HoopsHype.com Rumors

Steve Nash might just have had an ulterior motive in signing to the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA star, who’s inking a three-year, $27 million deal to move from the Phoenix Suns to the Lakers, has said that he’ll be moving into film production after his run with the team, a career change that will no doubt be aided by his relocation to the show-business capital of the world. Talking to Forbes in May, the 38-year-old Nash said that he’ll likely abandon his sports career in three years - when his contract with the Lakers expires - to pursue his other sideline gigs. Prime among those, Nash says, will be his production company Meathawk. “I’d like to play three more years and then get more involved in some of these other pursuits, most notably my production company,” Nash - who co-owns Meathawk with his cousin, Ezra Holland, said. “It is something I spend a lot of time on.” Toronto Sun

Los Angeles Lakers, Steve Nash, Showbusiness 

As we told you was coming a couple years ago, the NBA has teamed up with a Chinese film studio to have NBA stars — Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, plus Yi Jianlian and former Bull Scottie Pippen — appear in a Chinese science-fiction movie that will feel like the Tron movie I wish I’d never paid to see. NBCSports.com

New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Scottie Pippen, Yi Jianlian, China, Showbusiness 

For the first time, the NBA is partnering with a non-US film studio to release a major film overseas, the producers announced at a global press conference last night in the city. "Amazing," a production by the Shanghai Film Group, tells the story of a fictional world known as "The Sixth Sense." It uses basketball imagery to combine the visual elements of a video game with a movie, akin to the 2010 American science fiction film "Tron: Legacy." Shanghai Daily

New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Scottie Pippen, Yi Jianlian, China, Showbusiness 

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Steve Nash combine for six MVP awards... and more than 100 TV commercials. Take a look at their advertising work. HoopsHype

Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Showbusiness 

Miami, San Antonio, Dallas and Lakers are the top two teams in the Commercials Rankings. HoopsHype

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Showbusiness 

Kyrie Irving is the reigning top pick in the NBA Draft and Rookie of the Year. Clearly he is a talented fellow, and it appears those talents are not limited to the hardcourt. Check out this video he wrote and directed for Pepsi Max, in which he takes a star turn as “Uncle Drew”: NBA.com

Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving, Showbusiness 

If basketball doesn’t work out for Kris Humphries, he may have a future in comedy. A source close to the NBA free agent says Humphries will appear in a second Funny or Die video now that the first one he did went viral last week. The soon-to-be ex-husband of Kim Kardashian turned heads — and boosted his fan base — when he emerged from the shadows of the New Jersey Nets’ off-season to appear in the video, titled “Kris Humphries Is a Douchebag.” New York Daily News

Brooklyn Nets, Kris Humphries, Showbusiness 

According to our source, Humphries’ second Funny or Die video will “be a bit different” than the first, and will “poke fun at another inaccurate assumption about his character.” New York Daily News

Brooklyn Nets, Kris Humphries, Showbusiness 

Kris Humphries KNOWS he's been tagged a douchebag ... he KNOWS people are laughing at him ... but now, he's finally getting in on the joke. KH just completed a video for FunnyOrDie.com ... in which he tries to capitalize on the fact he's the most hated player in the NBA ... the kind of guy most Americans want to "punch in the face." In the clip, two "agents" give Kris a crash course in how to cash in on his d-bagness -- with products that include a video game which allows haters to repeatedly "kick you in the d**k." "No points or anything ... just d**k kicking." TMZ.com

Kris Humphries, Showbusiness 

Personal headphone manufacturer Skullcandy has signed NBA player Kyrie Irving to a personal endorsement deal. The Cleveland Cavaliers rookie will join the likes of NBA All-Star Kevin Durant, NBA MVP Derrick Rose, James Harden, Andre Iguodala and Deron Williams as a Skullcandy endorser. Sportspromedia.com

Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving, Showbusiness 

If Parker could lead the Spurs to an NBA title and take France to an unexpected strong finish in the Olympics this summer in London, it would only make his promotional muscle that much stronger. He’s involved in a new commercial for www.supersoccer.co.id, a website devoted to “the beautiful game.” In it, Italian soccer icon Paolo Maldini who comes upon Parker while he’s playing basketball on an Italian playground. After Parker shows him a few basketball moves, Maldini reciprocates by booting a soccer ball into a basketball hoop. Check out the You Tube version of Parker’s commercial, which should only be followed by many more if the Spurs and Les Bleus can keep winning. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Showbusiness, AC Milan, Paolo Maldini 

Shaunie O’Neal and Jumping the Broom producer Tracey Edmonds are teaming with Fox Searchlight to produce a film loosely drawn from the lives of O'Neal and some of her friends. The project will center on a young woman who follows her boyfriend to Miami after he’s drafted into the NBA. Once in the world of professional sports, she slowly becomes a part of a sisterhood of players' wives, learning from their trials and tribulations. "The beauty of a feature film,” Edmonds explained, “is that we'll have the ability to dig much deeper into the stories and characters that come from this very colorful world and create a very juicy action packed narrative." BET

Showbusiness 

Khloe Kardashian Odom wants to clear things up. Her reality show with basketball hubby Lamar has not been nixed. "Our show is not canceled," Khloe, 27, tells ET.com. "Lamar and I have chosen ... to take a break this summer ... We just want to take a little time off for Lamar to be with family time, kids, basketball, Olympics, you never know. So, we have a lot on our plate right now." Arizona Republic

Dallas Mavericks, Lamar Odom, Showbusiness 

Well, wonder no more: The former Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and New York Knicks guard is now the impresario behind fledgling hip-hop label Mazerati Music, which is sort of like Maybach Music except with fewer rappers you've heard of (READ: probably no rappers you've heard of). He's even spitting some himself, as evidenced by the official video for his new cut, "Finer Things." The song itself is very perfectly Steve Francis, in that it is pretty soundly stuck in the mid-2000s. Yahoo! Sports

Steve Francis, Showbusiness 

When Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks face the Heat at the Garden on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ABC, there is sure to be drama. But Anthony will be involved in another drama that night. At 9p.m. on Showtime,Anthony will haveaguest role in the second episode of the fourth season of “Nurse Jackie.” The showrevolves around actress Edie Falco, who formerly played Carmela Soprano on the hit “The Sopranos.” In this show, Falco plays Jackie Peyton, a nurse ataNew York City Hospital. In Sunday’s episode titled “Disneyland [Stinks],” Anthony has a small role appearing early in the episode at a rehab clinic. New York Post

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Showbusiness 

The cast of “Grown Ups 2’’ just got a little bigger - and taller. Retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal will costar in the sequel to Adam Sandler’s comedy, “Grown Ups,’’ which was filmed in Essex a few years ago. In addition to the 7-foot-1 Shaq, the new movie, which will be shot in Marblehead this summer, will include original cast members Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade, Salma Hayek, and Maria Bello. This isn’t O’Neal’s first film. His credits include the screen gems “Scary Movie 4,’’ “Kazaam,’’ and “Blue Chips.’’ Boston Globe

Shaquille O'Neal, Showbusiness 

Nate Ruess (lead vocalist for the indie-pop band Fun): I don’t have a Twitter or a Facebook, but that doesn’t mean I’m any more productive than the rest of the world. I’m a massive basketball fan, so when I wake up the first thing I do is read hoopshype.com and ESPN N.B.A. I’ve become obsessive; if it’s not music, I’m reading something about basketball, playing basketball or trying to find someone to talk about basketball with. New York Times

Media, Showbusiness 

You got into films for a second. Everyone remembers Kazaam. When was the last time you watched it? Shaq: The other day. GQ: Did it hold up to you? Shaq: I was a medium-level juvenile delinquent from Newark who always dreamed about doing a movie. Someone said, "Hey, here's $7 million, come in and do this genie movie." What am I going to say, no? So I did it. GQ.com

Shaquille O'Neal, Showbusiness 

New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin has signed a two-year contract with automaker Volvo to promote the company's cars around the world — especially in Asia. Oklahoman

New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin, Showbusiness 

The US arm of Swedish car brand Volvo said Monday it expects to unveil a marketing agreement with Knicks star Jeremy Lin that will cover several international markets. Volvo Cars of North America, Volvo's sales unit based in Rockleigh, NJ, sent out invitations to a press conference in New York to "announce a dynamic marketing partnership with Jeremy Lin, the popular New York Knicks point guard." The deal would leverage "the Swedish carmaker's sports heritage," and Lin would "help establish the brand with younger and performance-minded customers," the invitation said. New York Post

New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin, Showbusiness