關於 nba player hometown ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

Word by LBJ!


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LeBron James is going home, great day for sports and NBA fans. He made the right decision.

LeBron's thoughts on returning home.

"Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I’m their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.

Remember when I was sitting up there at the Boys & Girls Club in 2010? I was thinking, This is really tough. I could feel it. I was leaving something I had spent a long time creating. If I had to do it all over again, I’d obviously do things differently, but I’d still have left. Miami, for me, has been almost like college for other kids. These past four years helped raise me into who I am. I became a better player and a better man. I learned from a franchise that had been where I wanted to go. I will always think of Miami as my second home. Without the experiences I had there, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today.

I went to Miami because of D-Wade and CB. We made sacrifices to keep UD. I loved becoming a big bro to Rio. I believed we could do something magical if we came together. And that’s exactly what we did! The hardest thing to leave is what I built with those guys. I’ve talked to some of them and will talk to others. Nothing will ever change what we accomplished. We are brothers for life. I also want to thank Micky Arison and Pat Riley for giving me an amazing four years.

I’m doing this essay because I want an opportunity to explain myself uninterrupted. I don’t want anyone thinking: He and Erik Spoelstra didn’t get along. … He and Riles didn’t get along. … The Heat couldn’t put the right team together. That’s absolutely not true.

I’m not having a press conference or a party. After this, it’s time to get to work.

When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn’t had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn’t know when. After the season, free agency wasn’t even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn’t going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.

To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned -- seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, “OK, I don’t want to deal with these people ever again.” But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I’ve met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We’ve talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I’ve made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?

I’m not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I’m going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn’t know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I’m excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can’t wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.

But this is not about the roster or the organization. I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I’m from. I want kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third-graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there’s no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get.

In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.

I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home."

Stat

It seems Iverson always has nice things to say about Yao. When does he (Allen) become a free agent? :) AI wants the 'big one' Iverson still craves NBA championship

Even after the scoring titles, the Olympics, Most Valuable Player awards and rookie of the year honours, Allen Iverson still craves the "big one." "I have the same goal every year. And that's just to win a championship," the Philadelphia 76ers point star told reporters during a visit to Shanghai. "I've accomplished a lot of individual goals in my career ... But I haven't accomplished the main goal, which is to win a championship and that's all I focus on every season," said Iverson, now set to enter his 10th season in the NBA. Visiting China's largest city on a promotional tour, Iverson was asked whether his chances of accomplishing that goal would be boosted by a partnership with Shanghai's hometown hero Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets. The answer: No question. "I think if Yao Ming was on my team, we'd probably have a 100 per cent chance of winning an NBA championship," Iverson said.

Allen Iverson finally came up with an outstanding offensive performance, just in time for the Philadelphia 76ers' first loss of the season.

Iverson scored 46 points, nearly equaling his total during the 76ers' 3-0 start, but Malik Rose atoned for poor performances by David Robinson and Tim Duncan to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 98-94 victory.


Rose, who attended Drexel, minutes away from the First Union Center, scored a career-high 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds as the Spurs snapped a three-game losing streak.


"My teammates were getting me the ball," said Rose, who bought 64 tickets for family and friends. "We played well, we shared the ball and I was the recipient of some good passes and a little luck."


Iverson was a dismal 15-of-55 (27 percent) from the field and averaged 16.7 points as Philadelphia got off to a 3-0 start, its best since the 1984-85 campaign. It was a different Iverson in this contest as he dominated on the offensive end and came within four points of a career high, hitting 14-of-26 from the floor and 15-of-17 from the foul line.


"It would have been better to have a one-point performance and win than having a 40-point game and lose," said Iverson, who added seven rebounds and six assists.


Rose, whose previous career best was 14 points, was the surprising hero as Robinson and Duncan battled foul trouble. Robinson, who picked up his fifth foul early in the third quarter, was 3-of-8 from the field and just 9-of-18 from the foul line to finish with 15 points and eight rebounds. Duncan fouled out with 1:59 to play with 15 points and six boards.


"We can't keep putting this kind of pressure on the supporting cast," Robinson said. "We've played some good ball, it's just that we've turned the ball over at times and have not shot as well as we would have liked. It took a total team effort to scrap this one out."


Clinging to a 61-57 lead midway through the third, the Spurs took control with a 15-4 run to end the period. Duncan's jumper triggered the burst before Rose converted a three-point play. Late in the quarter, Rose buried a 14-footer and put home a dunk before Sean Elliott's free throw made it 75-61.


"He (Rose) is one of the hardest working players on our team," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "He's on the verge of finding his place in the NBA. I'm thrilled he was able to have this kind of game in his hometown."


The margin was 82-69 with just over nine minutes left when Iverson, who had just three turnovers, led a 22-9 tear that tied it. Iverson drained a 3-pointer in transition to make it 88-84 before an 18-footer by Harvey Grant forced the Spurs to call timeout with 4:11 to go. After Robinson made 1-of-2 free throws, Iverson sank a pair, trimming the deficit to 89-88.


Elliott drained a long jumper, but Iverson followed with a foul shot off an illegal defense and hit two more that tied it, 91-91, as Duncan fouled out.


Another free throw by Robinson put the Spurs back in front and, after Iverson missed a 3-pointer, Avery Johnson sank two free throws. Iverson hit again from the foul line after another illegal defense call, making it 94-92 with 45 seconds left.


Matt Geiger then had a chance to tie it, but Rose forced a jump ball as the Sixers center went inside for a layup. The 7-1 Geiger won the jump over the smaller Rose, but Iverson drove into two players and turned it over.


Johnson blew a pair of free throws, but Rose grabbed the offensive rebound on the second miss with 8.1 seconds left. Steve Kerr sank two foul shots for a 96-92 lead, and after Snow followed a miss by Iverson, Elliott's two free throws sealed it with 2.6 seconds to go.


"When Pop (Popovich) needs me, I feel confident enough to go out and do the things I did tonight," Rose added. "I'm just a role player. When they need me, they just call me and I'll be ready."


Johnson scored 15 points and Elliott chipped in 13 for the Spurs, who shot an atrocious 28-of-51 from the foul line. They were outrebounded, 46-42, but owned a 52-24 advantage in points in the paint.


Rookie Larry Hughes came off the bench to score 12 points but hit just 3-of-12 shots and Philadelphia connected on a mediocre 39 percent (30-of-77) from the field. San Antonio shot 50 percent (34-of-68).


"If we came up with a loose ball, a rebound, or a (conversion) when we had the ball down low, things might have been a little different," said Sixers coach Larry Brown.


Iverson, who matched Detroit's Grant Hill for the most points in one game this season, set a First Union Center record by scoring 25 points in the first half.


"I was making layups early in the game, which made me feel good," Iverson added. "In previous games, I was missing shots early. So I was able to get into the flow early on."

Samuel Dalembert learned Friday that an uncle, a carpenter feared dead in his home country Haiti, was alive. His godfather finally contacted Dalembert's relatives.


Dalembert felt some personal peace that family members in his home country were alive. But hearing the first-hand accounts of the extreme death and destruction in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince has left the NBA's only Haitian wanting to help his countrymen so much more.

"I feel much better, but still my heart is for those who lost their loved ones," he said.

The Philadelphia 76ers center finds 48 minutes of distraction each night on the court. Dalembert made a $100,00 donation to help relief efforts, then had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Sixers to a 98-86 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

"I'm trying to do my best and contribute," a reserved Dalembert said of the relief effort. "The Philadelphia people responded. Everybody everywhere responded. That's a really good feeling. We're a nation of good hearts."

Dalembert taped a public service announcement for UNICEF encouraging fans to support the relief efforts in his home country. His donation went to UNICEF.

"I know, at a time like this, times are tough in our own home. But you find a good heart to help us out," he told the crowd before the game. "Everything is accepted. Don't feel like anything is too small to help out."

The Philly fans responded. The Sixers said in the third quarter they raised more than $30,000 at the UNICEF table on the concourse during Friday's game. Dalembert pledged to match the amount of money donated by Sixers fans.

"As soon as the game starts, my mind is basically on the game," he said. "I try to not think about anything. The game is a good distraction."

Dalembert made all seven of his shots and had three blocks.

Thaddeus Young scored 20 points for the Sixers and Allen Iverson had 17. The Sixers hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that turned a tight game into a comfortable victory in front of one of their largest crowds of the season.

The Sixers are a modest 3-2 since team president Ed Stefanski refused to guarantee coach Eddie Jordan would last the season. They could be headed toward their usual pattern of getting off to a miserable start before regrouping in January and February and sneaking into the playoffs.

Jason Thompson had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Kings. Kevin Martin scored 19 points in his first game after missing the past 32 with a wrist injury. Martin was injured Nov. 2 when he collided with Iverson, then with Memphis.

The game marked a homecoming for Kings guard Tyreke Evans, of nearby Chester, Pa. He was a McDonald's All-American out of American Christian and a two-time state player of the year.

One of the league's top rookies, Evans failed to impress his hometown crowd, scoring 14 points. He missed 10 of 13 shots from the floor and made all eight free throws. He had hundreds of fans waiting for him near the Kings bench after the game.

"I was glad for people to see me play for the first time," he said. "I was probably thinking about it a little too much out there."

Elton Brand -- who was benched for entire fourth quarters a month ago -- scored 14 points for the Sixers and continued to find success in his role as an $80 million reserve. Dalembert and Brand combined to make their first 10 shots from the floor, the kind of production the Sixers envisioned they'd see more out of the frontcourt.

"I'm glad to be out there and contribute to winning," Brand said. "That's what hurt the most, losing and not being out there. Being out there trying to help, you feel good about yourself."

Andre Iguodala, who sprained his right ankle in the first quarter and briefly left the game, started the fourth-quarter run with a 3-pointer, then sank two free throws the next time down. Lou Williams capped the small but decisive spurt with another 3 that turned a one-point lead into an 11-point edge.

Iguodala, who said his ankle was bothering him "quite a lot," scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds.

Dalembert has long been the most-maligned Sixer because of his erratic production for such a bloated contract. He's enjoying one of his finest seasons and had his eighth double-double of the season.

"Sam's been anchoring us the whole year," Iguodala said."

Game notes
The 76ers held a moment of silence for late R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, who died Wednesday. ... The Comcast-Spectacor Foundation made a $10,000 donation to UNICEF, and Comcast-Spectacor -- which owns the 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers -- planned to air public service announcements. ... The Sixers held the Kings to a season-low 37 percent shooting. ... Iguodala had his fifth double-double.