An online petition called “Keep Nate Robinson in Chicago” was put together by a Bulls fan who says, in part, “Nate Robinson is an integral part of Chicago Bulls family. His energy, passion and scoring prowess have contributed heavily to the success of this team. Robinson, a seven-year veteran, has always showed flashes of genius, but it wasn’t until this year with the bulls that he really seemed to come into his own.”

Indeed he did. So much so that the NBA went so far as to make a commercial around his Game 4 heroics.

Who knows what the future will bring for Nate Robinson as it relates to the Bulls? He’s obviously earned himself a pay raise plus job security in the form of a long-term deal next season based on his performance this season.

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On Tuesday May 21st, Damian Lillard will make an appearance at the Champs Sports in Times Square, NY. Damian will be in attendance at Champs from 4:30 to 5:30pm. Check out the flyer below for more details.

- Piazza Matteotti to Host Top School Basketball Teams from Across Italy in National Finals -

UDINE, ITALY, May 14, 2013 – The 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers will highlight the NBA Schools Cup Finals presented by Agenzia Turismo Friuli Venezia Giulia taking place in Udine, June 1-2, it was announced today. The schedule for the final qualification phase has also been released with 14 cities across Italy hosting Schools Cup tournaments.

Over 2,900 schools across Italy were initially invited to participate in the preliminary stages of the 2013 edition of the NBA Schools Cup that began in March. Dozens of schools will be competing in each of the 14 cities across Italy over the next month with the top 48 teams qualifying for the National Finals in Udine in the presence of Damian Lillard in June.

At 23 years of age, Lillard became only the fourth unanimous recipient of the Rookie of the Year award in NBA history. Lillard, the sixth overall pick in last June’s draft, led all rookies with a 19-point scoring average. He also averaged 6.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds, playing in all 82 games this season.

The final phase of competition tipped off in Como and will visit Trieste, Pesaro, Varese, Bologna, Torino, Bergamo, Verona, Vicenza, Florence, Gorizia, and Rome.

The historic Piazza Matteotti in Udine will be transformed for the NBA Schools Cup Finals, with multiple outdoor basketball courts, as well as fun interactive basketball activities for fans of all ages. Radio Deejay will provide nighttime entertainment on Saturday with a live DJ set from the popular DJ Vic.

“The partnership with NBA is efficient to the project of conveying the brand Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy and worldwide and to increase the incoming of athletes and their families in our region. So specially in this season ideal for summer camps, school trips and short breaks, the NBA Schools Cup is a working way to promote Friuli Venezia Giulia to all students, parents and teachers who will take part to the event. For NBA Schools Cup we are going to distribute 10,000 brochures to the 3000 schools, many proposals for itineraries of education to the teachers, in order to promote school trips all over the region as well as special packages for overnights in Udine”.

“The NBA Schools Cup is a great way to tip-off our events in Italy this year and bring our game to school children throughout the country,” said Ben Morel, Senior Vice President, NBA Europe. “Thanks to the support of Agenzia Turismo Friuli Venezia Giulia and our family of partners, we remain committed to developing the sport across Italy, providing a foundation for the stars of the future.”
Fans can attend the two-day event in Udine free of charge to experience the sights and sounds of the NBA in a fun a family atmosphere that will include spectator games, prizes and music.

adidas, Algida, and Radio Deejay join as partners for NBA Schools Cup.

For more information, please visit: http://www.golivefvg.com/contest/nba-contest/nba-schools-cup/ and https://www.facebook.com/NBAItalia

On Saturday April 13th, DeMar DeRozan presented North Kipling Junior Middle School and the Big League Book Club with a $15,100.00 donation to support the sports and literacy after-school program targeting boys in grades 1-6. The participants are taught the game of basketball while incorporating the important life skill of reading.

DeRozan has sponsored the book club since his rookie year, contributing Raptors game tickets, t-shirts and basketball gear to the 120 boys from the Etobicoke area of Toronto. With drastic budget cuts to after-school curriculum, DeRozan stepped in to save the 12-week program from ending.

While learning the fundamentals of basketball from high school/mentor coaches, the boys are also required to read an average of 6 books and complete book reports.

Here are some photos from DeMar’s appearance:

PORTLAND, Ore. (May 14, 2013) – Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard was named to the Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team by a vote of NBA head coaches, it was announced today by the league.

The unanimous 2012-13 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, Lillard was the lone player chosen to the All-Rookie First Team by a unanimous vote of the league’s head coaches (58 points, 29 First Team votes).

He led NBA rookies with 19.0 points and a team-high 6.5 assists to go with 3.1 rebounds and 38.6 minutes in all 82 games. Portland selected Lillard with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Weber State.

The 6-foot-3 guard joined Oscar Robertson and Allen Iverson as the only three rookies in NBA history to record at least 1,500 points and 500 assists.

Lillard broke Stephen Curry’s NBA rookie record for 3-pointers made in a season, finishing with 185 3-pointers on the year. He continued his historic rookie season by becoming the first rookie to lead the NBA in total minutes played (3,167) in a season since Elvin Hayes in 1968-69.

Lillard, 22, is the 14th player in franchise history to garner All-Rookie honors, and the first to be named to the First Team since LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy in 2006-07.

Harrison Barnes (Golden State), Bradley Beal (Washington), Anthony Davis (New Orleans) and Dion Waiters (Cleveland) round out the First Team.

The Second Team includes Andre Drummond (Detroit), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte), Kyle Singler (Detroit), Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto) and Tyler Zeller (Cleveland).

In this episode of #StateOfNate, Nate Robinson takes you back to New York and gives you an inside at his life during the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

We knew something had changed with DeMar DeRozan when he laced up the Air Jordan 11 Low White/Red in the Raptors’ first preseason game this year. You see, the former USC Trojan had exclusively rocked the Kobe signature line since he stepped foot into the league at the beginning of the 2009-2010 NBA season. Attention-worthy player exclusives and NikeiD versions of the Kobes IV-VII graced DeMar DeRozan’s feet throughout his first three seasons in the league. Yet, this season, DeMar predetermined to switch his on-court rotation up – at least for the beginning of the year.

“I usually wear Kobes for the entire season, but I wanted to start off the season with something different in the process of me waiting on the Kobe 8s to come in,” said DeRozan. “I just tried to go with old retro Jordans that we haven’t seen on the court in a while.”

And he did just that. In Toronto’s first 15 matchups of the season, DeRozan donned a different pair of Jordans every single game, including a few that haven’t appeared on court in 5+ years. The “Black Cat” 4s, the “Fire Red 5s (red sole) and the Countdown Pack Air Jordan 13 were just a few of the rarely-seen Jordans DeRozan displayed on court this season, which should’ve proved to everybody that this guy is not limited to Kobes.

“I’ve always collected classic Jordans and Nikes and instead of wearing them out with casual clothes, I just decided to bring them to the court this season,” DeRozan stated.

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adidas pays tribute to Damian Lillard winning the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year trophy with this 15 second #quickaintfair commercial. The commercial is narrated by rapper A$AP Rocky.

SEATTLE – Star basketball player, Olympic gold medalist and philanthropist Gary Payton has been named Grand Marshal of the 2013 Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade.

“We’re honored that Gary is serving in the Grand Marshal role and welcome him to the Seafair family,” said Beth Knox, President & CEO of Seafair. “His international status as a sports legend combined with his commitment to the Seattle community makes him an ideal selection for the grand marshal role. I know fans will come out on Torchlight Night to recognize Gary for his
incredible accomplishments.”

“I’m very honored,” Payton told KIRO 7. “Seattle has always been a great city to me.”

Payton said it was a big deal for him when he was named the Grand Marshal.

“I’m going to have fun with it. I’m going to live it up and have a great time,” said Payton. “It’s going to be a great experience for me.”

Payton said he’s most looking forward to the Seafair hydro races.

Asked what kind of a hydro driver he would be, Payton answered, “I’m crazy, I’m going to go to the fastest one. I got to be the daredevil. But I’m not a daredevil now because I want to live, so it’s all good.”

The Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade will take place on Sat., July 27 beginning near theSeattle Center and continuing down Fourth Ave. Fans can expect to see an array of festivitiesincluding live bands, high-energy drill and dance teams, floats, marching bands, the scurvy Seafair Pirates, Seafair Clowns, gigantic character balloons, local celebrities, and more. The parade is one of the most iconic events of the summer, drawing over 150,000 spectators to downtown Seattle.

SEAFAIR TORCHLIGHT NIGHT

Sat., July 27, 2013
Seafair Torchlight Spectacular 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Michelob ULTRA Seafair Torchlight Run 6:30 p.m.
Scholarship Program for Women Miss Seafair Coronation 7:30 p.m.
Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Seattle Center/4th Avenue/Westlake TV Zone
TICKETS: Visit Seafair.com/TorchlightParade to purchase online.
TICKET PRICES: 4th Ave. Bleachers $20, Westlake Bleachers (near Starbucks) $30,
Start Line Bleachers (near Fischer Plaza) $30, VIP Grandstand (Westlake/4th Ave. TV ZONE) $40
Westlake Promenade Seats (Westlake/4th Ave.) $50
*Note that general, open seating is available along the parade route on a first
come, first served basis.

Check out Nate Robinson in his new NBA Playoff commercial.

“We Are All Watching: Robinson” is the final installment of the NBA Playoffs 2013 commercials. This spot takes us on a journey around the world with fans glued to their televisions during the first overtime game 4 of the 2013 Playoffs. In the first round series between the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls, the game is tied and with only one second remaining, Bulls’ Nate Robinson puts up an amazing running one-hander. The shot is good and the crowd erupts.

Now Is BIG.