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Mike Smrek
Michael Francis Smrek (born 31 August 1962) is a Canadian former professional basketball player. He was selected in the second round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, and played seven seasons in the league as a backup center. He won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. Early life Smrek graduated from Eastdale High School in Welland, Ontario, having grown up in Port Robinson, Ontario, and a nearby rural farming community. He worked on his family farm and had little time for organized sports. He did not start playing basketball until grade 10 after being prodded by the high school coach to try out. "He was a nice guy, so I didn't want to hurt his feelings," Smrek said. College career At Canisius College, Smrek averaged 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 0.8 assists in 23 minutes a contest over four years. He is the college's second-leading career shot-blocker with 172 (compatriot Michael Meeks is first with 183). He also had the two b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Center (basketball)
The center (C), or the centre, also known as the five or the pivot, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well. In the NBA, the center is typically close to tall. They traditionally play close to the basket in the low post. Centers are valued for their ability to protect their own goal from high-percentage close attempts on defense, while scoring and rebounding with high efficiency on offense. In the 1950s and 1960s, George Mikan and Bill Russell were centerpieces of championship dynasties and defined early prototypical centers. With the addition of a three-point field goal for the 1979–80 season, however, NBA basketball gradually became more perimeter-oriented and saw the importance of the center position diminished. The most recent center to win an NBA Most Valuable Player Award was Nikola Jokić, winning the award twice following the 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Center (basketball)
The center (C), or the centre, also known as the five or the pivot, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well. In the NBA, the center is typically close to tall. They traditionally play close to the basket in the low post. Centers are valued for their ability to protect their own goal from high-percentage close attempts on defense, while scoring and rebounding with high efficiency on offense. In the 1950s and 1960s, George Mikan and Bill Russell were centerpieces of championship dynasties and defined early prototypical centers. With the addition of a three-point field goal for the 1979–80 season, however, NBA basketball gradually became more perimeter-oriented and saw the importance of the center position diminished. The most recent center to win an NBA Most Valuable Player Award was Nikola Jokić, winning the award twice following the 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greek Basket League
The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reasons, is the first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA ( el, ΕΣΑΚΕ, link=no), under the legal authority of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (E.O.K.). It is the highest-tier level of the Greek league system. The GBL plays under FIBA rules and currently consists of 13 teams, with the lowest-placed team relegated to the A2 Basket League and replaced by the winner of the play-offs of that tier. It runs from October to June, with teams playing 22 games each during the regular season, and the top 8 teams then competing in the playoffs. The first official Greek Basketball Championship was held in the 1927–28 season. The league held a competition in which the teams of the league played under a format w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games at Scotiabank Arena, which they share with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was founded in 1995 as part of the NBA's expansion into Canada, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies. Since the 2001–02 season, the Raptors have been the only Canadian-based team in the league, as the Grizzlies relocated from Vancouver to Memphis, Tennessee. As with most expansion teams, the Raptors struggled in their early years, but after the acquisition of Vince Carter through a draft-day trade in 1998, the franchise set league-attendance records and made the NBA playoffs in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Carter was instrumental in leading the team to their first playoff series win in 2001, where they advanced to the Eastern Con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Celtics–Lakers Rivalry
The Celtics–Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics and the Lakers are the two most storied franchises in the NBA, and the rivalry has often been called the greatest in the NBA. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, with their first such meeting being in . They would both go on to dominate the league in the 1960s and 1980s, facing each other in the Finals six times in the 1960s, three times in the 1980s, and twice since the year 2000. The Lakers and Celtics are tied for the highest number of championships in the NBA at 17 apiece, (12 as the L.A. Lakers and 5 as the Minneapolis Lakers). Together, they account for 34 of the 74 championships (or 45%) in NBA history. As of 2018, the Celtics and Lakers have a .590 and .596 all-time winning records respectively. As of the end of the 2020–21 season, Boston is the only team with a winning ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim Abdel Aziz, Egyptian actor * Karim Abdul-Jabbar (later known as Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar), American football player * Prince Karim Aga Khan, Imām of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims * Karim Ansarifard, Iranian football player * Karim Azizou, Moroccan footballer * Karim Bagheri, Iranian footballer * Karim Bangoura, Guinean diplomat * Karim Benounes, Algerian footballer * Karim Benzema, French footballer * Karim Boudiaf, Algerian-Qatari footballer * Karim Dahou, Moroccan footballer * Karim Djeballi, French footballer * Karim Haggui, Tunisian footballer * Karim Garcia, baseball player * Karim Gazzetta (1995–2022), Swiss footballer * Karim Haddad, Lebanese composer * Karim Keïta, Malian politician * Karim Kerkar, Algerian footballer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league's original eight teams, the Celtics play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins. The Celtics are one of the most successful basketball teams in NBA history. The franchise is one of two teams with 17 NBA Championships, the other franchise being the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics currently hold the record for the most recorded wins of any NBA team. The Celtics have a notable rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, which was heavily highlighted throughout the 1960s and 1980s. During the two teams' many match-ups in the 1980s, the Celtics' star, Larry Bird, and the Lakers' star, Magic Johnson, had an ongoing feud. The franchise has played the Lakers a record 12 times in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and of 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He was integral in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s,Markovits and Rensman, p. 89. becoming a global cultural icon in the process. Jordan played college basketball for three seasons under coach Dean Smith with the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick, and quickly emerged as a league st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Meeks (basketball)
Michael Meeks (born February 23, 1972) is a Canadian former professional basketball player. Meeks is currently working for Canada Basketball. He is a former member of the Canadian national men's basketball team. College career A 6'9", 235 lb. centre-power forward, Meeks led Canisius College in his senior year in 1996 to the school's only NCAA Tournament appearance since the mid-1950s. They lost badly in the first round, however, to the Utah Utes. He finished his four-year career as the school's second all-time scorer and rebounder and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in January 2007. National team career Meeks played for Canada in the 2000 Summer Olympics and was central to the team winning their preliminary round group leading the team in scoring. (They lost in the quarter-finals however and finished 7th.) He also competed in two world championships, 1998 and 2002. Personal Meeks is a dual citizen, having acquired German citizenship whilst playing there. He is a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canisius College
Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's and certificate programs. History Canisius has its roots in the Jesuit community that arose from disputed ownership of St. Louis Church in Buffalo in 1851."ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, JESUITS' ORIGINAL BASE; IN AREA, TO MARK 150TH YEAR WITH MASS." Buffalo News (New York). (September 29, 2001 Saturday, FINAL EDITION ): 863 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2016/05/03. Rev. Lucas Caveng, a German Jesuit, along with 19 families from St. Louis Church, founded St. Michael's Church on Washington St. The college followed, primarily for serving sons of German immigrants, along with the high school in 1870, first at 434 Ellicott St. and next to St. Michael's."MASS TO MARK 125TH YEAR OF CANISIUS COLLEGE, HIGH." Buffalo News (New York). (Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Port Robinson, Ontario
Port Robinson is a small community in the southernmost part of Thorold, Ontario, Canada. The community is divided in half by the Welland Canal, as there is no bridge in the immediate vicinity to connect the two halves of the community. In the summer, a small free ferry for pedestrians and cyclists runs across the canal. In the winter, residents must use the bridge on Highway 20, which results in a 13.3 km (8.3 mi) trip to get to the other side. Like all the ports on the first Welland Canal, Port Robinson was named after a member of the Family Compact that once ruled Upper Canada, as Ontario was then named. Sir John Beverly Robinson was Attorney General of Upper Canada at the time the first Canal was built, and the port was originally named Port Beverly. The post office dates from 1835 onward. The demise of Bridge 12 Bridge St in Port Robinson was originally linked by a vertical lift bridge, numbered as Bridge 12 by the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority. On August 25, 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Canada, it is Canada's most populous province, with 38.3 percent of the country's population, and is the second-largest province by total area (after Quebec). Ontario is Canada's fourth-largest jurisdiction in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included. It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto, which is Ontario's provincial capital. Ontario is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north, and Quebec to the east and northeast, and to the south by the U.S. states of (from west to east) Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Almost all of Ontario's border with the United St ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
