Cornered by The Associated Press at a celebrity basketball game, Floyd Mayweather couldn’t escape. After letting a Friday deadline pass with no response, his much-hyped potential bout with Manny Pacquiao was on the ropes and ready to collapse. The media wanted answers, the fans wanted answers and every bookie, broker and bettor in Vegas wanted […]
Author Archives: Stephen D. Riley
Special to the AFRO
Posted inBUSINESS
Crash Dummies Celebrate 25-Year Anniversary
In the mid-1980s, crash test dummies Vince and Larry famously broke through America’s television sets as iconic reminders of seatbelt safety. With their catchy tagline of “You can learn a lot from a dummy, buckle your seatbelt,” the two figures became simultaneous with increased seatbelt use and life-saving information through nationwide public safety campaigns. From […]
Posted inSports
Wizards Lose 20-Point Lead, Fall to Knicks in Overtime
The Washington Wizards caused their star summer league duo of John Wall and JaVale McGhee to sit out for the last game of the week and it cost them a perfect summer league record, as the team dropped a 109-107 overtime heartbreaker to the New York Knicks at Las Vegas’ Cox Pavilion on July 17. […]
Posted inSports
Wizards Summer League Wrap Up
Washington Wizards fans saw a lot this week from their team in Las Vegas’ Summer League play. They saw rookie phenom John Wall jump, they saw him run and they saw him score. They saw Washington close the week with a 4-1 record. And they also saw a work in progress as the 19-year-old guard committed […]
Posted inSports
NBA Summer League: McGhee, Wall Push Washington to Win over Dallas
John Wall has been the headliner in Vegas this week for the Washington Wizards’ summer league team, but his teammates have often provided the opening and closing acts. Wall had another solid performance July 15, dropping in free throws while his teammates dropped in jumpers and jams to help Washington drop the Dallas Mavericks 88-82 […]
Posted inSports
NBA Bracing for 2011 Lockout
The excitement this summer’s free agency created for the NBA could all be for naught by this time next year. That’s when the association’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires, which could trigger a league-wide lockout. If a deal between the NBA Players Association and the league’s owners isn’t reached by June 30, 2011 when […]
Posted inSports
Wall, McGhee Lead Wizards to Comeback over New Orleans
John Wall and JaVale McGhee are running out of things to prove for the Washington Wizards. They’ve scored, they’ve defended and they’ve impressed this week in NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas. And on Friday night in front of a packed crowd at Cox Pavilion, they came back. Wall and McGhee combined for 60 […]
Posted inSports
Wall Wonderful in Second Summer League Game
Washington Wizards’ top selection John Wall already has a day named after him in the District. If he continues to dazzle at the NBA Summer League, it might be time for him to start campaigning in favor of a week. Wall finished with 18 points and 10 assists in his second game of summer league […]
Posted inSports
The Draft is Dead, And the Miami Heat Killed It
As journalists across the country continue to cook up how the effects of LeBron James’ “decision” will sizzle for years to come, you can add another item to the grill: building through the draft. In covering the nonstop circus that was the John Wall draft sweepstakes, one of the points that new Washington Wizards owner […]
Posted inSports
Wizards’ Top Selection Wall Impresses in NBA Summer Debut
NBA associates will be the first to caution about not getting overly excited with summer league performances. But the hype surrounding Washington Wizards’ top selection John Wall would garner praise if the rookie merely flashed his signature muscle-flexing dance in front of TV cameras. So after the Wizards’ new point guard exploded for 24 points […]
Posted inSports
James’ Departure: Cleveland’s Emotional and Financial Blow
As the Cleveland Cavaliers sweep up the shattered pieces of a kingdom left in ruins after LeBron James’ decision on Thursday, Clevelanders still must brace for the worse – an economic setback. For several seasons, James has been Cleveland’s cash cow, paving the way for sold out home games and merchandise sales. The six-time NBA […]
Posted inSports
NBA Free Agency Wrap Up: Grading the Winners and Losers
This summer’s sports free agency period is far from over, but the big names have landed and are already preparing for a run at next year’s title. As promised, it was a wild and wacky two-week period that saw both the unimaginable and the unforgettable. Welcome to the new NBA, where championship teams are built […]