Every year the NBA Hall of Fame welcomes legends of the game to its wall, however, the ceremony was postponed last year, and will instead be taking place this year in May. The induction ceremony recognises basketball stars and influential members of the basketball world alike.
This post will look through the players and committee members that will be forever enshrined in the halls of the Naismith Memorial Museum.
While the events that led to us losing the great Kobe Bryant won’t be forgotten anytime soon, he was always going to enter the Hall of Fame. there are very few, if any players, that have reached the heights that Kobe did, let alone win what he won.
The 18-time NBA All-Star was also a 5-time Champion with his career team the Lakers. He was a 2-time NBA Final MVP, as well as a 2-time Olympic gold medalist representing the United States in London and Beijing.
Not only was he a phenom during his career, but many players credit him with being their inspiration and the reason they play basketball. We can’t forget about the “Mamba mentality” either, another aspect of his incredible legacy that will live on.
Another man who has most definitely left his name on the game forever, is Kevin Garnett. KG spent most of his playing career with the Timberwolves and Celtics, with a couple of seasons at the Nets sprinkled in there.
He is a 15-time NBA All-Star, a 9-time NBA All Defensive Team pick, and an NBA Champion with the Celtics back in 2008. His individual awards are endless, but it is what he brought to your team that was incredible. An individual giant, as well as the definition of a team player, Garnett had it all.
Another one team player, Tim Duncan spent all of his playing career, as well as his stanza in coaching, at the San Antonio Spurs. A man who is sometimes forgotten when it comes to the “all-time greats” of the game, Duncan has the individual and team accolades to most definitely put him in the conversation.
Duncan was crowned MVP 15 times, as well as being an NBA champion 5 times with the Spurs, and a 3-time NBA Final MVP. He has also dabbled in coaching, but considering the monumental career he has had, it’s more surprising that he wasn’t inducted sooner.
Unfortunately, another inductee that won’t be able to attend the ceremony is that of Eddie Sutton. Sutton coached from high school all the way up to college, winning multiple titles in the process.
He was a 2-time AP Coach of the Year, NABC Coach of the Year, 4-time SWC Coach of the Year, a one-time Big Eight Coach of the Year, and a 2-time Big 12 Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, and it is about time he made his way into NBA Hall of Fame.
The power forward spent most of his career in basketball as a coach, leading the Houston Rockets as both head coach and assistant, as coaching the LA Lakers. As a player, he was a 5-time NBA All-Star, and saw his two NBA title wins come as a coach.
Tomjanovic was the victim of an almost fatal punch to the face back in 1977, it ended his season prematurely, but he came back to play for 3 more seasons. He was als the head coach of Team USA when they won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics back in 2000.
What hasn’t Tamika Catchings won in the WNBA? She is currently the GM at the Indiana Fever, and spent her career playing for Indiana, as well as spent time in Poland, Russia, as well as Turkey.
Her list of accomplishments is endless, she is a WNBA Champion, a WNBA Finals MVP, a 10-time WNBA All Star, a 7-time All-WNBA First Team, a 5-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, as well as a 5-time member of the All-Defensive First Team.
Kim Mulkey can easily be regarded as one of the best coaches the game has ever seen. While her playing career saw her gain a small amount of success, although that does include an Olympic gold medal, she most definitely reached her heights as a coach while at Louisiana Tech and Baylor.
As a coach, she won the AP Basketball Coach of the Year twice, she is a 3-time USBWA Coach of the Year, and a 2-time WBCA Coach of the Year. She is also part of the Louisiana Tech Hall of Fame and a winner of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award.
Another coach that dominated the College women’s game is Barbara Stevens. She spent her college career playing for Bridgewater State, and her coaching career started in 1976 at Clark, she then spent a few years at UMass, before spending the rest of her career at Bentley.
Stevens is a 5-time WBCA National Division II Coach of the Year, and incredibly, she is a 16-time NE-10 Coach of the Year. She was also the recipient of the Carol Eckman Award in 2002.
A basketball executive being recognised for the good he did for the game, Patrick Bauman is being recognised posthumously in this Hall of Fame class. He was a FIBA executive and a member of the International Olympic Committee for more than 10 years.
Bauman focussed a lot on the youth game and bringing youngsters up through the ranks. He was well-known for the hard work he put into spreading the game across the globe and giving more and more players the chance to make it.
There have been numerous coaches in the NFL that have been regarded as the best of their time, or the best in their generation. While many of these coaches have made their way into the Hall of Fame, there are a number of them who should be there that aren’t.
Mike Shanahan, Andy Reid, Dick Vermeil, and many more, are just a few names of coaches that, for some reason, just haven’t been able to get their name in the Hall of Fame. this post will go through 5 coaches who should definitely be there.
The two-time Super Bowl winner barely needs an introduction. Mike Shanahan has been one of the most widely recognised names in coaches for years now, with his first career highlight coming at Super Bowl XXIX, where he was the assistant coach for the eventual winners the 49ers.
As a head coach though, he was at the helm of two Super Bowl victories while in charge of the Denver Broncos .Not only that, but Shanahan has been part of 10 teams that have played in 10 Conference Championship games. While later in career he was fired twice and was the head coach of two very unsuccessful teams, his legacy and success are undeniable.
A legend in San Francisco, George Seifert is one of the 13 coaches who has won more than one Super Bowl, winning it with the 49ers in both the 1989 and 1994 seasons. He is also one of the very few rookie coaches to win the Super Bowl.
He wasn’t only the head coach at the 49ers, as he coached on 5 different Super Bowl winning 49er teams. He spent a couple of seasons at the Carolina Panthers after his tenure in San Francisco, but didn’t see the success. He is still the only Panthers coach to not have a winning season or win a playoff game. However, his work in San Francisco will barely be emulated again.
Another man who needs little introduction, Dick Vermeil has won and done almost everything as a coach, except get his spot in the Hall of Fame. He coached the Eagles, the Rams and the Chiefs in his career, with his only Super Bowl win coming at Super Bowl XXXIV, when the Rams beat the Titans.
However, his list of achievements does not end there. He is a two-time Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of the Year, a two-time Sports News NFL Coach of the Year, and a two-time Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year. He is also in the Eagle’s Hall of Fame, as well as being the only coach in the St Louis Football Ring of Honor.
Another coach that has plied his trade across the league as an assistant, head coach, as well as an executive, is Mike Holmgren. Holmgren saw his only Super Bowl win come at Super Bowl XXXI, when he led the Green Bay Packers to Victory.
Not only has he won the Super Bowl, but Holmgren has also won 3 NFC Championship titles, 2 Super Bowl Champion titles as an assistant, and 2 NFC Championships as an assistant coach. Individually, he has won the Steve Largent Award. He has also been inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.
Last year, he was named a coaching finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame “Centennial Slate”, as was up again for this year's class, however, he was part of the group that was cut. What more must this man do?
A coach that didn’t win the coveted Super Bowl, Schottenheimer still 100% deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. he spent his coaching career across the league, taking charge at the Browns, the Chiefs, the Redskins, the Chargers, and also spent time in the UFL coaching the Virginia Destroyers.
Remarkably, Schottenheimer is the only coach still eligible for the Hall of Fame with 200 regular season wins, who still hasn’t been inducted. He was the UFL Coach of the Year in 2011, the NFL Coach of the Year in 2004, AFC Coach of the Year in 1986 and 2004, and was also inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2010.
He was also the mentor for many assistant coaches who went on to become NFL head coaches, including Bruce Arians, Bill Cowher, Mike McCarthy and Wade Phillips. Schottenheimer’s influence was felt on and off the field.
These are only a small selection of coaches that should definitely find their way into the Hall of Fame. While many of them had incredible individual players or teams that helped them find success, the huge influence that these coaches had can not be ignored.
While some have found their way into the respective Hall of Fame for a particular team they coached, it would be a serious shame if they didn’t make it into the NFL’s Hall of Fame, a position that most fans and experts believe they all seriously deserve.
Money rules our world and we can’t deny it. Have you ever thought about playing online poker or betting on sports games wishing for luck and a huge win? Even if you indeed win, you will have a small part of the wealth of the richest athletes on our planet. Who are they? What do they do? Why do they earn so much?
There are athletes who are extremely talented, but their sport isn’t popular. There can be various reasons why it is like that. Nowadays, sports need to be vivid and full of action. When it is long and too complicated, people will not watch it so eagerly and it won’t bring lucrative income. As long as sport is interesting for spectators, athletes in this discipline will earn a lot.
That is why the wealthiest people are generally footballers, basketball players, baseball or tennis players since these are the most popular sports in the world. We can’t deny them recognition, but there are so many more talented people in disciplines that are underpaid, and can’t dream of a fortune similar to their colleagues from famous sports. Let us see the amounts of money that athletes earn which makes them one of the richest men on the planet.
According to the Forbes list from 2020, the richest athlete worldwide is Swiss tennis player, Roger Federer. 39-years old Federer earns $6.3 million from his salary and the rest from endorsements. He starts his career at 17 and his prize money is over $100 million.
Famous Portugese football player, Cristiano Ronaldo was playing for many years for Spanish football club Real Madrid. In 2018, a talented player was transferred to Juventus Turin for some astonishing amount of money. Juventus paid 112 million euros for Ronaldo. His salary is $60 million and the rest from endorsements.
Argentinian footballer can be seen in the colours of FC Barcelona for almost his whole career. He earns $72 million in salaries and another $32 million in endorsements. His matches with Ronaldo were always legendary, and they were always compared to each other since both played in Spanish League. It ended in 2018, because Ronaldo’s club is Italian.
29 years old Neymar is known for his career in Brazilian National Team and French league club Paris Saint-Germain. He debuted at the age of 17 in Santos. He earns $70.5 million as his salary and $25 million more in endorsements. His career has been thriving quickly for the last decade, and he is one of the most known athletes around the world.
Four gentlemen above are the richest considering their earnings in 2020. In 2017 Forbes updated the list of All the Time wealthiest athletes and here the situation is different
The first is Micheal Jordan, a famous American basketball player known for his career in Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His whole wealth is summed up to be $1,850 millions of dollars. This is a breathtaking amount of money.
The second wealthiest athlete is golfer, Tiger Woods. His income through the whole career is $1,700 million dollars.
Jack Nicklaus, considered to be the best golfers of all time, is the next with his $1,200 million. Then, Michael Schumacher, the Formula1 driver with $1,000 million dollars of income.
The list of 10 wealthiest athletes is closing with Phil Mickelson, a golfer with $815 million wealth, Kobe Bryant, basketball player, who earned $800 million through his great career,
David Beckham, footballer from the United Kingdom with $800 million as well, Floyd Mayweather Jr. with $785 million, and Shaquille O'Neal, basketball player and his $735 million dollar wealth.
Athletes are the ones of the wealthiest people on the planet. Even if they would lose a half or three quarters of their money, they would still be called millionaires. People with such amounts of money can do almost whatever they want. They can be high rollers in the casino/kaszinó even without gambling experience and it is a common situation.
Sadly, as we can see, there is no single woman in this top 10 of the wealthiest athletes since the Men's league and championship are always more popular in show business than female’s one. We can have hope that it will change, and we need to support talented young girls in following their dreams, and ensure them that they can be great athletes. We should encourage streaming and broadcasting matches and games involving women, and maybe in a few years we will see a woman on this list.
The MLS started in 1996 in the US as a result of a bid to host the world cup in 1994. It was keen to make use of football’s popularity after one of the world’s most celebrated sports tournaments was held there.
The first championship game was won by D.C. United. They won the most league titles between that team and the Los Angeles Galaxy, with four championships each.
MLS doesn’t yet come anywhere near the prestige of the English Premier League or other European football forms. Nevertheless, it has caused many well-known international stars from Grassroots football UK to join the league, thanks to greater exposure to the increasing American football market.
Beckham is One Major Star Who Joined the MLS
After joining back in 2007, he enabled Galaxy to achieve back to back wins in the MLS. Perhaps one of the best advantages of this is that it enhanced the league’s media attention through mainstream and entertainment media.
Therefore, it can be argued that this helped raise the league’s profile somewhat, which clearly raised interest for the MLS for many Americans, similar to what Pele achieved back in the 70s.
Beckham is just one of 78 other players from the UK who have joined the MLS. Today, 10 are on current rosters, but since its beginnings in 1996, there have been another 68 other players involved.
Previously, Beckham was playing for Manchester United, a high-profile UK team who dominated the Premier League for many years. Unfortunately, their close rival Man City are outshining them completely this season, with City being given odds of 1/16 (1.06) of winning the Premier League, according to one UK online bookmaker.
Bradley Wright-Philips, Like Beckham, was Another Successful MLS Player
Recently taken on by LAFC, this former New York Red Bulls striker has played for some big UK teams. This includes Man City, Plymouth Argyle, Southampton, Brentford and Charlton Athletic. He then took up his MLS position in 2013.
He has a reputation for being one of the best finishers in the league, scoring an impressive 27 goals over 32 regular-season games. 2014, in particular, was a standout year for him.
Working with Thierry Henry, he produced goal after goal. Upon finishing the league, he actually became the top scorer for it, with 24 goals over 34 games.
So why is he so good at this? He’s speedy, intelligent and persistent, three factors that make him very dangerous.
Considering this, it’s no surprise that he comes in as 7th of all time on the scoring charts, tying with Jason Kries with 108 goals.
What’s interesting is that Wright-Phillips took 195, compared to Kries with 305 games. He’s done well to have such a successful season, despite back in 2019 suffering from many different injuries.
These days, he brings his top performance to LAFC, taking his place as a solid veteran striker for the club.
Interestingly, his younger brother Shaun also seems to have followed in his footsteps, enjoying a successful stint with the Red Bulls between 2015 and 2016 before joining Phoenix Rising FC in 2017, before retiring at 37 in August 2019.
Have any Other Players Experienced Much Success with MLS?
Absolutely - there are a fair few! However, we feel that two, particularly Mandela Egbo and Saphir Taider, deserve specific mention.
Firstly, there’s Egbo, a former Crystal Palace player who, after playing for Borussia Monchengladbach in Bundesliga, then moved onto Darmstadt in the first half of this season in the German second tier.
Despite not achieving outstanding success levels by other players like Jadon Sancho or Reece Oxford, this London born defender eventually joined the New York Red Bulls.
Now, he’s looking to improve on the elimination of last season in the first round and the end of season playoffs.
Saphir Taider didn’t spend long in England after spending some time on loan with Southampton. This was cut short for some mysterious reason back in 2014, and he’d only had one chance to appear in one friendly before making a departure.
The good news is that this hasn’t appeared to affect him very much. He put in an impressive performance at Bologna before a good two further years at Montreal Impact. while on loan once more.
Luckily, a loan deal has now been permanent in the offseason, with two further players also benefiting from this in 2020: Lassi Lapalainen and Orji Okwonkwo.
Now 25 Years Old, the MLS has Come a Long Way from its Humble Beginnings
Starting in 1996 as a modest football tournament, the MLS has developed over the years, benefiting from much media attention thanks to major stars joining the league. The future of the league is looking bright and with exponential sums of money being invested into some clubs, the league may become competitive on a international scale.
The most awaited two minutes sport is coming very soon. Happening every first Saturday of May, this year's event falls on May 01. The fun-packed event is looked forward to with action and excitement by horse enthusiasts. The upcoming race is the 147th Grade 1 Thoroughbred stake race in Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
The event will host a total of fourteen races; the dirt track accommodates racehorses that belong to a 3-year-old thoroughbred category racing a distance of 1 ¼ mile. The event is fascinating, anticipated by around 155,000 sports fanatics, including celebrities and top names in sports. People are placing bets and anticipating winnings. But they are not just ins for the wins but also for the age-old traditions that they always celebrate.
Every event is a celebration for horse enthusiasts because they are eyeing on their best contender, anticipating the traditions that they always celebrate. The Kentucky Derby 2021 is awaiting men and women celebrating in their bold formal fashion wearing bright, colorful, wild patterned, and creative hats. It is a showcase of lavished fashions for everyone.
"My Old Kentucky Home," the state's song, is happily played and participated by everybody is also a tradition starting off the event. The iconic Mint Julep, the traditional symbolic drink during the derby, is feasted for the celebration. A Mint Julep in a souvenir glass costs $15 on Derby Day, but it costs as high as $2,500 available on deluxe to cash-rich aficionados. Another tradition is the giving of iconic roses to the champion horse.
But the most anticipated tradition is the placing of bets to their eyed contenders. Betting has become synonymous with racing that spans a whole weekend to stack racing cards. Bets are placed to contenders that will give a strong winning pick and best-winning forecast. Thus, try to visit TVG to check out the latest odds and pick who is among the top of the 2021 Kentucky derby.
In anticipation of the win, horse aficionados always place their bets on who they believe are strongest to give them the winnings they expect. And for the 2021 Kentucky Derby, these horses are on the top list of winnable contenders:
Hot Rod Charlie is rated 7.99 of 10 and has 110 total points in his record. The top four finishers only get the points on a 150 - 60 - 30 - 15 point basis. Hot Rod Charlie just won the $1 million race over Midnight Bourbon in the recently concluded Louisiana Derby just this March 20, 2021.
Hot Rod Charlie is trained by Doug F. O'Neil, owned by Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing LLC, and his jockey is Joel Rosario. He now ranked first in points among the nominated horses for the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
The victory of Like The King in the 1 ⅛ mile earned him 100 points, guaranteed to berth the Kentucky Derby. He defeated Sainthood in his most recent victory last March 27, 2021, and earned him 100 points in a neck-back finish.
Like The King is an active 3-year-old colt, his owner is M.Racing Group, LLC. Like The King is trained by a retired champion jockey Wesley A. Ward, known for his training skills in Thoroughbred horses, and among them is Like The King.
Known Agenda is a Kentucky bred born in 2018, now ranked third in the Kentucky Derby contenders. He has 102 points that he recently earned from winning over Greatest Honour at the Florida Derby last March 27, 2021. Known Agenda swept away the $750,000 stake from his Florida Derby victory. He was trained by Todd A Pletcher and competed by Jockey Irad Ortiz.
Greatest Honour has the reputation as The horse to beat in Florida Derby, who headline among the recent winners preparing for the "Run For The Roses" derby. Greatest Honour has 82 points, and he earned the fourth spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. He is an active three-year-old colt owned by Courtlandt Farms and trained by hall of fame trainer Shug McGaughey. Greatest Honour has a career record of 3 wins, four placings, and seven starts.
Midnight Bourbon had run solid races; he just finished off the LeComte Stakes last January 16, 2021, in a 1 1/16 miles race, advancing to rank five in the Kentucky point standings. Midnight Bourbon just finished off Proxy on second and TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun on third.The $200,000 debut was a qualifying race for Midnight Bourbon to the Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Derby is an event to look forward to for horse lovers. Placing bets and anticipating wins for their horse contenders listed on top of the point standings. For 2021, you would expect an exciting race with the horses on the top list like Hot Rod Charlie, Like The King, Known Agenda, Greatest Honour and Midnight Bourbon. They are the stars of the race to watch out for.
Most professional athletes are on an entirely different plane of living than regular people. As a result, they do things that average people have trouble justifying, like casual hookups. How common are such interactions between sports legends and their partners? Take a look at a small portion of the athletes that have taken part in such relationships.
Adult love affairs as a way to relax and relieve tension
It is important to consider why athletes and regular people enjoy having love affairs. For one thing, the people involved in these interactions never have to worry about maintaining a relationship. There is no need for flowers, no long conversations, and nobody asking when you’re getting married. Affairs help people relax and relieve tension from their sport lives, and that’s enough for most people to enjoy these affairs.
Athletes who’ve dated adult film stars
Among those who prefer adult hookups, there are a number of athletes involved in passionate dating experiences with adult film stars. Some of the interactions between the athletes and adult stars have been short-terms, but many of them had ongoing relationships, too. With that being the case, it’s interesting to see how many big stars have fallen for people in the adult film industry. Look at some of the most prominent cases we found!
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods is a 2021 inducteeof the World Golf Hall of Fame. While he has been one of the most dominant golfers over the last few decades, he is also becoming equally well-known for his personal life and his tumultuous interactions. He has dated with a lot of ladies, including the lovely adult film star Holly Sampson.
Jennifer Capriati
Another famous name in sports is Jennifer Capriati, who is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Over the course of six years, she dated Dale DaBone, an adult film star with over 400 films performed throughout his illustrious career.
Chuck Liddell
Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell is a famous UFC fighter and a member of the UFC Hall of Fame. He has been involved in many high-profile relationships throughout his career, but the most famous of them all was certainly when he showed up at events with Jayden James. The two dated for a while and rumors still swirl about them.
Tito Ortiz
Another UFC Hall of Fame member, and one who is familiar with our last entry, that has dated an adult film star is Tito Ortiz. He dated Jenna Jameson for some, but then they broke up amidst rumors of substance abuse.
Tanard Jackson
The former Texans player, Tanard Jackson has dated many people throughout his time in the NFL. An interesting match was between him and Jemini, an adult film star.
Rashad Butler
Former offensive tackle for the Browns and Texas, Rashad Butler, was once linked to Maya G., a former adult film star. Since then, the two have broken up, but he caused a splash because of his supposed links to numerous women throughout his time together with Maya.
The world is filled with people that take part in different adult relationships. Athletes tend to have the money, desire, and charisma to get women to spend the night with them. They also know how to have a good time with people that can keep up with them in terms of stardom and entertainment. That is why it should be no surprise that some sports stars date adult film stars. Although the relationships don’t last, they start often and burn bright and fast, as do some sports stars.
A Guide For Your First Time Casino gaming can be the difference between having a good time and having a bad one. In fact, it is impossible to have a great time if you do not have a good guide for your first-time casino gaming experience. This is because with a guide, you know how to play your cards and you have a strategy that works. This means that you are less likely to lose money because you are using a proven system.
So where do you get one? There are many different types of guides out there, but the internet is probably the best place to go to find one. With millions of people having their own accounts, it is easy to get a lot of information. Most people use a guide for their first time just because they want to make sure that they are going to have a good time, and so that they can get into a casino and know what they are doing before spending any money.
Some people even say that a guide is necessary if you want to win at the casino. The fact is, thata good guide For your first time casino experiencewill show you how to win, but will also give you ways to beat the odds. You will be able to know which games are better than others and which ones you should avoid playing in order to make sure that you do not lose money.
There are some guides that are made specifically for a certain type of casino game. For example, if you are looking for a guide for Blackjack, then there are guides available for that. There are also guides for various casino games including Poker. Then, of course, there are general guides for all of the games that you can imagine. These include things like strategy guides and quick guides for you to learn the basics of a particular game. The best part is, you can print out these guides so that you have them handy whenever you need them.
It is probably best to get a guide for your first trip to the casino after you know your limit. This way you will have enough cash on you to at least test out the doors when you get there. Then you will be able to decide if you are up to the challenge of the real thing. If you do it right, you can walk out with more money than you put in and no black eyes or bruises.
However, a guide can sometimes be a waste of money. In fact, a lot of guides for your first time are not worth the paper they are printed on. They are full of advice that has no application to the game that they are talking about. Casino guides are good for situations where you know something about the game, such as card odds, for example. However, if you are just trying to learn the ropes, then these guides will definitely not help you make any money.
Also, don't expect a great guide for your first time at the casino to give you everything that you need to know. There is no such thing as a miracle trick for making money at the slots or the roulette wheel. All of these games involve skill, strategy, and betting. A guide is simply a set of guidelines to help you through. It might tell you to pick a certain number of cards or a certain card combination. But it will not tell you what the specific odds are for a particular combination.
In fact, a good guide for your first trip to the casino will not include any games at all! These guides only provide you with the basic rules and how the games work. They will not tell you how to bet or how to know when to fold, or what to do if you are dealt a bad hand. You will also not find any information on how to select a great hotel or a good meal. However, a guide can help you walk through the casino floor a little more familiar with how everything works.
LeBron James is simply formidable. The best player to have ever graced a basketball has been a regular on the court this season, averaging 25.8 points per game. Only recently has an ankle injury forced him to miss his first game of the season.
Before then, basketball’s biggest star had led the Lakers to a win against his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, earlier in the year. The Cavaliers themselves had put on one of their best performances, despite the result going against them. After three quarters, they’d been leading the Lakers 89-87, but then James stepped things up in the fourth quarter.
Can the Lakers win the NBA title this season? It’s a big question now that their main man has been side lined by injury. The Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks have both been tipped to give the Lakers a hard time this season, which will make the league extra exciting for anyone looking at this year’s NBA betting lines.
This post looks at some of the career highlights of the best player of all time: LeBron James.
James was but a teenager when he made his debut in the NBA. The Cavaliers didn’t achieve the win that night, but James kept his cool on basketball’s biggest stage and scored 28 points and chalked up six rebounds and nine assists.
All eyes were going to be on him from then. Everyone realized the NBA had unearthed a new superstar, and in his era with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he’d go on to win the Rookie of the Year.
Not only was James’s NBA debut a game to remember, but his playoffs debut was one as well. The forward was in blistering form against the Washington Wizards and posted 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. The Cavaliers won, and it was the first time anyone had posted a triple double in their NBA playoff debut since Magic Johnson.
James has been part of some big moments, but no one will forget the drama of the game against the Orlando Magic. In the finals in the Eastern Conference in 2009, the two teams were deadlocked before James broke it right on the buzzer and clinched the Cavaliers the game. The Magic may have won the series, but the score was another big playoff moment for James.
In 2010, James received his first MVP, for the 2009 season. He’s received a nomination for MVP every year since then, and when he was with the Cavaliers at the time of the award it was an honor for him to accept the award. It was in the state he called home and where his dream of being a basketball player began.
The year 2010 opened with a shock announcement from James, on TV, that he would be leaving the Cavaliers and joining the Miami Heat. He would spend four years with the Heat and take them to the NBA finals each year. Finally, the team won the NBA title in 2012. The glory may have come, but this original decision to part company with the Cavaliers attracted a lot of criticism.
Some might have loathed James’s decision to join the Heat, but Miami certainly weren’t complaining, and in 2013, the team had a sublime season. With James on the team, the Heat won 27 consecutive games, an unbeaten run which lasted 53 days. Only the 71-72 LA Lakers had a longer record: 33 games unbeaten.
In 2014, it was smiles all around in Cleveland as James returned to the Cavaliers. In his second stint with the team, he’d take them to finals. In 2016, the Cavaliers would take the title, but game seven of the finals would be especially remembered for James’s chase-down of Andre Iguodala.
The Golden State Warriors were about to break the 89-89 tie — or so they thought. James chased Iguodala down and smacked the ball against the backboard, enabling the Cavaliers to gain possession and put themselves in a position to take the title. It was one of many memorable blocks by James.
In game 4 versus the Bulls, the Cavs were a few seconds from being 3-1 down. The coach at the time, David Blatt, designed a play that required someone other than James to take the final shot. James wasn’t having any of it.
Talk about putting pressure on yourself. Anyway, he took the shot, sinking a three pointer to enable the Cavs to take victory in game 4 — and James to show why he’s the greatest player in the world. It was a masterclass in self-belief.
The years have rolled by and still James is writing history on the courts. During the NBA restart last year, he led the Lakers to a championship. But in this prolonged season, it has also been the year he passed Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list, and a little later, he passed the late Kobe Bryant too.
LeBron James has cemented himself into the annals of basketball history as the greatest player of all time. Whether anyone will come to trump him is anyone’s guess, but anything can happen in the NBA. We’ll just have to wait and see and enjoy the journey along the way.
There was a time when sports betting wasn’t permitted in the US. Because PASPA was repealed back in 2018, this has now changed.
States can now make up their own rules, with most of them now allowing their residents to legally place sports wagers. Even states which don’t permit this may enable people to offshore.
In New Jersey, residents are permitted to place bets in both brick-and-mortar establishments and their choice of 15+ betting sites accepting their wagers.
What are the Main Types of Bet You can Place on the NFL?
Wagering on American football is relatively simple. After looking at a list of current games and upcoming events, players pick which team they’d like to bet on, plus the amount based on the odds listed.
There are different forms of bet that can be placed, affecting how much a player could receive in winnings. An excellent place to start is with the easy types of bet. These include money line, point spread, totals and over/under bets. Here’s what you need to know about each one.
Money Line. A money line bet is perhaps one of the easiest types of bets to both understand and place. A player simply chooses how much they’d like to wager on a team they believe could win the game. This choice is influenced by the odds of winning and how much a player could potentially earn. While these odds are usually listed by the sportsbook themselves, there is no shortage of other sites that display this. While this type of bet is easy to place, it doesn’t offer a particularly strong return. To determine the best choice, players should look for teams with minus signs, indicating they’re more favourable to win. In comparison, teams displaying a plus sign next to them are expected to lose, so they should be avoided. However, ‘plus’ teams pay out more than ‘minus’ ones.
Point Spread. While being a much more common type of bet, it is more complicated than a money line wager. Players must bet on a particular team to win within a certain amount of points. Bets are encouraged for both teams, as spreads are arranged to create an even playing field between them.
Total Bets. Players aren’t concerned about which team wins or loses when they place a bet on a total. Instead, the bet’s outcome is determined by the total number of points scored by both teams. Specifically, players have to guess whether the total amount of points scored will be over the specified amount or under.
As More Sportsbooks Get Established, the Popularity of Live Betting Improves
There are now hundreds of online bookmakers, many of which offer plentiful betting options and favourable odds. Betting online is an easy way to make cash, particularly if you love the game.
There are many top-rated sites out there with excellent chances to wager and win that also offer a very secure experience.
The Super Bowl is one of the most popular betting events throughout the entire year. So much so that more wagers are placed on it than any other single event.
Aside from Money Line, Point Spread & Total Bets, what Other Types of Bet are Available?
There are quite a few. They include things like futures, teasers, proposition bets and parlays. As well as in-game betting where wagers can be placed as live games are taking place, so players know the latest odds.
Here are the main types of bets you can make on the NFL.
Prop Bets. This kind of bet is when a player bets on something that doesn’t actually impact the game’s outcome. For example, some form of oddity or something to do with a player or team.
Live/In-Play. As the game is still in play, live or in-play bets are when someone wagers on odds as this is happening.
Parlays. This form of bet allows a player to combine multiple betting lines to achieve the best payout possible. However, players must be careful. Just one loss results in losing the entire wager.
Teasers. This is similar to a parlay wager. However, lines can be changed around by the player. For example, when betting on a two-team teaser, a player might decide to change the spread by six points in their favour.
Futures. With a futures bet, players have the opportunity to place their bets on NFL odds weeks or even months before the game takes place. The result of this is achieving a much better payout. This is usually based on whether a team will win or not.
Hundreds of Online Sportsbooks Now Exist in America to Meet Demand
Historically, sports wagering wasn’t allowed in the US. However, this has now changed, and individual states can now make their own rules.
The majority now allow sports wagering, either online or in brick and mortar establishments. This is the case for New Jersey.
Because of the popularity of sports across America in general, bookmakers have latched on. Hundreds of sportsbooks now exist online, and they are hugely popular. Particularly with significant events like the Super Bowl.
If you want a piece of the action but are new to sports betting, you should consider the easier types of bets. These include money line, point spread and total bets. You might want to then move on to more advanced bets in future once you’ve mastered the basics.
It’s perhaps easy to dismiss Thierry Henry’s time in the United States as nothing but a swansong following a glittering career at the summit of European football, but that would be a mistake. Henry ended up spending four and a half years with the New York Red Bulls and over that time he helped the side win their first trophy in 17 years.
That landmark day came back in October 2013 when the New York Red Bulls won the Supporters' Shield after a 5-2 win against Chicago Fire. Henry’s contribution was vast as the Frenchman scored one and assisted twice during the stunning romp to the regular-season title. In essence, if that fixture is a condensed version of Henry’s time in the States, he was by no means there to make up the numbers after he signed for New York in May 2010.
Over the course of those four and a half seasons in the Big Apple, Henry racked up 135 appearances whilst scoring 52 goals and assisting a further 42 times. Tellingly, the only clubs he spent more time at during his career were Arsenal and Monaco. In fact, Henry’s time in the US was so successful that his name has been included in the finalists for the National Soccer Hall of Fame's 2021 Class. The 43-year-old’s efforts are included under the criteria of ‘illustrious playing careers that involved significant MLS contributions.’
Whether Henry will ultimately be included remains to be seen but the very fact that the Hall of Fame’s selection committee is considering his admission speaks volumes given how exclusive this club is.
The World Cup-winning star didn’t let the grass grow under his feet when he arrived in America and single-handedly took the league into more homes around the world than ever before. One could even argue that Henry’s time in the MLS rivaled David Beckham’s in terms of putting the league on the map.
As it turns out, Beckham has also been drawn up alongside Henry in the 2021 list of potential inductees so perhaps we may find an answer to that question sooner rather than later.
Looking back, however, you have to admire how Henry, in particular, took to American culture so seamlessly which undoubtedly aided his on-field performances. There are a few memories that stick out but above all, who can forget the warm welcome the Frenchman received in 2017 upon his return to New York?
Henry was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field in front of adoring New York Mets fans. It must be said, decibel levels are rarely that loud at Citi Field after a barren run that last saw the New York team win the World Series in 1986. Unfortunately, their MLB odds on bet365 suggest that trophy hiatus won’t end anytime soon with the Mets at 10/1 for a shot at World Series glory this season.
But perhaps this is the year for Henry and the Mets in their quest to pull off the impossible.
Henry has won the biggest soccer trophies everywhere he’s gone, from the World Cup to the English Premier League, the formidable French player has claimed them all but perhaps his crowning glory is still to come. An eternal place in the National Soccer Hall of Fame would cement his legacy as the MLS’s most prolific foreign import.