HoopsHype.com Rumors

Lawyers for an Atlanta woman who says basketball legend Michael Jordan is the father of her 16-year-old son asked a judge Tuesday to order Jordan to immediately take a DNA test. Pamela Smith, 48, filed a paternity suit against Jordan last month seeking child support. Jordan denies he is the father of the child and has also filed a counterclaim seeking sanctions against Smith for making false claims. Smith acknowledged in a divorce proceeding that her now ex-husband is the father of the child, according to Jordan’s lawyers. “It is unfortunate that well known figures are the target of these kind of claims,” Jordan’s spokeswoman, Estee Portnoy, said in a statement. Toronto Sun

Michael Jordan, Law 

When you’re Michael Jordan you get to play rounds of golf with Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Ernie Ells and pretty much anyone else you want to. Because you’re Michael Jordan. And he talks to them. About winning. And golf. Over at Golf World Tim Rosaforte got some of golf’s biggest names talk about it, and even Jordan to talk about it a little. When I asked tiger Woods recently if there was one iconic athlete, entertainment star or business leader who he tapped for advice on life at the top, there was no hesitation: “M.J.”… Els was doing a putting drill recently when he heard “I’ve got $100 you don’t make it.” Knowing the voice to be Jordan’s, Els said, “Make it $150,” then made the putt. That’s the mindset Jordan was hoping to see from the reigning British Open Champion. “Just like a free throw,” Jordan said. “You need the right fundamentals, like to make sure you extend. But you should never be defensive, never assume you’re going to miss it, never think, ‘What if?’” NBCSports.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods 

Jalen Rose explains to Bill Simmons and David Jacoby how he gets inside NBA information before everyone else does and offers a cryptic answer to Bill’s question about whether Michael Jordan’s famous flu game was a “flu game or hangover game.” YouTube

Michael Jordan, Media, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons, David Jacoby 

Rose: When you go to one of your favorite restaurants, you can order things single, or you can order a combo meal... I would think that that was a number three. A combo meal. David Jacoby: What?! If I'm a little bit under the weather, I'm staying home. Rose: Not if it's game six or seven. YouTube

Michael Jordan, Media, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons, David Jacoby 

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the prestigious MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, where a senior executive of the Dallas Mavericks told me the following when I asked him about the famous "flu game": "The fact that Jordan wasn't sick that afternoon is an open secret in the NBA. Flu is a smokescreen that gives value to what he did. It's much better to say that someone is playing under the weather that saying he's feeling weak because he had few drinks the night before. (...) what Bill Simmons did with Jalen Rose, it's a question to which they both know the answer, but it is a question nobody asks. Simmons, asking that question in a network like ESPN shows why he is the best sports writer out there. (...) It is not surprising that this has not come to light before. There are certain sports brands and sponsors that don't want this to come to light. There is big money at stake. That's why the media is not giving this story any shine. The Jordan brand is worth so much. The media knows it and don't want to take risks, and Jordan's sponsors are going to protect him." Marca.com

Michael Jordan, Media, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons, David Jacoby 

A lawyer for a woman who says Michael Jordan fathered her teenage son is attacking the basketball Hall of Famer's allegation that her ex-husband has been established as the boy's dad. Pamela Smith last month sued Jordan and asked that he take a paternity test and pay child support. Jordan has said he's not the father and filed a motion to have her lawsuit dismissed. ESPN.com

Michael Jordan, Law 

Michael Jordan's gettin' serious about settling down ... TMZ has learned the NBA icon applied for a marriage certificate in Florida this morning in preparation for his April wedding. MJ and his longtime GF Yvette Prieto were spotted at the counter at the courthouse in Palm Beach County, FL ... and a court spokesperson confirmed the couple had filled out the paperwork. Jordan and Prieto are reportedly set to get hitched on April 27. TMZ.com

Michael Jordan 

I laid out my argument for the Charlotte Hornets rebrand three weeks ago. Since then, MJ addressed the name change on Bobcats.com: “As some of you may be aware, we have engaged a national polling group to survey both our current season ticket holders and randomly selected individuals in our local area to see how our fans and stakeholders feel about this topic. Judging from the e-mails you’ve sent me, the opinion seems to be very mixed.” CBS

Charlotte Bobcats, New Orleans Hornets, Michael Jordan, Charlotte Hornets 

Michael Jordan has asked a Georgia court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against him by a woman who says the NBA hall of famer is the father of her 16-year-old son. Jordan's lawyer John Mayoue said in the document filed Monday in Fulton County Superior Court that the six-time NBA champion is not the father of Pamela Y. Smith's son. Jordan accused her of making false claims against him. The NBA's Charlotte Bobcats majority owner said the paternity of the teen has already been "conclusively established" in divorce filings between Smith and her ex-husband. USA Today Sports

Michael Jordan, Law 

Michael Jordan has asked a Georgia court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against him by a woman who says the NBA hall of famer is the father of her 16-year-old son. Jordan’s lawyer John Mayoue said in the document filed Monday in Fulton County Superior Court that the six-time NBA champion is not the father of Pamela Y. Smith’s son. Jordan accused her of making false claims against him. The NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats owner said the paternity of the teen has already been “conclusively established” in divorce filings between Smith and her ex-husband. Washington Times

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Law 

Michael Jordan has been sued by a woman who claims he fathered her 16-year-old son ... and she wants a paternity test to prove it. Pamela Smith claims in her paternity suit -- filed February 6 in Fulton County, GA and obtained by TMZ -- she became pregnant after having sex with Jordan in 1995. Pamela gave birth to Grant Pierce Jay Jordan Reynolds -- aka Taj -- in June 1996. BTW, Jordan was married to Juanita Vanoy at the time he allegedly had sex with Smith. Pamela says in her legal docs she welcomes a paternity test to prove Jordan's the dad. She wants full custody and child support. She also wants Jordan to pay the kid's medical expenses. TMZ.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Law 

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan has purchased a 12,310-square-foot lakefront home in Cornelius, N.C., for $2.8 million. The home is about 22 miles north of uptown Charlotte where the Bobcats play their home games and where Jordan owns a spacious condo. Public records show the home, which had been foreclosed, was purchased Feb. 19 by the Jordan Family Gift Trust from First Community Bank. CBSSports.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan 

Just as the buzz surrounding Michael Jordan's 50th birthday celebration was beginning to subside, the Joliet Slammers of the Independent Frontier League are here to revive it with a creative publicity stunt. It an announcement made by general manager Chris Franklin on Friday afternoon, the Slammers would like to offer Jordan a one-year contract with an invitation to spend the summer finishing his unfinished baseball business while wearing their uniform. Yahoo! Sports

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan 

SLAM: Are you tired of all the LeBron James vs Michael Jordan comparisons? Charles Barkley : Well, I’m not tired; LeBron’s a great, great, great…I mean he’s unbelievable. But I think before we can put him in the same class as Michael Jordan he’s got to win four or five championships. I mean he’s bigger, stronger, but I don’t think you can try to compare the two until LeBron wins more than one championship. He’s got to win four or five championships but he’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen in my life. SLAM

Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley 

SI: You and Michael were always pretty close. It seemed like you were the guy he needed, the guy who said stuff in public that he could never say. But you got on each other pretty hard. Barkley: We still do. It always starts out at good ribbing. You can always tell when you're getting under his skin. I mean, Michael ... he can be such an a------ at times. But when you start cracking on him, he always had the one line: "Hey, you never won anything." SI.com

Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley 

SI: What could you get on Michael about? Barkley: That's easy. He is so damn black. And he's not the best-looking guy in the world. Why do all these women think he's good-looking? If Michael Jordan was a damn plumber, he couldn't get a date. Any guy got $500 million looks good. SI: You and Larry Bird could go at it, too. What did you get on him about? Barkley: That's easy, too. He ain't the best-looking guy in the world either. We used to call the Celtics the ugliest team in NBA history. [Kevin] McHale, [Robert] Parish and Bird? Damn. SI.com

Boston Celtics, Michael Jordan, Kevin McHale, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Robert Parish 

Do you think all this talk about who is better, Michael of LeBron, bothers him?: Tim Grover: “I don’t think so, that it bothers him. But again, being a competitor, he’s definitely hearing it. And it’s part of what’s probably stirring things up a little bit is this whole debate. But I don’t think it’s bothering him, because listen, records and greatness, you always think somebody’s going to come along and dethrone you. I don’t think it’s going to happen, but LeBron’s on one hell of a streak right now. … But, again, there’s a long way to go to do what M.J. did, not only including the championships, but the rest of the stuff along the way.” Sports Radio Interviews

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tim Grover 

Tell me why you truly believe if he made a comeback, he’d be the best player on the Bobcats right now: Tim Grover: “First of all, the Bobcats are a very young team, so he knows how to create [things] and how to take away guys’ strengths. … Just the way he would compete, that if one of the players actually did beat him, he would take it so seriously that he would get himself in better shape and re-challenge that individual until he’d be able to beat him again. His skill set was so high. … I guarantee it’s still higher than most of the guys out there.” Sports Radio Interviews

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Tim Grover 

What kind of numbers would he put up?: Tim Grover: “He’d average 20. Yeah, he’d average 20. … Listen, would he be able to go out and get through an 82-game season? One thing people also [forget], he had no major injuries. … But yes, Father Time is undefeated. But again, there’s so much advancement out there … in anti-aging and so forth, so it is possible. I don’t think that he would come back unless he was 100 percent ready.” Sports Radio Interviews

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Tim Grover 

Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas said Tuesday the debate over whether LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan hinges on a few things, but as far as who is the better athlete, Thomas said it's probably James. "They're both great players, and they're both great in their eras," Thomas said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "In my era, we hadn't seen an athlete quite like Michael Jordan. He jumped higher than everyone else. He was a little faster than everyone else and he was just the best athlete. "LeBron James is the best athlete of today, and he's probably a better athlete than Michael Jordan was. He's bigger, he's faster, he's stronger." ESPN.com

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas