Is LeBron the Next Rappin' Athlete?

Oh no, here we go again. The word around town is that LeBron James is gearing up to drop a hip-hop album this fall. According to the Miami Herald, he was in Miami last week chillin’ at the 400 Club at The Fifth in the VIP suite with friends and fellow Cavaliers. Also in the section was record executive Steve Stoute, the man behind the career of Nas and who hooked Jay-Z up with Reebok. Maybe James was getting advice on how to promote the project? We already know that King James was down with Roc-A-Fella and Jay-Z out of the gate, and that he is building a studio in his new house, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Maybe he got the itch after hearing the theme song dedicated to him by Paul Wall and Al Fatz called "The Main Attraction." If someone recorded that joint for us, we'd try to make our own theme music, too.

James Blake Opens Up in New Book

Even though tennis player James Blake was out early in the recent Wimbledon tournament, he’s sure winning a lot of praise for his new book, 'Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back Life.' In the book, Blake writes about playing in Rome in 2004, when he crashed into the net post, breaking the seventh cervical vertebra at the base of his neck. Seven weeks later, Blake lost his father to stomach cancer and then, to make matters worse, he contracted a form of shingles. During those tumultuous times, Blake dropped in the rankings, but later made a comeback in 2005, winning the Pilot Pen and reaching the top five in the world by the end of 2006. Blake said if it hadn't been for his injury, he wouldn’t have been able to spend time with his father during his last days. “The biggest change in my life is the loss of my father,” Blake told U.K.’s Guardian. “He was previously so healthy, so vibrant, always there for me, and it was terrible to see how quickly he was diminished by his illness. The accident in Rome was the best thing that happened to me because it gave me time to be with him. If I hadn't broken my neck, I'd have gone from Rome to Hamburg, then to Paris, London and Wimbledon, and missed those last weeks. Even then he was still an inspiration, still teaching me, and it gave me a different perspective on losing a tennis match.”

Elton Brand Serious About Movie Biz

L.A. Clipper Elton Brand has been getting props for his movie, 'Rescue Dawn,' lately. He didn’t write, direct or act in the flick; but he did put up the money to get it made. Gibraltar Films, which he co-founded with Steve Marlton, produced the film, which stars Christian Bale as a Navy fighter pilot who was shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War and made a daring escape from a POW camp. “I think I took the right step in convincing the world that this is something I take seriously by doing a serious movie,” Brand told the L.A. Daily News. “It's an intense film. You know, it's action and it's exciting but it's very intense and very current. I like character-driven movies and I want to tell a good story. You know, we're independent so we don't have a big budget for special effects and things like that anyway, and that's why I really liked 'Rescue Dawn.' We wanted to make it real -- feel real, seem real. When Christian Bale eats maggots, those were real maggots.” Brand, however, is planning to keep basketball as a priority. “I really enjoy it, but I don't think I'm going to do anything full-time aside from basketball,” he said. “If the right project comes around and I want to do it, tell a story, then I might go into it. But I'm not looking to do five films a year or anything like that.” We think we have a couple of screenplays around here, mind taking a look, my man?

Venus Williams Still Down With Reebok

Venus got a cool $1.3 million from winning the Wimbledon tournament last weekend. And she will be collecting some cash from Reebok as well. According to Darren Rovell at CNBC, Reebok is still paying Venus to wear their gear even though her endorsement contract ended in 2003. "Reebok and Venus Williams have had a longstanding relationship and we are proud that she continues to support the brand by wearing Reebok performance footwear and apparel both on and off the court," Todd Krinsky, the brand's vice president of sports and entertainment marketing, told Rovell. In 2000, Venus signed the largest endorsement contract in women’s sports history with Reebok, but the company didn’t re-sign her at the end of the three-year deal. Still, there isn’t any sign of Venus in Reebok print ads, commercials, or even on their Web site. What gives?

Tony Dungy on a Book Tour

Tony Dungy sure has had a busy off-season. He finished his book; it hit stores, and now he’s on the road promoting it. The book, 'Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life,' Coach Dungy shares his life story and his relationship with God. Dungy started his tour on July 9 in Atlanta at the CBA’s International Christian Retail Show. On Tuesday he was on ABC’s Good Morning America and on Wednesday, he made an appearance on the Jay Leno show. Here are the dates for the rest of his tour:

Bookends, Ridgewood, N.J., 4-6 p.m. Friday, July 13 Anchor Room, Fort Wayne, Ind., 5-7 p.m. Sunday, July 15 Berean Christian Store (Southport), Indianapolis, 5-7 p.m. Monday, July 16 Family Christian Store (Crawfordsville Road), Indianapolis, 3-5 p.m., Monday, July 16 Barnes & Noble, Carmel, Ind., 7-9 p.m., Monday, July 16 Books-a-Million, Lakeland, Fla., noon-2 p.m., Tuesday, July 17 Borders, Tampa, Fla., 4-6 p.m., Tuesday, July 17 LifeWay Christian Store, Tampa, Fla., 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, July 17

Click on http://www.coachdungy.com/ for more details.