HoopsHype.com Rumors

Dick Vitale whispers louder than Andre Miller screams. But in the pregame locker room, the Nuggets' veteran guard delivered a powerful, passionate speech, channeling the oration of, say, Jesse Jackson, who just happened to be at Tuesday night's Nuggets-Thunder game. "One amazing speech — guys were just amped up, ready to play," Denver forward Kenneth Faried said after the Nuggets' 114-104 win, Denver's 13th consecutive, a franchise-NBA record. "He said it doesn't matter that we're coming off a back-to-back, it doesn't matter that we went to overtime — we're going to play this game hard and with pride. We don't have any excuses. Andre Miller is a guy who doesn't really say much, but when he talks, everybody listens, nobody's playing around. "Everybody locks in." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Andre Miller, Jesse Jackson, Kenneth Faried 

Adrian Wojnarowski: Jesse Jackson working the Lakers locker room at MSG, spending several minutes visiting separately with Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard. Twitter @WojYahooNBA

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Jesse Jackson 

Kevin Ding: Dwight has Jesse Jackson whispering in his left ear in the postgame locker room. Twitter @KevinDing

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Jesse Jackson 

At the same time Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula has also roped in the South African embassy in the US to facilitate the development of various programmes with the NBA. Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool has also been asked to oversee the process of establishing a joint task team with the leadership of the NBA. This comes after Mbalula visited Orlando, US, last week to watch the All Stars fiesta, which also included a series of meetings with the NBA. "The joint task team, will finalise the agreements on possible exchange programmes and expansion of basketball in South Africa," said Mbalula's spokesman Paena Galane. "During the visit to the US, Mbalula also met with Reverend Jesse Jackson to lobby him to help us in ensuring this process with the NBA becomes successful. Sowetan Live

Jesse Jackson, South Africa 

Now the NBA is again facing the prospect of a bye year. Soon, it won’t be about money. Soon, the Rev. Jesse Jackson worries, it will be personal and irreconcilable and no longer about the color green. “I hope it doesn’t degenerate into names and language that’s hard to take back once it’s started,” Jackson said from his Chicago office late Thursday afternoon. “If it goes down this road, that could amount to irreparable damage. If it goes away from labor negotiations, things could become irretrievable.” Washington Post

Jesse Jackson, Lockout 

Stern fines CLE $100000 for Dan Gilbert comments on LeBron and called Jesse Jackson's statement "mistaken" Twitter

Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, David Stern, Jesse Jackson 

Jesse Jackson went off the deep end today. I have no other way to describe this commentary on the Rainbow Push Website. "He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers," the reverend said in a release from his Chicago-based civil rights group, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship -- between business partners -- and LeBron honored his contract." NBCSports.com

Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, Dan Gilbert, Jesse Jackson 

Jesse Jackson issues statement on Gilbert: "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave." Twitter

Dallas Mavericks, LeBron James, Mark Cuban, Dan Gilbert, Jesse Jackson 

More Jackson: "LeBron is not a child, nor is he bound to play on Gilbert’s plantation and be demeaned." Twitter

Dallas Mavericks, LeBron James, Mark Cuban, Dan Gilbert, Jesse Jackson