Retired (NBA)

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter granted additional time to Vanessa Bryant for gathering discovery evidence in her lawsuit against Los Angeles County, according to USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer. 

The widow of Kobe Bryant is suing for negligence and invasion of privacy after sheriff and fire department employees allegedly shared photos of her deceased husband and daughter, Gianna, from the scene of their helicopter crash in January 2020. Vanessa Bryant requested more time after her lawyer, Luis Li, told the court the misconduct "is both more expansive and more egregious than (Bryant) originally understood."

On Friday, the court ruled in her favor, pushing back the discovery deadline from August 16 to November 29 while postponing the trial date from November 16 to February 22, 2022. 

Judge Walter found the county's argument that Bryant's request served as a "fishing expedition" unconvincing. 

Per Walter's ruling:

"Specifically, due to unanticipated developments in this case, including delays in obtaining initial disclosures, a complete identification of relevant witnesses, and the production of internal investigation reports and documents, as well as the necessity of a time-intensive forensic examination of devices … the Court concludes that it is no longer feasible for [Bryant] to complete discovery before the current discovery cutoff despite her diligence.”

The county continues to argue Bryant's case holds no merit on the grounds that photos were not publicly disseminated and only shared with government officials as well as "one friend at a bar." 

Bryant initially sought to extend the discovery period to February 2022, which Walter said was "not necessary." 

"Defendants claim they are being victimized by Mrs. Bryant’s prosecution and public disclosure of this lawsuit," Li wrote in a court filing. "But Mrs. Bryant of course has every right to pursue discovery to find out how and why Sheriff’s Department personnel took and shared pictures of her daughter and husband’s remains."

Some basketball recruits and their families might jump at the chance to accept bribes to attend certain colleges.

Not Kevin Garnett.

The Hall of Famer appeared on the Dan Patrick Show and recalled a time when a recruiter offered him cash to go to a certain school. His grandmother responded by getting a shotgun and telling Garnett, "If you can be bought once, you can be bought always."

He said "that stuck with me forever."

Garnett elected against going to college and instead went straight to the NBA out of high school. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected him with the No. 5 overall pick of the 1995 NBA draft, and he played through 2015-16 as a 15-time All-Star who won a championship and a league MVP.

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker painted a masterpiece Thursday night, dropping 47 points with 11 rebounds in a 113-100 Game 6 victory to eliminate the Los Angeles Lakers from the postseason. 

That Booker did it on the road in Los Angeles only made it more special. Not only was he going against LeBron James, but he also drew inspiration from the Nos. 8 and 24 banners hanging above him in the Staples Center while he played. 

Devin Booker was thinking about Kobe Bryant after the Suns' Game 6 win at Staples Center 🙏 pic.twitter.com/qSbW2TvIAi

— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) June 4, 2021

"Honestly, I was thinking about Kobe and the conversations that we had," Booker said about his performance. "Seeing that 8 and that 24 up there with the way the lighting at Staples has right here, it feels like it's shining down on you. And I know he was here tonight. ... I know he was in the building, and I know he was proud."

If there is anything Bryant enjoyed more than a Lakers win, it was watching basketball players figure out how to elevate their game. He preached it with his talk of the "Mamba Mentality" and tried to instill it in Booker back in 2016 when Bryant handed him his game-worn shoes with a simple message written on them: "Be legendary." 

BeLegendary ♾

— Book (@DevinBook) June 4, 2021

That message was the first thing Booker tweeted early Friday morning after the win. 

Devin Booker got "Be Legendary" tatted on him. Kobe wrote the same message on the KOBE XI PEs he gave Book in 2016 💜💛

(via @DevinBook, h/t Sneakercenter/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/D1jgnhcPXs

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 4, 2020

It's clear Booker took Bryant's sentiment to heart—even if it meant eliminating Bryant's former club.

Former Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade has sold the Miami Beach property he purchased back in 2010, according to Katherine Clarke of the Wall Street Journal. The home, which he purchased in 2010 for $10.65 million, fetched $22 million, two years after it was originally put on the market for $32.5 million. 

The home was listed at about 14,000 square feet and has a wine room, game room and home theater as well as a pool and outdoor basketball court. 

He and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, bought a home in Los Angeles in 2018. Their daughter, Kaavia, was born that same year, and Wade's son Zaire, who he shares with his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches, plays basketball at the legendary Sierra Canyon school in the city. 

As of 2019, when the house was listed, a spokesman for the family said Wade "plans to remain bicoastal," according to Candace Taylor of the Wall Street Journal. 

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith responded to the challenge from former NBA player Kwame Brown during a rant Thursday on Stephen A's World.

"I don’t have a single negative thing to say about Kwame Brown, the person. Nothing personal," Smith said. "The only negative thing anybody said about Kwame Brown is that he couldn’t play a lick of basketball. News flash: That wasn’t a lie."

The feud began earlier this month when Brown took to Instagram Live to call out both Smith and Fox Sports 1's Skip Bayless (WARNING: LANGUAGE NSFW):

Kwame Brown goes on IG live and had some words for Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless 👀 pic.twitter.com/MFN7rraYne

— UFM TV™️ (@UFMTV_) May 18, 2021

He continued to call out the television analyst in multiple videos, including one on Thursday.

Smith responded on Instagram, promising to address the issue in full during his ESPN+ show.

The "Mic Drop" segment then featured several lowlights for Brown's career, featuring numerous clips of dropped passes.

"I've got 15 minutes [of bad clips], I only showed you one," Smith said.

He continued to rip Brown as a player, clarifying that it's his job to critique poor performances on the basketball court.

Brown spent 12 years in the NBA but never lived up to expectations as the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft. He averaged 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds over his career with seven organizations, only once reaching double figures in points.

The 39-year-old has gotten attention for himself in recent weeks by calling out those in the media, but it's clear Smith is standing by his statements.

An attorney representing Vanessa Bryant accused Los Angeles County of waging a "full-scale attack" in its attempt to get a lawsuit filed against the county dismissed.

Bryant is suing Los Angeles County for negligence and invasion of privacy after deputies took pictures of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with seven others, and then allegedly showed them to people privately.

In March, Vanessa Bryant shared the names of the deputies accused of disseminating the photographs. Los Angeles County said Bryant shared posts "recklessly" on social media and potentially put deputies in danger of harassment. 

The county's filing, which was made public last week, also categorizes Bryant's desire for more time to continue gathering evidence as a "fishing expedition." 

Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li, dismissed the concerns of the county in the counter filing. 

“The discomfort and distress she has suffered from government personnel using graphic photos of her deceased loved ones as gossip fodder is very real,” said the filing. “The County’s downplaying of what happened only confirms that Mrs. Bryant cannot trust the County’s internal investigations and must complete an investigation of her own.”

Bryant's investigation has found 66 county employees possess "relevant knowledge of the misconduct" and at least 18 employees took or shared improper photographs of the crash.

“After one Sheriff’s deputy alone took between 25 and 100 photos of the scene and at least two (county fire) personnel snapped even more photos focused on the victims’ remains, the photos quickly made their way into the hands of numerous County employees who had no involvement in investigating the accident, including a trainee monitoring the entry to a trailhead, a video-game buddy, and (a county fire) media relations officer,” the filing said.

Bryant is seeking unspecified damages in her lawsuit. 

Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins accused the Atlanta restaurant Le Bilboquet of racism Saturday for denying him entrance.

Wilkins took to Twitter and said the restaurant told him he could not enter because of a dress code violation, despite him wearing designer clothing:

In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta In @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack pic.twitter.com/vh7zuyxH0K

— Dominique Wilkins 🏀 (@DWilkins21) May 22, 2021

That’s exactly what happened. I would have been fine if they said just no tables. But they looked me up and down before that and then said that and to add insult, talked about how my clothes were not appropriate when I was wearing designer casual pants and a shirt

— Dominique Wilkins 🏀 (@DWilkins21) May 23, 2021

The restaurant provided a statement denying racism, saying its dress code is strictly enforced because of the desire of its patrons.

"We, at Le Bilboquet, do our best to accommodate all of our guests. However, we have received consistent complaints from our patrons regarding other guests' wardrobe choices," the statement read. "As a result, to protect our restaurant's culture, we installed a minimum standard in our 'business casual' attire dress code, which includes jeans and sneakers but prohibits baseball caps and athletic clothing, including sweat pants and tops. Though the definition of 'casual' is ever-evolving, we strive to maintain our policy requirements daily, but it isn't a perfect system."

Dress codes in schools, restaurants and other establishments are viewed by many as a form of coded racism and sexism, though they are protected under law. Many of these dress codes seem to target types of clothing that are more regularly associated with Black people.

Critics have also pointed out that restaurants, clubs and other establishments often are more willing to accommodate violations of the dress code for white customers than Black patrons or other people of color.

Le Bilboquet has faced several accusations of racism in its dress code enforcement of late.

Former Michigan State and Orlando Magic basketball player Keith Appling is a suspect in the shooting death of a 66-year-old man.

Detroit Police released a statement that said the victim and suspect "had a verbal altercation, which turned physical" Saturday in Detroit, per Brett Kast of WXYZ Detroit. The suspect then fired multiple gunshots and killed the older man before fleeing the scene.

Police identified the suspect as Appling and said he was "armed and dangerous."

Appling has had a number of run-ins with the law.

In February 2020, Darcie Moran of the Detroit Free Press reported he was arrested and charged with delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance and driving without a license after police said they found heroin in his car when they pulled him over for driving erratically.

The Associated Press (h/t ESPN) reported in August 2017 that he was sentenced to one year in jail for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting police.

Appling is best known for his time at Michigan State. He played for the Spartans for four seasons from 2010-11 through 2013-14 and helped lead them to the NCAA men's tournament four times and the 2014 Elite Eight.

While he went undrafted, he played in the NBA G League and appeared in five games for the Orlando Magic during the 2015-16 campaign.

The war of words between Kwame Brown and Matt Barnes continued Wednesday. 

Barnes posted a video message challenging Brown to come on All the Smoke to "talk your s--t face to face."

(Warning: Video contains NSFW language)

Matt Barnes fires back at Kwame Brown and invites him to come on an episode of All The Smoke

(h/t @AhnFireDigital) pic.twitter.com/CwNd9rvSlD

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 19, 2021

For those hoping to see Brown sit down and talk with Barnes and Stephen Jackson in person, it does not appear as that is going to happen.

"I'ma let your show fizzle out, because I'm not gon' help you get no rating," Brown said on Instagram on Wednesday (h/t TMZ Sports).

Brown did, however, let it be known he is willing to step in the ring against Barnes.

"Everybody already seen you ain't want no smoke and now you ready to go to the screen and be a crash dummy, 'S--t, if you want we can box and we can do this," Brown said, per TMZ Sports.

The feud began when Barnes and Jackson criticized Brown's NBA career on an episode of their podcast. 

When word of their comments got back to Brown, he issued a response in a video message posted on social media:

“I think you guys need to focus and channel that energy to some more real problems. ... And Stephen Jackson, maybe you can put that motherf--king blunt out and pull your pants up on your ass and put that rag down and act like a grown-ass man instead of a little ass boy.”

Brown's name was first brought up on the podcast last month when Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss was talking about the February 2008 trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for Pau Gasol. 

The Lakers sent Brown and the draft rights to Marc Gasol as part of a package to Memphis for Pau, but Jackson joked that Marc was the only player in the deal. 

That was followed up this week with an appearance on the show by Gilbert Arenas, who played on the Washington Wizards with Brown for two seasons from 2003 to 2005. He referred to Brown as a "show pony" whose confidence was destroyed by Michael Jordan when he was Washington's president of basketball operations. 

In 2001, Brown became the first player selected No. 1 overall in the NBA straight out of high school. He played 12 seasons in the league with seven teams before retiring. 

Chris Bosh will join ESPN's coverage of the 2021 NBA playoffs as an analyst, the company announced Tuesday. 

Bosh has made sporadic media appearances for ESPN and Turner Sports since a blood-clotting issue forced him into early retirement. In 2020, he also debuted a blog titled "The Last Chip" in which he detailed the Heat's last run to an NBA championship with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

Bosh appeared Tuesday on ESPN's Get Up to offer his thoughts on the NBA playoffs, including predicting a seven-game series between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks.

An 11-time All-Star during his NBA career, Bosh was announced as part of the 2021 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class over the weekend. One of the most versatile big men of his generation, Bosh averaged 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in 13 seasons with the Raptors and Heat.