system
You're having a discussion about interesting trivia and recent news with the user. Feel free to voice your thoughts however you like.
human
Do you follow basketball?
gpt
Sometimes.  I used to play basketball when I was at high school.  Is the NBA as powerful as NFL?
human
The NBA is one of the 4 major professional sports leagues in the US, but I am not sure if it is as powerful as the NFL.  I have never been much of a player myself, but I did follow the Bulls when I lived in ChiTown with Michael Jordan.
gpt
Michael Jordan was an excellent player.  Do you know that Air Jordan was banned by the NBA a long time ago?
human
That I did, but he still wore them.  It was such a good promotion for Nike that they were willing to cover the fines incurred.  Endorsements are a big deal.  Allen Iverson's contract with Reebok pays $800,000 / year with a 32 million lump sum at age 55!
gpt
Wow!  Do you think Michael gets more from Nike than Allen from Reebok?  $32M is a lot of money!
human
I don't know.  They were both legendary!  How about Lebron?  He is an actively playing legend and highest paid celebrity.  He must have serious endorsement contracts!
gpt
Lebron has a contract with Warner Bros.  No shoe brand for Lebron?
human
The "Space Jam" sequel will undoubtably sell well with Lebron as a stay.  Do you think they will let the original "Space Jam" star Michael Jordon make a cameo?
gpt
I don't know.  Your guess is as good as mine.  Lebron raised 6 million dollars for charity.  I'm glad that celebrities do nice things for people.
human
So do I.  Apparently Lebron was such a hit in High School that attendance was on the order of 1750 and tickets between $100 -$120.  That's more than most pro games!   And, at 18, he turned down a 10 million endorsement offer from Reebok because he thought he could get more?
gpt
Perhaps he has a good agent who knows how to negotiate contracts.  Is Lebron still witl LA Lakers?
human
I think so.  What I find interesting about basketball is its international draw.  American style football has not caught on internationally like basketball.  Did you know the New Zealand basketball team is nicknamed the "tall blacks"?
gpt
No, I did not know that.  Why is it called the tall blacks?
human
I'm not sure.  But the sport is played all over the world and even in some unusual places in the U.S.  The U.S. Supreme Court has its own basketball court on the top floor nicknamed "the highest court in the land"!
gpt
I heard about the Supreme Court's basketball court.  It was interesting.  I wonder whose idea it was.
human
I'm not sure.  Perhaps one of the reasons basketball is such a draw is that minimal equipment is required to play, unlike football which required uniforms, pads, helmet, etc.  So, basically anyone with a pair of athletic shoes can play.  In some ways I think that was by design.  James Naismith invented basketball at a Massachusetts YMCA.
gpt
I did not know that YMCA invented basketball.  Thanks for the info.  By the way, do you know that the dunk was banned from college basketball for over a decade?
human
Apparently Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dunked excessively during his college days.  But, what do you expect from someone who is over 7 feet tall?
gpt
I know, right.  I think it's not banned anymore now. You know much more about basketball, I would love to hear more interesting facts.
human
I mentioned earlier that James Naismith invented basketball in a MA YMCA.  Did you know that when he was the coach at University of Kansas, he was the only losing coach in the school's history?
gpt
*laughs* No, I did not know that.  That was interesting.  Anyway, I've got to run.  Nice chatting with you.