If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Your amazing sports knowledge that is…
No need to apologize for greatness,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NBA (National Basketball Association)
The celebration of life for Kobe and Gigi Bryant will be held this morning at the Staples Center, which is widely known as the “house that Kobe built.” Over 20,000 fans are expected to show up and pay their respects. Vanessa Bryant mentioned that the date 2.24.20 has special meaning – No.2 for Gigi’s basketball jersey number, 24 for Kobe’s jersey number and 20 – the number of years Vanessa and Kobe were together and the number of years he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. You can watch the memorial on a multitude of platforms. REST IN PEACE
Overtime
Major League Baseball (MLB) players’ contracts have strict rules about extracurricular activities that they should avoid (think skydiving, skateboarding, anything that might cause them to injure/kill themselves). If you’re Arizona Diamondbacks’ pitcher Madison Bumgarner, you solve that problem by adopting an alias so you can compete in rodeos. Bumgarner was, of course, outed on social media. (Side note - Bumgarner missed three months of the 2017 season after an injury from a dirt bike accident). YEEHAW
Wonder what other oddities might be included when athletes sign the bottom line? Here are the five most unusual provisions included in an athlete's contract. DON’T SHOW THIS TO THE HR DEPT.
Sideline stat
Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon could be the best college basketball player we’ve ever seen. She’s only nine rebounds away from becoming the first player, man or woman, to finish their collegiate career with 2,000-plus points, 1,000-plus assists and 1,000-plus rebounds. If that’s not impressive enough, she is rumored to be a speaker at Kobe and Gigi Bryant’s memorial this morning and then head to Palo Alto where she and her team will play Stanford tonight. Kobe was a mentor to Ionescu and the duo were big fans of the Oregon Duck. STRENGTH
Coaches’ corner
The NHL (National Hockey League) has a quirky rule around the emergency goalie. If both of either teams’ goalies go out of the game, there’s a designated person in the arena who can step into the role of goalie (i.e. – someone who is not on the team). Cue the Carolina Hurricanes game this weekend where both goalies exited the game and who comes to save the day and win the game? A 42-year-old Zamboni driver. David Ayres is a former hockey player and kidney transplant recipient. The t-shirts of his jersey are selling like hotcakes with the proceeds benefitting a local kidney foundation. STILL GOT IT
What to watch
This Girl Scout knows the way to her favorite football player’s heart. During the St Louis Battlehawks (XFL) game, she exchanged a box of Thin Mints for a game ball. SOLID TRADE
