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Josh Powell has missed a fair share of Christmases due to the demands of being a professional basketball player, and he recognises that nothing compares to being able to spend quality family time over the holiday break. Now he wants to be a blessing to somebody else.For me they resonate more because of me ... missing many Christmases. Powell told ESPN.You know that feeling of opening gifts as a kid and most importantly just understanding that family is the important thing and being able to have that family time.Powell has reached the pinnacle and found ultimate success on the basketball court as a two-time NBA champion with the LA Lakers, and now he loves to be able to act as a role model.I just want to do things like what were doing now and being able to give back and be a part of things like this, he said as Sydney Kings players appeared in support of the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal to show others that they are not alone this Christmas.Since moving to Australia a little more than two months ago, Powell has proved to be the gift that keeps on giving for the Kings on and off the floor. But the teams fifth-leading scorer playing roughly 20 minutes per game off of the bench is unfazed by the pressure of being a big name in the National Basketball League.Theres more pressure in changing diapers.?The Kings top the standings as the second half of the NBL season unfolds, knowing what they have to do to maintain their status as top dog.For us its just about staying hungry and just trusting the process.Powell has been a part of all 10 wins that have the Kings on top, and he enjoys the tradition of singing a team song after every victory.You can see basically every one of these celebrations thanks to Powell filming them and posting the clips to social media. Not that Powell has yet learned the lyrics.I know, whoop there it is, whoop there it is. Yeezy Boost 350 NZ . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Yeezy 700 NZ . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. http://www.yeezyshoesnz.com/yeezy-boost-700-nz/yeezy-700-mauve.html .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Yeezy Boost 350 V2 For Sale . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Yeezy 750 NZ . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Kim Gaucher has seen the growth of womens basketball in Canada over her 16 years with the program.She started with the junior national team as a 16-year old and there wasnt much interest in the sport in Canada.Hockey and soccer were the top and only sports it seemed that people would talk about, Gaucher said laughing. When I first started playing, we would have to fly to South America and meet with our teammates there and try and qualify for events. That was our training time.Now 16 years later, womens basketball in Canada is on the rise -- led by Gaucher and a talented young group of players. That growth started when the team qualified for the London Games five years ago on Canada Day.They earned the final spot into the Olympics and put on a great showing before losing to the U.S. in the quarterfinals. It was the countrys first Olympic berth in 12 years and best showing since they finished fourth in 1984. The performance helped inspire some of the teams young players.I was a young kid watching our vets play in London and to be playing with them now is kind of crazy, said guard Kia Nurse, who is a junior at UConn and a big part of the future of Canadas team. To hear the stories of where they were to where we are now is incredible.Those Olympics were a springboard for the success the team has had the last four years. The Canadians finished fifth in the world championship in 2014 and then -- for the first time in 20 years -- hosted the FIBA America qualifiers which they won.That came a few weeks after the team won the Pan-Am Games in Toronto, knocking off the Americans in the gold medal contest. That US team wasnt the Americans national team, but it was lead Breanna Stewart.Its truly incredible, said Nurse, who had 33 points in the gold medal game victory over the U.S. Honestly its so crazy for us. No one really knew about womens basketball in Canada until the Pan-Am games. Now its like everyone talks about us.Canada basketball Presideent and CEO Michele OKeefe said hosting was a key part of the strategy to help build the program.dddddddddddd.Having the Pan-Am Games and three weeks later the FIBA America championships was huge for us, she said. It bodes well. Not only do we get a home-court advantage, but the young kids get to see the athletes and the coaches get to see the strategy and level of competition. It gives everyone the chance to see what international basketball looks like.OKeefe said a big part of Canadas long term strategy over the past decade has been to invest in and streamline all the countrys different age groups, which has built a solid foundation for now and the future.The investment has been substantial, she said. Create an alignment right down our age group teams to our provincial teams. Make it a true feeder system. Its been a huge difference. Weve been able to call a kid up from a junior team and they know how to play at this level.The dividends have already paid off as a record four Canadians were taken in the WNBA draft this past April, including Olympian Nirra Fields.Now the next step would be winning a medal. If that were to happen the country would be truly abuzz. In the past 80 years, Canada only has two medals in team sports. The mens basketball team won a silver in 1936 and the womens soccer team took the bronze in London.Canada enters Rio fresh off a victory over 2012 silver medalist France in a pre-Olympic tournament last week. Canada also played against Australia and the U.S. in that exhibition series, giving the team a look at three of the top teams in the world.I dont think any of us would be shy to tell you that we set goals as a team and we want to try and come home with some hardware, Nurse said. For us were going to come out and peak at the right time.---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg ' ' '