LeBron James marries girlfriend in San Diego LeBron James wanted his wedding day to be perfect and private. It appears he got both. With guests dining on a five-course dinner, prefaced by plenty of appetizers and all done under incredibly tight security, the Miami Heat star married his longtime partner Savannah Brinson on Saturday night at a posh resort in San Diego. Guests had their phones taken away for the ceremony and reception in an effort to ensure that no photos or details leaked out. "A first-class affair," said one of the guests, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the couple had yet to reveal any details of the event themselves. "Ceremony was short and sweet." Many members of the Heat organization were there, including Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, managing general partner Micky Arison and coach Erik Spoelstra. Wade and girlfriend Gabrielle Union posted images of themselves dressed for the occasion on social media, as did Bosh and his wife Adrienne. Some of James' longtime friends were also in attendance, including his manager Maverick Carter. One guest not in attendance was UFC fighter Chael Sonnen "What a wonderful evening!!" Adrienne Bosh wrote on Twitter. "Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. James...Thanks for sharing Ur night & love with us" The ceremony was the obvious highlight of a three-day wedding weekend for the couple, who were high school sweethearts and are the parents of two sons. They were engaged just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2012, when James dropped to a knee and surprised his longtime girlfriend by finally popping the question as many of their close friends were gathered around. James told AP last year that he and Brinson decided not to rush plans for their wedding, especially since last summer was hectic for him basketball-wise -- James played for the U.S. in the London Olympics, helping the Americans win a gold medal, and also was involved in the wedding for one of his longtime close friends. So the date was set for this offseason, and even after a 21-month engagement, very few details leaked out -- including why the wedding was taking place in San Diego, especially since the couple still considers Akron, Ohio as home and have essentially been based in Miami for three years now. Also unclear: If the couple would be using social media to make any statement about the wedding -- James has more than 14 million fans on Facebook, and nearly 10 million followers on Twitter. The measures to ensure privacy were hardly a surprise. In an interview with AP last spring, Brinson acknowledged that she's leery of media coverage, since she hasn't always found it to be fair or factual. "I've heard things about me that are bad, where they've literally looked up into the sky and said, `What can they say about Savannah?,'" Brinson told AP in April. "It's going to happen." Television stations in San Diego showed aerial images of the hotel, including large tents set up for both the reception and to shroud the arrival of guests. In some cases, umbrellas were even used to protect the identity of wedding-arrivers from prying eyes in the sky, and people who tried to gain access to the hotel just to get a better look were quickly ushered away and told only that a private event was taking place. Even some local vendors in the San Diego area thought they had a role in the wedding -- though were not themselves actually sure if that was the case. The Village Mill Bread Company -- located about 3 miles from the wedding site -- told Fox affiliate KSWB that someone ordered 500 loaves of Brioche from them to be delivered Saturday, but would not confirm that they were heading to the James-Brinson nuptials. James is a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and he will be back in Miami later this month to resume preparing for training camp. James is scheduled to address reporters when the Heat hold their annual media day on Sept. 30, and the first practice of the new season is scheduled for Oct. 1.
Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, a passionate basketball fan, believes LeBron James would be a "beast" in the NFL if the reigning NBA MVP made a Michael Jordan-esque midcareer decision to switch sports.  We continue our series on pro athletes who dare to switch sports after we recently spotted another NBA all-star Steve Nash trying out for soccer. Asked a hypothetical question about James' potential if he opted to focus on football, Dez Bryant enthusiastically discussed why he thinks the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Miami Heat star could be an impact player as an NFL tight end or receiver. "That dude is just that talented," said Bryant, who is coming off a breakout season of 92 catches for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. "I think it would take him probably about a good two weeks to get very acquainted with football, knowing what he's supposed to do. I think that's all he'd need with his physical ability. "I've seen a little bit of his highlights from high school. He's got the hands, he can run the routes, he's fast enough. He could play in this league if he put it all together." James, who calls himself a die-hard Cowboys fan, starred as a receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary's in Akron, Ohio, before giving up the sport as a high school senior. That seems to have been a wise decision, considering that the 28-year-old James has four regular-season MVPs and two NBA Finals MVPs as he nears the middle of his prime. But Bryant sees James' combination of height, power, hands, speed and leaping ability and sees a potentially major problem for NFL defenses, especially in the end zone. "All he'd need to do is probably work on a little technique," Bryant said. "It's not like he's never played football before. He has played football. I think he'd be a beast in the red zone. I think he could do it. I think he could do it, seriously." In terms of the NBA, the Cowboys had another star at camp Thursday. Los Angeles Clippers point Chris Paul visited Cowboys camp and called it "one of the highlights of my life ..." Paul is a die-hard fan who actually seems proud of the fact that he slept on Cowboys sheets while in college at Wake Forest. "I'm like a little kid," Paul told reporters at the end of practice. "I've done a lot of good things in my career, but this is one of the highlights of my life. These guys probably have no clue what it means to me. I used to act like I was Ken Norton in the backyard playing middle linebacker."
It is certainly wacky for a pro athlete in one sport to try to play another professional sport. But it has happened a few rare times in history (Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, etc.)  Steve Nash can handle a ball with his hands or feet. The Los Angeles Lakers guard had a ‘try out’ with elite Italian soccer team Inter Milan Tuesday in New Jersey as the team prepared for the first ever Guinness International Champions Cup. The nine-day bracket-format tournament starts Wednesday in several U.S. cities and also features other top international teams including AC Milan, Chelsea FC, Everton, Juventus, LA Galaxy, Real Madrid and Valencia.
This story brings back all of the other great Athletes who tries to play more than one Sport. Michael Jordan playing Baseball or who can forget Bo Jackson playing 3 Sports?
“[The tryout] was kind of tongue-in-cheek,” Nash told For The Win. “The coach
was kind enough to let me get out there for a bit. They’re preparing for the season
and the Guinness Cup. It’s not ideal preparation to have a stranger walk on the
Sfield. They were really gracious and gave me the time of my life.”
Fortunately for Lakers fans, Steve Nash didn’t make the cut.
Nash, a part-owner of the MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps, also sponsors an
annual charity soccer game in June to raise money for underprivileged children.
Between those experiences and his practice with Inter Milan, he seems to be in
awe of the elite players he’s scrimmaged with.
“Their level of skill, athleticism, understanding of the game and speed of
thought and ability is incredibly honed and phenomenal to experience,” Nash
said.
The same could be said about the two-time NBA MVP on a basketball court,
although he hasn’t had much time on one this summer, spending most of his off
months rehabbing from an array of hamstring, hip and back injuries that plagued
him at the end of last season.
“I’m not 100 percent but I’m getting really close and getting better all the
time,” Nash said. ”I’ve done a lot of work and feeling positive and
optimistic.”
He’ll return to a Lakers team that no longer has Dwight Howard and faces
injury questions with fellow aging stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. The
39-year-old Nash, who has two seasons remaining on his contract with the team,
seems to realize his window to win his first NBA title is closing.
“I definitely want to win a championship but it’s not going to define my
career,” Nash said. “If I get the opportunity that’ll be fantastic and it’s part
of the motivation to keep playing, but I also feel like there’s a lot of other
reward in playing. I still enjoy being a teammate and competing against
the best players in the world.”
Former Major League outfielder and DH Danny Tartabull earned nearly $33 million over the course of a 14-year professional career but is now LA's Most Wanted for not paying child support. So how much does he owe? Keep reading...  Danny Tartabull's appearance on Seinfeld Show This is not a joke: Ex-MLB outfielder Danny Tartabull, who once had a memorable appearance on 'Seinfeld', currently is one of the top deadbeat dads in LA, owing more than a quarter of a million.
Former Major League outfielder and DH Danny Tartabull earned nearly $33 million over the course of a 14-year professional career, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
And according to the L.A. County Child Support Services Department, Tartabull, who last played with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997, owes about a quarter-million dollars in unpaid child support for his two sons, making him the most wanted deadbeat dad in Los Angeles.
Tartabull’s oldest son, Zach, was a two-star wide receiver recruit in the
class of 2010 and is now a model. His younger son, Quentin, is a three-star
defensive back recruit in the class of 2014 and has verbally committed to
Cal.
Per the poster below, Tartabull entered a no contest plea on Jan. 24, 2011,
to a violation of Penal Code Section 166(a)(4), which is "willful disobedience
of the terms as written of any process or court order or out-of-state court
order, lawfully issued by a court, including orders pending trial."
Tartabull then failed to meet the terms of his probation and didn’t show up
to serve a 180-day jail sentence last year. There has been a warrant out for his
arrest since May 2, 2012.
The $276,204.93 Tartabull owes in child support payments represents less than one percent of the 1991 All-Star's career earnings, so one would think his delinquency is a matter of laziness or indifference, not lack of funds. But then again, this wouldn’t be the first time a professional athlete burned through an absurd amount of money, either. So will Danny Tartabull pay what he owes in child support? Don't bet on it! Or maybe he’s just waiting on his latest Seinfeld and Married With Children royalty checks to cash.
|
RSS Feed