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Basketball from a fans perspective

Bits n Pieces

John Bol is a 4-star prospect in the Class of 2024, the 7-foot 1 forward attends Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita. The highly rated Bol had a number of visits planned over the next few weeks. On August 21 it would be Florida, there were two visits scheduled in September. On September 9 he planned on a visit to the University of Michigan and September 23 Bol had Mizzou on his travel schedule. On July 28 Bol verbally committed to Chris Beard and Ole Miss. I guess the only way he will see Mizzou arena is when Ole Miss arrives in Columbia to play the Tigers. I learned he’s not related to the late Manute Bol or Suns forward Bol Bol, evidently Bol must be a common last name in Sudan similar to Smith or Jones in the U.S. 

Auction house Sotheby’s will soon take bids on the 1972 jersey worn by Wilt Chamberlain. It’s being reported the jersey is likely to sell for $4 million. This is the Game 5 Laker jersey Chamberlain wore in their championship victory over the Knicks that year. I read the account and I have a question which for now will remain unanswered. I’m guessing at the time celebrities place items for bid it’s assumed the owner is reimbursed a portion of the sale. With Chamberlain deceased and no direct lineage who receives the payout once the jersey is sold. Chamberlain never married and had no offspring, I once read there were siblings. If he had lived Chamberlain would be 87-years old so it’s reasonable to believe a brother(s) or sister(s) could still be alive.

Construction needs to be increased at warp speed at the Intuit Dome site, why do I make this statement? That might not be me rather its Clipper guard Terrance Mann. Mann appears upset with the arrangements at Crypto.com, he went on record with this claim, “It feels like we are the little bros over there. They treat us different.” What exactly is he stating, do the maintenance staff at Crypto.com refuse to perform work task quickly for the Clippers? Are Clipper players and coaches ill-treated by workers at the arena? I hope this statement is just Mann’s imagination. I find his comment a little bit difficult to believe. Remember that old adage I’ve used, “Just when you think you’ve heard it all you hear one more thing, that is certainly true here?

At the time LeBron James arrived in the NBA it was said, “He’s got an NBA ready body.” It was true, James was listed as 6 foot 8 and 240 pounds when drafted in 2003. The 2023-24 Laker roster indicates he is now 6 foot 9 and weighs 250 pounds. That’s not surprising James was 18-years old and had not fully matured, most of us gain weight as we mature, over time James is no different from any of us. On the other hand maybe he is, get this former Laker teammate Stanley Johnson has made an interesting claim. Johnson says James is 6 foot 10 and “close to 300 pounds.” This is another one of those accounts we cannot verify, do you believe the Laker roster or Stanley Johnson?

The building

Viewing video of Intuit Dome planned home of the Clippers in Inglewood I was reminded, construction cameras have allowed me to be there. This is a basketball blog so for our purposes arenas will be the focus. Thank goodness for construction camera’s, they have allowed me to “visit” the progress of assembly without leaving my home. This certainly is not intended to be in any type of order, the first construction cam video I remember was Sprint Center in Kansas City. I watched the arena now known as T-Mobile Center from the dirt around it being bulldozed to its completion in 2007.

Over the years there have certainly been many others I witnessed being built. Similar to my hometown I saw the dirt being moved until the arenas were completed in the following cities, please note these are not in order of construction. North of Kansas City in Milwaukee thanks again to a construction cam I was able to view Fiserv Forum being built until it opened for business in 2018. East of Milwaukee, in Detroit a construction cam allowed me to see Little Caesars Arena being completed in 2017. These could also be included in my list, Chase Center in San Francisco (2019) and Golden 1 Sacramento (2016) along with Barclays Center Brooklyn (2012). I could add one more arena, this one in Seattle, two issues here. There is no NBA basketball in the city yet and this was not new construction. The former Key Arena was gutted and only the iconic roof was left in place, the arena re-built became Climate Pledge opening in 2021.

On the horizon yet to be finalized are 76 Place in Philadelphia and arenas in Las Vegas and San Antonio should they be confirmed and construction begun. Las Vegas is interesting in that Tim Leiweke Oak View group is claiming his partners intend to build a $2 billion 20,000 seat arena along with a resort and casino. Good news for the taxpayers of Nevada, Clark County and Las Vegas, Leiweke claims no tax funds will be utilized in this project. There are other arenas however those named are among the number I remember observing construction as they were being completed.   

NBA businessman

Generally speaking we tend to look at Michael Jordan as the barometer of success for NBA athletes. After all since retirement MJ has accumulated enough wealth to be listed as a billionaire. Yes MJ’s done okay for himself but so have a number of others. One of those names was a pretty good basketball player too, Junior Bridgeman was a first-round draft pick in 1975 by the Bucks. Bridgeman retired in 1987 and understand this, he never earned more than $350,000 during his time in the NBA.

He owned at one time over 250 Wendy’s and Chili’s restaurants and a Coca-Cola bottling distributorship. Bridgeman doesn’t have MJ money but his net worth is reported to be in the neighborhood of $600 million. On occasion we read stories about NBA players and other athletes who suffer in retirement due to one fact. They spent money too lavishly, owning scores of automobiles and homes. They were unable to see the need to invest a portion of their earnings. I have no method to validate this statement that I’m about to lay on you without offering any proof. I believe Dennis Rodman (and others) probably have a modest amount of the fortune earned during the time period they played in the NBA.