Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty

LeBron James’ More Than A Vote initiative has just hit a major milestone.

The organization led by James and other Black athletes and entertainers has signed over 10,000 volunteer poll workers. This accomplishment is a significant one that most definitely will help in the fight against systemic racist voter suppression. The Lakers all-star was joined by other prominent Black figures launched “We Got Next,” a poll worker recruitment effort in partnership with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

In a tweet, the Legal Defense and Education Fund announced:

“We marched. We demanded change. Now, we’re ensuring our voices are heard. 10,000 new poll workers.”

More Than A Vote was started by James and co in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd to ensure that all eligible voters, more specifically minorities, can do so in the upcoming Presidential election. The initiative is making sure that all polling locations in Black electoral districts are well-staffed. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a legit fear that there will be a poll worker shortage. More Than A Vote is put out a call for young, healthy volunteers to step up for older and vulnerable poll workers who would be at risk. The new recruits will also receive the necessary training and PPE kits, including a mask, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, and voter information cards.

After accomplishing the milestone, our forever president, Barack Obama, congratulated More Than A Vote for its efforts during a virtual appearance during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

“I wanted to come on to give a shoutout to all the folks who are volunteering as poll workers in this upcoming election,” he said. “It can be a thankless job, it’s not one of those things you think about, but it is absolutely vital for a democracy, and I appreciate you.”

More Than A Vote is also making sure ex-felons will be able to cast a vote in the upcoming presidential election. It’s all hands on deck in trying to get Donald Trump out of the White House.

Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

When it comes to putting out ridiculous NBA hot takes, Paul Pierce is definitely THE TRUTH in that department. 

Paul Pierce and Magic Johnson are currently competing for the title of who’s worse when it comes to providing reliable NBA analysis. Pierce definitely jumped ahead of Johnson last night during Friday night’s Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Miami Heat and Pierce’s favorite team, the Boston Celtics.

The future Hall of Famer became the punching bag of #NBATwitter once again when he said the current crop of NBA talent is afraid of LeBron James while his “era” wasn’t.

“Players today are scared of LeBron,” Pierce said. “If they see LeBron standing in front of them, fear shakes in them. I know this. My era is out the league, we weren’t afraid of LeBron. But these guys today, he strikes fear into these guys.”

Yes, he really said that.

https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1309645276647485440?s=20

It didn’t take long for #NBATwitter to remind Pierce that when he was in the league, LeBron James usually had career nights against him. Pierce got his butt handed to him by Bron, especially during the latter years of his career and while James was in Miami during his prime.

Of course, NBA fans also used the moment to crack jokes on The Truth.

https://twitter.com/b_wilkinson25/status/1309645911753187329?s=20

LOL, LeBron James not only lives rent-free in Skip Bayless head but also in Paul Pierce’s dome as well. We won’t be shocked if Pierce still has nightmares about Bron at this point. For someone who calls himself “The Truth” he sure does continue to live in this lie that Bron wasn’t giving him buckets on the court.

Photo: The Washington Post / Getty

Source: VCG / Getty

Former NBA baller Ty Lawson is now out of a job in China after a series of inappropriate Instagram Posts.

Ty Lawson got the booted for life from the Chinese Basketball Association this weekend. During a night out on the town, Lawson decided to share his amazement about some revelations about Chinese women. In the first post, Lawson pointed out that he needed to “switch up his stance” when it comes to Chinese women because he learned they “got cakes on the low.” In a second post he shared in his Instagram Stories, Lawson can be seen appearing to be getting a lap dance from a Chinese woman, and he captions the photo “Yolo I guess lol.”

Now, usually, a post like that would be received as a compliment in other places, clearly not in China. As a result of his posts, the CBA banned the baller for life, and his team, the Fujian Sturgeons, dropped him like a bad habit.

Yikes.

Fans didn’t take to kindly and proceeded to flood his Instagram account with racist comments in response to his posts.

The former North Carolina Tarheel and Denver Nuggets point guard was also the subject of jokes as well, of course. You already know Twitter is not going to miss an opportunity to clown the banned baller for his poor decision.

One Twitter user even hilariously pointed out that Lawson’s being banned was in response to Donald Trump banning TikTok.

We are will to bet Lawson wished he could do that night all over again and don’t hit send on the posts.

Photo: VCG / Getty

Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty

The NBA has taken the lead of professional sports leagues regarding championing social justice.

From displaying Black Lives Matter on the courts to allowing players to wear phrases on the back of jerseys, the league’s been putting forth support that plenty of organizations haven’t. But that doesn’t mean the protests off the court have stopped, and that was evident in the bubble last night when protesters gathered around the Walt Disney World campus, close to the public entrance. However, it wasn’t about Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, or Jacob Blake– it was about another Black person harmed by the police.

Salaythis Melvin, a 22-year-old Black man, was shot in the back while at a mall in Orange County in August as he ran from Deputy James Montiel. Montiel was part of a plainclothes unit serving a warrant to someone else. However, investigators said Melvin was reaching for a gun in his waistband and turned toward Montiel, which prompted him to fatally shoot him.

“This was a terrible shooting. You can clearly see that [Melvin] is making forward progress … at a fast pace,” said Kalfani Turé, who’s currently an Assistant Professor Quinnipiac University and former Atlanta police officer. “If a person is fleeing you, there is no just cause for lethal force.”

The incident occurred just 15 miles from the Disney campus, which prompted the local protest. As people spoke through megaphones and held signs that read “Justice for Salaythis Melvin Now” and “Officers Are Not Judges + Executioners,” they blocked a bus that held NBA employees and media from entering the complex. One sign even called for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook to stand in solidarity with the protesters.

After a while, the protesters eventually allowed the busses to enter the compound.

Source: Frank Ockenfels / Getty

The Oak Tree is just as perplexed as everyone else when it comes to the Nets choice in a new head coach.

Charles Oakley never bites his tongue when it comes to talking basketball. TMZ caught up with the recently announced Dancing With The Stars contestant, and he had some thoughts about the recent and very surprising hiring of Steve Nash by the Brooklyn Nets to be their new head coach. Just like the rest of the sports world, Oakley is confused about the Nets’ decision. He believes that there were plenty of other well qualified Black coaches who deserved the job over Nash, like Mark Jackson, Pete Myers, and Jason Kidd. The retired professional baller believes the hiring is basically a friendly favor.

Per TMZ:

“People hire their friends, people that they believe in. Somebody must believe in Steve Nash, a great player.”

In a professional sports league that is predominately Black, with roughly 82% of its players being people color according to ESPN, Nash’s hiring is quite a headscratcher and a disappointment. Especially after Black coaches like Alvin Gentry and Nate McMillian both losing their jobs recently.

Oakley isn’t the only prominent sports figure calling foul about Nash being hired by the Nets. ESPN First Take’s Stephen A. Smith wasn’t feeling the decision either, calling the hiring “white privilege.”

“This is one of the toughest positions I’ve ever had to take. Ladies and gentlemen, there’s no way around this. This is white privilege. This does not happen for a Black man.”

Steve Nash does have someone on his side, and it’s none other than Hall-of-Famer, Charles Barkley. During a recent airing of Inside The NBA, Barkley called out Smith directly and anyone else using the “white privilege” argument.

“I was very disappointed in some of the guys on television today talking about white privilege. Very disappointed. They’re like, ‘Well, this doesn’t happen to Black guys.’ And I’m like, ‘It happened to Doc Rivers. It happened to Jason Kidd. It happened to Derek Fisher.”

“When you have a responsibility, especially when you have to talk about something as serious as race, you can’t be full of crap. You’ve got to be honest and fair.”

It’s clear Nash’s is going to have to show and prove instantly when he officially begins his tenure. But he will have some big help getting his coaching career started thanks to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leading the Nets next season.

Photo: Frank Ockenfels / Getty

Source: Carmen Mandato / Getty

Amid the outrage following the callous shooting of Jacob Blake, where we witnessed a Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer viciously shoot Blake in the back seven times, Black athletes have stepped up and united in saying enough is enough.

The boycott heard around the sports world that was ignited when the Milwaukee Bucks decided to not play also just happen to be four years to the day when Colin Kaepernick began the anthem protest that subsequently led to him to being blackballed by the NFL. Now his sacrifice and the message he pushed by kneeling is being used throughout the sports world to protest the current social injustice and racial tension that Black people are enduring throughout the country.

Kaepernick has been watching, and to show his appreciation, Kap sent a package to one of the NBA’s most vocal leaders, LeBron James, that contained a heartfelt letter thanking the Lakers All-Star for continuing the fight. It read:

“Four years ago, on August 14, 2016, I began protesting against systemic racism and social injustice. Truth is what I sought. Solidarity is what you showed me. Love is what moves us forward. Thank you for staying true.”

James showed in an Instagram Stories post the letter he received from the quarterback with stating:

“Standing/kneeling right next to you brother! Appreciate you.”

Following the two days of boycotting, which had some thinking the NBA Restart’s playoffs would not resume, the players did come to an agreement to finish the season and will hit the courts on Saturday (Aug.29). It’s clear that Kaepernick was on the right side of history based on the current climate in the country, which is now seeing white and Black athletes are now kneeling together to protest the unnecessary killing of Black people at the hands of law enforcement.

Photo:  Carmen Mandato / Getty

Source: JOHN RUTHROFF / Getty

2020 strikes again, and the Black community has lost another prominent figure.

The family of Clifford “Uncle Cliffy” Robinson and the UConn Huskies has confirmed that former NBA All-Star has passed away at the age of 53. In a tweet, the university wrote:

“The UConn Basketball family mourns the loss of a legendary player and person, Clifford Robinson. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cliff’s family at this difficult time.”

His cause of death has not been revealed. Robinson did have health issues, back in March 2017, he suffered a stroke that paralyzed the entire left side of his body. He would later recover most functionality of his arm and leg. In March 2018, he had a large tumor removed from his jaw.

Robinson, who was well known for rocking his signature headband, spent 19 seasons in the NBA coming into the league with the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, and then New Jersey Nets. He was named Sixth Man of The Year in 1993 and selected to be an NBA All-Star in 1994 and was named to two NBA All-Defensive second teams. He averaged 4.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 1,380 career games. Robinson also won an NIT title during his time at UConn, and his number, 00, was retired by the school in 2007.

After he retired, Robinson became a huge advocate for marijuana use during a speech at the annual Cannabis Science Conference. He revealed how his cannabis use helped him during his NBA career.

“If you play 18 years in the NBA and perform over an 82-game schedule, you’re going to deal with anxiety issues and your ability to relax,” Robinson told the Las Vegas Sun. “Cannabis has always helped me with that.”

Rest easy, Uncle Cliffy.

Photo: JOHN RUTHROFF / Getty

Source: Bob Levey / Getty

The Houston Rockets had a few seasons to make the James Harden–Chris Paul experiment work… and they couldn’t.

At the close of the 2019 season, when the Rockets were once again beaten by the Golden State Warriors, the team was blown up. Harden was reunited with Russell Westbrook, and Chris Paul was sent to NBA purgatory –no, not the Knicks– but the Oklahoma City Thunder. Many believed that he’d eventually be bought out of his contract and be on a contender before the season began, but he’s still there.

And now we know that he and Harden might not have the best relationship since the trade because they’ve barely spoken since.

“He’s not going to hit me to tell my daughter Happy Birthday today,” Paul told TNT’s Chris Haynes about the relationship with his former teammate. We don’t talk, communicate, nothing like that.”

In June of 2019, it was reported by Yahoo’s Vincent Goodwill that the relationship was “unsalvagable,” and Paul no longer wanted to be in H-Town and told the front office either he or Harden had to leave.

But even in his new home, Paul has made the best of his situation. When the 2019 season started up, the Thunder was predicted by ESPN to have a .2% chance of making the playoffs, but now they’re sitting in the middle of the pack in the West with the 5th seed.

Despite Harden likely not wishing Paul’s daughter a Happy Birthday, Paul bears no ill will towards him.

“But that’s all good and well, I wish him the best,” Paul continued. “Sometimes you have teammates, and it’s for that period of time, and that’s okay. You can wish each other well going forward. … It doesn’t mean you have to be enemies.”

Source: Bettmann / Getty

Another day and yet another piece of Michael Jordan memorabilia sold for thousands of bucks.

This time around, the coveted piece of history isn’t a game-worn jersey or a pair of his sneakers, its a bit more unique–it’s a copy of his first-ever contract with the Chicago Bulls. That’s right, it’s not even an original.

The typical NBA player contract dates back to September 12, 1984, and was sold for $57,068 at a recent GottaHaveRockAndRoll auction. It was thought to go between $80,000 – $120,000, but after 9 bids, it fell a bit below expectations.

“This never-before-seen contract with incredible information about his salary, bonuses, and information nobody has ever seen was from the ProServ files. ProServ negotiated Jordan’s first and second NBA contract plus endorsements. This is an original final copy of the 84-85 and 1988 contract. The contract has various notations and correspondence as well. This is a historic, iconic, document that belongs in the Smithsonian Museum or the NBA Hall of Fame,” reads the auction page.

However, the contract doesn’t include specific amounts of money when it comes to salary or performance-based bonuses, and instead refers to an addendum for that type of breakdown.

If you’re a diehard Jordan fan or have just been stuck in the house like the rest of us, you’ve noticed how popular Jordan memorabilia has been since ESPN premiered The Last Dance documentary, which chronicled his time with the Bulls, a few months ago. Just last week, a signed jersey that Jordan wore during his 1984-85 rookie season with the Chicago Bulls hit the auction block. There are still 18 days left on the lot, but after four bids, the price is already sitting pretty high at $90,000.

GottaHaveRockAndRoll has hosted some other pretty exciting auctions lately like shirts worn by Jimi Hendrix, a book signed by Martin Luther King Jr., and several of Tupac‘s old jewelry.

See Also: 

An Open Letter To Michael Jordan From Billy Sorrells After Watching The Last Dance [VIDEO]

The Worm Speaks: Dennis Rodman Says That Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen Could Lock Down LeBron James and Kevin Durant