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A former masseuse filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday, alleging that she was coerced into having sex with James Dolan and was also sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein.

The woman, Kellye Croft, alleges that Dolan pressured her to have sex after a massage appointment while she was working on an Eagles tour in 2013. She alleges that Dolan ignored her resistance and then summoned her to his room several more times on the tour, pressuring her to have sex.

The suit also alleges that Dolan arranged for her to meet with Weinstein, who, she alleges, sexually assaulted her at the Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills in 2014. The suit accuses Dolan of sex trafficking.

According to the suit, Croft told Dolan shortly after the Peninsula incident that Weinstein had been “sexually aggressive.” Dolan responded that Weinstein was a “troubled person” who had “serious issues,” but that his friends were trying to get him to address them,...

The vilification of Isiah Thomas began in his prime playing years. As the star and floor leader of the Detroit Pistons, the so-called Bad Boys — Isiah named the team after a line of dialogue from Al Pacino’s Scarface — Thomas became associated with all the sins of that two-time NBA champion and its rogues gallery of stars. Rodman, Mahorn, Laimbeer — it could seem less like a pro roster than a pirate crew. Isiah’s reputation only worsened after his retirement, first with his poor performance as a head coach in Indianapolis,...

A review of this week’s Winning Time, “Invisible Man,” coming up just as soon as I blame the dramatist in me…

“Invisible Man” takes its title from a conversation Magic and Kareem have prior to the Lakers’ season-defining road game against their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. Magic has spent much of the hour seething at the pedestal upon which sports reporters and fans have placed Boston’s star rookie, Larry Bird (played by Sean Patrick Small). Everything Bird does is a credit to his brains, his work ethic, and his will to win,...

We reviewed HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty last week, and we’ll be recapping each episode this season. Spoiler-filled thoughts on the series premiere, “The Swan,” coming up just as soon as I enjoy my sanddab…

“The Swan” begins a dozen years after the events of the rest of the episode. Earvin Johnson Jr., better known to the world as Magic, is sitting in a doctor’s office, anxiously rubbing his hands, whispering inaudibly to himself. As he exits, the nurses and other staff gaze on him sadly,...

Exclusive: With the NBA’s 75th season underway, Mike Tollin — who helped produce last year’s Michael Jordan docuseries The Last Dance — has found another basketball legend whose story he’s looking to tell. Tollin’s Msm is planning a new documentary on the life of George Gervin, aka “The Iceman,” who was just named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. The film will showcase Gervin’s influence on the game that can still be seen at all levels throughout the world.

Currently in production, the untitled project will be directed by One9 and produced by Msm, alongside Keith Stone’s GameAbove Entertainment and its subsidiary Front Runner Films. The documentary will be produced by Msm’s Mason Gordon with Tollin executive producing, alongside two longtime executives: Charles Rosenzweig of the NBA and Mark Thomashow, formerly of Nike advertising.

“It’s a true honor and pleasure to direct a...

Since mid-January, Bahamas — the nom de guerre of singer-songwriter-musician Afie Jurvanen — has been re-creating songs off his latest album, the eclectic Sad Hunk, with a rotating cast of guest players for the performance series Live to Tape. The latest assembles a small army of Nashville elite to perform the Sad Hunk weeper “Half Your Love.”

Drummer Gene Chrisman, bassist Dave Roe, pedal steel ace Russ Pahl, and guitarist Dan Knobler provide the elegant music bed for Bahamas, while the sibling duo of the Secret Sisters add heavenly harmonies. All of them Zoom in from Nashville,...

Exclusive: Sports fans are in a pandemic moment when we have no choice but to watch old game replays, videogame tournaments with NBA player/gamers, even a Dodgeball callback resurrection of ESPN’s The Ocho, a daylong marathon of obscure sports including cherry pit spitting, slippery stairs, stone skipping and cup stacking contests that seem funny but are an excruciating watch.

Like a cold drink in the desert, along comes the 10-part Chicago Bulls dynasty series The Last Dance, about arguably the greatest NBA team but really a Citizen Kane rendering of the sport’s indisputable Goat, Michael Jordan. Every aerial accomplishment, and career high and low is captured on full display, most of it never before seen. The first two parts of the series debut Sunday. Exec producer Mike Tollin, whose sports-themed films include Radio, Coach Carter and Varsity Blues with docus on Allen Iverson, Hank Aaron and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,...

Jennifer Hudson turned in an emotional tribute to late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant Sunday at the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago.

The award-winning singer and actress sang the classic “For All We Know” just before the game got underway. As images of Bryant and his daughter Gianna played on a screen behind her, the Chicago native performed an impeccable version of the song.

Before taking center court, Hudson was introduced by basketball icon and businessman Magic Johnson, who told attendees he wanted everyone to “come together” to honor Bryant and former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who died on New Year’s Day.

“We will never see another basketball player quite like Kobe,” Johnson said. “He was passionate about being a great father, husband, filmmaker.”

The audience briefly interrupted Johnson while chanting “Kobe, Kobe, Kobe.” Johnson then called for eight seconds of silence in honor of Bryant, who wore...

Rainbow Push Coalition, led by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., in conjunction with its affiliate nonprofit, Citizenship Education Fund, will hold its “Welcome to Chicago 2020 Benefit” as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.

The event will be held on Thursday, February 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Soldier Field in the United Club Room. NBA Hall of Famers Dave Bing and Isiah Thomas will serve as co-chairs, and fellow NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal will join the occasion as a special guest.

The event will help raise funds to support Cool Kids Code, a program designed to close the digital divide in inner cities by preparing young people for the technological jobs of tomorrow.

“Welcome to Chicago 2020 Benefit” comes to Chicago for the first time in 32 years, and with it, the eyes of the basketball world," said the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., president and founder of Rainbow Push Coalition.

DJ Zeke Thomas sat down with uInterview exclusively to discuss his decision to go public with his story of sexual assault back in 2017. The 29-year-old DJ, who is the son of NBA legend Isiah Thomas, revealed he had been drugged and raped after a second date in an essay in website The Cut, and has […]

The post Video Exclusive: DJ Zeke Thomas Discusses Sexual Assault Against Men, Need For Victims To Come Forward appeared first on uInterview.

The death of Penny Marshall -- a beloved actor and Huge sports fan -- rocked the athletic world Tuesday ... with teams and athletes alike mourning her passing. The L.A. Clippers -- one of Penny's favorite teams -- posted they were "deeply saddened" to learn "a resilient pioneer with legendary talent" had died. The Globetrotters, meanwhile, posted an old pic of Penny and the team, saying, "Rip to a long-time friend of the Globetrotters, Penny Marshall.

The Queen is dead. Love live the Queen. Soul superstar Aretha Franklin is being laid to rest this morning in Detroit, and you can follow her funeral service live above. The private event will feature performances by Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Hudson and many others over the course of five hours or more.

The service for the Queen of Soul, who died August 16 at 76, is being held at the Motor City’s Greater Grace Temple, the same church where Franklin sang at civil rights icon Rosa Parks’ funeral in 2005.

A minute-by-minute schedule for the service is below.

The lineup of performers also includes Faith Hill, Ronald Isley, Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Holliday, Fantasia, a number of gospel singers and Franklin’s son Edward.

Presidents Bill Clinton is among those set to speak at the service, and the Rev. Al Sharpton will read a letter from Barack and Michelle Obama. Also...

The Detroit Lions are remembering the city's greatest singer -- sending their "deepest condolences to the family and friends of Aretha Franklin." The Lions tweeted out, "Aretha was a groundbreaker and an icon whose legacy will live on forever." Aretha famously busted out a Four-and-a-half Minute rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at a Lions game on Thanksgiving 2016 ... one of the greatest National Anthem performances ever. Aretha Franklin gave us one of the most memorable...

Msg Networks executive chairman James Dolan has a new song out with his band, Jd and the Straight Shots, about Harvey Weinstein’s alleged predations.

In the song’s lyrics, the chorus lyrics lament, “I should have thrown myself across his tracks/stopped him from these vile attacks.”

Dolan is a longtime friend of Weinstein, who faces rape and sexual assault charges in New York. Dolan also served on the board of the Weinstein company, where Weinstein said of him, “Jim Dolan is one of my and Bob’s best friends. His insight into business has led us to grow an unbelievably successful TV division. He was the biggest impetus, years ago, for us getting into TV in a big way — we owe him for that.”

Dolan is also the executive chairman of the Madison Square Garden companies and involved in the day-to-day operations of the New York Knicks basketball...

LeBron ain't gonna like this ... Isaiah Thomas is throwing All the shade at his former Cavs teammates ... trolling Cleveland for getting whooped in the NBA Finals. It was getting smoked by NBA legend Isiah Thomas (the other one) in a game called "Generation Gap" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Monday night ... and the Lakers guard compared his poor play to his old team. "I'm like the Cavs ... I'm going to get swept" Ouch. Of course, It...

[[tmz:video id="0_vg5h0x7j"]] John Salley says Magic Johnson called him the day after the NBA legend's 1991 earth-shattering HIV announcement ... to ask if Isiah Thomas had been privately dissing him for contracting the disease. Johnson and Thomas ended their decades-old feud this week with a teary-eyed reconciliation -- part of a sit-down interview between the two men. Salley played with Zeke on the Bad Boy Pistons team of the 80's, and when we reached out to him to ask him about the hatchet burying,...

[[tmz:video id="0_jm48xs7h"]] NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas says he no beef with Isaiah Thomas ... and no this isn't a 'Good Will Hunting' moment, he's talking about the New Isaiah, the one who tore it up for the Celtics last year. Our camera guy spotted the original It at Lax and broke some bad news to him, the news being that when "Isaiah Thomas" is Googled, the new model comes up first. (Point of Information: No,...

The 2017 NBA Awards on TNT is already turning out to be a star-studded event.

Hosted by Drake, Et can exclusively reveal that presenters will include Chadwick Boseman, Monica Brown, Nick Cannon, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Bryshere Y. Gray, Grant Hill, Dirk Nowitzki, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jussie Smollett, John Wall and Jesse Williams. More celebrities attending the show are Chris Tucker, Baron Davis, Hill Harper, Reggie Miller, Von Miller, Isiah Thomas and Donnie Wahlberg.

Model Damaris Lewis...

And they’re off! After weeks of reports about trouble in Rio – from the threat of Zika virus to the very real problem of polluted water – the 2016 Summer Olympics got underway Friday night with an Opening Ceremony that underwhelmed – at least for American TV audiences. (Initial ratings were way down from the 2012 London Olympics.)

Nonetheless, the real drama and excitement is still to come over the next two weeks, as some of the world’s most decorated athletes look to add to their record tallies. As NBC’s Bob Costas recently told reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour, “Obviously Michael Phelps is already the greatest swimmer in Olympic history. Usain Bolt is already the greatest sprinter in Olympic history, and they’re trying to add to what they already have done, so we’re talking about Mount Rushmore-type stuff.”

Costas also has his eye on this year’s...

The world may be familiar with the story of Olympic athlete Jesse Owens, the African-American track and field star who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games, possibly because of the recent feature film about his triumph entitled “Race,” starring Stephan James. However, the world might not know about the 17 other African American athletes who also competed in 1936. The new documentary “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” tells the story of those forgotten 17 athletes and how they defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler by demonstrating the myth of white supremacy. Though their stories might not be well known, they are heroes in their own right, and their presence on the world stage was an important precursor to the American Civil Rights Movement.

Read More: ‘Olympic Pride, American Prejudice’ will Trace Trials & Triumphs of Black Athletes at 1936 Olympics (Fundraising)

Narrated by actor Blair Underwood (“L.A. Law”), “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” weaves rarely...

Duke superstar Jahlil Okafor is the greatest player to Ever come out of Chicago ... better than D-Wade, D-Rose, Kevin Garnett and Isiah Thomas ... so says J.O.'s father, Chukwudi Okafor. Those others are no chumps -- some of the greatest players in the history of basketball ... but Chukwudi tells TMZ Sports his son belongs at the Top of the list of Chi-town's finest.  "My son's absolutely the most decorated player ever from the city.

On the basketball court, Cliff Robinson's statistics were quite robust. He ranks ninth in NBA history in games played and, with playoff appearances in 17 of his 18 seasons, those were often meaningful games. He was the league's Sixth Man of the Year for the 1992-1993 season, was an All-Defensive Team second teamer twice and an All-Star once. Thanks to his longevity, he ranks in the Top 50 in NBA/Aba history in scoring, ahead of Hall-of-Famers like Chris Mullin, Isiah Thomas and Scottie Pippen. Sadly, Cliff Robinson won't be remembered for his "Survivor" longevity. This week, Robinson became the fifth player voted out on "Survivor: Cagayan" and the first player booted after the season dissolved its Brains vs. Beauty vs. Brawn twist.  Cliff could have been voted out even earlier, but a basketball-themed Immunity Challenge thwarted Brawn teammate Sarah's attempts to throw the game. After leading his post-Shuffle tribe to a big Reward win,...

Nick Adams is Wicked, Old Spice gets creepy, Liam McIntyre gets married

If your dream is to see Nick Adams in person, you may get your chance. He’s joined the touring company of Wicked as Fiyero, with their first show taking place in Pittsburgh February 4. That’s really an easy four hour drive for me…

Just when you thought Jan Brewer was as nuts as a governor could get in Arizona, Steven Seagal says that he’s considering running for the office. He’s even made friends with right wing Sheriff Joe Arpaio. His primary concern is what he sees as terrorists crossing the border from Mexico. Next thing you know, he’ll make it all a reality show.

The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines has begun issuing the first fiancé visas for same sex couples, including one to a lesbian couple who has since wed after a ten year long distance relationship.

NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is adding talk show host to his resume. Thomas -- who won two NBA championships during his 13 years with the Detroit Pistons -- is set to host Unfinished Business With Isiah Thomas, a weekly half-hour interview and commentary show debuting on cable network Cinemoi North America TV in June. The show will focus on notables from all fields of accomplishment who have achieved success against all odds as well as Americans from all walks of life who are icons in their own way, having overcome obstacles that seemed impossible to conquer, to reach personal

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It's arguable that no one ever comes off looking good in the realm of reality television, where shows seem tailored to bring out and showcase the worst and most outrageous in human behavior in weekly installments. But unscripted programming is particularly fraught for African American men, who can't count on a wide counterbalancing array of more positive portrayals on a small screen whose relationship with race is still very problematic. Yesterday, Star Jones led a panel on this topic made up of entertainment lawyer Matthew J. Middleton, TruTV VP Erik Munro Kennerly, ColorOfChange.org executive director Rashad Robinson, Brown University professor Tricia Rose and former Detroit Piston Isiah Thomas, who gathered to discuss how reality fare treats African Americans, particularly men, and what can be done to change that. It was an intense discussion that clearly could have run longer than the allotted hour, as it ranged from sports reporters' use of.

Robert Townsend and Isiah Thomas Hold Auditions for Basketball Players in Community Film Initiative that Promotes Non-Violence Jamba Juice Will Distribute Over 600 Smoothies to Encourage Participating Youth to “Live Fruitfully™ and to Promote Healthy, Active Living (Miami, Fl October 31, 2012) - Hollywood filmmaker Robert Townsend and NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas are seeking basketball players for roles in the upcoming film, Playin’ For Love, which begins shooting this November in Historic Overtown. The auditions, presented by Jamba Juice® Company, will take place on Sunday, November 4, 2012 at the American Airlines Arena (Aaa) from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m....

In professional sports, things rarely stay the same for long. As time passes, things will inevitably change, and the NBA is no exception. Gone are the days of well-built, post-oriented half-court teams, disappearing is the floor general as a breed of the NBA point guard and slowly leaving the game is the notion of finesse over athleticism.

As the recent signings of Deron Williams to the Brooklyn Nets and Steve Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers would suggest, teams are also changing. The ‘superteam’ is the trend of the NBA and all-stars around the league are converging to forge power duos and trios. For the four or five teams in the league fortunate enough to possess such an arrangement, the NBA is nothing short of exciting.

But, for the other twenty-five franchises around the league, this change could do more harm than good. Looking back, the first instance of a...

A week ago, this question would have been much easier to answer. Without a championship ring under his belt, LeBron James is merely an explosive all-round forward, a physical specimen and a great player. That is not to say that such a description isn’t impressive, but in the history of NBA many have been considered “great.”

With a ring under his belt however, LeBron James has vaulted himself onto a list of some of the greatest NBA players of all time. Many will argue that he isn’t quite there yet, and that is debatable, but no one can argue that his dominating performances throughout the 2011-2012 playoffs didn’t give him an extraordinary boox.

To begin, it would be advantageous to list players that are definitely above LeBron James. Also, I apologize in advance if certain legends are omitted, but due to the sheer number of greats, it...

We already learned that Paul McCartney will be at the Olympics’ Opening Ceremony, and we continue to hope that somehow James Bond and the Queen will kick butt in tandem while jumping out of a helicopter, but not a lot of details have otherwise been doled out about the July 27 event. Until now…

Artistic director Danny Boyle proved he knows his way around a song-and-dance spectacle with 2008′s Slumdog Millionaire, but the Oscar-winning director is going above and beyond for this summer’s Olympic Games. Today, Boyle teased details about the Games’ opening ceremonies, which he has dubbed “Isles of Wonder,...

Twenty years ago at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the Dream Team restored the United States to prominence in basketball, a game it had long dominated on the international level. After settling for bronze at the 1988 Games — the last Olympics that did not allow professional athletes — U.S. Olympic officials and the NBA united to send a team composed of all-timers, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley. They cruised to the gold at Barcelona, drubbing opposing teams who seemed more interested in autographs than actually defeating their NBA heroes.

This Wednesday, NBA TV will air a...

GoodChime!, a new consumer social platform dedicated to leveraging the power of social networking for healthy lifestyles, launched its platform today to bring celebrities and individuals together for health and wellness.

GoodChime!‘s inaugural stars includes a "Who’s Who" of athletes seeking to do social good through social media, and include the L.A. Angels newest superstar, Albert Pujols, as well as tennis legend Andrea Jaeger, basketball great Isiah Thomas, award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis. GoodChime! will be announcing dozens of additional celebrity stars who have joined the social network site over the coming weeks.

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Today is 11/11/11 you guys!!! And this is the internet! You know what that means: Time to Make A Wish for countless 11/11/11 themed list posts that don’t really make any sense but it’s the internet so Not doing one actually makes less sense. Make sense? You better Eleven believe it! Because we at Bwe are absolutely no better than the rest of the internet, and are in fact quite a bit worse than a significant portion of it (like all the news parts), here is our contribution to the obligatory 11/11/11 list fray, ranking the 11 Best Elevens That Ever Elevened. Crack open some un-elevened bread and get ready to read the word ‘eleven’ a bunch more times: 11. The Eleventh Hour How great was this book? So great that I never found a single hidden clue or figured out any part of any mystery, and I Still loved it because there...

2K Sports Isiah Thomas and Scottie Pippen in the NBA’s Greatest mode.

NBA 2K12 comes out Oct. 4, if you are into that sort of thing. NBA lockout aside, the 2K Sports videogame doesn’t have much competition and should be a fine basketball surrogate.

To set matters straight, I don’t watch basketball and I don’t know what the difference is between a layup and a fadeaway. But the game makes a good case to even a neophyte.

Alright, this story is sports-related but Bear With Me, non-sportzies (can I call you non-sportzies? The Z is a letter of affection!) It’s universally amusing and tragic. The final pick in this year’s NBA draft was a college player named Isaiah Thomas, who, as anyone from the NBA Jam era knows, shares his name with retired Detroit Pistons Hall-of-Famer Isaiah Thomas. So you’d assume (foreshadowing for opposite!) that his parents were big Pistons fans, right? Or maybe his dad lost a bet the year he was born: Thomas came by his name through his father’s misfortune. James Thomas grew up in Inglewood, Calif., where the Lakers played their games at the Forum. A big Lakers fan, Thomas was so sure that the two-time defending champion Lakers, after rolling through the Western Conference playoffs unbeaten, would beat Detroit that he made a bet. If the Pistons won,...

Over the course of the last few years, the New York Knicks have experienced an impressive turnaround. For most of this century, the team was a punchline, lead into total irrelevance by former general manager Isiah Thomas. But under new Gm Donnie Walsh, the team has taken years of terrible drafts, horrible free-agent pickups and atrocious contracts and spun it into a team that is much more of a contender, highlighted by the off-season addition of Amar'e Stoudemire. However, while this Knicks team seemed playoff-bound, they still aren't considered an elite squad like their fellow Eastern Conference denizens the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic or Boston Celtics. The team took one more step toward greatness on Monday (February 21) when they successfully executed a trade with the Denver Nuggets (and the Minnesota Timberwolves) to bring dynamic forward Carmelo Anthony to the team.

Anthony came at a steep price, as the Knicks sent sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari,...

Former basketball player and coach Isiah Thomas is recovering in a New York state hospital after suffering a mystery "overdose".

Police have confirmed they were called to the 47-year-old's home at midnight on Thursday, and that an ambulance was dispatched to take Thomas to a nearby clinic.

A police spokesperson tells Usmagazine.com, "An ambulance was called to his residence around midnight, and a party was transported to White Plains Hospital. It was a party from his residence. It was ruled an overdose."

Officials have refused to disclose if drugs or alcohol were involved - but sources tell CBS that he overdosed on sleeping pills.

Thomas, voted one of the top 50 NBA (National Basketball Association) players of all-time, was fired from his job as coach of the New York Knicks in April, after the team suffered an extended slump in form.

Jim ("I am a gay American") McGreevey watching his daughter draw and confirming to other diners at Craftsteak that her artwork was a portrait of Mr. Potato Head . . . Isiah Thomas unafraid to show his face at Mad River Bar & Grille for a Marquis Jet private event with Doug E. Fresh and Barry Alvarez, the legendary Wisconsin football coach . . . Michael Douglas, at Club 55 in St. Tropez with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, ordering his lunch in perfect French . . . B.J. Novak, John Krasinski and Ed Helms...