Dikembe Mutombo Honored Again As A Humanitarian

In a perfect world, my phone would ring, I’d answer it, and it would be Dikembe Mutombo calling to say it’s time to come work for him. But in an Ideal world, Dikembe would be cherished and awarded for his unprecedented humanitarian work…and on Friday, it happened…Dikembe Mutombo received the J. Walker Kennedy Citizenship Award from the Professional Basketball Writers Association. In and of itself, that’s quite an honor, but this is the SECOND time he’s won the award, and the first player in History to do so. (Sorry Steve Nash, he beat ya to it)

“That Dikembe Mutombo would be the first player to repeat as a J. Walter Kennedy award winner speaks as highly of the honor as it does of him,” PBWA president Doug Smith said. “No player has given more freely of his time, his money and himself, on a consistent basis than Mutombo through the years. His and his foundation’s continuing efforts in building, maintaining and improving the hospital in Kinshasa are widely known and set a standard for NBA players, and frankly, athletes across all sports. The PBWA is delighted to present him — again — with this award.”

What more can I say about a man who’s been awarded the Presidents Service Award in 1999, inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in 2007, acknowledged by former President George W. Bush in his 2007 State of the Union Address for his work in support of African causes and continued to inspire an entire team while putting up numbers on the court?

I know I’d sound like a broken record if I went off about his decade long quest to raise $29M for the building of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center in Kinshasa…or how he personally kicked in close to $19M of his own money to make it a reality…or how he has promised to never give up his work to raise money for its operating costs…but I can’t help it. In a world where ‘hate’ sells, I will forever be grateful to Dikembe for his love towards humanity…for his unwavering responsibility of being a role model among professional athletes gone crazy and using his influence to do good deeds.

“The Congo lost more than 300,000 children last year alone from malaria,” Mutombo said. “The treatment will cost no more than $10. If we can come up with $2 million for treatment, with 100,000 people donating $20, there is a chance for us to really eradicate malaria in that particular area. …I know it is going to be difficult to stop people from dying, because death is part of our lives,” he said. “But to prevent as many deaths as possible, it is up to us to do so. This is something I will do the rest of my life.”

Although it looks as if Dikembe’s on-court career is over due to a torn tendon, the upside is that I suspect that we’ll see much more of him now that he’s not playing. “My prayer is that as many people as we have in Houston, maybe 100,000 will respond to my call to donate $20 or more,” Mutombo told the Houston Chronicle in March. “After that, I’m planning to go after every city that I played for.” The eight-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year has played in Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and Houston.

Thank you Dikembe Mutombo. Thank you for all the finger wagging, basket slamming, ball flying on-court action. But more importantly, thank you for caring on a global scale. We have been blessed by your presence and infected with your passion…thank you for not forgetting those in the Congo…thank you for making us aware…thank you for being you. You, my friend, are a necessity that I, for one, could not live without. I will be waiting patiently by the phone…

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

Dikembe Mutombo: A Humanitarian for Life

“This is something I will do the rest of my life. No matter what I go do, whether it is working for the league or business for myself, doing humanitarian work, I don’t think there will be anybody who can stop me.”

After 18 seasons in NBA, Dikembe Mutombo is just a few weeks away from retirement.  “I don’t want to leave this game and have something haunt me, like I complained about playing or my minutes. I just want to be happy. One thing I’m very happy with is the transformation that has happened inside our locker room,” said the Rockets center, “The joy, the peace, the smiling on the guys’ faces are very rewarding to see. That is what made me happy, like I accomplished something.”

Accomplished something? While Dikembe is speaking about what he accomplished with the Rockets, my mind drifts elsewhere. It drifts all the way back to the early 80’s. When Bono and the boys were going Into The Heart of a child alongside Bob Geldof who was busy Feeding the World and Elvis Costello was asking us What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding.

‘We’ve been waiting all year, for you…for you…into the heart of a child, I stay a while…into the heart of a child I can smile, I can see my way. Into the heart of a child, I can go back, I can stay a while…into the heart, to the heart of a child…’ U2’s ‘Into the Heart’ lyrics seem to reflect something that Dikembe can relate to.

After all, he’s spent the last decade raising funds for the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital & Research center in Kinshasa (Dem Rep of Congo). Even though the mighty-mighty-fine man has already donated $19M of his own cash, he still needs more, and so he presses on. And he is asking all of us for a little help.

“The latest campaign is to try to go after the grass roots,” Mutombo said. “We can get at least the American people to participate in the treatment of women and children at the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital by donating $20 or more a year. The goal is to get 100,000 people to sign up with our Web site (www.DMF.org) or call 1-877-funddmf. We want to get 100,000 people to respond by the end of June.”

Now I’m no stranger to the slumping economy, but I do know most of us wouldn’t miss $20 a year? To save lives? This isnt just a plea, but a movement. And Dikembe is about to go nationwide with it. “I’m going to go nationwide. My prayer is that as many people as we have in Houston, maybe 100,000 will respond to my call to donate $20 or more. After that, I’m planning to go after every city that I played for (Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia and New York) and see how many people will sign up to the Web site or pick up the phone. This is to run the hospital for medicine and treatment and paying the staff, the doctors and nurses.”

“People would understand and know this is a good cause,” he said. “This is not a cause that Dikembe is calling on us to donate money so he can buy more equipment or more beds. This is now something we already accomplished. The beds are there. The equipment is there. You just want us to buy medicine and buy Tylenol and buy IVs and all that. Malaria is killing more than 1.3 million children alone in the African continent. The Congo lost more than 300,000 children last year alone from malaria. The treatment will cost no more than $10. If we can come up with $2 million for treatment, with 100,000 people donating $20, there is a chance for us to really eradicate malaria in that particular area.”

Think about that people. Together, we CAN eradicate malaria in the Congo. I don’t know about anyone else, but even with an overdue cable bill, I’m still sending 20 bucks. The life of a child shouldn’t be cut short because someone opted to buy a bottle of wine instead of saving a life…but hey, that’s just me.

“Our goal is to prevent as many deaths as we can,“ Dikembe continued, “I know it is going to be difficult to stop people from dying, because death is part of our lives. But to prevent as many deaths as possible, it is up to us to do so.”

It is indeed Dikembe, and this girl’s got your back every step of the way.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

Yao Ming Foundation Cut Out of the Loop by the NBA

The Yao Ming Foundation has been cut out of the charity loop and is no longer one of the beneficiaries of next week’s Tux & Tennies Charity Gala. Apparently, there are some new “NBA Guidelines” is place to prevent salary-cap circumvention…now, I’m not going to pretend that I’m well versed on all these ‘rules’ but apparently, because Yao can opt out of his contract with the Rockets after the 2009-10 season, the ‘league’ office said donations to his foundation could be interpreted as influencing negotiations. “I know, it’s all about 2010,” Yao said. “They have rules. All we want to do is help people who were hurt by the earthquake in the Sichuan Province.”

The NBA is also claiming that after the Rockets named Yao’s Foundation as a beneficiary, commissioner David Stern’s office received complaints from several other NBA teams…if I were to guess…my money would be on the Cav’s and the Lakers as the cry babies who messed it up for Yao. “We appreciate the league’s position and will work with them and will certainly abide by their wishes and work according to their direction on how we can make the event as successful as possible while supporting Yao to the best that we can,” said Tad Brown, Rockets chief executive officer.

This is straight-up BS if you ask me. Even though the proceeds from the event still go to charity, the Rockets have one of the hottest rosters in the NBA-in terms of charitable work. Between Dikembe Mutombo, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, Yao, and yes, even Ron Artest, they’ve got some mighty-mighty fine men shooting hoops, helping kids, and bettering humanity.

Since 1996, the Tux & Tennies Gala has raised nearly $5 million. Last year and in 2006, proceeds benefited the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, with a portion of the proceeds being used to help build the Women & Children’s Center of the Biamba Maria Mutombo Hospital. The NBA takes issues because Deke twice signed free-agent contracts to return to the Rockets during that period. GOOD. That’s how it should be. Wouldn’t it be great to see the NBA encouraging free-agent signing by greasing players-foundations with hefty donations? Or would you prefer to see players driving around in $100,000 vehicles purchased with bonus money or bribe money or whatever you want to call it?

I’d like to see players hold out from signing unless there is a guaranteed yearly donation to the players foundation or charity of choice. But hey, that’s just me…

Proceeds from the event this year will go to the ‘Bush-Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund’ and to various organizations providing humanitarian relief to earthquake victims in China…

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

Catching Up with Dikembe Mutombo

Don’t get excited-when I write ‘catching up with Mutombo’ I don’t mean I was blessed to meet the big guy-trust me, when I get an interview with him you’ll be the first to know…for now, we’ll have to settle for a great piece from SI.com. (The photo is from Vanity Fair 2007)

Our finger wagging baller has been a very busy humanitarian-as I’ve said before, Deke is a humanitarian first and baller second…and once again, his efforts trump most. His Mutombo basketball kicks by Peak will be released soon-they include his No. 55 and a logo of his finger wagging back and forth. “By the time I retire, I want to see if I can have a shoe that can be sold in Africa that will allow every African child to have the shoes at the low cost of $15 to $20. So every parent can afford to put the shoes on the feet of their kids” he said. Dare I say ‘Yes You Can’? And with much better success than we’ve seen from other-ballers-and-their-low-cost-shoes-sold-at-places-that-go-out-of-business-and-you-don’t-back-it-up with-actions-anyway…but who am I to knock someone for trying…

Deke’s Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital has been open for just over a year. “We have celebrated the first year of the opening Dec. 7,” he says, “We celebrate the first year when the world is crashing. Economically the world is crashing, spiritually the world is crashing. There is war all over the places right now, in Africa, in the Middle East, in Southeast Asia. We have to stay strong, to continue to do God’s work. Otherwise all of these people will perish.” An American consulting firm has told Mutombo that the hospital may become self-sustaining within another three years. This year, he says, the hospital is in need of $2 million to remain open. “If 100,000 people will each donate $20 to the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, we will have $2 million to give treatment to women and children and the oldest people who are dying every day from malaria. There is a child dying in Africa every 35 seconds. Last year alone more than 2.5 million children died in Africa because of malaria. It costs maybe $10 to treat each person. So imagine when somebody is donating $20, he is already saving the life of a child at the hospital.”

This is really a simple request from Deke…just 20 bucks. Yeah, the economy sucks. Yeah twenty bucks is a lot of money to some people. But maybe next time you fork over $4.20 for a ‘no-whip grande cap with extra bullshit’ you’ll think about the fact the your spare change can save a life…if not, then your on the wrong blog.

**Event Notice**
This Sunday at the Saddle Ranch Chophouse on Sunset Boulevard (Los Angeles), LA’s hottest women are going to ride the mechanical bull for charity. Yes I will be there-and no-while I am the queen of (a-hem) bull rider, I will not be riding the bull…I will be interviewing the celebrities in attendance and taking lots of photos…Babes on the Bull…hope to see you kids there.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

Dikembe Mutombo Party With A Purpose

Party with a purpose…indeed. Dikembe Mutombo is hosting a big pre-inauguration bash in DC next week, January 19, to benefit his Foundation. The party starts at 6PM at Eyebar located at 1716 I St NW. The event will feature 250 of DC’s Most Socially-Conscious Young Professionals-including Dave Chappelle, live DJ, and complimentary open bar from 6-7pm. But tickets here…DMF PARTY and to all the sponsors breaking down my door-yes, I would love to go!

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

Tracy McGrady’s Journey

Dikembe Mutombo is the Bono of the NBA. His infectious humanitarian spirit has rubbed off on some of the greatest, including Houston Rocket teammate Tracy McGrady. The Mutombo effect. That’s what I call it. If it werent for this 7’2” beast we may not have as many ballers lining up to support the need for aid in Africa. McGrady was influenced by Dikembe to travel to Africa, but wasn’t entirely hip on the situation there. “I had no clue what genocide was, and I’m still learning about it,” he said while visiting refugee camps in eastern Chad. “I really don’t know what I am going to see.”

What he did see has been chronicled in the new documentary “3 Points.” Last year, T-Mac had a first hand look at three African refugee camps. Working alongside documentary filmmaker and photographer Josh Rothstein and humanitarian John Prendergast of the Enough Project, the films just been completed and is looking for distribution. A great article in the LA Times today explains T-Macs reaction to the trip, what he plans to do next, and how he plans on rolling out the T-Mac effect among players willing to kick in $75k to build new schools. “Some of the players need to be educated,” McGrady says. “But some of them are caring guys, know that something has to be done and are willing to help.” The NBA will be airing “3 Points” to its players and hopefully the films three points will be drilled home: Three strategies to fight genocide: Peace, Protection and Punishment. So far, T-Mac has enlisted his Florida high school as a sister school to a new school in Chad, and gotten donations from Derek Fisher and Jermaine O’Neal. Indeed Tracy McGrady is a mighty-mighty-fine man.

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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

DELINDA’S 30-DAY CHALLENGE
A few days ago I posted a rant aimed at an article promoting Hooman, the alleged ‘reformed racist’ who taunted Dikembe Mutombo with his “monkey” comment. And today, I accept a challenge from Hooman himself.

Hey Delinda, How come you left out the part where I am donating 25% of my book to the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation? Why is it that Dikembe Mutombo’s camp is way past my mistake and you are not? I want to issue you a friendly challenge. Why not let me coach you for a month? I will make you a better person in less than 30 days. If not tell everyone what a phony I am. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Why are you so angry? I don’t have ads on my website so you can’t say I am doing it for money. It is okay that you have ads on your website but here you are calling me out because you are claiming I am all about money. Why don’t you try to put this thing past us? If that article bothered you on Sunday you are in for a future of disappointment because I am here to stay. I am going to help as many people as I can, including you. I have dreamed of being a motivational speaker since I was 22. This negative experience has driven me to make it happen. You too can turn the negatives of your life into the greatest positives by the way you think. I am extending to you an olive branch of peace, why don’t you let go of the past so your future can be that much better? Are you up for my 30-day challenge? Either way I really wish you the best in your life and I hope you find happiness. HoomanCan

In my original post “How To Reward Racism’ I did omit the fact that a portion of Hooman book will be donated to Dikembe’s Foundation-for several reasons: one, on Hoomans website he states that he is donating 20%, (not 25% as mentioned by the man himself) and two, I doubt Hoomans motives.

Hoomans above challenge claims that he can ‘make me a better person’. I accept his challenge for several reasons…first of all, I think rather highly of myself, my ethics, my morals and my reputation, which leads me to my other reason for accepting- I feel I can make Hooman a better person as well. After all, it’s a give and take world isnt it? In particular, I would ask Hooman to explain the following paragraph from his website:

The book Mutombo and Me is about the events following the night, which Hooman Hamzehloui became infamous around the world for being the racist who was banned from every NBA arena. Unknowingly using words of racist hate, Hooman became the recipient of hate mail, death threats, and nasty calls. Hooman had always been an advocate against racism so he felt personally responsible for bringing out the hatred of people all over the world.

So, Hooman, question…IF you claim to have “always been an advocate against racism” why did you spark an international outrage? I have yet to hear of another ‘advocate’ taunting another person with racial slurs. Perhaps you should change the words you use to promote yourself? This would be a great first step towards your credibility in my eyes.

Because what you, Hooman, don’t recognize, is that I have already found happiness. I don’t get my happiness from the pennies I earn each month from the ads on my site. My happiness is rooted in a deep belief that we are all equal, regardless of race, nationality, or political views. But my true happiness is at its peak when I see those in a position to better this world take action. Do I believe you (Hooman) and your motives? Not really…at least not yet…but I am willing to hear what you have to say. So, I accept your magical Hooman ‘make-me-a-better-person-make-over’ because if you are going to ‘create a future of disappointment for me by not going away’ then I best give you one shot at redemption before I dismiss you for good.

Game on Hooman. Show me what ya got.

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Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

This got me fired up today. Mike Bianchi at the Orlando Sentinel has penned a piece about Hooman Hamzehloui. You most likely don’t recognize his name, but you most certainly recognize his words: “Hey, Dikembe, you look like a monkey!” How can we ever forget this guy? Hooman is the racist fan who was banned by the NBA and the Orlando Magic for a full season after a heckling incident two years ago.

Bianchi makes excuse after excuse for Hooman, exalting the transformation of an ‘unknowing racist’ to ‘motivational speaker’…in the article Bianchi writes ‘Maybe it’s a cultural divide (Hooman was born in Iran and came to this country when he was a kid), but to this day Hooman claims he didn’t know “monkey” was a racially offensive term.’ “I had no idea why everybody was so upset,” Hooman says. “I was just trying to have some fun with Mutombo.” (excuse my language kids) but that’s straight up bullshit. The article promotes Hoomans new out-look on life, and includes this (excuse me again) bullshit apology: “I take full responsibility for what I said,” Hooman says now, “even though I really didn’t know what I was saying.”

You can NOT take full responsibility for something and then turn around and say “yeah but…” But nothing…Hoomans words got him banned from the arena…he was so depressed he sat around hosting a pity party for himself because his words were misunderstood…he didn’t know calling Dikembe a monkey was racist…insert finger down throat…and now, Bianchi is actually helping this guy promote his new career as a “motivational speaker” and hawk his new book ‘Mutombo and Me’…are you kidding me? Yet another racist has capitalized on his own behavior and got a welcoming hug from the media…no doubt some cash was exchanged somewhere along the way…seriously, Dikembe is one of the brightest men in the NBA, his humanitarian work makes me cry, and his heart is so full of love that you can actually feel it a mile away.

“If they didn’t kick him out of this arena, he would have seen me off the court,” Mutombo said after the incident in 2006. “I will not accept that. We are not in the ’60s. People have paid the price for us to be where we are today. For him to call a black man a monkey in the middle of the game, he was in the second row, for him to stand up and call, ‘Mutombo the monkey,’ is an insult. It insulted my integrity, my body, my family, my race.”

Why not chose to write a piece on the effect of Hoomans words? How his words cut through the soul of a man who speaks five languages? How his words incited anger in those with an ounce of intelligence? Tell me again Bianchi, what was the point of your article? To help sell Hoomans book? Drive traffic to his website? Or anger those of us who will NEVER forget those seven-little-words?

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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo Interview on ESPN
Another writer who is fed up with reading crap stories by major media outlets who continually ignore the humanitarian efforts of celebrities and athletes tipped me off to this piece…The article was penned by Ric Bucher on www.sports.espn.go.com. Clearly, Yao Ming and Dikembe are schooling the rest of the boys on what it is to be “real men.” Real men have big hearts, souls, smiles and pa-lenty of love for those who need it most. They inspire us and make us forget about those who make it rain, steal from friends, assault women, drag race and create unnecessary controversy that contributes nothing to this world except grief.

In part, Bucher wrote: Mutombo is as well known for his humanitarian efforts throughout Africa—capped by the completion of a $29 million, 300-bed hospital in Kinshasa last fall—as he is for his NBA exploits, which include four Defensive Player of the Year awards. Yao has followed his lead and has been a one-man Red Cross in China, where he organized last summer’s charity game in Beijing between NBA and Chinese stars and has started a relief foundation for victims of Western China’s earthquake last spring. Still, Yao could always use some advice. So Mutombo flew down, and The Mag tagged along…

My favorite paragraph from the entire piece comes from Yao Ming, who says:
“ What inspires me are the stories that have come out. There is a picture on a website of a teacher who, when the earthquake was happening, put four kids under a table and put his body on top of the table. When the school wall came down, the teacher died but the kids were saved. You can’t stay away when you hear stories like that. When my foundation raises the money to rebuild those schools, we’re going to name the schools after those teachers.”

Once again, if that doesn’t give you goose bumps or a lump in your throat, I would venture to guess you have no soul?

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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

DIKEMBE MUTOMBO

My favorite humanitarian (aside from Bono), Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo has joined the Opportunity International Board of Advisors. This past July, Mutombo invited Opportunity International executives to the dedication of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center, named for his mother, which opened this past week. While there, Mutombo introduced Opportunity International to key government ministers to discuss the organization’s plans to provide microfinance services including loans, savings and insurance for the poor. Now, he is helping the organization prepare its entry into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “The only way we are going to eradicate poverty,” said Mutombo, “is for each one of us to do his part. Opportunity International and its people working in Africa are a solution to breaking the cycle of poverty by providing financial services to the poorest of the working poor. I am excited for them to build a bank near my hospital in Kinshasa.”

“What you quickly learn about Dikembe Mutombo,” said Christopher A. Crane, president and CEO of Opportunity International, “is that he is not a sports celebrity doing a little charity work. This is a man of deep commitment to the poor who puts his own time, energy and significant amounts of money into projects like his hospital. He influences others in a position to make a difference, whether they are NBA players donating time and money or doctors and government leaders contributing their talents to serve the poor, who have been underserved for so long. Dikembe Mutombo is the very definition of a philanthropist and we are honored to have him join Opportunity International.”

In September, Mutombo visited Mozambique where Opportunity International is already serving the poor. He toured the bank and visited loan and savings clients in marketplaces in the capital city of Maputo. “I used to work in a market like this as a child for my father’s small business. I sold bread and cheese and sausage,” Mutombo explained. “My father woke me up every day at 5:30 a.m. and I worked until it was time to go to school at 8 a.m. It was how I earned money for my education. My father was poor…Africa is beautiful, Africa is my birthplace. All we need is a hand up, not a handout,” Mutombo said at the end of his visit. “I believe we are all created equal in God’s eyes and that the Gospel teaches us to find a way to serve humanity. This is what Opportunity International and I are doing and we hope that many others will join us.”

ANDY RODDICK GOES GREEN?

Andy Roddick is expanding his off-court activities with plans for The Andy Roddick Foundation to establish the Andy Roddick Foundation International Tennis Center at CastleRock Texas. CastleRock is an “arts-based, resort-style 120-acre sustainable living and recreational community in the Texas Hill Country.” Interesting…The $8.2 million ARF International Tennis Center will serve as the central training facility for the Andy Roddick Youth Tennis Program, which provides the opportunity for at-risk youth to learn the skill and technique of tennis and to compete on local, state and national levels. And it will be the most sustainable and environmentally conscious facility in the United States-a first of its kind-which will integrate a retractable roof over its 17 courts, recycled rubber for court surfaces, solar panels as alternative power sources and extensive rainwater collection systems. “We are thrilled to establish an international tennis center in Texas to further our educational efforts with youth through tennis,” said Dr. Lawrence Roddick, director of the Andy Roddick Youth Tennis Program at the Andy Roddick Foundation. “Establishing our home at CastleRock Texas was a natural fit, connecting with its focus on maintaining a natural, green environment toward healthy, active living. We look forward to a long partnership together.”

RON ARTEST I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been ripping on Ron Artest. And now, I offer my apologies to Artest for calling him a Mensa reject all these years. I’m not gonna offer a run-down of incidents that caused me to use the nickname, what I am gonna do is blame the media for painting a nasty image of someone who is actually a really good guy. And yes, I take full responsibility for egging-on some of the bullshit.

So what changed my mind? His name is Michael Tillery and he recently interviewed Ron Artest for a magazine-which I choose to not name. When I read the original interview-prior to publication- I was blown away at Artest’s eloquence and intelligence, and even more impressed with his ‘giving back to the community’ attitude. After the interview was published, I found that it had been unfairly twisted and skewed to paint a drastically different image Artest. Obviously, people love to read about the bad stuff. Tillery: “I would see tidbits of him giving back to the community and wondered if this cat is so much of a monster, then why do children all over the nation seem to love him? He’ll tell you he’s responsible for the public perception of him because of his rebellious relationship with authority early on in his career. He’s made a fair share of mistakes, but it’s not the whole story and we all know how the media runs with negativity.”

Tillery, in part, asked Artest to speak about a recent trip to Africa that wasn’t publicized. “I keep it 100%.Off the court, I’m a very different person. I’m doing all kinds of charity things,” said Artest, “I do and have done a lot of good things off the court…People need to know that I’m a real person. You have all kinds of athletes catering to the corporate world for endorsements. Yeah I would love to do that but I’ll sacrifice that so the hood can get the attention it sorely needs.” Give Ron Artest a second chance kids…read the full interview at The Starting Five and you’ll see that he’s really not a bad guy.

KASEY KAHNE DON’T NEED NO ID

I was laughing my ass off when I read this. Why? Because its funny as hell to visualize…picture NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne and his brother tooling around on a golf cart during the Ford 400 race. After the race, he and his bro try to access the parking area for drivers’ motor homes and come face to face with security officer Archibald Hutchison. Archi asked them for ID. Kahne said he didn’t need any. Archibald said “yeah you do” and Kahne punched him. (Now he is being sued for assaulting Archi). Kahne was charged with battery by Homestead police on November 17 and released. (Bloomberg News). You can read the police report here.

JONNY BE GOOD

After the Duke-Lacrosse scandal, I’m not so quick to judge, but I will certainly use this to niggle my Man-U fans….Manchester United player Jonny Evans has been released on bail after being questioned by police today about claims that a woman was raped at a hotel where the football team were holding their Christmas party. Evans volunteered for questioning after a 26-year-old woman alleged that she had been the victim of a sex attack at Manchester’s Great John Street Hotel. He was released on police bail and ordered to present himself to police on February 23.

Man-U players had booked the entire hotel on Monday night for the squad Christmas party. They told their wives and girlfriends to stay at home and invited 100 models and dancers, for what one observer described as a “drinking, lap dancing and gambling marathon”. But the party came to an abrupt halt at 4.15am yesterday morning when the police received a call alleging that there had been a rape in the building. “At about 4:15 a.m. on Tuesday December 18 2007, police were called to the hotel on Great John Street to a report that a 26-year-old woman had been raped.” The Manchester Evening News reported that the entire Manchester United first team - excluding Cristiano Ronaldo - attended their club’s annual Christmas party. And if anyone knows when and where Chelsea is holding their annual holiday party, please let me know…just curious…I wouldn’t show up or anything…(UKTimes).

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.