LA Lakers News Roundup: LeBron James filed a trademark for a controversial phrase, Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer hopes his team can overtake the Purple and Gold in Los Angeles, and more - July 27th, 2022
The LA Lakers continue to discuss trading Russell Westbrook, but no deal is close to materializing. They are rumored to have reignited interest in sharpshooter Buddy Hield and are trying to orchestrate a trade with the Pacers. Moreover, Shaquille O'Neal's son just signed with the NBA G-League Ignite, so he isn't joining the Lakers' roster.
Let's look at some news stories around the Lakers in the last 24 hours.
LA Lakers extend assistant coach Phil Handy
LA Lakers fired most of their coaching staff when they changed coaches from Frank Vogel to Darvin Ham. Only a few coaches remain with the team, and assistant Phil Handy is one of them. He is an assistant coach and player development trainer with the Lakers and has been with the team since 2019. He was previously an assistant during Kobe Bryant's tenure from 2011 to 2013.
Andscape and ESPN's Marc J. Spears reported that the Lakers extended Phil Handy to a multi-year deal last week. He previously had one year left on his contract.
REPORT: The Lakers have signed assistant coach Phil Handy to a contract extension, reports @andscape.
🔥 https://t.co/tpMUdojvsm
Billionaire owner Steve Ballmer is hopeful that his LA Clippers will overtake the Lakers as the city's favorite
LA Lakers have always been the more beloved and dominant team in Los Angeles. It frankly isn't even a debate. The Clippers have won 0 titles and have, in fact, never even been to the NBA Finals. The league has never seen an MVP from this team and they have 0 retired numbers. On the other hand, the Lakers are 17-time champions with several MVPs and retired legends.
The LA Clippers signed Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in 2019, announcing that a new sheriff was in town. However, they have won just three playoff series since then. Billionaire owner Steve Ballmer is hopeful that they can one day overtake the Lakers in popularity. As reported by ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, he said:
"You said this is Laker town. No. Laker-Clipper. And someday, I want to be able to say Clipper-Laker. I guess [it's] another statement that says 'Hey, look, we’re nobody's little brother. We're a real team.'
"At the end of the day, we still got to win games. We got to win championships. If we can give that to Clipper Nation and fulfill my responsibility as a steward, then I’ll feel good."
First part of Steve Ballmer taking me inside the construction site of the Intuit Dome and giving SportsCenter a sneak peak at The Wall https://t.co/SPEyzqGCSV
LeBron James files a trademark for "Shut Up and Dribble"
Political pundit Laura Ingraham criticized LeBron James in 2018, saying, "Shut Up and Dribble," following James' attempt to discuss politics. James has always been vocal about his opinions about social justice reform and the plight of African-Americans in the country.
LeBron James has been associated with the phrase "Shut Up and Dribble" ever since. He produced a docuseries with his business partner Maverick Carter. The series was titled "Shut Up and Dribble" and told the story of former Chicago Bulls player Craig Hodges. King James is now filing a trademark request on that phrase.
LeBron James' company Uninterrupted has filed a new trademark for:
SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE
The company claims it will offer "SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE"-branded:
1. Virtual goods such as clothing, sports equipment and toys.
2. Podcasts
3. Motion picture films
4. Clothing
#LeBronJames https://t.co/30i9kMzqez