It's hard to get too worked up about the faceless NBA bureaucrats who hijacked an episode of ABC's Extreme Home Makeover, but man, this is just ridiculous. Ray Allen was on the show back in September, but because it happened during the NBA Lockout, the NBA asked that all portions featuring Allen be cut from the episode before it airs.
How The NBA Lockout Ruined Ray Allen’s Network TV Cameo
From the New York Times (via BDL):
The producers sought, and received, donations from the N.B.A. and the Celtics: an autographed Larry Bird jersey and basketball, a section of parquet floor from the original Boston Garden, and assorted items stamped with the Celtics colors and logo. Because the products were featured in the show, Allen could not be.
Apparently, N.B.A. officials notified the show’s producers about the restrictions in September. But Allen said he did not learn that he would be cut from the show until Thursday night, in an e-mail from the producers. He was told it was "because of the lockout." He found the news troubling.
In case you needed another reminder that the NBA Lockout was an absolutely miserable process that was slowly eating away at the sanity in us all... There you have it, you guys. The NBA was even ruining heartwarming stories that had nothing to do with basketball.
If the lockout could sabotage a kid meeting his hero, it was only a matter of time until it somehow engulfed all the playgrounds where Nike filmed those Basketball Never Stops commercials, Madison Square Garden, Jay-Z and Kanye West, puppies named after basketball players, all basketballs everywhere, and probably your laptop, too. NO YOUTUBE DURING THE LOCKOUT.
So yeah, one last time for the record: Thank God it’s over. And God it was stupid.
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