As the NBA Finals wind down, sports writers will be showering the internet with their picks for the season's best moments. The difference between my list and theirs, besides mine being much funnier, is that my picks home in on those instances when players jumped into pop culture and vice versa. These are not the best dunks, shots or buzzer-beaters. They are, instead, the great times when the NBA slept with show business to birth a beautiful SportsPop baby.
5. Blindfolded Busboy Ricardo Beats Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin won the 2011 Rookie Of The Year, Slam Dunk Contest and a spot on the winning Western Conference All Star Team. There wasn't much he didn't win in his first year, besides games for the L.A. Clippers, and many think that's impossible anyway. Well, to kick off the NBA Finals, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" invited this young winner to compete against Barney's Beanery busboy Ricardo in a round of "pop-a-shot." It sounds laughable, but Ricardo has already beaten Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Charles Barkley. Since Griffin doesn't have the best outside shot, Ricardo competed blindfolded too! Impossible, right? Ricardo bested him 60 baskets to 57. It's as amazing to watch as Jason Terry's nine 3-pointers against the Lakers in Game 4. Terry would be a great opponent for Ricardo next.
4. Lamar Odom Says Wife Khloe "Isn't Small"
I will save you the "Baby Got Back" jokes, but there is no denying that of the Kardashian sisterhood Khloe is the most likely to be described as "not small." A strong woman like Michelle Obama, Beyoncé or RuPaul can handle their men being honest like that. However, Khloe short-circuits when her Laker husband Lamar Odom says "Khloe isn't small" in his February interview with Playboy, and we got to watch it unfold on their compellingly awful show, "Khloe & Lamar." Spurred by her evil family members, Khloe decides to work out with fitness guru Richard Simmons, who yells at her, "Get lower like there's a cookie on the floor." Genius.
3. Ron Artest Goes Loco
It feels cheap to have three Los Angeles players on this list, but what can I say, L.A. is the true intersection of sports and pop culture. At least none of the names are Kobe Bryant.
No one has ever accused Ron Artest of being sane. He's admitted to drinking Hennessy in the locker room at halftime earlier in his career, once arrived for a Pacers practice in a bathrobe and openly admits to being mentally unstable. This year Artest won the NBA's Citizenship Award for promoting mental health awareness and is currently shooting a reality show where he mentors paroled convicts along with psychologists. A onetime jailbird himself, Artest has really turned his life around. So why would he release a rap song entitled, "Go Loco"? That's like Kobe releasing a track called "Go Homophobia." It mocks all of that great PSA work. Plus, "Go Loco" mocks hip-hop in general since it features George Lopez rapping.
2. Justin Bieber-Michael Rapaport Rivalry in Celebrity Game
Actor Michael Rapaport may not get recognized at popular clubs, if he's even able to get past the bouncer in the first place, but he is a beast in the NBA All-Star celebrity game. In 2010, he won the MVP for his tenacious defense against Terrell Owens and this year set his sights on smiley mop-top Justin Bieber. While most people on the court were out for fun, Rapaport was out for blood. Look at the fire in his eyes above. He held Bieber to eight points, four assists and two rebounds. Biebs still won the MVP despite being on the losing team. That only incites Rapaport more. He doesn't work a lot, so he'll have plenty of time to train. During next year's game, the insane Bieber fan below won't be crying because she got the young Canuck's jersey. She'll be crying because Rapaport leveled him while going to the basket.
1. Carmelo Anthony Wears Snuggie/Conan Gives Melo Mashup Jersey
The top spot is a tie between two Carmelo Anthony moments. I know, after being oversaturated with Anthony's trade talk and subsequent shortcomings with the Knicks, the last thing you want is more Melo. All I can say is he earned it. First, just when you thought there were no Snuggie jokes left to be made, Anthony wears one on the bench during a game against the Hawks in December. His reasoning? They were throwing Snuggies to fans and he didn't feel well, so he grabbed one. When told by management to take it off, he said, "Eat my Snuggie."
And we've got Conan O'Brien to thank for the other half of the No. 1 spot. Melo appeared on "Conan" during the height of his trade frenzy and refused to give the late-night host any news about it. O'Brien came prepared to present a new jersey to Anthony one way or another and presented him with a Nets-Nuggets-Knicks hybrid. Even Melo cracked up.