Lakers C Shaquille O'Neal's "empire" is "tak[ing]
shape" inside the office of his agent, Leonard Armato,
according to Mike Wise of the N.Y. TIMES, who reported that
Armato is "finishing" a deal with Web-hosting company Digex
on behalf of O'Neal and has "also entered O'Neal into an
agreement with" FreeInternet.com, under which O'Neal will
appear in commercials with Bob, "the talking baby in recent
advertisements." These deals would coincide with O'Neal's
dunk.net, which "allows anyone to design his or her own
custom-made" apparel and footwear. Armato: "The era of 'Be
Like Mike' is over. We don't want you to be like Shaq.
Shaq is going to inspire you to build your own product. He
wants you to be a mouse click away from the selection you're
going to make." Armato added that O'Neal is "holding off on
another film until he wins" an NBA title (N.Y. TIMES, 4/23).
DA KID: In Minneapolis, Terry Collins wrote that
T'Wolves F Kevin Garnett has "put many of his family members
and friends on the payroll" of his "fledgling business
venture," OBF Inc. OBF "provides Garnett with a support
system, a haven from the pitfalls that have devoured so many
others," and is "already making moves," including deals for
a coat line with Wilson leather (see THE DAILY, 3/29) and
the development of a Fox-TV sitcom (Minneapolis STAR
TRIBUNE, 4/23). OBF Business Manager Michael Moore, on the
organization: "Before, there wasn't any protocol. Some of
his sponsors could call [Garnett] directly on his cell
phone. That's not a bad thing, but when you're in the
middle of a season with an emerging team, and you're the
centerpiece, it can weigh on you" (STAR TRIBUNE, 4/23).
CARTER TO HELP STEER IMG: Raptors F Vince Carter's high
school basketball coach Charles Brinkerhoff, on Carter's
recently signed rep deal with IMG: "His mom and dad have an
image in mind for Vince. They tell IMG what they want. IMG
doesn't tell them what Vince should do. They want him to
have a clean-cut image. They don't want him associated with
questionable companies" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/23).
FINAL ANSWER? The Knicks showed a special "Who Wants to
Be a Millionaire" segment at MSG during Game One of the
Raptors-Knicks series Sunday. Regis Philbin asked the $1M
question, "Who will represent the Eastern Conference in the
2000 NBA Finals? Will it be A, 76ers, B, Pacers, C, Heat,
or D, Knicks." The "contestant" was Knicks F Marcus Camby,
who answered, "D, the Knicks" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/21).
Camby: "I was kind of nervous doing it. I can imagine the
contestants that really were doing it. I knew the answer
and I was still really nervous" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/24).
