan, the misconceptions of his rookie year and why he was labeled a problem player and later known as a bust. He shares his experience of playing with Kobe Bryant and being on the court for the legend’s historic 81 point performances and also how Kobe shaped him as a better player and man.

Sharing his truth regarding past issues and incidents between his ongoing battle with Stephen A Smith, the use of the word bust and former players speaking out on him- Kwame is not holding back and using his voice as an open book through his platform.

Working now to help today’s youth and provide an outlet and teach through his experiences, Kwame is focused on bringing reality to young men in the community and helping them evolve into better people with hope through opportunities.

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LA’s New Sixth Street Bridge Already Plagued By Street Takeovers, Other Stunts

Posted on by Phil Lam X

Los Angeles’ Sixth Street bridge has only been open for a week, but police say there have already been street takeovers and stunts at the spot.

Tire marks from car stunts, such as “donuts” and burnouts, covered the road of the bridge Monday after incidents over the weekend.

One video showed two people walking on the archway of the bridge and take pictures while sitting atop the concrete arch.

Another video showed one driver do a burnout as other motorists drove by. Los Angeles police say no arrest have been made in connection with the stunts.

On Monday around 11 p.m., a street takeover ended in a crash that involved three cars.

Witnesses said the driver who caused the crash was in a white Dodge Challenger and was doing stunts. At one point, the driver lost control and crashed into passing traffic.

The driver then got out and took off on foot.

LAPD and CHP’s street racing task force does arrest people in certain cases. Penalties include fines and jail time.

The Sixth Street Viaduct connects Boyle Heights and the downtown Arts District. The previous Sixth Street Viaduct, which was built in 1932, was a Los Angeles landmark seen in countless films and television shows, most notably “Grease” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”

Source: ABC7

Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu Resigns Amid Federal Investigation Related To The Sale Of Angel Stadium

Posted on by Phil Lam X

Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu has resigned amid an FBI’s corruption probe related to the sale of Angel Stadium.

His resignation takes effect at midnight Tuesday.

The resignation comes as it was revealed last week that the mayor was the subject of a probe by the FBI, which alleged in a search warrant affidavit that he had fed insider information to Angels executives in the stadium deal and arranged to have a helicopter bought registered in Arizona so he could save money on taxes.

The FBI alleges that Sidhu was hoping to get a $1 million-dollar campaign donation from the team. That never happened and the FBI says the Angels were unaware of the scheme, but this has been building for a while now.

“A fair and thorough investigation will prove that Mayor Harry Sidhu did not leak secret information in the hopes of a later political campaign contribution,” Sidhu’s Attorney Paul S. Meyer said in a statement. “His unwavering goal form the start has been to keep the Angels in Anaheim, so that this vibrant social and economic relationship would continue…

“Mayor Harry Sidhu has has always, as his foremost priority, acted in the best interests of the City of Anaheim, and he does so today. In order to continue to act in the best interests of Anaheim and allow this great City to move forward without distraction, Harry Sidhu has resigned from his post as Mayor effective May 24, 2022.”

This comes as last week, three Anaheim City Council members called on Mayor Sidhu to resign amid the FBI corruption probe into his involvement in the proposed sale of Angel Stadium to team owner Arte Moreno.

Source: ABC7

Magic Johnson Chose Converse Over Nike And Missed A Chance To Earn $5.2 Billion: Nike Offered $1 For Every Pair Of Shoes Sold And 100,000 Shares Worth $0.18 At The Time

Posted on by Phil Lam X

Magic Johnson is one of the biggest names to have ever played in the NBA, and very few players have enjoyed the hype he did coming into the NBA. Having led his college team to the NCAA championship over his rival Larry Bird in what was the most-watched college basketball game ever, Magic entered the league as the man of the moment and would go on to be Finals MVP in his rookie season as well.

Understandably, Johnson was a coveted property when it came to endorsements and there was a bit of a battle in terms of which shoe company he would sign with. Both Nike and Converse made offers to Magic and the decision came down to whether he would take stocks instead of cash, with the 19-year-old choosing Converse, who had offered him $100,000 a year at the time.

However, with the benefit of hindsight, it’s the offer that Nike put on the table that would have made him a lot more money had he chosen to go with them. The company offered Johnson $1 for every pair of shoes sold along with 100,000 shares in stock options, with the stock valued at $0.18 at the time.

When contextualized, considering that Nike stock is worth $134 today, Johnson would have $5.2 billion to his name had he decided to sign with the company. However, Converse was a bigger brand than Nike at the time, which adds some more context as to why Magic made his decision as well. 

Nike went on to explode with Michael Jordan, who did end up becoming a billionaire, thanks largely in part to his partnership with the shoe company. There were suggestions that Jordan’s rise and the hype around him and Nike were factors in souring his relationship with Magic a little in their early years, but the two went on to bond during their stint with the 1992 Dream Team. Also, considering that Magic is now worth an estimated $600 million, it’s safe to say he didn’t do too badly for himself either. 

Source: Yardbarker