NBA: Kobe Bryant‎ honored with Lower Merion High naming gym after him
Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
The snow slowed even Kobe Bryant. Â On Thursday night, Lower Merion High School’s gymnasium dedication started about 45 minutes late because the man to whom it was being dedicated was stuck on slippery roads, behind slow-moving traffic.
When Bryant finally arrived, it was to the rock-star-worthy shrieks of approximately 4,000 folks – kids, parents, and locals – who seem to consider the Los Angeles Lakers star as the epitome of awesomeness.
Bryant’s Lakers are in the middle of an Eastern swing that will put them on the Wells Fargo Center court against the 76ers on Friday night.
But on Thursday, it was all about the Lower Merion version of Bryant, the high school sensation who led the Aces to the 1996 PIAA state basketball championship and then skipped to the NBA a few months later.
Thursday’s lineup featured the school’s marching band, dancers, an a cappella performance, and many speakers, including the Lakers’ Derek Fisher and Bryant himself.
“It’s not Showtime,” joked Lower Merion principal Sean Hughes, “but we do like to throw a party at Lower Merion.”
Bryant, formerly of Wynnewood, donated $411,000 to fund the facility – part of Lower Merion High School’s newly completed $100 million campus, which opened this fall.
“He’s someone that doesn’t like to come back to a lot of fanfare,” said school district spokesman Doug Young. “This was a chance for us to honor his contributions.”
In reminiscing about the parade after the Aces’ 1996 state title, speaker Wendell Holland, a “distinguished alumnus” (and former chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission) said: “It was like the Phillies in 2008 and it is like we’re going to be with the Eagles in February of 2011.”
That brought a round of applause.
Fans – some of whom paid up to $250 a ticket to attend Thursday’s fete – milled around high school halls decorated with photos and news clippings chronicling Bryant’s standout senior season.
Written by By Kate Fagan and Jeremy Roebuck & For Full story Here
THE BLOG
HOT 97
OT the REAL | FUNK FLEX | #Freestyle152
Another Philly spitta spitting in NYC, OT the Real! OT has been on his been on his grind since he got out from his 6yr bid, and he likes to show his street side through his bars.
LGP QUA | FUNK FLEX | #Freestyle151
We’ve been watching this young man spit bars for a while now, the very talented “Voice of the Youth” has been dropping bars all over the Web! LGP Qua, LGP stands for “Let’s Get Paid”, one of Philly’sfinest… it was time to bring him up!
SMOKE DZA | FUNK FLEX | #Freestyle150
A lot of speculation since the launch of “Block Work” that the legendary Hot97 #FlexFreestyle Series was not happening any more… But not only is it still counting with Smoke Dza hitting the 150 mark with Bars!
HOODCELEBRITYY | FUNK FLEX | #Freestyle149
Ok… We’re getting back into action and here’s a great start with the spicy HOODCELEBRITYY!! She’s petite but packs a an exciting lyrical punch.
Dj Drama | Jack Harlow | FUNK FLEX | #Freestyle148
On our 148th freestyle, we received the great Dj Drama highlighting his latest treasure find Jack Harlow from Louuvile(Louisville KY) to spit some BARS on the Big platform!
Lil Baby | FUNK FLEX | #Freestyle147
Yes Lil Baby is on promo run for sure, dropping freestyles here and there to promote his album “My Turn”. No Doubt dropping by the series with Actual Numbers was a top priority of his and his team!
LINKS
MUSIC
Tee Grizzley | FUNK FLEX | #Freestyle129
Tee Grizzley rejoined us like it’s his next ‘First Day Out’ in these streets! This time he brought Sada Baby to sit next to him as he delivers his bars to Funk Flex.
Bobby Konders Presents: Massive B Legacy, Vol. 1
Release Date: November 19th, 2018 Bobby Konders Presents: Massive B Legacy – Volume 1 is now available and includes ten features on ten tracks. Burro Banton, Vybez Kartel, Bounty Killa, Sizzla, T.O.K., Elephantman, Richie Spice, Chezidek, Chronicle, and King Kong. You can listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal.
#MusicStillMatters New Music: A Boogie – Nice For What
A boogie gave fans a snippet of this one via his instagram. Finally after all the request to drop the full version from fans – here it is. Check A Boogie’s version of “Nice For What.” Listen below.
#MusicStillMatters New Music: Dave East – Imagine
Dave East is set to release the 2nd installment of his “Karma” series, next week on July 27. Check out this new one off the tape called “Imagine.” Listen below.
#MusicStillMatters New Music: 070 Shake – Accusations
The G.O.O.D. Music rookie 070 Shake releases a new one called “Accusations.” Listen below.
(Video) Tony James – Sweat Slow
Toronto’s very own Tony James has released his major label debut single and visual for “Sweat Slow.” Tony says this one “Is about the one that got away, so we wanted to show the beautiful, happy women representing the ex-girlfriends of the men who took them for granted.” Look out for more from Tony this…
#MusicStillMatters New Music: Childish Gambino – Summertime Magic / Feels Like Summer
Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover follows up his video/song “This Is America” with not only one, but two records for the summer. The “Atlanta” creator tweeted “summer pack,” with a link to his songs, “Summertime Magic” and “Feels Like Summer.”
#MusicStillMatters Stream: Meek Mill – Legends Of The Summer
Meek Mill decided to treat his fans to new music when he dropped a new EP called “Legends of the Summer.” the 4-track tape features Swizz Beatz, Jeremih and PNB Rock. Stream below.
#MusicStillMatters Stream: Future – Beast Mode 2
Future links up with Zaytoven for the follow up to 2015’s “Beast Mode” titled “Beast Mode 2” which includes 9 tracks with a feature from Young Scooter. Listen below.
#MusicStillMatters New Music: T-Pain – Boo’d Up (Remix)
First it was Nicki Minaj and Quavo who put their touch on the track to mixed reviews. Then Fabolous laid his verse on the hit single. Now, T-Pain decided to give his take on the track. Listen below.
TECH TALK
We Know What YG’s Next Purchase Will Be: This ALL RED Special Edition iPhone!
An all red iPhone is on the way – I’m sure much to the delight of the Bloods. LOL! A special edition red version of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have been introduced, in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Apple’s partnership with HIV/AIDS organization, (Red).
(Video) Apple Unveils New Spaceship Campus Called “Apple Park”
One of Steve Jobs projects he left behind before his untimely death from pancreatic cancer, was the Apple spaceship campus. Take a look.
(Video) Lil Wayne Featured In EA’s ‘Need For Speed: No Limits’ Game
While we still have no Carter 5 in sight, we can at least get SOMETHING from Lil Wayne in the form of EA’s new mobile game, Need For Speed: No Limits. Players can drive as Weezy in the game, and both his voice and likeness are there for fans to enjoy. Tune is also working…
Sprint Purchases 33% Stake In Jay-Z’s Tidal
Power moves on power moves on top of power moves. Hov just struck a big deal for Tidal and the artists who have stake in the company as well, through Sprint.
(Video) Travis Scott Previews New Heat On Snapchat
Looks like Travis Scott is cooking something up…Astroworld this year?
Azealia Banks Has Been Banned From Facebook
AzealiaBanksVEVO Well, that took longer than expected.
(Video + Photo) Ariana Grande Got Her Own Character In “Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius” Game
Soon you’ll be able to play as Ariana in Final Fantasy and she broke the news to her fans yesterday.
SoundCloud Makes A Major Update That MANY People Will Be Happy About!
When SoundCloud first came out, it quickly became a hub for DJs, uploading their mixes and gaining a decent following because of it. However, as labels became more hip to the new site, they began issuing copyright infringements left to right, and DJs began leaving the streaming website in droves – especially because their accounts…
MARISA EXPLAINS IT ALL
Marisa Mendez x Jamal x Tunisia – Marisa Explains It All [Episode 16: “Holiday Hangover”]
We’ve made it to episode 16 of my podcast, Marisa Explains It All, and I finally decided to share it with you guys here. LOL! On this episode, we pre-gamed before the Ebro In The Morning holiday party…and uh, yeah. Drunk talk and feelings were at an all time high. Our music picks are as…
Behind The Lyrics: Lil Wayne Admits To Botched Suicide Attempt As A Child On “London Roads”
Lil Wayne has long recounted a story of “accidentally” shooting himself when he was 12, playing with a 9 mm handgun. Thankfully, an off-duty cop was around to help young Tune, and he survived to become the rap star he is today. Apparently, that wasn’t the whole story, though! On “London Roads”, a song from…
(Video) Machine Gun Kelly Finally Opens Up About Amber Rose
Machine Gun Kelly is one of my favorite artists and has been a good friend of mine for years now, so it was double the blessing to make my Hot 97 interview debut with him on Ebro In The Morning today! The Bad Boy rapper stopped by to discuss his new single and its powerful…
Behind The Lyrics: Wiz Khalifa Comes For Amber’s Neck On “For Everybody”
Last night, Juicy J dropped his Wiz Khalifa-assisted single “For Everybody,” and boy did Wiz have some choice words for his ex Amber Rose on the track! And to drive the point home, they included a photo of themselves at his wedding to Amber as the song’s artwork.
(Video) Honey Cocaine Plays A Hilarious Game Of Taboo
Toronto-bred raptress Honey Cocaine made her rounds at Hot 97 a few weeks back, promoting her latest mixtape Like A Drug, and its 2 singles, “Gwola” featuring Kid Ink and Maino, and “None Of My Business” with Kirko Bangz and Constantine. Following her dope interview with Jen From BK for Jen’s “Ladies First” segment, I…
Interview: Machine Gun Kelly On Debut Film: “I hope that it kind of strikes a social issue…” [PLUS Details On Sophomore Album!]
This Friday, Colson ‘MGK‘ Baker will make his big-screen debut, starring as Kid Culprit in the romantic drama, Beyond The Lights. Since his 2012 Bad Boy/Interscope debut Lace Up and his breakout single “Wild Boy,” Kells has toured the world and shot not only Beyond The Lights, but two more as-of-yet unreleased films as well.…
Elijah Blake Gives 7 Tips How NOT To Act Around A Celeb, Plus Talks New EP, His First Big Check & More!
Singer/songwriter Elijah Blake has worked with a majority of the biggest names in the music business from Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Usher, Mary J and more, either having written for them or being featured on their songs. Now with his recently released Drift EP (available on iTunes here,) the talented Def Jam signee sat down to…
IFWT Exclusive: Maino Gives Us The REAL Story Of What Happened With The Porn Star!
Maino is currently being sought out by the NYPD for questioning, after an adult film star accused him of assaulting her inside of his truck after they partied at Griffin on Monday night with Drake, Ashanti, JR Smith and more. According to the police report filed by the porn star, Mellanie Monroe, “he started punching…
Mila J Reveals The Real Deal Between Her & A Rumored Beau, Plus Talks New EP, Diet/Workout, Her Mains & More!
Gorgeous singer/songwriter/dancer Mila J finally released her debut EP M.I.L.A. (Made In L.A.) yesterday, after years of trying out girl groups, various solo ventures, random day jobs and the like. She’s finally found her niche now though, and has seen success with her latest singles, “Smoke, Drink, Break-Up” and the Ty Dolla $ign-assisted, “My Main.”…