dont hang out in positions that hes comfortable in. My thing is

NBA commissioner Adam Silver sent an email to NBA corporate offices worldwide shortly after the presidential election results to reiterate to NBA employees that the leagues core values and commitment to equality and diversity havent changed, sources told ESPN.Sources said that Silvers email was not in any way making a statement about the election results. In the email, Silver assured NBA employees that the league and its players will continue to work in communities to try to find a way to improve lives with the understanding that the nation had just emerged divided from a contentious election, according to sources.One NBA player texted ESPN on Friday morning saying, Our country has never been more divided after Donald Trump was elected president this week.Sources said that there were staff meetings at NBA offices this week to allow employees to discuss the election.The NBA has long taken pride in being a socially conscious organization that is out front in dealing with issues in society: from accepting Jason Collins as the first openly gay player in one of the four major U.S. pro sports leagues to helping create awareness about HIV after Magic Johnsons announcement 25 years ago.Silver has repeatedly stressed that he is highly in favor of his players talking openly about and taking stands on social issues in a respectful manner and that there may be no organization in our society better positioned than the NBA to have an impact on todays social climate in the United States.On Wednesday night,?New York Knicks?forward?Carmelo Anthony, one of the star players who has been outspoken about issues like the Black Lives Matter movement, said he could sense a nervousness with his family and youth he had spoken to and that they were afraid and unsure of what to do after the election.Now it is our responsibility as men and women to take into our hands and be role models and be our own leaders at this point, regardless of who is the commander in chief, Anthony said after the Knicks beat the Nets on Wednesday night. I think we have much more responsibility now, especially with the youth and kind of educating them. I talked to kids, my family, you can just hear the nervousness, they are afraid and dont know what to think and people dont know what to do at this point.I think it is up to us as individuals to kind of take on that responsibility and everybody has to lead in their own way. We cant rely on a system or one person and we got to move on from that.Anthony said his 9-year-old son had questions about the election and that he knew he would have to have a conversation with his son.What is that conversation? Anthony asked. That is the scary part for me -- what is that conversation?Coaches like Detroits Stan Van Gundy and Golden States Steve Kerr were critical and outspoken about the results of the election.I dont think anybody can deny this guy is openly and brazenly racist and misogynistic, Stan Van Gundy said earlier this week about Trump. We have just thrown a good part of our population under the bus, and I have problems with thinking this is where we are as a country.Clevelands Richard Jefferson also said on his Snapchat before the?Cavaliers visit to the White House on Thursday for winning last seasons championship that words cannot express the honor I feel being the last team to visit the White House tomorrow.Silver emphasized how important the NBAs responsibility is in continuing efforts to improve lives in communities around the country.The NBA has worked in tandem with the players association to organize community conversations that teams like the Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons?have participated in that encouraged dialogue and cooperation with youth, law enforcement and community leaders in various cities over the past several months with more planned ahead.I have thought a lot about this, and [players association director] Michele Roberts and I talked a lot about these issues, Silver said, referring to the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, at last months board of governors meeting. There may be no organization in our society better positioned than the NBA and its players to try and have an impact on these difficult issues plaguing many of our cities. Ashley Williams Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Gareth Bale Wales Jersey . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/aaron-ramsey-wales-UEFA-EURO-jersey/ . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Ashley Williams Wales Jersey . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Aaron Ramsey Jersey . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. When Muhammed Lawal returns to the Bellator MMA cage on Friday in Ireland, he wont be using the trip to do any sightseeing or kiss the Blarney Stone. Hes only there for business.I aint going to Ireland to kiss no damn rock. Im going to Ireland to kick some ass, Lawal told ESPN.com. Its cold. Whatever I want to see I can see on TV.Lawal (19-5), better known as King Mo, takes on Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1) in the main event of Bellator 169, which emanates from 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The bout will be at heavyweight, the second time Lawal will fight in the division with the promotion. That doesnt mean he has packed on extra weight, however. Lawal says hell be lucky to tip the scales at 215 pounds, compared to Ishii, who is listed at 240. The lighter combatant isnt concerned about the weight difference.Im undefeated at heavyweight. When I fought Cheick Kongo he was like 240, a solid 240, Lawal said.Last time out at Bellator 154 in May, Lawals seven-fight win streak was snapped in a No. 1 contenders fight with Phil Davis. It was a tight battle, with Davis landing the biggest strike of the fight in the third round, a cracking right hand that dropped Lawal to the canvas. Lawal, who has always been tough to put away, survived the rush. But all three judges awarded the fight to Davis, who went on to win the Bellator title in November against Liam McGeary by unanimous decision.Months after the Davis fight, Lawal still wholeheartedly disagrees with the decision, which saw two judges score it 30-27 and the third score it 29-28. Lawal believes he won the first two rounds, landing the more significant strikes.This has become a theme with Lawal, who also criticized the judging of his split-decision victory over Kongo in February 2015.If judges cant watch and see whos winning, then why have them? Lawal said.Based on their career numbers, there is plenty of potential for a stoppage in this bout. Lawal has won 13 of 19 fights by knockout while Ishii has seen all six of his defeats come by knockout. Still, Lawal says he wont be looking to force anything despite his common displeasure with judges.Every fighter tries to go out there and finish the fight. The thing is that you cant finish them all, he said. They say, Dont let it go to the judgees.ddddddddddddWell, if they say that, then why have judges?The matchup pits two styles of grappling against each other, with Lawal bringing his high-caliber freestyle wrestling credentials into the cage against an Olympic gold medalist in judo. Lawal, a former Strikeforce champion, has gotten a firsthand look at Ishiis game by training with him in the past.Lawal says the pair trained around three years ago at Mikes Gym in Amsterdam, a kickboxing powerhouse that has seen the likes of Melvin Manhoef and Badr Hari train there. In addition to that locale, Lawal says he and Ishii trained in California in the past. Based on that time together and what his coaches at American Top Team have seen, Lawal is confident he knows what to do to be victorious.Ive got striking, wrestling. Theres a lot of things I can do, he said. I have more than one way to win the fight. Hes tricky and he hits strong, so I just got be smart and make sure I dont hang out in positions that hes comfortable in. My thing is I just want to keep him uncomfortable.Ishii made his Bellator debut back in June at Bellator 157, losing a split-decision to Quinton Rampage Jackson. It marked the second consecutive loss for the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, just seven months after he was knocked out in the first round by Jiri Prochazka in the quarterfinals of the Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix. Lawal ended up knocking out Prochazka in the finals of the tournament.Lawal represented the Bellator brand in Rizins debut last year, and much like he did in Japan last December, he will lead the way for Bellators Irish debut this year. He has never been afraid to speak his mind, whether it be about judging, former Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney or many other topics. People may champion or hate his comments, but there is always a reaction, and being authentically Muhammed Lawal has gotten him to where he is today.I just kind of do what I feel like doing. Sometimes I forget that people actually watch me fight, Lawal said. Its a double-edged sword. Some people hate it. Some people like it. They want me to be like something else, but I cant. I refuse to do that. ' ' '