By Jan Carlo Anolin

LeBron James caught the attention of everyone in the Staples Center after an electrifying highlight in the third quarter against Houston Rockets Thursday night.

Despite a 121-111 loss, James left a huge impact after slamming a two-handed reverse windmill that left the crowd and even the virtual world thrilled.

Photographer Andrew D. Bernstein captured the moment with James on the center, aligning his jersey along with the retired numbers of former Lakers.

The 35-year-old James took it to social media and shared the same photo on Instagram.

“Win, Lose, or Draw I LOVE being able to play the game I fell in love with as a lil kid growing up back in the projects of Akron Ohio!” the three-time NBA champion captioned.

“So much damn happiness/fun it brings! LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE is the MOTTO,” he added, accompanied with the prayer hand, heart and crown emojis.

View this post on Instagram

Win, Lose, or Draw I LOVE being able to play the game I fell in love with as a lil kid growing up back in the projects of Akron Ohio! So much damn happiness/fun it brings! LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE is the MOTTO. ❤️

A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Feb 6, 2020 at 10:58pm PST

To add more twist, an ESPN report revealed that James seemed to recreate Kobe Bryant’s iconic dunk 19 years ago, November 18, 2001 to be exact, against the Sacramento Kings.

James and Bryant’s dunks both came in the third period, at the same venue and going in the same direction.

A tweet by the Lakers’ account paid homage to both occasions and posted a video that showed alternating clips of the dunks.

“Salute my brother!!” James later on said on another Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

Salute my brother!! ❤️. x. #Mamba4Life #LegendsNeverDie

A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Feb 7, 2020 at 5:32pm PST

NBA players and celebrities were quick to react to the video as the world continues to move on and heal from the death of Kobe, 13-year-daughter Gianna and seven others who perished in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

Did LeBron James replicated the jam on purpose? Was he even aware? Only James can answer that.

The photos https://t.co/7om9eh4SYC pic.twitter.com/ZZQA6sbbVy

— ESPN (@espn) February 8, 2020

WATCH:

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone plans to talk with Greg Slaughter after the 7-foot center made a stunning announcement to take a break from playing basketball.

Cone made this pronouncement a day after Slaughter announced that he hopes to use the lull to improve his game in all aspects. But the Ginebra mentor, currently on vacation, admitted that he’s not fully aware of the situation.

“I am out of town at the moment and I don’t have any news on Greg at this time,” Cone said. “We plan to speak with him and his agent over the next couple of days.”

Slaughter’s decision came as the three-year contract he signed in Oct. 2016 expired following Ginebra’s victory over Meralco in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals last month.

The 31-year-old struggled during the 2019 campaign, averaging 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.86 blocks in 49 games while playing 22.1 minutes.

He was hardly a factor during the recent Finals that saw Ginebra mostly using series Most Valuable Player Japeth Aguilar in the middle.

Slaughter’s decision also raised speculations about a possible trade by Ginebra management.

The former University of the Visayas and Ateneo star was reflective of his time with Ginebra that saw him win four championships and a Best Player of the Conference award in the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup.

He averaged 13.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.9 blocks when he won Best Player honors.

“Six years, four championships, a lifetime of experiences and memories,” Slaughter said through his account gregslaughter. “It’s been a fun ride being with this team. I will forever be proud to have played for Ginebra, a dream of mine that came true when they drafted in 2013.

View this post on Instagram

Six years, four championships, a lifetime of experiences and memories. It’s been a fun ride being with this team. I will forever be proud to have played for Ginebra, a dream of mine that came true when they drafted me in 2013. With that, now that my contract has expired, I’ve decided to take a break to be able to work on myself in all aspects. I may not know what the future holds, but one thing is for sure, the best is yet to come! Thank you first and foremost to SMC and Boss RSA, and the rest of the management, Coach Tim and coaching staff, my teammates, and the entire Ginebra community. To the best fans in the world – I can’t thank you enough for all the support you have shown me throughout the years. I will forever be grateful! #NSD

A post shared by Gregory Slaughter (@gregslaughter) on Feb 8, 2020 at 2:17am PST

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

“Now that my contract has expired, I’ve decided to take a break to be able to work on myself in all aspects. I may not know what the future holds, but one thing is for sure, the best yet to come!

“Thank you first and foremost to (San Miguel Corporation) and Boss RSA (Ramon Ang), and the rest of the management, Coach Tim (Cone) and coaching staff, my teammates, and the entire Ginebra community. To the best fans in the world – I can’t thank you enough for all the support you have shown me throughout the years. I will forever be grateful!”

Source: Manila Bulletin

A new era at Alaska dawns this coming PBA 45th season as the franchise’s emphasis will be on junior guard Jeron Teng and the Aces’ youth brigade.

Team governor Dickie Bachmann said Teng is expected to take a more active role as he begins to inherit the mantle of leadership for the Aces under the first full season of coach Jeff Cariaso.

“The plan is to revolve the team around Jeron (this season). We expect big things from him,” said Bachmann, stressing the Aces are putting premium on youth following the acquisitions they’ve gotten from last conference all the way to the off season.

Veterans Vic Manuel and JVee Casio along with Kevin Racal and the retiring Sonny Thoss will still play a huge part in Alaska’s season campaign beginning with the Philippine Cup.

But it’s Teng who will now be the take-charge guy for one of the most accomplished teams in PBA history.

Teng played huge in the Aces advancing to the quarterfinals of the last Governors Cup where the team began its campaign losing its first five games and the sophomore guard from De La Salle out with an injury.

But when he came back, the Aces won four of their last five outings to make the playoffs, although Teng went down with a knee injury and missed Alaska’s last two games, including a 94-84 loss in the quarterfinals against Meralco.

Teng will have plenty of help from a team that will be parading one of the youngest rosters for the coming season.

During the off season, Alaska signed up rookies Barkley Ebonia, Jaycee Marcelino, and Rey Publico, while acquiring Mike Digregorio from TnT Katropa for Simon Enciso.

Outside of this young core, the Aces had also gotten the services of big man Abu Tratter, Maverick Ahanmisi, and the duo of Robbie Herndon and Rodney Brondial in a spate of trades they did during the season-ending Governors Cup.

Bachmann is thrilled at having two top gunners in Digregorio and Herndon manning the wings for the Aces.

Herndon showed exactly what he can do for the Aces when he tallied 21 points in leading the team to a 115-100 win over Blackwater in their recent tune-up outing at the Gatorade Hoops Center.

Meanwhile, with the 38-year-old Thoss signed up only until the all-Filipino conference, a lot will be expected from Tratter, Brondial and beanpole Yutien Andrada at the post.

And then there’s Manuel, who is coming off an impressive run in the last 30th Southeast Asian Games as part of the Gilas Pilipinas team that won the men’s basketball gold.

With Manuel playing his best basketball and complementing the Aces’ young turks that also includes sophomore Jesper Ayaay, Abel Galliguez, and Gideon Babilonia, Bachmann is optimistic about Alaska’s coming campaign.

“We’ll be competitive,” vowed Bachmann.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Fred VanVleet scored 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter as the Toronto Raptors extended their franchise-best winning streak to 14 games with a 119-118 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Pascal Siakam scored 20 points, including the winning free throw with 22 seconds left for Toronto, who have also won 10 consecutive home games.

The Raptors squandered an 18-point second-half lead, allowing the visiting Nets to tie Saturday’s game 118-118 with 35 seconds left before Siakam drained the go-ahead free throw.

Terence Davis tallied 20 points, Matt Thomas had a career-best 15 and Serge Ibaka scored 12 in the win.

Caris LeVert had 37 points for Brooklyn, Spencer Dinwiddie delivered 21 points and 11 assists, DeAndre Jordan had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets, who have won five of their last seven games.

Toronto has won the first three meetings between the teams this season.

The Raptors won despite playing without all-star guard Kyle Lowry, who missed the contest with a whiplash injury.

“At this point, I think we’re experienced enough in that realm, unfortunately,” VanVleet said of winning without Lowry. “We’ve had a ton of guys out this year. We don’t really think about it.”

The Raptors had an 18-point lead during the third quarter and led by 12 entering the fourth.

VanVleet’s jump shot stretched the lead to six, but the Nets answered with four points to cut the lead to two.

Another jump shot by LeVert tied the game 118-118 before Siakam made one of two free throws. LeVert and Harris missed shots to end the game.

Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo flirted with a triple double and Brook Lopez finished with 23 points as the Milwaukee Bucks completed a four-game season sweep of the Orlando Magic with a 111-95 victory.

The reigning league MVP Antetokounmpo finished one assist shy of the triple double as he delivered 18 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists for Milwaukee, who have won 13 of their last 14 contests.

Antetokounmpo saw his streak of at least 30 points, 16 rebounds and six assists come to a halt.

Khris Middleton scored 21 points and 13 rebounds while Eric Bledsoe and Wesley Matthews also scored in double digits for Milwaukee, netting 18 and 12 points, respectively.

Nikola Vucevic collected 21 points and 14 rebounds for his team-leading 26th double-double for the Magic, who lost their eighth game in their last nine.

Milwaukee began the third quarter on a 9-0 run to stretch their lead to 72-46. Orlando made a short-lived comeback to halve that deficit entering the fourth quarter, but the Bucks were in control the rest of the way.

“We have to keep playing good basketball,” Antetokounmpo said. “We were up 27 and they came back, cut the lead to 11. We just try to take it quarter by quarter.”

Also, Anthony Davis made three clutch free throws late in the game as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers held off the hapless Golden State Warriors 125-120.

Davis shot nine-for-13 at the line and finished with a team-high 27 points.

Avery Bradley nailed five baskets from beyond the arc en route to 21 points, and LeBron James finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists as the Lakers won for the ninth time in their last 11 road games.

Andrew Wiggins, one of four players making their debut with the Warriors, had 24 points, and Marquese Chriss scored a season-high 26 for the Warriors, who lost at home for the eighth time in their last nine games.

Also, the Minnesota Timberwolves got 24 points from Jordan McLaughlin and 23 from Malik Beasley to snap a 13-game losing streak with a 142-115 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Latvia’s 41st-ranked Anastasija Sevastova handed Serena Williams a shock first Fed Cup singles loss Saturday to level the qualifying tie against the USA 2-2 in Seattle.

Sevastova won 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) to end Williams’ perfect Fed Cup record at 14 matches.

The tie will be decided by the doubles late on Saturday night with the winners qualifying for the Fed Cup Finals in Budapest from April 14-19.

“We were playing in the USA so obviously the crowd was going to be for Serena. I just tried to give it my best,” Sevastova said of her win at the Angel of the Wings arena.

Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, bounced back from losing the first set by cruising through the second set in 33 minutes, but she was outplayed on the big points for a second tiebreak in the decider.

Sevastova used her powerful serve to deliver aces at key moments, and a precision forehand kept Williams on the move as the American ran out gas in the final moments of the 2hr 25min marathon.

Williams looked fatigued in her first Fed Cup singles match in four years. She had played doubles with sister Venus in her last tournament appearance in 2018.

Williams’ loss to Sevastova comes just weeks after she was shocked in the Australian Open last 32 by China’s world number 27 Wang Qiang.

Kenin beaten

Earlier, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko had kept Latvia alive with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 win over new Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in just under two hours.

The Americans went into the second day with a 2-0 lead after Kenin on Friday defeated Sevastova and Williams beat Ostapenko to take extend the American great’s Fed Cup singles record to 14-0.

“Honestly it’s very special to play for my country and I was just trying my best,” said Ostapenko, who raced to a 3-0 lead against Kenin and broke her again in the eighth game on the way to winning the first set.

“I was fighting until the last point,” she said. “I knew it was going to be a very tough match and the key thing for me was just to play aggressive.”

That approach may have contributed to her 49 unforced errors. Kenin made the most of them in the second set, fending off a break point in the first game then pulling away to take a 4-0 lead on the way to forcing a third set.

In a third set that featured six breaks of serve, Ostapenko held for 3-1 and, finally, held in the last game, sealing it on her second match point.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

US President Donald Trump has tweeted that disgraced former Major League Baseball star Pete Rose should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rose, who is MLB’s all-time hits leader, was permanently banned from American baseball in 1989 for gambling on games as a manager for the Cincinnati Reds.

“Pete Rose played Major League Baseball for 24 seasons, from 1963-1986, and had more hits, 4,256, than any other player (by a wide margin). He gambled, but only on his own team winning, and paid a decades long price. GET PETE ROSE INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME. It’s Time!” Trump tweeted Saturday.

Pete Rose played Major League Baseball for 24 seasons, from 1963-1986, and had more hits, 4,256, than any other player (by a wide margin). He gambled, but only on his own team winning, and paid a decades long price. GET PETE ROSE INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME. It’s Time!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2020

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Last week Rose petitioned Commissioner Rob Manfred to make him eligible for the Hall of Fame, citing the new cheating scandal that has engulfed the Houston Astros.

Rose argued his ban should be lifted because Manfred decided not to punish other players accused of violating rules.

“There cannot be one set of rules for Mr. Rose and another for everyone else,” the petition reads. “No objective standard or categorization of the rules violations committed by Mr. Rose can distinguish his violations from those that have incurred substantially less severe penalties from Major League Baseball.”

Ex-commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti banned Rose after an investigation showed that Rose had illegally bet with bookmakers on MLB games, including on the Reds.

Rose signed an agreement in 1989 accepting an indefinite suspension from baseball, though he did not admit to violating MLB’s Rule 21, which prohibits players from betting on games.

Rose denied for 15 years that he had bet on baseball. But in 2004, Rose admitted in a book, “My Prison Without Bars,” that in the 1980s he had wagered on the game.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

The Los Angeles Clippers waived veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas on Saturday, two days after acquiring him in a trade.

Thomas, who turned 31 on Friday, averaged 12.2 points and 3.7 assists in 40 games this season with the Washington Wizards.

The two-time All-Star has career averages of 18.1 points and 5.0 assists in 525 games with the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Wizards.

Thomas joined the Clippers at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline in a three-team deal with the Wizards and New York Knicks.

It was the fourth time he was traded in the past five years.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is prepared to pay the price after making his anger with officials plain in the wake of a 117-114 NBA loss to the Utah Jazz.

Lillard and the Trail Blazers were furious on Friday night after game officials missed a goaltending violation call — an error that cost Portland a chance to tie the game in the final seconds.

With 19.5 seconds remaining in the game in Salt Lake City, Utah’s Donovan Mitchell scored a go-ahead layup.

Lillard tried to answer with a layup at the other end, but Rudy Gobert blocked the shot with 11.2 seconds left.

But Gobert blocked the shot off the glass in what should have been called illegal goaltending.

“It’s an easy call,” Lillard said after the game. “Three referees out there and they don’t call that.”

He was even more incensed after officials confirmed to a pool reporter that they blew it.

“I don’t want to see no report about ‘Oh we should’ve called it,’ or none of that,” Lillard said.

Damian Lillard was furious after the no-call toward the end of the Blazers’ loss. pic.twitter.com/KHrr6AZhgd

— ESPN (@espn) February 8, 2020

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The defeat could be key for a Portland team chasing the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West — with the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans breathing down their necks.

“We’re in the playoff race and we need every game we can get,” Lillard said. “And then you want us to walk away and say nothing? Cost us the game, of course we’re going to have something to say about it. That’s BS.”

We don’t wana hear this punk Ass shit. https://t.co/nuG56kaHbR

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) February 8, 2020

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Lillard also took his complaints to Twitter and when one Twitter user noted he can expect a fine from the NBA — which bars public criticism of game officials — his answer was succinct.

“Plenty money,” tweeted Lillard, whose salary is almost $30 million this season.

Plenty money https://t.co/8F9sGrfVQp

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) February 8, 2020

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Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game Sunday
(Sta. Rosa, Laguna)
7:30 p.m. — Alab Pilipinas vs Saigon

San Miguel Alab Pilipinas hopes to atone for its disappointing midweek loss on the road when it plays host to the lowly Saigon Heat in the ASEAN Basketball League at the City of Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex in Laguna.

Alab, currently in third place at 8-5, takes on the Vietnamese side at 7:30 p.m. as it tries to bounce back following a 91-63 defeat to the Kuala Lumpur Dragons last Wednesday in Malaysia.

The defeat continued a trend of inconsistency for coach Jimmy Alapag’s squad which had gone 4-4 since starting winning four of its first five games.

Alapag and company are eager to get things back on track as they try to keep within striking distance of league-leader Mono Vampire (10-4) and the second-running Taipei Fubon Braves (9-5).

Imports Nick King, Prince Williams and Sam Deguara and top locals Jason Brickman and Jeremiah Gray are out to redeem themselves after the anemic performance that resulted in Alab’s second-worst loss of the season.

They face the Heat, who are in the bottom of the 10-team field with a 3-9 record. Despite that, Alab is not taking the Ho Chi Minh City outfit for granted.

Saigon is coming off a 79-72 road victory over Kuala Lumpur behind 21 points and 11 rebounds from former PBA import Malcolm White and 18 points and 10 rebounds from Tyshawn Taylor.

A notable part of the Heat’s roster is Chris Dierker, who helped Vietnam win bronze in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Greg Slaughter on Saturday fueled speculations about his future after announcing on his decision to take a break after playing six seasons with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

The 7-foot center made the announcement through social media where he reflected on the good times with the team that drafted him first overall in 2013 while intending to use his time away to improve his game.

“Six years, four championships, a lifetime of experiences and memories,” Slaughter said through his Instagram account gregslaughter. “It’s been a fun ride being with this team. I will forever be proud to have played for Ginebra, a dream of mine that came true when they drafted in 2013.”

Slaughter’s announcement came at the time when the three-year contract he signed in 2016 expired after Ginebra beat Meralco in five games to capture the PBA Governors’ Cup crown.

“Now that my contract has expired, I’ve decided to take a break to be able to work on myself in all aspects,” he said, while acknowledging the uncertain future.

“I may not know what the future holds, but one thing is for sure, the best yet to come!” he added.

View this post on Instagram

Six years, four championships, a lifetime of experiences and memories. It’s been a fun ride being with this team. I will forever be proud to have played for Ginebra, a dream of mine that came true when they drafted me in 2013. With that, now that my contract has expired, I’ve decided to take a break to be able to work on myself in all aspects. I may not know what the future holds, but one thing is for sure, the best is yet to come! Thank you first and foremost to SMC and Boss RSA, and the rest of the management, Coach Tim and coaching staff, my teammates, and the entire Ginebra community. To the best fans in the world – I can’t thank you enough for all the support you have shown me throughout the years. I will forever be grateful! #NSD

A post shared by Gregory Slaughter (@gregslaughter) on Feb 8, 2020 at 2:17am PST

Rumors have been swirling that Slaughter could be on the move, especially after struggling for most of the season that saw him average 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.86 blocks in 49 games.

It was a far cry from his season average of 19.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 2015-16 and 13.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.9 blocks during the 2017 Governors’ Cup, the same conference that saw him win the Best Player of the Conference award.

Slaughter played an average of 22.1 minutes this season, his exposure dipping to 18.8 in the Governors’ Cup. He

Ginebra coach Tim Cone and team manager Reyboy Rodriguez were unavailable to comment if there were discussions with Slaughter prior to his social media post.

Source: Manila Bulletin