Sam Bowie

Samuel Paul "Sam" Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries to his legs and feet. In spite of the setbacks, the 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) and 235 lb center played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Projected as a solid first rounder in the 1984 NBA draft, Bowie was chosen by the Portland Trail Blazers as the second selection, ahead of future Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, due to Portland already having drafted Clyde Drexler just a year before.

High school and college

As a player at Lebanon High School, Bowie was heavily recruited. He averaged over 28 points and 18 rebounds per game, and was a McDonald's All-American and Parade All-American. As a junior, he led the Cedars to the state finals, where they lost by a point to Schenley High School of Pittsburgh. He was later named national player of the year over Harrisonburg, Virginia's Ralph Sampson, another highly recruited center. Sampson would later face Bowie in the annual Capital Classic all-star game, which was played at the Capital Centre and featured the best players in the Washington, D.C. area playing against an all-star squad composed of players from across the United States. Sampson outplayed Bowie in what was referred to as the "Battle of the Giants", but Bowie still was a highly regarded recruit and signed to play for Joe B. Hall at the University of Kentucky in 1979.

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. It has 30 franchised member clubs (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada), and is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by FIBA (also known as the International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues. NBA players are the world's best paid sportsmen, by average annual salary per player.

The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with its rival National Basketball League (NBL). The league's several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic is an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was established in 1989 as an expansion franchise, and such notable NBA stars as Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, Patrick Ewing, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, and Rashard Lewis have played for the club throughout its young history. The franchise has also been in the playoffs for more than half of its existence (14 playoff appearances in 27 years).

Orlando has been the second most successful of the four expansion teams brought into the league in 1988 and 1989 in terms of winning percentage, after the Miami Heat. The club is currently one of two teams in the major North American professional sports leagues to play in the city of Orlando, along with Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer.

Franchise history

Los Angeles

Los Angeles (ⁱ/lɒs ˈændʒəlᵻs/ loss AN-jə-ləs or loss AN-jə-liss) (Spanish for "The Angels"), officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., is the second-largest city in the United States after New York City, the most populous city in the state of California, and the county seat of Los Angeles County.

Situated in Southern California, Los Angeles is known for its mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, sprawling metropolis, and as a major center of the American entertainment industry. Los Angeles lies in a large coastal basin surrounded on three sides by mountains reaching up to and over 10,000 feet (3,000 m).

Historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was officially founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood. The city experienced rapid growth with the discovery of oil.

Game Time

Game Time is the second studio album by American rapper Lil' Romeo, son of American rapper and record producer Master P. It was released on December 17, 2002 on The New No Limit and Universal Records.

Singles

The only two charting singles was "2-Way", which peaked at number 38 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and True Love at number 116 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The album peaked at number 33 on the Billboard 200 and 10 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums selling 80,000 copies in the first week released.It has since sold over 300,266 copies in the United States to date.

Track listing

Chart positions

References