Why Kobe Deep-Sixed '8'

Kobe Bryant went on TNT during the second round of the playoffs and explained why he was switching his jersey number from 8 to 24, but according to Darren Rovell of ESPN, his explanation is far from the full story.

"No. 8 has been with me for a while obviously," Bryant said. "I just felt it was time to move on and do something different. When I came back from Italy and I came to the States to play, the first number I selected was number 24. It is kind of a new beginning for me, and that's what the second half of my career is all about."

But according to Rovell's sources, the decision has to do more with endorsements than a career philosophy. When Kobe came into the league, he signed a contract with adidas and released his signature shoe, KB8. In 2002, Bryant ended his relationship with the shoe company. Everything should be fine and dandy, right? Not really. Apparently adidas is reissuing the KB8 as a retro shoe and renaming the “Crazy 8”, which has the number 8 on the toe.

So from changing his jersey number from 8 to 24, Kobe thinks that will push him further away from any affiliation with adidas. Too bad adidas (which now owns Reebok) will be making the NBA jerseys next season and will make money off of Kobe’s jersey anyway.

The Real-ish Life With Vince Young

Reebok got down with Vince Young shortly after he joined the Tennessee Titans, giving him a six figure deal to help promote their products. He will specifically be promoting the Pump Down and Out cleat and Rbk Triple Impact apparel, which is part of Reebok’s Rbk Performance collection.

"Vince Young has already proven that he is a strong and talented quarterback and we are confident that his athletic prowess will enable him to become a game-changing player in the NFL," Paul Harrington, president and CEO, Reebok Brand, said in a statement. "Vince has always dreamed of playing in the NFL. He has a strong desire to be an exceptional teammate and is committed to contributing to his team's success. We are proud to welcome him to Reebok."

Young will also participate in an ad campaign called “I knew…” Look for the commercials to air this fall at the start of the NFL season.

Commercials won’t be the only TV time Young will be getting this fall. The rookie quarterback agreed to allow BET to follow him around as he prepares for his first year in the NFL. The reality show, Vince Young: The Next Level will be six weeks and will be directed by Brendon Carter who directed The Osbournes for MTV.

“They’ll follow him around through the whole process. People see the end product, but they don’t know all the things he’s had to do to get himself prepared for that,” Young’s agent Major Adams told the Nashville City Paper. “They’ve been following him around since March, and they should be finished following him around sometime in June.”

We’re actually looking forward to seeing Young try to bring the Titans some respect.

Reggie Bush Gets and Gives Back

Reggie Bush may have already hurt himself during a rookie mini-camp for the Saints, but he’s still getting free stuff. A Miami developer gave Bush a luxury condo in the Capital town area of the city. The catch? The developer just wants to use Bush’s name in advertisements. Sounds like a good deal to us!

In other news, Bush is still trying to get permission to wear his No. 5 for his NFL career. Thing is, the NFL stipulates that running backs are only allowed to wear numbers 20 through 49. But Bush is pleading, saying that he’ll even give 25 percent of his jersey profits to aid Katrina relief efforts. NFL players get about 6 percent of the amount for each jersey sold. Last year, Randy Moss’ top-selling jersey earned about $1.5 million for his pockets. It’s pretty much guaranteed that whatever number Bush gets, it’ll be a hot seller.

Ben Gordon Gets an Energy Drink

After a solid outing in the playoffs, Chicago Bulls’ Ben Gordon is getting endorsement calls coming his way. Gordon has partnered with H3Enterprises to launch his own energy drink called “BG7”. It’s apparently going to be the healthiest energy drink on the market and consists of pure organic White Tea. "Joining TeamH3 and having my own energy drink is a tremendous opportunity," Gordon said in a statement. "BG7 will definitely bring high energy and good health to all of America. Being able to team up with some of the greatest talent in the business world also gives me a strong foundation for my future after basketball.” We’re not sure where you can get you some “BG7” but hopefully it’s better than “Pimp Juice” or “Crunk Juice” energy drinks.

MLB.com Launches Daily Web Show

Earlier this month MLB.com, the official site for Major League Baseball, launched “MLB.com Midday”, a daily webcast hosted by Casey Stern along with reporting from Phife Dawg (of A Tribe Called Quest) and several other correspondents. The show is broadcast at 12:30 PM EST Monday thru Friday.

"This is basically a midday escape from work for any baseball fan," Stern said in a statement. "It will be a mixture of hardcore baseball, in-your-face analysis and some humor as well. Our goal is to give baseball fans the perfect way to procrastinate during work -- making them laugh, giving them some great information and showing them a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite players that they simply can't miss."

Phife will be interviewing different baseball stars, there will also be a segment called “Access Baseball” covering the lighter side of player’s lives, a series called “Going Pro with Justin Upton”, which follows last year’s No. 1 draft pick through his rookie year and “First Pitch” which reports on the latest baseball headlines.