Pau Gasol Named to Spain’s Preliminary Squad for Upcoming Tokyo Games

Pau Gasol is thisclose to a fifth Olympics appearance…

Spain has included the 40-year-old professional basketball player, who currently plays for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, in its preliminary squad for the Tokyo Games.

Pau Gasol

Gasol was among the 18 players called up by coach Sergio Scariolo to prepare for the Summer Olympics. Only 12 players will make the final squad.

The two-time NBA champion and four-time All-NBA team selection is trying to play in his fifth Olympics. He was included after overcoming a long injury layoff and a successful return to Barcelona this season.

He will turn 41 before the Games open on July 23.

Gasol’s brother Marc also made the list, as did Ricky Rubio. Both were key for Spain when it won the world championship two years ago in China. A total of eight world champions are on the preliminary list.

Other names in the squad include Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodríguez, Alex AbrinesSergio Llull and newcomer Usman Garuba, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft next month.

Another sibling pair — Juancho and Willy Hernangomez– were included.

Rubio and Juancho Hernangomez are teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Willy Hernangomez played this season for the New Orleans Pelicans.

The team will begin its preparations on Friday in Madrid.

Spain is a three-time silver medalist at the Olympics. It won the bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Bad Bunny Becomes Co-Owner of Puerto Rico’s Los Cangrejeros de Santurce

Bad Bunny is officially a baller…

Following his impressive WWE activities, which earned him high praise from pro wrestlers, the 27-year-old Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton superstar (real name Benito Antonio Martinez) is continuing his sporting efforts.

Bad Bunny W Magazine Cover

This time, Bad Bunny has become a co-owner of Puerto Rico’s basketball team Los Cangrejeros de Santurce.

The Puerto Rican superstar, alongside RimasJonathan Miranda and Noah Assad, has been named partner of the renewed franchise, which also announced a revamped team and image.

“The main purpose and commitment of this initiative are to help foster positive change on the island,” noted an official statement. “The goal is to promote a better future through sports, music, and the arts. The main objective is to encourage ideas and dreams in Puerto Rican youth, which provoke an authentic and real social transformation.”

Los Cangrejeros de Santurce also unveiled the return of NBA star Jose Juan Barea, who played for the Dallas Mavericks, as the team’s point guard.

Founded in 1918, Los Cangrejeros de Santurce is known as one of the most successful Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) franchises, winning eight championships.

https://twitter.com/CangrejerosB/status/1394291638638424064

Carmelo Anthony Moves Into Top 10 on NBA All-Time Scoring List

Carmelo Anthony is movin’ on up…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, has moved into the top 10 all time in NBA scoring, passing Elvin Hayes.

Carmelo Anthony

With 11:09 left in the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, Anthony isolated on the right wing and pulled up from 3, plus the foul. After his trademark move of hitting the side of his head with three fingers, Anthony raised both arms in the air as a quick acknowledgement of the accomplishment.

It was his third 3 of the first half, giving him 12 points. Anthony entered Monday’s game against the Hawks nine points behind Hayes’ career total of 27,313.

He finished the night with 14 points overall — and 27,318 for his career — as Portland fell to Atlanta, 123-114.

“I think after it’s done, whenever it happens, I think I’ll be more in awe of it,” Anthony told ESPN by phone last week. “This is something I never, ever thought about. When you’re young you look up at that list and you’re like, ‘Damn, so-and-so has that many points? I’ll never be able to do that.’ I’m more just in awe of it.”

Moses Malone is next up on the all-time list at 27,409, a reachable number this season if Anthony maintains his current scoring pace.

Anthony’s journey to the top 10 comes with context, with him away from the NBA for a season after being cut by the Houston Rockets after just 10 games early in the 2018-19 season. Anthony continued working out and signed with the Trail Blazers in November 2019, starting all 58 games last season. He agreed to a bench role this season with Portland and entered Monday averaging 13.6 points as a sixth man.

A 10-time NBA All-Star, Anthony is in his 18th NBA season. He won the scoring title with the New York Knicks in 2012-13, averaging 28.7 points. Anthony spent 10 consecutive seasons in the top 10 in scoring and finished as a runner-up for the scoring title twice in that stretch.

Anthony’s point distribution is 13,970 in eight seasons with the Denver Nuggets, 10,186 in seven seasons with the Knicks, 1,261 in one season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, 134 with the Rockets and now 1,754 in two seasons with the Blazers.

This season, Anthony has moved past Tim DuncanDominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson and Hakeem Olajuwon in scoring.

Alex Rodriguez Finalizing Deal to Buy the Minnesota Timberwolves

It looks like Alex Rodriguez is ready to get in the basketball business…

The 45-year-old Dominican American former MLB slugger Alex Rodriguez and billionaire Marc Lore are finalizing a deal to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves from majority owner Glen Taylor, according to ESPN.

Alex Rodriguez

The purchase price in the deal is expected to be in the $1.5 billion range, sources said.

Taylor will continue to hold full control of the team for two years before Rodriguez and Lore take over in 2023.

“We look forward to entering this phase of the process with Glen Taylor,” Rodriguez and Lore said in a joint statement on Saturday. “Our respect for him and the legacy he has built lays an amazing foundation for what is to come. We are excited by the prospect of getting to know the Timberwolves organization.”

Taylor announced in July 2020 that he was looking for a buyer. The terms of the sale are similar to talks Taylor had in the past year with billionaire Ryan Smith, who walked away from a potential deal to ultimately purchase the Utah Jazz for $1.66 billion in October.

Taylor, 79, saved basketball in Minnesota when he bought the team for $88 million in 1994 after it nearly moved to New Orleans. But he has had an unspectacular ownership run in the 16 years since, reaching the playoffs only once.

Taylor has discussed keeping the Timberwolves in Minnesota with new ownership, but Rodriguez’s ties to Seattle and that city’s desire for a return of an NBA franchise could become an issue in the long term.

Rodriguez was also part of a group that bid unsuccessfully for the New York Mets.

Duki Teams Up with NBA Latam for Special Docuseries “NBA Freestyle”

Duki is taking his love of basketball to the next level…

The 24-year-old Argentine Latin trap star, whose real name is Mauro Ezequiel Lombardo, has teamed up with with NBA Latam for a 10-part series that captures not only his love for freestyle, but also sports.

Duki

The series, which launched with its first episode this week, is part of the NBA’s commitment to offer local productions in Latin America. New episodes will launch on the NBA Latam YouTube channel every Wednesday.

During the 10 episodes, Duki will tell his relationship with basketball and the NBA from when he was a child to this day through an exclusive interview, reactions to the best players in the league and even singing a series of themed freestyles.

“I remember the first NBA game I ever watched,” he recalled. “I was home with my brother in Santa Teresita and the All-Star Game happened to be on at 2 o’clock in the morning. I was crazy about it… I remember Allen Iverson’s braids in that game. I’ve been a fan ever since.”

The series includes an exclusive song that will only be available on the NBA Latam YouTube channel. For the making of the video, Duki wears the shirt of one of his favorite players today: the Argentine, Facundo Campazzo of the Denver Nuggets.

“I had first spoken to Facu and he answered me. In a cross of words and jokes. He already knew who I was. I really want to do a song for him, with him by my side, a good heavy trap”

The series also includes unique video content highlighting the intersection of basketball, entertainment and lifestyle.

Carmelo Anthony Launches Content Company ‘Creative7’

Carmelo Anthony is getting creative

The 36-year-old half-Puerto Rican professional baseball player, a 10-time NBA All-Star, and his longtime business partner Asani Swann have launched Creative7, a multi-platform content company that will develop and produce original, premium content spanning documentaries, scripted television, feature film, animation, podcasts, and more.Carmelo AnthonyAnthony and Swann’s goal? To champion the narratives and voices of the underserved and they are partnering with Will Packer, Plan B Entertainment on a limited narrative series, Hock Films, Shaun Redick and Yvette Yates on Jersey 4, based on a racial profiling case, and more.

The company has quietly produced and is currently producing a number of previously-announced projects as well, including Blood Brothers, a limited series in partnership with A+E Studios, Executive Producer Charles Murray, and Narrative Film Group that examines the friendship between two of the most dynamic and iconic figures in history: Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X; “Un Sueño Real”, a recently launched docuseries with HBO España, Exile Content Studio, and Newtral that gives an inside look at the women’s Real Madrid soccer team; and Universe, an IDA Award-winning documentary about Miles Davis’ protégé, Wallace Roney, who recently passed but lives on through his inspiring journey to uphold his mentor’s legacy and record The Universe Compositions.

“In addition to collaborating with legendary filmmakers and paramount creative minds in the industry, we are excited to also be working with and championing emerging talent who are positioned to be the next great generation of filmmakers,” said Swann. “At the core, our goal is to amplify unheard voices and groundbreaking stories that push the envelope and will leave a profound impact. As a Black woman, I am proud to co-found a company like Creative 7 that celebrates diversity and inclusion and will strive to push representation in this industry forward.”

Pitbull Becomes Part Owner of New NASCAR Team Trackhouse Racing

Pitbull is dealing with a new type of track

New NASCAR team Trackhouse Racing has brought on the 40-year-old Cuban American rapper/singer, known also as Mr. Worldwide, as an ownership partner for the organization, which will make its debut next month at the Daytona 500.

Pitbull

Trackhouse made the announcement with a video on Twitter in which the Grammy winner is featured dancing to an “I believe we will win” chant. He also holds signs that say: “Knuckle Up,” “Fight Hard” and “Buckle Up.”

Pitbull joins NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan as celebrity owners entering NASCAR this year. Jordan is a part owner of 23XI Racing with Denny Hamlin.

“I’ve been a fan of the NASCAR story since the movie Days of Thunder,” Pitbull said in a statement. “We are going to show the world NASCAR is not only a sport but a culture.”

Trackhouse was launched late last year by former driver Justin Marks, who struggled to find a charter that guarantees entry into every Cup Series race on the schedule. He ultimately leased one from Spire Motorsports to get his organization on the grid.

The team has hired Mexican driver Daniel Suarez for the No. 99 Chevrolet, but it will not be NASCAR’s first pairing of a Latino driver and team owner. Juan Pablo Montoya, a Colombian, drove for Chip Ganassi Racing when it was part owned by Felix Sabates, a Cuban.

J.J. Barea to Play for Spain’s Estudiantes Team

J.J. Barea is heading to España.

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player, a former Dallas Mavericks guard, has signed a contract to play in Spain’s top division with Estudiantes, the Madrid-based club has announced.

J.J. Barea

Barea played for the Mavericks for 11 seasons, helping the team win the NBA title in 2011. The Mavericks released him in December.

 

Barea played 14 NBA seasons, including three with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists in 831 games. 

He’s signed through the end of the season, Estudiantes said. He’s scheduled to arrive in Madrid this week to start training.

Barea told Spanish sports daily Marca in 2011 that his father’s family came from a village in northern Spain.

Tessa Ferrer to Star in Apple TV+’s New Basketball-Themed Drama Series “Swagger”

Tessa Ferrer’s got some serious swagger

The 34-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress and former Grey’s Anatomy star has joined the ensemble cast of Apple TV+’s new basketball-themed drama series Swagger.

Tessa Ferrer

The project, which hails from NBA superstar Kevin Durant and Imagine’s Brian Grazer, stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Oscar-nominated Quvenzhané Wallis.

Ferrer will be a series regulars alongside Isaiah Hill, Shinelle Azoroh, 32-year-old part-Afro-Dominican actor Tristan Mack WildsCaleel Harris, Latino actor/producer Jason Rivera, Solomon Irama, Ozie Nzeribe and James Bingham.

Written and directed by Bythewood, who also serves as showrunner, Swagger is inspired by Durant’s youth basketball experiences. It explores the world of youth basketball, and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption. Off the court, the show reveals what it’s like to grow up in America.

Wilds will portray Alonzo Powers, the grassroots division leader at a major shoe company.

Ferrer will portray Meg Bailey, a former basketball player and coach for the rival team.

Rivera will play Nick, a player from Puerto Rico with the drive to become the best player in the country.

The drama is co-produced by Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios.

J.J. Barea Re-Signs with Dallas Mavericks

J.J. Barea is still a maverick

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player and NBA point guard has agreed to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks on a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum of $2.6 million, according to ESPN.

JJ Barea Dallas Mavericks

With Barea’s return, the Mavericks anticipate entering training camp with 16 players on guaranteed contracts, one over the regular-season roster limit. Dallas plans to have competition for the final roster spots in camp.

Barea has spent 11 of his 14 NBA seasons with the Mavericks, playing a key role on the 2010-11 championship team. He played a limited role last season after returning from a ruptured Achilles, averaging 7.7 points and 3.9 assists in 29 games, but provides valuable leadership in the locker room and has an especially strong relationship with superstar Luka Doncic.

The 5-foot-10 Barea, who first made the Mavs as an undrafted rookie, has career averages of 8.9 points and 3.9 assists per game. He has coaching ambitions after his playing career ends.