If ever there was a story that was very Kobe-like, then the tale of how his game at the Drew League came to be is definitely it. If you aren’t up on your summer league scheduling, the Drew League finished recently with a championship. Kobe’s people called just before the title game was about to be played, saying he wanted in, or wanted the chance to play. Of course, no league is going to throw him in for the championship. That’s just wrong. So instead, they adopted the idea of a celebrity/All-Star/random game for Kobe. Bryant called them back a few days later and said he wanted to play at 2 o’clock on Tuesday, and it had to be in the specific gym. The Drew League commish told him they don’t play at those times, but decided to try it anyways. Naturally, Kobe basically made the league create a random game for him to play in, and then choose the time and day when it would take place. And he did all of this because he wanted to shut down the same gym that LeBron and Durant had created a buzz in earlier this summer … It was also reported that Kobe had signed a deal with the Chinese team, Shanxi Zhongyu, for next season. But not long after that hit the net, the truth came down from the Chinese Basketball Association, saying they will block NBA players under contract from playing there … Was that Georgetown/Bayi Rockets brawl one of the worst ones you’ve ever seen? It was almost scary violent … In somewhat of a surprise, Kevin Durant is the best finisher at the rim in the league. The Thunder All-Star made a league-high 77 percent of his shots at the rim last year, which is even higher than Dwight Howard. Rounding out the top five were Kevin Garnett, Al Horford and Wilson Chandler. It has to be that Pteranodon-like wingspan. People don’t understand what a benefit it is to have really long arms and huge hands on the basketball court … Sorry Toronto fans, but if any of you want the squad to eventually pick Baylor’s Perry Jones, you might want to think otherwise. Jones told a reporter he would be upset if the Raptors drafted him because he doesn’t like going through customs. We can’t tell if he’s being serious or if he’s joking … Rumors about NBA 2K12 are leaking, including one that the 1993 Charlotte Hornets will be included, as well as the 2002 Sacramento Kings as a bonus for pre-orders. Will they have the ’93 Charlotte court as well? The Beehive. One of our favorites. We are definitely editing Muggsy Bogues and giving him a 100 dunk rating … One cool thing about the lockout is that it has allowed Chase Budinger to fulfill his destiny as one of the world’s greatest volleyball players. Well, maybe not the greatest, but at least a pretty good one. He will be playing this weekend at the Corona Light Wide Open beach tournament in Hermosa Beach. If you’ve never been to a volleyball game, you’re missing out. The appeal of the women’s game is obvious, but with the men, some of those dudes can really fly. With the way he can jump, Chase used to make it all look stupid in high school … And Jalen Rose was released from prison after serving 16 days for a DUI. The best part about it is the dude was tweeting from jail…or at least someone was updating his Twitter page. Imagine what the other inmates must’ve been thinking while they watched … We’re out like Jones in Canada.
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