Phil Jackson takes over the New York Knicks

The rumor is now official. Phil Jackson is coming back home to New York to take over the basketball operations of the Knicks.

James Dolan ceded control of that aspect to Phil, who assumes the position of President with a five-year deal. The latter will work with current GM Steve Mills to determine what needs to be done to fix the Knicks, who has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs in the new millennium.



Many recognize him as a coach, but as a player, he was an integral part of the New York's 1970 & 1973 championships, although he sat out the first title due to an injury. Coming in the same rookie class as Clyde Frazier and Bill Bradley, Phil played in 732 games for the Knickerbockers, which is fifth most in franchise history. He counts his mentor Red Holzman as one of his major influences in coaching, which led him to win eleven titles with the Bulls and Lakers.

Kobe Bryant will not play for the rest of the 2013-14 season

After examinations by Los Angeles Lakers team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo, it has been determined that Kobe Bryant's fractured lateral tibial plateau has not healed yet, and as such, the team has officially declared him sidelined for the rest of the season.

Here is what Athletic Trainer Gary Vitti said about the injury:

“With Kobe’s injury still not healed, the amount of time he’d need to rehab and be ready to play, and the amount of time remaining in the season, we’ve simply run out of time for him to return. However, Kobe will have the entire offseason to heal, rehab and prepare, and we look forward to him being 100% for the start of next season.”

As for the superstar guard, this is what he had to say:

“Obviously this has been a frustrating and disappointing season, but I appreciate all the support I’ve received from the Lakers and the fans, and look forward to being back and ready for the start of training camp.” 

He also tweeted a couple of things.

“@mcten: New blog post: Kobe finally proving to be human http://t.co/p8StSRk4gj”. #thankyou
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 12, 2014

Thank you for all the support. 7months to get back And answer this challenge #healthy #training #nutrition #bodyarmor
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 12, 2014

Kobe played just six games this season, averaging 13.8 points (42.5% from the field, 18.8% from 3pt range, & 85.7% from the charity stripe), 4.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.17 steals in 29.5 minutes.

The Lakers are tied with Sacramento and Utah in toting the worst record in the Western Conference with a 22-42 record.

LeBron James goes Nova for 61

Earlier today, LeBron James was named as the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February. But his signature performance actually came a few days later, in March, against a stingy Charlotte defensive group.



James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.67 steals while shooting 57.5 percent from the field in February.

Road to Rio

For the past couple of weeks, ABS-CBN Sports (first through Balls Channel and later on at ABS-CBN Sports+Action) have been providing its viewers with a 30-minute mini-preview of the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Entitled "Road to Rio," National team skippers Marielle Benitez, Aly Borromeo and TV journalist Atom Araullo share the ins-and-outs of the biggest sporting event in the world.

As the weeks get closer to the opening match, the three will provide knowledge on the 32 teams participating, the different venues, a brief history lesson, as well as the other news and notes about about the biggest stage in the sport.