Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 4-19-16 Edition

Sports
USF Guard Courtney
A Bag Of Kobe Bryant’s ‘Game Used Air’ Will Cost You $5,000 On eBay
Williams Leads Phoenix Mercury 2016 Draft Class
For the majority of the basketball viewing public, Kobe Bryant’s career finale was an occasion to be enjoyed through a screen, either with a live streaming package or on ESPN2.
Watching from home on the East Coast presented a nightcap hoops junky’s dream of tracking the Golden State Warriors’ record-breaking as- cent to 73 wins while watch- ing “The Black Mamba” cap his 20th season with the most Kobe game ever: 50 shots, 60 points and a 101-96 comeback victory.
On top of the vintage per- formance, fans who made it to the Staples Center for the last pit of Bryant’s farewell tour were treated to some insane freebies. It must have been a special atmosphere, and one sports fan has realized how
NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler Rooting For 'Little Brother' On Atlanta Falcons
JIMMY BUTLER, right, And JORDAN LESLIE
Jimmy Butler can only watch when the NBA playoffs begin this weekend, but the Chicago Bulls two-time All- Star still will have something to cheer about despite missing the postseason.
No, it has nothing to do with rooting against LeBron James and the bitter rival Cavs. It has everything to do with pulling for the guy Butler calls his little brother; the guy who will start offseason work- outs with the Atlanta Falcons come Monday.
Jordan Leslie isn’t a household name just yet, but the former BYU and UTEP wide receiver who went un- drafted is trying to earn recog- nition after spending time on the Falcons’ practice squad last season. Maybe Leslie is a longshot to make the roster, but he was one of 27 Falcons who joined quarterback Matt Ryan for workouts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, recently.
"Atlanta will see, man, if they give my guy a shot, he could turn out the way I turned out," Butler said of Leslie. "Look at me. Nobody thought I’d be where I am right now. But the hard work and the ded- ication, he’s got that. Some- body’s going to see it and somebody’s going to give him a good chance."
clearly still full of air, auto- graphed in black marker. By Sunday evening, the price had climbed to $4,599.99.
If you doubt the authentic- ity of the memorabilia, just know it originally hails from society’s source of truth and sincerity, Craigslist.
Taking into account the degree of difficulty for signing a bag of air, the Bryant sig- nature could be real. Forensi- cally inclined readers can compare the autograph on the bag to the signed box score Nick Young shared on In- stagram after Kobe trashed his Adidas sneakers.
The Phoenix Mercury added three players in the WNBA Draft on Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Un- casville, Conn., headlined by No. 8 overall pick Courtney Williams, a guard from the University of South Florida.
Williams, a 5-foot-8 guard from Folkston, Ga., led USF with 22.4 points, 8.4 re- bounds and 2.6 assists per game. She also led the team with 35.1 minutes per game while starting 33 of the team’s 34 games this past season.
When the eighth pick rolled around, Williams and her family saw the cameras roll up to their table. She said it was then that she knew it was her time.
“It’s amazing,” Williams said. “I’ve been putting in work for this, and my mom and dad have worked so hard.”
Williams said the most important lesson she learned at USF was the value of being
COURTNEY WILLIAMS
an all-around player. She said coach Jose Fernandez put a larger emphasis on getting others involved during her junior year.
She said that is also when she realized going pro could be a possibility, which was the ultimate goal since she started playing basketball at age five or six.
"It all came full circle,” Williams said. “I knew that I had to take it seriously be- cause I knew I had a chance to go pro.”
KOBE BRYANT AIR
rarefied the smog was in L.A. that day.
On Sunday afternoon, eBay user cardemon_huskers 2015 listed an item to the auc- tion site described as “Kobe Bryant Last Game Used Air Autograph Bag 60 pts” along with a picture of a plastic bag,
Kobe Bryant Vows To Keep Lamar Odom Sober Now That Basketball Career Is Over
Floyd Mayweather Splashes Out $550K On Rolls-Royce For His GirlFriend - Her Fourth Car In Two Years
Kobe Bryant, 37, has made a vow to help his friend Lamar Odom, 36, stay sober now that he has left the Los Angeles Lakers. The former basketball pro truly wants to be there for Lamar after fin- ishing up his NBA career.
The 5-time-champion fears Lamar is in serious trouble and is going to do everything in his power to help.
Kobe and Lamar have been friends for a really long time. The night Lamar had his fateful overdose, Kobe was one of the first to rush to his bedside in Las Vegas. Now that he isn’t a pro basketball player anymore, Kobe wants to take some time to help his friend
KOBE BRYANT AND LAMAR ODOM
sort his life out. “Kobe’s work may be done on the court but it’s just beginning off the court,” a source stated. “Kobe’s really invested in Lamar and is vowing to help him get sober. Kobe made the promise to him after his final game.”
BAD MEDINA And FLOYD MAYWEATHER
Loyola University plans to investigate its women's bas- ketball program after allega- tions of player mistreatment surfaced involving the team coached by Sheryl Swoopes.
The investigation will be conducted by the university, team spokesman Leo Krause said Saturday.
The details of the allega- tions have not been released, but Krause confirmed that 10 of the 12 players that were ex- pected to return from the cur- rent team have been granted or asked for releases to trans- fer from the private Chicago university.
Deputy director of athletics Jermaine Truax said in a statement released Friday night that the allegations are "more than concerning." Truax added that Swoopes is aware of the investigation and "will fully cooperate."
"We look forward to learn- ing how we can resolve these allegations and improve the student-athlete experience within the women's basketball program," Truax said.
Swoopes has coached at
Floyd Mayweather has just splashed out $550,000 on a brand new car for his girlfriend.
It's Bad Medina’s fourth car in two years.
The boxer bought the pricey car - a white 2016
Rolls-Royce Phantom Drop- head Couple - "just because". TMZ spoke to Obi Okeke from DoctoBugatt.com who said Floyd called him last Thursday to order the car which was then delivered on
Saturday.
SHERYL SWOOPES
Loyola for three seasons, and her teams have gone a com- bined 31-62. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this month.
She was hired in 2013 with only limited coaching experi- ence, having served as an as- sistant at Mercer Island High School in Washington state in 2010, according to Loyola's website.
At the time, she told re- porters she wanted to start a dynasty.
"I want people when you're talking about Notre Dame and UConn and Tennessee, I want them to say Loyola in that same sentence," Swoopes said. "Do I think that's unrea- sonable? No. Do I think it's going to happen overnight? Of course not.
Sheryl Swoopes' Team Investigated After Players Quit En Masse
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016