Source(s): WENN, Business Insider

It seems that New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony may have made a huge mistake when he allowed Celtics player Kevin Garnett to push his buttons earlier this year. In case you missed it, during a Knicks vs. Celtics game in January, things got a little heated between Kevin Garnett an Carmelo Anthony. Following the game, Melo reportedly attempted to confront Garnett in the stadium’s parking garage and near a locker room, which resulted in Melo’s one-game suspension. This type of aggression seemed really out of character for the 28-year-old small forward. It was later revealed that trash-talking Garnett said something about Melo’s reality tv star wife LaLa, which pushed him over the edge. Rumors implied that Kevin Garnett told Anthony that “LaLa tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios.” Melo told media outlets that the rumors were false, but refused to share what Garnett had actually said about his wife.

Now that others see LaLa is a sore subject for Melo, they’ve immaturely jumped on the bandwagon. On Wednesday at a playoffs game, Celtics player Jordan Crawford told Carmelo:

“That muthaf**ker fu*ked your wife!” referencing the Kevin Garnett drama.

Thankfully, Melo didn’t overreact to the childish behavior like he’d done previously. Instead, he calmed down and kept it moving. When reporters asked him about the drama following the game, Melo responded:

“I’m not thinking about Jordan Crawford. Not at this point in time. I’ll tell you that . . . I don’t think he deserves for you to be typing [about him].”

LaLa also had a few words for Crawford. Taking to her Instagram and Twitter pages, she reminded the 24-year-old “benchwarmer” of his irrelevance.

Source: Instagram

Source: Instagram

Fellow basketball boo Gabrielle Union cosigned.

Real mature, Jordan.

gossiponthis.com

Hey loves, I’m back with the weekend wrap-up!! I tell you, the celebs have been really quiet in the last couple of weeks making my job a bit harder but never you mind; I was able to find some tidbits that are just what the doctor ordered. Check it out!

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by Steven Barboza

In professional sports, there are often financial incentives tied to winning. How much are they and how do they relate to figures like a team’s valuation, star salaries and revenue generation? The Lakers provide a good case study.

The Los Angeles Lakers, who won their 16th NBA championship, get to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy for the second time in as many postseasons. The team also gets to take home a little pocket change: $2,125,137 in playoff bonus money. In fact, even the losers of the NBA Finals are winners in a sense. The Boston Celtics get to split a $1,408,168 pool, or roughly two-thirds of the Lakers’ take.

In the NBA, there is no championship prize money – just a $12 million bonus pool split by the playoff teams. “Like most professional sports leagues, there is a pool of playoff money generated from a portion of home gate receipts that is allocated to players on playoff teams,” said Patrick Rishe, Director of Sportsimpacts and associate professor of economics at Webster University in St. Louis, MO. “The team amount earned escalates as one’s team advances in the NBA playoffs.”

Considering the relatively high salaries of professional athletes, and considering the fact that we just witnessed one of the best rivalries in sports, the NBA bonus pool isn’t an earthshaking amount.  But it’s hardly chump change either.

The Lakers’ $2.1 million bonus will be split according to each player’s relative value or contribution to the team, but every player comes out looking like a winner. The playoff pool is icing on the cake. The monies come with a year’s worth of bragging rights – and the potential to earn tens of millions of dollars in product endorsements.

“It’s kind of the old saying: ‘to the victor goes the spoils,’ and I think that does translate individually to players in helping them get individual sponsorship deals,” said John Black, director of communications for the L.A Lakers.

In addition to the Lakers’ and Celtics’ share, the $12 million NBA playoff pool is distributed to teams as follows:

Best Record in NBA:  $346,105

Best Record in Conference, $302,841each (for $605,682)

Second Best Record in Conference, $243,411 each ($486,822)

Third Best Record in Conference, $181,706 each ($363,412)

Fourth Best Record in Conference, $142,800 each ($285,600)

Fifth Best record in Conference, $118,990 each ($237,980)

Sixth Best Record in Conference, $81,157 each ($162,314)

Teams Participating in First Round, $179,092 each ($2,865,472)

Teams Participating in Conference Semifinals, $213,095 each ($1,704,760)

Teams Participating in Conference Finals, $352,137 each ($1,408,548)

It always seems like the last game of the NBA Finals is a close one. And last night’s game between the Los Angeles Laker and Boston Celtics was just that, a close showdown.

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The recent downturn in the economy seemed to have hit nearly every industry.  However, the lucrative endorsement deals and salaries of these NBA players show no signs of shortage.  In fact, the 2010 NBA playoffs is putting some of the NBA top earners on display. These African-American top earners not only show breathtaking prowess on the floor, but also boast fortunes that afford them a luxury lifestyle outside of the arena. As the NBA finals approach their end, predictions on who will be the reigning unit in the bi-coastal rivalry between the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers are pouring in. Stepping outside of the heated debate, The Atlanta Post observes the teams through an economic lens to present the top 5 earners, based on annual salary, in the 2010 NBA finals.

5. Andrew Bynum

Team: L.A Lakers

Age: 22

Salary: $12.5 million

A relative newcomer to the game, Bynum is a player to watch – he shows great promise and has undeniable potential, but is currently hampered by a lack of consistency. Bynum’s performance has been marked by both flashes of greatness and moments of failure, but it’s already clear the next few years may bring much improvement and shape him into an excellent player. As a new player, Bynum doesn’t have lucrative endorsement opportunities like the other greats on this list, but if his game continues to improve, he’ll certainly attract the attention of companies seeking to put a fresh face on their marketing campaign.

The Grammy Award-winning legend will be front-and-center to perform for the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers game tonight. Singing the national anthem to 215 countries and territories in TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, this is Game 4 of the finals.

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