Jessica Alba Named to Yahoo Board of Directors

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Alba is getting her Yahoo moment…

The 41-year-old half-Mexican American actress and co-founder of the Honest Company has become a Yahoo board member.

Alba was chosen from a group of tech, media, finance, sports entertainment and private equity.

Yahoo selected a group of all-inclusive group of leaders to support its new era of growth and transformation. According to Reuters, author Alba will be joined by Aryeh Bourkoff, the chief executive officer of LionTree, Fouad ElNaggar, the CEO of tech firms Array and Sapho, Michael Kives, founder of investment firm K5 Global, Katie Stanton, who has served in executive operating roles at Twitter and Google, and Cynthia Marshall, the CEO of American basketball team Dallas Mavericks.

“As we enter into a new era of Yahoo, establishing a powerful board of directors with strategic knowledge of diverse industries will drive greater growth, innovation, and scale,” said Jim Lanzone, Chief Executive Office at Yahoo Lanzone said in the announcement. “The intersection of media, tech, product, and content is more relevant than ever and this board represents the best minds in those categories.”

“As a newly standalone company, Yahoo’s business has experienced incredible momentum, reflected in our financial performance, user engagement figures, and perhaps most importantly, the quality of talent that has joined the company over the last several months,” said Yahoo Chairman Reed Rayman.

Bad Bunny Becomes Co-Owner of Puerto Rico’s Los Cangrejeros de Santurce

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny is officially a baller…

Following his impressive WWE activities, which earned him high praise from pro wrestlers, the 27-year-old Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton superstar (real name Benito Antonio Martinez) is continuing his sporting efforts.

This time, Bad Bunny has become a co-owner of Puerto Rico’s basketball team Los Cangrejeros de Santurce.

The Puerto Rican superstar, alongside Rimas’ Jonathan Miranda and Noah Assad, has been named partner of the renewed franchise, which also announced a revamped team and image.

“The main purpose and commitment of this initiative are to help foster positive change on the island,” noted an official statement. “The goal is to promote a better future through sports, music, and the arts. The main objective is to encourage ideas and dreams in Puerto Rican youth, which provoke an authentic and real social transformation.”

Los Cangrejeros de Santurce also unveiled the return of NBA star Jose Juan Barea, who played for the Dallas Mavericks, as the team’s point guard.

Founded in 1918, Los Cangrejeros de Santurce is known as one of the most successful Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) franchises, winning eight championships.

https://twitter.com/CangrejerosB/status/1394291638638424064

J.J. Barea to Play for Spain’s Estudiantes Team

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

J.J. Barea is heading to España.

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player, a former Dallas Mavericks guard, has signed a contract to play in Spain’s top division with Estudiantes, the Madrid-based club has announced.

Barea played for the Mavericks for 11 seasons, helping the team win the NBA title in 2011. The Mavericks released him in December.

Barea played 14 NBA seasons, including three with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists in 831 games.

He’s signed through the end of the season, Estudiantes said. He’s scheduled to arrive in Madrid this week to start training.

Barea told Spanish sports daily Marca in 2011 that his father’s family came from a village in northern Spain.

J.J. Barea Re-Signs with Dallas Mavericks

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

J.J. Barea is still a maverick…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player and NBA point guard has agreed to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks on a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum of $2.6 million, according to ESPN.

With Barea’s return, the Mavericks anticipate entering training camp with 16 players on guaranteed contracts, one over the regular-season roster limit. Dallas plans to have competition for the final roster spots in camp.

Barea has spent 11 of his 14 NBA seasons with the Mavericks, playing a key role on the 2010-11 championship team. He played a limited role last season after returning from a ruptured Achilles, averaging 7.7 points and 3.9 assists in 29 games, but provides valuable leadership in the locker room and has an especially strong relationship with superstar Luka Doncic.

The 5-foot-10 Barea, who first made the Mavs as an undrafted rookie, has career averages of 8.9 points and 3.9 assists per game. He has coaching ambitions after his playing career ends.

Barea Agrees to Four-Year, $16 Million Deal with the Dallas Mavericks

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

J.J. Barea has landed a Maverick deal…

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player has signed a four-year, $16 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

Barea had originally agreed to sign a two-year, $5.7 million deal, which would have given him Dallas’ cap-room exception, but both sides negotiated a new deal after center DeAndre Jordan backed out of his commitment to sign a max contract with the Mavs.

“They knew I wanted to be there for a long time,” Barea told ESPN.com. “They wanted me there for a long time, so we made it happen.”

Barea, who has averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 assists during his nine-year career,

Was a key contributor to the Mavericks’ 2010-11 championship team. He returned to Dallas in the fall after being bought out from the Minnesota Timberwolves for the final season of his four-year, $18 million deal.

He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Mavs after breaking into the league as an undrafted free agent, was an effective fourth guard in his second Dallas stint. He averaged 7.5 points and 3.4 assists in 17.7 minutes per game last season. His assist-turnover ratio (3.78-1) ranked behind only the Los Angeles Clippers‘ Chris Paul and the Denver Nuggets‘ Ty Lawson among league leaders.

Lopez ThisClose to Signing with the New York Knicks

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Robin Lopez is in a New York state of mind…

The 27-year-old half-Cuban American professional basketball player, a free-agent center, will sign with the New York Knicks as long as DeAndre Jordan, as expected, chooses the Los Angeles Clippers or Dallas Mavericks and not the Knicks, according to ESPN sources.

Lopez has picked the Knicks over the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal reportedly valued at $12 million a year.

If he ends up in New York, he’ll be the second free agent picked up by Phil Jackson and the Knicks in the 2015 offseason. Earlier Thursday, New York agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract with Arron Afflalo.

Lopez is known as a strong defender and rebounder, two areas in which the 17-win Knicks struggled last season. The 7-foot center averaged 8.7 rebounds per 36 minutes last season, including 4.2 on the offensive end.

New York now awaits Jordan’s decision with the insurance of a Lopez agreement in hand. The terms of Lopez’s agreement are not yet known.

Lopez played the past two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was selected 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2008, playing his first four seasons there. The New Orleans Pelicans acquired him via sign-and-trade in 2012, with Lopez starting all 82 games that season. The Blazers acquired him in a three-team trade before the 2013-14 season.

He recorded 29 double-doubles and set a franchise record for offensive rebounds in his first season with the Blazers. He missed 23 games last season due to a broken hand suffered in December but still averaged 9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, anchoring Portland’s interior defense.

A seven-year veteran, Lopez holds career averages of 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 465 games.

Timberwolves’ Star Rubio Returns to Courts in Impressive Win

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Ricky Rubio has made his triumphant return to the courts…

Playing in a game for the first time in nine months, the 22-year-old Spanish Minnesota Timberwolves star made his comeback in impressive fashion.

Rubio had nine assists and eight points in his 18 minutes of play on Saturday night to help lift the Timberwolves to a 114-106 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Andrei Kirilenko scored five of his 14 points in overtime while Rubio watched from the sideline because of a minutes restriction on his surgically repaired left knee.

“I didn’t feel nothing in the knee,” said Rubio. “I feel great. … I feel 100 percent. I have some issues in other parts now but it’s just like a normal thing.”

Nikola Pekovic scored 21 points for the Timberwolves, who have won their fourth straight game despite playing without All-Star Kevin Love because of an illness.

O.J. Mayo had 20 points, six assists and five rebounds and Shawn Marion had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who led by 13 points early in the game before Rubio entered the game for the first time since he tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in March.

“He brings us all energy, man. No words can really describe it,” said forward Derrick Williams. “You’ve just got to feel it out there on the court.”

Rubio fed Kirilenko for two free throws, then dived on the floor for a loose ball and later knocked down two free throws to tie the game at 100.

But he missed an open 3-pointer with a few seconds remaining that would have won the game in regulation.

No matter. Kirilenko hit two free throws, scored a three-point play and Pekovic finished the Mavs off with a three-point play of his own.

“It’s amazing. They give me a great gift, that ‘W’ in overtime,” said Rubio. “I think we’re going to do big things with this team this year. Just showing how we played in the overtime … It was amazing.”

More than 18,000 packed into Target Center in anticipation of Rubio’s return and erupted at the mere sight of his face on the video board during pregame festivities. He received a standing ovation when he got off the bench to enter the game for the first time with 1:47 to go in the first quarter.

“He’s a terrific player and he played well,” said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “You couldn’t tell he’s been out for a year. So give him credit.”

Rubio Pratices with Team & May Play for the Timberwolves Saturday

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Ricky Rubio may be back in action this weekend…

The 22-year-old Spanish basketball star worked out with his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates on Friday and is “very close” to returning from torn left knee ligaments that have sidelined him since March, according to the team’s coach Rick Adelman.

Adelman believes Rubio might even be ready for Saturday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, saying team officials will discuss Rubio’s return before the start of the game.

The coach says medical staff who’ve been monitoring Rubio haven’t reported any problems with his rehabilitation so far, which Adelman describes as “very consistent.”

The next step, says Adelman, is “to get him in games and see how he reacts,” adding that if Rubio plays, the Timberwolves won’t be able to predict how many minutes they can give him at first.

Rubio averaged 10.6 points and 8.2 assists as a rookie last season.

Najera Becomes First Mexican-Born NBA Head Coach

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He was the first Mexican-born player drafted into the NBA… And, now Eduardo Najera has achieved another milestone: becoming the first Mexican-born head coach in the NBA.

The 36-year-old Mexican-born former power forward has accepted an offer to serve as the head coach and part owner of the D-League Texas Legends.

In addition he’ll join Dallas Mavericks’ president of basketball operations and Legends co-owner Donnie Nelson as a key decision-maker in personnel matters.

“Eddie will be my right hand, and he’ll be assisting me in all major decisions with the Mavericks,” Nelson said Friday at Najera’s introductory news conference. “He’ll be in draft rooms and he’ll be not only selecting players with the Texas Legends, but he’ll get in involved with all the major decisions with the Dallas Mavericks as well.”

Najera spent the first four seasons of his 12-year career with Dallas as well as the 2009-10 season under coach Rick Carlisle. He finished his career with the Charlotte Bobcats under Larry Brown, who is also now in Dallas as head coach at Southern Methodist University.

Najera—who lives with his family in Frisco, where the Legends play—says it makes perfect sense to jump into a leadership role at the two organizations. And he plans for a more vocal and hands-on approach, at least initially, as Legends coach.

“Obviously it’s a great opportunity. Donnie has done a great job with the Mavericks, and to be close to him and learning about the business side is going to be an adventure,” said Najera. “I believe that it’s a great opportunity, and more so than having an opinion, I think I’m just going to be listening to everything that is going to be going on. I’m going to be a sponge and try to learn everything that he’s throwing out at me.”

The decision to join the Mavericks and Legends on multiple levels also comes with a lofty ulterior motive for Najera: to gain sufficient experience to one day help bring an NBA team to his home country.

“I truly believe that in the ’90s, Mexico was already prepared to have a pro team, and now that I’ve gotten to know important people, politicians, it just kind of clicked,” said Najera. “I don’t want to talk about this a whole lot, but the country kind of has that bad reputation right now, but I believe that with the new change (in Mexico’s presidency) coming up, it’s going to open up that door again to eventually have an NBA franchise, of course, in Mexico.

“I’m talking about five, 10, 20 years, but it will be something that I would like to support. That’s the reason this makes perfect sense being part-owner of the Legends, being the head coach, working closely with Donnie with the Mavericks. It’s sort of a great plan, and basically I can get the experience, and so when I go down to my friends, I can say, hey, this is the way you do things, and hopefully they can buy the idea and hopefully they can make it happen.”

Barea to Play for the Timberwolves?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Well, shiver me timbers! J.J. Barea could be playing ball for the Minnesota Timberwolves next season, according to multiple reports.

The 27-year-old Puerto Rican basketball star—who helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title this summer— has been offered a four-year contract valued at $19 million by Minnesota, according to ESPN.

Barea had been pursued by the New York Knicks, but the team just couldn’t make Barea a more competitive offer after dipping under the salary cap to deal for Barea’s former teammate Tyson Chandler. NBA.com sources reported the Knicks offered him a two-year deal.

Meanwhile, Barea’s team since 2006, the Mavericks, only pitched him a one-year deal.

Barea was an important contributor in the Mavericks’ run to the NBA title, especially in the team’s Western Conference Semifinals sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, where he averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 assists and shot 50-percent from the field.

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