Michael Jordan, majority owner of the newly rechristened Charlotte Hornets, has hired controversial guard Lance Stephenson. Stephenson, 24, has become widely known for his antics on the basketball court and off of it. For example, he made headlines everywhere during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals when he tried in vain to taunt LeBron James through psychological warfare, culminating in Stephenson blowing in King James' ear. As Stephenson leaves the Indiana Pacers, and one NBA legend/mentor, he gains a new guru in Jordan. Jordan has been busy on the golf course this off-season, however, playing rounds with sexy neighbor Michelle Wie. Some have even speculated that Jordan might even be cheating on his new wife with Wie, although those stories are most likely just rumors.
While known as an immature prankster, Stephenson is often surprisingly mild-mannered on social media, usually backpedaling or publicly apologizing for recent transgressions. Last week, however, he tweeted about his departure from Indiana (via Boston Globe):
''Indy, I had a great 4 years. Thank you Larry Bird, the fans, my coaches and teammates for the incredible experience. I will never forget any of you!"
While Stephenson is a highly gifted player who will likely become a marquee player someday, he currently draws more attention on himself as a personality (via Slate):
"In a professional sports culture perpetually terrified of 'distraction'-as though we watch these games for any other reason-Lance Stephenson is a world-class disturbance, in every sense. He is the most fascinatingly flawed player in his sport..."
Apparently Lance has already had a sit-down with the master, Michael Jordan, however, about what will be expected of him (via Charlotte Observer):
"'He told me what he likes about me, he told me what I need to calm down on,' Stephenson told the Observer after the news conference. 'He told me how I can contribute to the team. And he told me he believed in my talent. He likes my competitive edge.'"
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