There were no NBA games last night as we all take a breather before the playoffs start Saturday. That doesn’t mean the NBA universe was dormant though as front offices made moves and social media buzzed …
Remember when Jay-Z dropped a fired up “Open Letter” last week to address things that were pissing him off, including the attention he was getting for selling his stake in the Brooklyn Nets in order to become a sports agent? Yesterday afternoon he took a more even-keeled approach with the image you see above and the following post on his Life + Times platform to talk about his move and his relationship with the franchise:
Being a member of the Nets organization surpassed some of my greatest ambitions. It was never about an investment; it was about the NETS and Brooklyn. My job as an owner is over but as a fan it has just begun. I’m a Brooklyn Net forever. It’s been an honor to work with Mikhail Prokhorov, Dmitry Razumov, Christophe Charlier, ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment, Brett Yormark and all the wonderful people involved in making the Nets first class. My sincerest thanks goes to Bruce Ratner, who first introduced the idea of moving the Nets to Brooklyn. A thank you and deepest appreciation goes to the fans. You are the lifeblood of any team.
The Nets have made their mark on the NBA and as they enter a new era, Roc Nation does as well; as we embark on Roc Nation Sports. Our newest endeavor is committed to building the brands of professional athletes as we have done for some of today’s top music artists. For Roc Nation Sports to function at its full potential, NBA rules stipulate that I relinquish my ownership in the Brooklyn Nets. It was a tough decision but as I stated earlier, it’s not about ownership. Congratulations to The Nets on a great season and making the playoffs! I will always be a Brooklyn Net.
And this is how the Nets are getting ready for their Saturday night game against the Bulls in BK, calling for “all black everything”:
Last week we previewed the highly-anticipated release of the Reebok Shaq Attaq (check out pics and release info). Reebok reminded us that they drop tomorrow:
Jump to the next page for Skylar Diggins’ tribute to Kobe Bryant…
We’ve shown you what Skylar Diggins looks like in her new Tulsa uniform (it’s very good). It looks like she’s zeroing in on a number:
NBA coaches were sent packing left and right yesterday. First there was Byron Scott, allegedly now looking for work in part because he wasn’t best buddies with his star player.
Then Lawrence Frank was shown the door, at least partially a victim of a rotten roster. We’ll let dimemag.com commenter north sum it up:
We’d like to count the Sixers’ Doug Collins as one of the coaching casualties from yesterday, but in his sign off press conference, he admitted that he knew he back in December that he’d stop coaching the team once the season ended. Awesome, Doug.
There was a Kwame Brown sighting at the press conference:
Long time Dime Family member Austin Burton had some thoughts on T-Mac‘s signing with the Spurs:
Jump to the next page for the NBA’s tribute to Kevin Durant and the League’s top performers…
Last night the NBA released a handful of graphics on Instagram to celebrate this season’s top performers. First up, here’s one for Kevin Durant‘s place in the “50-40-90” club (click for a larger view):
Points:
Boards:
Dimes:
The New Orleans Pelicans have officially arrived:
Jump to the next page for latest from Nate Robinson’s Instagram game and Rip Hamilton’s outrageous sneaker collection…
From Nate Robinson on Instagram last night:
Yesterday Rip Hamilton gave you a look at his serious sneaker collection … but nothing like this pic from Thursday:
And finally, Amar’e Stoudemire was hanging out with our friend Stalley yesterday:
We’re out like Lawrence Frank.
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