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☆ How rising-star athletes balance sports and content creation, even as the tech implosion disrupts lucrative brand deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Elaine Low | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Social media, content creation, and lucrative branding deals offer a new path to fame and fortune. Top agents and managers working with athletes on content said it can be tricky to balance with training. Chasing content deals can be a distraction from the sport, and the industry-wide layoffs across tech companies from Twitter to Meta to Amazon mean that opportunities for influencer revenue are facing a slowdown. Fresno State basketball stars Haley and Hanna Cavinder, for instance, have a number of lucrative brand deals under their belts. A lot more athletes may not get deals if they don't have content creation, social media followings, or brand building."

☆ NBA roundup: Kings spoil Mavs' Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Kevin Huerter scored all 15 of his points in the second half, Trey Lyles added 14 points and Harrison Barnes had 13 for the Kings. Mikal Bridges scored 23 points in his Nets debut after being obtained from the Phoenix Suns on Thursday for Kevin Durant. The Hornets' losing streak reached seven games despite LaMelo Ball coming within a rebound of a triple-double. Jokic, who pulled in seven offensive rebounds, scored 40 points in a mid-December home victory against the Hornets. DeMar DeRozan followed with 16 points, and Nikola Vucevic notched a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds.

☆ NBA roundup: Bucks win ninth straight as Lakers rest LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Khris Middleton scored 22 points off the Milwaukee bench, and Jrue Holiday finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and 17 rebounds and DeMar DeRozan finished with 14 points. Cole Anthony and Bol Bol scored 17 apiece as the Magic won for the third time in four games. Hawks 116, Suns 107Trae Young collected 36 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds to fuel host Atlanta to victory over short-handed Phoenix. Ish Wainright scored 17 points and Chris Paul added 15 points and eight assists for the Suns, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.

☆ LeBron James Breaks the NBA’s All-Time Scoring Record
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Robert O'Connell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The last time the NBA’s all-time scoring record changed hands was a little less than four decades ago, when Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar slung a skyhook over the Utah Jazz. Abdul-Jabbar’s 17th point of the night gave him the 31,421st of his career, moving him two past Wilt Chamberlain. On Tuesday night in Los Angeles, with his 36th point against the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James tallied the 38,388th of his own career and edged past Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s new scoring king. The historic bucket came on a step-back jump shot near the end of the third quarter as Abdul-Jabbar looked on. James raised his arms in celebration, and his family joined him on the floor for a mid-game ceremony alongside Abdul-Jabbar and NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

☆ LeBron James Fans Spent Big to See Him Make History on Thursday. They Picked the Wrong Game.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

John Larson lives in Utah, but he really wanted to be in Los Angeles to watch LeBron James make history. Mr. Larson, 54 years old, and his 24-year-old son, Adam, had studied Mr. James’s stats and took a gamble that this week the NBA star would break the league’s all-time scoring record.

[1/7] Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Former Los Angeles Lakers player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hands the game ball to forward LeBron James (6) after James becomes the NBA all time scoring leader against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. /Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY SportsFeb 7 (Reuters) - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer on Tuesday, setting the new mark with a fadeaway jumpshot late in the third quarter of a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Lakers great Abdul-Jabbar, who took the title from Wilt Chamberlain with his signature skyhook on April 5, 1984, sat courtside at Tuesday's game. "I just want to say thank you to the Laker faithful, you guys are one of a kind," James said. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The 'Chosen One' fulfils destiny as James claims scoring record
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/3] Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) celebrates after breaking the all-time scoring record in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. For almost four decades fellow Lakers great Abdul-Jabbar had owned the mark and watched as James climbed the scoring table. The Chosen One, now widely referred to as "King James," finished the night with 38 points, bringing his career total to 38,390. The scoring record adds new fuel to the debate over who is the greatest basketball player ever, James or Jordan. "Me personally, I'm going to take myself against anybody that has ever played this game," said James after setting the record.

☆ LeBron reignites 'GOAT' debate after breaking NBA scoring record
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I know what I bring to the table every single night and what I can do out on this floor. "I always say Michael Jordan is the GOAT. Former NBA coach George Karl, whose teams went up against both Jordan and James, also weighed into the GOAT debate last month. Karl suggested Jordan would have been even more dominant in today's game amid a league-wide trend in favour of offense. "Anyone who is debating Michael's GOAT status doesn't realize he would average a 40 PPG triple double in the modern game!"

☆ NBA roundup: Thunder spoil LeBron James' record night
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) moves the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and dished out eight assists for the Thunder, while Jalen Williams added 25 points. He became the first player in franchise history with three straight 40-point games and scored 13 of his points in the fourth. Dejounte Murray had 19, Trae Young had 16 points and 16 assists, John Collins scored 15 points and Clint Capela added 13. Jackson led the charge with support from Ja Morant, who finished with a game-high 34 points, and Brandon Clarke, who came off the bench for 13 points.

☆ LeBron rewrites playbook on athlete activism on way to the top
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

He said other players would approach him during his years in the league to discuss his activism - quietly. James became a leading voice in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The four-times MVP took aim at Republican then-President Donald Trump in 2018, saying Trump had emboldened racists in the United States. In response to his criticism of Trump, Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham told him to "shut up and dribble". "He kind of maintained as broad of a consensus appeal, not only because of his activism, but also because of the way he's kind of done marketing and business and commercialization," said Hartmann.

James is 36 points away from surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career record of 38,387 and his complete game reminds Dumars of 20-times major tennis champion Roger Federer. "I've seen people try to make him shoot his outside jump shot, and he's made them. He is averaging 30 points per game and was selected to his record-tying 19th All-Star game last month. "It's going to be maybe 22, 23, 24 years that you have to play at a super high level. "I know in the NBA we've never seen that before."

☆ Abdul-Jabbar blames himself for lack of relationship with James
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reflected on the complicated relationship he has with LeBron James a day after sitting courtside to watch the Los Angeles Lakers forward break the NBA career scoring record he set nearly 40 years ago. Not for anything I did, but perhaps for not making more of an effort to reach out to him," Abdul-Jabbar wrote in a Substack blog post on Wednesday. "When he started to make a name for himself, I was already pretty removed from the NBA world," wrote the 75-year-old Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar also said he is happy that James broke his record. His winning in no way affects my winning," Abdul-Jabbar wrote.

☆ Why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is 'thrilled' LeBron James broke his NBA scoring record: 'His winning in no way affects my winning'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The NBA world came to a halt on Tuesday night to honor LeBron James when he became the league's all time leading scorer. On hand in Los Angeles to witness the occasion was NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had held the title for 39 years since dethroning then-champ Wilt Chamberlain in 1984. Abdul-Jabbar, himself a former Los Angeles Laker, walked onto the court to present James with a commemorative basketball after the 38-year-old scored the 38,388th point of his 20-year career. While fans on social media speculated that Abdul-Jabbar was unhappy seeing his record being broken, the 75-year-old on Wednesday said that he was "thrilled" to see James become the new No.

☆ The Many Ways LeBron James Can Score
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

career scoring record of 38,387 points. teams shoot nearly twice as many 3-pointers as they did when James began his career in 2003. James, in a testament to adaptability, dethroned Abdul-Jabbar by scoring in all kinds of ways and learning new skills as the game changed around him. Photographs by Bedel Saget/The New York Times “His longevity is just remarkable. This playing style earned Olajuwon the 12th spot on the N.B.A.’s career scoring list.

☆ Factbox: Profile of all-time top scorer LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Factbox on LeBron James, who became the NBA's all-time leading scorer on Tuesday. * Averages 20.9 points a game in his debut season to become the first Cavaliers player to win the Rookie of the Year award. * The following year he takes his revenge on the Spurs in the final as the Heat win back-to-back titles. * The Lakers win the 2020 championship title - their first since 2010. * In January 2023, two weeks after his 38th birthday, James becomes only the second player to score 38,000 career points.

Someone who's able to play for this long and be as productive as he's been since day one. "Everybody is excited for him, but we're still trying to win games and hopefully we do that the same night he breaks the record." The Lakers are 25-29 and 13th in the Western Conference standings but just four games off the number four seed. "At the end of the day he's not going to change the way he plays, he just wants to win games," Reaves said. "His biggest thing is to win games."

No one thought LeBron James would overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the N.B.A.’s career scoring leader when he came to the league as an 18-year-old. The line for LeBron James is just past the 38,387 points scored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Table showing the scoring totals for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lebron James, broken down by type of shot. Career points by age for top 250 scorers Line chart showing career points for the top 250 scorers in N.B.A. The line for LeBron James is just past the 38,387 points scored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

☆ History With a Headache for LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

These are strange days for the NBA, a thriving podcast content farm with a sturdy side business of playing organized basketball games. On Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks traded with Brooklyn for the point guard/chaos agent Kyrie Irving, eager to pair him with their young superstar, Luka Doncic, and see if he lifts the franchise, or hilariously steers it to the brink of avoidable self-destruction. More likely, he does a little of both.

James needs 36 points to eclipse Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 points and will get his first chance to do so at home on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tickets for that game start at $284, 50% higher than the team's season average, according to ticket retailer StubHub. "This might be one of those things that helps endear him to L.A.," said longtime Lakers fan Mike DeMars. "For me it's hard to compare different eras because the game was different back in the 80s and 90s," said Ellis. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LOS ANGELES, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Lakers forward LeBron James returns to Los Angeles on the verge of becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer after wrapping up a five-game road trip in New Orleans on Saturday night. 'King James' now needs just 36 points to pass fellow Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record 38,387 career points after contributing 27 points in the Lakers' 131-126 loss to the Pelicans. Ticket prices for those games have predictably skyrocketed and Hollywood's biggest stars are expected to be seated courtside. At this point the only question is what kind of shot he will take to seize the a title. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brooklyn's Kyrie Irving is going to the Dallas Mavericks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets agreed Sunday on a blockbuster trade: Irving — the super-talented and often-enigmatic eight-time All-Star point guard — heads to Dallas, ending the pairing with Kevin Durant that never really had a chance to click. It was not immediately clear when Irving would make his debut with Dallas. And I think for Dallas, they got a big-time star to go with the one they've got." The trade does again pair Irving with Dallas general manager Nico Harrison, who was a Nike executive before taking over the Mavericks in 2021. After the Nets lost to Dallas at home in overtime in October, Irving said he saw traits of the Mavericks being "a great team."

☆ NBA roundup: Giannis' triple-double sparks Bucks to 7th straight win
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Khris Middleton scored 24 points off the bench for the Bucks, who won their seventh straight game. Tyler Herro added 24 points despite shooting just 2 of 8 from 3-point range, and Bam Adebayo recorded a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jalen Brunson scored 41 points, three shy of his career high, while Julius Randle posted 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks. De'Andre Hunter scored 20 points and Clint Capela had 12 points and 11 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan collected 27 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, and Nikola Vucevic had 23 points and 11 rebounds.

☆ Why the ‘Crypto Bowl’ won’t be back this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Super Bowl LVI was the crypto world’s coming out party. You can expect a lot less noise from Team Crypto during Super Bowl LVII next Sunday. Of the four crypto or crypto-affiliated companies that advertised in the Super Bowl last year, one (FTX) has collapsed completely. “Crypto firms are focusing less on crypto advertising and more on investing in better user experiences, products, and customer service,” Lacayo added. Its Super Bowl ads featured Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen.

☆ Tomahawk dunk? Step-back three? Skyhook? LeBron has options for breaking record
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Rory Carroll | Thomson Reuters | Los Angeles-Based Sports Reporter Who Interviews The Most Impactful Athletes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But James' shot-making skills have expanded over the years and he has a full arsenal at his disposal to deliver a historic highlight. "Over the course of my career I've just got better with every facet of my game," James told ESPN in a recent interview. Tomahawks, windmills, reverses - James could rock the rim in any number of ways, sending fans into a frenzy and opposing teams into timeouts. James has been seen practicing the difficult shot, which no player has ever mastered like Abdul-Jabbar, during pre-game warm-ups. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How Tom Brady's robust trademark and brand strategy that spans cookbooks to skincare is setting him up for life after the NFL
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tom Brady is retiring from football, but his trademark applications could set up his second act. Brady's trademarks speak to his range of business interests, from health and wellness products to digital collectibles and NFT marketplaces. He also has a swath of trademark applications for consumer goods, like eyewear, clothing, skincare, bags, and water bottles. This story was originally published in August 2022 and has been updated in light of Tom Brady's retirement announcement. Here's a breakdown of the pending trademark applications for Brady's personal brand (condensed and categorized by Insider):

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