USA TODAY's Mike Bohn notes Lakers G Kobe Bryant "attended a Jordan Brand party on Friday night in Toronto before his final NBA All-Star Game and received a very special gift: every pair of Jordan line shoes from I to XXX." Jordan Brand President Larry Miller "presented the gift to Bryant." While the majority of the shoes in the set "come in plain white, there are also some special inclusions." Bryant was "given a custom pair of Air Jordan III and Air Jordan VIII shoes that were styled in the white, purple and gold colors of the Lakers" (USA TODAY, 2/15).
JERSEY SCORE: ESPN’s Michael Wilbon said he had “no rational objection” to ads on NBA jerseys, but he objected to the practice "as a purist who’s a certain age and likes the uniforms that he always liked.” However, ESPN's Tony Kornheiser called jersey ads, like the one Kia had on the NBA All-Star jerseys, "unbearably cheesy.” Kornheiser: “You can’t tell me the NBA needs the money this badly. ... Do you want Steph Curry to look like Brad Keselowski?” (“PTI,” ESPN, 2/12). ESPN’s Dan Le Batard said jersey ads seem a "little unseemly and cheap when people are overt." Le Batard: "Big businesses are overt about their greed. This is worth about $100 million to the NBA, and any business would chase something that was worth about $100 million. ... This feels wrong if you're about purity. It feels right if you're about business" (“Highly Questionable,” ESPN, 2/12).
FAMILY AFFAIR: In Daytona Beach, Godwin Kelly reports Ben Kennedy, the great grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., will "run a third consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Red Horse Racing, thanks to a sponsorship" with West Palm Beach-based construction firm JACOB Companies. JACOB will be on the No. 11 Toyota "for 10 races" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/15).
