[LOL] Dirk Nowitzki Keeping It Real With Lebron James

Sued for 200K, Dr J's Trophies Up For Auction

After being sued for $200K, Julius Erving puts his trophy case up for auction

By Kelly Dwyer

Times are tough for business owners both big and small in 2011, and Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving is no exception. The former Philadelphia 76ers legend is being sued for nearly a quarter of a million dollars after an investment in a golf club went belly-up.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the breakdown:

Erving's company was given a $1 million line of credit in April 2009, which was due the following April, according to the lawsuit obtained by the AJC. Erving used a Gwinnett County home as collateral to secure the loan, the lawsuit states.
In August 2010, the line of credit was reduced to $750,000 and the maturity date extended to July 24, the bank stated in the suit. But, an outstanding balance of $205,277.84 has not been paid, despite a demand letter for payment sent Sept. 29.
Erving, better known by his nickname Dr. J, moved to the Atlanta area in 2008, about two years after purchasing the Heritage Golf Club, near the Gwinnett-DeKalb county line. The AJC reported in April 2010 that the golf club was in foreclosure.

That's just all sorts of unfortunate. Erving has taken in plenty of post-playing work since retiring from the NBA in 1987, including stints as an analyst on NBC and a gig with the Orlando Magic as an advisor. It's not clear what his role in the failed golf club was, but he's certainly on the hook here.
In what the AJC is calling an "unrelated" event, a litany of Dr. J's personal memorabilia has gone up for auction, through the SCP Auctions company. It's a pretty significant list of swag, available here:

Some of the marquis items from the collection include Dr. J's 1974 and 1976 New York Nets ABA World Championship ring; 1983 Philadelphia 76ers World Championship ring; 1996 NBA's 50 Greatest Players ring; MVP trophies from 1975-76 (ABA) and 1980-81 (NBA); 1977 and 1983 NBA All-Star game MVP trophies; 1979, 1981 and 1985 Eastern Conference All-Star game-worn uniforms, 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers game-worn road uniform; and his final game-worn jersey from Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference playoffs.

That's not just some of his memorabilia -- that's all his memorabilia. Championship rings? MVP trophies? His jersey from his final game as a Sixer? It's a cool stash, but it's also more than a little depressing.

Dallas Mavs receive RING POPS from Bazooka! #bling

Bazooka sends the Dallas Mavericks some championship Ring Pops

By Kelly Dwyer

Somewhat-famously, last June, Mark Cuban jokingly dismissed the idea of giving his championship Dallas Mavericks their championship rings. Cuban called the idea behind handing out the traditional championship rings "old school," and mused aloud as to what sort of show-offy prize he would give his team.

Now, after the NBA owners locked out their players, Cuban can't even re-tweet a celebration photo from Dirk Nowitzki's(notes) Twitter account without facing a million-dollar fine, much less hand out some prized jewelry. That's where Bazooka steps in, sporting all sorts of sugar-laden bling.

Bazooka is sending the team a series of Maverick-blue candy rings. Via CBS Sports:

"Bazooka Candy Brands, the iconic confectionary company and manufacturer of Ring Pops, believes that the Dallas Mavericks should be rewarded for all their hard work and their NBA Finals win," the company said in a statement.
"That is why they will be stepping in and saving the day, creating Swarovski-encrusted Ring Pops in the team colors of Blue and White for the team to wear to celebrate their feat.
The Ring Pops will be shipped to the team shortly."

Your move, Mark.