OFF THE WALL
Woman shows up, demands to talk with LaVine We just couldn’t let this stuff go …
Before Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine left for Atlanta to play in his first NBA All-Star Game, an incident at his home Thursday night resulted in police being called on a fan who refused to leave the property, writes Jamal Collier of the Chicago Tribune.
LaVine was at his home when a woman he reportedly did not know showed up and did not leave when asked, according to TMZ. The intruder came from out of state and demanded to have a conversation, TMZ reported.
Rather than face arrest, the woman reportedly was transferred to a local hospital and provided a mental health evaluation. She also received a verbal warning not to return to the residence, according to NBC Sports Chicago.
LaVine, who was fine following the incident, returned to the Bulls facility Friday morning, laughing on an Instagram story with guard Coby White in the locker room.
During the night of the incident, LaVine was drafted to Kevin Durant’s team for the All-Star Game on Sunday. He also is scheduled to compete in the 3-point contest.
Because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols for COVID-19, players will not arrive in Atlanta for the All-Star Game until tonight.
Trivia question
Wilver Dornel Stargell was born on this date in 1940, and oh, the hours OTW spent practicing his menacing batting stance and the way he swung his bat around like a toothpick while waiting for the pitcher to get the sign. Wille Stargell was the NL MVP only once, in 1979 in what might have been a makeup vote. Who did Stargell tie for the award that season?
They get to host
The Indiana Department of Transportation has begun unveiling “Hoosier Hoops Highway” signs across the state ahead of the Big Ten, NCAA and other basketball tournaments being hosted in Indiana.
Games will be played throughout Indiana, Evansville, Indianapolis, Bloomington and West Lafayette.
INDOT said it is placing temporary signs on highways leading to host cities to commemorate the historic month and help guide fans and teams.
Signs will be visible along major routes serving the tournaments during the month of March.
The Ohio Valley Conference men’s and women’s tournaments began Wednesday at Evansville’s Ford Center.
They said it
From RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com: “NBA star Joakim Noah announced his retirement, finishing his pro career 0-for-16 in 3-pointers. Big surprise: a guy named Noah preferred his points two by two.”
Trivia answer
St. Louis first baseman Keith Hernandez and Stargell shared MVP honors that season. Stargell had finished second, third and second in MVP voting in three straight seasons, from 1971-73. Stargell hit 32 homers with 86 RBIs and a .281 average in 1979, pedestrian numbers for an MVP. The Padres’ Dave Winfield was third in the voting, but had an 8.2 WAR to 2.5 for Stargell and 7.6 for Hernandez. Stargell’s teammate, Dave Parker, had a 6.7 WAR but finished 10th in the voting.