LeBron James has been a superstar since high school, so I’m sure he’s very used having a target on himself and competing with other stars for the biggest shine. It’s only magnified in the NBA, where he’s been heralded as one of the best players alive.

His back to back MVP awards helped his supporters in their never-ending “Who’s Better?” debate between him and Kobe Bryant. Of course, those in Los Angeles will argue that Kobe’s back to back championships with the Lakers nullify the individual awards, even though the question is supposedly about who is a better individual player. (*scratches head*) Either way, Kobe injected some new life into the discussion by boldly saying he’d beat LeBron in a 1 on 1 game “in his sleep”, eliciting reactions from everyone in the world except LeBron. Until now.

Prompted by this Tweet from a fake Mike Vick that said Kobe was “throwing jabs” at him, LeBron responded on his Twitter.

Considering he’s much younger, has been putting up better numbers than Kobe in every major statistical category for the last several years, has two MVP awards, superior size and strength and won a majority of the head to head matchups, LeBron kept it classy with his response.

Unless the two finally meet up in the NBA Finals or do like the Fake Vick says and play one on one, nobody will really know the answer. One thing is for sure though, these two guys will keep competing in everything from who can do the more feminine photoshoots (Kobe’s awkward staring beat LeBron’s skinny jeans) to bigger name for at least a few years more.

-Will.

Will R. is a journalist/writer who covers sports, news and music for several websites. His music work can be found on www.WestCoastRydaz.com

When it comes to surprising fans with utterly bizarre and non-macho photo shoots, the Los Angeles Times Magazine has the market in a headlock. They are the ones who blessed Kobe Bryant haters across the world with the infamous girly “White Hot” photo shoot that spawned tons of hilarious photoshopped pics.

The folks over at the magazine weren’t done though, as they set their sights on Los Angeles Dodgers outfield star Andre Ethier and produced another gem. The interwebs rejoiced and started churning out some great Ethier photoshops too. That got us here at YouBeenBlinded thinking, what would happen if the two Los Angeles superstars were really Best Friends Forever and took those fancy outfits on the road. From riding mopeds together to clubbing, Las Vegas shows, catching Twilight, riding the Titanic and more, the photos of their adventures can be seen after the jump.

Even the most die-hard Lakers fans sported puzzled looks and could find no reasonable justification for the original photos, although some of us knew the butterfly tattoo would eventually lead to other fashion #fails.

No word yet on who the magazine is looking to shoot next, but I’m sure Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman won’t be putting down his guns and fireworks to go all European fashion model.

- Will.

Will R. is a journalist/writer who covers sports, news and music for several websites. His music work can be found on www.WestCoastRydaz.com

One of the many things I’ve learned watching sports over the years is that some star athletes just can’t get enough of the spotlight, leading to all kinds of branching out. Some choose to form management companies or clothing lines. That’s cool and all but it’s usually not that interesting.

The real fun starts when these talented sports figures try their luck at music. Based on what we’ve seen and heard through the years, there’s a reason why they have their day jobs. The latest guy to make headlines for his music is Los Angeles Lakers starter and NBA Champion Ron Artest. Ron-Ron is no newcomer to rapping and his hometown of Queensbridge, New York has been the birthplace of many rap superstars (Nas, Mobb Deep, ).

His latest song has been his most famous though, especially since he plugged it during the live postgame speech after game 7 of the NBA Finals. It immediately became a hop topic online and by the next day he released the song – appropriately called “Champions” – and it was a viral hit. Trey Kerby over at Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie called it the “best athlete rap song of all-time in the non-unintentional comedy division.”

After more than a few listens it’s hard to say it isn’t a good song. Artest covers all bases, using several examples of sports superiority throughout the lyrics and it’s actually missing most of the antics that earned him the nickname “Crazy Pills” among fans. It’s certainly better than his puzzling tribute to the late Michael Jackson.

Since it’s brought up the topic of rapper/athletes again, we thought we’d line up a few of the most well-known examples and let you decide. If you want to know what some of the NBA guys think, you can catch Artest’s list here or watch Amare Stoudemire and Brandon Roy break down their picks. Whether you think they are good, unintentionally funny, campy cult classics or just plain awful, enjoy.

The Good/Decent:

The Bad (yet still memorable):

The Ugly:

It seems like a recipe for some success on the mic involves the right mix of charisma (Shaq), originality (Da Bears), and a bit of craziness (Artest). It’s a delicate balance though, as we can see with overdoing the cheesiness (Deion, the Dolphins and Eagles) or just lacking any flow (Barkley was turrible). If the rumors about Delonte West and LeBron’s mom are true, I doubt he won her over with his rap lyrics. Iverson went a bit too overboard with the homophobia (safe to say John Amaechi wasn’t waiting in line to buy his CD) and Kobe just S.U.C.K.E.D.

Whether they end up being ridiculed or accepted for trying to cross over, it’s unlikely we’ll see a decrease in rapping athletes anytime soon, especially when looking at the long list of those who hit the booth.

- Will.

Will R. is a journalist/writer who covers sports, news and music for several websites. His music work can be found on www.WestCoastRydaz.com

Grab your drinks and raise them up to toast another memorable birthday for the most well-known “big kid” in the world: the NBA’s unstoppable Diesel, Shaquille O’Neal. The celebrated center turns 37 this week, (March 6) although it’s hard to tell with what he’s done this season.

As his career nears its end an impressive 16 years after it started, Shaq has been able to enjoy a public revival in both his game and his image, putting up numbers this year (18 points, 9 rebounds & nearly 2 blocks a game in only 30 minutes) that are higher than in recent memory and treating fans everywhere to his trademark antics along the way.

He’s second in the NBA in shooting percentage this season (61 percent) and has shot a spectacularly efficient 71 percent during his last ten games, including leading his Phoenix Suns to a win with a 45 point, 11 rebound domination of the Toronto Raptors. When Raptors star forward/center Chris Bosh suggested Shaq benefited from favorable officiating, Shaq responded with another of his classic quotes, saying “I heard what [he] said, and that’s strong words coming from the RuPaul of big men. I’m going to do the same thing (in the next meeting) I did before. Make ‘em quit and complain. It’s what I do.”

Who else but Shaq can get away with comically reducing a three-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist into a cross-dresser? Who else has websites dedicated to their endless array of quotables and try and name any other superstar who gets on his Twitter and invites his fans to meet him for a free lunch? Those are just some of his recent highlights, and it hasn’t been restricted to off the court.

Shaq the Thespian/Musician.

After the Raptors game his recent tear was capped off with 33 points and seven rebounds in a huge win over the league-leading Los Angeles Lakers. The 78 point two-game total was his highest since 2004 and added more historic marks to his resume as he became only the third player ever to score 40 points with four different teams and joined Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Alex English as the only players in NBA history over 35 to score at least 33 points in consecutive games. Oh yeah, he’s shooting a career high 60 + percent clip at the free throw line this season.

That isn’t a surprise, because when it comes to sports figures that are larger than the leagues they play for, few come with an image as unique and instantly recognizable as Shaq. Standing in at a physically imposing 7 feet 1 inch and weighing anywhere from his listed 325 to 340 plus pounds, the man known as the original NBA Superman and countless other monikers is quite a sight to behold.

Despite his large frame, most of his legendary status has always come from more than just the enormous footprint created by his size 23 sneakers. Shaq’s legacy entails the up and down career of a true giant in the game, from his physical dominance of the league to the surprising quickness and athleticism he possessed for a man of his size. His numbers are what cemented his place among the best big men of all time (with scoring, rebounding and block totals among the top 15 in league history), but it’s his inimitable personality that truly separates him from other greats. He’s been a rapper, movie star actor, spokesman, a Scrabble champion, out-danced LeBron and Dwight and is an all around unforgettable comedic presence. That charisma was missing from last year’s All-Star festivities and has turned out to be a timely asset to the association this year.

With the NBA facing the harsh realities of the global economic crisis, rapidly declining attendance and a turbulent situation for the host Suns during All-Star weekend, Shaq was able to instantly grab everyone’s attention with a memorable pre-game dance performance with The Jabbawockeez. He continued the night with a signature posterization of his would-be SuperCenter successor Dwight Howard and by collecting his third All-Star game MVP award. For one day during that weekend, Shaq did what he is quite possibly most loved for; he took control of the moment and gave another “Shaqtastic” performance.

It was evident from watching the fans and players at that game and most of this year that everyone in the NBA universe knows it’ll be losing a special figure when Shaq retires. People seem to be trying to soak up the best of him while he’s still around.

Shaq as Elvis. Possible after-retirement gig?

However, his “don’t call it a comeback” tour hasn’t gone without critics. They said he wouldn’t consistently contribute, that he was going to get injured or didn’t play in enough back to back games, but it’s hard to argue with his output as we near the 60th game of the year. He’s played in 52 and the Suns have a 32-20 record with him. They are less than two games out of the playoffs in a season that has seen them introduce two different coaches and desperately struggle to keep their window of opportunity open. With Amare Stoudemire lost for the stretch run and Steve Nash nursing several nagging injuries, Shaq’s role is more important than ever.

Granted he’s had his bad moments through the years, from his fitness issues to public dissing of former teammates and his infamous freestyle asking Kobe Bryant to describe a taste not fit to print. But none of it can overshadow the positives he contributed and he doesn’t seem to care much what his naysayers think anyway. “I never really worry about what Earthlings say,” Shaq recently said. “I know what I have to do. I know what I want to accomplish.”

They don’t make centers quite like Shaq, not now or in the past. To use his own recent words, “I think I’m the only player who looks at each and every center in the league and says, ‘That’s barbecue chicken down there.’” Like he told an ABC reporter after the win over the Lakers, “It’s what I do. I’ve been doing it since 1992. If you don’t believe it, Google me.”

Go ahead and give it a try. When the results pop up and you see the more than 27,000 points, 12,000 rebounds, 2,600 blocks, four championships, 15 All-Star selections, one regular season and three All-Star MVP awards, the Rookie of the Year trophy and a career that started in 1992 with 24 points and 14 rebounds a game and still collects 18 and 9 sixteen years later, it’s hard to disagree.

- Will.

Before Kobe Bryant set fire to Madison Square Garden with 61 points he stopped by a Foot Locker in Manhattan to show off some special Nike Kobe Zoom IVs. Kicks on Fire was there to cover the whole event, including Kobe talking about broken ankles.

The special edition Nike Kobe Zoom IVs are for Rice High School, who just happens to be sponsored by the Mamba. The Los Angeles Lakers received bad news with Andrew Bynum being out for 8-12 weeks, but Kobe seems to be making the best of the bad situation. First he helped out a high school, then he helped himself to the Madison Square Garden scoring record. Enjoy it now 24 because with games against Boston and Cleveland coming up the good times are coming to an end.

The rapper The Game is known for making outlandish statements. He is known for flip flopping his feelings. I wonder how long it will be before he takes back what he said about Baron Davis:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MMg196pI2M]

I don’t know what’s funnier in this video… The fact that the people in the conference room gave Game a sitting ovation before he started talking, Game labeling Kwame Brown and the rest of Kobe’s supporting cast as “dump ass players”, or Jayceon claiming “I useta kill B.D. (Baron Davis)”… Regardless, I’m sure there’ll be another video out next week where Game says he never said any of this.

Props to 2x off the block at NahRight for bringing this video to my attention.

Game Interview on Raw Report DvD Vol. 5 “How He Felt When Dre Left Him Cause Of 50″. Courtesy of World Star Hip Hop

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