Halloween is here

Finally, after weeks of getting ready, Halloween has arrived. Everyone in Lego Land, including the NBA players, is very excited. Antoine Walker and Allen Iverson are going trick-or-treating dressed as samurai warriors (see photo above). Like every year, they will also be collecting money for the United Nations Children's Fund (more commonly known as UNICEF) to help needy children around the world. It is a good thing that Antoine Walker and Allen Iverson are professional athletes and in excellent shape, because the collection box can become quite heavy after a long night of trick-or-treating.

There is one surprising Halloween-related development, however. Due to a lack of communication, both Vince Carter and Tony Parker have dressed up in the same costume. Hopefully Jalen Rose can help them sort out this mess. (See photo above)

Below: Happy Halloween from everyone at Ape Canyon News Service and the Overflow Blog!

Playing soccer

Today the NBA All-Stars have decided to take a break from playing basketball, so they are playing soccer instead. They have been joined by two world-famous soccer stars -- Alexandre Pato of Brazil and Gennaro Gattuso of Italy. (See photo below - Pato is on the left next to Allen Iverson and Gattuso is on the right next to Shaq.)

Both Pato and Gattuso play professionally for AC Milan, a club that is considered so important that it is owned by Italy's long-time Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi. All of the NBA stars are quite excited that they are getting the chance to play with two soccer stars as famous as Pato and Gattuso.

Here are some photos of today's historic match:

Below: Kevin Garnett gets ready to take a corner kick.

Below: Allen Iverson commits a handball inside the penalty area.

Below: Pato gets ready to take the resulting penalty kick.

Below: Pato scores on goalie Jalen Rose.

Below: Later on, Pato is fouled by Tony Parker.

Below: Gattuso and Dirk Nowitzki are fighting. Shaq and Antoine Walker rush over to break it up.

Special thanks to Dorothy for her assistance in creating this post.

Working out at the gym

During the off-season, NBA stars spend a lot of time working out in the gym so that they can be as strong as possible for the start of the regular season. Physical fitness is very important for everyone, but especially for professional basketball players because of the grueling schedule they face.

Below: Antoine Walker is lifting weights.

Above: Tony Parker works on his legs.

Below: Dirk Nowitzki builds his upper-body strength.

Below: Steve Francis rides the exercise bicycle. When he is finished, Steve Francis will enjoy an nutritious fitness shake high in protein, vitamins, and electrolytes.

Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker have decided to take flying lessons

Tony Parker and his wife, Eva Longoria Parker, have decided to take flying lessons. Their flight instructor is the man who directed the television commercial that Allen Iverson recently appeared in. (See photo below--the flight instructor is giving them instructions using his megaphone.)

When Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker arrive at the local airport, they are happy to see that their friends Shaq and Jalen Rose are working there as air traffic controllers. Shaq has always been interested in law enforcement and in giving back to the community. Working to help planes safely take off and land is one way of doing that. (See photo below-- Shaq is in the air traffic control tower. He is wearing his yellow Lakers jersey and looking out the window.)

Jalen Rose (pictured below) has not been working as an air traffic controller very long, but, with Shaq's help, he is learning fast.

Below: Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker are ready to taxi down the runway.

Below: Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker are speeding down the runway.

Below: Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker are flying up in the sky.

Below: Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker are now safely back on the ground.

News from Lego Land

There is both exciting and disturbing news from Lego Land this morning. First, the exciting news:

• Three new NBA stars have arrived! Allen Iverson and all of his NBA friends are very pleased to welcome three new players -- Jalen Rose, wearing the Chicago Bulls uniform and black top hat; Kevin Garnett, wearing the Minnesota Timberwolves uniform and chef's hat; and Predrag Stojakovic, wearing the Sacramento Kings jersey and white firefighter's helmet. (See photo below)

Now, however, for the disturbing news:

• Jalen Rose, Kevin Garnett, and Predrag Stojakovic brought with them a large box that has photos of all the Lego NBA players. (See photo below)

• A close inspection of the photos on the back of the box revealed that Steve Francis and Tony Parker have been wearing each other's heads. No one knows how long this has been going on, but rest assured, the problem has been corrected.

Above: Steve Francis and Tony Parker, now wearing the correct heads

Below: Another shot of the newly arrived NBA stars

Check back soon, because word has it that more Lego NBA stars are on their way.

At the swimming pool

Steve Francis has a summer job working as a lifeguard down at the local public swimming pool. Sometimes, in the afternoon, his friends like to come down and hang out and go swimming. Today Allen Iverson, Shaq, Tony Parker, and Eva Longoria Parker have dropped by.

If none of his bosses are around, Steve Francis can usually sneak his friends in for free. Today, however, Steve Francis' supervisor (pictured above, in the white hat and red shirt) is there, so everybody had to pay the $3.75 to get in.

Above: Shaq likes to just float around on his back in the cool, refreshing water.

Below: Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker hang out by the pool.

Below: Steve Francis has to use his bullhorn to enforce the safety rules. Meanwhile, Allen Iverson waits to jump off the diving board.

Tony Parker is having a party

Tony Parker and his wife, Eva Longoria Parker, are hosting a party for all their friends. Steve Francis was the first NBA player to arrive (see photo above). He was happy to see Devil Smurf there - no one likes it when they show up at a party and they don't know anybody there.

Below: Karl Malone is telling Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker about how happy he is that he found his real legs in time for the party.

Below: Allen Iverson enjoys his conversation with the alien guy and a man in a pointy green hat. AI doesn't mind talking to strangers.

Antoine Walker and Tony Parker want to play basketball

Antoine Walker and Tony Parker want to play basketball, so they have called a cab to take them to the court. The problem is that their basketball is too big to fit into the taxi.

They try putting it on top of the trunk, but the cab driver thinks that it is not safe. Antoine Walker and Tony Parker agree.

Just then, Allen Iverson shows up with a solution to the problem. His car is big enough to take the basketball.

Now they can all go play. Antoine Walker (in the bat helmet) plans on giving the cab driver a big tip.

Allen Iverson has a really cool car

Allen Iverson and his friends have gone out for a ride in his new car.

AI is in front, driving and carrying a shovel. Steve Francis is right behind him in the WWI flying hat. He is carrying a sword.

Tony Parker has on a motorcycle helmet and is carrying one of those things knights use when they are jousting. Antoine Walker is still wearing the bat helmet. He is wielding a scorpion.

Below: A video of AI and friends when they arrived at the charity basketball tournament. Shaq and Karl Malone were already there.

Allen Iverson has not yet been signed

Allen Iverson has not yet been signed by an NBA team for the 2009-2010 season. To keep his mind off his troubles and do a little good work for the community, AI decided to hold a charity basketball tournament in my living room with a few of his friends-- Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Parker, Karl Malone, Antoine Walker, and Steve Francis.

Below, Iverson (right, in the samurai helmet) faces off against Tony Parker.

AI has shaken off his defender and is driving to the basket.

Below, Shaq battles Karl Malone for a rebound. Malone is wearing a red bandana and had to borrow someone else's legs because we couldn't find his.

Malone has committed a foul and now Shaq is ready to attempt a free throw.