Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 11-13-20

Sports
NBA Start By Christmas Growing Increasingly Unlikely?
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James Seeks Justice In Death Of Ericka Weems
LEBRON JAMES AND ERICKA WEEMS
The NBA’s ambitious plans for a pre-Christmas start date to the 2020-21 sea- son appear to be in serious jeopardy.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, commissioner Adam Silver warned teams that the clock is ticking on the possibility of kicking off the season Dec. 22. At one point, Silver warned NBA general managers that “we’re running out of time” to reach an agreement.
Wojnarowski also notes that the NBPA remains in contact with players to dis-
ADAM SILVER
cuss the preferred start date for next season. There is no indication what date the NBA might look at if the December
proposal falls through, as is looking increasingly likely.
The December start looked like a longshot for a lot of reasons. It would be a very short offseason, and a very rushed one as well. The pro- posed date is roughly seven weeks away, and the league has yet to hold the draft or open free agency. It would also be a short layoff for play- ers who played deep into the playoffs. That’s why one NBA veteran had a very honest as- sessment of why that start date wouldn’t work for some players.
Kawhi Leonard Sent Gift To Big Laker Fan Snoop Dogg
SNOOP DOGG AND KAWHI LEONARD
Kawhi Leonard is ex- tending an olive branch to Snoop Dogg in the form of some free swag.
The LA Clippers star Leonard sent the famous rapper several pairs of New Balance shoes this week. Snoop is a big supporter of the Los Angeles Lakers and clowned Clipper fans Mar- cellus Wiley and “Clipper Darrell” over the gift from Leonard.
Snoop is one of the most vocal supporters of the rival Lakers, who surpassed the Clippers to win the NBA championship this year. That makes the gift from Leonard a fairly unexpected develop- ment.
That said, Leonard has hooked up other members of the Lakers camp with free New Balance gear before, so perhaps this isn’t entirely sur- prising.
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are reel- ing from the shooting death of Ericka Weems, the 37- year-old older sister of Cavs director of scouting Bran- don Weems.
James took to Twitter on Wednesday to make a plea for any information connected to the shooting. Weems was discovered Monday after- noon in the bedroom of her home in James' hometown of Akron, Ohio. She was the victim of a gunshot wound to the head.
Akron Police have not an- nounced any arrests or iden- tified any suspects, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. A message left by ESPN with the Akron Police Department
was not immediately re- turned.
"My brother's sister was murdered this past weekend in her home! My brother fam- ily need answers to why and by whom," James wrote in part on Twitter. "My city I need y'all to go to work and find out who did this awful, shameful, disgusting thing to such a caring, loving angel!"
Weems, who previously owned a daycare center in Columbus, Ohio, ran a day- care service out of her resi- dence in West Akron.
"She had a passion and love for children," Brandon Weems told News 5 ABC Cleveland. "She could get kids to say and do things that even their parents couldn't do."
Two-Time Hawks NBA
All-Star 'Fast Eddie'
Johnson Dies At 65
Eddie Johnson, the two- time All-Star for the Atlanta Hawks whose career was shortened by arrests that led to a ban from the NBA and life sentence in prison, has died. He was 65.
Johnson died on Oct. 26. His death was confirmed Tuesday by Rocker-Cusack Mortuary in Leesburg, Florida.
Johnson was a third- round pick from Auburn by the Hawks in the 1977 NBA draft. He became an immedi- ate contributor and then a starter for the Hawks.
Because of his explosive
EDDIE JOHNSON
first step, Johnson earned
the nickname "Fast Eddie'' and averaged 15.1 points in 10 NBA seasons. He set a career high by averaging 19.1 points for the Hawks in the 1980-81 season. He started in the 1980 and 1981 All-Star Games.
Lamar Odom, Girlfriend Sabrina Parr Call Off Engagement
Lamar Odom has dealt with a lot of adversity over the past several years, and the for- mer NBA star may be going through another rough patch in his personal life.
Odom’s girlfriend, Sab- rina Parr, revealed on her Instagram story Wednesday night that she and Lamar have broken off their engage- ment. Parr indicated ending the relationship was her choice, as she called it a “diffi- cult decision for me to make.” What was more concerning was that Parr said Odom “desperately needs” help.
LAMAR ODOM AND SABRINA PARR
“I love him dearly but I am no longer able to be by his side while he seeks the help he so desperately needs,” Parr said of Odom. “I wish him all the best and I am asking that you pray for everyone involved.”
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 11-B