We are inching closer to what should be a very provocative NBA Draft and getting ever so near the 2014 NBA Finals. Hopefully my Miami Heat wrap things up tonight at the American Airlines Arena. Win or lose, I must profess my new appreciation for Lance Stephenson. He is quite the baller and makes the game even more fun to watch. This week on FORBES: (1) Sacramento Kings Arena Construction Receives Approval With Anticipated 2016 Completion; (2) Donald Sterling Files Response To NBA’s Termination Charge; (3) Octagon Football Sued By Former Agent As Another Football Agent Departs From Company; and (4) Canadian Football League Players Prepare To Strike. And as always, the weekly wrap-up:
Football
- Assuming Athletes First charges 3%, it stands to earn $75.4 million from its rookie class [Agent Draft Rankings: Who got biggest slice in $1B worth of NFL rookie class contracts?].
- Can’t hurt to have Mav in his corner [Cleveland Browns’ Johnny Manziel says partnering with LeBron James’ marketing firm, ‘a no brainer’].
Basketball
- Good job by colleague Kurt Badenhausen [10 Factors Fueling $1 Billion+ Bids For The Los Angeles Clippers].
Baseball
- The union doesn’t like when there’s low payrolls [The union would like the Chicago Cubs to spend more money on players].
Sports Business
- IMG College head Ben Sutton staying in charge [IMG sale complete; local top exec remains].
- Mike Tannenbaum went from Jets GM to agent at Priority Sports [Finding Niche on Other Side of the Bargaining Table].
- Maybe a lot of hours, whether or not billable is another question [As cases mount, attorneys rush into the field of college sports law].
