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Top 5 Irish NBA Basketball Players Ever (Video)
Sunday , Mar , 17 , 2013 Paul Eide

Top 5 Irish NBA Basketball Players Ever (Video)

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, who are the five best Irish basketball players to suck down a green beer and play in the NBA?

HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: The list is short and not great, which is what you'd expect.

The only Irish player in history born and bred in Ireland to play in the NBA was Pat Burke, a 6-11 center who spent three years with the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns.

5. Marty Conlon

Conlon was a 6-10 lumbering big man who specialized in...uh...being big. And Irish, in that order. In nine NBA seasons he played for eight teams, including the Boston Celtics who has a franchise, have always had an affinity for large, slow, white men (Brian Sclabrine types). Conlon also had an extremely weird form when shooting free throws.

4. Chris Mullin

Without a doubt, the best Irish shooter in NBA history was Chris Mullin. Not only that, but he was probably the best pure scorer as well. "Mullie" averaged 25+ ppg in five straight seasons from '88-'89 to '92-'93. Check out these highlights from when he went head to head with the greatest non-irish basketball player of all-time, Michael Jordan:

3. Kevin McHale

 McHale averaged 17.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg in a 13 year career where he never scored less than 10.0 ppg in any season. The king of the up and under move in and around the basket, on either side of the Atlantic.

2. Jermaine O'Neal

O'Neal has made the 12th most money of any NBA player ever in terms of NBA salary, raking in $165,441,840 during his pro career. That's not exactly a "small potato". Nor does it have an "e" at the end, as former Vice President of the USA Dan Quayle suggested to a Trenton, NJ sixth grader William Figueroa on June 15th, 1992.

1. Shaquille O'Neal

The Irish may not have produced a lot of NBA talent, but financially, the two O'Neal's are set for life. Combine Jermaine's $165,441,840 with Shaq's $292,198,327 (second most in NBA history behind only Kevin Garnett) and you've got $457,640,167 million, which is actually about $100 million less than what Lord of the Dance stud dancer Michael Flatley has made in his career,and I don't think he can dunk. Even if you don't think Shaq is the best Irish basketball player of all-time, he is at least the best Irish center ever. 

 

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10 interesting facts about Jerry Buss
Tuesday , Feb , 19 , 2013 Matt Formica

10 interesting facts about Jerry Buss

The basketball community changed forever Monday with the passing of Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss.

Hoopsvibe's quick call:  Perhaps the greatest NBA owner in history left a lasting legacy behind.

Here are ten interesting facts about a man who was amongst the best the business has ever seen.

1.)  Buss bought the Lakers, along the Los Angeles Kings Hockey team, The Forum, and a large ranch in Kern County, from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979 for $67.5 million.  The team itself is now worth $1 billion.

2.)  The Laker Girls was his idea.

3.)  He has six children, who all have roles within the Lakers organization.  Their names are Jim, Jeannie, Johnny, Joey, Jesse and Janie.  Jim currently runs basketball operations and daughter, Jeannie, runs business operations.

4.)  His daughter, Jeannie, is currently engaged to Hall of Fame coach and former player, Phil Jackson.  And apparently, Jim Buss hasn't spoken to Jeannie since their engagement.

5.)  Buss was an avid poker player, appearing on the shows High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark.  He placed third in the 1991 World Series of Poker seven-card stud event.

6.)  Buss is incredibly smart.  In high school he was entrusted to teach his chemistry class senior year.  He got his Bachelors degree from the University of Wyoming in 2.5 years, reportedly borrowing his friends books at the beginning of the semester because he didn't have enough money to buy his own.  He would read the books, and return them halfway through the semester, with enough knowledge to pass the final exams.

7.)  He has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California and worked in aerospace and real estate before becoming Lakers owner.

8.)  He was raised in poverty in Wyoming.  He first came to LA when he was 9, but moved back to Wyoming after his mother remarried.  There he worked as a ditch-digger, a bellhop and a shoe shiner.

9.)  Under his ownership the Lakers won 10 Championships; and have seen the likes of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard, to name a few.

10.)  There are many other interesting facts about Jerry Buss but my all-time favorite is this:  Buss told ESPN in 2010 that he texted each of his six children every month the following question:  "Do you have any idea how proud of you I am?"

In the words of Kobe Bryant, "His impact is felt worldwide."

I couldn't agree more.

For more interesting NBA facts follow us on twitter @hoopsvibe

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Lakers To Retire Shaq’s Number
Friday , Aug , 31 , 2012 Mike Brouillet

Lakers To Retire Shaq’s Number

Lakers to retire Shaq's number.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Well, we knew Orlando wasn't going to do it.

It's official, the Los Angeles Lakers will retire Shaq's #34. The dedication ceremony will be on April 2. One day earlier and we would have really had some news. I can think of nothing more fitting than a dedication ceremony on April Fools Day.

Most view this as a given. The Lakers needed to retire his number seeing has he will go down in history as one of the best big men ever. His numbers speak for themselves and yet, I can't help but thinking Shaq's a little relieved. It's obviously common knowledge that Shaq left LA feuding with Kobe. Shaq bounced around the league with a number of teams, won a championship in Miami, and grew to accept his role, as a backup center.

His career stats are impressive though. Shaq's a 15-time All-Star, won 4 NBA titles (3 in LA and 1 in Miami), he finished with 28,596 points, (23.7 ppg), 13,099 rebounds (10.9 rpg), and 2,732 blocks (2.3 bpg). These are monster numbers and his per game averages were somewhat deflated by his lengthy exit strategy from the league where he played significantly past his prime and lowered those numbers. 

He will be remembered for his on the court dominance, his larger than life personality, and even his off the court antics. His ex-wife has left us with the dubious pop reality of "Basketball Wives" on VH1 and Shaq's transitioned into an NBA analyst. 

For more info, updates, and gossip follow @HoopsVibe.

Photo Credit: WENN

Hoopz Calls Shaq a P*ssy
Monday , Aug , 27 , 2012 Mike Brouillet

Hoopz Calls Shaq a P*ssy

Nikki "Hoopz" Alexander Fights Shaq At Gym.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call:She came up with Flava Flav. Enough said.

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Forget “Dream Team”- Is 2012 US Squad Better Than Version II or Even III?
Thursday , Aug , 02 , 2012 Paul Eide

Forget “Dream Team”- Is 2012 US Squad Better Than Version II or Even III?

Thanks to comments by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, we've heard a lot of comparisions between the 2012 USA Olympic basketball team and the 1992 "Dream Team" that featured 11 hall of fame players. But how does the 2012 version stack up against versions II and III? 

HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: The two following incarnations of the "Dream Team" were also stacked, but everyone seems to forget about them.

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Shaq Gets New Show On TruTV
Thursday , Jul , 12 , 2012 Paul Eide

Shaq Gets New Show On TruTV

A lot of people are less than fond of Shaq as a halftime host on TNT. And while breaking down X's and O's may not be his forte, Shaq's best work in front of the camera comes when he is allowed to be his silly self.

HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: It can't be worse than the Aaron Carter video for "That's How I Beat Shaq".

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Tuesday , Feb , 28 , 2012 Hoopsvibe

Shaquille O’Neal: the Boston Celtics ‘miss me’

“It’s a different team,” said O’Neal, at All-Star weekend as part of the TNT broadcast. “They (the Boston Celtics) miss me.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Shaquille O’Neal will thrive as a broadcaster once he gets over his shyness.

O’Neal, the new darling of TNT’s Emmy-winning cast, is declaring that the Boston Celtics 'miss' him.

On the one hand, he’s right. O’Neal provided a post presence in limited minutes for the green-and-white.

On the other hand, he’s forgetting about Kendrick Perkins, the club's heart and soul.

O’Neal was signed, in large part, to fill in for Perkins who was out with knee troubles. The Celtics then dealt Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the deadline for Jeff Green because they believed O’Neal would be healthy.

Well, The Big Shamrock wasn’t healthy. He got hurt in February and never played again. So, the Celtics were without their heart-and-soul down-low, Perkins, and O’Neal in the playoffs. Not surprisingly, they lost in the second round.

And GM Danny Ainge hasn’t replaced either -even if Brandon Bass can score.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

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Tuesday , Feb , 07 , 2012 Hoopsvibe

Video: Kobe Passes Shaq for Fifth All Time in Scoring

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Kobe Bryant notched 28 points to pass former teammate turned rival Shaquille O’Neal for fifth on the NBA’s All-Time scoring list.

Of course, Bryant won’t be happy with the personal accomplishment, as the Philadelphia 76ers beat his Los Angeles Lakers 95-90.

Watch the video, and get at HoopsVibe News with thoughts in the comment box below.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

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Sunday , Feb , 05 , 2012 Hoopsvibe

Should Chris Bosh blame Shaq for not starting All-Star game?

I never read too much into TV," Bosh said.  He also never reads too much into NBA popularity contests.  "I'm not a popular guy, I guess," he said matter-of-factly of the fan vote for All-Star starters. "I don't think I am. I don't appeal to the popular crowd."

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Chris Bosh can blame three people for not starting the 2012 All-Star game.

Two of those people would be teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Fans vote-in the starters, and they overlooked Bosh, in part, because of the Miami Heat's dynamic duo.

Bosh is, arguably, the top power forward in the Eastern Conference, and is more deserving of being in the first unit than shot-happy Carmelo Anthony.

Now the left-handeder is okay with James and Wade receiving accolades because they’re teammates and friends. Bosh isn’t okay with Shaquille O’Neal preventing him from being an All-Star starter.

O`Neal, a superstar turned analyst, has continued to insult Bosh from the safety of the TNT broadcast booth, which has surely influenced fan voting.

-Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

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Saturday , Jan , 21 , 2012 Hoopsvibe

Dwight Howard: Shaq should ‘get on with his life’

Magic center Dwight Howard, responding to Shaquille O’Neal saying that Andrew Bynum is the NBA’s best center, said after Friday’s shootaround that Shaq should ‘just sit down and get on with his life.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Will Dwight Howard ever learn?

For years, the Orlando Magic big man let Shaquille O’Neal have the upper hand by reacting publicly to his rhetoric, jabs, and insults.

(Remember, the ‘real superman’ controversy, which resulted in Howard acting like a rejected teenager?)

At the time, it was somewhat understandable. Howard was still young. O’Neal was still relevant. And Howard idolized O’Neal.

Today, it’s a different story. Howard is one of the game’s great players, while O’Neal is the newest broadcaster on TNT’s Emmy-winning panel.

Unfortunately, this is lost on Howard. He reacted instead of realizing O’Neal is using their old rivalry to gain publicity and profile for his new profession.

Once again, O’Neal has won. And Howard, it seems, will never learn.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

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Thursday , Jan , 19 , 2012 Hoopsvibe

Michael Jordan believes only Kobe Bryant is worthy

Kobe's ultimate competition is MJ. That's why MJ watches him. MJ made people think what he was doing wasn't human. Ditto the Kobester.I never said Kobe was better than MJ. MJ just told me Kobe's the only one to have done the work, to deserve comparison.

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Michael Jordan thinks Kobe Bryant is worthy. Well, sort of.

Jordan, 'The Greatest of All-Time', thinks Bryant, a legendary scorer, can challenge his legacy because of his work ethic.

This is fair. Bryant is already one of the greatest players in NBA history, but he's not better than Jordan.

Jordan has six championships to Bryant's five. Jordan never lost an NBA Finals, while Bryant lost twice. And Jordan would never have chased Shaquille O'Neal out of town like Bryant did.

Of course, Jordan didn't call Bryant his equal. He said he can be compared -and that's it.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below. 

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Friday , Dec , 23 , 2011 Hoopsvibe

Matt Barnes to Blake Griffin and Clippers: act like you’ve dunked before

“It’s a preseason game,’ Barnes said after Thursday’s practice at the Lakers’ facility in El Segundo. ‘Yeah, they’re catching lobs and dunking. But it’s just a preseason game. Let’s just play basketball. If you make a dunk, act like you’ve done it before. He’s got hundreds of them. There’s no need for the hoorah after every single dunk. It’s unnecessary.’

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Los Angeles’ two NBA teams, the Clippers and Lakers, don’t care for each other. Not one bit.

After all, Los Angeles was always a Laker town. They had The Logo, Wilt the Stilt, Kareem, Magic, Big Game James, Shaq-Fu, Kobe Bean, Andrew Bynum, and others.

While the Clippers could never attract or keep top talent because owner Donald Sterling wouldn’t open his wallet or spend the luxury tax payments he received from league head office.

This age-old dynamic is changing. The (natural) order of Los Angeles’ basketball teams could flip flop in 2012.  

The Lakers, who are still talented, are in transition, while the Clippers have Chris Paul at point guard; Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan down low;  and veterans like Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, and Mo Williams.

Here’s the biggest shock: the Clippers are the glamour team. Griffin and Jordan’s aerial antics will receive endless love on ESPN, youtube, and twitter.

And some, like the Lakers' Matt Barnes, don't appreciate the post dunks celebrations.

Too bad.

Barnes better realize times have changed. These are the new Clippers.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

 

 

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Saturday , Nov , 19 , 2011 Hoopsvibe

Chris Bosh on newest Shaq Attack: ‘It’s really just a tactic’

Considering O'Neal previously had compared Bosh to a drag queen, as "the RuPaul of big men," Bosh hardly finds himself compelled to respond to the rehash. "I know the thing is entertainment," Bosh told the Sun Sentinel. "How are you going to get people to buy your book? "So I don't care about stuff that is said in the media or in books or pointed or directed toward somebody, because it's really just a tactic and nothing else. He's an author. He can write whatever he wants. If he sells a bunch, then congrats to him."

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Chris Bosh is right. This is about Shaquille O'Neal selling books.

Nothing more; nothing less.

After all, Shaq has a legacy of attacking coaches, teammates, and even friends when it suits him.

Consider some of his foes: Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson (at times), Dwyane Wade (at times), Pat Riley, Terry Porter and Robin Lopez. 

The ultimate was the television Shaq Vs. Well, the future member of the Hall of Fame overheard Steve Nash discussing the concept with his people.

And he liked it. So The Big Fella stole it. A flat-out robbery.

A few days later, after working out the details with ABC, O'Neal casually announced he had a new reality show and Nash rightfully responded with anger.

So Bosh is happy to let O'Neal talk. That's all The Big Broadcaster will be doing from now on.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

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Wednesday , Nov , 16 , 2011 Hoopsvibe

Shaq: Kobe is a more ‘scientific dawg’ than LeBron and D-Wade

So where do these two guys measure up against Kobe? Kobe is a scientific dawg. He works out every day, practices every day. Most of the other stars are just dawgs, not scientific dawgs. Me, I’m a freak-of-nature dawg because of my size. LeBron could be a scientific dawg like Kobe, but he’s got a lot going on like I did, so that’s preventing him from being one.”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Shaquille O’Neal thinks Kobe Bryant is a ‘scientific dawg’, which apparently makes him better in the clutch than LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

For the record, I don’t know what a ‘scientific dawg’ is. I do think Shaq is saying Bryant is a superior fourth quarter player because of his focus and commitment to his craft.

Perhaps.

At this stage in their careers, James and Wade are better athletes - and maybe better players - than Bryant. But Bryant always possessed an intangible that more often than not propelled him to greatness when it mattered most.

This was evident from his early days sitting on the Lakers' bench as a 17-year old rookie under Coach Del Harris.

He is indeed the closest thing to Michael Jordan that the NBA has ever had. Shaq, his former nemesis, has to show respect by dubbing him a scientific dawg’.

--Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

 

 

 

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Sunday , Nov , 13 , 2011 Hoopsvibe

Shaq: Pat Riley and I nearly fought in Miami

I start taking a couple of steps towards Pat. Udonis Haslem steps in and I shove him out of the way. Then Zo tries to grab me. I threw him aside like he was a rag doll.Now it's me and Riley face-to-face, jaw to jaw. I'm poking him in the chest and he keeps slapping my finger away and it's getting nasty. Noisy, too. He's yelling "F--- you!" and I'm yelling back, "No, f--- you!" Zo is trying to calm us both down and he has this kind of singsong panic in his voice. He keeps saying, "Big fella, no big fella, big fella!" I finally turn around and tell him, "Don't worry. I'm not going to hit the man. Do you think I'm crazy?"

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Shaquille O’Neal’s tell-all tour continues. No player, coach, man, or woman will be spared.

The future Hall of Fame center has a spill-the-beans book coming out, so he and his people have leaked excerpts to create a buzz.

Like O’Neal’s World Wars with Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. Like O`Neal`s take on LeBron James ignoring Coach Mike Brown in Cleveland. Like O`Neal`s lack of a relationship with iconic center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The latest: O’Neal nearly fought Pat Riley, also known as the oil slick, during practice with Miami. Of course, O’Neal says he was heroically sticking up for teammate Jason Williams.

This may or may not be true. There’s no disputing O’Neal has had problems with coaches.

There was the fallout with Riley. There were problems with Phil Jackson, another all-time great on the sideline. And he undermined Terry Porter in Phoenix.

So before blaming others, O’Neal should perhaps look inward first. This, however, is unlikely.

--Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

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Tuesday , Nov , 01 , 2011 Hoopsvibe

Shaq once warned Kobe: ‘I Will Kill You’

Kobe stands up and goes face-to-face with me and says, “You always said you’re my big brother, you’d do anything for me, and then this Colorado thing happens and you never even called me.” I did call him. … So here we are now, and we find out he really was hurt that we didn’t stand behind him. That was something new. I didn’t think he gave a rat’s ass about us either way. “Well, I thought you’d publicly support me, at least,” Kobe said. “You’re supposed to be my friend.”

Brian Shaw chimed in with “Kobe, why would you think that? Shaq had all these parties and you never showed up for any of them. We invited you to dinner on the road and you didn’t come. Shaq invited you to his wedding and you weren’t there. Then you got married and didn’t invite any of us. And now you are in the middle of this problem, this sensitive situation, and now you want all of us to step up for you. We don’t even know you.” …

Everyone was starting to calm down when I told Kobe, “If you ever say anything like what you said to Jim Gray ever again, I will kill you.”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: The shocking part is that their World Wars didn’t erupt sooner and destroy the Los Angeles Lakers.

Pundits often debate how many championships Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal could’ve won if they worked together and pushed their egos to the side.

The argument is that Bryant and O’Neal, while capturing three consecutive Larry O’Brien trophies, should‘ve been far more successful.

They should've been Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen (six championships). Or, they should've been Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson (five championships).

Instead they have just three. I, however, have a different view: it‘s a miracle they won anything.

Sure, they were talented. At the time, O’Neal was as dominating a player to ever suit up in the NBA, while Bryant was coming into his own as a superstar. 

The excerpts from O’Neal’s upcoming book show just how dysfunctional those Lakers were, especially the highly toxic dynamic between Shaq and Kobe.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

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Friday , Sep , 30 , 2011 Hoopsvibe

Kobe slams Shaq for not practicing

Kobe is out on a Nike-fueled tour of Italy right now and in a radio interview he was asked what was his issue with Shaq: “I like players who work out. I used to do that 6-7 hours per day. I cannot stand players who practice for 30 minutes. I need to say something to them”.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It was a shot at on old foe.

Today Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant called out players who don’t practice. Translation: he’s talking about Shaquille O’Neal, also known as The Big Broadcaster.

Of course, Bryant and O’Neal have history.

They were teammates and rivals with the Lakers. Then they parted and were just rivals, slamming each other in the press and at open mic’ night.

Currently, there’s a détente between the two, which results in not-so subtle digs flying back and forth every few months.

Whatever the case, it's nice to see O'Neal, now a retired TNT broadcaster, getting a taste of his own medicine.

In July, he called out Chris Bosh, Recently, he bragged about warning Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge not to trade Kendrick Perkins.

And he made a career of jabbing, poking, and swiping his peers. For once, the shoe is on the other foot.

--O. Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.