Greg Oden out for Season, again...

It's another unfortunate injury for Greg Oden and the Trailblazers. This time it was a left knee cap injury that will have Oden likely to miss the rest of the 2009-10 season. Although the Blazers won the game, they definitely lost a lot in terms of size and power.

The injury occurred Saturday night in the Blazers-Rocks game when Oden fractured his left knee cap. He was down on the floor clutching at his left knee. The incident happened after the big man collided with the Rockets Aaron Brooks. Trainers and physicians immediately huddled around the Portland center to attend to his injury. He was down for at least 7 minutes, and fans at the Rose Garden let out a "Oden!" chant in support.

Eventually, they moved Oden to a stretcher and wheeled him off court to get have an MRI performed. The report already says Oden will need surgery for this latest setback.

"I'm obviously disappointed having worked so hard to get to where I was. This is a setback but I'll be back. It's in God's hands now," Oden said in a statement released by the team. "I want to thank the fans, my teammates and everyone in the Blazers family for all of their good thoughts."

The early knock on Oden was he might be the #1 pick, but he may mirror the path of another Portland big man, Bill Walton. Walton is still heralded as one of the greats, but found himself plagued by injuries to his legs as well. Similarly, another big man, Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets, has been out this season due to foot problems. It might be true, the bigger they are, they harder they fall...

Story Source: The Associated Press

Yao Ming's Foot Injury Could End Career

The Houston Chronicle discusses the notion that Rockets All-Star Center, Yao Ming, could miss all of next season and possibly even end his career. The problem is that stubborn foot injury which kept him out of the playoff series against the Lakers. Yao is having no symptoms or physical signs due to the injury, but CT scans said otherwise. Apparently the foot's not healing as it should and may require Yao to be benched again next season. The team doctor, Tom Clanton, said the likeliness that Yao plays again depends on the success of whichever treatments are used.

Apparently, Yao had a pin inserted in his foot back in 2006 and played in the Olympics less than six months after that. This current situation while not as serious an injury as in 2006, may require more serious treatment.

From Houston Chronicle:

The surgical treatment options could include placing a pin inside the foot, a bone graft or even realigning the foot to operate differently. Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas underwent similar procedures, reducing his high arch to a flatter foot position, an option that could be considered for Yao, Clanton said, though his arch is not as high as Ilgauskas’ was.

The Rockets enjoyed a tremendous 2008-09 NBA season and unfortunately met up with the eventual NBA Champs (minus Yao) in the postseason. They still possess a nicely formed, talented group including Ron Artest and Shane Battier, but T-Mac has been an injury question mark as well. Yao's had a plethora of foot injuries during his stellar career, but let's hope this latest one heals and allows the phenom to continue play. If not, the Rockets may have to consider shopping in the free agent market to pickup a new star.

2009 NBA All-Star Vote Leaders...

The NBA All-Star game arrives in just a month, illustrating how fast time keeps flying by this 200809 NBA season! This year's All-Star game will be held in Phoenix, Arizona on February 15th. That's just a day after Valentine's day, and many NBA players are hoping fans (or the coaches) show them the love. Here's a look at the current vote totals for the Eastern and Western Conferences....

2008-09 NBA All-Star Top Vote-Getters: (1/1/09)

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

GUARDS: Dwyane Wade, Miami, 1,473,225; Allen Iverson, Detroit, 1,027,153;

FORWARDS: LeBron James, Cleveland, 1,521,272; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 1,101,541

CENTERS: Dwight Howard, Orlando, 1,709,088

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WESTERN CONFERENCE:

GUARDS: Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers, 1,534,020; Tracy McGrady, Houston, 961,852;

FORWARDS: Tim Duncan, San Antonio, 1,132,095; Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix, 743,639;

CENTERS: Yao Ming, Houston, 1,396,126;

As you can see from the above totals released January 1, 2009, Dwight Howard leads all vote-getters with 1,709,088. In case you're wondering where Portland's rookie center ranks, Greg Oden is 5th amongst Western Conference centers behind Yao, Shaq, Bynum and Mehmet Okur. That should change within a few seasons. As for this past season's top 2 draft picks, Michaels Beasley is 2nd to last for East forwards, while Chicago Bull Derrick Rose is 8th. Two of the guards that Rose has received more votes than are Jose Calderon (TOR) and Jameer Nelson (ORL), who just might find spots on the reserve section for their first appearance.

Also of note, but not shown above is that New Jersey's new addition, Yi Jianlian, is third in votes for Eastern Conference forwards with 959,324 votes. Overall, he's not too far behind Boston's KG, and has a good shot of capturing a spot. Yi is ahead of previous all-stars Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce with the votes, but if he isn't voted in, don't expect him to edge out either of those guys for a reserve spot. Chalk up the Yi vote to the Yao vote as the Chinese have embraced the NBA greatly since Yao's arrival to Houston.

You can see the rest of the 2008-09 NBA All-Star votes here at azcentral.com. Balloting for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game officially ends on January 19th, 2009.

Suns-Rockets Basketbrawl Punishments

You may have seen the highlights as a pretty-good sized fight broke out during the Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns game just a few nights ago. According to AZCentral.com:

Just moments after Steve Nash clutched his shoulder after slamming into a McGrady screen, Suns forward Matt Barnes lowered his shoulder into a high screen set by Houston guard Rafer Alston as McGrady made the 3-pointer. Alston came back at Barnes in the middle of the floor, where Nash soon showed up as he raced out of the lane. McGrady shoved Nash out of the area, prompting Shaquille O'Neal to push down McGrady and give more-gentle pushes to Yao Ming and Alston as well. The dust-up carried crosscourt, with Suns coach Terry Porter trying to get between the combatants.

The incident definitely drew the attention of the league, as any instance of on-court violence has following the Pistons-Pacers melee years ago. Today the league handed out an assortment of punishments to the various individuals involved.

The main individuals behind the altercation, Raefer Alston of the Rockets and Matt Barnes of the Suns each received 2 games off from the league. The Suns will also miss their floor general, as Steve Nash was given a 1 game suspension. Suns center Shaquile O'Neal was fined $35,000 while T-Mac of the Rockets had his wallet lightened by $25,000.

In other Shaq news, despite the fine, he recently surpassed legend John Havlicek to become #10 on the all-time scoring list making for quite a milestone in the Big Aristotle's career.

In other fine news, the Sacramento Kings and their coach Reggie Theus were each fined $25,000 for their comments following a recent loss to Detroit.

Video footage of Suns-Rockets fight at USA Today blogs.

NBA Movers & Shakers: Childress & Artest

Two interesting moves have gone down recently in the NBA, with the former Hawk Josh Childress deciding to play overseas, and with the Houston Rockets trading for Ron Artest.

First up is the move Josh Childress made as he moved away from the NBA to play ball in Europe. Childress liked the amount the European team was offering and he was soon packed and ready to go. While Childress isn't exactly the best player on the Atlanta Hawks, he definitely brought them a lot of his talents in the playoffs. The Hawks took it the full 7 games before losing to eventual NBA champs, the Celtics. There was recent rumors that Ben Gordon might head overseas as well, as the Bulls may not be able to pay him what he wants either. According to the latest ESPN magazine, we may see even more NBA players make the move overseas, while the NBA brings in more European players.

The other interesting move was a trade with the Houston Rockets acquiring star defender and former fight-starter, Ron Artest. Artest brings Houston even more defensive toughness now, as they have Yao Ming manning the middle and then Artest and Battier down low for rebounds and scrappy plays. With that sort of solid defensive trio, the Rockets have a great shot to go deep in the 2008-09 playoffs out West. Of course that is if Yao Ming can remain healthy enough to give them some help in the playoffs...

Celtics Land the Rockets

Last night Houston had a problem. As the luck of the Irish continues, the Boston Celtics were able to use tight D to finally ground the Rockets, with a 94-74 triumphant victory. It not only crashes T-Mac and his crew to the earth, but also continues to prove just how tough and good a contender the Celtics make for NBA champions. According to a Wall Street Journal blog, the last time the Rockets lost, the New York Giants were underdogs in the Superbowl. From there the Giants won an impressive game over the Patriots to become champions, and the Rockets began their ascension into the stratosphere, winning 22 straight. Yao Ming was also lost for the season along the way, but that didn't stop the Rockets from winning 12 games without their Great Wall. The streak lasted for an impressive 48 days and really revved up Houston fans for their team's hopes at winning a title.

Chris Sheridan of ESPNprovided the following about the streak:

“The Rockets did, after all, write their own little piece of history with the streak, accomplishing something the NBA hadn’t seen in nearly four decades,” “But that made it all the more surprising to see them wilt in the toughest test they’ve faced during the streak, a night when a national-television audience tuned in to see what all the buzz about the Rockets was about, then switched their TV sets off shaking their heads at how good the Celtics looked.”

So what we have learned is Houston can succeed without their man in the middle, Yao, and that T-Mac and his supporting cast are definite West coast contenders. We also learned that the Celtics are capable of beating any team, in any place, at any time. This will go a long way towards their momentum and championship hopes. The loss puts Houston into a tie with the Lakers for first, not too depressing for fans of the Rockets. Unfortunately, another loss or two could push them back down to the bottom tier of the Western Conference playoff teams.

Rockets Keep Soaring Higher

The Rockets continued to fire on all cylinders on Sunday as they achieved their 22nd straight win, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers by a score of 104-92. The Rockets now have the 2nd longest win streak in NBA History. The team they beat, the Los Angeles Lakers own the #1 all time streak at 33 straight games won.

On Sunday, Kobe Bryant didn't have it in him to overcome the intense D of Shane Battier and the great 3 point shooting displayed by Houston. Kobe shot just 11 of 33 from the field thanks to Mr. Battier. The Rockets have won 10 games in a row since Yao Ming's departure, making them one of the most interesting 2nd half success stories.

Next up for the Rockets is a tough 2 games facing first the Celtics and then the Hornets.

See more about the Rockets-Lakers game here.

When Will Rockets Land?

Just over a week ago, I discussed here at the Love and Basketball blog how the injury of Yao Ming would ground the Rockets, who were on an impressive run. Since then, they've continued their winning ways, thanks to the power of superstar Tracy McGrady. As of Saturday night, T-Mac and his Houston crew are now on an 18 game winning streak, one of the more impressive streaks in recent sports history. Last night T-Mac put on a show scoring 41 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds to lead his team over a very good New Orleans squad in the West.

According to the Houston Chronicle:

If this wasn't a perfect game, it was close. McGrady was on the floor for all 48 minutes, scored 41 points, handed out nine assists and grabbed six rebounds.

Years from now when someone asks you why McGrady was special, tell him to watch this game. Whenever New Orleans seemed about to get back in it, McGrady delivered.

"We also had Tracy McGrady, and it didn't matter what they did," Rafer Alston said.

When it was over, when the Rockets had beaten the Hornets 106-96 to become just the seventh NBA team to win 18 games in a row, they acted like a bunch of high school kids.

Full Houston Chronicle article

T-Mac is definitely one of the top stars of our beloved b-ball league, but the problem will come when they have to win a series of consecutive games against a San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix or even Lakers. That's not to say the Rockets aren't capable. According to the Chronicle article, the Rockets do all the intangibles necessary to scrap and win games. You'd have to attribute that to a guy like Shane Battier, who's always been a defensive stalwart and the type to get splinters by taking charges or diving for loose balls.

Houston may have a problem. Playoff time may be a reality check, when the Rockets are brought down to earth. For now it's fun to watch them continue to blast off into the stratosphere, and engrave their names into the NBA history books.

The Rise and Fall of Houston's Yao Ming

The Rockets continued their impressive winning streak on Tuesday night as they dropped the Wizards. However, the Rockets may soon be landing. Unfortunately for Houston it's big man, Yao Ming went down with a serious foot injury which will keep him out for the rest of this NBA season as well as the 2008 Playoffs.

According to USA Today and ESPN, Yao has suffered a stress fracture of his tarsal navicular bone, aka the foot. TNT analyst Doug Collins had the same type of injury in both his feet when he was a player. Due to limited technology it was misdiagnosed as tendinitis. Yao's dealt with the injury bug for the past 3 seasons now, limiting his games play drastically.

USA Today's recent article discussed how Yao "doubts his durability" and how his dynasty as a top center may soon be in jeopardy. The article also discusses how the Rockets have always gone sub .500 when either Yao or T-Mac is hurt. See the full USA Today article here.

It's a shame because the All-star Yao Ming definitely has talent and this season analysts claimed he was becoming quite the imposing defender in the lane. The Rockets had blasted off in the West and appeared unstoppable. Now, yet again Houston's chances to make the NBA Finals seem to have fallen with its big man.

2008 NBA All-Star Game Review

This year's All-star game from New Orleans featured plenty of starpower and playmakers looking to showcase their talents. Prior to the game Kobe Bryant spoke about his injured right pinkie and having to play despite his coach or GM not wanting him to. Kobe has a torn ligament in his finger but will play the remainder of this season and wait to get surgery. Jason Kidd told TNT reporter David Aldrige he expects to be in Dallas within the next 48 hours. TNT's Ernie Johnson added in that Keith Van Horn may be part of the deal and have to come out of retirement to sign a $4 million contract with the Mavs.

First Quarter:
Kobe Bryant came out within the first 3 minutes of the 1st quarter with no points scored. The East squad jumped out to an early lead. Chris Bosh had a ton of dunks early on and J-Kidd threw an impressive lob to Lebron for a throwdown. At one point all three Detroit Pistons were in the lineup along with the lone 2 Bost Celtics. Crowd members shown included Alyssa Milano, Gabrielle Union, Governor Schwarzenegger, Terell Owens and Ludacris.

Second Quarter:
The East continued to maintain its lead thanks to the West's turnovers. Lebron and D-Howard had several alley oop exchanges for dunks. An interesting stat flashed about Dwight Howard as well. He has 145 dunks total this season which is more than 4 different NBA teams have for total dunks. East closes out the first half up 74-65, on pace for one high scoring game.

Third Quarter:
The West narrowed the gap several times, but the East continued its lead by 13. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Celtics scored the last several points of the quarter. During the quarter Chris Paul continued to display why he's such a great floor general in New Orleans.

Fourth Quarter:
This game got good in the 4th Quarter making for one of the better finishes to an all-star game in recent history. Ray Allen had 27 points as did Lebron. Ray hit a flurry of three's in the 4th quarter to help his team out, and Lebron had a strong key jam. There was also a critical foul called on Chris Paul where he caused Ray to hit the deck. Brandon Roy hit a late 3 to bring the West within 3 with under 10 seconds to play, but Ray Allen kept his team ahead with free throws. Allen was 1 shy of tying Mark Price's previous record for 6 three pointers made in an All-star game.

Overall impressions:
A little disappointing to see Lebron win the MVP over Ray Allen. Not that Lebron had a bad performance, but Allen's always been a deadly sharpshooter and three point shooter in the league and should have been rewarded for his great shooting in the game. Still Lebron's performance was just as deserving as he had just about every stat possible excluding popcorn sales.

There didn't seem to be the high flying razzle dazzle that All-star games of the past 5 years may have had. Notably, Kobe Bryant was out with a pinkie injury and high flyers like Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady weren't present. Two other guys missing who add a great deal of personality to the game are Shaq and KG (injury). However it was a great showcase for the Best of the rest of the NBA this year in New Orleans and an exciting fourth quarter finish.

2008 NBA All-Star Starters

Tonight TNT will unveil the starters for the 2008 NBA All Star game. According to ESPN Sportscenter, these will be your starters:

Eastern Conference:
G Jason Kidd
G Dwyane Wade
F Lebron James
F Kevin Garnett
C Dwight Howard

Western Conference:
G Kobe Bryant
G Tracy McGrady
F Carmelo Anthony
F Tim Duncan
C Yao Ming

Those are the names as voted on by fans. Analysts on ESPN's NBA team have had their contentions, claiming that names like Ray Allen or Rip Hamilton should be starters in the East. Other points made were that Dirk Nowitski and Amare Stoudamire she be in the West, replacing Carmelo and Yao respectively.

The 2008 NBA All-Star game will be in New Orleans, Louisiana on February 17th 2008. Catch the game on TNT cable TV. You can also visit the official NBA All Star page.

NBA China, Kobe & KG

As of yesterday, the NBA has increased its marketing overseas. NBA launched a new extension to its company, "NBA China". According to The Boston Herald:

For now, though, NBA China will serve as an umbrella company for the league’s already substantial marketing and business ventures in China. The NBA currently has deals with 51 Chinese telecasters to rebroadcast NBA games, including the Celtics. The league has also organized hundreds of touring basketball events for Chinese fans and has 16 marketing deals with Chinese companies and with U.S. companies that have Chinese (Source: Boston Herald)

A logical move as popular players Yao and Yi have been helping get games televised in China large audiences. In the past year the Magic played a two game series with the Cavs in China, and in 2004 the Kings and Rockets won a game a piece versus each other. See more about NBA China

In other news, Kobe Bryant had an amazing 48 point game last night, and KG is the leader amongst NBA jersey popularity with his new Celtics green.

Early NBA All-Star Votes

The NBA has released the first round of results from All-Star Balloting for the 2008 Game in New Orleans. Right now the leaders of the pack are Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett and Cleveland Cav Lebron James in the East. The West's top vote-getters are Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and Denver Nugget, Carmelo Anthony.

It's good to see Melo finally getting the love, and he can probably thank KG for leaving for the East. KG was a top vote-getter consistently out West for the forward spot. As expected Yao Ming is leading the Western Centers in voting, with Erick Dampier in second. Not for long though, as Marcus Camby is 7,000 votes behind him.

Here's how the starting teams would look if voting ended today:

Eastern All-Stars:
G Jason Kidd, NJ Nets
G Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
F Lebron James, Cleveland Cavs
F Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
C Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Western All-Stars:
G Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers
G Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
F Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
F Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavs
C Yao Ming, Houston Rockets

It's interesting to see that Tim Duncan isn't on the list, yet. He's 3rd among forwards and trails Dirk by about 20,000 votes. And in case you were wondering, the latest import to the NBA from China, Yi Jianlian is 5th in voting for Eastern Conference forwards. Let's hope China doesn't get any last minute ideas, even though the rook has potential in the league. Head over to NBA.com to cast your All Star votes for the 57th NBA All-Star Game (New Orleans, Sunday Feb. 17).

Yi vs. Yao: The Global Good & Bad

Friday night marked a historic sporting event which may have had over 200 million witnesses, making it possibly the "most watched sports event" ever, according to ESPN's Sportscenter. The game was the Milwaukee Bucks visiting the Houston Rockets, meaning China's two NBA stars were facing off. It was the rookie Yi, vs the established veteran Yao, making it a contest of global proportions.

Yao got the better of the stats matchup and the Rockets won the game. Apparently fans in China were tuning in during early morning about 9AM or so there to check out the live game which was quite exciting for them. Globally this represents a great thing for the NBA, as it has attracted a very large foreign fan base. It's been the talk of NBA for several years now too, the global expansion and how more European players have started to take over. Cases in point are Germany's Dirk Nowitski, Canada's Steve Nash and Spain's Pau Gasol. Yao and Yi bring even more appeal on a foreign level with a large fan base coming from overseas.

The interesting thing will be to see if this will tarnish the All-Star game even more. While Yi is having a respectable rookie season (even better than Yao's), he is definitely not one of the top 5 players in the East and probably will not be (think KG, Bosh, O'Neal, etc). But with China's population and so many people rooting him on, you'd have to think he will get a lot of their votes come All-star time. Yao has definitely benefited from this and Yi will as well, possibly ousting a more deserving player from the East lineup.

NBA News and Notes 11.05.07

Here's some news and notes from around the NBA with the season in its first full week of action.

Elton Brand and Greg Oden aren't the only stars forced to sit out for most of or all of the NBA season. Adam Morrison of the Charlotte Bobcats is now out for the season with an ACL tear in his left knee, probably one of the worst injuries someone can see in basketball or pro sports. Morrison will have surgery on the knee in about 5 days. Despite the injury, Seattle Times reports Morrison is trying to stay positive.

Players of the week for the first NBA week were Indiana Pacer Danny Granger and Houston Rocket Tracy McGrady. Both teams are off to 3-0 starts in their respective Conferences, and perhaps Indiana was the bigger surprise of the 2. Strong play from Granger indicates he may have a breakout season to lead this team, with J O'Neal struggling with injuries. T-Mac is more expected although he and teammmate Yao will need to also stay healthy this season to keep the Rockets contending.

Speaking of Yao, there was the highly-praised game of his fellow Chinese superstar, Yi Jianlian for the Milwaukee Bucks. Yi had 16 points and 8 rebounds in an early game, helping the Bucks record a win over the favored Chicago Bulls. According to reports from China, fans were flipping back and forth between the Houston Rockets game to see Yao and the Bucks game to watch Yi in action. This is definitely great for the NBA as it broadens its fanbase even more. Yao was already very popular there and jersey sales of other NBA stars are as well. Yi is also being heavily promoted amongst Chinese media sources. The question will be do both these guys get a ton of votes come All-star time?

And of course the NBA story everyone loves to hate is that of Kobe Bryant. Will he stay a Laker, or will he leave? It's always good to see a player stay his career for one team, but sometimes it is inevitable and things can't be worked out in their current situation. Kobe seems unhappy with the way the current Lakers team is and it may be justified as he's won in the past. So where will the star end up next? Marc Stein at ESPN.com has the "Take a spin on the Kobe Coaster" article in which he says don't rule out Chicago or Dallas at all. Stay tuned.

Yi Signs With Bucks

It appears NBA fans and analysts are now on track to start discussing the great Yi vs. Yao debate. Yi Jianlian fro, China and #6 pick of the Milwuakee Bucks has signed a contract and will be part of training camp in October. From NBA.com:

"The Milwaukee Bucks announced today that 2007 first round draft pick Yi Jianlian (EE jee-AHN-lee-AHN) has signed a multi-year contract. The Bucks 6th overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, Yi Jianlian signed his contract in Hong Kong following a negotiating session with Mr. Chen Haitao, owner of the Guangdong Tigers. Bucks owner and team president Senator Herb Kohl, General Manager Larry Harris and Bucks Vice President Ron Walter were able to meet with Mr. Chen, as well as Yi and his family, as part of the process.

Yi Jianlian is expected to join the team for training camp that begins on Monday, October 1 at the Bucks Training Center in St. Francis, WI." (Full Article here)

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There's already been discussions of whether Yi will become a better player then Yao Ming of the Rockets. I say give it at least a season or 2 to see what he's got, but for now I'd put smart money on Yao to finish his career with the better stats and possibly an NBA title.

Yao Marries Ye

ChinaDaily.com reports on the marriage between Rockets' center, Yao Ming, and his girlfriend, Ye Li.

From chinadaily.com:

"A wedding ceremony will be held in the five-star Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai, and only family members and relatives will be present, no teammates, coaches or basketball officials, local media reported.

Yao and his agent have both turned off their mobile phones, but Xinhua's Shanghai correspondent was told there would be an official announcement about the wedding later Monday night.

About 100 security guards will work for the nuptial in which only 10 dinner tables will be arranged with each costing 12,300 yuan (1,618 U.S dollars), media reports said.

Yao, the 27-year-old, 2.26-meter-tall Houston Rockets star, and his bride Ye, a 26-year-old, 1.9-meter-tall player on China's national women's basketball team, received their official marriage certificate in Shanghai's Xuhui District on Friday."

View a pre-wedding photo of the couple here.

NBA Stars Simpsonized

The Simpsons movie officially opens across the land today in theaters. Over the years of this smash hit TV show, many guest star celebrities have been featured. In fact, Simpsons holds the Guinness World Record for "Most Celebrities Featured in an Animation series", according to Wikipedia.com.

Amongst the celebs who have been Simpsonized on the show, were several NBA superstars. Pictured above is an episode that aired after Superbowl XXXIX which featured ballers Yao Ming and Lebron James. Here's a look at three other episodes which featured NBA guest stars:

Season 3, Episode 8F04 - "Homer Defined", Magic Johnson appeared as Himself and the legendary Lakers announcer, Chick Hearn, also appeared as an Announcer. This was the first appearance by a professional athlete as a guest on the show. At the end of the episode, he slips and lands by the feet of several beautiful women who admire him. Shortly after this episode aired, Johnson went public with the fact he has HIV as the result of having had extramarital relationships with over 200 women. John Lovitz also appears in this show.

Season, 16, Episode GABF02 - Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass" featured Lebron James and Yao Ming as themselves. It was a Super Bowl themed episode of The Simpsons that aired after Super Bowl XXXIX. Other athletes on the show were figure skater Michelle Kwan, Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady, and NFL defensive player, Warren Sapp. Video game character Mario also makes a cameo in this episode, where a disgruntled Homer fights with him due to his annoyance

Season 17, Episode GABF17 - "Treehouse of Horror XVI" featured Dennis Rodman as Himself along with NFL legend Terry Bradshaw as Himself. In this 3 story episode for Halloween, Rodman appears in the "I've Grown a Costume on Your Face" story. Baby Maggie, dressed as a witch eventually turns all the townspeople, including guest star Dennis Rodman, into pacifiers with their normal heads.

Many other pro sports stars and famous celebrities have appeared on the Simpsons over its 19 seasons and there will likely be many more. The movie will feature the likes of Green Day, Tom Hanks and Albert Brooks.

Wikipedia's comprehensive list of Simpsons celebrity guests.

First 10 seasons of Simpsons on DVD at Amazon.com.