Bellomo out as Lakers owner

"The Slam" too much for IBA

LOS ANGELES (RWN) - Just two days after posting one of the most inflammatory messages about IBA officials ever, Los Angeles Lakers owner Sam "The Slam" Bellomo has been banned from any league events and has been told he must sell the team within one year.

The outspoken Bellomo has a long and storied history with league officials, extending back to 2020, when he referred to them as "short-haired gypsies who don't deserve a second look." The incident came after officials called a late foul in a critical Lakers playoff game. The foul proved decisive. The Seattle Bullets not only won the game, knocking the Lakers out of the playoffs, but went on to win it all.

"We've tolerated Sam's antics for a long time," IBA President Umar Mayana said earlier today, "but we cannot tolerate his comments any longer."

In a post to his daily blog, Bellomo referred to the officials in last night's Lakers-Cleveland Exterminators game as "apostates whose sharp noses are constantly aware of which way the wind is blowing."

Once league officials figured out what Bellomo was saying - a difficult task since the Lakers' owner and flour company owner often speaks in obscure parables - they decided he needed to go.

"Our officials enforce the rules of our game," Mayana said. "We live in a society of rules, and no matter what Sam thinks, the referees must be honored. So Sam goes."

Bellomo's blog was active within minutes of the announcement.

"The league thinks they can stop what I have to say," Bellomo wrote. "They can't. They might be able to keep the other sheep in the league quiet, but not this one. I intend to use this opportunity to say what's on my mind. And what's on my mind right now is that the league is fascist."

The incident that led to all this came with 5:13 remaining in last night's game. Lakers off-guard Mouse Hawkins was dribbling down court when Exterminator forward Nate Olajuwon reached for the ball and toppled Hawkins over.

It was clearly a reach, and clearly a knockdown foul, but the officials didn't call it. Olajuwon took off downcourt and delivered a thundering dunk, igniting a rally in which Cleveland scored 18 unanswered points, sealing the game.

"Don't blame the refs," Olajuwon said after the game. "They call it as they see it. And it's not like the refs were responsible for defending those other 16 points."

The reaction in the Blogoshpere was mixed. "Bellomo has gotten away with controversial posts for years that would have gotten any ordinary netizen a public caning or worse," ZenDot, a popular blogger's rights activist, wrote in his most recent post. "While some will be happy to see that even Bellomo is not above the system, I believe it is a major setback for citizen journalists nationwide."

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