The Latest From The NBA – Kobe Bryant passing Wilt Chamberlain (Los Angeles Lakers Vs. Sacramento Kings)

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the best in men's professional basketball league and one of the Big Four major sports leagues in North America. It has thirty franchised member clubs (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is widely considered to be the chief men's professional basketball league in the world. It is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by FIBA (aka the International Basketball Federation), as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. It has the distinction of having players that are some of the world's best paid sportsmen (by average annual salary per player).

The NBA playoffs aim at determining the champion team begins in late April. These follow a tournament format.Each team plays an opponent in a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing into the next round, while the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. The final playoff round is known as the NBA Finals, and is held annually in June. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor—including coaches and the general manager—on the winning team receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award to the best performing player of the series.

One of the stars of the NBA, Kobe Bryant joined the Lakers in 1996 and has won 3 NBA Championships in a row from 2000-2002. He also won the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his 13th season, in 2009 and is a sure shot to join the Hall of Fame of the NBA.

Recently, Kobe Bryant made a piece of history by overtaking Wilt Chamberlain (who had amassed an impressive 31,419 points in his sensational career) to move to the 4^th position on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Kobe achieved this feat in a game where he scored 19 points against the Sacramento Kings on March 30^th, 2013. The Lakers defeated the Kings 103-98 in this historical match. What made the win even more sensational was the fact that the Lakers were not poised to win even till half-time. They were trailing by 12 points after the first quarter and reduced the point difference to 4 at half time. Dwight Howard contributed to the win with 24 points while Pau Gasol put in a solid performance scoring 12 points. On the Kings team, the top scorers were Evans (21 points) and Cousins (19 points). Although it was only a regular season encounter between these two California teams, this match will have its place in the history of sports news given the significance of Bryant passing Chamberlain’s milestone.

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Grand Prix – The Racing Events That Make Audiences Go Wild

Formula 1 is a racing phenomenon that is broadcast in each and every country in the world. Only the Football World Cup surpasses it in popularity and viewership. All the teams have great fans, at least in their own countries, not to mention those who cheer for the team they feel is the best, regardless of which country they belong to. For example, Ferrari is popular not only in Italy. There are many other nationals who cheer for Ferrari, even if their own countrymen are driving another car in the competition. The same goes for BMW from Germany and McLaren from UK. Ferrari, BMW and McLaren are the most popular teams in all the Grand Prix events.

The reason for the popularity of F1 racing could be due to the futuristically designed, customized and highly priced cars that are used in the races. Another probable reason is the high and strict standards that all these cars and drivers have to comply with so as to be able to qualify for these championships. The Grand Prix is a series of races that are run on tailor made courses or sometimes even on public roads – both of which are strategically designed to have deep right and left turns. Some of these world famous circuits around the world are the streets in big cities.

The MotoGP is another world class racing event for four-stroke bikes. These Grand Prix motorcycles are custom-built racing machines that are neither available for purchase by the general public nor can be ridden legally on public roads. It was started in the year 1949 and has risen to a popular sport. The Riders' World Championship is awarded to the most successful rider over a season, as determined by a points system based on Grand Prix results.

When these racing events are being held in any part of the world, they easily eclipse all other kind of sports news. The thrill of watching an F1 or MotoGP race in person is unparalleled. Even if you are following the series on the television or on a website, these races are sure to give you a nail-biting finish.Regardless of what attracts you to the sport, could be the high speeds, or the 4 and 5 Gs pulled by courageous and calculative F1 drivers, races are the most thrilling of sports to get addicted to.

For a unique platform where you can find the latest news and videos on Grand Prix events held around the world, check out SportsBox360.