The NBA Christmas schedule has leaked, with LeBron James set to face Golden State yet again. In other news, ESPN has acquired rights to Serie A soccer, Jerry Remy is again battling cancer, and Holly Rowe has completed chemotherapy treatment.
NBA Christmas Schedule Pits LeBron, Warriors Again
The NBA will release its Opening Week, Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Day schedules Wednesday afternoon, the league announced Tuesday. The Christmas matchups leaked via ESPN.com and The New York Times‘ Marc Stein late Tuesday night. Lakers-Warriors will headline the annual quintupleheader as LeBron James faces Golden State on the holiday for a fourth consecutive year. Other games include Celtics-Sixers, Bucks-Knicks, Thunder-Rockets and Trail Blazers-Jazz, the latter marking Utah’s first Christmas game since 1997.
In other scheduling news, the league announced that the Magic will host the Bulls and Jazz in Mexico City December 13 and 15, with both games airing on ESPN. [ESPN.com 8.7, Marc Stein/Twitter 8.7, NBA.com 8.7]
ESPN Acquires Serie A Soccer
ESPN announced Tuesday that it has acquired exclusive U.S. rights to the Italian Serie A soccer league, with the majority of matches airing on the ESPN Plus over-the-top service. More than 340 matches will air on ESPN Plus, compared to just 40 on ESPN’s linear TV networks. beIN Sports previously held the rights. [ESPN PR 8.7]
Remy Battling Cancer Again
NESN Boston Red Sox analyst Jerry Remy is again battling cancer and will miss the rest of the season, the network said in a statement Tuesday. Remy, who has worked Red Sox games for NESN since 1988, has battled lung cancer repeatedly over the past decade. That includes a recurrence just last year that caused him to miss much of the season. He was able to return for some late season games last September. [Boston.com 8.7]
Rowe Completes Chemotherapy Treatment
ESPN reporter Holly Rowe has completed chemotherapy treatment, she announced in a video posted last night. Rowe has been battling skin cancer for the past two years and at one point was undergoing chemotherapy every three weeks. [Kansas City Star 8.7]
