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Silver Stars’ Hammon named to WNBA’s Top 15 – Hammon “Speechless and Humbled”. a “special story” unfolded Saturday when Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon, once thought to lack the size and athleticism to play pro basketball, was named to the WNBA’s exclusive Top 15 Players of all Time list.  Celebrating its 15th season, the league unveiled the list and honored the players in a WNBA All-Star Game halftime ceremony at the AT&T Center.  the game finished with the East rallying late to beat the West 118-113, but one of the top moments of the afternoon for the fans came during intermission.  One by one, the players on the elite team were announced and introduced in front of an ABC national television audience.  when Hammon’s name was called, the pro-Silver Stars crowd of 12,540 responded with an extended roar.   READ MORE ProjectSpurs:  Avery Johnson returns to Texas – after former San Antonio Spurs player George Hill visited Laredo, Texas last week to conduct his basketball camp, another former Spur visited Laredo this week to hold his own basketball clinic.  Current new Jersey Nets coach Avery Johnson returned to give a basketball coaching clinic to the Boys and Girls club in Laredo.  “We are very pleased that Avery has agreed to come back to Laredo, the camps are excellent and the lessons taught are not only in sports but in education also,” said County Judge Danny Valdez, chief organizer of the event.   READ MORE Parker not locked out of hoops in France – It appears Les Bleus have their point guard.  the French Basketball Federation has obtained insurance sufficient to cover the contracts of its NBA players, paving the way for the Spurs’ Tony Parker to play in the Eurobasket tournament in Lithuania later this summer.  the announcement came via a post on the official website for FIBA, the sport’s international governing body.  the question of insurance for international players has been a hot-button issue since the start of the NBA’s lockout July 1.  Typically, the NBA agrees to pay to insure 80 percent of a player’s salary, with foreign federations left to foot the remaining 20 percent. with a work stoppage in effect, however, the NBA has been unwilling to pick up its share of the tab, leaving the often cash-strapped international teams to shoulder the full financial burden.  For the French federation, that meant securing coverage for more than $125 million worth of NBA contracts. Earlier this summer, Parker said he wouldn’t consider playing this summer unless his contract was insured.  That obstacle cleared, the 29-year-old Parker was set to join fellow French NBA players Boris Diaw, Ronny Turiaf and Nicolas Batum for the start of training camp Wednesday in southern France. Eurobasket, an Olympic qualifying tournament, begins Aug. 31.   READ MORE Yao Ming Video: Watch Yao’s Incredible Life Unfold in Computer Animation – at only 30 years old, Yao Ming is one of the richest men in all of China.  unfortunately, it didn’t last nearly as long as it should have, and after only a nine-year run in the NBA, Yao was forced to retire due to injury.  although Yao’s situation is unfortunate, this incredible video has been made in honor of his career.  he was born to two basketball-playing parents—depicted by a baby emerging from a basketball— and he became an instant sensation in China.  the 7’6″ superstar went on to star for the Shanghai Sharks and helped them to a CBA championship.  in 2002, Yao was drafted No. 1 overall by the Houston Rockets—depicted by Yao blasting off on a rocket from China to Houston—and became an instant celebrity across the globe as he began his career in America.  Yao didn’t speak much English at first, but that didn’t stop him tearing up the NBA immediately.   READ MORE Basketball income, compensation up in NBA – Basketball-related income and total player compensation each increased by 4.8 percent in the NBA this past season.  the league said Friday that, with the union, it had completed the 2010-11 season audit. Players are currently locked out after the two sides failed to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. One of the issues is what percentage of basketball-related income players should be guaranteed.  READ MORE Jason Terry throws out first pitch, then speaks – we haven’t seen much of Jason Terry since he scored a team-high 27 points in the clinching Game 6 of the NBA Finals.  he took part in the victory parade, of course, and met up with some teammates at the ESPY awards in Los Angeles, but since then he’s been busy coaching one of his daughters’ AAU team.  Friday night, Terry threw the ceremonial first pitch (high and right) before the Rangers hosted Toronto, then he talked with reporters, touching on a variety of topics.   READ MORE VOTE HERE For Your next MavsMoneyball Blogger(s)! – happy weekend, y’all. We’ve had a fun-filled week full of fresh new perspectives on the Dallas Mavericks, and the time has come to re-read all five submissions and vote on which author you’d like to see join our ranks. I mentioned before we might take more than one if the community demands it. the more, the merrier, right? below you’ll find all five articles in the order they were presented. please consider this carefully! You only get one vote, so make it count. this poll will be left up through Sunday night, at which time I will declare the victor(s).   READ MORE  Read more...