The NBA season starts tomorrow, but before the regular season begins, we’d like to present some NBA preseason pics and images of Andris Biedrins, Nate Robinson, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Arroyo, Erik Spoelstra, Ersan İlyasova, David Andersen, Shaquille O’Neal, Danilo Gallinari, and others. (Photos are courtesy of the AP, Reuters, Getty Images, and the NBA)

For the second-year in a row, Kobe Bryant has topped the list of the most popular NBA jerseys in Europe. Bryant also has the most popular jersey in the U.S. Bryant, who was recently named the most-hated basketball player, continues to polarize; a player that is so popular around the world, can also be the most-disliked. [...]

The French National Team is doing their best to qualify for the 2009 Eurobasket, a key tournament in earning a berth to the 2012 Olympics in London. However, Les Bleus has had to fight battles on and off the court concerning three of the NBA players on their roster, Joakim Noah, Tony Parker, and Nicolas Batum. [...]