Clippers G CHRIS PAUL is profiled in USA TODAY's "Talking Your Tech" feature, and Jefferson Graham notes Paul watches games "via his many, many devices." He has his "full-size iPad connected to his Slingbox back home to watch games, and an iPad Mini to catch movies." Paul is watching games "on his iPhone via the Slingbox and the NBA League Pass app when being driven to the games." He also has "two iPods to keep him busy with music." Paul said of Slingbox on his iPhone, "It looks great to me. I can see it clearly, and that's what I want to do, is watch the game" (USA TODAY, 12/18).
COURT REPORT: Vikings Owners ZYGI and MARK WILF and their cousin LEONARD "likely will not have to immediately pay" $84.5M in damages and roughly $15M in legal fees as they appeal a New Jersey state judge's rulings against them in a long-running lawsuit. Judge DEANNE WILSON said that her "'inclination' was not to demand immediate payment in a final order expected to be issued Thursday or Friday." But Wilson said that she "likely will require the Wilfs to post a bond worth at least what they owe in judgments, legal fees, interest and expenses because they defrauded partners in a big apartment complex" in the N.Y. suburbs (STARTRIBUNE.com, 12/17).
BIGGEST OF THE BLUE: Michigan AD DAVE BRANDON "continues to be the highest-paid employee at the university," with a '13 salary of $850,000. His salary "isn't paid by the university's general fund, largely made up of money from state aid and tuition," but rather from the "self-sufficient athletic department budget." Not making the top 10 list are football coach BRADY HOKE, who "makes $300,000 in base salary, and basketball coach JOHN BEILEIN, who makes $350,000." Both have other additions in their contracts "that drive up their total compensation" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/18).
TRAVEL GURU: Former NBAer OBINNA EKEZIE in '08 started Nigeria-based Wakanow.com, Africa's "one-stop-shop for cheap flights, hotel reservations and airport pickups." Wakanow predicts '13 revenue of about $100M. That is double the income from last year, when the company "booked about 150,000 trips." Ekezie said that the company "recently turned profitable as margins have climbed" from 4% to 7% (CNBC.com, 12/16).
NAMES: North Carolina women's basketball coach SYLVIA HATCHELL said of her ongoing battle with leukemia, "I am doing really good right now." She added of her leave of absence from the job, "My biggest problem is I get bored" (ESPNW.com, 12/17)....USL Pro club Sacramento Republic FC VP/Marketing & Communications ERIKA BJORK and Exec VP & co-Founder JOE WAGONER were listed among the Sacramento Business Journal's 40 Under 40 (SACRAMENTO BUSINESS JOURNAL, 12/13 issue)....Indiana State women’s basketball coach TERI MOREN will be inducted into the Indiana Basketball HOF on April 26 (INDYSTAR.com, 12/17)....Former California Univ. of Pennsylvania football player MATT ONYSHKO filed a federal suit yesterday claiming that the NCAA “knew but did not warn” him about the “long-term effects he could develop from repeated concussions” (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 12/18)....Patriots RB STEVAN RIDLEY and TE ROB GRONKOWSKI yesterday "joined the Boston Pops for a performance" at the Boston Children’s Hospital (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/18).
