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  • NBA World Tour 2011

    The league's top players are finalizing plans on a two-week exhibition tour during what would have been the first two weeks of the NBA regular season, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.


    While NBA commissioner David Stern and players' union executive Billy Hunter meet with a federal mediator in hopes of saving the NBA season, the league's top players are finalizing plans for a two-week exhibition tour during what would have been the first two weeks of the regular season, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

    While the final details are still being worked out, more than a dozen of the league's best players are working to join forces on what would be a two-week, six-game, four-continent blockbuster tour, sources said.

    In a trip that could resemble Team USA's takeover of the world stage at the 2008 Beijing Games, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Rajon Rondo, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Carlos Boozer, Paul Pierce and Kevin Love are among the players expected to participate. Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett, among a few others, are also contemplating joining the tour.

    Griffin, however, has been forced to pull out of a charity exhibition Sunday in Oklahoma City because of a cut on his right foot, sources close to Griffin told ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

    Atlanta business mogul Calvin Darden has been putting the tour together with the players' agents for nearly three months. He has already obtained signed contracts from Bryant, Wade, Bosh, Griffin, Rondo and Pierce. Sources say he's hoping to complete the rest of the agreements, along with insurance requirements, over the next few days.

    NBA Lockout
    The NBA owners have locked out the players, and little progress has been made in negotiations. ESPN.com Topics keeps you up to date with all of the latest on the NBA's ongoing lockout. Topics Page ยป

    Even so, sources warned that the tour has not yet been finalized and there's still a chance it could unravel.

    The tour, scheduled to begin Oct. 30 and end Nov. 9, will make stops in Puerto Rico, London, Macau, and Australia. Each game will be staged in an arena that holds at least 15,000 fans. Two games each will be played at sites in London and Australia.

    Darden is hoping to broadcast the games in as many international markets as possible and perhaps in the United States as well.

    The players will be paid, receiving salaries ranging from six figures up to $1 million, sources said. Some of the money generated by the tour will be donated to charity.

    The tour would be the biggest lockout event NBA players have ever staged. While locked out in 1998, several stars played an exhibition game in Atlantic City. Current players have staged several charity games over the past month, most notably the "The South Florida All-Star Classic" featuring James and Wade, played in Miami last Saturday.

    Beyond the salaries the players will receive and the overseas venues, this tour is different in that the rosters will be comprised completely of All-Star caliber players.

    One of the few superstars who is not expected to participate is Dwight Howard, who turned down a chance to play in order to rest from a taxing overseas trip he recently took that included visits to 15 countries.

    Darden, the former senior vice president of U.S. operations for UPS, sits on the boards of Target, Coca-Cola and Cardinal Health. He is also the chairman of his own real estate development company, The Darden Development Group. In 2002, Fortune magazine named Darden the eighth-highest ranking black executive in America.

    While Darden's business record is impressive, his family has endured controversy. His son, Cal Darden Jr., recently spent nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of grand larceny and scheme to defraud.

    The 36-year-old Darden Jr., once a high-rolling stockbroker on Wall Street, was convicted of defrauding 11 victims of roughly $7 million. In addition to stealing money from securities firms, he was convicted of bilking $300,000 from former NBA star Latrell Sprewell and $950,000 from rap star Nelly.

    Though Darden Jr. will have no more than a minor role in the tour, several sources said Darden Sr. has been very open with the involved parties about his son's legal issues and that they do not foresee them causing a problem. Darden Jr.'s main role has been putting together the charitable component of the tour.

  • #2
    It is like a Team USA showcase tour if it materializes. 2 months back, Australia Basketball and some organizers explored the possibility of an NBA All Star Exhibition Game that is similar to what Manila had hosted.

    But this is bigger if it happens. I would like it to be held in Macau, China. It will help boost NBA presence in China, post-Yao Ming.
    Sacramento Kings
    HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME

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    • #3
      NBA World Tour 2011

      Schedule

      San Juan: October 30.
      London: November 1 and 3.
      Macau: November 5.
      Melbourne: November 8 and 9.

      Roster

      Kobe Bryant
      LeBron James
      Dwyane Wade
      Derrick Rose
      Carmelo Anthony
      Chris Paul
      Amare Stoudemire
      Chris Bosh
      Rajon Rondo
      Blake Griffin
      Russell Westbrook
      Carlos Boozer
      Paul Pierce
      Kevin Love

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      • #4
        ESPN - Sources: Players sign world tour deals
        Sacramento Kings
        HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME

        Comment


        • #5
          I'll be interested to see the attendances. Doesn't really seem like an Australia type of event.
          Originally posted by Fedfan
          Most ppl get childish when they lose.
          Originally posted by GuTO
          refs in games of Spain walks with literally poop in his pants afraid of the Spanish players

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          • #6
            Are they just playing each other intra squad?

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            • #7
              This NBA world tour might not even happen. Players like Lebron, Carmelo, Derrick Rose have pulled out. Kevin Durant could be next. This all as the league and players union appear to be making progress towards finishing a new CBA.

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              • #8
                Westbrook also pulled out according to ESPN Radio.
                Sacramento Kings
                HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME

                Comment


                • #9

                  NBA World All-Star Classic Tour: NBA Lockout Tour


                  The World All-Star Classic, a basketball exhibition event, will launch this Sunday, Oct. 30 in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum. In what will be a basketball showcase of unprecedented proportions, a collection of 14 of the most elite NBA basketball players have been secured to participate.

                  The World All-Star Classic has contracted the following players to play: Amarโ€™e Stoudemire (Knicks), Blake Griffin (Clippers), Carlos Boozer (Bulls), Chris Kaman (Clippers), Chris Bosh (Heat), Dwight Howard (Magic), Dwyane Wade (Heat), Kevin Durant (Thunder), Kevin Garnett (Celtics), Kevin Love (Timberwolves), Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Paul Pierce (Celtics), Rajon Rondo (Celtics), and Tyson Chandler (Mavericks).

                  As of this hour, the only official game date is in Puerto Rico. InsideHoops.com had heard that the NBA World All-Star Classic tour was expected to also have two games in London, England at the O2 Arena on November 1 and 3, one game in Macau in the in the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Hotel (per ESPN) on November 6, and two games in Melbourne, Australia at the Rod Laver Arena (per ESPN) on November 8 and 9. But none of that has been confirmed yet. InsideHoops.com will update this page with the exact schedule and full information when it exists, so bookmark us and check back.

                  In the NBA lockout tour, team captains will pick teams; the roster will be announced prior to the exhibition game.

                  Tickets for the Sunday NBA World All-Star Classic game will go on sale Thursday morning.

                  Sundayโ€™s All-Star Classic world game tips off at 7 p.m. to what is expected to be more than 18,000 fans.

                  A portion of the proceeds from the NBA lockout tour will be donated to various charities on behalf of the players and the event.

                  The NBA World All-Star Classic tour is expected to wrap up around November 9. But we at InsideHoops.com wonder if it might go longer than originally planned. What if the NBA lockout hasn't been resolved about one week into November, and this great group of all-stars is on the other side of the world, and additional venues want to host them? Will they say no? They might as well just keep touring the world. But that's just speculation on our part.
                  -Insidehoops
                  Sacramento Kings
                  HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME

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                  • #10
                    NBA Superstars will troop to Puerto Rico.

                    Kobe, Durant to headline All-Star Classic in Puerto Rico

                    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Organizers say Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade are expected to headline an exhibition basketball game in Puerto Rico on Sunday.

                    According to a press release, the World All-Star Classic also will feature Amare Stoudemire, Blake Griffin, Carlos Boozer, Chris Kaman, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Love, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Tyson Chandler.

                    NBA players have taken part in many charity exhibition games across the country during the lockout.

                    A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to various charities on behalf of the players and the event.
                    -NBA
                    Sacramento Kings
                    HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME

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                    • #11
                      Sources: Tour opener postponed

                      The six-game, four-continent World All-Star Classic exhibition tour featuring two squads of All-Star NBA players is on hold, with Sunday's scheduled game in San Juan, Puerto Rico, postponed indefinitely, sources said.

                      The other five games on the tour, scheduled for London, Macau and Australia, already had been pushed back until late November, sources said. There was hope the game in San Juan could be salvaged and serve as proof to the other venues and investors that Atlanta businessman Cal Darden and his son, Cal, Jr., were capable of pulling off the event.

                      Cal Darden Sr. could not be reached for comment.

                      Sources close to the organizers said that as of October 23, contracts had been signed with 18 of the league's biggest names, including Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade.

                      Players were promised anywhere from six figures to $1 million to participate in the tour, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard.

                      But Rose and Westbrook withdrew on Tuesday, Rose citing a conflict with the USO Tour he participated in this week along with his offseason training schedule.

                      James, Anthony and Paul later decided not to take part, sources with knowledge of the situation told Broussard. The players wanted to use the lockout to spend more time with their families, and Paul wanted to be available for labor meetings with the NBA's owners, sources said.

                      By Thursday, sources said there were also questions about whether Durant and Bryant planned to participate.

                      It remained to be seen if the game in Puerto Rico and the rest of the tour would be resurrected in light of NBA commissioner David Stern canceling all regular-season games through Nov. 30 after labor talks broke off Friday without a deal.

                      Tickets already had been selling briskly in Puerto Rico, sources close to the organizers said, but there were no provisions made for refunds if the event was canceled or postponed.

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                      • #12
                        Dwight Howard pulled out of the event.

                        Sacramento Kings
                        HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by CKR13 View Post
                          Dwight Howard pulled out of the event.

                          http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sport...,2930392.story
                          Lol, they cancelled the game because of one player missing. Looks like lockout is coming to an end.

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