Calling PlaymaKer, UnFazed Dove and UnbreaKable to the front of the line! 

PlaymaKer…aka WNBA champion, Defensive Player of the Year, two-time Most Valuable Player and South Carolina’s finest! You’ve been called to the line for your resilience and the grit you’ve shown in your community, as your statue reigns in the city that you’ve given so much to, proving that you were built for this moment. 

UnFazed Dove, you’re here for a reason! You’ve conquered every challenge and shown up in moments we all knew you were ready to stand up tall against. No. 1 overall pick, WNBA All-Star as a rookie and Rookie of the Year—you pushed the limits for us. 

UnbreaKable, you’ve weathered the storm and remained true to yourself! You were well prepared for this moment, as you’ve known for a long time that this journey wouldn’t be easy, but it would be worth it. Two-time SEC Player of the Year, “Superwoman,” the one who took a chance and proved why you were called to be here on this stage. 

A’ja Wilson, Rhyne Howard and Tiffany Mitchell represent the W as leaders of the game, but all three have cemented their legacies on and off the court as women of the Divine Nine. 

“Divine Nine means culture and history,” says the Aces’ Wilson, who became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. “[Divine Nine] laid the foundation down for me and my generation to continue to strive and have a seat at the table.”

The Divine Nine is the term used for the group of nine Black Greek organizations. Repping your chapter is a sacred moment, a badge of honor, from the pearls to the letterman jackets. The sisterhood/brotherhood is the pinnacle of who we are as a community. 

“We stick together through ups and downs, working to bring the best out of each other,” Mitchell, also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, says. “You make bonds with different women from all walks of life and come together to bond over a common goal and likeness.” 

The Divine Nine has given a voice to Black students across the country to feel seen, heard and recognized. Mitchell and Wilson embody the Alpha Women and Rhyne Howard exemplifies what it means to be a Zeta. 

“The W family is special,” Howard, a member of Zeta Phi Beta, says. Comparing the Divine Nine sororities to the W, Howard says, “Each chapter within itself is a family, but all together, it’s like a family reunion.”

With 12 W teams and four sororities within the Divine Nine, there’s a unique competitiveness among the group. 

“Being able to have that ‘rivalry’ with other organizations is fun in itself,” Howard says, “but also knowing we are all fighting for the same thing, having this space and being around people who are going to fight for the things you’re fighting for is greatness within itself.”

The parallels are unmatched. And to be a part of something so special, deemed a trailblazer and champion of the League, is a privilege. “It shows the versatility of the W,” Mitchell says. “We don’t take it for granted.”

Whether you call out PlaymaKer or A’ja Wilson, their character is the same. “That’s what I loved the most about it. I could take my leadership aspect that I have for my team and then I could put it to my line,” Wilson says. “That was the beauty of it. It’s like my worlds all collide.”

The Divine Nine couldn’t be more proud of how Wilson, Howard and Mitchell have represented themselves across the League and continue to push for more positive change in the space. 

The only question left is…who will be the next players to join?

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Inside the WNBA’s Sisterhood of the Divine Nine: A’ja Wilson, Rhyne Howard and Tiffany MitchellI appeared first on SLAM.

In our cover story, Haliburton opens up about his journey thus far and how he “loves” proving all the doubters wrong. Still, the 23-year-old doesn’t take himself too seriously. Basketball, he says, is a “child’s game,” and brings him back to memories of having a ball in his crib and playing video games. That’s the joy behind Haliburton’s ever-apparent smile when he’s out there on the hardwood.

“When I’m playing basketball, it’s just fun,” he told SLAM. “It’s like I’m a kid again, you know? And that’s what I love about it. This isn’t a job for me. This is a passion of mine and something I really love to do.”

Read the full story here.

To get to know the All-Star more, we sat down with Haliburton and surprised him with items from his past for the latest episode of “Bag Talk.” Check it out below.

The post Get to Know Tyrese Haliburton: Pacers Star on High School Musical, Steve Urkel and MORE appeared first on SLAM.

Disgust. Disappointment. Frustration. Embarrassment.

All words one could use to describe the look on the face of a 14-year veteran sitting on the bench for the final nine minutes, watching her team on the brink of defeat after a season low 5-point performance against the defending champions (who, by the way, won that championship in the very same building they’re in right now).

Forty-eight hours later, on the same court, against the same team, a different player emerged. Coming out of the gate with 18 points in the first half, it was clear that the previous game was in the rearview mirror. A message needed to be sent…and it was sent in historic fashion. With 2:52 left on the game clock and a 20-point lead, the forward dribbled the ball down the court, stopped at the three-point line and let the record-setting ball fly, nailing the shot that would etch her name in the Connecticut Sun history books.

Hype. Excited. Gratified. Proud.

All words one could use to describe the look on the face of a 14-year veteran who just posted 41 points—a Sun franchise record—for the first time in her career while handing the defending champions their first loss of the 2023 season.

DeWanna Bonner’s championship pedigree was instilled in her DNA from day one. Entering the WNBA as the fifth overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in 2009, DB spent the first 10 years of her career alongside stars like Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor and Cappie Pondexter, part of the squad that won a championship in 2007. The 6-4 Auburn standout played a pivotal role in her team’s success early on, scoring 16 points in her first-ever regular season game and making the 2009 All-Rookie Team. Her accomplishments didn’t stop there, as she eventually went on to win the 2009 Sixth Woman of the Year (an honor she would earn again in 2010 and 2011) and contribute 13 points in a decisive Game 5 that gave the Mercury their second title in three years. Phoenix secured their third ring in 2014.

The elevation of Bonner’s game during her time in Phoenix gained her the reputation of being one of the most versatile players in the women’s game. She often talks about how the vets on those early Mercury teams pushed her to become that kind of player and challenged her to be the best version of herself from the moment she walked into training camp, “[The vets] weren’t going to let me fail,” she says. “They supported me, but also pushed me. I learned so much, so fast.”

She once wrote in The Players’ Tribune about how Diana Taurasi practically bribed her with a designer bag if she racked a double-double in the team’s next game. “I had no idea if she was serious or not, but I wasn’t going to risk it. After that conversation, you better believe I went out that night and balled my brains out and got the double-double.”

To this day, DB still has that bag.

It makes sense that her experiences with Taurasi and Taylor, as well as playing alongside Brittney Griner, shaped Bonner into that same kind of leader for the younger players on her current Connecticut Sun team. She’s vocal in the huddles. She brings the energy on the court after every incredible play. She encourages her teammates to excel when she’s on the bench. And she’s also the one to call a players only meeting when there’s additional motivation needed that may be too raw for TV or too real for the coaches to share. But the Sun wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The team loves her,” head coach Stephanie White says of Bonner. “She’s a leader for our group.
She sets the tone.”

The year 2020 was an unprecedented time in sports. The WNBA entered into a then-groundbreaking CBA, while the pandemic was raging around the world. Questions as to whether a WNBA season would even happen surfaced early on, but eventually, the W approved a shortened 22-game season to be played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

Before any talks about possibly canceling the season took place, the Sun had been making moves to ensure a return to the WNBA Finals after losing to the Washington Mystics in 2019. The team
orchestrated a trade for Bonner, sending the seventh and 10th picks in the 2020 WNBA Draft and a first-round pick in the 2021 Draft to Phoenix. Bonner, who was facing personal challenges that forced her to reconsider her role as a member of the Mercury, felt this was a great opportunity.

“I was really going through a tough time in my personal life and that really played into my decision to leave Phoenix,” she says. “It was all about timing. I loved it there. It was a great atmosphere, a family atmosphere, everything about it was amazing, but I felt it was time for a change. “Connecticut was coming off a Finals run, and I really wanted to play with a team where I could bring my own new identity, so I was very open to adapting to Connecticut,” she continues. “I was ready for something new. A fresh start is what I wanted, and that’s what I got.

Things got off to a rocky start, as the Sun opened the 2020 season 0-5, but they wouldn’t be down for long. Winning 10 of their final 14 games, the team ended the regular season 10-12 and secured a No. 7 seed in the playoffs. Despite the slow start and playing without their franchise player Jonquel Jones, who opted out of the bubble, Connecticut moved on to face the Las Vegas Aces in a semifinals matchup to remember, eventually losing the series 3-2. Bonner led the team in scoring at 19.7 ppg and, looking back on it, says she used that season as an opportunity to get to know her teammates better and solidify her place within the organization.

“[There] was always something about the chemistry with this team that drew me to it,” Bonner explains. “I knew coming off of a Finals run, this team wasn’t rebuilding. It was competitive and that’s what I wanted—to play with a competitive team, because I came from a championship caliber organization. I know we have yet to win a championship, but I can honestly say I’ve been on some great teams here in Connecticut and I do want to bring a championship here.”

Reminiscing on the start of her career as a member of the Sun makes the 41-point performance feel even more special. “To do that here in Connecticut at this stage in my career is a huge honor,” Bonner says.

DB took in the 2017 WNBA season the same way that fans did—on television. Missing the entire season due to pregnancy, the All-Star felt for the first time in a long time what life without basketball was like. Upon returning to the game, Bonner won the 2018 Comeback Player of the Year award and had one of the best seasons of her career. But giving birth to her twins allowed her to experience something much bigger than basketball: motherhood.

Being a mom and an athlete is not the easiest job in the world, but for Bonner, “mom” is one of the most fulfilling roles she undertakes. Her twins, Cali and Demi, who will be turning 6 this summer, now have a better understanding of what her job as a basketball player entails.

“It’s pretty cool now because one of my twins, Cali, really loves basketball, so she’s always watching the games and wanting to be at the games and the gym, so that’s really, really cool,” says Bonner.

She credited Cali for giving her “superpowers” before the record-setting game against Las Vegas. And if you look really closely during breaks, timeouts and subs when the girls are at Mohegan Sun, you can see Bonner giving a thumbs up to the crowd behind the Connecticut bench. While it may appear like she’s just showing love to the fans, she’s really checking on her kids to ensure they are OK. It reaffirms the cliché that a mother’s job is never done, even when she’s playing in the WNBA.

Yet, after five years, Bonner’s soft spot is still the challenge of having to leave them behind on travel days. The two-time champion still gets emotional having to say goodbye. “It’s always hard leaving them, especially when I have to go overseas or on long road trips,” she says. “Most recently, I had to take them to Texas because we were about to go on this long west coast trip. Of course, they cried because they didn’t want me to leave, and that makes me all sad. But at the same time, they are getting older now and starting to understand mommy is going to play basketball and will be back. When they realize that, then they’re OK.”

Bonner would be the first to say, “I’m old.”

At 35, she realizes there are more years behind her than in front. Her desire to win has not subsided, and with White now at the helm for the Sun, Bonner is feeling good about her ability to continue to play at a high level in the team’s new offense.

“I’m still having fun and really enjoying this team,” she says. “I never thought that this far along in my career, there would still be things to learn, but there are. I’m learning something new every day and still finding my role with this team.”

Coming into the 2023 season, after losing stars Jonquel Jones and Jasmine Thomas to free agency, as well as former Coach of Year Curt Miller, this Sun team went from being regarded as Finals contenders to “they’ll probably be a first round playoff exit.” But the women who comprise this team share a sisterhood that allows them to thrive. They never gave up on each other and started this season as one of the hottest teams in the League. Like her teammates, Bonner puts no stock in the talk…or lack thereof.

“It doesn’t bother me. I know how good we are,” she says. “I get to play with players like Alyssa [Thomas], who’s so good. It’s funny, I said to her the other day, Dang, I don’t think I even realized how good you were before we started playing together.”

Bonner is in the top two in many all-time categories for the Mercury and leads the franchise in total rebounds. She just recently passed Lisa Leslie on the WNBA’s scoring list and is just points aways from sitting in the top 10 all-time. The future Hall of Famer has admitted that she’s thought about what retirement might look like. That being said, she’s still very much locked in to being present on the court and helping Connecticut win its first title.

“When I retire, that’s when I’ll pat myself on the back and say, OK, you did some things. But right now, I’m still having fun and I’m just going to enjoy this moment,” she says. “As long as I’m still having fun, I’ll still play.”

Photos Via Getty Images.

The post DeWanna Bonner Has Solidified Her Legacy as One of the Most Dominant Players in the WNBA—And She’s Ready for More appeared first on SLAM.

Satou Sabally knew. 

Even before this season officially began, the 25-year-old Dallas Wings forward knew. She could feel it. She had worked for it.

In fact, shortly after new head coach Latricia Trammell arrived, Sabally shared it with her.

“I remember when I first was hired and was talking to her, she said, This is my year,” Trammell recalled. “And she’s kept that same mindset. She’s a determined young lady. She’s a competitor. I’m so very proud of her. “She’s taken the excuse away from everyone else not to join that bandwagon.”

By the way, the line for that bandwagon forms to the right and is already several miles long. And with good reason. 

Sabally, the Wings No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, is finally fully healthy and enjoying her best season in the League. So far, the “Unicorn,” named so due to her unique playing skills and versatility, became the first player in Wings/Shock franchise history and the eighth in WNBA history to record seven straight double-doubles in a single season.

“I’m just focusing on being dominant, and this is a way to be dominant. It’s a way to show that I’m more than just an offensive player and the other things that come with it,” Sabally says. “Just continuously wanting to be better. Obviously I am a scorer and I’m also a defender this year which has been nice, and I feel it has given me some type of control of the game without having to rely on if my shot falls or not. So that has been really good.”

Sabally leads the League in rebounds per at 11 and is fourth in the League and second on the team in scoring at 20.9 ppg. She also ranks second on the team in steals (1.5 per).

In June, she earned her first career WNBA Player of the Week honor after leading the Wings to two wins over the course of three games, averaging 19.3 points and a League-leading 12.3 rebounds. And she was named an All-Star for the second time—but this time as a starter.

At 6-4, she’s an imposing figure with the look and feel of a center. She impacts the game the moment she steps on the court—scoring, defending multiple positions, passing, rebounding and shooting threes. Teams double-team her instantly and often resort to physicality to try and stop her. But never fear—she returns it decidedly, as a recent game against the Phoenix Mercury shows, when Sabally ended up with a bloody face and still continued to play.

But there’s no pity party here. Sabally’s on top of the world right now, playing the game she adores, on a team with teammates she loves. She’s controlling the game, controlling the pace, helping the team win and—most importantly—she’s healthy and having fun.

“Staying healthy is something you can control to some extent. I haven’t been able to control some things in the past, but I’m healthy now. I’m in a good spiritual mindset as well,” she says. “I am just having fun and not letting myself get into a state of ever not believing in myself. I just completed a chapter that has been really hard, but I learned from it and I’m moving on.” 

It was a chapter that included battling back from multiple injuries that threatened to derail her young WNBA career and left her in a dark emotional state, taking the joy out of her passion.

“After last year, it was really, really hard for me emotionally. I didn’t want to touch a basketball. I associated basketball with pain,” Sabally says. “It was a really sad thing, and I promised myself to never have to go through that again. 

“Athletes learn to play through pain, but I pushed that line and I didn’t see joy in basketball anymore. But I think it was good—it was a moment for me to realize that this is where I never want to be again, and I will always protect my body. I do know this is my destiny and my purpose, and I knew the whole time I just needed a short break and [I’d] be back.”

So she set about getting her body back in shape through strength training, rehab and practice. And as she’s done the past couple of years, Sabally also played overseas, viewing it as a “training camp” for the WNBA season.

“I do think that that experience, especially this year going from January to April, is important. I was on a mission,” she says. “I wanted to win the EuroLeague and I wanted to enter the WNBA season in my prime form, and that is what I worked toward.”

She was successful in both. Her Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding squad won EuroLeague and the Turkish League championship this year, and her WNBA season is speaking for itself. 

“I just tried to get my body to where I could step onto a basketball court and feel good. I started shooting, and I had joy because I didn’t have to think about everything,” she says. “I just gave my body time, and that’s the hardest thing to do as an athlete, but you have to.” 

Sabally, who often arrives to practice up to four hours early, is also adhering to a structured daily schedule that includes lifting weights, doing yoga and pilates, and rehabbing. 

As passionate as she is about basketball on the court, Sabally is just as passionate off the court, where she serves as vice president of the WNBPA. “I feel that this is a way to protect players’ rights and ensure we are well taken care of and still in a position to learn,” says Sabally, who previously served on the union’s Social Justice Committee. 

She adds that she’s looking forward to having a seat at the table during the next CBA negotiations and focusing on “ensuring charters for everyone, just protection of players, player comfort” and the W’s policy on prioritization, which affects players who compete overseas and report to training camps late. 

To relax, Sabally sits on her couch, puts up her feet and reads. “I love to read, I am actually reading The Covenant of Water from Oprah’s Book Club. I love Oprah and want to meet her one day.”

She also supports her younger sister Nyara, who was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft and plays for the New York Liberty. Satou considers her greatest achievement being able to play against Nyara when the Wings recently faced the Liberty. They both went to Oregon but never played together due to injuries. The sisters hope to get a chance to play together in the future on the German national team.

Until then, it’s clearly Satou Season in the W. The signs are everywhere. There’s the looming, no-brainer, second All-Star nod; the imposing physicality on the court; the improved defense; the growing chatter around the League that she could be a candidate for both MVP and the Most Improved Player awards; the large smile displaying the faint outline of dimples, and the stylish pre-game outfits. It’s all adding up. 

She was named Finals MVP in the EuroLeague, and she’s looking to do the same in the WNBA.

“Yes, of course,” she says, when asked if an MVP is in her future. “If I don’t get an MVP, I want an MIP. I think that I can be [MVP] one day, and I am definitely working to that point.”

Meanwhile, she is focused on building her legacy (“global greatness,” she calls it), putting together wins with her teammates and staying in her happy zone. 

“I am happiest when I can play basketball and I’m in my zone. When I don’t think about anything else but basketball, I can just flow and be free on the court,” she says. “It’s when I can enjoy my teammates’ success…I’m just really happy how we’re evolving as a team. It’s been so much fun playing, and I really want to get out there and play 100 percent every day. I’ve been really enjoying playing here.”

Sabally—who says the unicorn nickname has been around since her college days—is much more than that now. She’s a unicorn in beast mode. She laughs at that analogy and explains why she’ll always be a unicorn. 

“It’s like a magical creature. I think so many people see a beautiful thing when they see a unicorn, and that is what I want people to feel like when they see me play basketball,” she says. “That is just like, wow, something they haven’t seen before, and I want to give them that.

“I love the unicorn analogy because they are just so pretty; sometimes it has a soft side to it and people do think I’m soft a little bit, then they see me play and it’s surprising.”

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Dallas Wings Satou Sabally Opens Up About Overcoming Injuries and Finding Her Joy Again appeared first on SLAM.

Then there’s the obvious: he’s into the moment and what we have in store for him at the shoot. A duffle bag full of mystery items to film an episode of “Bag Talk,” an oversized Pacers throwback jersey with a pair of Timberlands and more. Inside the gym, music is blasting through the speakers—it’s a mix of old school Drake and Disney Channel throwbacks like High School Musical (Tyrese, a huge HSM fan, can sing every word). His longtime girlfriend, Jade, and agency rep are here with us, too, and encourage him to just be himself while the camera snaps away.

Once he sits down to talk about his All-Star performance this season, that smile appears again. Actually, it’s more of a smirk now. Maybe he knows something that we don’t?

A few days from now, the news will drop that Haliburton is signing a five-year max extension worth $260 million, making him the face of the franchise.

“I’ve battled and clawed and fought my way to get to where I’m at,” he says. “Now criticism and all that stuff means nothing to me because when I was a kid, nobody would have cared enough to even give me criticism. So the fact that I get it now is pretty cool. I just love proving people wrong. I don’t know, I love negativity. I love seeing negativity on Twitter. I love hearing people say negative comments about my game. It always interests me. It could be somebody with, like, no followers, I just want to prove them wrong.”

SLAM 245 featuring the Indiana Pacers All-Star is out now. Shop here.

This is the same Tyrese Haliburton who was a three-star prospect in high school and, in his words, was expected to redshirt as a freshman at Iowa State. He went from there to becoming a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. After a mid-season trade last year sent him from Sacramento to Indiana, he’s now an All-Star and was the team’s leading scorer this past season.

While other people might not have seen the vision, Haliburton has always been in his own lane. It stems from his childhood. In elementary school, his guidance counselors would tell him to pick a career path that seemed more “realistic” when he would mention that he wanted to be in the NBA. For the sake of moving things forward, Haliburton would pick something else, but really, he was always thinking a step ahead about how to make it to the League. There’s even a video of a young Tyrese on the internet, rapping to Drake’s “The Motto.” In it, he sings, “How ya feel, how ya feel? 25, sitting on 25 mill.” Even little Tyrese knew what was up.

And like the flow Drake and Weezy carry in that song, Haliburton’s rise happened pretty quickly. In college, he thought he’d have a “good four-year career” at Iowa State but ended playing two seasons. There’s always been doubters, too, even when it comes to his shot-making ability, which he says has been critiqued since he was young. “It’s always just kind of been that way, but I’m just gonna be who I am at the end of the day. It’s helped me get here, so I must be doing something right.”

Now, in the city of Indianapolis, home to the Indy 500, Haliburton is bringing that same energy and speed to the Pacers’ offense. That’s just how he was taught to play the game—pushing the tempo, getting up and down at a rapid rate. “I feel like it’s contagious as well—good energy, and pace and all that stuff,” he says. “When we’re playing fast-paced like we do, I think everybody just falls in line.”

While the team showed flashes of promise this season, collectively and individually—Haliburton averaged 20.7 points and 10.4 points (both career highs), and big man Myles Turner hit new career marks with 18 points and 7.5 boards—there’s still room for improvement. Winning is Haliburton’s main priority right now.

“I haven’t had a winning season in, like, four years dating back to college, so that’s just where I want to get to,” he says, later adding: “There’s obviously a lot more for me to accomplish personally, but I want to win. I want to be playing on the biggest stage, and that’s the playoffs.”

Haliburton doesn’t hesitate to keep it real about how last season went. The Pacers finished with a 35-47 record, ranked 11th in the East, and he found it “frustrating” to have to deal with injuries knowing that his team needed him.

“I felt like if I’m healthy, the situation for us changes a little bit last year,” he says. “But you can’t control everything. You can only put so much energy into what you can’t control. I think the best advice I’ve ever received is just control what you can.”

He’s constantly thinking about what’s next, too, and what he can do better individually and as a leader on the team. “I’m obviously already thinking [about] next year,” he says. “Like, what do I have to do for us to get to where we want to be?”

This summer is all about getting stronger so that he can protect himself from injuries and be able to last throughout the season. He’s been lifting 4-5 times a week and sharpening his skills on the court with Hanlen, who noticed a major shift in his mindset over the years. “I would say mentality, just being more aggressive and more confident, and feeling like he is that guy that can lead a franchise.”

Then there’s his approach to the game. Hanlen first got connected to Haliburton, who was playing on the Kings at the time, through his agent, Dave Spahn. Back in January of 2022, the team was set to play Philadelphia, and Hanlen happened to be already be in town to work with Sixers’ superstar Joel Embiid when he agreed to meet Haliburton for dinner the night before at Del Friscos. The conversation quickly turned into Hanlen “pressing” his potential client on what he wanted to achieve. He’d ask him, How many times are you going to be an All-Star? How many times will you make All-NBA First Team?

“I’m just giving [Haliburton] a bunch of these gut-punching questions,” Hanlen recalls now. “Then I said, you know what? The biggest thing is you’re not gonna be able to do any of this stuff if you keep attempting—I think he was attempting like 11 shots a game at the time or something like that. I was like, it’s just not possible. The math ain’t math-ing.”

Then Hanlen offered Haliburton a challenge: “You wore number 14 in high school, so that’s the number. If you wanna work with me this summer, you have to shoot 14 field goal attempts tomorrow night against the Sixers. Otherwise, I’m not working with you.”

The next night, on January 29, Haliburton went out and scored a career-high 38 points on 11-19 field goal attempts. Not only had he accepted Hanlen’s challenge, but he had dominated. The two have worked together ever since and talk after every game. From Hanlen’s perspective, Haliburton has grown in every aspect of the word: from improving his footwork to his shot creation and being a more “dynamic scorer.” Last summer, Haliburton gained 12 pounds, he says, and has become stronger and able to play through more contact. But in terms of Haliburton’s unconventional playing style, Hanlen also just lets him rock.

“You don’t break things that aren’t broken,” he says, later adding: “We always try to just strengthen his strengths and we try to attack his weaknesses. There’s nothing that can hold him back from reaching the heights that we think he can get to [and] there’s no reason to take away the uniqueness and the creativity that allows him to be unconventional, but also so dynamic as a player.”

The 23-year-old doesn’t take himself too seriously, either. Basketball, he says, is a “child’s game,” and brings him back to memories of having a ball in his crib and playing video games. That’s the joy behind Haliburton’s ever-apparent smile when he’s out there on the hardwood. “When I’m playing basketball, it’s just fun,” he says. “It’s like I’m a kid again, you know? And that’s what I love about it. This isn’t a job for me. This is a passion of mine and something I really love to do.”

Playing against All-Stars like Darius Garland, who was drafted a year before him in 2019, is his idea of fun. “We’re good friends,” he says. “I think that’s important. We just really enjoy competing against each other. I see that being a thing for both of us moving forward.”

He’s also a fan of the WNBA and tunes in to as many games as he can, including a recent match-up between the Las Vegas Aces and the Indiana Fever. Haliburton, who live-tweeted his reaction to Chelsea Gray’s elite behind-the-back pass, was taking notes, too. “I wouldn’t even think to try something like that. I mean, maybe I would in the moment, but just on TV it looked crazy. I couldn’t believe that she did that.”

“I’m trying everything [she did],” he admits later. “CC [Gray] in the caption.”

It’s that energy that’s got Pacers fans excited. Even Indiana’s own Caitlin Cooper, who runs the Basketball, She Wrote blog on Patreon and once wrote about the team for Indy Cornrows, has noticed it around the city. The team had its first two sell-out games since February 8, 2020, according to the Indy Star. “I can tell you that you’re starting to sense a shift,” says Cooper. “I’ve talked to people who would have never talked to me about the Pacers before and they’re like, I gotta get on the ground floor of this. They’re building something special and that Tyrese Haliburton is a really entertaining guy to watch.”

The way Haliburton has shown love to Indiana is a sign of a promising future ahead. He’s invested in the city, hosting youth basketball camps and even going as far as to promote Cooper’s work and wear her t-shirt, “JUMP PASSES ARE GOOD NOW,” in the tunnel this year.

“I think that the best thing about Tyrese Haliburton—having him as your franchise player—was just, from the Pacers’ perspective, they’ve talked about the fact that there are murals painted on buildings of Reggie Miller and that they think that Tyrese can get to that level at some point,” says Cooper. “And the way that he’s embraced the city and what he means as a franchise star, you can believe that [they’re] going to get there.”

According to Hanlen, even his other clients have noticed that something is brewing in Indiana, with Tyrese at the forefront of it. “I work with a lot of other NBA players. Anytime somebody signs with the Pacers, the first thing that all my clients say is, Oh, Ty’s gonna get ’em paid. Ty’s gonna get ’em paid. He’s gonna make ’em look so much better than that player really is just because Ty makes the game so much easier for everybody around him. When you ask, what is his ceiling? I mean, he’s a guy that I think will be one of, if not the best point guards for the next, next decade and a guy that I think can be a floor general for a championship caliber team.”

Spahn, says they set goals before every season—last year, it was for Haliburton to average 20 and 10 and be an All-Star, which he did. Going into next season, they’re ready for him to amp it up and be All-NBA. “I don’t think there is a limit right now, I think he’s gonna be the best point guard in the League one day,” Spahn says. “And I think he’s gonna be the best point guard in the League for a long time. I think he’s that level of player and person.”

What’s most important is that Haliburton sees it within himself, too. While the accolades and accomplishments continue to pile up—the week after our shoot, it was announced that he’ll join the 2023 USA men’s national team for the FIBA World Cup this summer—Haliburton knows that in order to get the Pacers where they want to be, they’re going to have to work for it. Proving people wrong ain’t nothing new for him, but right now, Pacers fans are expecting bigger and better things. He’s on a mission to prove ’em right.

“I always say, There’s no secret to success. All the most successful people in the world, they just usually work harder than everybody else,” Haliburton says. “I just want to be the best that I can and squeeze every bit of God given ability that I have [out]. Squeeze it all out before I’m done playing.”

SLAM 245 GOLD MEDAL EDITIONS + COVER TEES OUT NOW!

The post Inside the Rise of Tyrese Haliburton and His Mission to Lead the Pacers Back on Track appeared first on SLAM.

And yet, home is where it all began. She’d play against men at local tournaments, and even after moving to New England to attend Worcester Academy, would find time to return whenever she could. Most importantly, Boston continued to represent the U.S. Virgin Islands and prove that the best of the best can come from St. Thomas.

“That’s where I started off from, on the island where nobody knew me, having to travel away for camps and having to relocate from my parents and my grandparents to living with my aunt when I was 12,” Boston told Deyscha Smith back in 2019. “Even though it’s a small island, there’s so much talent there and for me to give back to them when I have an influence, that resembles what I want to do.” 

On July 18, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism announced a multi-year partnership with the Indiana Fever breakout star, who will now serve as the official tourism ambassador for the U.S. territory, which includes the islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.

Boston will promote destination through local and national campaigns.

“The U.S. Virgin Islands mean so much to me and my family and I couldn’t be happier to be an official ambassador for my hometown,” Boston said. “I’m very proud of where I’m from and it’s really special to be able to partner with the tourism board so that we can let the world know that the islands are gorgeous, with beautiful and kind people, and filled with a cultural richness that make them a destination for everyone.”

The SLAM 237-co cover star just became the first rookie to be selected to start in the WNBA All-Star game since 2014. Now she can add tourism ambassador to her ever-growing list of accomplishments.

Featured Image via Getty Images.

The post Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston Will Now Serve as an Ambassador of the US Virgin Islands appeared first on SLAM.

Now, through his determination and an unyielding love for the game, Brickley’s become one of the most sought-after fitness trainers working with NBA superstars across the League, including Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Carmelo Anthony, Paolo Banchero, Cole Anthony and more.

Over the years, Brickley’s Black Ops Basketball, an elite training destination has become the go-to spot for your favorite NBA players to train and compete. Located in Midtown Manhattan, the facility trains athletes at every level, including high school, college and the pros.

Amidst all the accolades and recognition, Brickley is just as focused on supporting and empowering his community through basketball. He recently helped renovate the same basketball court where he got his start, Wolfe Park, in his hometown of Manchester, NH.

“I spent countless hours training on this court to develop the skills that I now share with athletes and fans,” Brickley says. “My hope is that this space can now become a home to others determined to reach their goals both on and off the court.”

Located at Wolfe Park Harvell Road, Manchester, NH, the new courts were unveiled on July 15, which is also now proclaimed as Chris Brickley Day by the city’s mayor, Joyce Craig. It features a two-court setup with the words “Brickley Believes the World is Yours” on each of the two courts and “Chris Brickley Court” at the center circle.

In addition to the proclamation of Chris Brickley Day, the event also featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a basketball clinic for attendees.

As he continues to cement his legacy as one of the most distinguished trainers in the game, his impact goes well beyond the hardwood. With a court named after him, Brickley is empowering the next generation of future hoopers, trainers and entrepreneurs, all while setting the example that they, too, can ascend to the same heights he’s reached and beyond.

The post Chris Brickley’s is Empowering the Next Generation of Hoopers with Renovated Court in Manchester, NH appeared first on SLAM.

Chamique Holdsclaw was wrapping up her junior season with the Lady Vols, leading the team to their third consecutive championship and first ever undefeated season (39-0). This was just the beginning: she went onto finish her collegiate career as the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at Tennessee and is one of just five women’s collegiate players to ever amass more than 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists and 300 steals.

Following Chamique’s illustrious career, she entered the professional stage with high expectations. And then it happened. She was selected No.1 in the 1999 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics and by the spring of ’98, she became the first women ever to grace the cover of SLAM.

The SLAM 29 cover story, which you can read in the SLAM Digital Archive, went a little something like this…

So, when the boys would run, Holdsclaw would watch. When they would leave, Holdsclaw would play one-on-one with her new best friend, and before long, the other guys saw that a girl actually had game.

Holdslaw is also playing ball at 1 a.m., just because the lights are on at the court near her house in Astoria, Queens. And just because she know that running with the locals won’t be too cool this time next year, once the contract has been signed and the shoe deal is done.

The future and its opportunities are mind-boggling. The fat contract and the shoe deal are the easy parts. Her talent, success and grace make her a perfect candidate for the same kind of high-profile endorsements Jordan secured when he entered the League.

Defying expectations and shattering glass ceilings is something Chamique has done throughout her career from stunning the boys at the street courts in Astoria, Queens where she grew up to being named to the US Olympic team in just her second season in the League and helping her team grab gold. Appearing on the cover of SLAM 29 marked a shift in not just the recognition but the acceptance of women’s basketball into mainstream culture. It represented a collective triumph for women’s sports by placing emphasis on the dedication, determination, and immense talent of female athletes—proving that they, too, are deserving of the same appreciation.

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The cover served as a catalyst for important discourse surrounding equity in sports and shed light on the value that comes with embracing diverse narratives. Today, Chamique continues to be a beacon of hope and a testament to the transformative power of representation in the game.

You can read this story and more in the SLAM Digital Archive, which has every copy of SLAM, ever.

The post WSLAM Archive: Looking Back at SLAM 29 and How Chamique Holdsclaw Redefined the Game appeared first on SLAM.

It’s a simple but important designation that has become a rallying cry of sorts for fans who’ve waited nearly half a century to be taken seriously on the game’s biggest stage. Because despite the lazy misnomer that Denver is some barren mountain town only capable of football obsession, hoops culture in this part of the country has been thriving. And now, for the very first time, that basketball city is home to the best basketball team in the world.

It has taken exactly 47 years, 29 trips to the playoffs and one exceptionally talented man from Serbia to fully exorcise the NBA demons that have haunted this land for decades. That’s not even taking into consideration the extra nine campaigns that Denver spent in the ABA prior, each also ending in postseason heartbreak. But that was then.

This is now; a now where the Denver Nuggets really are world champions and a fan base can finally break free from playoff purgatory. It’s a beautiful outcome for a dream that has been brewing for years, with a team culture all their own. Equipped with a starting unit all age 30 or under and all returning next season, it might actually be the beginning of a whole new future for both the franchise and city, too.

Having grown up in Denver myself, it’s also something I’ve thought about for well over two decades. What if they actually won it?

So, as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope snatched that final rebound in the waning moments of Game 5 against Miami, and confetti rained down from the Ball Arena heavens above, it made me reflect on the road the Nuggets took to get there. On how far the city has come in reclaiming its passion for the sport. And on how powerful the connection to both a team and a hometown can be for so many.

Let’s take it back. I didn’t inherit this path—I chose it. As the son of a Midwestern salesman and realtor, my family moved around a lot before settling down in the surprisingly vast metropolitan sprawl of Denver, CO. After living in basketball-obsessed cities like Chicago and Dayton, OH, I touched down in Denver in 1998. The Nuggets had won just 11 games all season and couldn’t fill their arena. It wasn’t exactly electric, but it was the beginning. The Nuggets have held a piece of my heart since, but it took a minute to capture everyone else’s.

The thing about Denver is that despite its mid-market classification, it’s still a city with teams in all four major professional sports—three of which have been crowned champions since 2015. If we’re talking about the last decade, the Mile High City has as good a case as any for the distinction of Title Town. So, fighting for relevancy and attention doesn’t always come easy, even locally.

One thing that is sure to bind the masses, though, is an underdog. And what’s great about an underdog story is that it can assume many forms. It can be about a city that feels overlooked and miscast as some small David out west. It can be about a franchise that was close to glory before, but never able to summit the mountain until now.

It can be about Jamal Murray, a flamethrower from Kitchener, Ontario, returning stronger after a devastating knee injury to light up the 2023 Playoffs. Or Nikola Jokic, a back-to-back MVP from Sombor, Serbia, who has defied both logic and expectation at every turn since he was drafted 41st overall. Similar can be said about players up and down this roster, from Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr to Bruce Brown and rookie Christian Braun. Each carries a chip on their respective shoulders—both individually and together as one.

This town has always embraced that underdog mentality, and its basketball team has embodied that to its core.

Head coach Michael Malone knew that when he first came to Denver in 2015. So did the front office when it went to work rebuilding a team in that image.

Think what you want about his delivery methods, but there’s nothing vague about both Malone’s personality or the culture he’s worked to instill. He’s direct, often bluntly so, passionate and intensely steadfast about what the mission at hand is—driving home the narrative, round after round, that Denver was disrespected and overlooked. Whether you agree or not, that locker room believed it in its bones. Underdog fuel.

Hell, Malone popped off one of the greatest championship parade performances of all time at the podium, and I’m confident it was only partially due to the cinnamon whiskey coursing through his veins. Still, all that fire(ball) and fierceness only goes so far unless your players are buying into the message. Thankfully for Denver, if playing the role of challenger is the script bonding its players together, selflessness is the super glue keeping anything from falling apart.

“When we win a championship, it’s 17 players strong,” said Malone in front of an estimated 750,000 Nuggets faithful at the championship parade, screaming until his voice was gone. “It’s the coaching staff, it’s the front office, it’s the ownership, but more importantly, it’s all of you [the fans].”

He paused slightly before extending out the mission.

“Y’all wanna do it again? Let’s do this. Dynasty. Dynasty. Dynasty. I love y’all.”

You could almost feel him working through next season’s narrative in real time. Surely no one believes they can repeat again next year, right??? Underdog fuel.

These Nuggets have embraced the journey. They play for each other and often talk about how, to win for the next man, you’ve gotta sacrifice your own ego at the door. Every player, every coach, every fan. That’s the only way you can break a curse that’s lasted 47 years—and how you run through Minnesota, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Miami to do it. You’ve got to earn it.

I’ve never been to a championship parade before, so I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect.

I definitely didn’t expect that upwards of 750,000 people would come out to celebrate on a Thursday morning. But they did—littered in championship swag, Mile High jerseys and about a thousand shirts featuring Murray and Jokic photoshopped onto the Step Brothers movie poster.

It also became clear that not only had the city’s passion and mentality rubbed off on the team, but the fans had taken a page straight from the Nuggets handbook.

What’s immediately evident when you watch Denver play is that they all seem to genuinely like each other. In every interview and at every opportunity, each player on the team comes back to this central point: they root for the guy next to them. And granted, every fan who found themselves at the parade was there to celebrate a literal world championship, but for at least a few hours it did feel like everyone in the city genuinely liked each other, too. Not one of them can drop a 30-point triple-double in the Finals, so maybe that’s where the similarities end, but it was admittedly cool to see.

For a guy who has largely watched this current team blossom and grow from a thousand miles away in California, it was a bit surreal to see how many, and how much, other people truly cared.

It meant something to these fans, and it means something to this city. That something is different for everyone, including Jokic, who also provided the most notable on-stage appearance of parade day.

When it was finally his turn at the microphone, he stood there for a minute and waited, smiling and taking in the overwhelming chants of “M-V-P” below, with his entire team hyping up the crowd from behind. That moment of crowd swell felt like an avalanche of joy and relief. Like a great communal weight had finally been lifted.

Being a fan of anything is a journey, and it can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. A connection to home, a love for the game, a family bond, a piece of a community. For 47 years, this community has seen the ups and downs of where that journey can take you. From the lottery to the bubble to the Finals. The painful lows only made the epic ascent mean that much more.  You’ve got to earn it.

Yet, and rightfully so, none of that seemed to matter much as Joker finally quieted the crowd back down to reality. In the end, maybe we don’t need to overcomplicate it, but rather just enjoy the view. Especially when you’re looking at it from an all-new elevation.

“I f—ing want to stay on parade,” said Joker smiling to the crowd. “This is amazing. We are all going to remember this our whole lives.

“We love you Denver, this one is for you.”

Amen, brother. It’s finally a parade inside my basketball city, yeah.

SLAM 245 featuring Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets is available now.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The Denver Nuggets’ Rise to Becoming NBA Champions Marks a New Beginning for the City appeared first on SLAM.

Our brand new issue, WSLAM 3, encompasses all of that greatness and more. There are stories about the rising stars and vets dominating in the W, the stylists elevating the fashion game, a high school standout who has both next and now, plus some mandatory reading on a historic squad and a group of women who paved the way.

If WSLAM 1 was the foundation, and WSLAM 2 was empowering, then WSLAM 3 is all about holding the torch for the next generation.

SHOP NOW

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With so much talent, how exactly does a team full of stars work so well together? 

In our WSLAM 3 cover story, we caught up with the squad that brought the first-ever title to Vegas: A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young.

Here, the WNBA superstars open up about their journey to building a powerhouse franchise and how their dynamic on and off the court fuels their success.

READ THE COVER STORY

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A NEW ERA OF WSLAM

Just four years ago, WSLAM was a dream turned into a reality, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Camille Buxeda. Camille’s passion inspires us. Pushes us. We know there’s a legacy to uphold, but if there was someone who championed women, especially the two of us, it was her.

New can feel different, but it’s also exciting. In celebration of the release of WSLAM 3, we linked up with a few notable figures around the game to get a first-look at the cover.

Dawn Staley:

Patrick Beverly:

Cassy Athena:

MORE FROM WSLAM:

The post New Era: Las Vegas Aces Cover WSLAM 3 appeared first on SLAM.

Hot girl sh*t, never let ’em cool off…

To put it plainly, the Aces’ state-of-the-art practice facility is fuego. Located right next door to the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders headquarters, it’s a 64,000-square-foot facility equipped with everything an athlete could ever dream of. A pair of double doors leads you to their two practice courts, which are so shiny and new that you can see your own reflection in them (according to Front Office Sports, this area can seat more than 400 people). There’s a player’s lounge, a film room, an infrared sauna, a cryotherapy room and more. It’s hard to not just stop and stare at it all, especially knowing that most teams in the WNBA don’t have a facility like this (yet?). But then again, Vegas isn’t like anywhere else. 

And the Aces aren’t just any team.

WSLAM 3 featuring A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young is out now.

In a city full of flashing lights and high rollers, they’re the squad shining the brightest right now, with the best record in the WNBA (13-1) as we go to press. The night before our shoot, they had Michelob ULTRA Arena, also known as “The House,” rockin’ with a 31-point blowout win over the Minnesota Lynx. Afterward, a crowd of fans waited eagerly in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino lobby, holding posters and jerseys and hoping to take flicks with the reigning champs. Drive down The Strip and you’ll see that the Aces are modern-day rockstars. A poster of the starting five, including Candace Parker, hangs outside the arena. Nearby at the Aria Resort, there’s an entire Aces-themed cake and “sugar masterpiece” on display at the Patisserie, with a sign next to it that lists fun facts about the team, including: The Aces lineup boasts five US Olympic gold medalists in A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Candace Parker. 

“Everyone talks about the entertainment side, but you just knew that the sports side was brewing, and to be a part of it is truly amazing,” says Wilson. “It takes a village to build and grow anything, but when it comes to a sports team, I think Vegas really took us in. Vegas is my second home; I’m not afraid to say that I love it here.”

Vegas is now a certified sports town and has its WNBA franchise to thank for bringing the city its first-ever major professional sports title just last year. Now the other pro teams are catching up—the Golden Knights just won the NHL Stanley Cup last month, while NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has hinted at an NBA team possibly coming to Sin City, saying that Vegas “will make a great location for a franchise one day.”

Still, there seems to be some confusion about just how impactful the Aces are. When they started the 2023 season with a seven-game winning streak, the internet compared them to the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors. After the Knights won the Stanley Cup, President Joe Biden congratulated them on Twitter, calling the hockey team the “first major professional franchise in such a proud American city.”

Rather than diminish the Knights’ performance, let’s look at what the girlies have been doing for quite some time now. Plum, who was drafted No. 1 overall in 2017, has been a key piece of the franchise since it was located in San Antonio. She emerged from an Achilles injury in 2020 to become the 2021 Sixth Woman of the Year and is now an All-Star and All-Star Game MVP. Wilson was drafted No. 1 just a year after KP and has gone on to win Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, two MVPs the 2022 FIBA World Cup MVP and has been named an All-Star four times. Oh, and she also has an entire statue dedicated to her at South Carolina, where she won a national championship in 2017. 

Then there’s Gray, who was drafted in the first round back in 2014 by the Sun and is a four-time All-Star. She won a championship with the Sparks (alongside Parker) in 2016. After signing with the Aces as a free agent in 2021, CG got herself another chip last season and won Finals MVP. And then there’s Young, yet another former No. 1 pick, who won the Most Improved Player award and was named an All-Star last year. Add in the fact that one of the greatest players of all time, Candace Parker, signed with the team this past February, and the squad has reached a whole different level this year. They’re beating opponents by 20, 30 and, as we saw early on in the season against the Storm, sometimes by 40 points. Our four cover stars are all averaging double-figure points per game. 

With so much talent, how exactly does a team full of stars work so well together? Look no further than the set of our cover shoot. There’s a confidence to Wilson, Plum, Gray and Young that’s undeniable—the way they’re able to command a room and own the moment. As they pose for the camera, the four All-Stars collectively decide that they want to try a new formation, something no one else has done before on the cover of SLAM, let alone the past two WSLAM issues. In between takes, their chemistry is apparent, even if they might think no one is noticing. They help fix each other’s hair, they have a lot of inside jokes and seem to always be laughing and chatting about something. At one point, Gray starts vlogging and recording on Young’s phone; later, Plum jokingly interrupts Wilson’s interview about the Divine Nine.

First impressions are everything, though, and if they’re being honest, it wasn’t all laughs in the beginning for Wilson and Plum. Back when they were both playing on the USA Basketball U18 team, the two were roommates and didn’t exactly vibe. “We did not speak to each other at all,” Plum admits. “And it’s not because we [didn’t] like each other, but you know, it’s like a really awkward age. You’re just kinda like, Hi…” 

Flash forward to today, and their relationship has grown over the years into a “friendship and a bond,” Wilson says. They’ve watched each other grow from top recruits to stars in college to superstars at the pro level. “A and I, like, we just kind of been through it over the years,” Plum says. “There’s just a level of, like, what’s understood doesn’t need to be said, and I feel like that’s not just in basketball, but in life. And we relate on a lot of levels like that…I appreciate A’ja because I feel like she just remains true to who she is, regardless of the circumstances. And a lot of things are thrown her way—professionally, personally, things like that—but she just handles it with grace. And I just admire that.” 

There are moments when even those closest to you have to keep it a buck, and KP and A have been there, too. In Game 2 of the Finals last year, it was Wilson who told Plum to “get her shit together” amidst a rough shooting night. Real always recognizes real. 

“I’m gonna always push KP’s buttons, I don’t care how she’s feeling. I don’t care what’s going on, I want her to be the best,” Wilson says when asked about that game. “And if that means setting a bar so high that I know she probably can’t get to it, just like not missing a shot in a playoff game, I’m going to [hold] her to that standard. I want her to be that, even if I see her dipping down or feeling like she’s getting into her head, I’m gonna always be the first person to let her know, I’m not going for that shit. Like, Wake up. We’re in this together, and you’re not by yourself. You’re not alone.” 

Plum lets out a laugh and dishes it right back. “I mean, that’s nothing new. I be yelling at her, too! Y’all don’t hear it in the press conference, but it’s OK.” 

“KP always circles back,” Wilson adds. 

Plum, who was the second leading scorer in the League last season, has also figured out how to respond this year—even when opponents are trapping her on ball screens, she delivers with elite reads and assists to her open teammates. As their former competitor, Gray knows that firsthand. 

“Maaaaaaaan, it was just a lot of moving targets,” Gray says, when asked about the scouting report on the Aces. “You had to stay in front of Jack[ie]. KP was just, like, she’s a bullet down the court. A’ja can score in a bunch of different ways. If you have to just foul her, just foul her. I was just like, I just don’t want to switch. Let me have my matchup, let me just lock in on that. They just have so many weapons. They were really rebuilding, but at any given moment, they could just take off.” 

And they did. By 2020, the Aces finished with the best record in the League and made it all the way to the Finals. “I was just excited to join some great athletes. I’m here with people that are going to be in the Hall of Fame,” says Gray. “And I could confidently say that [about] everybody that I look to [on] my left or right, for sure.” 

The feeling is mutual when it comes to how they feel about Gray. “Being young in the League and having to guard somebody like [Gray], it was just tough every night,” says Young. “The only thing I could do was try to get up and pressure her. But, yeah, it didn’t really matter. It didn’t matter because, I mean, she’s gonna throw a behind-the-back pass, no-look pass.” 

Adds Plum: “Pretty much you don’t want to get caught on the wrong side of the highlight. I would just foul. Or when she turns her head, put your hands the other way.” 

Plum also spent most of the offseason with Young and saw firsthand how hard she works. While the guard out of Notre Dame might come off as being on the quieter side, her teammates admit that she’ll just be in her own world, for real—she stayed dedicated to putting in hours in the gym and conditioning. “People don’t realize the amount of time and work that she has put into her game, and I don’t think that she gets a lot of credit for that. People don’t really talk about that. I don’t know why,” says Plum. “Because there’s a reason that people hit her and bounce off.”

Young went from averaging just 6.6 points as a rookie to leading the team in scoring so far this year with 20.2 ppg (she’s also currently ranked sixth in the W). Gray used to call her “Silent Assassin,” and it makes sense why: she’s so lethal with the rock, whether that’s from three or beating defenders off the dribble. “She’s even talking and getting a little spicy a little bit more now,” Gray says. “She’s veering away from Silent Assassin, now she’s ‘30-point Nugget.’” New nickname alert. 

“We all had vital parts to the championship run last year, and then now where we are today…Jackie is a huge piece of that,” Wilson adds.

And then there’s Wilson, who has been an undeniable force on the Aces from the moment she arrived. Whereas most rookies need time to develop, She’s made an impact immediately by starting every game and averaging 20.7 points that season. Now in Year 6, Wilson is still bringing the heat to everything she does, all while ranking second in blocks this season with 2.2 per game. “A’ja [is a] whole bucket with personality on 10, but still hasn’t reached her potential either. I think I can say the same about all of them, like not reaching their ceiling,” Gray says. 

Individual talents aside, when asked what’s been the biggest factor in the team’s success—which includes leading the W in almost every major statistical category, from points to blocks to both field goal and three-point percentage—they each attribute it to something different. Ask Wilson and she’ll say it’s about accountability. Gray adds that they just don’t take things personally. KP feels like it’s two things, the first being that they each have that hunger within: “It just kind of permeates,” she says. “It’s just kind of like, Oh, Chelsea is on one today. I need to raise my level. You know what I mean? Or like Jackie—one day in practice, I’m like, Oh, you want to be Michael Jordan today?”

Then there’s how selfless they all are. “It’s really easy to have an ego,” Plum adds. “Because everyone is valid, like everyone could argue for why they should be able to get more, etc. And I just feel like people are just like, No, we want to win. And we understand that that little bit of sacrifice is probably the most important part to keeping this together.” 

As for Young, it’s also their “contagious” energy and the way everyone competes day in and day out. “I think that’s what makes us so great in general.”

If there’s one thing about the Aces that might surprise you, it’s their take on the whole narrative that they’re a superteam. “We were talking about it earlier, like people say superteam, super this, super that…I’ve never said that before,” says Plum.

“I feel like it’s more of the media and other people saying that, and [they’re] more worried about that than us,” adds Wilson. “Because our locker room, we ’gon keep it tight, we’re gonna be us [and] who we are every single time we step foot on that court. So when it comes to superteams and all this big rah rah rah, I don’t think we pay any attention to it, because at the end of the day, we have to perform at a high, high level, and we’re gonna do whatever it takes to do that.”

“We were picked fifth last year,” Plum also points out, to which Gray adds, “I don’t [remember] what it was, but it wasn’t top three.” 

Plum continues: “No one was saying superteam then, and we had the same exact roster, and we won. And then this year, you know, we add[ed] some pieces, but like…”

“Our core is still our core,” A’ja agrees.

Maybe that’s it, though. The sugar, the spice and everything that’s nice about the Aces is within them. All of them, from 2022 WNBA Coach of the Year Becky Hammon to every single person on the roster. There’s no secret formula to their success. 

“I think that’s also why people [are] always trying to figure out what’s going on in Vegas, because we just really have fun,” Wilson continues. “And it’s not for the cameras. It’s not—it’s just who we are. We make it fun because it’s our job, and we love what we do. But I think that’s a huge factor [for] people like, What’s going on over there? What y’all got going on? And it’s like, we have fun, but then on top of that, we win games. So it’s kind of like, what’s the secret sauce? We are.” 

Wilson’s words couldn’t describe the Aces’ momentum any better, especially as they look to capture another title and continue their reign as a dynasty in the making. Meanwhile, Vegas is hosting WNBA All-Star Weekend this year, and by the time you’re reading this, many of you will be there, holding this very magazine in your hands as the excitement and energy buzzes all around you.

After all, women’s basketball and the Las Vegas Aces are the greatest show on earth.

We’re tuned in, are you? 

Rise of a Dynasty. Exclusive WSLAM 3 Cover Tees are available now.

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson.

The post Aces Superstars A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young Open Up on How They’ve Built a Powerhouse in Vegas appeared first on SLAM.

Get your copy of our newest issue to see the criteria and view the whole list. Let the debates start rolling.

The post SLAM Presents TOP 100: The Greatest NBA Point Guards of All Time appeared first on SLAM.

 “Our aspiration is for players to feel comfortable and safe, so they can focus on getting in the “zone”, and enjoy the game more”, says Andy Blinds, CEO of Gamepatch.

As Gamepatch is specifically designed for basketball, the brand has collaborated with NBA player Kristaps Porzingis. All Gamepatch products are hand-crafted overseas in Porzingis’ home country of Latvia, Europe.

“It’s a great feeling to share my first impressions on new product designs from a player’s perspective, working together with Gamepatch to create quality products that help to protect players,” says Porzingis. “Basketball is getting more competitive every day,” he continues, “Players become faster, stronger and the game is getting more physical. For us, it means that we need to prepare our bodies to perform at a high level. Gamepatch has created unique products that can really help us at intense moments of the game and prevent injuries. I believe in the concept and I am proud to be the Brand Ambassador for such a great product.”

Almost every NBA player uses compression wear and a lot of players choose to wear padded gear to prevent injuries. As in any high contact game, players are constantly dealing with aches, sprains, bruises or the worse. On average 22 percent of all basketball players sustain an injury at least once a season. Every player wants to spend as little time as possible on the bench and be capable of playing harder, longer and feeling safe on the court. Gamepatch products are affordable for both amateurs and professionals.

Gamepatch’s product line was born with basketball, but its impact extends well beyond the hardwood to other sports including handball, football, volleyball and soccer. Featuring an innovative “Body Adjusting Technology,” its functionality seems like something out of the future: when worn, Gamepatch quickly reacts to your body temperature to create a softer, more custom fit that feels like a second skin. Through tests and scientific studies, Gamepatch’s team has found that their products can absorb hits 20 percent more effectively than similar products and vastly lowers the risk of injuries.

“There are a lot of athletes in different sports looking for better sportswear with improved functionality,” says Andy Blinds. “List of our users is expanding, more EuroLeague and NBA players appreciate the quality and protective properties of Gamepatch. We are convinced that we can help thousands of athletes across the world to stay safe, prevent injuries, and improve their confidence. This is the vision that drives Gamepatch.”

As the talent level overseas and in the States continues to grow, Gamepatch is ahead of the game in terms of injury prevention—that way, all you need to really focus on is going out there and dropping buckets.

Shop here: https://game-patch.com

The post Gamepatch is Committed to Player Body Protection, Backed by Celtics Newly Acquired Kristaps Porzingis appeared first on SLAM.

In the days before YouTube and any social media platform you’ve heard of, awareness of the Next Big Thing generally came in stages. The soon-to-be multi-platinum recording artist, the future Hall of Fame athlete and the arena-headlining comedic genius almost never got famous all at once; proximity, and connections, determined who knew about them when. Fame was a gradual thing, and very few people ever had a chance to be in the select group known as “first.”

Where basketball is concerned, this publication has generally been one of the exceptions. Strictly speaking, SLAM has never discovered anyone, but we built our rep in part on introducing the game’s brightest young stars to our readers before almost anyone outside their hometowns—including our national media peers—had heard of them. We built connections across the grassroots scene, we paid attention, and in a magazine created to celebrate today’s superstars, we always found space to tell you about tomorrow’s.

There’s a compelling case to be made for LeBron James as the last true superstar to emerge from that mostly analog era, a time when magazine covers, SportsCenter highlights and at least one semi-authorized biography (more on that in a minute) did the work of building the legend. He was already one of the biggest stories in sports when he stepped onto the NBA draft stage 20 years ago this summer. A lot of that had to do with the three SLAM features, two covers and a year’s worth of Basketball Diary entries he’d already been the subject of.

Shortly before he made his NBA debut that fall, not one but two LeBron biographies hit bookstore shelves. The first of them, by about three weeks, was mine. King James: Believe the Hype exists solely because of SLAM, specifically because of the access that then 16-year-old LeBron and his tightly kept circle granted the mag before what seemed like the entire world descended on Akron to feed on, and into, the aforementioned hype. To the extent that the book holds up, it’s as a snapshot of two surreal years in the basketball life of a guy who was destined to end up on the GOAT shortlist.

Of course, LeBron was neither the first nor the last to carry the Next Big Thing weight in our pages. Founded in 1994 with a distinctly NYC lean, it was only fitting that the first prep star we aligned with was Brooklyn’s own Stephon Marbury, perhaps the last truly iconic New York City-born-and-bred hoop star. The Coney Island point god was the first person to write our Basketball Diary; four years later, when Ray Allen played a high school star based heavily on Starbury in Spike Lee’s He Got Game, his character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, got his own on-screen SLAM cover (see pg. 60 for more on that—Ed.).

The flow of hype-generating, potentially generational talent has never stopped. On LeBron’s heels, and from Marbury’s own neighborhood and bloodline, came Sebastian Telfair, who memorably shared a cover with his friend from Akron and followed him as our Diary keeper. Then came OJ Mayo, a varsity star as a West Virginia eighth grader and thus the most obvious entry into the “who’s the next LeBron?” sweepstakes that nobody needed. Understand, Bassy and OJ were incredible high school players, and maybe under different circumstances would’ve had more substantial NBA careers. As it is, they helped confirm that LeBron—the dude who somehow not only met but surpassed the most ridiculous career expectations ever put on a 16-year-old basketball player—was the exception, not the rule.

In the years since, probably only Zion Williamson and the Ball brothers have come close
to LeBron levels of pre-NBA attention with the buzz created by their hyper-viral high school highlight clips (with LaMelo and Lonzo getting an assist from Pops, of course). The latest to contend for that ultrabright spotlight is Victor Wembanyama, a true unicorn with international appeal and a highlight reel perfectly suited to TikTok and Insta edits. If you’ve been paying attention, you know SLAM was up on these dudes early and often as well.

But as this magazine approaches its 30th birthday (!!!) and the subject of this story wraps up Year 20 in the League, there still hasn’t really been a saga quite like LeBron’s.

Sometime in 2002, when the national attention and increasingly prying coverage of LeBron James became truly disruptive, the administration at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School placed a sign in front of its entrance announcing that media was not allowed on campus. But a year or so earlier, when we pulled up to campus in the spring of 2001, we were greeted with a different sign: “WELCOME SLAM MAGAZINE.”

That first visit was a chance to meet the school’s AD and basketball coaches, LeBron’s teammates and the lanky 16-year-old himself. We hung in the lunchroom, watched an informal after-school practice run, then caught dinner with LeBron and his mom. The result was the first feature-length LeBron James profile to appear outside the 330 area code. In retrospect, it seems crazy that we didn’t put him on the cover, but trust that the mere thought of putting a largely unknown high school sophomore from Ohio’s fifth-largest city on our front page seemed, at the time, infinitely crazier. SLAM in 2001 was first and foremost a newsstand magazine, and only established stars moved newsstand units. (Honestly, our biggest regret might be that one of Atiba Jefferson’s iconic shots from that story didn’t grace the cover).

Still, we were already treating him as something different. He wrote our Basketball Diary in ’01-02, becoming the first non-senior to handle the gig; a year after that initial feature, with a game-changing Sports Illustrated cover and regular SportsCenter highlights under his belt, LeBron (alongside Sebastian Telfair) landed on our cover. A year after that, with his senior year over and his unprecedented high school career behind him, he got his first solo cover. Legendary hip-hop photographer Jonathan Mannion was behind the lens; LeBron wore a Mitchell & Ness Michael Jordan NBA All-Star jersey on his chest, an acknowledgement of the expectations he welcomed, and a custom SLAM headband on his forehead. The latter was his idea, nothing we asked for or expected, a generous nod to the publication that had sought him out and told his story before anyone else.

The book came out a few months later, and much of it expanded on reporting and interviews first published in the magazine. Part of that meant acknowledging the absurdity of dedicating so much ink—a sentiment shared by the many publishers who turned down the book proposal, apparently—to an 18-year-old high schooler. My pitch—that this dude had the potential to be one of the greatest of all time—had less to do with my own scouting prowess (ha) and much more to do with the opinions of people who actually knew. That started with his high school coaches, particularly Keith Dambrot, the once- and future-Division I college coach whose reputation helped bring LeBron and a handful of his AAU teammates to St. V in the first place.

Dambrot had run offseason skills sessions at the local Jewish Community Center attended by Bron and those teammates—aka the Fab Four, which expanded to a Fab Five by the time their high school run was over—so he knew he had a talented class. It didn’t take Dambrot long to realize that in LeBron, he had much more. When we first spoke in the spring of ’01, Dambrot never hesitated in acknowledging the validity of comparisons to the likes of Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. He wasn’t worried about setting up LeBron to fail against unrealistic expectations, because he saw every day how hard his best player worked, his off-the-charts basketball IQ and just how talented he was.

The rest of the world got its chance to see him as his junior and senior seasons played out. There was the legendary 2001 ABCD Camp showing shortly after his first SLAM feature—LeBron, a rising junior, outdueling top-ranked senior-to-be Lenny Cooke in a game that took on outsized significance in the trajectories of both players. Even then, LeBron was being touted (among people who didn’t read this magazine, anyway) as an “unknown” who was “discovered” at the camp. Hardly, but it was another step in the creation of a legend.

Two more steps came in showcase games against national prep power Oak Hill Academy. The first, played in Trenton, NJ, in February 2002, marked the first and only high school meeting between LeBron and Carmelo Anthony. Both players balled out, with Melo leading his stacked Oak Hill squad to the win. A year later in Cleveland, the rematch was televised by ESPN, with Bill Walton and Dick Vitale on the call. With Melo gone to Syracuse, Bron and the Irish rolled to a 20-point win.

Even the games that weren’t on ESPN were events: St. V played a national schedule during LeBron’s senior season, hooping in Philly, Los Angeles and a handful of spots in between. The team’s home games, meanwhile, were moved to the nearby University of Akron to accommodate fan interest, and a local cable company secured a deal to offer them on pay-per-view. The off-court “controversies” that came with such attention—investigations and a suspension for accepting a couple of throwback jerseys from a local store and getting an advance on a Hummer a few months before he was officially worth nine figures—were ridiculous at the time and, particularly in the NIL era, somehow look even dumber now.

And then his amateur days were over, the $90 mil check from Nike preceding the first of his many comma-heavy NBA contracts. My book came out that fall, and another…over two dozen SLAM covers have followed in the two decades since. We didn’t know how all this would turn out, of course, but being first, we could only stick around to see how it ended. Twenty years later, we’re as amazed as anyone that his story isn’t over—that somehow, there is still more to write. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the ’03 NBA Draft and the Arrival of LeBron James appeared first on SLAM.

However you want to perceive it, 2,006 days is a long time to do anything consistently. Some might even call it impossible, but not Kenji Summers. On December 25, 2017, Summers was challenged by a friend to meditate every day for a year; pretty soon, one year turned into two, two turned into three, and now Summers is completing his sixth year of the challenge. But Summers has always been up for a challenge—his most recent being a part of the SLAM Zen Collection, which is inspired by mindfulness and finding inner peace both on and off the court.

“I identify mindfulness as coming back to yourself and meditation as going into yourself,” Summers recently told SLAM.

Summers has been mentored by the legendary George Mumford, who has worked with everyone from the late-Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan on the practice of mediation. The Brooklyn-native and UMass Amherst alumni is also a former hooper, worked as a brand manager for Nike Basketball East and founded Passport Life, a non-profit organization committed to empowering youth to travel the world.

In SLAM’s Zen Collection campaign, Summers narrates the promotional video and talks about the essence of piece and how, as a player, it’s important to be fully present.

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We talked to Summers about his take on meditation, his personal journey and how every athlete can unlock their higher selves through this practice.

SLAM: How would you define meditation and mindfulness?

KENJI SUMMERS: Peace. I identify mindfulness as coming back to yourself and meditation as going into yourself. 

SLAM: Why do you meditate?

KS: I meditate to get to know myself better. When I started 2,006 days ago I was just trying to escape anxiety. My thoughts were moving non-stop and life felt overwhelming. I had lost my job and needed something to take the edge off that would not lead to other side effects. When I started my first meditation lasted for three minutes.

SLAM: You’ve spoken about learning from George Mumford, and how his work helped you on your path to mindfulness? Do you see mindfulness as an individual journey or one guided by mentorship?

KS: George Mumford is the GOAT you never heard of. He was the mindfulness coach to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. In 2015 he put out a book “The Mindful Athlete” and I read it front to back while working on ideas to celebrate Kobe’s last season in the League. George’s teaching has helped me see the masterpiece within and elevate my game to a level of pure performance. Today I don’t try to be anyone but myself. Mindfulness is an inner game and if you want to play the infinite game—which never ends and is all about continuing the play—then having a mentor is very important. We all have those favorite teachers or OG’s from our life, and for me, George is one of them. I would still be me without him but I am a better version of myself because of him. If you ever meet him you will know what I’m talking about. Straight Black Jedi, Yoda flow.

SLAM: What is the infinite game and who is the infinite player? 

KS: The infinite game is the boundless arena of life and the infinite player is the one who thrives, transcending limits and embracing the unpredictable play, ever-evolving and adapting. Live the infinite game, be the infinite player, and play as an infinite athlete.

SLAM: How is an individual’s mindfulness impacted by being on a team?

KS: Basketball is a team game. You have to know yourself and know your teammates. Mindfulness which I like to call Sturdiness is all about getting right with yourself so you can get in flow with your homies. Your teammates. Your coaches. I say your homies because mindfulness is not about hierarchies but recognizing roles and contributions. Meditation, which I like to call structure is about practicing on a deeper level. George would have MJ and Pippen and Kobe and Shaq meditate with their teams before games. No wonder such big personalities were able to get along and win chips during their time. My style is similar and while I focus one-on-one, my group sessions are about encouraging everyone to be their own masterpiece so that they can create a masterpiece with other masterpieces. Feel me?

SLAM: How did you incorporate mindfulness and meditation into your life when you were hooping in high school and considering furthering your career in basketball? 

KS: I didn’t. It took me ’till I had gotten to be dream job at Nike to start practicing. But when I look back I had glimpses of mindfulness and meditation when I was practicing Tae Kwon Do at the Vanderbilt YMCA while simultaneously playing in Junior Knicks. Hoops needs these practices more than ever. With superstars getting suspensions for mental lapses and poor decision making it is important to get to the root of the issue. It’s about stress. We do not want to admit that we have a stress epidemic. This stress epidemic connects to our attention epidemic. In “Stolen Focus” author Johann Hari emphasizes “In situations of low stress and safety, mind-wandering will be a gift, a pleasure, a creative force. In situations of high stress or danger, mind-wandering will be a torment.” We have to admit that we don’t feel safe in this world. Especially young hoopers. There is a level of psychological violence inflicted on them from the time they start showing promise and the cameras go on them. Instead of making them out to be villains or victims, we have to be OG’s and elders. That means we have to be sturdy and structured. What I am doing is putting these practices into easily learnable and digestible tools. It’s about physical fitness and skills along with mental fitness and mental skills. We need them all. 

SLAM: How can athletes integrate mindfulness into their everyday lives?

KS: Start with whatever is buggin’ you right now. Breathe in and hold your breath until your desire to breathe is more important than the issue at hand. On the breath out feel the gratitude that at this moment breathing was all that is important. From moment to moment having gratitude for the ability to breathe will provide more peace and joy in everyday life. I call this Free Peace.

SLAM: Is there a difference between the type of mindfulness an athlete may practice on the court versus at home?

KS: Nah, the court is life and the life is the court. But starting out knowing that these practices can help you play better is a real motivation. The GOATS all have had mental practices: LeBron, MJ, Kobe, Dr J you name ‘em. Make your practice your life and see what miracles happen. 

SLAM: Do you have any advice for hoopers beginning their mindfulness journey?

KS: Come see me this summer in NYC. NYC hoops is in a renaissance and I am part of the scenius –the genius of a group of people and their culture. 

SLAM: Could you speak on the inspiration behind the SLAM Zen Collection?

KS:  I had read “Unlocked” by George Mumford and “Finite and Infinite Games” by James Carse. In sitting with these books and speaking to my friend Jesse Stollak I realized how powerful our stories are to tell. Jesse does a lot of storytelling in his role but we both connect on knowing that what we do ultimately is about service. Me repping Zen every day through Captain Zen Garden caps and living my Free Peace lifestyle was a natural fit to tell a story around meditation and hoops. I realized that I had recently unlocked my infinite athlete. It felt wavy to realize that there is no one better to be but myself (everyone else is taken) and I came to believe that I had to share my masterpiece with the world.

The SLAM Zen Collection is all about finding serenity in style.

The post Kenji Summers on the Art of Mediation and Being Mentored by the Same Teacher Who Worked with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant appeared first on SLAM.

Last October, we had Wemby on the cover of SLAM 240. Read his cover story and get exclusive SLAM 240 Cover Tees here.

The post Read our SLAM 240 Cover Story on No. 1 NBA Draft Pick Victor Wembanyama appeared first on SLAM.

“I would always walk into my college arena with whatever I was in and it gave me the confidence to go onto the floor and do what I was gonna do,” Darren Moore tells SLAM, the founder and owner of the versatile Moore Clothing Brand. 

As Lonzo Ball’s manager and former pro hooper himself, the once All-Big West guard and coach at Chino Hills has watched the game’s fashion trends come and go for over a decade. All the while, the feel-good play-good methodology has never faded. 

Bottling that transition of conviction, Moore is now bridging the gaps between functionality and NBA players’ eccentrically suave get-ups—helming his own identity after years of helping individuals within the League achieve theirs. 

Those within the NBA circle understand the importance of a versatile wardrobe. Executives, players, agents and friends all know the night doesn’t simply begin or end with the game at the arena. Meetings, dinners and socials are a weekly occurrence. 

Having a universal selection of pieces is as clutch as Stephen Curry in the fourth. But utilizing the same outfit for all three or more scenarios is where the night’s planning takes a bit more effort. 

“Whenever I go on vacation, that’s when it started to hit me. I always had to go shopping because I needed some type of resort wear, loungewear or dinner wear. And that’s when I was like, I’m tired of having to piece things together all the time. If I just came out with a collection that had everything that embodied how I moved, I think people would enjoy that,” Moore says. 

The recently launched clothing brand offers a diverse range of wear for a full schedule of festivities. Blending classic styles with modern aesthetics, rose pink silk button-ups, relaxed corduroy trousers and wool hats have invigorated both tunnel walk ensembles and Coachella attire. 

“I’m always on the move. And sometimes you want to change outfits for different occasions, but I don’t want to do that,” Moore says with a laugh. “I like to have certain outfits that just be universal and I’m always very presentable wherever I go.”

With the help of Leverage’s Chris Ngo and a team behind the banner, Moore Brand launched its inaugural collection on April 1st. Applicable from Poole Parties to evening dinner reservations, the 16-piece roster of premium-crafted pieces adds yet another element to the synergy Moore sees between fashion and sports. One he’s responsible for on his own. 

“It’s the first time I ever got to see real ownership and really get to see what it’s like to be creative,” Moore says. 

Inspired by the spring and summer seasons, Moore envisioned the brand’s first capsule through a business casual and vacation wear lens. Tonal palettes and understated aesthetics run rife across the zipper polos and oversized tees. The cursive Moore logos on each piece are recognizable yet overtly simplified, allowing for the textures and quality to revel in the limelight. 

“I’ve always felt you can make a statement without having to do much. With fashion being a way of expressing yourself, Less is Moore,” he says. 

The corduroy pants and vintage-style wool hats have quickly become a favorite amongst those in the L. And even though lasting comfort was the driving force in design, the diverse use of materials takes a striking blow to the “too loungey” comments and offers an upscaled option. Toss on a silk button-down and the latter dissipates faster than your favorite NBA player sprinting to the locker room. 

From Jalen Green and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Jonathan Kuminga and Onyeka Okongwu, Moore Brand has quickly asserted itself amongst the greater NBA community. While we can’t get into too many details, 2024 is going to feature a few exciting collaborations. Nothing too flashy. Nothing too grandiose. But certainly steeped in the feeling Moore got as he entered the Bren Events Center at UC Irvine. 

“When they (NBA guys) walk down a tunnel, it gives them confidence, it gives them swag going into the arena. So moving forward into Collection 2, Collection 3, we’ll continue to embody that. Different things that guys can present themselves in and say, ‘Hey, I’m here, I’ve arrived.”

Photos via Courtney Nuss / @courtney.nuss

The post Darren Moore, Lonzo Ball’s Manager, is Creating His Own Path with New High-End Clothing Brand appeared first on SLAM.

Since his college days, the superstar has always been a force to be reconciled with, and now, Murray has made sure everyone knows that. In honor of his, and the Nugget’s victorious season, here’s a look back at Murray’s ascension over the years—from his SLAM 230 cover story to his days at Kentucky and more.

2016: FEATURE IN SLAM 199

Back in 2016, a 19-year-old Jamal Murray was finishing up his first, and only, season of college basketball at the University of Kentucky. In SLAM 199, Murray opened up about his decision to enter the NBA Draft, dealing with expectations and more.

You can read this story and more in our SLAM Digital Archives, which has every copy of SLAM, ever.

2020: JAMAL MURRAY COVERS SLAM 230

In 2020, Murray was gearing up for what would be a breakout run in the bubble. Murray was averaging a then-career high 18.5 points per game during the 2019-2020 season.

For the cover of SLAM 230, we talked to Murray about how he expresses himself through basketball and how he’s inspired by martial arts legend Bruce Lee, practices mindfulness and more.

Celebrate ‘Mal’s championship status with this exclusive SLAM 230 Cover Tee.

The post Here’s a Look Back on Jamal Murray’s Ascension Over the Years — SLAM 230 Cover and More appeared first on SLAM.

Roughly 24 hours after the Phoenix Suns land in Atlanta, having just flown in from New York following a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center, Mikal Bridges is told that he has to hop on a flight back to Brooklyn. On a one-way ticket, that is. He’s been traded.

With no chance to grab any personal belongings from his home in Phoenix, Bridges simply gathers the bags he has packed for the five-game road trip (ATL was the fourth stop), says his goodbyes to his teammates and staff—after spending four and a half seasons in the desert—and returns to BK. 

He’ll be living out of a hotel near the Brooklyn Bridge waterfront for the next few weeks until he finds a more permanent spot. But as turbulent as the shift may feel, a change in scenery isn’t the only thing Bridges is going to have to get used to in the coming weeks. 

An entirely different role awaits, as well as an entirely different aura around his name.

In just his third game with the Nets, Bridges posted a career-high 45 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 5 assists in a win against the Heat. His career-high up to that point was 34 points. After having never touched the 40-point mark in Phoenix, he went on to drop 40+ points three times—including twice during a three-game stretch—in the last couple of months of the season with Brooklyn.

“Just having that game [against Miami] and winning, and just all that buzz and being fine, that feeling of being in New York for real and all the love and the publicity after that—I’ll definitely say after that Miami game [is] where I felt [it]. And I had a little [All-Star] break [after], so I went home and then when I came back it was like, Alright, let’s get ready for this, this little second gear,” remembers Bridges. 

With the Nets, he quickly began putting his name in the record books, again and again. He became the first player in NBA history to average 25 or more points while shooting 50/40/90 in his first 10 games with a new team. He also broke the record for most points ever scored in the month of March by a Nets player, which was good for the second-most points by a Nets player in any month in franchise history.  

After averaging 17.2 points per game in 56 outings with the Suns this past season, Bridges’ scoring average skyrocketed to 26.1 points with the Nets. Since the mid-February move, the former Villanova standout went on to finish with 30+ points on 11 different occasions in Brooklyn. Prior to the trade, he had only surpassed 30 points one time this season (and only two other times in his entire career).

He had suddenly gone from being a nice supporting player whose full potential remained hidden while hooping in the shadows of All-Stars like Devin Booker and Chris Paul in Phoenix to emerging as a full-blown bona fide star. A legitimate go-to first option on a playoff team overnight, it seemed.  

“I think the toughest thing was just not having everything, and everything [happened] so fast with the trade. Just had to leave where [I’m] at to come there. I just had my bags and went straight to New York,” says Bridges. “But it was dope. I always wanted to live in New York—came to New York a lot in college, just playing out here [in Philly], went to Villanova, so everybody lives in New York coming from Villanova. But it was great. I love the people here, and I love the vibe in New York and the city. So, I was very excited to come here.

Just being on the East Coast again, I love the East Coast people. Obviously, I love the people in Phoenix as well, they’re great people, but it’s just [about] coming back to the East Coast, to what I’m used to.”

After “blowing it all up” and trading superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant within a handful of days from each other, the Nets had found their new star much quicker than they may have anticipated. Bridges brought much-welcomed hope and excitement to a fan base that was in dire need of it. The franchise had found a fresh identity while in the dawn of a new era.  

But being the guy for any NBA team has its challenges, too. There are defensive schemes thrown at you that others don’t see. You’re scouted differently. And as a leader, expectations are higher than for anyone else in the locker room. The role has a few extra duties. It’s all been part of the learning curve for Bridges, one that he’s welcomed with open arms. 

“I think the biggest challenge is probably always leading, every single time. Even if I get frustrated, guys are kind of looking at me strictly just because, and I feel like that’s a struggle I just kind of [have to] get better at it ’cause it’s emotions in the game and I get frustrated a lot,” says Bridges of his sudden leadership role in Brooklyn. “Just can’t let my emotions bring anybody else on the team down, so, just got to stay positive, even if it’s tough—gotta push through it and try to be level-headed at all times. 

“It’s definitely a challenge, but, you know, it’s something I love and embrace and take on. It’s definitely different, being one of the go-to guys and defenses scout on you. Luckily, I had some time before I got traded—we had a lot of guys out in Phoenix at the time—where I was being that guy. And it was, trust me, a lot of growing pains. It was tough just being that focal point and everybody’s looking at you. But I feel like it’s been good—a lot of learning, still learning to this day—and there’s gonna be a lot more to learn. But I’m here to embrace it and go through the tough times just to blossom later.” 

The trade paved the way for Bridges’ return to the Northeast. He was born and raised just a couple hours south of Brooklyn in the greater Philadelphia area, where he spent his entire life until the Suns traded for him on draft night in 2018.   

“When I was in college, we came to New York a lot, just playing in the Garden [in the annual Big East Tournament] and then having events. Coach [Jay] Wright loved New York, so we had an event called Hoops on the Hudson,” Bridges remembers. “We’d come out here and be out here for a couple days while it was preseason. Just been around and visiting in college and in the summer, have friends who live out here—I just know the speed of New York and I was just super excited to come here.” 

The trade also allowed Bridges to reach an extremely rare feat: playing 83 regular season games. The last time this occurred was in 2014-15 when Josh Smith played for both the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets following a trade. In fact, Bridges hasn’t missed a single game in his five-year NBA career thus far. 

“He’s the iron man of the NBA,” Nets teammate Spencer Dinwiddie told ESPN earlier this year.  

It’s just another prime example of the kind of star the Nets got in February—a certified hooper who can be counted on to show up, whenever, wherever, with whomever.  

“I’m just trying to win, honestly, that’s the biggest thing for me. Obviously, just playoffs and hopefully eventually—the biggest is always a championship, but there’s a lot of steps to do to get there,” says Bridges. “So sustainably just winning and building a really good culture.”

Portraits by Marcus Stevens

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To celebrate Denver winning their first-ever title, we just dropped SLAM 245, the Champs Issue, featuring none other than the Champion and Finals MVP himself.

Get your copy of SLAM 245 right now so you can read it at your home, whether that’s in Serbia, Denver or beyond. Also, this issue is available now in an exclusive Gold Metal Edition and Cover Tee.

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Chris Perfetti (Abbott Elementary, Gotham, Blue Bloods) plays Matt and Glenn Davis (actor, producer and Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company; The Christians, Head of Passes, The Brother/Sister Plays, Downstate) plays Shawn. Collectively they perfectly (serious when it needs to be, and hilarious just as accordingly) bring to the forefront themes around race, family dynamics, friendship, death and betrayal. The play was written by Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) and directed by Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun, Fences), while Khloe Janel absolutely kills it from the DJ booth. 

You can catch King James at the Manhattan Theatre Club until June 18.  

The post New Off-Broadway Play “King James” Examines How LeBron’s Time in Cleveland Helped Bring Two Strangers Together  appeared first on SLAM.

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In Girona, Spain, however, things are getting a little confusing. This delightful medieval city, located an hour north of Barcelona, technically has only one Gasol brother: Marc. But within him are two alter egos: Marc the owner of Bàsquet Girona, and Marc the star player of—yes—Bàsquet Girona. Indeed, the 38-year-old is making history as (probably) the first-ever player-owner in pro hoops. But it’s not easy keeping it all together. Gasol shifts back and forth between the two personas each day, and even during conversation. Marc the owner is an optimistic neophyte; Marc the player is a fiery veteran back in Girona after a 13-year hiatus. 

“They don’t deal well with each other,” Gasol says. The owner’s goal is to expand Bàsquet Girona’s long-term impact beyond hoops. The player? “I’m 38. There is no tomorrow,” he says. “I’m very calm and reflective inside the front office, but on the court it’s the complete opposite. Not allowing one cup to spill into the other is a challenge. But that’s what I chose.”

This experiment began in 2014, when Gasol founded the Bàsquet Girona youth academy. The team came next, in 2017, after its prior iteration had gone belly-up under different ownership. Gasol joined as a player in 2021 following his NBA retirement. Immediately, he played hero, adding two more distinctions to his title: founder-owner-president-player-reigning champ-reigning MVP. (On LinkedIn, he is simply “President, Bàsquet Girona.” Pau is Vice President, a job he serves remotely.)

Why Girona? It’s not Gasol’s hometown (that’s Sant Boi de Llobregat, a province in Barcelona), but it is where his career first blossomed. “The way the city embraced me and helped me become a basketball player was something that impacted me. I wanted more players to feel the warmth and security of a city behind them,” he says.

In turn, Gasol has given Girona all the warmth and security he can muster. The team is on solid footing, the youth academy has grown to 450 boys and girls, and around town Gasol is omnipresent, easily spotted at coffee shops and sustainability council meetings. 

“Everybody in Girona loves Marc,” a local journalist named Nil Solà says. “Here, everything is Marc.” 

This love story began some 17 years ago. Back then, it was simple: Girona gave Gasol a chance to play basketball. He was 21 when then-CB Girona acquired him from Barcelona Bàsquet, where he rarely played. 

Gasol has repaid that favor time and time again. 

In 2007, his NBA stock began to climb, but he declined to travel for pre-draft workouts, content in Girona. “I didn’t care,” he says. He was drafted by the Lakers in the second round and stayed put. A few months later, Barcelona asked for a mulligan on the loan that had sent Gasol to Girona in the first place. Gasol personally called Barcelona’s front office to veto the deal. “I said, I’m staying in Girona.” 

Gasol’s NBA rights were soon traded from Los Angeles to Memphis in the notoriously lopsided deal for Pau, which even Marc calls “a rip-off.” The NBA world was disgusted. Gasol could not have cared less. He remained in Girona and won MVP of Liga ACB, Spain’s top division. But amid the global financial meltdown, CB Girona went into disarray. Finally, Gasol left for the NBA.

In Memphis, he anchored the upstart Grit ’N Grind Grizzlies, countering the League’s chaotic three-point revolution with a polished bruising style. In 2013, he was named Defensive Player of the Year while leading all centers in assists. In 2015, he inked a max extension—five years, $100 million. He used some of the money to finance the Bàsquet Girona youth academy, and founded the men’s team within two years. 

It debuted in Spain’s fourth division in 2017. Gasol kept tabs from Memphis, and then Toronto, where he landed in a mid-season trade that ended with a ring and the Raptors first-ever NBA Championship. By 2021, Bàsquet Girona had clawed its way up the Spanish ranks, reaching second-division LEB Gold. A promotion back to the ACB was just one great season away, but further relegation was also just one awful season away. The team opened at 2-7. Gasol had a choice to make: extend his NBA career, or cut it short to save hoops in Girona.

“I’m a person that looks in the mirror,” he says. During the ’20-21 season, Gasol had been a 36-year-old reserve on the Lakers, donning purple and gold in “awkward” fashion by his own admission. Still, he labored over whether to return to Girona. “We tend to remember only the good things about places,” he says. “Sometimes those memories are better to stay untouched.” 

Gasol is seated along the baseline at Pavelló Girona-Fontajau, home to so many of those memories. It’s a modest stadium—gray, low-slung, about a 25-minute walk from the city’s striking old town. The gym has a YMCA feel, its halls filled with backpack-clad academy kids. As I chat with Gasol, practice begins for Uni Girona CB, a dominant force in Liga Femenina, the ACB’s women’s counterpart. Gasol became a star on this floor, and during his lengthy hiatus hardly anything here changed. Not even the scoreboard hanging above us, he says. Offering no stats nor in-game entertainment, it is practically a symbol of resistance against the NBA’s piped-in, gambling-crazed atmosphere. Gasol’s final NBA game had been at the STAPLES Center, which once threw an unveiling ceremony for its $10 million jumbotron. Well, good for the STAPLES Center. The rest of Gasol’s home games, he decided, should be spent here instead. 

“This is something I always wanted to do before I say goodbye to this sport and to the court, to play here one more time,” Gasol says. 

On December 3, 2021, he returned to this floor after 13 years away. 

At first, Gasol’s intention was merely to play well enough to stabilize his organization. “When you’re not playing well on the court, it creates an insecurity feeling everywhere else,” he says, clearly speaking as Marc the owner. “I didn’t want what happens on the floor to have an impact on everybody’s mood in the office.” 

But Marc the owner doesn’t play basketball, and Marc the player is a competitive freak. If Gasol had looked washed up in Los Angeles, he was an instant force in Girona. He averaged just shy of 15 points, 10 boards and 3 assists in his return season—a near-replica of his MVP campaign 14 years earlier—and was named MVP of LEB Gold. Bàsquet Girona swept through the playoffs (Gasol gutted out a knee injury in the finals because of course he did), earning a promotion back to Liga ACB. 

Glory had been properly restored to the once-defunct franchise. 

The mission was complete. 

Or was it?   

No, no—instead, the heroism of Marc the player kicked Marc the owner into a new competitive gear. Heading into this season, Girona’s first in the ACB since ’08, he strengthened the organization from top to bottom. He expanded the club’s staff to 130. He acquired three new starters, including Kameron Taylor, a 6-6 wing who leads the team in scoring. He hired 76-year-old coach Aíto García Reneses, winner of nine—count ’em—ACB titles and the 2008 Olympic silver medal. And, best of all, he had an ACB rule barring player-presidents overturned. 

Local excitement erupted: season tickets sold out within 24 hours. (The team is nearing self-sustainability—where once Gasol financed the organization entirely out of pocket, he now covers less than 10 percent of costs, including his own minimum contract, and team revenue accounts for the rest.) 

Still, facing ACB competition has been a challenge. A few hours after I sit down with Gasol, Bàsquet Girona struggles against Bàsquet Manresa, a relegation candidate. Gasol receives a raucous ovation during lineup introductions, but on the floor looks his age. He moves slowly and defers often, playing the role of safety valve rather than superstar (or overbearing owner). In fairness, Gasol was a slow-mover and willing teammate in his prime, too. 

“He’s a guy that likes to see others do well,” says Taylor. “You would think at his age, with his years in the NBA, and being the owner of the team, he’d come out here and expect the ball every time. But he’s out here sweating like the rest of us. He’s not the owner when he’s playing basketball.”

Gasol finishes with 13 points as Bàsquet Girona loses. At 8-16, the team is merely three games clear of relegation. They ultimately finished the season 11-23, one skinny game above relegation. Is this struggle a wrench in Gasol’s Hollywood story, or the essence of it? Over a few days in Girona, I come to see it as the latter. 

If Gasol could score at will and assure victory, there would be no need to separate the two Marcs. Winning would unify the big-picture thinker and the urgent competitor within him. It’s the losses that necessitate the divide and underscore the challenge at hand. 

After each loss, Gasol says, “As soon as I take a shower and walk down the hall, I need to change completely,” embodying the patient owner over the frustrated player. Or at least that’s the idea. In reality, no Gasol ever stays boxed out for long.

“I’m trying to change the narrative of, only winning and losing matters,” Marc the owner says, but Marc the player rejects that notion and cuts in. “Obviously, for me, winning means more than anything,” he says. The owner interjects: “But there’s a lot more to it.” And on and on they go. 

Photos via Getty Images and Segi Geronès.

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“In tennis you can tell who has control of the point by the depth of the players,” Kerr told the media back in 2022. “If you’re pressuring (in basketball) and get them starting their offense well above the three-point line you’re controlling the possession.”

As someone who started playing tennis about 10 years ago, and still continues to love the game today, I’m pretty familiar with the ins and outs of it. But when I had the opportunity to intern for SLAM in New York City, that’s when I was fully introduced to the world of basketball. After researching different players, watching highlights and helping organize older issues of SLAM, I started to think more about what the two sports could possibly learn from each other. 

Let’s keep it real, professional hoopers are just as into other sports as they are basketball, whether it’s golf or even tennis. Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward used to play tennis as a kid and once said that if basketball didn’t work out, he would’ve tried going pro in tennis. He still credits tennis for most of his mental game and says he still enjoys playing at home in his free time.

Meanwhile, tennis players like Frances Tiafoe also have a love for the game. Tiafoe even played in the 2023 NBA All-Star Celebrity game this year. 

There’s a lot that both games have in common—from popularity to the fact that both basketball and tennis are global sports. But there’s also a lot they can learn from each other.

SLAM let me have some fun with it during my internship and think creatively about what they might look like. 

Give tennis fans more freedom at matches to make the experience more enjoyable

When you’re at a tennis game the rules are pretty strict. If a stadium worker sees you standing, they’ll immediately run over to tell you to take your seat. If the umpire hears too much talking before a point, they’ll make an announcement for it to be quieter. When these types of things happen while you’re trying to enjoy a match, it can make you feel annoyed and not want to be there instead of enhancing the live sports experience. In this case, tennis can look to the NBA and see how players feed off the crowd’s energy. Why do you think teams have an at home advantage? If the tennis world eases up a bit and lets the audience go as crazy as they please, the experience for the viewer will be on a different level. It might even encourage more people to attend. 

What if tennis had two-way contracts and a G League?

The two-way contact has been monumental for the NBA and its players. By giving the athletes the opportunity to bounce between two clubs, it allows them the chance to adapt to pro ball rather than just being dropped in and expecting to produce from Day 1. Tennis should try a concept like this, especially since it can be hard for an up-and-coming player to break through while playing against the best. Without high rankings, they end up playing the top seeds and losing right away. 

If there were some sort of starter league where they could play before, or even a two-way type of contract, that could be way more beneficial for a player’s career.

Tennis needs a set season and a championship

Without a set season like the NBA, a tennis “season” starts to feel endless. There’s a new tournament every two weeks or so, and at the end of November, they get about five weeks off before it just restarts. While the NBA has now become a year-round game in terms of coverage, there’s an ebb and flow to the season with the playoffs being the most exciting time to conclude the season. 

Perhaps tennis should look to the PGA in terms of a playoff and championship model outside of the majors to add to the storytelling and drama of competing for a title each year.

The NBA could benefit from installing the Hawk-Eye computer vision system to make calls

In the past few years tennis has installed a camera system that makes all the calls exact. It’s changed the game. If basketball were to install this type of technology it could save not only time, but any confusion/skepticism on certain calls. Whether it’s for fouls or who hit it out of bounds, this could also be highly beneficial for the refs. 

Tennis should have an All-Star Weekend

NBA All-Star Weekend is when the League’s best players come together and compete in games and skills competitions. Tennis desperately needs something like this, and it would certainly draw some much-needed attention for the sport’s up-and-coming stars. From the skills competition to legends playing doubles (or pickleball as we just saw in Florida), having fun with the game and putting individual rivalries aside for a weekend would help propel the sport forward.

Basketball should have more men’s and women’s overlap at events

In all tennis tournaments there’s a men’s and a women’s draw going on at the same time. That means the game’s biggest stars, regardless of gender, are all in one place. Tennis is able to incorporate men’s, women’s, doubles, juniors, and even wheelchairs all in the same tournament. So why can’t we see that in basketball? Could the NBA season overlap with the WNBA season and have more crossover type of events? We’ve seen it a little during NBA All-Star Weekend through the years, but in more of an exhibition vs. competitive format. 

Tennis stars need to engage the crowd more

NBA players like Jayson Tatum will hit a crazy shot or make a great play and then engage with the crowd. The audience lives for that, and that feeling between players and fans makes the game even more exciting. Tennis doesn’t have that as much because the players tend to stay locked in (sure, they may yell for a second after winning a big point, but it’s just not the same). It’s no surprise that tickets to Nick Kyrgios’ matches sell more than any top player, and it’s time for the rest of the tour to tap into that same energy.

Allow tennis fans to cheer and yell during points

Imagine a silent NBA game. Not the same, right? In tennis, you can hear a pin drop throughout the arena while a point is being played, and fans are immediately shushed if they start to yell during points. While the silence may sometimes make the point more intense, it’s about time we start letting the fans get more into the game.

Let tennis fans walk to their seats at any moment during the match

Tennis only allows people to walk to their seats on a change over, which is every odd-numbered game. If you run to the bathroom or go to grab a drink and get back as they restart, you could be waiting to get in for over 10 minutes (and no one wants to do that). While you may have to wait a second if you’re sitting courtside at an NBA game, you can walk to your seats at any given moment, which encourages fans to feel like every game is truly an experience. 

Find ways to get the next generation of fans more into tennis

How do we make tennis more exciting and get the next generation to love the sport just as much as the rest of us do? Let’s look to the NBA. By marketing marquee matchups and following the game’s biggest stars from high school to college to the League, players are building a fanbase before they ever step on an NBA court. By unifying youth tennis and with more consistent storytelling, the hype will match the talent by the time they take center court at their first major.

Photos via Getty Images.

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The United States will enter the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in August as the second- ranked country in the world.

Yes, the second-ranked country.

For the first time in more than a decade, US men’s basketball slipped to No. 2 in the FIBA world rankings back in November. The top spot currently belongs to Spain, winners of the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket—the championship of Europe for men’s national teams—and the 2019 FIBA World Cup (a tournament in which the Americans finished seventh). The US does not send its A-team to events such as the FIBA AmeriCup, where it came in third last year after being knocked out by Argentina, but the results of those tournaments still impact the rankings. And while the squad put together for the Tokyo Olympics emerged victorious two summers ago, it lost to France during the preliminary round and only won by 5, 87-82, in a rematch in the Final. 

You don’t have to look hard for proof that the game is growing around the world. The three finalists for the 2023 NBA MVP hailed from countries outside the United States—winner Joel Embiid (Cameroon) and runners-up Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)—as well as six of the top eight vote-getters. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) finished fifth, followed by Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania) in seventh and Luka Doncic (Slovenia) in eighth. This marked the fifth straight season that a foreign-born player was crowned MVP, dating back to Antetokounmpo’s first triumph in 2019.

Most of those stars have confirmed that they intend to play in the upcoming World Cup, which will take place in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. This year’s event will be the second to feature 32 teams and the first to be hosted by multiple nations. It’s also the gateway to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, as seven countries will qualify based on their performances: two from the Americas, two from Europe, one from Africa, one from Asia and one from Oceania.

For the US, the tournament will be far from a cakewalk, regardless of who lands on the team’s final roster. 

“There are quality players around the world—I think we’re starting to see that,” says Carlan Gay, deputy editor at The Sporting News and an announcer for international competitions. “Four of the five that finished at the top of the MVP voting aren’t American born—that just tells you that the world isn’t catching up, it has caught up.” 

“I think that we have this idea that, well, if it’s not American, it’s not as good,” says Jeff Taylor, an international basketball commentator since 1997. “I understood immediately watching the [1997] EuroBasket—watching a game between Poland and Germany—I was struck by how good they were.” 

Taylor has covered most of FIBA’s flagship events since then, observing firsthand how the level of talent has risen in other countries. “It’s grown exponentially,” he tells SLAM. “I think it was already good at the time, but I think there are different factors at work here [that have made it even better].”

For one, an increasing number of Europeans jumped to the NBA in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The success of guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker helped erase stigmas about foreign players—mainly, that they were too soft and not athletic enough to succeed in the States—and inspired others to follow in their footsteps.

Emerging talents overseas join top professional organizations as teenagers, where they are exposed to elite coaching and stiff competition that accelerates their development. Doncic signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid at the age of 13, and No. 1 NBA draft prospect Victor Wembanyama has been a pro since he was 15. Of course, those high-level prospects also join their respective national team programs early on, which facilitates even more growth.

“There’s more opportunity for development within your national team program [overseas],” says University of Alabama assistant coach Ryan Pannone, who has previously coached in the NBA, G League, China Germany, Slovakia and Israel. “And the pressure those guys are playing under and the pride for their national teams is really high. [For example], Luka was playing within the national team obviously from a very young age in Slovenia, and he was in the academy within Real Madrid in Spain. So he’s getting professional coaching seven days a week from coaches whose full-time jobs are to make sure he develops; and then in the summer, he’s in the national team system of Slovenia, where he’s playing in high-pressure-filled games.”

Basketball journeyman Scotty Hopson, who has played in 10 countries and suited up for the 2018 USA World Cup Qualifying Team, notes that the “athleticism level” has increased among international players. “Whenever I go to these countries and play against other teams and players, I feel like they always have a knowledge of basketball that’s pretty high level,” says Hopson. “And now you add the component that guys are starting to get more athletic, starting to understand how to take care of their bodies, how to train more.”

It’s important to mention that the FIBA game is different—harder, in a lot of ways. Quarters are 10 minutes long as opposed to 12. The court is smaller (91 feet-10 inches by 49 feet-2.5 inches, compared to the NBA’s 94 feet by 50 feet), and the three-point line is about a foot closer. There’s no defensive three seconds, and goaltending rules are modified: players are allowed to swat the ball off the cylinder as soon as it touches the rim.

All of these changes result in a distinct style of play: more strategic and methodical, less spaced. Teams value possessions more because there are fewer of them. On defense, it’s easier to pack the paint and provide help. Closeouts are faster—there’s not as much ground to cover—so coaches emphasize shooting and making quick reads. “The game internationally can be very physical, very tactical. And if you’re going to play it, you have to be very intelligent,” explains Taylor.

“The game in Europe is way harder than the game in the NBA,” Antetokounmpo said last September. “The talent obviously in the NBA is way higher, but the space [is better]—you have a lot of lanes to drive the ball, a lot of lanes to create. Over there it’s more intense.” 

During the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket last summer, Antetokounmpo had to work extremely hard for his points, as opponents clogged the middle and sent double or triple teams his way. “And in the past, this has helped me a lot, like when I came back from [the World Cup] in 2019,” he added. “That was the year we went to the bubble. The first couple of games, I felt like the court was huge.”

“Is it harder? Yes, because I think you really need to have quick thinking,” Jokic said about the international game after EuroBasket. “In the NBA, if you go by the guy, you can see the help is coming. In Europe, help is always there. So you need to think and play ahead.” That challenge helped Jokic evolve into the playmaker that he is today and made transitioning to the NBA much easier. Similarly, Doncic told SLAM in 2022: “I think from [Europe] comes my reading the game, all the passing skills.”

Thus, current and future NBA players can benefit tremendously from participating in FIBA events, especially given the intensity of those environments. Many of those players also assume bigger roles for their national teams, which allows them to showcase other parts of their games. Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, for example, shined as the number one option for Finland at the 2022 EuroBasket, averaging 27.9 points on 54 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent from three.

When he returned to the States for the 2022-23 NBA season, Jazz head coach Will Hardy encouraged Markkanen to play exactly as he had for Finland—confident, assertive, in more of a central role. And Markkanen had the best year of his NBA career, making his first All-Star team and winning the Most Improved Player award.

Says Coach Pannone, who was an assistant for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022-23, “Obviously, Lauri Markkanen and the way that panned out doesn’t happen for every [NBA] team, but [FIBA events] certainly give you the chance to see one of your players in more of a star role—how they’re used, how they handle it, how successful they are. And you get that opportunity without it costing you games by trying to experiment with that throughout the NBA season.”

Markkanen will be with Finland again this summer for the World Cup. Other international players expected to compete include Antetokounmpo, Doncic, Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Sabonis, Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert (France), Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic), Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia), Franz Wagner (Germany), Josh Giddey (Australia), Nikola Vucevic (Montenegro), Jordan Clarkson (Philippines) and more. The US will likely enter the tournament as a significant favorite, but the depth of talent this year will once again make the road to the Naismith Trophy very difficult.

“Whether you’re from the United States or not, there’s going to be amazing competition here because the level of basketball in this World Cup, I think, will be unprecedented,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said during an episode of One Sports’ The Game.

Defending champions Spain should have another formidable roster, led by veteran point guard Ricky Rubio, MVP of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and Willy Hernangomez, MVP of the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket. Australia, ranked third, should have Giddey and several other NBA players, including Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Matisse Thybulle, Josh Green and Jock Landale. The likely presence of Antetokounmpo, Doncic and Jokic ensures that Greece, Slovenia and Serbia will all be tough opponents. Canada could be stacked with household names: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell, Lu Dort, Dillon Brooks and more. And then, of course, there’s France, a country that nearly toppled the United States in the Tokyo Olympics and should have a similar squad, plus the 7-4 phenom Wembanyama. 

The list of worthy competitors for the ’23 World Cup title goes on and on—each one composed of prideful players determined to reach the podium for their countries. 

“You can go down the list of guys who really take pride in putting on that [national team] jersey,” says Gay. “I don’t think it’s something that we truly understand in North America—how much passion there is for basketball outside of these borders and how much passion there is for performing on the world stage for your country—because of the NBA factor. I think kids around the world grow up not dreaming to be in the NBA but dreaming to play and win a World Cup and win an Olympic gold medal.”

“Representing your national team, it’s heavy,” said Antetokounmpo in September. “You represent your whole country.”

Asked about facing Antetokounmpo during the 2019 FIBA World Cup, then-United States head coach Gregg Popovich said this of international superstars: “When they play for their countries, we like to say that they become superheroes. They get together and, through their relationships and their views about their game, they just form a team that—they fall in love with each other. They enjoy playing with each other. And that goes across the board for everybody that’s in the tournament. A lot of them have grown up together, a lot of them have spent a lot of time playing together, and you can see that.”

“The biggest advantage I felt like [other countries] had was that those teams play together for years and years and years,” Hopson reiterates. He speaks from experience, having lost to a cohesive and well-coached Argentina squad during qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. “You’re going into a situation where you’re playing against guys who have probably been playing together since they were kids. They have an advantage with that because the chemistry is already built.” 

Combine that chemistry with the rising talent and the hunger of players to win for their countries and the US will certainly have its hands full trying to reclaim the World Cup title and the No. 1 FIBA ranking.

“The gap has closed, but also, the fear factor is gone,” Gay says. “No one’s afraid to play Team USA. In fact, they’re circling that date on the calendar to try to make history.”

SLAM 244 is also available in this exclusive Gold Metal Edition.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post International Superstars are Now Dominating the Game More Than Ever Before appeared first on SLAM.

Whether it’s through playmaking, hitting clutch shots, or having a major impact on defense, this group can make things happen from anywhere on the court. All the while, they’re building their personal brands off of it.

The future is HER. Meet our 2023 SLAM HS Girls All-Americans:

Juju Watkins’ game is showtime. After leading Sierra Canyon to a state title, being named Gatorade National Girls Player of the Year and winning two gold medals with Team USA, she’s decided to stay close to home and suit up for the USC Trojans next season. We can only wonder what big-name rappers and superstars will be sitting courtside at the Galen Center to see the “Juju Show” in-person.

Mikaylah Williams is a generational talent. With one of the most well-rounded games in her class, the USA Basketball gold medalist and Gatorade Louisiana Girls Basketball Player of the Year is set to thrive on a very stacked LSU roster.

Jada Williams is an absolute dawg. She helped the USA Basketball team win a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup, led her high school squad to the 2022 San Diego Open Division Championship and plays with a passion that is unmatched.

When Hannah Hidalgo hit that Eastbay layup at the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 4, she nearly shut down Rucker Park. The certified bucket was named the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year award after averaging 28.8 points, 7.3 steals, 6.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season.

Jadyn Donovan is a special talent. She’s a two-time gold medalist who helped lead Sidwell Friends to an undefeated record and a DCSAA Championship in 2022. Donovan committed to Duke and will soon join head coach Kara Lawson in Durham.

Meet our 2023 SLAM High School Boys All-Americans

Photo credits for entire series include Jineen Williams, Jamal Martin, Jon Lopez. Marcus Stevens, Getty Images, Matt Odom. // Design by Erica Davis.

The post Meet the 2023 SLAM High School Girls All-Americans appeared first on SLAM.

As the game continues to evolve, this group of young standouts represent the future ahead. From elite guards to versatile small forwards, they’ve caught the attention of top college programs around the country, as well as the world.

Meet our 2023 SLAM HS Boys All-Americans:

Basketball runs in DJ Wagner’s blood. He’s the son of former Memphis one-and-done star and NBA player Dajuan Wagner, and the grandson of Louisville legend and NBA player Milt Wagner. Wagner was the NJ Gatorade Player of the Year and is a top name in the No. 1 ranked recruiting class at Kentucky

Home is where his heart is. Isaiah Collier is one of the top ranked guards in his class and has family roots in Cali: his mother originally lived in Compton and his brother currently lives in Los Angeles. The talented guard is sure to make a statement at USC.

Justin Edwards has proven why he’s a top recruit with his shot making, defensive versatility and toughness as a finisher. After leading Imhotep to its second consecutive state championship, he’ll bring that winning experience to Kentucky this fall.

Jared McCain is a straight-up star. Whether he’s putting on a scoring clinic on the court or continuing to build his brand off of it on social media, McCain makes waves no matter what he’s doing. With his high IQ and work ethic, he’ll fit right in at Duke.

Matas Buzelis’ pro-ready game speaks for itself. The 2022-23 Kansas High School Basketball Player of the Year has decided to bypass college and take his talents to the NBA G-League Ignite next season. He also has his sights set on the NBA Draft, but until then, it’s all about dominating.

Meet our 2023 SLAM High School Girls All-Americans

Photo credits for entire series include Jineen Williams, Jamal Martin, Jon Lopez. Marcus Stevens, Getty Images, Matt Odom.

The post Meet the 2023 SLAM High School Boys All-Americans appeared first on SLAM.

As for the talent level, well, there’s a reason why your favorite celebrities pull up to their games to watch them drop buckets. Before they go compete at top programs in college, we’re hyped to announce our 2023 HS All-Americans.

Jadyn. Jada. Mikaylah. Hannah. Juju.

Isaiah. Matas. Jared. DJ. Justin.

This story appears in SLAM 244

Featuring cover stars Rhyne Howard, Scoot Henderson and Paolo Banchero, SLAM 244 spotlights the standouts and rising stars who have next, and right now.

Photo credits for entire series include Jineen Williams, Jamal Martin, Jon Lopez. Marcus Stevens, Getty Images, Matt Odom. // Design by Erica Davis.

The post The Future: SLAM Announces 2023 High School All-Americans appeared first on SLAM.

That’s the cocktail of emotions running through Paolo Banchero as he walks back to the locker room after a tough loss in Detroit—one that came down to the wire and was decided in the last couple possessions.

Banchero felt he had it. He was this close to putting the team on his back and leading it to a comeback victory in his NBA debut.

The final possessions went something like this: Down 3 with under 40 seconds to go, Banchero went coast-to-coast after grabbing a defensive rebound and finished with a strong right-handed layup. That cut the deficit to 108-107. After a corner three-pointer from Isaiah Stewart, Banchero responded by crashing the glass, drawing a foul and sinking two clutch free throws to pull the Magic within 2 with five seconds remaining. The sold-out crowd inside Little Caesars Arena was going berserk as the game reached its breaking point.  

But this one would end in heartbreak for the rookie. Despite his valiant effort and heroic baskets down the stretch (he even caught a poster earlier in the quarter when he dunked over Cory Joseph), Bojan Bogdanovic hit two big free throws for the Pistons at the end to seal the game. Pistons 113. Magic 109. 

And, so, that walk back to the locker room really stings. The mix of emotions are kicking in, and they don’t feel great. He’s just too competitive to “We’ll get ’em next time” it right now.

But then he’s greeted with a different type of energy upon reaching the locker room.

The future is Paolo. Get your copy of SLAM 244 featuring the Rookie of the Year.

“I remember just being genuinely pretty pissed off that we lost. And I remember getting back to the locker room, and our PR guy, his eyes were, like, lit up and he was hella happy,” Banchero recalls. “He was like, Yo, great job! He asked me if I realized what I even did, and I was like, Man, no—I don’t know. I knew I had a good game, but I wasn’t thinking it’d be this historic thing. I saw my parents after the game, and they were hella happy. I kind of saw the vibe, and it was like, I didn’t want to be happy, but, I mean, it was kind of hard not to [be]. Everyone who came up to me was like, Congrats! And I just was like, Man, we play in two days, let’s go, let’s move on. When you think back to it [now], you realize how big of a moment that really was, being your first NBA game. But not in the moment. I definitely didn’t feel the magnitude of the game or the performance, I just kind of wanted to move on. Especially since we didn’t win.”

The magnitude? Just a few decades- long NBA records being touched. Nothing major at all.   

Banchero’s NBA debut stat line—27 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists—made him the first NBA player to post at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his League debut since LeBron James in 2003. Only three other players in the Association’s history ever have: Grant Hill, Willie Anderson and Ron Harper. In the points column, Banchero’s 27 were the most in an NBA debut by a No. 1 pick since Allen Iverson in 1996.

“Honestly, I think I kind of had that feeling during preseason—people always ask me, How did you come out [and] look so comfortable in your first game? For me, I got all the nerves out during preseason,” the Seattle native says. “My first preseason game, I was way more nervous for that than I was for the actual regular season game. Like, once I played those preseason games, I felt like I was already acclimated. So, going into that Detroit game, obviously it’s the first regular season game so everything’s getting turned up, you’re gonna play more minutes or whatnot. And I just remember feeling, like, raw emotions and being excited, but in my head, I just knew I was going to have a good game. I knew I was going to put on a show. Not gonna say I knew I was gonna go for 27 and whatnot, but I just knew I was gonna have a good game and come out strong, because the debut of your rookie year, that’s just a game where you got to be locked in, you got to be focused.”

In the days and weeks that followed, Banchero would continue to place his name in the history books. In his second game, he dropped 20 points and 12 rebounds, and then followed that up with 23 and 5—making him the first teenager ever to score 20+ points in his first three NBA games. In fact, he scored 20+ points in his first six NBA games, joining Grant Hill, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain and Elvin Hayes as the only rookies to ever do so. In his 10th game, he dropped 33 points and 16 rebounds, joining LeBron as the only teenagers in NBA history to post 30+ points and 15+ boards in a single outing. Just 48 hours later, he became only the fifth teenager in NBA history to score 30+ points in consecutive games (the others are LeBron, Devin Booker, Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson). He joined Michael Jordan and Zion as the last three rookies to score 20+ points in 15 of their first 20 games. By the end of the season, he had dropped 20+ points in 40 total games, tying LeBron’s rookie mark. 

Banchero says his Rookie of the Year campaign, one in which he finished averaging 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, really kicked off in the spring of 2022, when he made a decision that shocked many in the industry. The Duke star chose to bypass having a powerhouse agency rep him and instead decided to go with former NBA wing Mike Miller and his LIFT Sports Management firm, a rookie agency with a small client roster at the time.

“Obviously, [Miller] played with and against Hall of Famers, had a great career himself, so he knows what it looks like—he’s done everything I want to do,” says the 2023 NBA ROY. “He’s had teammates who, you know, went on to be some of the greatest of all time. If anyone knows what it looks like to be one of the best, it’s him. So when he said that and preached the importance of putting basketball first and making sure I’m the best player I can possibly be—putting that at the forefront—it really helped me make the decision.”

In Miller, Banchero felt he had not only found an agent, but a true workout partner, trainer and mentor. In fact, Banchero says that instead of referring to Miller as “Mike,” he calls him “Coach.” The ultimate sign of respect, and reflective of how he views Miller and their relationship. The “Coach” tag also makes sense when you factor in that Banchero first met Miller when the latter was an assistant at Memphis under Penny Hardaway a few years back (Miller spent two years with the Tigers). 

Banchero’s first pre-draft training session with Miller was in Miami, and the current Magic star still remembers everything about those early gym days.

“I still tell him to this day, those first three or four workouts we had in Miami, those are the best ones. Those are the ones I always think about—just how much fun they were, just the intensity that we were working at,” says Banchero. “I think, for me, working with Mike, it just has really been my shot that has been one of the biggest things. Him helping me with my shot. The difference between this time last year and this time right now, between just the way I shoot the ball, is night and day. I gotta give most of the credit to him just for helping me and making it easy…It’s just been smooth sailing. I would say my jumper is where he’s helped me the most. I could ask him about any part of the game, any situation or scenario, and he’ll know about it.”  

As fate would have it, a couple of months later, Banchero would get drafted by the Orlando Magic—the same team that drafted Miller in 2000, and where he also won Rookie of the Year (Banchero, Miller and Shaquille O’Neal are the only ROYs in franchise history).

But despite all the individual accolades and personal records set during his debut NBA season, Banchero has already turned the page to the next chapter. When we shot this cover in early May, as playoff euphoria was at its peak, the 6-10 forward said that being a spectator to the postseason has given him a whole lot of FOMO. Ultimately, he’s aware that, fairly or unfairly, his career will be judged based on how much winning he’s able to bring to his team—a challenge that he doesn’t plan on waiting much longer to start making a dent in.

“Watching the playoffs, it just doesn’t feel right that we’re not on that stage—I’m not on that stage. I just feel like that’s where I need to be. That’s where we need to be. That’s where we all want to be,” says the rising star. “So, obviously, it’s gonna take a whole bunch of work, and we’re gonna have to just be a lot better. But I think this year was a step in the right direction—the vibe we had, how competitive we were all year, the teams we beat, the teams we should have beat, it just left a specific taste in our mouth. And, you know, we gotta try and get it next year. I’m excited. I think we’re all excited.”  

The Magic saw a 12-win improvement from last season—the biggest win increase in the Eastern Conference and the third-most in the NBA behind the Sacramento Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder. After starting the season 5-19, Orlando went 29-29 in its remaining 58 games. During that 29-29 stretch, the team had the League’s sixth-best defensive rating (112.8), according to the Orlando Sentinel. The signs are there. A culture and identity shift are brewing. And if you ask Banchero, it’s given him and his teammates a lot of fuel heading into the offseason.

“I think this is the most motivated I’ve been heading into a summer,” he says. “And I think a lot of guys on the team would say the same. I think we all kind of have that same mentality where next year is the year where we kind of put ourselves in that conversation of being one of the better teams in the East, and then in the League.”

SLAM 244 COVER TEES

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Portraits: Marcus Stevens

Styling: Ian Pierno

Barber: Marcos “Reggae” Smith

The post Following His Historic Season, Paolo Banchero is Ready to Take the Magic to New Levels appeared first on SLAM.

From Denver to New York, we’ve captured Melo’s career over the years as one of the coldest scorers to ever do it. He’s graced the cover of SLAM six times, guest edited our Social Justice Special Issue and just last year, appeared on an episode of LeagueFits’ Survival of the Fitted podcast alongside Dwyane Wade.

To celebrate his legacy, here’s a look back at our Carmelo Anthony SLAM covers and more.

SLAM 105

 “I think just knowing what’s ahead of me, what’s in my future, it humbled me. That’s just making me more comfortable on the court. And when I ain’t laughin’ and smilin’ on the court, I don’t play right.”

SLAM 162

You can view every Carmelo Anthony SLAM cover ever in our SLAM Cover Gallery.

In 2020, Carmelo Anthony and his son, Kiyan, appeared on the cover of our Special Issue.

Melo and Wade broke down the evolution of fashion in the NBA and how it has changed since the 2003 NBA Draft, why the NBA dress code came into effect and where they would like to see fashion go next. Check it out.

The post Here’s a Look Back at Carmelo Anthony’s Iconic SLAM Covers and More appeared first on SLAM.

“After that game, the hype went crazy,” remembers the soft-spoken Coulibaly, smiling. “My parents were like, Now this is serious!”

Three weeks later, Brad Stevens was seated courtside at the Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan, the Mets arena. The president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics was attending an off-season game between the Mets and Le Portel. People were whispering, Is he there for Victor [Wembanyama]? No. Bilal Coulibaly was the only reason for Stevens’ appearance. But sadly, he was injured.

“I was so upset,” says the native of Courbevoie. “And then I thought others would come, it gave me a boost. I knew that I could be this year’s revelation in the French championship. Whenever I step foot on the court, I’m all in…The NBA is the main objective. Before it was a dream, now it’s a goal.”

After Stevens, a flurry of scouts and NBA executives attended his U21 games, eager to watch him play with the pros.

Patience was key. Vincent Collet, the head coach of the Mets and the French national team, had a plan. Coulibaly would be ready around December.

“It’s his first year as a pro, so we had to go slowly,” explains Collet. “Everything looks easy when you watch him play. He is graceful. Bilal has been blessed with superior athletic abilities. He learns fast, he is smart, he feels the game, you tell him something once and he gets it. Bilal has a ways to go but he is gifted.”

Coulibaly’s relationship with basketball is the typical Euro prospect story. Rejected by soccer (because the team was full), he fell in love with the orange ball at first sight—he was 10 years old at the time, playing for Courbevoie. “My first mentor was Manu De Carvalho. He coached Evan Fournier, he taught me everything I know,” says Coulibaly.

“Bilal is one of the most talented players I have had the chance to coach,” explains De Carvalho. “He is smart, he works, he is humble, he has that drive to become a beautiful player. In my team, he could score 40, 50 points easily. I challenged him all the time. During this quarter, you will only be able to use your left hand. During the next quarter, you will only make plays for your teammates.”

At 13, Coulibaly joined Levallois’ youth system. The transition from Courbevoie to the Mets was a slow process with some ups and downs. Between the age of 15 and 17, he had a huge growth spurt, gaining 8.6 inches—going from 5-6 all the way to 6-3. “I was able to adapt to this new height pretty fast,” recalls Coulibaly. The spurt happened during the COVID lockdown—sports was on hold during the pandemic, so Coulibaly didn’t have to play any competitive basketball, giving him time to adjust to his body’s sudden growth. By 2021, then 17 years old, Coulibaly was now a different player, ready to dominate U21.

Last summer, Coulibaly got his high school degree and his parents gave their blessing—sort of— to pursue hoops fully. You can try that basketball thingy for a year and then we will see. Meanwhile, Collet had always envisioned the defensive impact Coulibaly could have at the pro level.

At first, the humble Coulibaly was too respectful toward the veterans during practice, until something clicked. “I [eventually had to] understand that I had to be physical, it was the only way I could improve and gain their respect,” he says in retrospect. Collet had him slowly test the waters regularly until the Mets coach decided in mid-January that Coulibaly was ready for a full dive. No more U21 games.

A force on defense in the Betclic Elite French championship thanks to his lateral quickness, Coulibaly is now drawing eyeballs. He cuts for an easy dunk, or a powerful tip-in, or to set himself up for a three pointer. He’s been playing major minutes for a Mets team aiming for the title this season.

“He is our X factor,” notes teammate Victor Wembanyama. “An all-terrain weapon, he can posterize a player and on the very next play block him. Players keep on underestimating him because he is young…They go for a layup thinking they are safe and they get annihilated. Every game he does something crazy. I think he is the player I’m looking for the most on the court.”

Wembanyama and Coulibaly share the same agents, Bouna Ndiaye and Jérémy Medjana, but they go way back. Together, they won the U13 French championship with Hauts-de-Seine selection in 2017. Their coach? Manu De Calvahro, Bilal’s mentor. It’s a small world, indeed. “We have a chance to win the Betclic Elite after winning the U13,” adds Wembanyama. “That would be unique.”

When you ask Coulibaly about his best game as a pro, he gets really excited to talk about it. “Dijon, [Matt] Mobley was killing us. We did a box and one, Coach put me on him and I was able to contain him, force him into taking bad shots. I was so in tune defensively. People talk about the 14 points I had that night but, defensively, that game was something else. That’s when I realized I could become a great defensive player.”

Coulibaly, who admits to studying Paul George, knows he needs to improve his shooting mechanics. People want him to be more selfish, to break plays. It will come in time.

“Patience,” preaches Collet.

Then again, last September, the 2024 NBA Draft was the goal. Now, Coulibaly is a potential first-round pick for next month’s draft instead.

NBA scouts attending the Mets games are all smiles these days when you bring up Coulibaly’s name.

“I can’t really talk,” says one scout for an Eastern Conference team. “But if we are all here while some of us have no chance to get the other guy [Wembanyama], it means that he is pretty good, right?”

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Meet Bilal Coulibaly—Potentially the 2023 NBA Draft’s Best Kept Secret appeared first on SLAM.

“To finally be able to call myself a champion after nine long months there [means a lot],” says Howard, who’s basking in a rare break between seasons, Jordan Brand promos and her other commitments. “All that hard work that we put in. Also, being a champion meant that it was time to come home. I was extra excited about that.”

The feeling of confetti on her face is something Howard would like to experience with the Dream. “We were only one game out of the playoffs,” says the silky 2-guard, who averaged 16.2 points and 4.5 boards while knocking down a rookie-record 85 three-pointers. “This year, I expect us to be a playoff team and make a good run.”

Rhyne Howard is the future of the WNBA. Get your copy of SLAM 244.

To better its chances of seeing the postseason for the first time since 2018, Atlanta went out and got Allisha Gray from Dallas. The team also selected Stanford star Haley Jones and South Carolina forward Laeticia Amihere in the 2023 WNBA Draft. With the revamped roster, Howard sees the Dream’s future starting to take shape. “A lot of people are still questioning if we have enough [talent] or if we have that chemistry,” she says, “but I’m definitely excited about what we have in store.”

Does anybody have some gum? The images of Howard spinning a ball on her finger at the SLAM photo shoot are dope, but something’s still a little bit off. Rhyne’s mom, Rhvonja “RJ” Avery, says it’s gum that’s missing. Rhyne loves blowing bubbles when she spins. Someone finds the Dream star a few pieces of Bubblicious. The pics immediately start poppin’. Moms just know these things. 

Howard smiles when she chews gum and, really, just in general. But you’d never know it based off an on-court persona that comes off stoic and standoffish to some. Yeah, she’ll give you the Griddy on TikTok, but you won’t get much else during a game. “Say less, play more” has long been her MO.

But just because Howard doesn’t flex on ’em doesn’t mean she’s without emotion. “She comes off as very shy, but the kid is not shy,” says second-year Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright. “She has a funniness and humor about her that’s pretty cool. She’s not loud and she’s not boisterous, but she has a quiet competitiveness that comes out when it needs to come out at game time.”

When Howard hears of her coach’s comments, she adds, “I am shy. It affects how [people] talk to me. They’ll be scared to come up to me. I’m very open. I will talk to you. I won’t speak first, but I’ll have a conversation with you. I’ll joke and laugh. But I am going to feel you out a little bit just to see. But I feel like a lot of people are intimidated because I always look straight-faced.” 

Most parents know if their child has what it takes to be a standout in a sport. Avery certainly knew way back in the day when Howard was hooping as a child. When the other kids were frantically doing jumping jacks in front of the inbound passer, Rhyne’s mom was watching her daughter patiently scan the scene, looking to see how she could make a steal. 

“When she was 7, we were living in Virginia,” says Avery. “I was watching her play in a co-ed rec league. She’s already surveyed everything, trying to be one-up on [the opponent]. You can’t teach that.” 

By the time Howard was in eighth grade and living in Cleveland, TN, she was good enough to be on the high school varsity team. The squad’s first game of the season was the same night as the eighth-grade dance. Howard skipped the formal to suit up for the game. Even though she never put on a dress, she was still named queen of the dance. She didn’t have to make a choice between playing ball and going to one in high school. Different times of the year. She went to the prom. Won queen again. 

Though Purdue, South Carolina and Florida (where Avery herself once played) were attractive options for Howard’s next stop, Kentucky just felt different. Like her mom said, “It was far enough away, but not too far from home. It was a great fit for her because she could go in and make her mark.” With then-UK women’s head coach Matthew Mitchell at the helm, the locker room had a familial feel, too. Howard dug that. The Wildcats went 84-37 with three NCAA Tournament appearances while she was there.

It was at Lexington where Howard also befriended Terrence Clarke, the talented shooting guard out of Massachusetts. The two hit it off instantly. “When a men’s player comes to Kentucky,” Howard explains, “most likely they’re going to be one and done. They’re not going to have a lot of time and not going to have a lot of friends to hang out with. The first time I met [Clarke] was actually in the training room. He came in singin’ and stuff. I was like, Keep going. Go ahead. He actually ended up telling me that I was one of the first people besides his teammates to actually talk to him and be his friend.”

Howard continues, “They were having a rough season at the time. We were having a rough season. We would just go to the mall and just hang out and be there for each other and just talk and figure out what’s going on. Just being that ear, being that friend that we both needed.” She was big sis. He was lil’ bro. 

Clarke tragically passed away in April 2021 in a car accident only a few months before the NBA Draft. “It really hit hard when he was gone,” says Howard. “But I keep him alive when I play. I keep him alive all the time. I talk to his mom, too, just to check in on her. I’m actually going to send her this jersey and this magazine when it comes out. Just being able to have him as a part of my life, even for just a short amount of time, was a blessing. I wish everybody could find somebody like that.”

With her rookie season over and the franchise’s future in her hands, Howard knows that her voice may need to get louder in team huddles. Jones and Amihere are certainly going to lean on her for first-year guidance. Just about everybody in the Dream’s Gateway Center Arena will be depending on No. 10 when the team is down in crunch time.

“It makes your life easier as a coach because you know you have a player that’s capable of doing things that can help you win basketball games,” Wright says about Howard, who scored 20+ on 11 occasions her rookie year. “She definitely makes my life easier. But at times, you rely on her and you forget that you’re a team. That’s always an important piece that you have to keep in mind. We can’t just wait around and watch her go to work. We have to do it as a collective.”

One area where Coach Wright will be watching Howard more is on defense. An SEC All-Defensive Team member in 2020 and top five in the WNBA in steals a year ago, Howard can be a dawg on that end, too. “I’d love to see her utilize more of her tools,” says Wright. “She’s gotta expect more from herself on that side. She’s capable of doing much more than just catching and shooting.”

Howard agrees. “[Playing] overseas showed that I can be way more active than what I have been,” she says. “For the most part, I just use my length and my IQ to get a steal or get in the passing lane. But overseas, I was actually guarding the other team’s best player and doing a pretty good job, if I have to say so myself.”

Her mother takes things a step further. “She actually set her sights on doing what Candace Parker did,” says Avery, alluding to Parker’s ridiculous ’08 rookie campaign where she won almost every conceivable award, including League MVP. “I think she could be on that path to exceed Candace Parker and Breanna Stewart. She loves all of them, but she’s so competitive that she’s going to work to compete and be better.”

This whole magazine is dedicated to what’s next in the sport, right? When this generational talent gets her defensive game to match one of the most complete offensive packages in the League, mark our words: The future looks bright for the Dream and downright nightmarish for the rest of the WNBA. 

“I want to continue being that dog on the court that everyone says I am,” she says. “Continue to take accountability and have that consistency that I’ve been having. It only goes up from here.”

AVAILABLE ON SLAMGOODS

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post Atlanta Dream’s Rhyne Howard is Going to be a Nightmare in the WNBA appeared first on SLAM.

Our latest issue of SLAM 244 is stacked and spotlights the rising young stars that are showing out, cool as hell and making waves on and off the court as the face of their own brands and team franchises. As for the style icons of the NBA, the entire LeagueFits Award list is featured in this magazine, as well as classics like SLAMadamonth, Kicks and more. Stay tuned for more.

Emerging star Scoot Henderson has been a pro since he was 17, so trust that he’s ready. Ready for the spotlight. Ready for the pressure. Ready for the League.

If you thought WNBA Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard’s first season was scary, wait until you see what’s next.

Fresh off one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in recent memory, Paolo Banchero has just one goal in mind: bring a winning culture back to the Orlando Magic. 

The post The Future Issue: Scoot Henderson, Rhyne Howard and Paolo Banchero appeared first on SLAM.

Step inside Scoot Henderson’s world. The first thing you might notice, right as you get to the front doors of the Next Play 360 training center in Georgia, is a giant photo decal of him on the window. He’s wearing his white G League Ignite uniform and holding a basketball. From a certain angle, it looks like he’s charging full speed ahead on the court, maybe even directly at you. 

The facility, which is run by the Henderson family, is where we filmed Scoot’s “Day in the Life” video just two years ago. Back then, Scoot was rockin’ a fro and dominating at Carlton J. Kell High School as the No. 1 ranked point guard in the Class of 2022. He became the youngest pro hooper in the United States when he signed a two-year deal with the G League Ignite as a junior. Then, at 18, he inked a multi-year endorsement deal with PUMA that was reportedly the richest shoe contract ever signed by a non-draft-eligible player. 

It’s April and Scoot is now 19. He just played two years with the NBA G League Ignite, where he averaged 14.3 points his first season, and then appeared in 19 games this year before he was shut down for the remainder of the season. The Marietta native has come a long way from just seeing his name “on social media sites” as a highly touted prospect. He’s being projected as a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Mock drafts have him going as high as top three. 

Scoot Henderson covers SLAM 244. Get your copy here.

When his reps offer us the chance to watch a private workout with his trainers, we get to see what all the attention has been about. There’s a few PUMA reps in the gym with us, but otherwise, no videos or photos are allowed. It feels quite literally like a moment to remember: watching a shirtless Scoot, who now has slickback braids and a fresh cut, driving to the basket. When you see how explosive and insanely athletic he is, you understand why he’s earned comparisons to Russell Westbrook. When he takes off and dunks the ball, he just stays up there for a moment, hanging on the rim. 

Suddenly it hits you. There’s no need to wonder what the future of basketball will look like when it’s standing right in front of you.

Later, Scoot reveals what he envisions for his own destiny. “I see a big house. Family. NBA. All-Star. Rings. MVPs, DPOYs, Rookie of the Year. Whatever I can achieve, I know what it takes to get there. I know it’s not an easy route at all, but I think I’m the man to do that.”

Looking around the gym, Scoot’s motto, “ODD,” is plastered on the wall. It stands for “Overly Determined to Dominate.” He says he made it up on the spot one day. 

“I’m like, Dang, I need a slogan. Like, it really came about [based on] my journey to where I am now: it was unorthodox and unheard of and very odd. So I’m thinking of ‘odd’ and I’m like, Hmm, some O-words that just describe me. I work hard, so I just came up with ‘overly determined to dominate.’ That’s kind of just how I view my competition, I want to be overly determined to dominate the competition. Not just that, it applies to life as well—to dominate that day.” 

Anyone close to Scoot will tell you that he’s ready in every aspect of the word. Ready for the spotlight and the responsibility. Ready for the League. Ignite teammate and veteran Pooh Jeter, who has known Scoot since he was 17, repeats it over the phone. “He’s so mature at this age, and just ready,” Jeter tells us. 

After dominating in the G, Scoot has only gotten more prepared. Physically, he’s ripped—Jeter brings up a running joke about whether Scoot puts muscle milk in his cereal. He can handle the moment, too. When he matched up against Victor Wembanyama and the Metropolitans 92 in an exhibition game, he hit a three right over the 7-4 French anomaly in the first quarter. Later, he scored on a reverse layup, showing everyone that he’s lethal with the ball in his hands from anywhere on the floor. “He just took off after that,” Jeter says. “The whole world was talking about Scoot.” 

The Ignite has proven to be the perfect launching pad for Scoot’s career. Not every 17-year-old can handle leaving home and moving all the way to Nevada, not to mention dealing with the attention and pressure that comes with being a top NBA draft prospect. And yet, Jeter has noticed how Scoot is moving like a pro now, too. He leaves his phone in the locker room during practice, is one of the first people in the gym and has learned how to handle things like injuries or coming off the bench. “I’m just feeling prepared,” Scoot says.

“Everything I’m doing right now and leading into the draft, the biggest goal in my life right now is getting there. And I feel pretty prepared. I’m training right now, getting my mind right, my breathing right. I was a pro for two years, so I just feel prepared [for] my dream. And I think I’m ready.” 

His family has seen the shift in him, too, especially older sister China (Scoot is the second youngest of seven siblings). She remembers when he was little and would wake at 6 a.m. before football games singing his team’s song, “We Will Rock You,” and stomping his feet to the rhythm. Fast forward to now and Scoot is still always dialed in, whether on the court or discussing business with the family. 

“[His mindset] is completely different compared to myself at that age, and just your average 18, 19-year-old,” China says. “So to kind of see him transition from when he first came on at 16, 17,
and then to now, it’s like, OK, now you’re speaking about grown adult things. Now you want to be put into certain rooms. At first, [his] focus was, OK, I just need to make it to the NBA. Now you see yourself as an entire entity, [and it’s like], How can I leverage this relationship versus this relationship? Just those conversations are kind of mind blowing to me.” 

I want to be the best point guard to ever play the game.

— Scoot Henderson on His Future

Spend an afternoon with the Hendersons and you can tell just how incredibly tight-knit the family is. On set, China is with Scoot the entire time, supporting him and sharing her thoughts on different outfits. But when the cameras are on, everyone just lets Scoot rock. He’s energetic and playful, like any 19-year-old; he watches The Boondocks and Rick and Morty, and prefers listening to his own music on set—he takes over the aux as soon as the shoot starts and mainly plays rap. Then there’s the Scoot that’s a bit of an old soul—he’s into reading and listening to old-school jams like Mary J. Blige’s “My Life.” While filming SLAM’s “Bag Talk,” Scoot even sings it a capella. His sisters Onyx and Diamond say that they all have an inside joke about the time Diamond called Scoot “Old Man.” Scoot will sometimes repeat it over and over again while laughing hysterically.

He’s also very into fashion and has fun trying different looks during the shoot, from going shirtless and wearing knitted shorts and black shades to pulling off an oversized mustard-colored floral jacket with his own pair of burnt orange flared pants. “That flair is kind of the same thing that I have on the court,” Scoot tells SLAM. “You just got to be confident—fashion is something you got to be confident with.” 

While wearing his white G League Ignite uniform, Scoot puts on his blinged out chain that reads, “CAVEAT,” which means warning. When we ask Scoot about what kind of legacy he wants to leave in the League, he says it so confidently that it sounds almost like one, too.

“I want to be the best point guard to ever play the game. That’s the legacy I want to leave behind. I’ve always thought to myself, how they say, you know, MJ and Kobe and those guys…I just want to kind of show people that like, you can be great no matter where you’re from. No matter how old you are, you could do what you got to do, as long as you put your mind to it. And you’d be ODD.”

This is the Future Issue, but really, we’re all living in a new era of basketball where hoopers like Scoot are entire “entities,” as China puts it, meaning they’re brands with endorsement deals, shoe contracts and blue checks on social media. For Scoot, that new era means posing for photo shoots like this one and designing his own PUMA All Pro Nitro colorway (which we got a sneak peek of while on set). Scoot says the blue, red and checkerboard details all pay homage to the Marietta Diner in his hometown. 

He’s also been tapping into his creativity through acting, starring in the recent biopic Shooting Stars about LeBron James and his early years at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School with his childhood best friends and teammates. Scoot, who plays Romeo Travis, says he was nervous at first. Looking at him on-screen, though, it looks like he’s done this before. 

“First take I was like, Yo, I’m in a movie for real. This is crazy. It was kind of nerve-racking, but I got over it really fast.”

Every kid grows up dreaming of playing in the NBA or starring in a movie one day, but few ever actually do. Then there are the ones who believe limits don’t exist. “I always envisioned myself being a pro, being a household name,” Scoot says. “I wanted to do everything. I didn’t want anybody to limit me to anything, like, limit me to being a football player or a basketball player. Right now I’m doing whatever I can. Whatever opportunity comes, I’m taking it.”

What happens next, in the actual future, is up to him. This next generation of stars isn’t just ready for the moment; they are the moment. Scoot knows what he needs to do to capitalize on the journey ahead once he gets to the League. “I plan on dominating by learning quickly, by having confidence,” he tells us. “I think that’s just the biggest thing for rookies. You know, LaMelo [Ball] came in and did what he had to do. Ant Man [Anthony Edwards] came in and did what [he] had to do. Paolo [Banchero]—obviously [he] had the Rookie of the Year and they did what they had to do because they were confident in themselves, they were confident in the work they put in, they were confident in their environment. And that’s just how I’m gonna go in.

I’m gonna go with my own flair and my own personality, and my own culture built up, and I’m gonna go in there confident. And that’s how I plan to maneuver my way up in the NBA.”

He knows it’s not just about him though. That’s something Jeter has told Scoot as he gets ready for this next chapter. “I always say, Whatever your pick [in the draft] is, it’s what you do after that. That’s how you create that [next] generation,” Jeter explains.

When the Ignite were in L.A. for their last game against the South Bay Lakers, Jeter remembers Scoot telling him that he wanted to go with him to his 8-year-old son EJ’s baseball game. “My youngest who’s 4, instead of Whoomp there it is, he’ll be like, Scoot there it is! That’s who [Scoot] is!” 

After our shoot wraps up and everyone is getting ready to leave, we notice that most of the young players trickling into the gym are wearing PUMA Stewie 1s. It’s another glimpse of the future, of Scoot’s impact. How he, and his family, are just as invested in future generations to come. “That’s always been my dream,” Scoot says. “For little kids to look up to me and just be there for anything.” 

The future has never looked brighter. 

Portraits: Diwang Valdez

Styling: Ian Pierno // Assistant: Kai Mac 

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The post Scoot Henderson is on a Mission to Become the Best NBA Point Guard Ever appeared first on SLAM.

Curry and top NBA Draft prospect Scoot Henderson have announced that they will form a “groundbreaking mentorship and strategic alliance,” that will focus on basketball, business, media and having a social impact.

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Henderson, who is a projected top lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, starred on the G League Ignite throughout his two years and averaged 18.3 points, 6.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game this past season. As he continues to ascend on the court, Henderson is just as dedicated to his impact off of it. His family is currently based in Marietta, GA and is passionate about making an impact in their community—they run Next Play 360°, a non-profit organization in Georgia that’s provides both youth basketball programing and STEM education for underrepresented K-12 students throughout the Metro Atlanta region.

In addition to mentoring Scoot, the alliance will also extend to his younger sister, Crystal “Moochie” Henderson, who was just named the Georgia State Player of the Year, as well as the entire Henderson family.

“I have been watching Scoot and his family for a while now, and I am beyond impressed with what he has accomplished thus far, and excited to watch him take control of his future and grow,” says Stephen Curry via an official press release. “Our values are deeply aligned when it comes to prioritizing family, hard work and appreciating the blessings in our lives. I firmly believe that what he and the Henderson Family are building is transformative and will change the narrative for how athletes and their families leverage their influence. I truly admire that we share a common interest and commitment to promoting equity and access for athletes through youth sports and empowering the next generation. As I look towards the future of the NBA and the broader world of sports, Scoot embodies the next evolution of the game over the years, demonstrating the importance of playing for something greater than oneself.”

As a four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP and businessman and entrepreneur, Curry has made waves across multiple industries, including Unanimous Media, Eat. Learn. Play., Curry Brand and UNDERRATED Golf and Basketball. Henderson says he’s just as hyped to gain support and learn from Curry, especially as he gets ready to launch his career and grow his own enterprise.

“I am so excited to establish this one-of-a-kind strategic alliance with Stephen and his team,” says Scoot Henderson. “This is an incredible opportunity and a dream come true for me, as I have grown up watching Stephen on and off the court, admiring him from afar as he disrupted the game and built empowering businesses over the past decade. His accomplishments are inspiring, and I want to learn from Stephen and the team he has assembled and take the reins of my own future. Stephen has such a profound impact on people and his community, and his humanity and unwavering humility are evident. As we embark on this new journey, I look forward to learning and growing together, while focusing on becoming the best version of myself, in basketball, business and beyond.”

Photo via Noah Graham for SC30 Inc.

The post Stephen Curry Will Mentor Top NBA Draft Prospect Scoot Henderson, Providing Support in Basketball, Media and Social Impact appeared first on SLAM.

In Porretta Terme, Italy, an entire small town is connected to the spirit and oneness of basketball. It’s there that filmmakers documented The Church of Basketball, a short film about how their community is celebrating their love and spiritual connection with the game.

From hosting the first-ever celebration in honor of the patron saint of basketball to having an entire church dedicated to the game— where people play for a good season, a jumpshot and healed injuries—this film captures how basketball truly can elevate the human soul.

Check it out below.

The film includes appearances from local people in the town, as well as NYU Professor David Hollander, author of “How Basketball Can Save the World” (read here). Even from thousands of miles away, Hollander shares compelling stories of how he and his students got involved in supporting the community in Porretta Terme and more.

The post WATCH: ‘The Church of Basketball’ Captures How a Small Town in Italy is Deeply Connected to the Game appeared first on SLAM.

Directed by David Parfitt, a new documentary feature, Eight Nations, captures Team World Vision, the team that represents the United States, and their journey to the Eight Nations tournament in 2018.

Set in Suzhou, China, the film gives full access to their quest to becoming champions—from overcoming personal challenges to having to pull together as a team. Check out the trailer below.

Throughout the four episodes, Eight Nations tells a compelling story through elite game footage, reflective one-on-one interviews with players and coaches, as well as the ultimate heroic story about how far players will go to chase their dreams. Watch more here.

Photos by Shixin Lei for Atlas Sports.

The post WATCH ‘Eight Nations’: New Film Follows Team World Vision on their Quest to Becoming Champions appeared first on SLAM.

Quickley is actually so dialed in that he forgets to do his own warm-up entirely. “I was just watching him shoot the whole time, and he was making every single shot,” the Knicks guard tells us.

It’s been three years since, but this season, it’s Quickley who has had plenty of eyes on him. The Havre de Grace, MD, native emerged as a finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award (finishing second in voting) while averaging career highs in field-goal percentage and points per game as the Knicks headed into the playoffs. As a starter, Quickley stepped up big in the final weeks of the regular season while Jalen Brunson was out with an injury: he had a career-high 38 points against the Celtics on March 5 and a 40-ball against the Rockets at the end of the month.

All that momentum continued when Quickley dropped 39 points and hit 7 threes against the Pacers on April 5. Two days later, his phone suddenly started blowing up with notifications of people tagging him on Instagram—Damian Lillard had just endorsed him for 6MOY. 

“Just knowing that [an] NBA superstar is vouching for you is something that’s pretty cool,” Quickly says. He first got connected to Dame during his rookie year through Knicks assistant coach Johnnie Bryant and says the NBA All-Star has given him advice on “working hard and believing in the work.” 

While the award ultimately went to the Celtics’ Malcolm Brogdon, the moment is a testament to Quickley’s commitment. 

Then there are the words of wisdom he received from Stephen Curry. During what Quickley calls a “tough time where I couldn’t make any shots,” he decided to reach out to Curry and pick his brain. He asked the four-time NBA champ for his opinion on shooting when a player thinks they’re in a slump or not playing well. 

He got a reply, and the recording is almost three minutes long. In it, Quickley can hear the sound of a car’s windshield wipers and blinker lights in the background as Curry recorded his message: 

“Honestly, shooting is all confidence. Even if you miss some shots, your confidence shouldn’t change because you could miss 50 shots in a row, but if you know you’re still a shooter, you’re still a shooter. That doesn’t change.” 

Quickley still has the recording saved on his phone. He says he listens to it all the time.

“He’s the greatest shooter ever, why would I not listen to it as many times as I can?”

In times when shots haven’t been falling like he’d want them to, Quickley has still managed to channel Curry’s advice. After going scoreless in Game 4 in the first round of the playoffs this spring, he dropped 19 points in a series-clinching Game 5 win against the Cavs. 

“It’s part of the game, as far as, you know, shots not falling,” Quickley says. “But that’s never a reason to not play hard or not play defense or keep encouraging your teammates and things like that. So that’s something I’ve learned at a young age, and it’s something I’ve kept with me through the NBA.”

Another part of his approach is positive affirmations. Quickley says he’ll say things to himself while on the court, like, The next shot is going in. “I talk to myself like I’m my best friend,” he says.

But more than anything, it’s his faith that plays the most important role in his life. He still does 15 minute Bible studies with his mom whenever he needs and has pastors that he’s known throughout his life who give him words of encouragement throughout the season. He also has a scripture from Romans 8:28 as the screensaver on his phone: We know that all things work together for the good of those that love him and are called according to His purpose. 

In discussing the things he’s learned about himself over the last year, Quickly sounds wiser than his years: “I think the biggest thing for me is I’m just much more aware, spiritually, of when I’m not doing enough. Sometimes, we can get caught up throughout our day or throughout working out. We can get busy.”

Before games, Quickley will sometimes listen to a church service. “I think, for me, definitely just seeing the bigger picture [has] helped me to lock in and [to] always remember the reason that I’m playing basketball and who’s giving me the gift that I’m able to share with others.” 

He’s hip to legendary gospel singer Kirk Franklin and is an avid listener, comparing his game to Franklin’s music because of it’s upbeat style (“Just good vibes,” he says). He’s had moments this year—like his 38-point performance against the Celtics in double overtime—where he’s found his rhythm on offense and was simply just having fun with it all. That’s really when he’s playing at his best, and he is not the type to hesitate showing it. 

“Honestly, when I’m having those big games, it kind of feels like I’m at the park playing with my friends. There was a game against Boston, I made that layup and I was skipping down the floor. Some people think that I’m just, you know, being funny, but I was honestly just having so much fun that game that I just started skipping down the court.

“Before the game even started, I knew I was gonna have fun whether I played good or not,” he adds. “And that kind of just propelled me to have that game because I had that mindset of, you know, just having fun on a nationally televised game. I knew I was gonna have a fun night.” 

Since Day 1 of training camp, and even going back to the summer, Quickley says his mindset has always been to “just have a great year.” Despite what happens next or how far the Knicks go in this year’s playoffs, it’s a fact that the Knicks have become one of the most fun teams to watch this season—and Quickley is a major reason why. 

“Really, I feel like it’s the joy that I play with [is] where it shows the most—unselfishness, togetherness, unity,” he says” “All of those things kind of embody what it means to me to be playing and the gift that God has given me.”

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post Immanuel Quickley Opens Up On How Faith Has Helped Him Level Up This Season appeared first on SLAM.

“My Turn is my favorite,” he tells SLAM of Lil Baby’s 2020 album. “There’s no misses on that album.”

It’s poetically fitting for Hendricks, who has meteorically risen up the mock drafts to become one of the top prospects of his class.

The last time UCF made a splash like this in the men’s basketball world, they had a 7-6 giant named Tacko Fall wandering their Orlando campus. But even in his four years, Fall never sniffed the heights that Hendricks has reached as a freshman.

In fact, no other hooper in the 43-year history of the American Athletic Conference has achieved what Hendricks has when he became the only player to notch seven consecutive Freshman of the Week honors while leading the Knights in points (15.1 ppg), blocks (59), rebounds (7 rpg) and total minutes played (1,179).

Translation: the Fort Lauderdale native is crushing it.

“It always feels good to leave a legacy, but coming in, I wasn’t expecting it or thinking about any of it,” he says. “I just came here to play my best and keep growing my game.”

As a projected first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Hendricks is showing that his ceiling (and literal vertical ability) is higher than most predicted. 

The four-star recruit wasn’t charted to be a potential lottery pick, despite being the most prized basketball prospect in the school’s history—declining offers from Miami, LSU, Iowa State, Florida and Florida State before committing to the lesser-known UCF.

“Something that has helped me throughout my basketball career is not really caring about rankings,” he says. “Sometimes that can mess you up, so I just focused on playing basketball the right way.”

A disruptive defender on the wing? Check. Spot-up shooter from deep? Hendricks got you covered there. High-flying tomahawk off the fastbreak? Hendricks will serve one right up. Rebounder who can bang in the paint? He does that, too.

With his twin brother Tyler—a freshman guard—at his side, Taylor is locked in on his teamplay and work ethic, sharpening himself like a veritable Swiss Army knife. For a hooper who didn’t make the McDonald’s All American Game cut, he has surely looked like he can run with the best of them. 

And he’s no stranger to success, either, having teamed up with current Toronto Raptor Scottie Barnes and Washington Wizard Vernon Carey Jr to win a state title in high school.

Now, this 19-year-old is on the verge of reaching his own NBA dreams. It’s his turn.

“They want me to be the guy. I told ’em that I’m ready to do it.”

Photos via Getty Images.

The post UCF’s Taylor Hendricks is Putting Everyone on Notice as a Projected Lottery Pick in the 2023 NBA Draft appeared first on SLAM.

The AEC has built an extensive alumni base of top-tier players, including McDonald’s All-Americans, major D1 college stars, and current NBA and WNBA players.

This year’s AEC game features the following top Boys & Girls from across the country: 

ACES® is a storytelling platform for athletes to authentically share their stories through products, brand collaborations and events. It was founded by former pro hooper turned CEO, Brian Kortovich, who joined the ranks of Kevin Durant and Dr. J, Joe “The Destroyer” Hammond, when he won a scoring title at Rucker Park in the summer of 2012. Since its inception, ACES has always been rooted into the heart of hoops culture, which continues this year as they spotlight some of the nation’s best high school basketball players. 

“ACES was born from the grassroots of basketball, earning its way into hoops cultural relevance by allowing athletes to tell their stories, augment their brands, while bringing local communities together through our annual events, such as the upcoming ACES Elite Classic (AEC), our annual High School All-American Games,” says Founder and CEO Brian Kortovich. AEC consistently attracts the top ranked high school players in the country to New York City and empowers them with a platform to showcase their talents  on a national level, organically share their stories and expand their opportunities. We look forward to building upon that tradition this year.”

Over the past few year’s, the ACES talent showcase has featured standout participants including UConn and SLAM 235 co-cover star Azzi Fudd and NCAA national champions in both Kansas’ Kyle Cuffe Jr and LSU’s Katie Poole. In the past, Jahvon “JQ” Quinerly from Alabama, Minnesota Timberwolves’ center Naz Reid, Orlando Magic’s PG Cole Anthony, Los Angeles Lakers’ forward Mo Bamba, Pelicans’ PG Jose Alvarado, Warriors’ SF Johnathan Kuminga, Charlotte Hornets’ SG James Bouknight, and the No. 3 pick by the Dallas Wings in this this year’s WNBA Draft, Villanova standout Maddie Siegrist—to name a few. 

The post Nation’s Best to Compete in the ACES Elite Classic in NYC on May 10 appeared first on SLAM.

But admittedly, the 37-year-old is still dealing with the narrative that followed him throughout his 16 years in the NBA. 

“Even when I go on the golf course now, I feel like people still have a misconception of who I am,” Smith says over Zoom. “Even if they know I play golf, I still feel like they still expect me to act a certain way [as] opposed to, like, just a regular dude out here playing golf, you know what I’m saying? Oh, We’re gonna take shots at the golf course, we’re doing this, we’re doing that. It’s like, Nah, we playing golf! Like, the music ain’t blasting, I’m being respectful to the game, I’m being respectful to people in my group, to the caddies. I don’t know what you would think it was. And it’s hard for me because it’s like again, I get caught up in that.” 

“That” would be the countless headlines from his time in L.A., New York, Denver and most definitely Cleveland. After the Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Championship, Smith earned the nickname “Henny God” for carrying a bottle of alcohol in his hands and then being shirtless during the parade (Smith clarified on the “The Warzone” that it was actually champagne).  

Despite the fact that he was a certified bucket, set multiple three-point records, won two championships and a Sixth Man of the Year award, the jokes continued. In 2021, a TikTok of him on the NCAT circulated on social media, with one student noting he was “probably off the Henny right now.”  

After picking up golf 14 years ago at a fundraiser while he was with the Nuggets, Smith is stepping into a new chapter, both as a student-athlete and the co-host of a new golf podcast, “Par 3.” Here, he talks with SLAM about his NBA days, what it’s like to still be misunderstood and life on the links.

SLAM: When you were in the League, there were a lot of misconceptions about you. How did you deal with that?

SMITH: I deal with it to this day, honestly. People already have so many misconceptions of who I am and so many things that they already have an opinion about before they even meet me. Men and women still tell me to this day, I didn’t think you were like that. Like, I thought you were way more arrogant or way more, you know, just self absorbed or something like that. It’s just, no. I mean, I acknowledge that there are other people out here in this world and it’s not just about me. I understand everybody has feelings and emotions and everything else. 

I almost questioned myself like, What persona am I giving off that people have this type of perception of me? Because if y’all really think that I’m like that and then when you finally meet me you’re like, shell shocked, it’s like, Damn, you know? So for me, I kind of questioned myself and took it back to like, Yo, you gotta make sure you on your Ps and Qs, because so many people are watching, and it’s influencing so many different people in a way that even I can’t even control because if I had it my way, it wouldn’t go the way it’s gone. 

SLAM: Is that a realization that you’ve come to since your pro career ended, or did you feel that way while you were playing, too? 

SMITH: I thought about it more throughout my career because it was, for me, once it got out of hand, it’s like, there’s not so much I can say. My platform wasn’t as big as it is now; there weren’t these platforms where people could really [be in] touch with me and have a better type of understanding of who I am or whatnot. It was literally only what the coaches were saying, if you were a superstar player or the GM. And there wasn’t an outlet for the sixth man or the seventh, eighth, ninth man on the bench and stuff like that. There weren’t any podcasts and interviews and Instagrams to really have that link—or touch—with the fans.

So you can have way more ways to, you know, express yourself and give people a better understanding. For me, it was always, Oh, he’s the bad guy. And everybody was like, Oh OK, well he’s the bad guy. And it was like, Alright, well, did you even take time to know who the bad guy is, where he’s from, what he’s about? You just know that this person told you that he’s the bad guy and y’all just run with it. It’s been like that for so long. Even when I played for the Knicks, the media really ran that team. We had one of the best seasons we’ve had and then one person says something about the coach and then all of a sudden it’s like, Well, he’s got to go. It’s like, Yo, how do you fire the best coach that we’ve had for so long? Just because you want to listen to what somebody in the media is talking about, as opposed to people who actually know the game, the success of the game. You get into that political game and it’s like, what do you do?

SLAM: If you played golf when you were younger, do you think you would have pursued golf or basketball?

SMITH: I probably would’ve chose golf.

SLAM: Wow. Why?

SMITH: I feel like it’s way more on you. I think basketball is very easy to not take the blame.

It’s like, Oh, well they weren’t making shots. I did my job, I had 25 to whatever my numbers were. Golf, nah, it ain’t none of that. This is all you, champ. It’s tough because even in golf, like little times you’ll see people get mad at the caddies and thinking the caddie is getting the wrong number or whatever. But at the end of the day, you hit that shit bro, don’t get mad at anybody else, that is on you! This is not that! And that’s what I love about the game so much, because it’s all accountability. That’s all it is. If you could be accountable for every shot you take and be able to bounce back from a bad shot to your next shot being a good shot, that’s what life is. For me, that’s all it’s about. And that’s where the game is, when you start playing the game like that, it’s like, Oh, OK. I feel like you have a better chance of figuring it out.

SLAM: What do you think is more of an adrenaline rush: knocking down threes in a playoff game or getting a hole in one?

SMITH: Yeah, I think it would be a hole in one. A hole in one is just a perfect swing. I mean, it’s crazy, because it really doesn’t have to be a perfect swing, where if you hit that shit and won. There’s very few people who do it. [Thinking about basketball again] I’m not gonna lie, I don’t know. That’s tough. I just thought about that Atlanta series and that’s tough. 

SLAM: What was more nerve-racking: walking onto the golf team at North Carolina A&T or going to the NBA combine or training camp? 

SMITH: Walking onto the team for sure because like hoop, no matter what, I’m used to being in the gym. I have routines, and regardless of whoever is in there, I don’t really care about—not that I don’t care about them, but I know that I spent so much time on this regardless of who’s out here. I know what I’m capable of, and I know what I’m going to do. But on the golf course, it don’t work like that. I know that at the end of the day, I can rely on my shooting, get into my step-back, going left or right. Defending. I know where I can hang my hat on the basketball court. On the golf side, it’s like one day it might be my driver, the next day it might be just my putt, the next day it might be my wedges. But it’s never all in unison. Basketball, because I’ve done it so much, it’s like, OK, this is easy, like I don’t even think about it no more. But now in golf, where you already don’t have that confidence, and then you add in competition and then you add in other people just watching and critiquing and it’s like…

SLAM: Does that frustrate you at all? To have played at the highest level in one sport and then pick up a different sport and have to build your skills? 

SMITH: No, I love it, because the expectations are so low for me. It’s like I really get to learn and ask all the dumb questions. I’m already a person who likes to ask questions. People always try to make you think that every question that you ask, it’s just like common sense. Like, well, if I’m asking you, it’s not common sense. Don’t make me feel dumb because I’m asking you this question, I don’t care what kind of question it is. If I’m asking you, then I genuinely wanna know, I’m not just asking you just to be an asshole just to be asking. I want to know.

I think a lot of times in this new world, we don’t have space to ask questions. Or not even ask questions, [but] for people to have the patience to answer questions.

SLAM: What’s your relationship like with basketball today? How do you feel about the game?

SMITH: Nah, I ain’t playing. Nah, I can’t afford to mess up my golf game. If I go out there and get hurt, I can’t afford it. If I can’t play golf, I’m miserable. I’m gonna stay in shape, I’m gonna do my yoga, I’m gonna do my stretching. I work on my flexibility more and my calisthenics. I do a little cardio here and there, but not as much anymore. But on the court, nah.

SLAM: Do you miss hooping at all? 

SMITH: I mean, I have golf, but it’s not the same. I definitely miss hooping. I love the game, and I feel like if I wanted to I still could [play], but I’m at a different point in my life where I’m like, I’m kind of glad I’m out of the hamster wheel. 

Portraits Atiba Jefferson, Action Photo Getty Images.

The post JR Smith Talks Golf and Dealing with the Narrative That’s Followed Him Throughout His Career appeared first on SLAM.

The white and black distorted color scheme of the Rucker Park Playground Pack celebrates the legendary court where games are played under the bright NYC streetlights and in the shadows of legends. Venice Beach Playground Pack gets the bright shades treatment with a multi-color motif that reflects the crazy colors under the sun beachside in Los Angeles. The MacGregor Park Playground Pack is a white-hot collection inspired by playing under the white tin roof in the heat of Houston’s classic court.  Crombie Park Playground Pack is a nod to the artistry of the hand painted walls of Toronto’s famous playground. Finally, the Pigalle Duperré Playground Pack celebrates the bright, geometric aesthetic of the famous court in Paris where the game is art. 

One of the most impressive things about the collection is the attention to detail. Materials, rich full grain leather, textures, color combinations, patterns – they all combine to make these shoes pop and it shows how much Crossover Culture carefully considers each design. 

Crossover Culture builds their performance sneakers on top of two different cushioning systems: LP2 and Twitch Foam. The LP2 system is proprietary midsole compound that does not breakdown and flatten out like traditional foams, this means the cushioning and bounce lasts longer than regular foams. The Sniper is one style that uses the LP2 cushioning – these have a plush feel upon first putting them on and then as you start playing, you’ll feel the Wishbone Suspension shank kick in which give you the sense of extra propulsion and stability at high speed. Twitch foam is the second cushioning system Crossover Culture uses – it is engineered to have high rebound and responsiveness while simultaneously absorbing shock upon landing. You’ll find Twitch Foam in the Mayhem, Antidote, and Varsity models. These three models each have a little different feel, but overall these feel more bouncy and all three have dual full length TPU shanks that add to the responsive feel underfoot. 

Basketball is a game that uniquely mixes style and performance, where every player brings their personal style and talents to the game on and off the court – an opportunity to show the world what makes you different. With the emergence of Crossover Culture (and their reputation for performance) hoopers now have a legit new option to rock, something truly different than everyone else. You can find these collections available at www.CrossoverCulture.com, Hibbett Sports, Tradehome, and other select retailers.

So is Crossover Culture a brand worth paying attention to? We think the answer is a definite yes. With a unique blend of proprietary technology, attention to detail, and legit performance, they might be next up in the basketball category – and we all know it’s long past time for something new in this space! Grab a pair and let us know what you think.

The post A Look at the Playground Packs by Crossover Culture appeared first on SLAM.

Spike Lee, sporting a Nike sweatsuit and Knicks-colored pair of Jordans, invited SLAM into his beautiful studio, plastered with exclusive Knicks and NBA memorabilia that he’s accumulated over the years, to reflect on the movie. He walked us through everything from the casting process, the Jordan XIIIs, working with Ray Allen and Denzel Washington, the movie’s legacy and much more.

SLAM: Can you walk us through the ideation of the movie? How did it come about and what sparked the idea?

Spike Lee: Well, for years, people had asked me when I was gonna do a basketball film. I executive produced “Love & Basketball,” but that was not mine, ya know? It wasn’t my thing. I still love that film today and people still love it. That film came out very well. So, I started to write [“He Got Game”] and I sent it to Denzel, not expecting that he was gonna like it. He called me back right away and said, Did you write this?! I said, Of course, I wrote it! And we got it made.

SLAM: Where did the title of the film come from?

SPIKE: He got game. I mean, that’s something that you just heard. I can’t say I never heard that before. If you got it, you got it. You know what “game” is. It clicked right away. Usually, when I’m thinking about a film and the subject matter, the title comes to me very quick. I gotta know what I’m writing about before I start.

SLAM: How was the casting process? Did you already have people in mind for each role?

SPIKE: Denzel played junior varsity at Fordham University. His coach was the legendary PJ Carlesimo. So I knew this script might be attractive for Denzel. I wrote this for him. And I’ve watched many, many basketball films that have been made, particularly ones with actors [who are] supposed to be basketball players. And I don’t think those films were good. Jesus Shuttlesworth is the top high school prospect in the world, and I knew in my heart that no actor could play that. So, I knew that I had to get a baller. I looked at people leaving college coming to the pros, and also players already in the League who still looked youthful, so you would believe they were a high school senior at Abraham Lincoln High School in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.

I went to various people. Kobe said he couldn’t do it because in the offseason he’s working. Here’s something people don’t understand: Whoever I was gonna cast had to commit, pretty much, their whole offseason. There were several players who wanted me to just give them the role. They didn’t wanna come to audition, and that was not gonna happen. Ray [Allen] came in and did a phenomenal audition. But I knew for whoever I cast, I would need an acting coach. So, I hired the great Susan Batson. Denzel was giving him tips, too. And that’s how it all came together.

SLAM: Ray Allen became widely respected as one of the hardest workers and routine-driven players in the League. Did you notice any particular habits that translated while he was preparing for his role as Shuttlesworth?

SPIKE: Ray Allen was committed. I mean, that’s how he got the part. I told him, Your whole offseason is gonna be on this film. And it was a great sacrifice. These guys kill themselves in the regular season, they need their bodies to heal in the offseason. But he had no offseason. He said it wasn’t a problem. Whatever we had to do, whether it was doing a million takes or whatever, Ray did it. He was committed, and we had a great support system. I know it’s a cliche now, but we wanted to put Ray Allen in position to win.

SLAM: Was there anything that stood out about the other NBA players you casted for the supporting roles?

SPIKE: Oh, yeah. The team that made up the squad had Hill Harper, who is a very fine actor. Then the pros were Travis Best, who went to Georgia Tech; Walter McCarty, Kentucky; Rick Fox, North Carolina; and John Wallace, Syracuse. They all auditioned for the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth, but I knew that Jesus had to have teammates. So, I knew from the pool of people I auditioned, I could fill out the squad for the Abraham Lincoln Railsplitters. 

SLAM: Did you have a gut feeling, during filming, about the significant cultural impact this movie would have in the world of basketball?

SPIKE: Well, here’s the thing: I sit courtside at the World’s Most Famous Arena, The Garden. I knew if this film was not dope, I would hear it not only from the Knicks but from the visiting teams as well. And that wasn’t an option. So, I knew we had to get it together.

I also want to talk about the technical advisor on this film. One of the greats, one of the top 50 NBA players of all time,  Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. Every time we were filming a basketball sequence, Earl “The Pearl” was sitting right next to me. And we had this scene in the film where Jesus discovers that his father didn’t name him after the biblical Jesus. He was named after Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, whose nickname in the Philly schoolyard was Black Jesus.

SLAM: The “Black Toe” Air Jordan XIII was released in ’97 and ultimately got tabbed the “He Got Game” XIIIs after being popularized by the film. What about this particular silhouette made it the feature sneaker for the movie?

SPIKE: It was very intentional. It started with my first film. What did Mars wear? What did Buggin’ Out wear in “Do the Right Thing” What did Radio Raheem wear? When you grow up in New York, that’s just part of the culture. 

So I told Michael Jordan we needed to have some for the film. And then I told Denzel, too. Denzel rocked those. I know they call them the “He Got Games,” but a lot of people call them the “Denzel Washingtons,” too. I love the line in the movie when Denzel is in the sneaker store, and they see the ankle monitor.

SLAM: How did you decide on Public Enemy for the soundtrack?

SPIKE: While I was writing the script, I was listening to the classical music of Aaron Copland. He’s one of the great, great, great composers, and I knew I wanted to use select pieces he had written for various scenes in the film. Then I went back to Chuck D and Flavor Flav. I’ve always loved that song, “For What It’s Worth,” by Stephen Stills. And I wanted to use parts of that.

Then we did the music video, well, the short film. Michael Jackson told me, Spike, don’t ever use the phrase “music video.” Anyway, we did the short film. We got Stephen Stills to come back and be a part of the song. Everything came together on that one, and that’s very rare. I’m a professor at NYU, and I tell my students all the time, It’s hard to make a horrible film, let alone a decent one. Because there are so many elements, but it came together on that one.

SLAM: There’s a scene with Jesus on the couch watching TV and Shaq, Dick Vitale and John Thompson are praising his game. Above the TV is a SLAM Magazine cover with Jesus on it. At this time, SLAM had only been around for about four years. What went into this decision? 

SPIKE: SLAM is part of the culture. I had to think long and hard about having a character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, who in the film is the top high school prospect in the world. So [putting him on a SLAM cover] was very simple. 

SLAM: How do you measure the impact of the movie and how it has transcended generations?

SPIKE: A lot of these young cats, when they come to The Garden, [they] ask me if they can be in a sequel. And they were very young—some of them could not have been born when this film came out. It’s just part of the culture, ya know? I’m grateful for that. 

Here’s the thing, though. One time I wanted to do a sequel. But I knew I couldn’t do it without Denzel. Ray was on me to do a sequel, but Denzel said he didn’t do sequels. Well, I think he broke that rule. “The Equalizer,” I think there are three of them. I kid him about that.

SLAM: I actually read an article from years back where Ray was speaking of his interest in doing another film. I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask—is that something you would be interested in doing?

SPIKE: At one point, I wanted to. I mean, it’s been 25 years. I’ll see Denzel again, and since he told me he’d never do a sequel and now he’s done them, maybe he’s changed his mind. But you know, Denzel and I have done four films together. So hopefully, maybe one day we’ll get together for our fifth. I’m not saying for “He Got Game,” but just to work together. We’ve done great work together. 

SLAM: You’ve managed to maintain your spot as one of the best at what you do, despite the varying changes in the world of media. What’s keeping you inspired to not only continue adapting but also thriving in today’s climate?

SPIKE: I know I’m blessed because if you’re able to make a living doing what you love, that’s not a job. I tell my students this, too. Hell is working a job you hate. That’s not just hell, that’s holy hell. It’s a blessing, and I don’t take it for granted. I’m just very, very happy that “He Got Game” is considered a classic.

This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.

Photos via Marcus Stevens and David Lee.

The post Spike Lee on the 25th Anniversary of ‘He Got Game,’ Casting Ray Allen and the Inspiration Behind the Iconic Film appeared first on SLAM.

For former 25-year NBA referee Monty McCutchen, that recurring metaphorical journey has become a staple pillar in his weekly meetings with the League’s Referee Development Program. Perfection is impossible as an NBA official, but striving for excellence is always the case. And those inevitable mistakes, they lead to growth. It’s an aspect McCutchen is currently instilling within the program’s six proteges. 

“When you realize you don’t have to be perfect, but that you are willing to push the rock up the mountain every day – every single day – then the pressure becomes an internal dialogue about how you personally want to achieve excellence,” McCutchen tells SLAM. “Not, whether I was perfect in Golden State last night or Oklahoma City or Memphis. And when I make a mistake, I’m going to meet it head-on and try to grow out of it. Training is what overcomes pressure.”

The NBA’s Referee Development Program was once an avenue for the League to attract former players to the profession. Just a few years ago, the program received a revitalized initiative centered on cultivating the next generation of officials. 

Intended for up-and-coming referees looking to gain the skills and foundation necessary for a career in the L, hundreds of thousands of hopefuls applied for the three-year program in 2021. Through rigorous assessments and interviews, only six trainees were selected for the third RDP class. 

Leaving their homes and former jobs for the opportunity the program presented, each trainee made the move to New York City where the NBA’s corporate headquarters are located. On top of their weekly game assignments, the trainees are required to work within the League’s Basketball Operations floor on 5th avenue from Tuesday to Thursday each week. 

The 20th floor of the Olympic Tower in mid-town Manhattan is packed full of basketball expertise. Around the corner, you could bump into Executive VP of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars with a nugget of knowledge. Down the hall, you can find President of League Operations Byron Spruell with a word of advice and a warm smile. 

For three days out of the week, the trainees are submerged within the bustling Basketball Operations floor that McCutchen currently occupies on our Monday morning Zoom call in early March. 

“The RDPs learn the visual syntax of our language. And they’re hearing this all day long, through all the different discussions that we have,” McCutchen explains. “By having them in the office it allows for a much more osmosis type of learning.”

Televisions take up nearly every inch of wall space. Conference rooms are wrapped in NBA logos and player imagery. A collection of signed basketballs line a myriad of shelves and decorative tables. And of course, basketball games are constantly playing. Even the bathrooms have screens positioned above urinals and toilets. 

“This place is basketball heaven,” Dominique Harris says, one of the six trainees enrolled in the program. “There’s not a second that you can’t learn something here.”

Each week every member of the program meets personally with McCutchen to review film of their past games. It’s a collaborative session, one where McCutchen builds on glimpses of success while instructing on missed opportunities to be better. 

Are you in the right spot to read a foul correctly? When a shot goes up, did your eyes go from the wrist to the feet to your secondary responsibilities with the baseline official? In that order? Visual sequencing and repeating the same motions are what ingrain the group with the confidence and know-how necessary for the next step. The mundane is vitally necessary. 

“I found if you don’t create an internal procedure for yourself and how to handle situations, a lot of times little small details can be left out and it can be a big part of the game,” Cynthia Do tells SLAM – who quit her engineering job to move to NYC for the program.

Appointed as the Senior VP and Head of Referee Development and Training in 2017, McCutchen knows it’s his responsibility to provide the group with honest feedback. “One of the things that we are committed toward is this idea of radical candor, delivered compassionately,” he adds. 

Constant exposure to your mistakes, however, can easily take a toll on your mental. With all the external pressures of being assessed and watched while fine-tuning flaws, “you have to balance how you separate, this is my job, and this is me, and my mistakes do not define me,” Do says.

Currently 13 months into the three-year program, resources for the trainees run as rife as the amount of rules and regulations to master. Staten Island native Ashley Olsen has been keen to pick the brains of former officials in the Operations Department. Learning their different philosophies, ways of teaching and experience. 

After finishing her playing career at Wagner College, Olsen caught the refereeing bug from her old middle school teacher. Working high school games in her hometown, the former Northeast Conference Free Throw Champ began attending grassroots camps where she met a few of the women a part of the inaugural RDP cohort, including current G-League official Kesley Reynolds. 

Once introduced to the application, she dove head-first into the pool of opportunity. 

“As a referee, we have to be able to run the game, which means moving it along as best we can without disruption. Managing any disruptive plays we may have, having quarter-by-quarter awareness, knowing this team just went on a run, let’s see how this team responds,” Olsen explains of her most valuable takeaway thus far. 

All six individuals share one common thread; a love for the game was instilled at a young age. Whether they hooped at the Division 1 level, extended they’re playing days in college rec leagues or coincidentally, are the sons of professional referees, that passion has blossomed into a guardian-like stature to uphold the values of the game through officiating. 

For some, like Jacqui Dover, the culture of refereeing here in the states has presented a learning curve for the Gold Coast, Australian native. Dover played in a semi-professional league until a dislocated shoulder pushed her into picking up a whistle while rehabbing. Working her way up over the years, she’s since received appointments in the FIBA World Cup U17 Games alongside the NBL and WNBL – shout out to the good people at the Illawarra Hawks. 

The nuances, mechanics and terminology are all new, and so is the continent. When the group was invited to the NBA’s preseason week, she walked out on the first day with over 30 pages of notes. 

The vast amount of material presented isn’t the only foundation being built upon, as each trainee was tasked by both McCutchen and veteran NBA referee and Referee Association Board Member James Capers to soak up their environment. 

Having run the replay center for the NBL, the NBA’s own center of operations has been a main source of building her acuity. 

“That’s something I always find really valuable to be in the room to see games live and how that operates on the back end,” Dover tells SLAM. “It’s all just like a nice ref nerd heaven.”

“You hear how we’re addressing issues in and amongst the league,” McCutchen adds of the office’s atmosphere. “You hear my commentary in various meetings. You hear the hallway and the water talk in the lunchroom and we talk refereeing at naueseum around here.”

Dover isn’t the only international representation within the diverse group. Carlos Ortega Peralta hails from Ecuador. His mother and grandmother are both well-accustomed to the pebble grain leather ball, making the game inescapable in the best way possible. 

However, it was the influence of his father’s profession—who currently referees in the coastal South African country—that pushed him into wearing the stripes. After asserting his skillset, Ortega Peralta began officiating in the FIBA Ameri Cup while sharing a few games together with his pops during the country’s National Championships. 

He describes the atmosphere on the floor as a machine. The shift in terms, and rules, let alone the language, have all been an adjustment. One he’s learned to hone through McCutchen’s reference of Sysyphus’ daily grind up the hill.

“Everything is about knowledge because when you have more knowledge, you have more control of the game you have more control of you,” Ortega Peralta tells SLAM.

Carlos isn’t the only member with referee blood running through his veins. The older generations may recognize the last name of Jafar Kinsey, son of former NBA official of 14 years Jim Kinsey. 

After playing at the University of Central Missouri and the University of North Dakota, Kinsey’s father nudged him onto the idea of crafting a career from the hardwood on the sidelines. 

Filling in his father’s footsteps, one of Kinsey’s biggest influences through the past year plus has been one of his father’s former partners, James Capers. Described as the workhorse of the program, Capers is just as hands-on with the group as McCutchen. Throughout each interview with the group, Capers’ name is brought up. His influence and expertise are felt immensely.

“Having someone like that in your corner who’s gonna support you through the ups and downs and motivate you to be a better person, as well as a referee, it goes a long way,” Kinsey tells SLAM. “He’s someone you want to work with and make proud of at the end of the day.”

The program wouldn’t be complete, of course, if the group’s proficiency and skills weren’t tested. During the Basketball Without Borders event during this past All-Star Weekend, the group got to flash their acumen in front of McCutchen, Capers and other assessment personnel. 

The chance to impress isn’t taken lightly, especially knowing the more than rigorous hiring process that succeeds the program remains faintly in the distance. 

Throughout a year-long assessment of over 3,000 referees, only the top 100 are placed into the League’s grassroots system, including those underneath the RDP banner. Following further evaluations, the top 50 are elevated to a mid-level camp. Then, only 30 are invited to the elite camp where anywhere from four to thirteen are hired as G-League officials. 

Of the hundreds of available referees within the NBA’s developmental league, only one in five advances to either the work in WNBA or NBA. 

The odds may be daunting, but “I think they all really believe I want them to make it,” McCutchen tells SLAM. “And so from that standpoint, we create a culture in which honest exchanges take place. And that’s the groundwork for dealing with pressure.”

Pressure is a sentiment Dominique Harris has become more than acquainted with through the game. Receiving a scholarship to Gonzaga out of Redondo Union, Harris jokes that she’s been involved in every aspect of basketball from the Referee Operations floor on Zoom. 

Receiving an undergraduate degree in broadcast journalism and a graduate degree in sports management, Harris’ roots in the League were sewn as an intern for the Clippers in college where she connected with now associate VP of Referee Development George Tolliver. 

After freelancing, doing some play-by-play and serving as the head coach for several girl’s high school basketball programs in the LA area, Tolliver was able to convince Harris to apply for the 2017 class. She bombed it. But when 2021 came around, Harris lept at the second chance and made the cut. 

While the group is only required to be within the office three days out of the week, Harris admits she’s taking full advantage of the extensive amount of resources present, clocking into the office from Monday through Friday. 

“I have a feel for the game that I don’t think I would have if I didn’t play or if I didn’t call a game. If I didn’t see it out of all these different lenses, I wouldn’t have this perspective,” Harris tells SLAM of her unique viewpoint. 

Emulating the greats while remaining true to herself has been a certified solution for Harris as she rolls the boulder up the hill daily. 

“It’s been an amazing journey. Everyone has adversities in their life, but in my life, I had a situation where it kind of took my voice. And refereeing gave me my voice back, it gave me courage. Honestly, refereeing brought me back to me, so I don’t imagine my life without it,” Harris tells SLAM.

The Referee Development Program not only readies the next crop of basketball officials but simultaneously removes some of the antiquated myths about the profession. Each and every day the group rolls up their sleeves and fall’s deeper in love with their individual journeys towards becoming a great referee. 

The end goal will always be to referee on an NBA court. In the meantime, McCutchen and Capers are hammering down on the routines and habits the group will rely on years down the road. And the boulder continues to roll. 

“If we allow them to learn the craft, then we really believe that they’re gonna go do good work and serve basketball, wherever that may end up,” McCutchen tells SLAM. “This class, in particular, has been wide-eyed in the best possible connotation of that phrase. They are so eager to learn, and so receptive to what good officiating looks like.” 

The post Inside the NBA’s Referee Development Program appeared first on SLAM.

For the older cousin of Houston Rockets guard Josh Christopher, Nicodemus, journaling has been a part of his routine ever since becoming the youngest strength and conditioning coach in the Power 5 with Tennessee at 23 years old. 

Having since founded his own wellness and lifestyle consulting agency while working with NBA athletes and C-suite executives, Christopher has been on a multi-year journey deciphering the effect of order and how journaling can lead to fulfillment. 

“Knowing that I’ve always had a love for helping people add value to their lives, I quickly came to realize that my role is to help people become the best version of themselves,” Christopher tells SLAM.

After seven years of research, self-reflection and scrawling 1,000s of pages of notes, Christopher now presents his first-ever book; Out Of Order.

Centered on the “7 Key Areas of Well-Being” Christopher leads the reader through 100-plus pages filled with contemplative questions and guided journaling exercises. However, the goal of achieving self-order isn’t awarded once you reach the back cover. Rather, the journey one takes throughout each chapter is the true takeaway. 

Garry and Nicodemus Christopher have held a passion for sports since a young age, but Nic knew early on that athletics wasn’t necessarily his gift. “But I appreciated the work ethic. I appreciated the skill and the talent behind the game,” he says.

Inseparable since their youth, the Christopher brothers both attended Baylor University with their eyes set on impacting the world through the healthcare industry. Garry was in school to become a neurologist while his younger brother Nic was eyeing a career as an anesthesiologist. Yet at the start of Nic’s junior year, his older brother came home and hung up the scrubs for resistance bands and gym shorts. 

“I’ll never forget, my brother came back to our apartment. And he said, ‘Bro, I don’t want to be a doctor anymore. I want to be a strength and conditioning coach.’ And I’m just like, You want to be a what?” Christopher remembers. 

“For both of us, we thought being doctors was the only vehicle of change to help people change their lives and to save lives. But you look up 20-plus years later, we realize now that there are so many different vehicles that you can use to impact and change lives. So that was our defining moment for us. And we haven’t looked back ever since.”

While Garry currently resides as the Director of Performance for TCU, Nic’s decade-long journey leading the weight room has taken him from Purdue to Tennessee to Cal and Missouri. 

Spending thousands of hours surrounded by plates, machines and student-athletes, the close-knit relationship between trainers and players was one Christopher thrived in. Although, the connection wasn’t instantaneous. 

Nic describes the first and biggest mistake in his newfound career field as being too invested in the analytics of his profession. Obsessively tracking calorie counts, reps and devising a different number of sets for each individual on the roster, Christopher realized he had neglected the young men he was empowered with uplifting.  

“I realized that I have a unique opportunity to meet these guys where they are in life. What you’re going through, I either was just going through or am going through it so we can just remove the veil and be transparent,” Christopher tells SLAM.

“I see the potential in you (them) to be a husband and a father. And once they knew that they could come to me on that type of time and have those types of conversations, when we got to the weight room and I’m like, ‘do four sets of six with a slow eccentric,’ it’s like ‘oh, I gotchu coach, it’s nothing.’”

Around 10 years ago Nic’s morning routine went something like this: wake up at 4:35 am, watch or read a devotional/sermon and then immediately journal his thoughts and experiences heading into the morning. 

The recurring routine and dedicated time with pen and paper quickly became his release. His everyday sounding board. And then, the swiftness of life sent him a hurdle.

While serving as the strength and conditioning coach for the Cal Berkley program, Nic’s grandmother—who lived in Arkansas—traveled to visit the family in LA. At the time, Nic was in the throws of the offseason, priding himself on being available at a moment’s notice for any member of the team. Knowing the best opportunity to catch his grandmother was that weekend, Nic instead stayed behind on campus fearing a player would inevitably hit him up to get into the gym. 

His grandmother passed away the following Monday.

“I’ve dealt with that regret for the longest time because I felt like I could have at least said goodbye or kissed her before she left, but I chose this profession. My identity was too caught up in what I was doing and it wasn’t based off of who I was created to be or who I was,” says Christopher.

Guilt and resentment for his decision permeated. But the experience additionally served as an informal wake-up call, harkening Christopher to the next purpose in his journey. 

“Life happens and it’s like an overflow of all these experiences and everything that had taken place,” Christopher tells SLAM. “And my cup was full to the point where I had to pour this somewhere. And it just came into my heart, write the book. I have to pour this stuff into these pages.”

After coming to the understanding that order was a prerequisite to peace, Christopher began analyzing completeness, wholeness and tranquility. For 40 days and 40 nights, he partook in the daily exercises that became the exoskeleton of the book. Coming out of the experience with a true understanding of what peace both looked and felt like, Nic began crafting the official beginnings of Out Of Order. 

“It was probably one of the hardest things that I’ve ever done in my life,” Christopher explains of writing the book. “Because of the introspection, the self-examination, the vulnerability that I had to have with myself, and then I had to present it to the world.”

The expedition towards holding a hardcover novel inscribed with his own name has been years in the making. And now that it’s here, he’s discovered the next throughline in his life that’s connecting him to his next purpose—helping others formulate chaos into fulfillment. 

Every chapter in Nic’s personal story has expanded his ability to add value to the lives of individuals. Whether that be Michael Porter Jr. in his lone season at Mizzou or leading pastors and Fortune 500 CEOs through exercises derived from the book, Christopher thrives in the space of wellbeing. 

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Named in honor of his uniform number, the curvy, almost dream-like (I see puffy clouds) KB8 was considered an addition to the Feet You Wear line that Bryant had rocked previously, with its round edges making the silhouette extra agile, comfortable and good looking. The KB8’s tech features—mesh lining, EVA midsoles and adi’s Torsion system—made it one of the most advanced basketball shoes to hit the market. Unsurprisingly to those who know the game, Bryant’s second season in the NBA represented a major step forward: he started the All-Star Game, upped his scoring average to 15.4 ppg and helped the Lakers reach the Western Conference Finals for the first of many times in his career. On the court, his star only grew. Adidas rode Kobe’s wave straight through a number of signature releases and three straight NBA championships before the brand and player had a falling out during the 2002 offseason.

After an epic ’02-03 sneaker free agent season that saw Bryant play in a variety of non-adidas sneakers, he famously signed with Nike and wore the Swoosh for the remainder of his career. A 20-year Laker who scored more points than anyone ever has in the iconic purple and gold (mostly wearing Nikes), Kobe is thought of by many fans as a Nike guy, which is fine. But old heads know: Kobe entered the game in adidas, and when history carved out a pair for him, it was the KB8. Bryant’s departure from adidas meant the brand could no longer use his name or initials on any product, but adidas knew a winning shoe when they had one. Rechristened the Crazy 8 and retroed for the first time in ’07, the classic kicks have been seen on the likes of Derrick Rose (during his ’10-11 MVP campaign, no less), Justin Bieber (during the 2011 Celebrity All-Star Game) and various young adidas NBA athletes through the years. They cause a stir every time they come back on the market. Clearly, Crazy 8s will be here forever.

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“Before Michael Jordan, sneakers were just for playing basketball,” writer Roy S. Johnson said in the Netflix documentary The Last Dance. “All of a sudden, sneakers became fashion and culture.” Indeed, MJ’s marriage with Nike would redefine the sport’s connection with style, creativity and the intersection between hoops and pop culture. And it all began with the Air Jordan I.

The AJ I is even more popular now than it was when it first came out. Nearly 40 years later, the classic silhouette is so special that you see it everywhere from weddings to NFL football fields. The I is made up of the iconic Air Jordan “Wings” logo, the instantly recognizable Swoosh, the leather upper and Nike Air logo on the tongue. The Jordan I got its first re-release in 1994 (one of the first-ever retros, mind you), and in recent years, collabs with the likes of Off-White, Dior and Fragment have kicked the Jordan I’s high-fashion game into overdrive.

It’s perhaps no surprise that the super-OG AJ I would be a favorite among disruptors in fashion and music. After all, this was a sneaker born to shake shit up. See, before the Air Jordan I, basketball shoes were all cookie-cutter, white-based colorways. Sure, maybe the three stripes of your adidas Pro Model or the Swoosh on your Nike Blazer had team accent colors, but that’s about it. When the Air Jordan I burst on the scene in 1985, it was among the first pairs with multiple colors to be worn in the NBA. That might sound funny to you now, but at the time, having so much color on the sneaker was so groundbreaking that it actually violated the League’s uniform policy. Yup, the original black/red colorway of the Nike Air Ship (the style Jordan wore until the I was available) earned Mike a $5,000 fine every time he stepped on the court, which only made the “Banned Is” even more legendary for fans of His Airness.

In 2023, between all the advanced technology available to serious hoopers and the “don’t crease my Js” mentality of most sneakerheads, it’s safe to say the Jordan I is more popular off the court than on it. But in 1985, the Air Jordan I was about as advanced a basketball shoe as you could make, with its newfangled Nike Air cushioning and plush leather quarter panels. And in March 1998, MJ’s final season with Chicago, he pulled out an OG pair of Jordan Is for his last game in a Bulls uniform at The Garden—and promptly dropped 42 points on the Knicks in the Bulls’ 102-89 victory, proving that they were always good enough for the GOAT.

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First we hit up a bodega in Red Hook, where viral-sensation The Ocky Way makes the craziest sandwiches. Bridges even cooked his own chopped cheese right on the grill. Check it out below.

Next Bridges went on the subway for the first time, hit up Cuts & Slices in Bed-Stuy and even talked to local Brooklynites about the city. This video is definitely a must watch.

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But that doesn’t mean it was easy. A reinforced wall of doubt and skepticism stood in between Kobe and his desire back in the mid-2000s. Not many understood the vision, and far fewer were willing to welcome the future of basketball sneakers. 

The prevailing knowledge was that low-cut sneakers would be unsafe. Players wore mids and highs because of the perception that the extra height safe-guarded their ankles. But clunky and heavy sneakers, mixed with tight tape jobs and bulky ankle braces, were actually way more dangerous. The secret lay waiting in ankle strengthening stretches and proper heel lockdown. 

Bryant and legendary Nike Basketball designer Eric Avar believed in the future so much that they burst through the wall and arrived on the other side with the low-cut Kobe 4. They refined that concept with the Kobe 5. Bryant won back-to-back championships with those. And with nearly two straight calendar years of basketball played in those silhouettes, the ever-meticulous Bean gathered up all of his findings. And it was the Kobe 6 that became the masterpiece. 

Even lower than the 4 and the 5, the 6’s foundation used Nike Zoom cushioning in the heel, a Met Zoom Air unit in the forefoot, a Phylon midsole and a carbon fiber shank. The upper was triple-layered. Under the surface, a standard mesh interacted with Flywire cables. Flywire, also seen on the Kobe 4 and the 5, is what allowed Avar to go lower. The cables were placed strategically in spots where the foot endures extreme stress, and their durability let Avar shed a ton of unnecessary materials. 

Above the mesh and the Flywire, Bryant introduced the basketball world to the land of snakes. The Kobe 6 coincided with the debut of his Black Mamba alter ego. Always inspired by nature and the animal kingdom, Bean had found a kinship with the highly venomous killer from sub-Saharan Africa whose venom helps it make easy work of mice, birds, squirrels and, yes, even humans. Bryant wanted everyone to know that he was the top of the top, the most unforgiving and feared player in the NBA. The final layer of the Kobe 6’s upper was made of a faux-snakeskin material. 

Kobe’s mind made the connection between soccer and basketball—two of his great passions—and millions of people followed. The 6 has become the most coveted of his already highly sought-after line. Colorways flooded in and continue to do so. 

After all these years, the epiphany’s light continues to guide the way.

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No. 1: Air Jordan XI

SLAMKICKS Presents TOP 100: The Greatest Basketball Sneakers of All Time

Empires rise and fall. The idea of revolution leads to the action of destruction as the new tries to overtake the old. The course of empires has looked mostly the same for millennia. The fight for power, the victory. Generations of this cycle went unbroken for decades and decades. 

Until Michael Jordan showed up. 

He has ruled two kingdoms at the same time for over 30 years. On the basketball court, he is a six-time champion and Olympic Gold medalist, the universally agreed-upon greatest of all time. Off the court, his sneakers have carved the land with all the force of centuries-old erosion, sculpting the basketball map to his liking and leaving it marked with his indelible footprints. 

The best of his empire is the Air Jordan XI. It’s the ultimate treasure. It shines like a precious stone discovered deep within the heart of a faraway mountain. The patent leather that’s made it the basketball sneaker supreme holds a radiance that has endured since May 7, 1995, when MJ showed his loyal subjects the promise of tomorrow. Tomorrow came on November 10, 1995, when the XI finally released. 

The “Concords” led the way. That white and black version dotted with purple let everyone finally see the patent leather, the carbon fiber support plate and the nylon cordura upper. It let them feel the texture of the basketball net-inspired laces and feel the cushioning of the full-length Air bag. It let them hold the best ever in their hands. 

Tinker Hatfield, the Michael Jordan of sneaker design, was inspired by cars, lawnmowers, backpacks and an airport. And, of course, by the emperor himself. 

Michael had asked Hatfield and the team at Nike for a shiny sneaker during the Air Jordan IX’s creation process. It didn’t happen with that pair, but by the time Jordan was ready to return from his famous 18-month stint as a baseball player, Hatfield was also ready to present him with the XI. 

Tink had clocked how lawnmowers were being designed with a sleekness and a direct desire to be “cool,” much like how cars were being designed to look fast. And in those same cars, he had seen the glossy finishes that convertibles of the day featured, just as he had seen that the roof of Denver’s airport had a shiny top. The sum of Tinker’s observations was the XI, the very pinnacle of basketball footwear. 

It was worn by the greatest player ever during the greatest single season ever. Jordan and the Bulls went 72-10 in ’95-96, the season that saw the XI on the floor. Number 23 snatched up the All-Star Game MVP, the regular season MVP, the Finals MVP and his fourth overall championship. 

The genius of the best basketball sneaker ever steered the course of His Airness’ empire straight into forever.

SLAMKICKS Top 100 is available now in this exclusive Gold Metal Edition.

Photos via Getty Images.

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Now that you have the criteria in your mind, hopefully all 100 of these sneakers make sense to you. 

I stand by this list wholeheartedly. When we made SLAM Presents JORDANS Vol. 6: The Air Jordan XI, we very clearly and very definitively put “The Best Basketball Sneaker of All Time” on that cover. That was my true belief before we made that issue and it remains after making this issue. From that No. 1 spot and onwards, we extensively combed basketball sneaker history. I spent days writing down over 300 different sneakers that could’ve been on here and then we—sneakerheads and basketball nerds on the SLAM staff spanning multiple generations—spent a whole bunch of time arguing with each other to hammer out the list that you’re about to read. 

For all those who think I’m foolish for putting the Air Jordan I in the fourth slot and for all those who recognize I know my stuff by including the Nike Hyperfuse 2011 on this list, I welcome you all. This type of stuff is where it gets fun. So let’s have some fun, SLAM Fam. 

As always, wear your damn kicks. 

Peace,

Max Resetar

Which basketball sneakers made our list? Let the debates begin…

No. 1

Worn by the greatest player ever during the greatest single season ever.

READ HERE

No. 3

These kicks coincided with the debut of Kobe’s Black Mamba alter ego.

READ HERE

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We’re walking around the streets of Queens with Sunrise Christian Academy senior Matas Buzelis looking for someone to chat with. As we film an episode of “Man on the Street,” one of the questions is: If you had to give an 18-year-old in the NBA financial advice, what would it be?

Buzelis is just moments away from going pro himself. Last June, he announced that he would be going the G League route rather than attending college and plans on signing with the Ignite once he graduates high school. People around the city already recognize the 6-10 standout with an all-around game. They ask to take photos with him and offer advice, like putting his first big check into a savings account and making smart decisions. Buzelis smiles and nods while listening carefully to their words.

“I picked the G League because I’m trying to become a pro. That’s the end goal,” Buzelis tells SLAM. 

The SLAM Summer Classic alum was actually a swimmer before he really started playing basketball, competing in the 50-meter and 100-meter breaststroke. He told Pro Insight that swimming taught him how to “remain calm in the chaos,” and that will certainly come in handy over the next few months as he balances school and his senior season with all of the other obligations that come with going pro. Buzelis was just out in Salt Lake City to attend the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, and as he watched players in the League show out, he envisioned himself being out there and competing in the Skills Challenge.

“I think I’d win,” he says with a smile.

Buzelis started playing competitively in sixth grade, but it wasn’t until eighth grade that he really started taking it seriously. Sports run in the Buzelis family—both his mother, Kristina, and his father, Aidas, were professional basketball players in Lithuania before they immigrated to the States. His older sister, Sophia, is a midfield lacrosse player at Furman University, and his younger brother, Vincas, is a sophomore at Sunrise. The opportunity to finish his high school career playing alongside Vincas, as well as to suit up for one of the best high school programs in the country, were the main deciding factors in why Matas decided to transfer from Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, NH, to Sunrise last year.

“When it comes to bonds, I mean, no one is closer than me and my little brother,” he says. “We’re really close. And playing with him—he brings the energy that every team needs.”

One of the biggest things Matas’ parents have taught him is how to stay humble, which says a lot when you meet him—the McDonald’s All-American is just as down to earth as he is dominant on the court. At the SLAM HQ, he was shooting around with the staff on the mini hoop in our lounge, knocking down nine shots in a row like it was nothing. In the photo studio, he was laughing and having fun while playing with a Beyblade that was left behind from our cover shoot with Jalen Brunson. 

When asked who he admired growing up, Buzelis lists LeBron James and Tracy McGrady. “I’d watch highlights of them, and then I’d try to go outside and recreate the same thing,” he says. “I’d say I took a little bit from [their games].”

Matas would describe himself as someone who can “play all five positions and do everything overall,” and that’s exactly why he’s one of the most highly anticipated young players headed to the G. He’s already connected with a few future Ignite teammates, including top prospect Scoot Henderson (who might not be there for much longer) and Leonard Miller. 

“I’m gonna go to the G League and impact the team and try to win as much as possible,” Buzelis says. “Also try to get drafted to the NBA at the same time.”

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

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The fire track features lyrics that reflect just how intertwined hip hop and basketball truly is, plus a music video that includes game highlights from Joel Embiid, Jalen Brunson and more.

This is definitely going to be the anthem for this year’s NBA Playoffs. Check it out below.

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King Saladeen’s Artist Series remix of SLAM 243 was inspired by the flash of James Harden. Saladeen has seen Harden catch fire so many times, drilling stepback after stepback, that he emblazoned the former MVP’s name in front of his hometown, the city of Philly.

This exclusive cover, which is available now, features King Saladeen’s signature, as well as aspects of his iconic style, including the money signs.

For the cover of SLAM 243, we caught up with the Beard to talk about his influence on a cultural level, what he thinks about the All-Star snub and most notably, how he wants to be remembered after his legendary career.

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After dropping 30 points and securing the win in a momentous game held halfway around the world from home, LaVine spotted a little girl rocking a No. 8 Chicago jersey on his way to the locker room. Something told the two-time All-Star to slip off his blue New Balance Fresh Foam BBs and hand them over to a fan he never knew he had and who may never see him play again in person. 

On the evening the NBA returned to Europe for the first time in three years, it was a special gesture by the Chicago superstar. His way of showing love after his squad was showered with the kind of adulation that made Paris’ Accor Arena almost sound like Chicago’s United Center. 

“Only time we might be able to play in Paris so give some stuff away and show some appreciation to the fans,” LaVine said after the game. 

That little girl was one of the thousands at the Association’s second regular season game ever held in the French capital, an otherwise forgettable affair in January between Chicago and Detroit, who vividly and vociferously backed the Bulls. 

Among the cosmopolitan Parisian crowd, designer Chicago letterman jackets, immaculately maintained Starter pullovers and limited-edition hoodies were almost as ubiquitous as red Bulls jerseys. The numbers 8 and 11—worn by Chicago’s current stars LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, respectively—were as well-represented as the numbers of the franchise’s legends like Derrick Rose’s No. 1, Scottie Pippen’s No. 33 and, most especially, Michael Jordan’s iconic 23.  

When the Bulls were introduced, the crowd cheered like crazy. They booed lustily when the Pistons took the floor for warmups. And as the Bulls raced out to an early first-quarter lead they’d never relinquish, the vibes inside the sold out arena, located in the city’s 12th arrondissement, were distinctly Windy City-ish. Every dunk, swish and positive play by a player in red was admired, appreciated and applauded.  

“I know for me, I’m going to look back years and years down the line and realize how great of a moment this was,” DeRozan said after the game. “It definitely was a beautiful atmosphere and definitely was a privilege to be part of this whole thing.”

While the NBA didn’t exactly take over Paris the way some American journalists covering the game suggested—it was, after all, Men’s Fashion Week and the city experienced a major labor strike that shut down the Metro on game day—it was a reminder, or a statement for those unaware, that the Bulls remain one of the most popular NBA teams among basketball-crazed Europeans. 

That might catch followers of the sport in the States by surprise, but the League has plenty of data points to illustrate just how far and wide the Bulls fan base stretches. According to the NBA, Chicago is No. 2 in international merchandise sales, ranks among the top 5 most popular League Pass teams outside the US and is scheduled to make multiple appearances in primetime on Sundays in the European and Middle East TV markets this season. Bulls merchandise out-sold all others at the NBA Store in Paris leading up to the game against the Pistons, and the highest-selling jersey that week belonged to a Bulls player with a distinctly French surname.   

“It just shows how much our fan base is growing,” said LaVine, who says his great-grandfather was French. “It’s not just Chicago or the United States. That’s just a tribute to how much success they had and how much the brand has grown.”

The “they” LaVine referred to was, of course, the Bulls of the ’90s starring Jordan, the man who shifted and shaped basketball culture on and off the court unlike any other player in the game’s rich history. While Jordan and the ’92 Dream Team were responsible for galvanizing a generation of European athletes to forsake soccer and pick up a basketball, the continent hadn’t fallen for his Bulls following the ’92 Olympics. That came five years after the Barcelona games when Jordan, with five NBA titles to his name, and his Chicago teammates touched down in Paris for a preseason tournament against international squads. 

Four months removed from repeating as NBA champs, the Bulls—minus Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, neither of whom made the trip—were welcomed like rock stars for the McDonald’s Championship. Fans flooded the streets outside the Bulls’ hotel, hoping to catch glimpses of the team or miraculously score an autograph from the man who became as synonymous with sneakers as he did with dominating the competition. With hundreds of credentialed media members from all points of Europe there to document his every move, Jordan, in typical fashion, dazzled with 27 points in 29 minutes in the final against Greece’s Olympiakos, the ’97 European champs. Barely touching the floor in the fourth quarter, guess who earned MVP honors? 

“I just do my job whenever I’m on the basketball court, and I don’t know if I pleased them,” Jordan, referring to the Parisian crowd, told NBC’s Ahmad Rashad after the game, “but I did my job.”

One of the fans lucky enough to witness it was a pre-teen Joakim Noah. The son of acclaimed tennis pro Yannick Noah was blown away by MJ’s athleticism and magnetism, just like everyone else in attendance at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. Ask Noah, who spent many of his formative years in Paris, why the Bulls remain so popular abroad and he’ll immediately talk about that transcendent day. It’s the genesis of Noah wanting to be like Mike instead of his legendary father and Europe’s crush on Chicago’s professional basketball team featuring the most famous athlete on the planet. 

“Don’t overthink it,” says Noah, the Bulls’ first-round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. “It’s Michael Jordan. I was at that game. I was a young kid, just so inspired by watching his grace and how beautiful he was on the court.”

The influencer decades before any hack with a smartphone could become one, MJ’s gravitational pull was so strong in 1997—with four MVPs, five Finals MVPs, 13 signature sneakers and one blockbuster (Space Jam) on his résumé—that the Bulls became your team if Jordan was your guy. 

“If you look at Mike, and what he means to the culture, this is how the Bulls have transcended,” says fashion designer Chaz Jordan, who is not related to MJ. “The Bulls and Michael are symbiotic. You cannot separate the Chicago Bulls from Michael Jordan just because of all he has achieved on the court as well as the brand off of the court.”

A native of Chicago who had Bulls season tickets and worked alongside Don C and the late Virgil Abloh at RSVP Gallery, Chaz Jordan has spent a chunk of his adult years living abroad. He laughs thinking about all the times he’s hooped in Paris, where his 1989 STUDIO brand debuted its FW23 collection a day after the Bulls and Pistons played, and whenever he’s asked where he’s from, he knows what’s coming next. “I tell them Chicago and they immediately say, Oh, Michael Jordan and the Bulls,” says the designer. He’s also amazed at the random places where MJ disciples—and Bulls fans—pop up around Europe. 

“You have these pockets in these smaller towns where people are literally bigger fans of the Bulls and Jordan than some Chicagoans, which is so crazy,” says Chaz. “They eat, sleep and bleed Michael Jordan.” 

Members of the fashionable set might point to the iconic Bulls jersey, easily one of the most recognizable, as a low-key reason for the team’s international popularity. Since it’s a statement to be a basketball fan in Europe, where soccer will forever reign supreme, rocking a red throwback with “Chicago” in script on your chest attracts a certain amount of attention. And possibly new additions to the fan base. While Bulls’ merch sells extremely well overseas, Noah ain’t buying it.

“It’s one of the most recognized jerseys around the world because of His Highness, the Black Cat, Michael Jordan,” says Noah. 

And even though the franchise hasn’t exactly been a model of consistency since MJ’s last game with Chicago—two playoff appearances over the past seven seasons and just one conference finals appearance since ’98—you can’t accuse Europeans of being fair-weather fans since support and interest in the team hasn’t demonstrably nosedived. One recent seismic event may have actually reignited the continent’s love for the franchise. 

Amidst the black hole that was the first half of 2020, as the pandemic raged across the world, one of the few beacons of light for sports fans was The Last Dance. The acclaimed documentary about Jordan’s final season with the Bulls, whose first episode featured behind-the-scenes footage from the ’97 trip to Paris, debuted when the sports world was dark. A fresh wave of Bulls and Michael Jordan nostalgia washed over Europe. 

“I think we’re all familiar with the fact that we were starving for programming. We didn’t have the games on, and then The Last Dance drops, and it was just perfect in terms of feeding that fandom,” says Ralph Rivera, NBA managing director for Europe and the Middle East. “But it also introduced a whole new set of fans to the game and to Michael Jordan and the Bulls. I think that reignited the fandom.” 

The Bulls arrived for their most recent Paris trip a few days early so they could take in the sights and sounds. Just like during the franchise’s first visit, the team took a picture in front of the Eiffel Tower. Unlike 26 years ago, when every Bulls player aside from Jordan could walk around the city without being bothered, times had changed. While Jordan lamented his lack of anonymity during that trip, the current Bulls embraced it. LaVine and his teammates were easily recognized approximately 4,130 miles away from Chicago without any issues. 

“Obviously, the Bulls are one of the most popular franchises in the world, and it’s just an honor to come over here after Michael,” LaVine said. 

One thing he made sure he did before touching down in Paris was queue up MJ videos. Emulating the work ethic and mindset of one of his idols has always been part of LaVine’s preparations, so consuming Jordan highlights was nothing out of the ordinary. But on the long flight from the States, before he would ball out in front of a French arena filled with Bulls fans, LaVine watched a 34-year-old Jordan cook up the competition in the McDonald’s Championship.

LaVine chuckled when he saw Artūras Karnišovas, the current Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations, matched up against MJ. A native of Lithuania who had an excellent four-year stint at Seton Hall before a standout international career, Karnišovas scored 19 points that day for Olympiakos. Like so many other basketball fans across Europe, he grew up watching and rooting for the Bulls. 

Photos via Getty Images.

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February 2, 2023. Evening.     

James Harden is in his hotel room hanging out with his newly appointed agent and longtime business confidant Troy Payne. The Sixers are playing the Spurs tomorrow, and the two Cali natives find themselves in deep conversation when the news breaks. Payne looks over at Harden. He notices the NBA superstar’s body language. That’s all he needs to see to know how Harden truly feels at this very moment. Natural human emotions and passion take over. Expletives may or may not be flying around. Payne steps in and offers some words of encouragement, and a new conversation ensues. One that’s very different from the one the two were having just a couple minutes ago. This one is about the next four months, about maintaining the tunnel vision strategy for the ultimate goal at hand, and about how to use the news that just broke as ammunition for it all. 

The aforementioned news? The 2023 NBA All-Star Game reserves were just announced, and Harden, after 10 consecutive All-Star selections, was not chosen for this year’s festivities. And while other stars try to play it off cool and pretend not being selected doesn’t bother them, Harden isn’t holding back how he feels. 

A few minutes later, he pulls out his phone, taps the Instagram icon and writes on his IG Story “The disrespect.” in white text on an all-black backdrop.

“I said it already, disrespectful!” Harden tells us of the All-Star snub. “Most of the people that understand basketball get my value, but some just get bored with my numbers.”

“[We were] hanging out, talking about some stuff, and then [the news] just came out,” recalls Payne of the night in San Antonio. “And I was like, Oh shoot, here we go. He didn’t get selected…But from a brother perspective, and as his agent, I [wanted to] encourage him to use it as fuel, to go out there and just prove everybody wrong. Let’s go out there and get All-NBA. And that’s the goal—play at a high level, finish top two in the East, push for All-NBA. I think he’s playing at an All-NBA level. 

“I saw his emotion [that night], but it was more hunger than anything. He wasn’t happy about it. He felt like he should have been in the game; he felt like he did enough to play, to be selected. I think it’s more of a perspective based on the years of his success. And it kind of hurt him. We were used to seeing James score at a high clip in terms of production in the basket, but he still was contributing in a different way at the same high level, it just wasn’t talked about enough.”

SLAM 243 featuring James Harden is available now. Shop here.

When ASW came around a couple weeks later, Harden decided to spend some time in Tempe, where he got a chance to watch his alma mater Arizona State play, before returning to the home he built in Houston for a few days. There, Payne says, he watched Harden schedule out workouts…twice a day.  

Lil Baby tunes are blaring out from a nearby speaker on this Thursday afternoon in early March. We’re at the 76ers’ practice facility in Camden, NJ, for our cover shoot with The Beard. He rhythmically nods his head to the music while reciting lyrics in between shots. At one point, he takes the lead on creative direction and starts freestyling new poses, without our photographer even having to prompt him. He’s feeling it—the shoot, life, all of it.

And it’s easy to see why. This is Harden’s 14th year in the League. And yet, here he is, still putting up some of the best shooting numbers he’s ever had—yes, almost a decade and a half into his NBA career.

On the day of the shoot, Harden is shooting the best percentage he ever has from behind the arc. Last season, he had the second-best free-throw percentage of his career. And the season before that, he put up the second-best overall shooting percentage of his career. And this is despite having to deal with mid-season trades to Brooklyn and Philadelphia the previous two years. He leads the League in assists with an average of 10.8 dimes a night, as of late March. The only time he’s finished with a higher assists average was six years ago (2016-17), when he posted 11.2 assists and was second in MVP voting (and eventually won MVP the following year). 

“I’m a master of this game. This is year 14 for me—I adjust to how teams are guarding us and I pick and choose where to facilitate,” Harden tells SLAM. “My role on the Sixers is different from 2017. So yes, the approach is different, but I’m still the same player as 2017, my role just changed slightly.

“It’s a combination of the work I put in each summer, getting healthy and trusting the work when I am on the court. I have been a student of the game and have been coachable throughout my career. This season, I have been tasked to be a leader on the court and to get everyone involved and still maintain my aggression. If I said it was easy, I’d be lying, but I am committed to do whatever I need to do in order to help my team win.”  

The shooting efficiency and assist numbers are just a couple of metrics that one can utilize to measure Harden’s impressive career longevity and consistency at this stage. Even the sneakers he’s rocking on set, a blue colorway from his super well-received Harden Volume 7 collection (which, at the time, wasn’t set to debut for another month), are indicative of how good he’s been for so long. This is his signature line’s seventh model, and there have only been two other adidas athletes to ever reach that many signature sneakers in the history of the brand: Derrick Rose and Damian Lillard. That’s it. That’s the list.

I’m a master of this game.

– James Harden

“First off, I am thankful to have a signature shoe. Having a signature line is a nod to the work that I’ve put into my craft, and having 7 volumes and counting is a blessing and I don’t [take] it for granted,” says Harden. “HV7 is my favorite model to date and the response from my fans speaks volumes to me, so I am grateful for the support. I like to express myself through my fashion, so hopefully I did that with the colorways for Volume 7. This seventh shoe is up there on the milestones for sure!”

But as he says so himself, he’s been doing it for so long that people may indeed have just become “bored” with his output these days. He’s spoiled basketball fans for over a decade. The casuals only notice that he’s no longer averaging the 36 points per game he once did. (Fun fact: Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have averaged more points in a single season than James Harden. Yup, that’s the list.) 

Numbers aside, though, his influence on a cultural level is just as impactful. It transcends statistics. His signature step-back move has been a hot topic on the internet for years. A quick Google search and you’ll find articles and message boards doing deep dives on the move and whether or not it should be allowed. One thing is for sure, Harden’s creativity has paved the way to a Hall of Fame career and introduced a move that seemed unimaginable prior to his arrival.   

“Biggest innovator to play the game!” says Harden, when asked what he wants to be remembered for the most when it’s all said and done. 

While some have tried to push a particular narrative regarding Harden’s work ethic in the past, Payne says that those who are really around know what it is. Harden has built a routine around postgame workouts, something that’s always done away from the cameras and fans. Home or away, with his game uniform still on, Harden has a list of exercises he likes to check off the list, explains Payne.

“Postgame workouts have been something that’s been prevalent in the past. I know in Houston he was doing that a little bit, working out postgame, where he’s running the stairs in the arena or lifting weights with a trainer—we’ve done a lot of that. And I’ve seen James do that a lot now,” says Payne, a former hooper at Santa Clara and overseas who’s known Harden since middle school. “So, when he has time, he’s there for three hours. He will sit there and work out with the training staff and get a workout in…I started seeing him do it during his MVP run when he was in Houston. And then I didn’t see it as much in Brooklyn.

“When the game is over, they’re in the back, they’re working out—squats, working on shoulders and RDLs. They’re getting after it, like, at least 20 minutes. That’s the quick twitch muscles when your body is fatigued, just trying to make the body stronger. So that’s something that he’s implemented with [this] team. And if you go and you look at the weight room postgame, you’ll see about six to eight guys in there getting after it. So I think that’s a testament to his leadership and just trying to keep the younger guys motivated and hungry.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve been coachable on every team I’ve been a part of,” adds Harden. “Whatever is needed of me for the team to win is what I will deliver.”  

Coachable is a term that Payne also emphasizes, pointing to the time Harden was asked to take over the PG position when playing for Mike D’Antoni in Houston. On the fly adjustments, wherever, whenever. 

“Credit to D’Antoni for putting the ball in his hands when he was in Houston. He came back home one day and was like, Man, Coach wants me to run point guard. He’s like, Point guard? I ain’t about to run no point guard, man. What is he trying to do? And after two practices, he’s like, Oh my God, this is about to work!” recalls Payne. “So it’s a credit to him being coachable. And then when he gets in that situation, [he’s] figuring it out, how to make his team successful, how to make himself successful. And the rest is history.”

With so much to highlight in his long, illustrious career, we asked Harden which accomplishment or milestone he’s proud of the most. But it’s a question he doesn’t have an answer for…yet.

“The one I want,” says Harden, “hasn’t happened yet, so let’s revisit when I win a championship.”

SLAM 243 is also available in this exclusive Cover Tee and Gold Metal Edition. Tap in.

Portraits by Alex Subers.

The post James Harden Opens Up About His Legacy and Being the ‘Biggest Innovator’ of the Game appeared first on SLAM.

The ox and turtle remnants that were converted to archives featured the now-known-as Shang numerals. The Shang dynasty, dating back to the 14th century BC, made their own number system. 

Hundreds of years later, in the 9th century AD, Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī worked at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. The immaculately-carved fossil-colored entry ways of the House, which was also called the Grand Library of Baghdad, held local poetry, both contemporary to the time and from the past. The space was primarily dedicated to translating the globe’s most respected works of literature and academia from Persian, Greek and Latin to Arabic.

In those sacred halls, al-Khwārizmī was influenced by the work of the Shang dynasty. Their number system, founded so many ages before, helped him to introduce the entire world to the Hindu-Arabic numerals, the number system still used today in so many places across the planet. History recognizes him as the Father of Algebra.  

The momentum of the centuries caught up to those numbers al-Khwārizmī popularized. Each gained their own meaning. The number seven is particularly special. 

Numerology became a universal language because of how many people recognized the characters that al-Khwārizmī favored. Music is another universal language. Rather than the one of absolutes that numerology can be counted as, music is a language of emotions. Whether or not the lyrics of song were translated at the House of Wisdom doesn’t matter. The feelings of a well-constructed song can be experienced by any human. The scales that make up these global methods of communication contain seven notes.  

High above both the Yellow River and Baghdad, the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn had Claudius Ptolemy completely enthralled. Ptolemy, a Roman, spent his days working as a mathematician, geographer, music theorist, astronomer and astrologer. He lived in Alexandria, Egypt during the 2nd century AD. He looked up in the star-filled desert skies, spellbound by what he saw without the aid of any telescope. The planets went from eyes and straight up to his imagination, which bounced between the sand and the mysteries overhead. Ptolemy’s analyzation of these luminous bodies in the sky ultimately led to them being referred to as the seven classical planets. They are the reason that we measure weeks by seven day intervals. 

When those skies got stormy and rain pounded down across the deserts of Alexandria, the House of Wisdom and the Yellow River, and when clouds turned from puffy white to dense grey, humankind didn’t get a say in another phenomenon rooted in the number seven. The storms passed and breaking clouds brought with them the rainbow. 

The arced spectrum of light contains seven colors. In the 17th century AD, Isaac Newton identified the seven colors of the rainbow as the hues most distinguishable by the human eye. 

Seven’s history spans back thousands of years and depending on the specific belief system, it can be defined as “spirituality.”

Thousands of years have brought us to 2023, to the time of James Harden. His seventh signature sneaker is the best silhouette of the 2022-23 NBA season. It’s the best pair of his Hall of Fame career. 

Aesthetically unique, Three Stripes lead designer Jalal Enayah meant to make a sneaker that nobody had seen before. He wanted to make an extension of Harden, a ballplayer that nobody has seen before. The quilted panel on the upper can be traced back to puffer jackets that the former MVP likes to rock. And materials on the toebox vary from colorway to colorway. There have been flooded versions of red, purple, black, silver, white, yellow, orange, pink and green. A tribute to his college has been seen, while white marble and gold-heeled versions have also popped up. Every color of the rainbow has shown up at least once during the HV7’s run. 

Functionally proficient, Enayah went hard with the tech inside the 7. There’s cushioning that combines BOOST in the heel and LIGHTSTRIKE in the forefoot and it sits on top of a podular rubber outsole with dual herringbone and radial patterns. The X-shaped torsional support plate underfoot is joined by the TPU heel counter that houses the internal bootie.

Harden has gotten busy with the 7 on his foot. His 10.7 assists per game led the entire League and he still averaged 21 points a night on 44 percent shooting. After some injury-hit and drama-filled couple of years, he returned to form as one of the game’s most exceptional talents. No rush in his pace, unmovable, entirely confident in scoring whenever he chose to, the 2022-23 campaign was a reminder of who James Harden really is—a rule-breaking offensive machine. He’s one of the 2010s’ authors of change, right next to the other point guards in Golden State and Portland. Basketball wouldn’t be where it is today without his contributions to the art form. 

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Now he and Enayah have submitted another piece of art to the game. The 7 is work of science and beauty. With all these years of natural wonder and human knowledge surrounding the silhouette, the incredible performances it’s been part of, the adidas Harden Vol. 7 is the best sneaker of 2022-23. 

Sketches via Jalal Enayah

The post Here’s Why The adidas Harden Vol. 7 is the Best Basketball Sneaker of 2022-23 appeared first on SLAM.

From the Nike Air Penny 1 “Orlando,” to the Nike Air Foamposite “Galaxy,” to his most recent collabs with Stussy and Social Status, Penny’s line with Nike is a testament to his lasting influence in the game that only Jordan himself can compete with. His personal collection, a mix of new and old Nike releases ranging from lifestyle (Jordans, Air Force 1s, Dunks, etc.) to basketball (Kobe signatures), is a representation of his personal tastes and passion for the sneaker game. 

By joining the Tradeblock community, Penny will become a part of the hundreds of thousands of sneaker collectors on the platform, all of whom will now have access to his coveted collection.

This partnership will connect Tradeblock’s community with a brand ambassador and investor that understands the social and cultural importance of trading sneakers to today’s generation. Penny will serve as the first celebrity face of the brand, opening opportunities for other athletes to embrace the modern concept of sneaker trading.

“We are thrilled to have Penny Hardaway join our community and share his passion for sneakers with our members,” said Mbiyimoh Ghogomu, CEO of Tradeblock. “His legacy in the basketball world and his iconic sneaker designs have had a profound impact on the culture, and we are excited to see what he brings to Tradeblock.”

This isn’t simply a brand ambassadorship. Penny is also betting on Tradeblock to be the next big thing in sneakers by making a personal investment in the company as well.

“I invested in Tradeblock because of Mbiyimoh, Darren, and Tony. As a black-owned company, there was no way I could say no as a big fan of sneakers and understanding what Tradeblock would bring to the community.”

You can follow Penny on the Tradeblock app at @iam1cent, where you can trade directly with him or accept one of his public offers.

Tradeblock will be running a tradeaway with Penny for an undisclosed pair from his collection beginning on Monday, April 10. To learn more, stay tuned to their socials and website.

The post Penny Hardaway Announces First-Of-Its-Kind Partnership with Tradeblock appeared first on SLAM.

The 6-7 forward was the obvious choice for this month’s “G League Player to Watch”—not just because of his absurd individual production, but because he led the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on an impressive run to sneak into the playoffs.

First, a brief history lesson. Rio Grande Valley (RGV) has been the most successful franchise in the history of the NBA’s official minor league, reaching six finals and claiming four championships since 2010. Last season, an RGV squad led by MVP Trevelin Queen cruised to the title, going undefeated in the playoffs. The Vipers also won it all in 2019 with a roster that included Gary Payton II and Isaiah Hartenstein.

This year…it wasn’t looking good. Heading into March—the last month of the regular season—RGV had a 10-12 record. The team had dropped four of its previous five, including an embarrassing 26-point loss to the South Bay Lakers at home. If the Vipers wanted to keep their streak of six straight playoff appearances (excluding the season canceled due to COVID) alive, then they had to turn things around right away.

OK, back to Days. An undrafted rookie out of LSU, he signed a Two-Way contract with the Houston Rockets back in October. The 23-year-old is an extremely versatile forward, capable of filling multiple positions with his size, strength and mobility. He has spent most of this season with the Vipers and proven to be a reliable 3-and-D player. At the beginning of March, he stepped up big time…

27 points, 7 rebounds vs. Oklahoma City

33 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals vs. Birmingham

26 points, 10 rebounds vs. Greensboro

28 points, 11 rebounds vs. Iowa

32 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals vs. Iowa

22 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals vs. Memphis

The Vipers won all six of those games to climb back into the playoff picture, and after splitting their next four, they locked up the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. Days posted 25.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game across that stretch, shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. He barely turned the ball over—just seven times in 10 games—despite averaging 38.6 minutes (the fifth highest mark in the league). Less than 72 hours after the Vipers clinched their playoff spot, he was named G League Player of the Month for March.

The Vipers upset the 2-seed Lakers in the Conference quarterfinals with guard Jalen Lecque sealing the deal with this tough game-winning lay-up. And Days? He delivered, of course: 21 points (on 7/13 shooting), 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. 

You can catch Days and the Vipers in the G League Finals as they face off against the Delaware Blue Coats. Tune in now through April 9 on ESPNU and ESPNews.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Luka Garza, Forward, Iowa Wolves: 30.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, 68 FG%, 46 3P% (4 GP)

Carlik Jones, Guard, Windy City Bulls: 26.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2.3 steals, 46 FG%, 35 3P%

Jahmi’us Ramsey, Guard, Oklahoma City Blue: 26 points, 4.4 rebounds, 58 FG%, 38 3P%

Lester Quinones, Guard, Santa Cruz Warriors: 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 46 FG%

Jack White, Forward, Grand Rapids Gold: 23.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 55 FG%, 38 3P%

Trevelin Queen, Guard, Fort Wayne Mad Ants: 23.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.1 steals, 50 FG%

Mfiondu Kabengele, Forward, Maine Celtics: 21.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 61 FG%, 41 3P%

Zavier Simpson, Guard, Lakeland Magic: 17.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 50 FG%, 43 3P%

REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS

Eastern Conference: Long Island Nets (23-9)

Western Conference: Stockton Kings (25-7)

Scoring Champ: Carlik Jones (26.1)

Assists Champ: Jacob Gilyard (9.7)

Rebounds Champ: Jayce Johnson (13.5)

Blocks Champ: Jay Huff (3.1)

Steals Champ: Jaden Springer (2.3)

3PT Champ: Mychal Mulder (129)

MARCH CALL-UPS

Luka Samanic, Forward, Maine Celtics to Utah Jazz

Xavier Sneed, Forward, Greensboro Swarm to Charlotte Hornets

Jay Scrubb, Guard, Lakeland Magic to Orlando Magic

Lester Quinones, Guard, Santa Cruz Warriors to Golden State Warriors (twice this month)

Trevor Keels, Guard, Westchester Knicks to New York Knicks

Lindell Wiggington, Guard, Wisconsin Herd to Milwaukee Bucks

Jamaree Bouyea, Guard, Sioux Falls Skyforce to Washington Wizards

Jared Butler, Guard, Grand Rapids Gold to Oklahoma City Thunder

Sam Merrill, Guard, Cleveland Charge to Cleveland Cavaliers

Jay Huff, Center, South Bay Lakers to Washington Wizards

Xavier Moon, Guard, Ontario Clippers to Los Angeles Clippers

More below:

Willie Cauley-Stein, Center, Rio Grande Valley Vipers to Houston Rockets

Kobi Simmons, Guard, Greensboro Swarm to Charlotte Hornets

Gabe York, Guard, Fort Wayne Mad Ants to Indiana Pacers

Skylar Mays, Guard, Mexico City Capitanes to Portland Trail Blazers

Shaquille Harrison, Guard, South Bay Lakers to Portland Trail Blazers

Jeenathan Williams, Guard, Salt Lake City Stars to Portland Trail Blazers

Justin Minaya, Forward, Mexico City Capitanes to Portland Trail Blazers

Photos via Getty Images.

The post G League Player to Watch (March): Darius Days appeared first on SLAM.

“The intersection of music and sports has driven our culture, our athletes and the sport they play. We rely on the impact of music to engage the fans, and share life experiences through the ‘conversation’ of music and beats,” said Terri Jackson, Executive Director of the WNBPA. 

The playlist is meant to inspire and motivate listeners through a power walk, spin workout, or even a work-day and includes everyone from Ashanti and Rihanna to Jhené Aiko and Coco Jones.

“Def Jam Recordings is proud to partner with the Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association in celebrating the powerful intersection of music and sports. Together, we will continue to uplift and empower women through the universal language of music,” said LaTrice Burnette, Executive Vice President, Def Jam Recordings/President, 4th & Broadway.

Through this partnership, the WNBPA and Def Jam Recordings will continue to support and uplift all women.  

Photo via Getty Images.

The post WNBPA and Def Jam Announce Partnership to Celebrate Women in Music and Sports appeared first on SLAM.

The song choice is almost too good for this moment. Clarkson, who, per our sources, actually styles himself, is a rock star in his own way, from popping out at New York Fashion Week in the fall to arriving this season ready to really turn things up and average new career-highs. As he poses for his first-ever SLAM cover wearing his Utah Jazz City Edition jersey and rockin’ a black gel manicure, his All-Star teammate, Lauri Markkanen, asks for his thoughts on how he should style his jersey. 

“Gotta have it untucked,” Clarkson says. 

SLAM 243 featuring Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson is out now. Shop here.

While Clarkson and Markkanen might seem different—Markkanen was born and raised in Finland and turns 26 in May, while Clarkson is from down South, raised in Texas, and a few years older (he turns 31 in June)—they actually have a lot in common. They’re both fathers and both born under the Gemini sign, which is Latin for “twins,” for the two stars that make up its constellation. This season, the Jazz’s two leading scorers are shining brighter than ever: Markkanen is averaging a career-high 25.7 ppg and was just named an All-Star for the first time, while Clarkson has significantly improved as a playmaker and is putting up a career-high 20.8 points and 4.4 assists per contest. They’ve gone from being parts of trades—Clarkson was sent to the Jazz in 2019 after stints in L.A. and Cleveland, while Markkanen was a part of a blockbuster trade this past summer after four years in Chicago and a year in The Land—to becoming two key pieces of a franchise on the rebuild.

“Confidence is everything in this League,” Markkanen says. “In life, in general. It makes everything so much easier when you believe in yourself—what you’re doing—but it goes to your teammates as well. On the court, for example, going [into] every shot, knowing that my teammates believe that I’m going to knock it down. I think it’s just everything in this building. We all believe in each other, and I think that’s really helping us build something bigger than ourselves.”

While JC and Markkanen describe themselves as chill—as Clarkson takes photos, Markkanen chats about taking his family bowling for the first time and wanting to make time for them in between traveling—they’re equally as perceptive when it comes to the future of the organization. They know it’s not just on them, or about them. They’ve got an entire squad behind them, too.

“Everybody is hungry,” Clarkson later adds. “We’ve got a bunch of young guys who are willing to prove themselves, coming in here to work. That’s like a foundation point of anything.” 

Just a few days after our shoot, the Jazz went out and showed how promising their future can be with a big win against Boston, in which Markkanen scored 28. Even as he and JC sat out against Sacramento, the rest of the team held it down, with Kelly Olynyk notching his second straight double-double and rookies Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji, who impressed with a 27-piece, shining. 

“We’ve got big goals for ourselves. Obviously it is a process, but we’re not trying to fast forward a little bit as well [in] trying to build a winning culture,” he says. “…For everybody, the end goal is to win a championship. While we’re having a good time as a team, I don’t think that’s why we’re here. I don’t think we’re here just to have a good time. We’re trying to win games and play meaningful games. That’s what we’re working toward.” 

There are guys who have been exactly where the Jazz are working to get to. Even Juan Toscano-Anderson, who just joined the team after a trade sent him to Utah in February, won a championship with the Warriors just last year. JC has been to the playoffs four times throughout his career. What he’s learned from playing with LeBron and Kobe is that in those moments, good or bad, you have to just keep it pushing. 

“It goes with the territory,” Clarkson later adds. “The biggest thing is that you wake up and the sun comes out the next day. You put your shoes back on, tie ’em up and figure it out. All of this is a part of the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs. The roller coaster ain’t no fun unless it makes loops.”

Back in 2018, JC was a 25-year-old with a low-top cut, learning those lessons firsthand in Cleveland. He made his first playoff appearance, and at the time, everything was “eye-opening.” The play calls. The level of communication. The Cavs went seven games against Indiana, swept Toronto and then went seven more against Boston to get to the Finals. Clarkson was trying to get up to speed as quickly as he could, but admits now that he didn’t feel as prepared as he thought he needed to be. 

The Cavs ended up losing to the Warriors in four games in the Finals. Clarkson didn’t hit the floor in either of the last two matchups. 

“Trying to get up to speed in a time where I’d never been in that situation was pretty crazy,” Clarkson says. “I kind of take it as a learning experience for me and just kept pushing and pushing, and now we’re in a position [where I’ve] played in the playoffs the last three, four years, have produced and we’ve won games—not where we wanted to be in the end goal but, I think I’ve made progress in that sense and being in a position now where we’re winning games and we’re trying to lead guys as well.”

As someone who prefers to live in the present, Clarkson has been able to dial in and prove the narrative wrong that his game is one-dimensional and he’s limited to just scoring wrong. He’s emerged as a playmaker who can dish no-look passes to Markkanen and orchestrate an offense. “The biggest thing is calm down. Not try to do too much and let plays happen,” he explains. “A lot of times, aggressiveness turns into bad things, so just being able to find yourself in those moments and being able to reel yourself in with a snowball effect…Knowing that I am an older guy now, I’ve been in the League for a while, [so], just trying to knock those moments down and just help the team. 

Is that what he’d tell his younger self? 

“Oh yeah, for sure. I’m probably talking to myself right now,” Clarkson says.

Both literally and figuratively, JC has really been climbing his way throughout his career, and since he arrived in Utah, he’s also been exploring what the city has to offer. He’s hiked the Living Room Trail, visited the hot springs and traveled even further south to see the canyons. “I just kind of get lost up there,” he says. “I know a few times, we’ve been up there when it was dark—figured out that’s not our cup of tea.” 

Utah has been a turning point for Markkanen, too. While he hasn’t had much time to really see Salt Lake City like that—he was playing for Finland in the EuroBasket this summer when the trade went down—he felt a “mental shift” from the minute he touched down in the city for training camp. 

“Getting traded, first of all, and then arriving here, I think just kind of flipped the switch in my mindset,” he says. “I thought I did everything I was asked to a year ago, and then to see the business side of basketball and still get traded. I kind of go out there and try to play my best every night. That really motivated me as well.” 

When asked how he’s managed to make such a massive leap within just a year, Markkanen admits that he’s always had the individual goal of wanting to become an All-Star. But to actually make that happen, he gives credit to his support system. “Coach [Will] Hardy has been doing a great job in just empowering the whole team and trying to play everybody [to] their strengths,” Markkanen explains. “And so, we’re all working toward a bigger goal, and it’s been a big part of why I’ve been able to do that—just getting the help and watching film, and again, back to that teammate thing, I’m not doing it by myself. A lot of my scoring, for example, is assisted baskets. They’re coming off my teammate’s passes, so they’ve been finding me, giving me good looks, and then I just gotta be able to knock them down. So I always give the biggest credit to my teammates and coaches.”

Clarkson is quick to show him love right back. “This year, as a player, seeing what the defenses are throwing at him and how he’s adjusting has been amazing,” he says, when asked about Markkanen’s growth. “It’s one of those things [where]—I’ve been around stars, major stars. Bron, Kobe. Seeing Don [Donovan Mitchell] last year as a young star. Seeing [Lauri] come into his own as a star, it’s been amazing.” 

Regardless of what the outcome of this season is, there’s power in Clarkson, Markkanen and the whole team keeping everything in perspective. To move up in the Western Conference standings, and solidify themselves as playoff contenders, they’ll have to keep that same energy, and keep it pushing. 

“I know it sounds crazy, but stick with the process,” Clarkson tells Markkanen. “The biggest thing you can always say: it’s never a failure, it’s just a learning experience. Next time, I know how you are, how you get to work. You ’gon figure it out. Next time that happens, he’s ’gon be prepared for it.”

SLAM 243 is also available in this exclusive Gold Metal Edition and Cover Tee.

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson are Ready to take the Utah Jazz to New Heights appeared first on SLAM.

Seeing is believing, and artist Troy Murray, who goes by the name TYP, has created just that and more: his latest work, titled “Rhetorical Question” depicts a realistic portrait of the NBA legend and even features sculpted Reebok Questions that were molded and casted from the actual kicks. 

When the Detroit-native pulls up to our office in Long Island City, he reveals that his artwork represents his early childhood memories of watching Iverson, who was his favorite player growing up, and begging his parents to buy him his own pair of kicks. He also got a subscription to SLAM when he was 12, and would keep issues on his bedside table. 

“Everybody has this memory of that AI cover,” TYP says. “Anybody that loves basketball has a memory. I was able to tell my version of the memory through that piece.” 

TYP says it takes him about two weeks to create each piece. He begins by sketching the portrait on Procreate to get an idea of the color scheme and textures he wants to incorporate. When it’s time to build the sculpture, he starts by creating the shape of the piece using foam and wood, and then sprays a light layer of concrete on top. To give it that rocky, aged-look, he casts and molds different elements of the piece, like the sneakers, out of a clay that hardens into a proxy, and then sands it down.

Shop Allen Iverson SLAM Cover Tees here.

His journey into developing his own distinct style started with a different pair of kicks, the Jordan 1s. After focusing primarily on drawing portraits, he wanted to explore an entirely new medium when he picked up a sneaker box one day. “I just saw how [the Jordan 1s] were sitting in there, and I just thought that if I just pattern those in the right way they could make a pretty relatively even painting surface for me. So I tried it and it worked.”

He would take pairs of kicks and quite literally cut them in half to use in his artwork. Yes, you read that right. “That original one, we were like, this is kind of crazy. We were just cutting these sneakers in half, but once we did it once [and] we cut one sneaker and started to actually piece it together and pattern it we were like, this is so dope. This is gonna work.” 

Eventually though, TYP’s friend Anthony let him know that instead of cutting them up, he could just mold them and replicate as many pairs as he wanted. Learning the entire molding and casting process, put things into perspective that he could now create his art on an even larger scale. 

By turning a real SLAM cover into a real-life sculpture, TYP has captured the very epitome of how art, basketball, history and human connection all intersect. .“I wanted to play off of the question and the answer here. I always thought that was so cool as a kid that he had a sneaker. That was the Question, the nickname was The Answer. And so the name of the piece was a Rhetorical Question. And the whole narrative was based around this, he’s always been the answer.”

Photos by Marcus Stevens.

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When the Knicks point guard pulls up to our office in Long Island City for his SLAM cover shoot, it’s clear that the man himself hasn’t changed since the last time we saw him. Brunson is still as focused as he was in Dallas—even sharper now. He’s figured out a way to not only elevate his own game, but help lead an entire franchise to new heights. Is this what he meant last year when he said that he didn’t think about how well he was doing…because he knew he could be doing even better? 

“You had to bring out the receipts, huh?” Brunson says when we bring it up on set. “I definitely have improved. I think it’s a mixture of work ethic, opportunity, fit and a little bit of luck, too. I mean, it’s a mixture of everything, but I’m honored to have the opportunity to go out there and play every other night and do what I can to help the team win. I just feel like whenever I step on the court, I have to be the best player I can be. And then we go back and watch [film] and [it’s like], how can I improve? And that’s just been my mindset since I can remember.” 

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We’ve told this story before: how his mother, Sandra, taught him early on how to set goals and envision what he wanted out of life, while his father, Rick, who had a nine-year yourneyman career in the League and played on the Knicks inin the ’90s, pushed him and showed what staying true to the grind really means.

The too-small-kid out of Stevenson High School became the best point guard in the country and then a champion at Villanova. When his opponents were bigger, faster and stronger in college, he’d think to himself, How can I be creative? How can I get my opponents off balance? 

Now, at 26 years old and in his fifth year in the L, Brunson is writing a new chapter. He’s become that much more dangerous, especially when he’s beating dudes off the dribble and hitting them with the dream shake. “How can I use my smarts versus their athleticism?” Brunson says. “I’ve always been that way and it’s worked. It’s gotten me here.”

“Here” is the mecca of basketball. New York City has produced point guards so undeniably smooth with the rock they’ve become cultural icons, from God Shammgod to the Jelly Fam. Brunson, who grew up in Cherry Hill (NJ) back when Rick was suiting up in blue and orange, isn’t super flashy or hitting three-to-the-dome celebrations in Madison Square Garden like Melo, but he’s been exactly what the Knicks have needed to bring them back to the playoffs this season. 

“Being the point guard of the Knicks is special. It’s like a dream come true. You’re playing for a legendary organization, a legendary city,” he says. “And you just have to go out there and perform and just be yourself. And I think all year that’s what I’ve done. I’ve gone out there. I’ve been myself. Obviously you don’t play great for 82 games, but I give effort every time on the court. If I play with effort, just be genuine, be myself, not really care about anything going on but keep winning as my most important thought. The city of New York can praise you, but just gotta go out there and just be you.” 

Everyone is going to have an opinion, and when Brunson signed with the team during free agency, there were plenty of things said about him, including that he was overpaid and overhyped. “A lot of people [that] are saying the things that they’re saying, whether you’re playing basketball or doing whatever, they probably can’t do it to a level that you could do it. You don’t really worry about it—you just focus on yourself, focus on what you can control. And that’s my mindset. This is how I’ve always been and this is how I’m going to be for the rest of my career.”

People also thought that the Knicks weren’t going to amount to much. But as we go to printers, they’re fifth in the East and legitimate playoff contenders. 

Wait, run that back. The Knicks are…what?

This is the same franchise that’s been building and working to get to this point. Every win was a step forward. And sure, missing the playoffs last year and losing in the first round the year prior seemed like two giant leaps backward, but you can’t deny that they’ve been making major strides this season. They’ve shown that they can hold their own against teams like Philly, Denver and Boston. They’ve had not one, but two serious winning streaks—eight games in December and a nine-game streak in February. Who’s laughing now?

Brunson is having an even better season than he did last year, and averaging new career-highs across the stat sheet: 23.8 points and 6.1 assists per game, shooting 41.4 percent from behind the arc. The duo of JB and Julius Randle, who was named an All-Star this past February, is just pure magic. 

“He’s been special since I got here,” Brunson says of Randle. “Just to see how hard he works, how careful he is with his craft and how bad he wants to win, and we share that. Obviously, we’re both lefties—including RJ [Barrett] we’re all lefties. But we all want to win.” 

When the Knicks are winning, the entire city is buzzing with an energy that can be felt across all five boroughs and beyond. In Midtown, there’s a sign outside of Marathon Coffee that lists things the establishment is grateful for. The first is Jalen Brunson. All the way past the Bronx in Yonkers, a man is pulling up to a laundromat proudly wearing a pair of Patrick Ewing 33s, a pair of Knicks basketball shorts and a snapback. The Knicks are New York’s team, and right now, everyone is hyped about this year’s squad. Barrett just scored more than 25 points for three straight games and has been solid while Brunson has been out with an ankle injury. When Immanuel Quickley dropped 38 against the Celtics in a double-overtime win, Brunson was on Twitter faster than an NBA insider, calling him everything from HIMBO FISHER to HIMMY FALLON. Then there’s Josh Hart, who just arrived in the city after being traded from Portland in February and is already being embraced. 

Brunson and Hart go way back—they were college roommates at Villanova when Brunson was a sophomore and Hart was a senior. “Josh is my brother,” Brunson says. “That’s just a bond that can never be broken when you do something as big as win a national championship. That’s special. And the fact that we kind of get to keep that flame burning in the NBA and play together. It’s been an honor, it’s been special. He brings a different element to our team and I think you’ve seen it. Since he’s played it’s been amazing. What he does on the court is so evident, so special. It may not show up in a stat sheet—some of the things that he does—but he’s a killer.”

The Knicks already had leaders in Randle and veterans like Derrick Rose, but what they now have with the addition of Brunson is someone just as dedicated to the grind and in a constant pursuit of consistency. Brunson has told us before that his confidence comes from his work ethic, but there’s a reason why he always brings it up—he just can’t stop thinking about it. “The one thing I obsess over is just my work ethic,” he says. “If I’m always working, I’m always getting prepared, I will never have to just get ready. Don’t need to get ready when you stay ready.” 

What’s been key to the Knicks’ resurgence this season, as well as their growing confidence, is how they’ve been able to stay connected. They’re balanced on both ends of the court, and harmonious off of it: cracking jokes with (and about) each other on Twitter, telling the media who would and wouldn’t survive a zombie apocalypse. When they beat the Heat, it was Brunson who hugged Randle in the middle of his postgame interview, while the big man explained how much love they have for one another. This year’s squad has nicknames for each other, too: JB calls Randle “Sergeant” (but says that Randle has to be the one to tell us why) and Rose is “OG.” 

“The best advice that Derrick has given me is probably, he just tells me to lead every day,” says Brunson “Every single day. There are days where obviously you just kind of want to get your work and you want to get out of there and clear your head, but a leader leads every single day. And he reminds me to do it every single day, and it’s just special to have him. I think his presence alone kind of makes me just have to lead because I look at him, he looks at me and it’s kind of an unspoken thing that we know what we got to do.” 

As for Brunson’s own leadership style: “At first, I like to lead by example, to kind of show everybody what I’m about, what my agenda is, and [let them] know what’s most important to me,” he explains. “And then once everyone starts to see that, you can start to be more vocal and kind of say how you feel, say what you want. But I love to get to know my audience—know my teammates, how they react to certain things, how they can take criticism or whatever. I wouldn’t say anything to my teammates that I wouldn’t do myself. And so it’s special. It’s unique. But I think for me, it works just because I’m genuine. I am who I am. And I’m unapologetic. But at the same time, I want to win. And that’s just first and foremost on my mind.”

When asked if he’s taken a moment to look at how far he’s come, Brunson brings things into perspective and admits that it doesn’t feel like he’s accomplished much of anything yet. “No, I haven’t had a moment yet,” he says, “because I haven’t done anything.” 

Really? Nothing? 

“I want to win as much as I can,” he adds. “I want to be a person that’s special. I want to win a championship in this League. That’s just my goal. And I just think that if you have a championship, you can talk about whatever you want. But I mean, individual stuff is great and all that stuff, but everyone strives to win. And that’s what drives me.”

That mentality is why Brunson fits right in. He knows the formula that it takes to achieve those goals, to become everything he’s always wanted and more. Brunson isn’t quick to call this a new era for the Knicks just yet; but as always, he’s ready to put in the work to get there. “I would just say that we’re growing. We’re getting better every single day,” he says. “I wouldn’t say this is an era because there’s a lot of history with this organization. And we have to do a lot more for it to be an era and can’t be just complacent with where we are now. [We’ve] got a lot more to prove.”

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Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks are Proving Everyone Wrong appeared first on SLAM.

“You gotta think: somebody that can keep a dribble, show the ref that you’re holding them off balance but keep themselves on balance to finish or practice being unbalanced and finishing, they’ve mastered it,” Shumpert tells us on set. “You watch so many different players that come out of college polished [and] able to do things that we weren’t working on cause the college game wasn’t half that stuff wasn’t even allowed. The game is evolving and there’s becoming a universal understanding of what you can do.”

To put on performances like what we’ve seen so far this NBA season—from 71-point nights to 100-plus game totals—is as much testament to the level of talent as it is passion. “This young group, they’re so talented and in love with [the game],” Shumpert continues. “You know what I’m saying? They sleep with basketballs [and] their game shoes on. I love that. They be in pressure situations and they’ll still windmill it. Like, they don’t care and they are so locked in and so in love and trusting of their bodies. Me being somebody that had all them surgeries, I’m like, I wish I could trust my body on game 55, [and] I’m just doing a windmill on a breakaway in traffic. 

I remember being that young and just dribbling to a place and just being like, f*** it, let’s try it. I’ve never done it from this angle, turn this way contorted, but let’s do it. It’s like, those kids that were like five and they were trying those grown moves and you like, bruh, your ‘lil self can’t do that, like calm down. But they kept doing it and kept doing it and now they look at a grown up like, you ain’t even worked on the stuff I worked on. I mastered it.” 

Shumpert, who suited up for the Knicks and won a championship with the Cavaliers in 2016, has both played alongside and against NBA superstars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Now, he’s witnessing firsthand how the next generation of standouts not only look up to the older players, but are taking their game even further. “Now, they look at a grown up like you ain’t even work on all the stuff I worked on. I mastered your game in my mind at eight. I start working on Steph Curry game, too, then I added a ‘lil Melo game ‘cause I had to learn how to play in the post. Now I got Kyrie Irving all up in my head so you can’t stop me. It’s crazy. It’s so cool to talk to a kid now that’s playing in the pros and they be like, yeah I been watching Kyrie my whole life and I be like, dang bro that’s crazy. I’m old. Me and Kyrie are old? Wow. Kyrie [is] younger than me so I’m like, Kyrie is who you look up to? We’re watching a new generation of just killas. It’s cool.”

As for the level of competitiveness in the League, Shumpert’s next take sparks a conversation amongst the Starting Five: “They wanna win but I meant the competitive nature of I’m gonna score on this end and you can’t score on the other end. I think the grittiness of that has left—part of it is them adjusting to officiating, the hand checking is gone, the ability to rough somebody up sorta got taken away completely but I just felt like that’s what [is lacking] when I watch it…I know what it’s like to be in the League and it’s like Iman you got four fouls, stop and I’m like, dog who’s letting somebody lay a ball up? Like why y’all mad at me, bro? I didn’t even foul ‘em, like that was a tic-tac call. But it’s like you don’t just get layups, you don’t just get open shots, you have to do it under duress or I don’t believe it. 

I’m one of those guys. I don’t believe he’s that good [if] he can’t do it under duress,” he adds. “…That’s what I end up watching but like I said that’s my personal [opinion]. I want y’all to play how I want y’all to play and it’s like nah, they worried about scoring 150 points and they’re doing it very well.”

As for what SetFree, Kiss and Danielle think? Watch the DraftKings’ Starting Five series here.

Photos via The Compound and DraftKings.  

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“If you hear ‘D,’ for those of us in America, well, where’s the B League? Where’s the C League? You think about the grading scale,” says play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Danna, who has been calling Santa Cruz Warriors games since 2012. 

Back when Danna started working in Santa Cruz, the D-League wasn’t regarded as a natural part of the NBA development process. Not yet. Guys who were sent down to the minors often felt extremely discouraged by the news. “When most people talked about the D-League at the time when I came into being a professional, it was more so looked down upon,” says College Park Skyhawks guard Langston Galloway, whose first stint in the D-League came in 2014-15 with the Westchester Knicks.

Concerning assignment players, Galloway adds: “If you got sent down to the D-League [in 2014-15], it was like, either you weren’t retaining the information fast enough or you weren’t being successful when you got your opportunity. So… We need you to pick it up. We need you to be better.”

In other words, the D-League could feel like a punishment. A demotion, rather than an opportunity. Three steps back (B, C, D) instead of just one.

That has changed dramatically as the league has grown, however. Now the G League is considered an important part of the journey for a majority of young players. “It’s a lot more normalized than it was,” explains Danna. “It’s an expected part of the process.” One that is viewed with far more acceptance than it used to be. 

“There’s a definite process in place for most—if not all—teams that includes the G League,” adds Billy Campbell, general manager of the Birmingham Squadron.

So how did we get here? How did that evolution occur?

The most notable development has been the steady increase in the number of teams. Campbell worked as a basketball operations coordinator for the D-League from 2012-16, and when he first started, there were only 16 teams. Some, like the Bakersfield Jam and Fort Wayne Mad Ants, were shared among four different NBA parent clubs. The lack of one-to-one affiliations with the NBA created a sense of disconnect that clouded perceptions of the league. When a player was assigned from the Toronto Raptors to the Jam, for example, he suddenly found himself thousands of miles away, representing a completely new and unfamiliar organization. How could he not feel separate, ostracized, relegated?

“You had those teams that seemed like they were so far away from their affiliates, you didn’t feel like you were a part of the NBA,” says journeyman guard Scotty Hopson, whose first taste of the D-League came in 2014 with the Canton Charge. 

Without a true minor league system in place, there was far less movement back and forth from the NBA. Assignments were less frequent, as were call-ups. Rookies—or struggling older players—didn’t necessarily anticipate spending time in the D-League, so when they were sent down, it was a significant blow.

But the addition of more teams began to transform how the D-League was utilized, and therefore how it was looked upon. The total rose to 18 by 2014-15, then 22 by 2016-17, then 27 by 2018-19. Today, there are 30 teams, 28 of which are single affiliates of NBA franchises.

“It was a really great thing when it was the D-League and it was its own sort of niche league, where we all understood that we had to band together to keep the league afloat,” says Campbell. “The executives and coaches and everybody understood that. There was great basketball being played and there were great players, but now it’s become really the minor league for the NBA in a way that it couldn’t have been until they expanded to have this many teams.”

Player development plans have become more thorough. G League staffs have expanded to help carry out those plans. Communication from the top has increased, making G Leaguers still feel a part of the NBA ecosystem, not banished to some far-off and detached organization.  

“Now [when] you’re sent down, it’s like, We know you don’t get time to play on the main team right now, but we need you to just go out there, get these minutes and play in meaningful minutes at that, too,” Galloway tells SLAM. “I think that’s where it’s kind of changed—where the perception has continued to get better for not just the young guys, but as talent continues to come through this league.”

In 2012-13, there were 186 total assignments (58 players) from the NBA to the D-League. As of this writing, there have been 540 assignments (92 players) to the G League this season. For most emerging talents, especially those with limited or no college experience, the G League is now perceived as an inevitable—and valuable—destination. A place to keep maturing and progressing. 

An opportunity, rather than a demotion.

Perception has also improved as former assignment players have found tremendous success in the NBA. Khris Middleton (Fort Wayne Mad Ants, 2012-13), Rudy Gobert (Bakersfield Jam, 2013-14) and Pascal Siakam (Raptors 905, 2016-17) all made appearances in the D-League before becoming NBA All-Stars, as did CJ McCollum, Clint Capela and Terry Rozier.

Of the 92 players assigned to the G League this year, 21 are former top 20 draft picks, including James Wiseman, Jonathan Isaac, Moses Moody, Johnny Davis, Kira Lewis Jr, Mark Williams, Ousmane Dieng and James Bouknight.  

“Now that the G League has been in place for 20-something years, as opposed to 10 years when I got into the league, there’s an understanding that most first round picks are going to play at least a few games in the G League,” Danna says. 

And it’s easy to see why. 

“I’m a big believer that you get better at basketball by playing basketball,” Campbell says. “Guys who aren’t playing in NBA games aren’t really working on their craft during the season as much as they’d like to, and this gives them that opportunity to play with some freedom and sort of discover that joy, that passion, that swag, that confidence in their own abilities and their games to sort of get back to the guys that they were.”

The talent level has always been high in the G League (yes, even when it was the D-League), and the intense competition brings the best out of players. Just ask Hopson: 

“It’s a dog eat dog league down there, man. It’s cutthroat, it’s real, it’s raw. But there’s beauty in that journey—in that struggle—to get to what you [want to] achieve. There’s a lot of growth that takes place. There are a lot of learning opportunities. And there’s an opportunity as well just to grow yourself as a professional. If guys come down here and take advantage of that, it’ll do wonders for their careers, even if they take it outside of the G League. The G League is a really great place to be, especially right now. It’s the best it’s ever been, and it’s going to continue to grow.” 

Photos via Getty Images.

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BRANDSEEN HAT worn by CHRIS PAUL

HONOR THE GIFT QUARTER-ZIP worn by RUSSELL WESTBROOK

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ESSENTIALS HOODIE, PANTS + UGG SHOES worn by DEMAR DEROZAN

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The basketball bond between Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels had a bumpy beginning. On the flight to an Australian national under-12 tournament, Daniels—who had made the team at age 11—started feeling queasy. Before long, he was heaving and hurling. Giddey and his parents comforted the young Daniels, and the foundation of a friendship were formed in the midst of so much turbulence.

Not long after that plane descended, the Australian duo of Giddey and Daniels began their ascent in international basketball. Less than a week later, their team had finished as national runners-up and Daniels had taken home the MVP trophy. Less than five years later, they’d become teammates again at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra. And less than 10 years later, in December, they faced off against each other for the first time as two of the most dynamic young stars in the NBA.

“It’s an awesome feeling being able to play against one of your childhood friends in the NBA,” says Giddey, now a second-year point guard for the Thunder. “It really proved the value of the paths that we’ve been on from a young age.”

Although they were both highly regarded youth basketball prospects, neither Giddey nor Daniels struck anyone in Australia as future NBA draft lottery picks when they were preteens. They didn’t think of themselves that way either. As kids, they were more focused on the fun of playing basketball—and of pulling pranks. Between seasons, they used to hang out at caravan parks with friends. One spring, they were scolded by police officers for tossing eggs at the Easter Bunny during a holiday parade.

But they blossomed at the Global Academy, an NBA developmental program that operates in partnership with Basketball Australia’s renowned Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport. The NBA Academy, which operates three other programs, has produced three NBA draft picks (Giddey, Daniels and Bennedict Mathurin) and nearly 100 DI players in six years. 

Marty Clarke, the Global Academy’s technical director, played with Giddey’s father in Australia and was able to see the potential in Giddey that other coaches had missed when they snubbed him from the Victoria under-16 team in 2016. “Fortunately for us, it’s not about winning championships,” Clarke says. “We also have the luxury of not having to make money. I don’t know that there’s another program in the world like this. There’s no distractions of championships or money—our entire focus is on making each player as good as they can be.” 

Giddey joined the Academy at the start of 2019, and Daniels followed suit that summer. Clarke was eager to pit the pair against each other. “We were lucky we had those guys at the same time, and we would split the group evenly, and sometimes we’d split on age,” he says. “Dyson’s job was to run the team against Giddey’s group. To Dyson’s credit, he always said, I’m taking Giddey.”

Both Giddey and Daniels hit huge growth spurts and developed into can’t-miss prospects at the Academy. But it wasn’t all basketball business all the time. Clarke likes to joke that he never had to put Daniels through any cardio because he was a “huge pest” in the locker room, constantly pranking teammates and then being chased by them through the facility.

Daniels doesn’t deny any of it. Whether he was locking them outside in the cold or stealing their mattresses or letting lizards loose in their rooms, Daniels was constantly finding new ways to tease his teammates. “I own up to it,” he says with a laugh. “I still do it. I like to get under people’s skin and annoy people and pull pranks on people. It gets me into trouble sometimes, but I get joy out of it.”

The pair parted ways when Giddey signed with the NBL’s Adelaide 76ers in March 2020. A year later, the Thunder took him with pick No. 6 in the 2021 NBA Draft. And as Giddey embarked on his rookie season—proving himself to be one of the best young passers in the League by becoming the youngest player ever to record a triple-double and the first player in 40 years to record a scoreless double-double—Daniels continued in the NBA’s developmental pipeline, signing with the G League Ignite. 

“Our three NBA Academy draft picks went three different directions and all ended up in the top 10,” says Chris Ebersole, associate vice president and head of Elite Basketball at the NBA. “Giddey in the NBL, Dyson doing Ignite and Ben [Mathurin] going to college—I think that, for us, is a great indicator that we’re doing something right. The fact that we’ve had three lottery picks in the last two years is a great start, and we know we have more in the pipeline.”

Last summer, before the Pelicans selected him with the No. 8 pick and he started proving to be one of the best young defenders in the League, Daniels had the chance to go up against Giddey one-on-one while they were training together in Los Angeles. It was the first time in two years, and they were both eager to show off their new size, strength and skills. And unsurprisingly, their recollections of the overall record diverge a bit. 

“I was for sure overall the winner,” Daniels says. And for good measure, he had a little trash talk. “He needs a ball screen to be effective, and there’s no ball screens in one-on-one.”

“When we were younger, maybe he beat me one-on-one, I’ll admit that,” Giddey responds. “Over the summer, I can say on the record: When we were working out in California, I got the best of him.”

When they played each other for the first time in an NBA game in December, they didn’t have a chance to match up against each other directly. And Daniels, ever the trash-talker, took a moment after the game to tell his old friend and teammate to be thankful. “I told him he got lucky,” Daniels says, laughing again. “He didn’t have to go up against me.”

Daniels got bragging rights from wins in their teams’ first two matches, but they both know this is only the beginning of the next phase of their basketball bond.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Inside Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels’ Unbreakable Bond, from Australia to the NBA appeared first on SLAM.

Daily subjects vary—some lessons center on basketball, others are focused more broadly on the transition from high school to college. Professors vary as well—the recently retired Coach K spoke to the 2022 freshmen, as well as current coaches, general manager Rachel Baker and others. The overall mission of the class is clear: welcome new members to The Brotherhood. Teach them what The Brotherhood is all about.

“It’s great because you learn about the history of Duke,” says freshman center Christian Reeves. 

One day, associate head coach Chris Carrawell, who played for the Blue Devils from 1996-2000, showed an hour-long video tracing Duke’s storied past. The five national titles and 15 ACC tournament championships under coach Mike Krzyzewski. The 1,129 wins since 1980 (the most ever by a coach at one school). Carrawell broke it all down, highlighting how the program has managed to find so much success.

Everyone knows about The Brotherhood. For many of Duke’s new players (both its top-ranked recruiting class and impressive group of grad transfers), it was a significant factor in their decisions to come to the university.

Still, it is tough to fully understand The Brotherhood until you are a part of it—until you are experiencing it from the inside, as opposed to just hearing about it. There are traditions in place that give newcomers an immediate feel for what they have joined: a close-knit, strong, lifelong family. 

“What The Brotherhood means to me is, simply, unity and togetherness,” former Blue Devil Gary Trent Jr told SLAM in 2018. “Being part of something that’s bigger than yourself, fighting for someone other than yourself, just always looking out for the next man and your brother.”

“The Brotherhood is basically the bond that is Duke [Men’s] Basketball,” added Grayson Allen, who spent four years at Duke from 2014-18. “It’s former players from 20 years ago to guys now and to future commits. It’s the whole thing. You share a common experience of playing here, playing at Duke, playing for Coach.”

Of course, at the heart of The Brotherhood is “Coach,” who has defined the program for over four decades. “It started really because there are not a lot of cases where you get a coach who has coached so many players for so many years,” Carrawell explains. Krzyzewski is the glue that holds The Brotherhood together—the powerful connecting force at its core. He cultivates relationships between past and present Duke players. He makes sure that those bonds never fade. The Michael W. Krzyzewski Center (known on campus as the “K-Center”)—a two-story athletic and academic facility adjacent to Cameron Indoor Stadium—even has a “Legacy Locker Room,” constructed specifically to accommodate former players who come back.

Throughout his tenure, Krzyzewski established annual traditions such as K Academy, a five-day fantasy camp held at Duke in June. Campers, who must be at least 35 years old, compete in a basketball tournament and get to learn the inside scoop about the Blue Devils program. Alumni always return for the event, making it one big family reunion.

Ryan Young, a 6-10 center who recently transferred from Northwestern, was a coach at the 2022 K Academy. 

“That’s where I really saw The Brotherhood,” says Young. “You have young guys like Quinn Cook, Amile Jefferson and Grayson Allen back here coaching teams, but you also have older players that I don’t even recognize that played here in the ’80s and ’90s and 2000s that have all been coming back every year for this event. It’s really cool. I’m sitting there coaching with Mark Alarie, Justin Robinson and a few other former players. And then you have, like, Shane Battier and all those guys walking around the gym like it’s nothing.”

There are typically around 30-40 former Duke players in attendance at K Academy—all bonded by their experiences at the university. Some are in the NBA (more than 20 Blue Devils are currently on NBA rosters), some are coaches, some are front office executives, some have moved on from basketball entirely.

During Krzyzewski’s illustrious career, Duke had 68 NBA Draft selections, including 42 first-round picks. Beyond just K Academy, those players constantly come back to Durham and serve as mentors for the present-day Blue Devils, many of whom aspire to follow in their footsteps.

Heading into the 2022-23 season, the team was visited by Jayson Tatum, RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, Paolo Banchero, Mark Williams and others. Those alums didn’t just drop by to say hello—they hung around, played pick-up, worked out at the K Center, engaged with the staff, shared advice with the players. Freshman Mark Mitchell got to pick the brain of Barrett, another versatile and dynamic lefty wing who was once in his position.

“I’m trying to be where he’s at, so him just taking time out of his day to talk to me and give me tips for five minutes really meant a lot to me,” says Mitchell. “Some guys can be arrogant or act like they’re too cool, but he really sat there, talked to me, took me on the court and gave me little tips that I can [use] to be better.”

“I think the coolest part about The Brotherhood is the fact that people—us as players—own it and don’t take it for granted,” assistant coach Amile Jefferson says. Jefferson played for Duke from 2012-17, appearing in a program-record 150 games and winning a national championship in 2015.

“It doesn’t matter if you come here for nine months and you’re a one and done or you stay for four-plus years,” Jefferson continues. “When you wear this jersey and you lay your blood, sweat and tears on the line for this school, for this team, you become a part of something bigger than yourself. And guys carry that with them and it means something. So it’s cool to see guys, especially our pro guys, come back and work out with our young guys—come back and mentor them, stay in touch with them. It happens organically. It’s not like our coaches are making the alum do that, making the pro guys do that. It’s giving back, it’s paying it forward, and I think that’s what The Brotherhood is about. It’s not just a word. It’s a word that works. And it’s followed up by action.”

It isn’t a coincidence that the current coaching staff consists of three former Duke players: Scheyer, Carrawell and Jefferson (all of whom played for Coach K). That has been the program’s approach for a while now, ensuring that the traditions get passed on, the culture doesn’t fragment and The Brotherhood continues to thrive, even in Krzyzewski’s retirement. Under Scheyer, the standards will remain the same and the family will only grow.

“I think you look at the stability of our program for a long time and we plan on keeping that stability as we move forward,” Scheyer says. “[The Brotherhood] is really the feeling of what it means to play for Duke…Whether it’s one year that somebody is here or whether it’s four years, it’s not a pit stop. Duke University, Duke Basketball—it’s not a pit stop. You have to be all in.”

The Brotherhood extends far beyond the court. It’s a network of support that transcends basketball. A former Duke manager who now works in private wealth management recently came back to talk to the team about his career path. 

“On the job side, if you ever need anything business-wise, you have so many people that have come through The Brotherhood,” says junior guard Jeremy Roach, captain of the 2022-23 squad. “You can ask them questions and get information from them.” Roach was drawn to Duke during his recruitment process because of the “family mentality” fostered by Coach K.

“We all try to help one another,” Carrawell stresses, whether it’s related to the game or not. “I can go to Grant Hill. Daniel Ewing can come to me. I’m pretty sure there’s a younger guy that can go to Daniel Ewing, just because we have that Duke connection.”

“Once you leave here, there’s a special connection that you feel with the guys who have played here, the guys that are about to enter our program, and the guys who are currently here,” adds Scheyer. “That’s a bond I don’t think you can explain unless you’re in it.” 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post How Duke Men’s Basketball Program Became an Eternal Brotherhood Over the Years  appeared first on SLAM.

Katrina Merriweather, Memphis

Katrina Merriweather has been a culture changer at Memphis. In her first year, she led the Tigers to their second 15-plus win season in team history and their first since 2015-2016. The following season also saw the Tigers’ find success and get off to an elite start, going 6-1. Merriweather was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame that same year.

While Meriwether brought winning to Memphis, winning isn’t new to Merriweather. Before Memphis Merriweather was the coach at Wright State, where she led the Raiders to two Horizon League championships and the school’s only back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019 and 2021. Merriweather graduated from the University of Cincinnati where she began her coaching career as a graduate assistant. 

Ed Davis Jr, Morgan State

Davis began his tenure at Morgan State as the interim head coach before earning the full-time job. Davis made an instant impact on the program, leading the team to a winning record in his first season as head coach. Before coaching at Morgan State, Davis spent many years as the head coach at Delaware State, where he is the program’s all-time winningest coach. His tenure at Delaware State was highlighted by a 2007 NCAA tournament appearance and a stretch from 2003-2005 in which he led the team to a school-record 23 straight home wins. Outside of coaching, Davis played basketball at West Virginia state where he earned his bachelor’s degree before earning a master’s in education from Howard University. Davis was inducted into the West Virginia State Athletics Hall of Fame in October of 2008.

Lauren Sumski, Lipscomb

When Sumski joined the Lipscomb Bisons in the spring of 2019 she was not only one of the youngest Head Coaches in the country, at 27, but was also the first-ever female to lead the program since it turned Division I. Sumski’s impact was immediate as she spearheaded a 13 game turnaround from the previous season, improving their record from 5-21 to 18-9. This year the Bison are having an extremely solid season winning 20+ games. Sumski was a distinguished player in her own right, coming out of high school she was the 28th-ranked player nationally, committing to Tennessee. While her time at Tennessee only lasted one year, she was awarded to the SEC All-Academic team before transferring to Rhodes College. During her playing career at Rhodes College, Sumski was a two-time WBCA All-American, a National Player of the year finalist, a SAA Player of the Year, a two-time SAA Tournament MVP, and an academic honor roll member. Her time at Rhodes was highlighted by her Senior year in which she averaged 25.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Tarrell Robinson, North Carolina A&T

Tarrell Robinson is an Aggie for life. Robinson not only currently coaches for North Carolina A&T, but also played college basketball for the men’s program. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at A&T, and earned his B.A. degree in psychology in 2001 from A&T. During Robinson’s 11-year tenure the Aggies have had five 20-win seasons and have finished lower than third place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference only twice. Additionally, the Aggies have made six postseason appearances—three NCAA tournaments and three WNITs. In 2013-14, the Aggies made history by becoming the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to win consecutive games in the preseason WNIT. Last year, Robison set the program record as the all-time winningest coach in North Carolina A&T history, something he reached with a 68-49 win against South Carolina State.

Ashley Langford, Stony Brook

Ashley Langford took her talents playing point guard for Tulane 15 years ago to the head coaching position for Stonybrook. Before her arrival with the Seawolves in 2021, she helped lead the James Madison Dukes to three Colonial Athletic Association regular season titles as their associate head coach. Her quick adaptation to this new role shouldn’t come as a surprise though, as this season Langford has led the Seawolves to an 18-13 record with an outstanding 11-3 record at home.

Recruiting seems to be her bread and butter as well. The former James Madison associate head coach already has a history of bringing in a former 2020 WNBA draft pick, one Player of the Year and two Rookies of the Year.

Laura Harper, Towson

Towson has championship DNA imprinted in their women’s basketball program for as long their head coach Laura Harper decides to stay. Harper is a former forward/center that suited up for the University of Maryland Terrapins from 2006-2008, winning the tournament in her first season with the team. Upon graduating in 2008, she got drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs in that year’s WNBA Draft.

Her coaching journey began as an assistant coach at American University in 2013, and then as head coach at Montverde Academy. A year later, Harper took her expertise to Coppin State as a head coach for the first time on the college scene, where she completely flipped the program around after her first season there, going from a 2-13 record to 15-13. Now that she’s at Towson, the Tigers have a 21-11 record in the Colonial Athletic conference this season.

Toyelle Wilson, SMU

With an overall head coaching record of 69-57, Toyelle Wilson is still on a quest to deliver an NCAA championship to SMU as the school’s first Black female head coach. Before previously becoming an assistant coach for the prestigious and often competitive Baylor and Michigan in 2013, she was a head coach at Prairie A&M from 2010-2013. Before getting the head coaching position there, she served as an assistant for four years.

This year, Wilson has the Mustangs holding onto a 16-12 record in the American Athletic conference and a 12-2 record at home. The best is yet to come from the former guard. 

Brittany Young, Austin Peay

Brittany Young is only the 12th head coach to be appointed in Austin Peay’s program history. Young wasted no time making her presence known with the Governors: in just her first season there, the team accumulated a 20-13 record, making her the second coach to have a 20-win season in their debut. She then became the only coach to lead the program to their first postseason victory in the Women’s Basketball Invitational in March 2022.

Young’s resume includes coaching at Daytona State College, where she yet again shined while also taking on the responsibilities of academic coordinator, program’s recruiting coordinator, strength and conditioning liaison, director of player development, and director of operations. In her time with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, she played a vital role in recruiting KN’isha Godfrey, who was a four-star recruit in high school. Fast forward to this year, and Young is now at the forefront of Austin Peay’s 17-12 record overall record and a 11-6 record at home.

Jada Pierce, Niagara

Pierce’s reputation speaks for itself. Last year, the Purple Eagles had their best season under her leadership, securing a record of 15-15, and now, the team has improved to an overall record of 18-12. What’s more impressive is their 16-4 record in the conference.

Photos via Getty Images

The post SLAM x BCA Spotlight Series: The Black Women’s Basketball Head Coaches Who are Changing the Game Part 2 appeared first on SLAM.

Meet the Black women’s basketball head coaches who are changing the game:

Dawn Staley, South Carolina

Let’s bring it back to SLAM 237: For years, there has been a set of standardized systems in basketball. A form of coaching that damn near secured wins. A blueprint for winning a national championship at the collegiate level.  But there comes a time when evolution is not only needed but craved. A time when a world moving on autopilot requires a shock to its system, like a lightning bolt shooting down from the heavens. A necessity for a movement toward the future. Dawn Staley is that movement. 

Staley’s resume speaks for itself: she’s a three-time National Coach of the Year and a five-time SEC Coach of the Year. In her 14 seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks, the program has amassed six SEC regular-season titles, six tournament titles, won two National titles in 2017 and in 2022, led them to a school record of 35 wins in 2021. Amazingly, under her leadership they’ve also ranked AP top 25 every week since December of 2012. This season, Staley led the program to a perfect 32-0 overall record and 16-0 in conference play. The program went 15-0 at home and 13-0 on the road. This season they’ve also won their 7th SEC Tournament title in the last 9 years. And in her 22 seasons as a Head Coach, she’s led her team to 12 25-win seasons with 18 runs in the postseason. She is the all-time most winningest coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and has record of 11 runs in the postseason. Legendary.

Adia Barnes, Arizona 

Adia Barnes is no stranger to winning. After working as an assistant coach for Washington, where she was a part of five postseason appearances and a run in the Final Four in 2016, she immediately set up Arizona for success by becoming the fastest coach in program history to reach 75 victories. She also became the first coach in the program’s history to win 20 or more games in four straight seasons.

In Barnes’ fifth season, going into the tourney she became the 11th person to play and coach in the tournament at their own alma mater while also becoming the fourth coach ever to lead their alma mater to the championship game. With Barnes at the helm, the Arizona Wildcats beat the UCONN Huskies in their Final Four matchup, making it the first time in the programs’ history eliminating the nation’s number one ranked team. This past season, she led her team to an overall record of 21-9, and a record of 11-7 in conference play. Under Barnes’ leadership, the program is on a streak of four consecutive first-round byes in the Pac-12 tournament. This is the second longest streak next to Stanford. 

Zenarae Antoine, Texas State

Zenarae Antoine joined the Texas State program and immediately made a huge impact. In her first year as head coach, she brought success to the school by leading them to a conference tournament win for the first time since ’03. In 2017-18, Antione and the program had the most single-season victories in their DI era in program history. She was the second-winningest head coach in school history, being one of just two head coaches in the program’s history to win 150-plus games. Under her guidance, the Texas State Bobcats set six single game, single season, and career records as well as 32 school records in the Sun Belt conference.

This past season she led the program to an overall record of 23-9, and a record of 13-5 in conference play. She officially became the program’s all-time most winningest coach this year, breaking Suzanne Fox’s record of 174 victories for the school.

“I’ll be honest because it’s a little strange because I feel like I’m in the heat of it right now, like the beginning and so you don’t want to start reflecting, but I can tell you this, I absolutely love being at Texas State,” Antione said after breaking the record, per FOX7Austin. “I want to be here, this is where I want to be, this is where I want to win, this is where I want to raise my family.” Antoine was also just recently awarded Sun Belt Coach of the Year.

Tanya Warren, Northern Iowa

Just look at her résumé, it speaks for itself. From the 2009-10 to the 2012-13 season, Tanya Warren coached Northern Iowa to 63 wins, the most wins in program history over three seasons. A three-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year with regular season titles in 2010-11 and 2015-16, she led them to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2010 and in 2011 and for two straight seasons, finished in the top-half in the standings for seven straight seasons. For seven consecutive seasons, she also led the team to 17 or more wins.

This past season, she led the program to an overall record of 21-8 and a record of 16-4 in conference play. Under her coaching, the program finished as the second seed in conference play.

Tomekia Reed, Jackson State

History before our eyes. Three straight regular season titles in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, four consecutive appearances in the conference semifinals, three straight appearances in the conference finals, back-to-back tournament titles and NCAA runs. Tomekia Reed has continued to solidify a legacy at Jackson State, but really she’s just getting started.

In 2020, she led the team to their first-ever regular-season championship since 2008, which was the programs’ second straight run in the tournament. In 2021, Jackson State won 21 straight games, which was the longest win streak in the nation heading into the tournament, and that same year, Reed opened up to SLAM and the Black Coaches Association about the respect that Black Female HBCU head coaches deserve. In 2021-22, Jackson State ranked in the top three of the SWAC in nearly every major category: they ranked first in scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, and in field-goal percentage, as well as blocked shots and committing the fewest turnovers. This past season, she’s led the team to an overall record of 21-9, and a record of 17-1 in conference play as well as the No. 1 ranking in their conference.

Stacie Terry-Hutson, San Diego State

Stacie Terry-Hutson has brought the best out of San Diego State’s program. During her first season as Head Coach, the Aztecs led the league in rebounding and defensive rebounds, also coming in second in field-goal percentage. The team won 15 games which was their most since the 2012-13 season. In 2017-18, the team would go on to make at least 200 three-pointers, which were the top two totals in the history of the program. And an appearance in the semifinals in 2018-19, followed by the program putting up a top three-point percentage in their history. In 2017-18, the program under her was again an elite three-point shooting team. That season under terry-Hutson, they finished with at least 200 three-pointers made, the top two totals in the program’s history. Terry-Hutson eventually signed a contract extension, which is still going. The extension for her runs through the 2023-24 season. This past season, she led the Aztecs to an overall record of 23-9, and a record of 12-6 in conference play. For the first time in ten years, the program reached 20 wins which was the second season they’ve finished with it under Terry-Hutson. The program finished as the 3rd seed this season. 

Kara Lawson, Duke

Kara Lawson knows what it takes to compete, and coach at the highest level: she’s a WNBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist and has coached in the NBA. Lawson played for 13 seasons in the WNBA, playing for the Sacramento Monarchs, Connecticut Sun, and the Washington Mystics from 2003-2015. After winning a WNBA championship with the Monarchs in 2005, playing for the Team USA and winning gold at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, Lawson started her coaching career as an assistant for the Boston Celtics, making her the first female assistant coach of the franchise in their 73-year history. Now, as head Coach of the Duke women’s basketball team, she has led them to their first national ranking since the 2018-19 preseason.

This past season they finished with an overall record of 25-6, and finished with a record of 14-4 in conference play. 

Kim McNeill, East Carolina

Led by Kim McNeill, the East Carolina Pirates ( ECU) are having another extremely solid year with 20-plus wins. Before coaching at ECU, McNeill was the associate head coach at Virginia and then the head coach at Hartford. McNeill was an elite hooper, too: during her freshman year at Radford, she earned 1996 Big South Conference Rookie-of-the-Year honors. Then, after transferring to Richmond she was named to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Defensive Team as a senior. McNeill’s tenacious defense has been a calling card not only in her playing but also in her coaching—in her first season at ECU, the Pirates caused the second-most amount of steals in the country and the third best as well as third in turnover margin.

DeLisha Milton-Jones, Old Dominion

Delisha Milton Jones, member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and two-time gold medalisthas used the knowledge she gained during her 17 years in the WNBA career and overseas to bring success to Old Dominion. Since taking over the program in 2020, she has consistently produced well-run and competitive programs, with her best season coming in 2021-2022 in which the Monarchs finished with a 24-10 overall record. Milton-Jones’ impact extends outside the court as well—that same year, the Monarchs had nine players named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll for outstanding academic achievement.

Throughout her career, Milton-Jones has been known for her work ethic and her dedication to the game. She is widely respected in the basketball community and is seen as a rising star in the coaching profession.

Photos via Getty Images, Dawn Staley portrait by Jon Lopez.

The post SLAM x BCA: Meet the Black Women’s Basketball Head Coaches Who are Changing the Game appeared first on SLAM.

It was hard not to go with Mac McClung. 

In the span of a few days, the Delaware Blue Coats guard earned a call-up from the Philadelphia 76ers, signed a sneaker deal with Puma, and, oh yeah, brought back the NBA Slam Dunk Contest with an unforgettable performance in Salt Lake City (also, I have to call out this 360 layup from Monday night). But…

Carlik Jones has been that good. Really, pretty much unstoppable. The Windy City Bulls star has been one of the best players in the G League all season, and just wrapped up perhaps the busiest month of his career so far. It started with a dominant performance against the Herd in Wisconsin: Jones dropped 40 points on 16/25 shooting from the field and 8/9 from three on February 3. Two days later, he took the court in Greensboro and hung 31 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals on the Swarm. Not a bad road trip.

After going undrafted out of Louisville, Jones first joined the G League in October of 2021, when he was acquired by the Texas Legends. He immediately established himself as an elite scorer and playmaker—on opening day against the Lakeland Magic, he casually put up 37 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in a win. 

Jones always plays at his own pace, patient and under control. He lulls defenses to sleep and then attacks the paint with force (I was there at the Comerica Center when he did this… and oh my God). At just 6-0, he relies on his athleticism, exceptional handles, and nifty footwork to create offense, both for himself and for others. Pull up any highlight video of Jones and you’ll see the full package: he shoots confidently from behind the arc, stops on a dime for smooth midrange jumpers, finishes through and around rim protectors at the basket, and finds teammates for easy opportunities.

Last year, Jones led the Legends to the second round of the playoffs and was named to the NBA G League All-Rookie Team and the All-NBA G League Third Team. He began this season on a standard G League contract but was called up to the Chicago Bulls in December, inking a two-way deal. Since then, he has mostly remained in the G, but did manage to score the second field goal of his NBA career in Paris when the Bulls met the Detroit Pistons in January’s NBA Paris Game.

Appearing in eight G League contests throughout February, Jones averaged 27.5 points (on 46% shooting), 8.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 2 steals. Windy City, a team fighting for a playoff spot, went 6-2 in those games. Jones also logged 22 minutes for Chicago—the most he’s received in an NBA game to date—during a nationally-televised matchup with the Bucks on Feb. 16 (he finished with 1 point, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists). 

From there, Jones was off to Salt Lake City for All-Star Weekend. He was one of 24 players invited to participate in the first-ever G League Next Up Game, which also featured previous “Players to Watch” Luka Garza, Kenneth Lofton Jr., and Isaiah Mobley.

Of course, McClung was the G Leaguer who stole the show out in Utah. The spotlight has (rightfully so) found him in February, and he has used it to help promote the level of talent in the G. Asked to deliver a message to NBA executives, McClung said, “I’d really encourage them to watch the G League. There’s a lot of people in the G League who deserve the same light.”

People like Carlik Jones. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS (FEBRUARY STATS)

Xavier Moon, Guard, Ontario Clippers: 26.4 points, 5.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 52 FG%, 47 3P%

Johnny Juzang, Guard, Salt Lake City Stars: 26.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 49 FG%, 41 3P%

Alize Johnson, Forward, Wisconsin Herd: 17.0 points, 14.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 66 FG%

DaQuan Jeffries, Guard, Westchester Knicks: 23.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.9 steals, 1.1 blocks, 49 FG%

Lester Quinones, Guard, Santa Cruz Warriors: 23.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 47 FG%, 38 3P%

Kenneth Faried, Forward, Mexico City Capitanes: 13.9 points, 14.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 2.3 blocks, 49 FG%

Chris Chiozza, Guard, Long Island Nets: 14.7 points, 8.4 assists, 4 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 52 FG%, 52 3P%

FEBRUARY CALL-UPS

Willie Cauley-Stein, Forward, Rio Grande Valley Vipers to Houston Rockets

P.J. Dozier, Guard, Iowa Wolves to Sacramento Kings

Kris Dunn, Guard, Capital City Go-Go to Utah Jazz

Frank Jackson, Guard, Salt Lake City Stars to Utah Jazz

Keaton Wallace, Guard, Ontario Clippers to Los Angeles Clippers

Nate Darling, Guard, Ontario Clippers to Los Angeles Clippers

Mac McClung, Guard, Delaware Blue Coats to Philadelphia 76ers

Olivier Sarr, Forward, Oklahoma City Blue to Oklahoma City Thunder

Joe Wieskamp, Forward, Wisconsin Herd to Toronto Raptors

Quenton Jackson, Guard, Capital City Go-Go to Washington Wizards

Stanley Umude, Guard, Motor City Cruise to Detroit Pistons

Jamaree Bouyea, Guard, Sioux Falls Skyforce to Miami Heat

Photos via Getty Images.

The post NBA G League Player to Watch (February Edition): Carlik Jones appeared first on SLAM.

But there are two pieces that have led this team through the whole season: Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson. 

SLAM 243 featuring LSU’s Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson is out now.

It’s a bright, sunny Tuesday afternoon in Baton Rouge. Walking past Tiger Stadium, which resembles more of an NFL stadium than a college one, to the spaceship-looking Pete Maravich Assembly Center (better known as the PMAC), there’s a sense of grandeur to just about everything you pass. As Angel and Flau’jae arrive for their SLAM shoot, they walk past a sign that reads “Respect the Past, Embrace the Future” on the practice facility walls, which are adorned with images of LSU greats like Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles. 

The air is refreshing, the atmosphere is calm, a complete contrast to what it was like just a few weeks prior. 

The PMAC was packed and fans were roaring so loud that there was no point in trying to communicate on the court. LSU was facing Arkansas and it was a tightly contested back and forth game. There were about five minutes left and LSU had just extended the lead to 10. As Angel and Flau’jae made their way down the court to get back on defense, Arkansas’ Chrissy Carr drove down the baseline and dished out to the free-throw line. Somehow, as Angel closed in on help defense, she slid out of her shoe. As she tried to quickly pick up her shoe and get the referees’ attention, the Razorbacks’ Samara Spencer drove into the lane. Angel didn’t hesitate to toss her Nike Freak 4 to her left hand so that she could get the block with her right. The block was emphatic, sending Spencer to the floor. Angel stood above her screaming “GIMME THAT SHIT!” while still holding her sneaker with her left hand. Flau’jae was right next to her hyping her up. The PMAC was going wild. 

“I don’t know how I got out [of] my shoe,” Angel tells SLAM. “I know if I took that play off and they had scored, the coach would have been upset with me because I didn’t get to help defense. I was trying to get the ref’s attention to be like, Can I put my shoe on? She didn’t respond to me. So, I just picked [up] the shoe, I put it in my other hand and I just blocked the shot. I was in that mode.”

It was a viral highlight that amassed millions of views across social and TV. It’s a highlight that perfectly exemplifies the type of showtime basketball that this program brings every time they step on the floor. Top to bottom, the roster is filled with dawgs. In a season that was supposed to be a “rebuild year” after adding nine newcomers last summer, they far exceeded what anyone thought this team could achieve. 

“We don’t have expectations,” Reese says in early February. “We’re not supposed to be 23-0 right now.” 

Just a few days after our shoot, the Tigers suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the reigning national champs, the South Carolina Gamecocks. But what makes this team so scary is that they have no fear, because they’re not supposed to be here. Just two years ago, no one would’ve believed you if you said LSU would be a top team. 

In 2021, Reese was trying to find her way as a freshman at Maryland, coming off the bench, while Johnson was barely ranked in the top 100 in her recruiting class. And Kim Mulkey? She was still at Baylor. 

After 21 years of building Baylor’s women’s basketball program, which amassed three national championships and counts a plethora of WNBA greats among its alumni, Mulkey was ready for something new, and in April of 2021, she was officially announced as LSU’s new head coach.

“This doesn’t just happen with a phone call,” the Hall of Fame coach shared during her introductory press conference. “It takes a lot of people pulling a lot of strings and committing to women’s basketball.” 

“I want you to look at those banners,” Mulkey continued, as she looked up at the rafters of the PMAC. “Final Four, Final Four, Final Four, Final Four, Final Four. Nowhere on there does it say National Champion. That’s what I came here to do.”

And with that, the new era of LSU women’s basketball began.

The first order of business for the new Tigers head coach was to get acquainted with the pieces she had inherited while also lighting a fire on the recruiting trail to start building the winning culture she expected. 

Around the same time, Flau’jae Johnson was wrapping up her junior year. At the time, she was more known for rapping than hooping. Just three years earlier, a 14-year-old Flau’jae stepped on stage at NBC’s America’s Got Talent and shocked the world with her bars. 

“I did a song about gun violence, it’s called ‘Guns Down,’” the Savannah, GA, native explained on stage to Simon Cowell in 2018. “My dad’s name was Camouflauge, he was an up-and-coming rapper, he was gonna be signed to Universal Records, but two days before he was gonna sign the contract, he was murdered, and my mom was pregnant with me. My whole goal is to continue my father’s legacy,” she told the AGT judges as she wiped tears from her eyes. 

She went on to give a performance that went viral and earned her the Golden Buzzer, and at the same time that her music career was taking off, she was hooping, too, although she wasn’t seeing the same level of success. Yet. 

“My journey in basketball is unbelievable,” Johnson tells us. “Like, I came out of my junior year and I wasn’t ranked, I didn’t have any offers.”

GET YOUR COPY OF SLAM 243 NOW!

That summer, the 5-10 guard joined the Atlanta-based FBC BounceNation21 AAU program to get on the grassroots travel circuit, and she quickly started making some noise. After just a few months, she went from unranked to No. 55 in her class.

“I don’t think she realized how good she was,” Sprayberry coach Kellie Avery told the Washington Post last summer. “She does so much in her off time with her music that I don’t think basketball had balanced out until her sophomore year. Then she was like, Maybe I could do both. She got on the right AAU team this year, and it showed.”

She then got a coveted invite to the 2021 SLAM Summer Classic and really showed out. As the lowest ranked player in the game, she knew there were haters doubting her skills. Puzzled people asked, Isn’t she the girl from The Rap Game? when she arrived in New York for the weekend. But just a couple days later, they not only knew Flau’jae the rapper but also Flau’jae the hooper, when she walked away with the game’s Terrence Clarke MVP award. 

“Man, that was the game I was like, Oh, this my opportunity,” the LSU guard remembers. “I always said just give me an opportunity, I’m gonna make it happen. I saw they had all the top kids—Kiki Rice and Janiah Barker—that’s all I needed to see, because I knew that they were the top in my class. So I was like, Oh, yeah, I gotta go up there and dominate, and I came out MVP. I did what I had to do. I was working because I knew when I get that call, I’m gonna be ready.” 

Many college coaches took notice that summer, but one stood out: Kim Mulkey. 

Within just a few months of receiving a list of offers to different schools, Flau’jae committed to LSU in the only way Flau’jae “Big Four” Johnson could—with a track titled “All Falls Down,” featuring Baton Rouge’s Lil Boosie and a music video with special words from Mike WiLL Made-It. 

“I don’t think I would want to have experiences at any other college,” the freshman phenom shares with a smile. “Because it feels like home.”

She went on to finish her senior year of high school as the No. 6 guard in her class, and at the time of our shoot, was the Tigers’ second leading scorer behind Angel, averaging 13 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 47 percent from the field.

In Flau’jae Johnson, Mulkey found her very first puzzle piece. 

While Johnson was finding her way through the recruiting process, Angel was trying to find her place at the collegiate level. 

Reese was the No. 2 overall player in the Class of 2020 coming out of the DMV. Being near family was a big factor for her, and she chose to play close to home at the University of Maryland. 

By her sophomore year, Reese was averaging an impressive 17.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, but something didn’t feel right. At the end of April, Angel sent the NCAA hoops world into chaos after announcing that she would be transferring out of Maryland. She immediately became the top player in the transfer portal. 

“I actually didn’t want to be in the portal that long,” the National Player of the Year candidate recalls. “I think I was in the portal for maybe 12 days, if that. I didn’t want to deal with it.”

During those near two weeks, Angel and her family went through the process of setting up visits and speaking with coaches, but LSU wasn’t on the list of potential schools. 

“Well, technically, I didn’t think I was coming to LSU,” the 6-3 forward says. “Kateri [Poole] was the one that called me to ask about LSU. And I was like, I don’t know, I already have visits set up. I’m not sure. So, I don’t think Coach thought she could get me because she already thought I was going somewhere else. So, when she called me, I was like, Alright, I’ll take a visit, I guess, and, happily, she was the first visit I had set up. After I came down here for my visit, I canceled the rest of my visits. It was wrapped.”

Angel was looking for a family outside of basketball, one that she could feel at home with beyond the court. She also wanted a program that would help her grow as a person just as much as a player. 

“I just wanted to figure out who really is Angel Reese,” she says. “Coming to LSU, I feel like I figured out who I am. I’m able to be myself here. It’s just something I really love.”

It’s clear to see that now in the way she’s playing this season, putting up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-type numbers— averaging 23.4 points and 15.5 rebounds a game, at the time of our shoot. The “Bayou Barbie” (which she’s dubbed and trademarked) is appointment TV, making viral highlight plays seemingly every night of the week. 

In Angel Reese, Kim Mulkey found her second puzzle piece. 

With a host of other notable transfers—Kateri Poole, LaDazhia Williams, Jasmine Carson and Last-Tear Poa—along with the players who stayed, including Alexis Morris and Sa’Myah Smith, the Tigers have the best show in college basketball. But it’s taken time to hone everyone’s skills, as every player finds their role on this team. 

“We just really enjoy playing with each other,” Flau’jae says. “Once we’re in our rhythm and we’re bouncing off each other, Angel doing her thing, Jaz hitting threes, it’s like we’re really going. Like, we really get the flow on the floor [going] and nobody can roll with it.”

And that comes from this roster putting in the work from top to bottom, pushing each other, day in and day out. 

“This team is really competitive,” the Bayou Barbie says. “We can critique each other, and I think that’s just something that you don’t really see, being able to critique each other and not take it personal. It’s just fun how we compete against each other, so by the time we compete on the court, it’s just, like, we’re all together.” 

It’s a team no one expected to be among the best going into March. The Tigers had a lot of doubters at the start of the season, with many shaking their heads at a perceived easy out-of-conference schedule.

“People are going to say our out- of-conference schedule was terrible,” Angel says while laughing. “That’s fine. Y’all can say that. But it’s the Free Smoke Tour. I don’t think anybody on the team is scared of anything.” 

“They mistake our confidence for arrogance,” Flau’jae quickly adds. “We’re gonna pop it regardless.”

There’s truly nothing scarier than a team that has nothing to lose. 

Angel and Flau’jae are the puzzle pieces that were needed to put together this new era of LSU basketball. When those lights come on, you know it’s showtime. 

Portraits by Marcus Stevens

Johnson hair: Dinesha Wells; Reese hair: Devon Williams at Divine Allure; Makeup: Diamond Nikole Standifer

The post Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson are the Missing Pieces Needed to Transform LSU appeared first on SLAM.

“In reality, looking back now [and] having hindsight, I wasn’t prepared,” Plum tells SLAM over Zoom when asked about her transition from college to the pros. “I wasn’t prepared mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, for the next level.” 

The Washington Husky suddenly found herself having to balance her training with all of the other responsibilities that come with now being a professional athlete, like signing with an agent and getting an endorsement deal. “Not to mention, the WNBA itself is like a different sport,” Plum adds. “The wake up call that I had was so brutal.”

The culmination of all of this, specifically the “lack of information and resources” provided to her that could have given Plum, and really any college student-athlete, valuable insight on what to expect at the pro level, played a toll on her mental health. She says it took her “four or five years” to feel more comfortable in the WNBA, and it’s that experience that inspired her to want to empower and support the next generation of women’s college basketball players.

“That’s one of the big reasons why Under Armour and I just meshed,” she says. “I was like, listen this is really important to me. I want to make an impact. I want to be able to leave the game better than I left it. And I felt like this is missing in the women’s game. In the NBA, there’s a lot of help transitioning. From the agency side, from the combine side. These guys are prepped from teenagers all the way to becoming NBA players. And I felt like, you know what? We don’t have that on the women’s side, and why not take a swing at it?”

Plum and UA are launching a first-of-its-kind mentorship program, the Dawg Class, that will give nine women’s basketball players, all personally selected by Plum, the opportunity to participate in a three-day experience and learn directly from the Las Vegas Aces star and WNBA champion. The camp will feature on-court drills meant to help refine their skills, as well as sessions on training and recovery. 

Plum knows firsthand how important it is to be physically ready for the WNBA: “We kind of lifted weights in college, but I didn’t know,” she recalls. “Then you get into the League and Sylvia Fowles just gives it a little love tap and you go four feet. And I’m like, Wow, these are grown women. My body is not prepared for this.”

Players will also have the chance to learn more about media training, mental health, finance, nutrition and how to express their personal style. The program is meant to truly prepare them for what’s ahead while giving them all the tools needed to navigate that transition. 

“I feel like if we can catch some of these women a little bit earlier, like junior going into senior year or sophomore or freshman, and [give them] a better, full understanding of the process. [Like], what it’s gonna be like, how is Draft night gonna be, how [to] pick your agent or if you already have, what should you be looking for? 

[There’s also] a lot of different things mentally. If in college when you miss some shots and you’re not performing at your best, a lot of times you’re the best option that they have. And they’re gonna keep letting you try. Whereas in the pros, there’s an All-American sitting on the bench waiting for you to mess up so they can go in and play great. This is a whole new reality that mentally, a lot of people aren’t prepared for. So a lot of these different things we’re gonna try to attack at camp and just give them a better idea of how a pro trains and how a pro approaches the game.” 

The very name of the program is a reflection of what’s important to Plum, from having a dawg-mentality to creating a community that continues to empower female athletes, even after the camp concludes. “I kind of started with this idea of the Dawg Class and the dawg-mentality is really a mentality that anyone can have. It’s a lot bigger than sport, but in particular, just the way you approach life. A lot of times we’re given tough tasks and there’s a lot of hard things to overcome, but having that mentality is showing up every day, consistently ready to attack the day and just not taking no for an answer. And I think that dawg-mentality kind of resonates within me and kind of how I was raised.

I think that there’s a lot of people, particularly women, that share that. And so I’m proud to partner with Under Armour to bring this to the forefront and give other people the opportunity that I didn’t have.”

When asked what advice she’d give the next generation of standouts when it comes to navigating the college landscape today—from the NIL era to social media—Plum harps on that idea of community and building more connection between college players and professional athletes. “It’s kind of hard to sum up in like one little answer, but what I would say is seek advice. I think just because you’re in college right now, if you do have aspirations, you want to play professionally, especially in the WNBA, find someone in the WNBA that you resonate with and seek them out. I had a relationship with Sue Bird, but I should have been a little bit more like, ‘Hey Sue, help me.’ Whether [you are] a little bit timid or you don’t really know if that’s appropriate, I would just say have no fear because they’re gonna be able to tell you the best advice that you need.” 

Learn more about the Under Armour Dawg Class here.

Photos via Under Armour.

The post Kelsey Plum and Under Armour are Empowering Women’s College Hoopers through the Dawg Class Mentorship Program appeared first on SLAM.

LeBron James has been around, though. It’s now been over 20 years since he’s been occupying his throne. There’s an insatiable appetite for everything the King does, as has been the case for the entirety of these past two decades. His sneakers are still on the feet of many. Whether they’re OG pairs from all the way back in the day, retros or new versions of the Nike LeBron 20, people in both the digital and physical world rock his kicks, comment about them, and most importantly, care about them.    

The Nike LeBron 20 NXXT Gen is an example of how far we’ve come on this specific wave of internet info. What started in the realm of esports has extended its way into the real world. A special collaboration between FaZe Clan and Nike is ending in the “FaZe” LeBron 20 NXXT Gen colorway. 

The NXXT Gen edition of the 20 is less expensive than the version that dropped back in Autumn 2022, with a slightly different build as well. 

Either tongue of this black and red edition features FaZe’s iconic “F” logo. As for the tech specs of this updated LeBron 20, it has an engineered mesh upper, Air Zoom cushioning, hits of leather on the tongue, the heel, the medial panel and the toebox and there’s a double-layered Swoosh in contrasting materials.

The King’s oldest son, Bronny, joined FaZe back in August of 2020 to be a content creator. FaZe Clan is the world’s best esports team, with a social media reach that is counted in the hundreds of millions. Bronny loves to play FPS games for the millions of people that also follow him. Both generations of the James have worn the “FaZe” LeBron 20 NXXT Gen on the court already. 

Like FaZe, and millions of people around the world, both generations of the James understand that life is starting to swing more fluidly between digital and physical. LeBron has the highest follower count of any basketball player on the planet and Bronny’s social media presence is calculated, thought out with great intention and an appreciation for documenting the art in his life. Because more and more, these invisible lines are blending, melding together so tightly and strongly that the “FaZe” Nike LeBron 20 NXXT Gen will go down in history as the first collab of its kind. But not the last. 

The post How The ‘FaZe Clan’ Nike LeBron 20 NXXT Gen Became a Reality appeared first on SLAM.

 “We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but it was a great experience,” Collier says after his Wheeler (GA) High squad fell to SoCal power Sierra Canyon at USC’s Galen Center while 2 Chainz, Lil Dicky, Caleb Williams and other luminaries looked on. “Seeing all those celebrities courtside, the attention leading up to the game, it was new to me, and it was definitely intense. But it was great.”

The crowd was drawn in large part by a Sierra Canyon roster dotted with names like Hardaway, Pippen and James, of course, but the savvy fans in the building knew all about Collier, too. The 6-4, 205-pound lead guard is a consensus top-five player in the 2023 class—and depending on which ranking you check, you might just find him at No. 1. He didn’t have his best game in L.A., but even on an off night—he scored 17 in the loss—he showed plenty of signs of the skill set that made him arguably the most coveted prospect in the country.

The Trojans secured Collier’s commitment last November, and also signed his Wheeler teammate, top-60 big man Arrinten Page. They’re now a squad that could challenge for Pac-12 and national honors next spring. For Collier, the draw of L.A. was less about bright lights and famous fans than the chance to be near family and thrive in a system perfectly suited to his game.

“I got a lot of family out there—my brother and uncle, a lot of my cousins, they’re really all in L.A.,” he says. “And definitely Coach [Andy] Enfield, the program they have, I want to help get them to a Final Four and play that style they ran back at Florida Gulf Coast. I still watch those ‘Dunk City’ March Madness highlights on YouTube—all the dunks.”

Collier is indeed the sort of player a coach can build a championship contender around. Strong and savvy, he’s an athletic guard and great passer who plays aggressive but under control. Asked to name role models for his game, he offers the unlikely combination of Chris Paul—“his high IQ, getting teammates involved, the way he uses the pick and roll”—and Ja Morant—“a little bit, not as athletic, but always attacking the rim.”

Collier won’t call his game “complete” just yet—in particular, he knows his jump shot is still a work in progress—but he’s shown more than enough on some of the biggest stages at the prep level to justify the lofty ranking and high expectations. It was his run last summer that confirmed just how good he is and could still be. Coming off a knee injury, he snatched MVP honors at both Stephen Curry Camp and Under Armour Elite 24, then dominated on the EYBL circuit. He still has unfinished business at Wheeler—a state championship was understandably at the top of his senior year to-do list—but as far as individual high school résumés, Collier’s is stacked.

That résumé brings welcomed benefits—like the coveted photo shoot, seen here, he wrapped up a couple of days before our call—as well as attention that could derail a player lacking his focus and family support system. But in either case, Collier is good. “I’d say it’s a blessing, but I don’t really pay attention to all that,” he says. “It’s great to be recognized, and it’s also having a target on your back, getting everybody’s best game. But it doesn’t really impact me. I’ve got bigger goals in mind.” 

Portraits by Matt Odom.

The post National Player of the Year Isaiah Collier on Committing to USC, Handling the Spotlight and Making His Game Complete appeared first on SLAM.

THIS EMAIL IS CONFIDENTIAL. PLEASE DO NOT SHARE ITS CONTENTS WITH ANYONE.

So it began. Was the Duke student who received this email—from a university email address—in trouble? Not exactly. 

You have been identified as a potential candidate for the position of Blue Devil Mascot. If this is something you would be interested in pursuing, simply reply “yes” by noon (12:00 p.m.) on Thursday and you will receive additional information and instructions. If, on the other hand, becoming the ultimate Cameron Crazy, the face of Duke University and Duke Athletics, and having either floor or front-row seats to all basketball games does not appeal to you, simply disregard this email and discuss it with nobody. Again, this email is confidential.

The Duke Men’s Basketball program is known most of all for the legendary coaching run that Mike Krzyzewski just completed, and after that for the scores of great players who have played there and the arena in which they’ve done it.

But please don’t sleep on the Blue Devil’s role in making the program so iconic. 

This is actually the perfect time to take stock of the Blue Devil’s history, given that this year is the 100th anniversary of his being around, a fact that Lisa Weistart, who was the Blue Devil from ’90-92 and now works at Duke Alumni Engagement and Development, figured out while researching the mascot’s history a few years back. 

To celebrate the occasion, there was a Blue Devil reunion at this fall’s Homecoming Weekend, and 16 of the former mascots showed up to celebrate.

“It was awesome,” gushes Stratton Thomas, who graduated last spring after serving as a Blue Devil for all four of his years on campus. “It was so cool to meet mascots all the way from the ’70s. They really shaped the program and the history and the mascot that I was. It was really cool to see how near and dear being a mascot was, even after 30, 50 years, however long it was.”

The name “The Blue Devils” was chosen by the staff of the student paper after naming contests focused on nicknames that leaned into Duke’s blue and white color scheme. Beyond the obvious fit with colors, Blue Devils served as an ode to the Chasseurs Alpins, also known as “les diables bleus” (“The Blue Devils”), a French military unit in World War I that wore blue jackets and had impressed many Duke students and alumni returning home from the Western Front. 

Well after the university’s sports teams started playing under the Blue Devils nickname, a uniformed mascot was created to cheer on the team and get crowds fired up. Previous versions looked relatively mischievous, but the current look (which has been around since ’08) is more playful, as befits a character who brings joy to all who encounter it. Except opposing fans, of course.

“We always love having the Blue Devil around,” says former player and current assistant coach Amile Jefferson. “His antics and swagger are on another level. We’ve been fortunate to have so many students over the years bring the passion, energy and creativity required to make sure the Blue Devil is locked in for us. Cameron isn’t Cameron without the Blue Devil roaming the sidelines in there.”

These days, the Blue Devil can be found at all men’s and women’s basketball home games, numerous neutral-site hoop games, including Final Fours, all football games (home and away) and assorted other sporting events. The costumes are slightly different if a Blue Devil is attending a basketball or football game. Even with the remarkable success Duke Athletics has had as a whole, the athletic program is certainly best known because of its men’s basketball team, and that’s where the Blue Devil really shows off his skills.

“My freshman year, I was friends with a cheerleader who noticed I was at every game and a bit more enthusiastic than most fans. It was my sophomore year of 2008-09 when I got the mysterious email,” recalls Pat Rutter. (Don’t worry, Pat, we won’t tell anyone where we got it.) “I started being the Blue Devil that winter and did it through my senior year. I took over the Blue Devil email address, started the Twitter account.”

The email address is important because that’s where the Devil is contacted about appearances, including attending weddings. While all the work at official sporting events is volunteer, those who work outside events as the Devil can make a few bucks, which seems more than fair. 

“It was pretty good money for a college student,” confirms Rutter. 

But the greatest pay the job offered was the experiences, like traveling to Final Fours and surfing the crowd at Cameron.

“I have no bad memories at all,” says Thomas, the recently graduated Blue Devil. “I’ve got two favorite memories. The first is my sophomore year at the [2K] Empire Classic in New York. It was my dad’s birthday [for] one of those games. I did my headband to say, ‘Happy Birthday Dad’ and one of the announcers was like, I didn’t know the Blue Devil had a father!?! The other memory is last year’s Final Four. Even though it didn’t go the way we hoped, getting to travel to the Final Four in New Orleans and be on the court with 75,000 people screaming down at you while you act like a fool was amazing.”

Last year’s Final Four was extra special, of course, because it represented the end of Coach K’s illustrious career and the rare chance to play archrival North Carolina on the game’s biggest stage. Playing such a familiar rival also meant the mascots could put on a little extra show.

“The Rameses at the Final Four was one of my good buddies,” says Thomas of the UNC mascot. “We’d each been mascotting since our freshman year so we played with each other really well. When it’s a rival school, the interactions are definitely heightened as we can get in character more, give the people a bit of a show.”

Bringing up Rameses raises the question of where the Blue Devil ranks among the iconic collegiate mascots. Some Googling shows that the general lists of such topics tend to lean heavy on football schools, and while Duke has a nice history on the gridiron, it hasn’t been terribly relevant for the last generation. But when you look for rankings of best college basketball mascots, your boy is in the building.

“I frankly think we rank among the top,” Thomas says. “Of course I’m biased, but I do know there was an article a couple of years ago that ranked the ‘sexiest mascots’ and the Blue Devil was No. 1. With our rich history, I think we’ve got one of the best in the country.” Shout out to college sports for even generating such conversations, huh?

One of the great ironies of the whole thing, of course, is that those who work as such an iconic figure, getting wedding invites and all sorts of television time, can’t actually be famous themselves. For one thing, it’s the character that people love. For another, in a given year, there are usually two to five students sharing two or three physical costumes, so it’s not like there’s one Blue Devil anyway. 

“We’re a member of the cheerleader squad, but we want to keep it private,” says Rutter. “I think I did a pretty good job staying unknown, but people wanted to know why I had a credential around my neck. If I did the first half of a game and then showed up in the second half, they’d figure it out.”

Rutter also remembers back during his Devil days when one particular Duke player didn’t quite get the message. “Kyrie [Irving] kept forgetting that it’s supposed to be anonymous,” he says. “He’d yell at me through a crowd, Hey, Blue Devil! He was always so friendly about it.”

In the land of mascots meet social media, Thomas explained to the Duke Chronicle, when the time comes to reveal yourself, the likes follow. “It’s something that every mascot at every school gets the opportunity to do,” he said last May. “[The reveal post] has become my most popular Instagram post, so no complaints there, but also all the comments from both friends and acquaintances that I’ve known since my freshman year are overwhelming and amazing.”

There may be nothing in college basketball like The Brotherhood, the collection of ex-players who stay close to the program and cheer on their fellow brothers and current players with equal enthusiasm. But if you take a minute to think about all of the Blue Devil mascots over the years, it’s clear that they have their own brotherhood, too. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The True Story Behind the Iconic Duke Blue Devil Mascot appeared first on SLAM.

The 6-2 guard at Sierra Canyon HS has been at the forefront of the high school game ever since she entered eighth grade, and for good reason: Her game has it all. She’s outrageously versatile, athletic, sees the floor and makes plays for herself and her teammates. Most of all, her passion seeps through the air in any gym she plays. You don’t only watch Juju hoop, you feel her need to win. 

As the No. 1 ranked player in the class of 2023 for the past few years, Juju has taken home almost every individual accolade you can think of. But before the Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year, FIBA U17 MVP and SLAM Summer Classic MVP awards came (the list goes on and on), things were a bit different.  

Juju was maybe 10 when she was on her way home from a game. With her parents driving, she sat in the backseat crying, upset with the way she’d performed in the few minutes she got. 

“I wasn’t good at all,” Watkins tells SLAM with a laugh. 

In that moment, she looked up at her mom and dad with tears in her eyes and asked them to help her get better. 

“I went to my mom and my dad and told them I really wanted to take this seriously,” Juju says. 

While she may not have been the best on day 1, it was clear that she was the most passionate on the floor. She fought for every rebound, diving on the floor and outrunning opponents. But her game needed finesse. 

“So, I pulled her out of it [AAU],” Juju’s mom, Sari Watkins, says. “That summer—and year really—we just concentrated on developing her. My husband started teaching her how to shoot the ball.” 

In her backyard in the Watts neighborhood of L.A., Juju began training for hours on end. By the next summer, she was no longer the last player on the bench but rather the top player on her entire AAU team. 

“After that year, the difference between her and her peers was glaring,” Sari remembers.

As the 20- and 30-point performances became regular occurrences, Juju began gaining national recognition, but she was still hungry for more. 

“I had to win,” the phenom shares. “I’m so happy that I have the parents that I have to stay behind me. If I didn’t have that support system and dedication from them, I would have stayed where I was at.”

That support included hour-long drives in L.A. traffic to and from Windward School, a top college-prep school, while still living in South L.A. While she was averaging 20+ ppg her freshman season, the transition to prep school was anything but easy.

“It was such a culture shock,” Watkins remembers, of her time as a 14-year-old freshman. “When people asked me where I was from, I was very hesitant to claim where I was from, because I felt people would judge. Those lessons have taught me to really just be myself through it all.” 

Basketball was her saving grace though, and after an incredible two seasons at Windward, Juju made the decision to transfer to Sierra Canyon, a program synonymous with success. It was another challenge she was excited to face and one she handled with ease. 

In her junior season with the Trailblazers, she averaged 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.0 blocks and helped bring home a state championship.

“A state championship is a hooper’s dream,” Juju says. “It’s something that I’ve been dreaming about for a long time. That was my biggest goal outside of everything else. That was one of the best, if not the best moment in my basketball career.”

Now as she finishes her senior year, we get to see the fame she’s achieved, as stars like LeBron James, Chris Brown and 2 Chainz pull up to watch the “Juju show.” And the show won’t be going far; Watkins recently committed to the USC Trojans. 

“I want to bring the winning culture back to USC, like back when it was Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson,” Juju says of her decision. “I know it’s gonna be a challenge. And, you know, I’m a sucker for a challenge.” 

Portraits by Jineen Williams

The post The Rise of Sierra Canyon’s Judea “Juju” Watkins into the High School Player of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

Everyone knows the saying about imitation and flattery. 

When you turn on a college basketball game this winter—pretty much any game will do—keep an eye on the home team’s student section. Look for the signs they hold up, the costumes they wear, how they wave and point and sway. Listen for the coordinated chants. Notice how often their response to the game is less reactive than proactive, how it’s organized and rehearsed.

When it is, you’ll be seeing the influence of the Cameron Crazies.

The Duke basketball student section didn’t invent every aspect of the modern college basketball fan experience, of course. But they had a hand in a lot of it, and it’s hard to argue they haven’t both mastered it and popularized it at an unprecedented level. The Crazies are the model, the template—as the late Al Featherston, a Duke alum and long-time Blue Devils beat writer, put it, “the standard by which all others are measured.”

Their history is somewhat less clear than their impact. The designers of what was then called Duke Indoor Stadium when it opened in 1940 had enough foresight to give the students priority courtside seating, and no doubt the old building saw its share of supportive crowds up through and beyond its rechristening as Cameron Indoor in 1972. (Legend has it that the Cameron students invented the “Air ball” chant in the late 1970s; it’s impossible to prove definitively, though nobody else offers a credible alternative.) But it wasn’t until sometime in the mid-1980s—not too long after Mike Krzyzewski arrived and began transforming a very good program into one of the greatest in college basketball history—that a place known for having very good crowds evolved into something…more.

It’s probably not a coincidence that the vibrant tent city known as Krzyzewskiville was established just outside Cameron Indoor around the same time. This was the era when the Duke student section went from supportive and enthusiastic to formally organized and intentionally impactful. It’s also when their national influence was established for all time.

You can identify an array of ingredients that contributed to making the Cameron Crazies what they are. Success was part of it, to be sure; it’s easier to get excited about the team you’re rooting for when that team is playing well and racking up wins. But there was and remains a symbiotic relationship between the Crazies in the bleachers and the Blue Devils on the court; they feed on each other’s intensity and push each other to give their all, no matter what side of the sideline they’re on.

Part of it is simple physical reality. Those who’ve only seen it on TV have a sense of what those who’ve been there know intimately: The students at Cameron Indoor are very close to the court. They cover an entire sideline, their noise and energy and reaching arms all seemingly ready to devour the court and everyone on it. 

“My first time coming out was for the Blue-White scrimmage back in 1996—I came out and was like, Woah, the students are right there,” says Blue Devils associate head coach and former All-American Chris Carrawell. “It just hits you right in the face. It’s like going to your favorite musician’s concert. The crowd is going to be electric.”

Assistant coach and former three-time Blue Devils team captain Amile Jefferson builds on that analogy. “When I was in school, we started calling it ‘Club Cameron’ for big games, because we knew it was going to just be unbelievable,” he says. “The Crazies bring an unbelievable amount of intensity and emotion to our games. In big games, you could literally see the court shaking. You can’t hear yourself…it starts to echo. It’s deafening. It’s a bucket list thing. If you’ve never been there, you’ve just gotta feel and experience it for yourself.”

Proximity matters, and intensity matters, and without both of those factors the impact of the Crazies would not be what it is. But there is at least one more vital ingredient that sets these students apart, one that countless other student sections have tried to emulate but have never quite matched: The Crazies are clever.

The signs of the Duke students’ originality and creativity are audibly and visually evident whenever their Blue Devils take the court. For each generation, it’s part tradition—the honor of maintaining the innovations that the students who came before them brought to the gym—and evolving in a way that honors what came before. It’s the signs. The face paint and wigs. It’s the hexing. It’s Speedo Guy and Cookie Monster. It’s knowing everything there is to know about the opposing team’s players, and making sure those players know it, too.

And, of course, it’s the chants.

Every player from every generation has their favorites. Carrawell is fond of the one that immortalized his former teammate: Who’s your daddy? Battier! Jefferson loved the chants that reacted to a great start. “When somebody’s playing real well early in a game, and that one guy will sometimes have more points than the opposing team, they’ll be like Gray-son’s win-ning! Gray-son’s win-ning! And you look up, and Grayson has 13 and the other team has 8.”

There are countless others, so many specific to opposing players and teams and moments in time. Many of them celebrate Duke players—chanting One More Kid! in the direction of Grant Hill’s parents on senior night remains an all-timer—while others, of course, poke (mostly) good-natured fun at opposing coaches and players. As times have changed and society has evolved, some of what the Crazies did or yelled in the past wouldn’t necessarily fly today; but even at the time, concern that they would “go too far” was more about media (like the national broadcaster who was once insistent on a time-delay in case the crowd got a little too colorful) or visitors being intimidated by the Crazies’ enthusiasm. For the most part, visiting players and coaches have acknowledged the fans’ effort and impact on the game and appreciated the chance to compete in an environment unequaled anywhere else in the country.

Famously, three years ago, that enthusiasm briefly drew the ire of Coach K, who thought the students had crossed the line with a chant inviting Blue Devil alum and current Pitt head coach Jeff Capel to “sit with us.” Afterward, Krzyzewski acknowledged that he’d misheard the chant and reacted only out of protection for one of the Blue Devils’ own—ironically the very motivation behind the students’ chant. Even in a rare moment of misunderstanding, the intentions of the fans and the teams were fully aligned.

At their best and most legendary, one truth about the Cameron Crazies stands above all others: They are an integral part of the Duke basketball experience, impacting the physical environment in a way that absolutely can and often does affect the final score. “It’s crazy,” Carrawell says. “It’s worth 20 points.”

The exact number is impossible to measure, of course. But that hardly matters. What matters is that the impact—on the games, on the team, on the entire Duke community, the Crazies very much included—is undeniable.

“They give our team purpose, to be honest,” Jefferson says. “It’s a family, people coming together for something bigger than themselves, because it’s Duke. It’s about us. We’re all in it together. The Crazies bring an amazing amount of energy and life into that gym. It’s a different level of will—a will we try to instill in our players. Our fans have that kind of will, so it’s pretty cool to see. And once they’re all in there, it’s up to us to make sure that we reciprocate that kind of passion by going out and playing our butts off every night.”

Carrawell puts it succinctly: “It’s an honor and a privilege to play in front of the Cameron Crazies.” 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The Secret Weapon to Duke’s Undefeated Season at Home: the Cameron Crazies appeared first on SLAM.

The Langston Galloway Foundation and Five-Star Basketball are teaming up for an exclusive, fully-funded court renovation campaign, “Every Court Has a Story,” in partnership with Project Backboard and Local Hoops. One hooper from around the world will get the opportunity to make an impact in their community by having their home public court renovated.

Submissions are open now. To enter, share the story behind your favorite public basketball court on everycourt.local-hoops.com.

Five-Star Basketball is the renowned basketball camp that played a part in producing talents such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and hundreds of NBA standouts.

Once submissions close, the finalists will be chosen by Galloway, followed by a fan vote, to determine the overall winner. Project Backboard will work with your local municipality to execute the basketball court renovation, and together with Five-Star Basketball and Local Hoops, they’ll help celebrate the new court with an unveiling event in your community. 

The post Langston Galloway, Five Star Basketball and More Want to Renovate your Home Court Through New Campaign appeared first on SLAM.

This episode features Alexys Feaster, Lisle Bowen, and Tracy McGrady as they share their stories of how they fell in love with basketball, the impact the game has had on their lives, and how they found their passion for entrepreneurship & community building.

Check it out below.

They also discuss the One on One Basketball League (OBL) and the impact they hope to have on young athletes by providing them with opportunities to grow their brands and explore other passions beyond the court.

Future episodes feature NBA team executives, player agents, basketball photographers, agency founders and more. The first season of League Biz includes five episodes in total and will roll out every two weeks over the next two months.

To follow as each episodes rolls out, follow SLAM’s YouTube channel and the @LeagueBiz Instagram page.

Photo courtesy of Tidal League.

The post LEAGUEBIZ Ep. 1: Tracy McGrady, Alexys Feaster and Lisle Bowen on the Entrepreneurship, OBL and Making an Impact appeared first on SLAM.

Hosted by Denis Boateng, the debut episode—which is now live on SLAM’s YouTube channel—features Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady and his OBL (Ones Basketball League) partner Lisle Bowen alongside Alexys Feaster, long-time NBA executive and founder of The Kinship Advisors.

Check out the first episode here.

Future episodes feature NBA team executives, player agents, basketball photographers, agency founders and more. The first season of League Biz includes five episodes in total and will roll out every two weeks over the next two months.

To follow as each episodes rolls out, follow SLAM’s YouTube channel and the @LeagueBiz Instagram page.

The post WATCH: Go Inside the Business of Basketball with Sports Agents, Executives and More in LEAGUEBIZ Series appeared first on SLAM.

How good is Ta’Niya Latson, Florida State’s freshman guard extraordinaire?

Put it this way: After the Connecticut Huskies held her to just 24 points, their acting head coach, Chris Dailey, couldn’t stop raving about the job her team did limiting Latson.

“We had our hands full, and I think we had to really work hard to even limit the number of shots that she did get,” Dailey told SLAM. “And then, her having fouls, that helped. But she’s tremendous, and she’s only a freshman, right?”

That’s correct. We re-learn that fact every single week, when the ACC announces its Freshman of the Week honors, and like clockwork, it is Latson. Each of the first six times the conference awarded that honor, it went to Latson, with a pair of Player of the Week honors thrown in for good measure.

It is the tremendous good fortune for Brooke Wyckoff, Florida State’s head coach, that Latson decided to stay in Tallahassee, even after she was recruited by longtime FSU legend Sue Semrau, who retired in March of 2022. Several other Florida State players transferred.

Not Latson. She’s up for any challenge.

“I remember that exact day, and I was so sad because Coach Sue was leaving,” Latson told us in mid-December at Mohegan Sun, a day before she showed UConn and a national television audience that it is impossible to stop her. 

“I know Coach Brooke had called me immediately and we were talking on the phone. I’d built a really strong connection with Coach Brooke, we [could] talk about anything. 

“But it was like, Ah, dang, everybody’s leaving, Coach Sue’s leaving, but I knew I had loyalty to her and I couldn’t see myself anywhere else…I feel like this is a position I can build something with. So, I’m just glad I stuck it out.”

So is Wyckoff, whose FSU team is 23-8 this season, despite a roster of just 10 players. And Latson is the easy answer why. Not only is she putting up massive numbers in volume—25 ppg through her first 14 college contests—she’s doing it as a constant, with at least 20 in 13 of those matchups, and 19 in the other.

She’s also, despite being the first name on the opposition scouting reports, scoring with unheard-of efficiency for a freshman—50-40-80 so far, exploiting matchups no matter who is guarding her. She’s 5-8, but her long arms and leaping ability make it impossible for smaller players to challenge her shot, while her speed and sense of the court allow her to get to her spots before longer players can bother her. Latson does, essentially, anything she wants on the court.

But her defense is, already, a differentiator. Connecticut raced out to a 23-point lead, but the Seminoles clamped down, ending the game on a 49-34 clip, with Latson grabbing 3 steals, something she’s done five times already this season. Her ability to read passing lanes and leap into them also gives her the chance to turn her defense into easy points at the other end.

“She’s a very intelligent player,” Wyckoff says. “One of the most intelligent players that I’ve ever coached. Just instinctively, knows the game and knows how to adjust…she understands as the game goes on, OK, this is what I have to do to adjust and get the opportunity to have the ball in my hands in a position to score, to make shots. And so, we’ve seen her do that, where she’s now reading the defense, which is attacking, understanding how to move around them to make shots. Today, it was turning up her defense and understanding that to get her going and getting the ball out in the open floor.”

“She’s got a natural three, and she has a pull-up, she can get to the rim, she can score at all three levels, which makes her very dangerous,” Dailey says. “She’s a nightmare matchup. And it takes a team to have to defend her.”

Wyckoff, her coach, summed it up even simpler: “I think the world saw the type of player we have on our hands here.”

On the men’s side, she’d be a one-and-done, with a WNBA talent evaluator telling me Latson would be a lottery pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft if she were eligible. But she’s not, so for the next three and a half years, college teams are going to need to figure out the impossible. 

We wish them luck. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Meet the Florida State Freshman Opponents are Already Calling a ‘Nightmare Matchup’: Ta’Niya Latson appeared first on SLAM.

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StockX Off The Grid in Salt Lake City was laced with all the gear you need to hit the court or your next icy adventure. Shop everything StockX brought to basketball’s star-studded weekend in SLC here.

Friday kicked off with an exclusive VIP night featuring DJ Spade and 400 notable guests including Travis Scott, Don C, Chase B, Trey Murphy III, Scotty Pippen Jr, Shareef O’Neal, Jarred Vanderbilt, Speedy Morman, Jae Murphy, Jamad Fiin and more.

StockX’s authenticators were also on-hand to verify that your sneakers meet the StockX standards. They interacted with thousands of consumers, demonstrating details of the StockX verification process throughout the weekend.

Whether you’re looking for a pair of basketball sneakers or a coveted grail to hit the courts, the latest outerwear, or accessories/gear for your next snowboard trip, StockX has you covered. StockX Verified guarantees that every item that is sold on the platform goes through a proprietary multi-step verification process with a team of expert authenticators. Visit stockx.com to shop the latest in sneakers, apparel, accessories and more.

The post A Look Back at the StockX Off the Grid at All-Star Weekend appeared first on SLAM.

I walk by a basketball court, any court, I stop. Full stop. If they’re playing, I’ll hang out for a while—just to watch, to hear basketball sounds. Lose myself. Forget time.

Merely seeing the word basketball—anywhere, in any format— heightens my senses and raises my level of engagement.

With the object in my hands, I’m like Arthur pulling Excalibur from the stone. I am transformed. I am someone else, somewhere else. And in that space, the space of basketball, life is somehow more and I am better.

You think this is all a bit much? Let me go further. I don’t see basketball simply as part of my identity. I see it as an existential matter, as if without it I’m not really even here.

So many understand this. Yet it takes one to know one. And when we meet, it only takes a moment before one of us asks the other: “Do you still play?” This is our handshake. This is our measure. It is our check against whether and how, and how much, we really are still here. We ask because we know the value of playing.

We know what’s at stake when you stop playing. And now, as old as I am, I know I’m getting closer to not playing. And that possibility brings fundamentally important things into sharp focus: basketball, my life. Whether and how I remain cosmic. Whether I am still free.

Basketball is an “ever since” thing for me. Ever since my dad put a twelve-by-twelve-foot blacktop in the backyard before I was born. Ever since I spent thousands of dusks on that blacktop practicing, which always ended with the same plea: “Just one more shot, Mom!” Ever since CYO and Summer League championships. Ever since varsity, coaching, and countless public courts from Alphabet City to Shanghai, Nashua to the Negev, Toronto to Las Terrenas. From wherever I could find some decent run. Later, off the court, as a person in the world, celebrating the game in classrooms, boardrooms, and back rooms with league commissioners, power brokers, producers, present and future Hall of Famers, sneaker executives, playground legends, and cultural tastemakers. All this time, basketball and I have never let go of each other.

Basketball stays with me. It’s what I return to. It’s where I feel my whole self integrated, where I find balance. Where the world makes sense, where my relationship with other people gets right. It is my sanctuary. My truth. It is a lifetime pass to a universally shared space and consciousness, bonding me with all who know, have known, and will know what I know. And I know I’m not alone. 

Many, including Franklin Foer in his excellent How Soccer Explains the World, have used sport as a lens to view culture, conflict, and social conditions. But what if basketball could actually save the world by helping us think differently about solving world problems?

On an intuitive level, I feel that it can. But on a deeper level, I also know that it can. Basketball is just so different from other sports. Its basic playing space, fifty feet by ninety feet, is much smaller than a soccer or football field, which can be up to four times as long. Basketball players, like people in the world at large, must navigate shared space. In so doing, they must closely observe and successfully understand each other. With no equipment and playing basically in undergarments, they are exposed to one another—teammate to teammate, teammate to opponent, and participant to spectator—up close and clearly. And in basketball, all participants do all things. No one is prohibited from going to any particular place on the court, or doing more or less than anyone else. Not so in football, where player positions and functions are strictly defined, specialized, and differentiated. Baseball is ultra-positional, particularly when it comes to the pitcher. Even in soccer or hockey, where the principles of movement somewhat approximate basketball, defensive players typically don’t spend much time in the offensive area, and the uniquely positioned goalie has radically different powers than the other players. In basketball, players switch between offense and defense in an instant; there’s no separate unit to do one or the other.

In life, as in basketball, we often must change our position—fluidly and without warning—to meet changing circumstances. In other large field and court sports, it’s possible that over the course of the game, certain players may never even come near one another. That’s not possible in basketball. In basketball, everyone on the court is intimately—in a relational and spatial sense—tied to everyone else.

I’m not saying other sports don’t teach us wonderful things. I’m saying this sport is particularly good at showing us how to be in this world with each other and make it better. I’m making an objective observation: The game is more human in size, interaction, structure, and participatory experience. As a result, applying basketball as a worldview would be a lot more apt to solving the problems of humanity.

In 2019, I finally got the opportunity to test the idea of basketball as a philosophy with a course I began teaching at New York University called “How Basketball Can Save the World.”

The genesis of the class took the form of a question: Isn’t it time to look to new systems of thinking, leadership, problem solving, efficiency, fairness, and equality? For thousands of years, the world has been led by the same kinds of leaders—monarchs, generals, clergy, politicians, economists, lawyers, and captains of industry. Those leaders and thinkers created societal practices and schools of thought—isms, like capitalism, socialism, communism, nationalism, isolationism, utilitarianism, theism, and so on—to manage and make sense of the world. Century after century they based their policies and plans on these great isms believing they made the world more just, more efficient, more productive, more meaningful. The result, after millennia of the same kinds of leaders continuing to employ the same kinds of thinking, is a world more broken, more confused, and more conflicted than ever. Why not look to a ubiquitous global phenomenon that has continued to grow faster in popularity, relevance, influence, and impact than almost any other human activity over the past century: basketball. The 13 Principles that underlie this book are a numeric homage to the original 13 rules of basketball devised by James Naismith. They are distilled from what Naismith intended the game to be, how it has operated globally ever since, and what the world has told us the game means. I explicitly wanted to elevate the study of basketball to the same plane as political science, history, music, or any other academic major.

In the years since the class began, I have been honored to host a revolving congregation of Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers, award-winning filmmakers, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists, bestselling authors, global tastemakers, peacemakers, playground legends, anthropologists, sneaker mavens, league commissioners, artists, photographers, urban planners, entrepreneurs, leaders of indigenous peoples, and even a former star player turned globally acclaimed mezzo-soprano. The very first class met on the court at Nike’s New York City headquarters, every student holding a ball. We visited the legendary Dunlevy Milbank Center in Harlem and “The Cage” at West 4th Street, and we enjoyed VIP access to the 2019 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. We helped sway the Vatican to recognize the first ever Patron Saint of Basketball! With each guest and each experience, we analyzed, validated, elucidated, and enlivened those 13 Principles.

Now, in this book, I state my case. How Basketball Can Save the World proposes a new story, a new frame through which to see our meaning, a new ism. This world—our world, right now—needs new inspiration, new paradigms, new foundational principles. Therefore, we must look to a new source of ideas for fairness, problem solving, sustainability, and growth to meet this new era. I insist we look at basketball.

Modern government is broken. Competing worldviews of democracy and authoritarianism are ferociously, irreconcilably at odds. The economy is broken. We are now seeing the greatest dis- parity in wealth, throughout the world, since the Gilded Age. Brokenness abounds from eroded trust in the media to right- before-our-eyes climate destruction, to the vanishing of privacy, to the deterioration of our social fabric, now threadbare. So many feel increasingly desperate and alone, and the great many stand divided.

We live in a world of intense division. From the derisive social critiques of Gen Z–Millennials to the taunts of “OK boomer,” the generations share little but mutual contempt, blame, and condescension. The #MeToo movement powerfully exposes the brokenness in gender relations. And what of racism and othering? What of hate? What of the vulnerability and unchecked persecution of stateless ethnic groups: Kurds, Rohingya,Yazidis, Uighurs? What of homophobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, transphobia, and the resurgence of overt, normalized, global anti-Semitism?

These conditions result from old prevailing isms, recycled century after century. All of it is systemic.

Young people in particular sense this. Jia Tolentino, in her essay collection Trick Mirror, writes that her generation suffers from an inescapable “ethical brokenness,” which she describes as a Millennial’s Hobson’s choice: “I have felt so many times that the choice of this era is to be destroyed or to morally compromise ourselves in order to be functional—to be wrecked, or to be functional for reasons that contribute to the wreck. It’s a powerlessness that makes us complicit.”

Philosopher-historian Yuval Noah Harari calls this moment an “age of bewilderment.” It is forcing us to reexamine all of our fundamentally held assumptions: “When the old stories have collapsed, and no new story has emerged so far to replace them. Who are we? What should we do in life? What kinds of skills do we need? Given everything we know and don’t know about science, about God, about politics, and religion what can we say about the meaning of life today?”

Today, basketball is a global force sui generis that continues to fascinate and unify. It opens closed worlds. It gives sanctuary to the outsider and the other. It appeals equally to the urban and the rural. It has been and continues to be compelling, operative, and influential in major societal discussions of race, access, gender, immigration, culture, and commerce. No other pastime sells more footwear, activates more social media, and interests more young people. The game flourishes nearly everywhere on every continent.

Basketball’s capacity to do all that it has done—and its potential to do even more—traces directly back to the intention and foresight of its inventor, James Naismith. Naismith was a right- place, right-time, free-thinking individual in the world of 1891, who had a particularly special mix of personal qualities and lived experience. He was a Canadian immigrant in the United States, an orphan from a young age, and an intellectual misfit-wanderer. A divinity school graduate who forsook the ministry in search of a higher calling, leading him to create an eminently physical manifestation of his spiritual aspirations. He just wanted the world to be a better place.

Employed at Springfield College, a gym teacher’s academy in Massachusetts, he was tasked with coming up with a nonviolent indoor physical activity to occupy “incorrigible,” violence-prone students in the winter months. Naismith’s challenge in the fall of 1891 was a microcosm of the challenge facing the world. The brokenness that Naismith saw in the tumultuous, conflicted, inequitable Gilded Age looks an awful lot like the brokenness that we face today.

Basketball was Naismith’s vision for society as he wished it to be—for those incorrigible men in his gym class and for the world at large spinning out of control. Naismith looked at that gym, at those men, and knew he had to create something new. Old ideas would not fix that brokenness. And thus, his 13 original rules became the framework for a new way of play. Basketball worked.

The 13 Principles presented in this book are inspired by and deeply connected to Naismith’s vision, and to the phenomenal impact that has sprung forth from that vision. My hope is that these principles, though not explicitly stated in any rule book, codify what is inherent to the game.

Meg Barber, the coach of the NYU women’s basketball team, once said to me, “What you’re trying to do is make the word basketball mean something else.” That’s right. That word—and the game it signifies—has always meant something else to me, and to so many others. And to Meg. For those who experience the game, we hold these truths to be self-evident. They just needed to be said out loud. This book and these principles give those truths language and voice.

The 13 Principles are not complicated. They’re not hard to understand. It’s simply time for new thinking and a new consciousness to take action to fix things and move us forward.

No more of the same old mistakes, from the same old thinking, by the same old leaders. No more being trapped by old definitions, limited by old meanings and old vocabulary. Those systems have demonstrably failed. Basketball has given us a nearly century-and-a-half proof of concept.

Basketball works. 

David Hollander is the assistant dean and clinical professor with the Tisch Institute for Global Sport at New York University.

Photos via Getty Images.

Excerpted from HOW BASKETBALL CAN SAVE THE WORLD Copyright © 2023 by David Hollander. Used by permission of Harmony Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

The post ‘How Basketball Can Save the World’: NYU Professor David Hollander Explores the Possibilities in New Book appeared first on SLAM.

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The hands that were once the coldest to hold a basketball are now the hottest in the country.  

Long before Keishana Washington blossomed into the nation’s leading scorer at 28.1 points per game as of Jan. 1, the affable 5-7 Drexel University graduate guard remembers the cold, Canadian court.

“My older brother and I spent hours outside making up shooting games and playing one-on-one,” says Washington, a Pickering, Ontario, native. “In the winter, my hands definitely got cold. My dad spray-painted a court on our driveway, so that was cool, having a three-point and free throw line. He made sure that I could score in all aspects of the game.”

Unleashing her repertoire of smooth turnarounds, deep step-back jumpers, jab-step pull-ups that freeze opponents and twisting drives in which she squeezes  between defenders, the Colonial Athletic Association’s Preseason Player of the Year hasn’t had issues scoring. She is third all-time in Drexel history with 1,861 points.

Washington, who is in grad school studying psychology, has scored 30 or more points six times this season. She has scored in double figures in 47 consecutive contests, including a career-high 42 points in an overtime win over Penn State on Dec. 18. 

“I feel that every time I step on the floor,” Washington says. “I am the best player no matter who we’re playing.”

Photos courtesy of Drexel Athletics

The post Drexel Guard Keishana Washington is One of the Coldest Scorers in the Country—And She’s Just Getting Started appeared first on SLAM.

It’s the fourth quarter of a game between the Capital City Go-Go and the Santa Cruz Warriors at the 2022 AT&T Winter Showcase, an annual scouting event held in Las Vegas. Capital City leads, but Santa Cruz is on an 11-0 run. The game clock reads…well, there is no game clock. Just a shot clock, which ticks below 12 seconds. Go-Go guard Kris Dunn fakes a pass, drives hard to the basket and springs toward the rim. 

“Dunn, penetrating, for the win…” exclaims the announcer. 

The former No. 5 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft kisses a tough layup off the glass. 108-105. Game, Capital City.

That probably sounds…strange. To uninformed fans watching on television, it probably looked strange, too. During this year’s Winter Showcase, the G League conducted one of its biggest experiments yet: incorporating Final Target Scores, which may be known by many in the basketball world as the “Elam Ending,” a concept conceived by Ball State University professor Nick Elam and made popular by the summer competition, The Basketball Tournament.

Under the new G League guidelines, the clock was turned off after three quarters, and all games were played until one team reached a “target score” of 25 points added to the leading team’s total. Capital City was ahead of Santa Cruz 82-77 as the fourth quarter began, which meant that the first team to 107 would win the contest. Dunn’s layup sealed the deal.

“It makes it competitive,” Dunn told SLAM afterward, when asked about the target score format. “You don’t see any time on there, so it’s a little different, a little off. But I think over the last few days—with the target score—there have been a lot of close games. I think that brings the energy in the building when it’s close, so I like it.”

The G League is also using a target score for its overtime periods this season—instead of being timed, extra sessions are a race to seven points. 

“I like that the league experiments with this kind of stuff,” says play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Danna, who has been calling G League games for more than a decade. “This is what it’s here for. Nothing is going to be perfect the first time around.” 

Since its founding in 2001, the G League has served as a laboratory for the NBA—a testing ground for various ideas that could enhance the game. Danna has seen the league introduce several new rules through the years—some radical, some minor. Recently added NBA regulations such as the transition take foul, coach’s challenge and 14-second shot clock reset were all first evaluated at the G League level.

“Throughout the calendar year, not just the season, we’re always throwing stuff on the wall to see what sticks,” says Malik Rose, Head of Basketball Operations for the G League. “We’re always thinking about ways that we can improve the game. You hear Commissioner [Adam] Silver talking about innovation, innovation, innovation—that goes into it. So we’re in constant communication with [the NBA] throughout the year. Some rules are instituted to solve a problem at the NBA level, and some rules are tested to see if we can improve the game in some way.”

Of course, many of the G League experiments don’t make it to the NBA, lasting only a few seasons. The international goaltending rule—where the ball is live as soon as it hits the rim, even if it’s above the cylinder—was in place from 2010-15 but never gained enough traction to get “called up.”

Other unique rules have become staples of the current G League game, even if it’s difficult to imagine them ever reaching the NBA. In 2019, the G League instituted the one free-throw rule, which stipulates that only one free throw be taken in all situations during the first 46 minutes of a game. So if Dunn is fouled shooting a three-pointer in the second quarter, he takes one free throw worth 3 points. In the final two minutes, standard NBA free-throw rules apply.

Of all the inventive reforms explored in the G League (for the 2004-05 season, the league even tested a rule where three-pointers counted as only 2 points until the last three minutes of each quarter), “target score” ranks among the most ambitious. Ahead of the Winter Showcase, teams had to adjust their strategies. Players had to shift their mindsets. Fourth quarters at the event felt more intense and competitive.

“It becomes a possession game, especially when it’s a close game in that fourth quarter,” says Tyler Cook, a forward on the Salt Lake City Stars. “Literally, every single possession matters, even more so than I feel like it does in the regular game format.

“We do situational games a lot in practice—it just feels like that,” Cook continues. “Because every single possession, you’re so used to looking up at the clock and checking for how much time you have left, but it’s really just about the score and trying to figure out how to get just one stop at a time and get a great shot every single time down. It adds a different feel to it, and it just makes you focus on every single possession more.”

It also forced coaches to reconsider substitution methods—if a player usually checks in at the eight-minute mark, when should he be called upon during a target-score fourth quarter?—and develop new game plans. What plays do you draw up when you’re three points away from the target score? What about six points? And how do you defend on the opposing side of those situations?

“The best part about it is that we’re all sort of learning on the fly here, so everyone is trying out different strategies,” Billy Campbell, General Manager of Basketball Operations for the Birmingham Squadron, said at the Showcase. “It’s almost like a lot of game theory. If we do this, then what happens on the other end?”

The creative format received mixed reviews from players and staff. It did have the effect of eliminating the intentional fouling that happens late in NBA games, when teams are trying to claw their way back without time running off the clock. Showcase games were generally faster—instead of 12 minutes, the average fourth quarter took just 10:22 to play—and often more dramatic than typical G League contests.

“My personal impression is that it’s done what it’s supposed to do—create exciting finishes,” says Rose. Every contest ended with a game-winner, from step-back three-pointers to breakaway dunks. It was 97-97 in the Showcase championship, with a target score of 99, when Ontario Clippers guard Xavier Moon nailed a midrange jumper to secure the $100,000 prize for his team. Some squads were able to mount improbable comebacks: the Rio Grande Valley Vipers erased a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter, storming back to grab a 125-119 victory over the Iowa Wolves.

“I like [the target score] because no team is ever mathematically out of the game,” Danna says. “You could be down 20 with 40 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, you’re not going to win—0.0% chance. But teams can go on 21-0 runs in this league. A 20-point lead really isn’t much in this league. So it gives the other team hope.”

Whether or not the NBA will integrate a target-score format in settings beyond the NBA All-Star Game (where it’s been utilized since 2020) remains unclear, but the extensive testing being done in the G League suggests that the concept is under serious consideration for a larger role. It is one of numerous topics that continue to be discussed at league offices, including adding a second Coach’s Challenge, as executives mull the future of the sport.

“We’re looking at a lot of stuff,” Rose tells SLAM. 

No ideas are too trivial—or too extreme—when it comes to improving the game. So Rose and his team will just keep throwing stuff at the wall. And let’s see what sticks. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post How the NBA G League is at the Forefront of Basketball Innovation, from Player Development to Testing New Rules appeared first on SLAM.

Frank Jackson was 12 years old when he first arrived in the small city of Lehi, UT. After growing up in the Washington DC area and spending two years in Hood River, OR, the Jackson family made the move to the Beehive State, where Frank’s mom, Juleen, is from. 

“As a kid, I always felt like an outsider,” Jackson tells SLAM. “I was always moving. I was never the coach’s son. I was always the kid from out of town.”

Still, it didn’t take long for Jackson to be introduced to Lehi’s basketball community. A gym nearby (just north of Thanksgiving Point) called “Open Court” was one of the go-to spots for top players in Utah. The building would later be renamed “Flash Factory” after Brandt Anderson, owner of the NBA D-League’s Utah Flash, purchased it in 2008 and made it the team’s practice facility.

Jackson, who has been playing for the Salt Lake City Stars (Utah’s new G League affiliate) this season and just signed a 10-day contract with the Jazz, has fond memories of watching the Flash back then. “I would go to those games,” he recalls. “I thought they were the coolest things ever.”

It was in Lehi where Jackson’s game really took off. “Kids like to compete out here,” Jackson says, “and they’ll do anything to win. You see kids busting their tails every day trying to be the best that they can be.” That passion resonated with the fiercely competitive Jackson, who always had a chip on his shoulder. “Everywhere I moved, you [had to] prove yourself,” he adds. “And that, to me, was awesome.”

Following a stellar freshman year at Lehi High School, Jackson transferred to Lone Peak High School in Highland to join a highly regarded hoops program. There, head coach Quincy Lewis helped push Jackson to another level, and soon the 6-3 guard was one of the top recruits in the nation. He committed to Duke in September of 2015 and proceeded to have a historic senior season, winning Utah Mr. Basketball and being named a McDonald’s All-American. He finished his high school career with 2,079 total points, which ranked sixth in state history. A few months later, Jackson was off to Durham. And about a year after that, he was headed to the NBA, drafted 31st overall by the Charlotte Hornets and quickly traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Since 2017, Jackson has bounced around the NBA, signing deals with the Pelicans, Thunder, Pistons and Suns. Of course, he was already accustomed to a life on the move—adjusting to new cities, meshing with new teammates, proving himself in new environments—because of his childhood. Utah has always been home, though, and when the opportunity to return presented itself, Jackson jumped at it.

After he was waived by the Suns in October, the first person Jackson talked to was Jazz CEO Danny Ainge. “The first thought that pops into your head is playing in places that you’ve grown up in,” Jackson says, “and [where] you have people that love you and have supported you—just to be able to be a part of that and a part of the community that I was raised in.” He and Ainge agreed it was an ideal fit.

As a member of the Salt Lake City Stars, the 24-year-old has dominated the G League, averaging a team-high 21.1 points on 47 percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from three. For the kid who always felt like an outsider, there is comfort in being so close to Lehi, to the Flash Factory, to Lone Peak, to the beautiful mountains. 

“I can breathe that mountain air and just chill,” Jackson says. “It’s been a blessing to be back in a place that I call home.” 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Frank Jackson on His NBA Journey, Proving Himself and Getting to Play for the City He Calls Home appeared first on SLAM.

“At that time my dream was already to make the NBA, so I was saying, hey that’s a Japanese guy playing in the NBA, I feel like I can do that too. I gotta go to work,” Watanabe tells SLAM.

Once time expired he picked up his basketball and went straight to work. He hasn’t looked back since. 

It’s been no secret that “Yutamania” has struck the Brooklyn Nets at their core this season. As of press time, the 6’8 forward is leading the League in three-point percentage, a scintillating 50.6 percent to be exact. From “Big Shot-anabe” to “Got-anabe” to “Yuta the Shootah”—Ian Eagle’s been having a whole lot of fun this year—Watanabe always seems to be in the right spot at the right time.

Sprinting to the deep corner on each possession and crashing the glass as the shot clock dwindles, the former G-League product has been a driving catalyst for the Net’s climb back toward the top of the East with his marksmanship and adhesive defensive presence. 

“It didn’t just happen over the summer or only this season, I’ve been putting in work since day one. It’s just slowly paying off now,” Watanabe says over Zoom from a downtown Phoenix hotel in mid-January. 

The career numbers aren’t just a factor of (formerly) sharing the court with KD, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, but as Watanabe says, it’s the confidence they have in him that’s added fuel to his accuracy. Anytime he knocks down a trey, dives for a loose ball or strikes up a clean contest at the rim, there’s Kevin dapping him up, or Royce O’Neal smacking his head in approval. 

“The other reason I’m shooting well is because of them. They always support me, give me confidence, all kinds of stuff,” Watanabe says.

For an 18-year-old graduate from Jinsei Gakuen High School, Watanabe had to blaze his own path to the League. Spending a year at St. Thomas Moore led to a four-year career at George Washington University. From earning a two-way contract with the Grizzlies to suiting up in Toronto to having his contract with the Nets guaranteed in early January, Watanabe has left breadcrumbs in his wake for the next generation to follow.

Sift through any highlight of Yuta on YouTube, and we mean any, and you’ll find comments sprinkled throughout written in Japanese. The second-ever Japanese-born player to reach the Association has grown accustomed to being one of the firsts. From becoming the first Japanese player to earn a Division 1 scholarship at George Washington to having the best-selling NBA jersey in Japan two years running. 

The Nets were also the most-watched team on Japan’s NBA Rakuten streaming service through January. 2nd, up 83 percent from last season.

Droves of Japanese reporters have followed the dubbed “Chosen One” since he was 16 years old playing for the country’s national team. He’s always provided candor and grace. Expanding his time for questions more than once over so that publications thousands of miles away can report back as much information as possible about the 28-year-olds journey.

As just the second-ever Japanese-born player to play in the L, there’s rarely been a time when talk around Watanabe has fallen to a whisper. As such, the son of two former Japanese professional basketball players has long since been keen on his controllables. 

“There are a lot of things that I can’t control, but there are always things that I can control like my work ethic. Every day, that should never change no matter what,” Watanabe tells SLAM.

The effort he exudes on a daily basis has only begun to pay off on the biggest hardwood stage in the world. 

Dropping a season-high 20 points in Portland on a gloomy mid-November night, the following home game against the Memphis Grizzles would prove to be yet another defining moment in his budding career. 

Ending the third quarter up by three in their crisp white Basquiat-inspired City Edition jerseys, the Nets were shot out of a canon to start the fourth enacting an 18-5 run fueled by four threes from Watanabe against his former squad. 

Subbing out of the game to a standing ovation from the Barclays crowd, thousands of voices shouted his name in unison. A prototypical sporting gesture, but one Watanabe had never experienced until that fateful November night. 

“After the game they’re all standing up calling my name, that was something I never thought would happen. It was an emotional moment for me,” Watanabe says. 

Atop his NBA responsibilities, the weight of an entire nation’s hopes surrounding the sport rest, in part, on Watanabe’s shoulders. An ambassadorship he’s always been keen to foster; knowing his growth broadens the avenues for future hoopers. 

And with over 30,000 Japanese Nationals living throughout the five boroughs and beyond, you’d be hard-pressed to not find the culture’s immense impact. Case in point?  the Keio Academy of New York located in upper Purchase, Harrison. 

An overseas branch of Minato City’s Keio University, Yuta got to witness firsthand the impact he’s made as he ducked through the door frame of the main gym on the morning of November 28th.

Shaking each other in uncontrollable excitement while boasting permanent smiles strewn across the gym, the cheers of the boys and girls varsity teams grew louder with each cross-over, step-back three and throwdown. Oh no, Yuta didn’t take it easy on ‘em. “That’s something every NBA player has to do even when you’re going against even high school players, you gotta show them who we are,” Watanabe says with a laugh.

Rekindling his joy for the game, the eyes and expression of each player’s face mirrored the look etched onto an 8-year-old Watanabe when he watched Tabuse take the court on TV. Reminiscing back to a time when he shared their same hopes and dreams, Watanabe said to himself afterward, “Yeah when I was in high school I was like them. I was just enjoying basketball, always smiling. It was really amazing.”

But when he first expressed his NBA dreams and traveling to the States, jubilantly youthful Watanabe was laughed at, told his “dreams” were too far-fetched, unrealistic. It’s not like a path was clearly paved for Yuta to walk like the hundreds of US-born draft hopefuls each year. In the meantime, the work would have to do. And now that he’s here, he’s steadfast on broadening the avenue he’s strutted down thus far.

“I think it’s really important for me to keep inspiring them,” Watanabe said. “They don’t have to be me. I want them to dream bigger. I want them to feel like, ‘I wanna be Kevin Durant. I wanna be like Kyrie Irving.’ Just don’t be Yuta Watanabe. Dream bigger.”

But to be honest, being Yuta Watanabe sounds pretty great. 

Photo via Getty Images.

The post After Leading the League in Three-Point Percentage, Yuta Watanabe is Continuing to Blaze his Own Path appeared first on SLAM.

This special-edition publication features original artwork by Tyler Upchurch on the cover and much, much more.

SLAM Presents All-Star Vol 3: Stockton to Malone is available now. Shop here.

John Stockton and Karl Malone played nearly every game for almost two decades together, as reliable and foundational as the iron that makes up our planet. This cover was created in 2021 as part of a series of hypothetical “What if?” covers that would have come out before 1994, which was SLAM’s first year in print.

For the first time ever, Stockton and Malone’s cover-that-never-was goes from digital to physical on this special-edition tee. Shop now. 

The post SLAM Presents All-Star Vol 3: Stockton to Malone is OUT NOW! appeared first on SLAM.

February 9th 2003. How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days was the number one movie in the world. “All I Have” by Jennifer Lopez featuring LL Cool J was sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100. Kobe Bryant was on the cover of SLAM 66 wearing a jet black Lakers jersey with his three Larry O’Brien trophies. It was a cloudy night in Georgia but even then there were 24 extra stars in the Atlanta sky. On that night at Philips Arena, the NBA hosted its 52nd Annual NBA All-Star Game. 

It was a time before TikTok, NFTs, and NBA Twitter. It’s now 2023 and at times it feels like we’re living in some twisted up future, but at least the game of basketball is still good. 

By the time you’re reading this, the League will be getting ready to host the 72nd Annual All-Star Game in Salt Lake City and if we’re lucky, it’ll be a classic much like Atlanta’s game 20 years prior. Generally speaking, ‘03 is a year strongly etched into the memory of all within the culture. Baggy pants, bulky kicks, triple-layered headwear, spinning rims, Playstation 2… could it have all been so simple then? 

The 2003 NBA All-Star Game was one of the most stacked events of all time, both in star power and personality. Society was reaching a breaking point when individuality, charisma, and style were placed on a similar level as skill. The Western Conference All-Stars included Steve Francis, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Yao Ming as starters, with Shaquille O’neal, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Gary Payton, Stephon Marbury, and Peja Stojakovic coming off the bench. The West was helmed by then-Sacramento Kings head coach, Rick Adelman. Peja was an injury replacement for his teammate Chris Webber.

The Eastern Conference All-Stars included Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, and Ben Wallace as starters, with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Brad Miller, Jamal Mashburn, Antoine Walker, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas coming off the bench. Isiah Thomas, who coached the Indiana Pacers at the time, led the charge for the East.  

There are a lot of things you may have forgotten about the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. So, allow us to remind you. 

First off, the jerseys. It marked the first time since the ‘90s that the NBA designed and deployed All-Star Game jerseys. In the previous five years, players just wore their own jersey from their respective teams (All-Star Weekend in 1999 was canceled due to the lockout). And the jerseys were fresh as hell. The retro design recalled some of the late ‘80s All-Star Game jerseys, swapping out the short shorts for a baggier option. 

The main focus entering All-Star weekend was Michael Jordan, who was preparing to retire for a third and final time. He was a starter and an All-Star for the 14th time in his career, an accomplishment that didn’t come without its fair share of controversy. Allen Iverson and Vince Carter were both near at the peak of their popularity in 2003 and were voted as the starting backcourt for the Eastern Conference by the fans. Carter had missed a big chunk of games that season as a result of injury and there was a ton of pressure on him to give up his starting spot to Jordan. He resisted the notion for quite some time but he eventually relented and gave up his starting spot to his elder UNC alum just before gametime. The scrutiny turned ugly after a while, and the Atlanta crowd even booed Carter when he was being introduced before the game. 

For the record, Jordan was perfectly fine with coming off the bench. When asked about it during the game, Jordan said, “Vince surprised me. I told him as I told the rest of the players, I started 13 times, I didn’t need to start [a] 14th time. You know, they were adamant about getting me to start. Vince actually came to me right before we went out and said that he would love for me to take his spot. He’s very respectful. I think he took some undue punishment, all during this week about him being very honorable to the fans, and even at the end, when he gave it up, I really didn’t want him to back down from what he actually stood for and I’ve supported him in that sense. But he wanted me to take his spot and I thought it was very gracious of him and very respectful.”

Problem solved, Jordan started. 

Another wrinkle out of the gate was Jordan’s coach for the game, Isiah Thomas, who is arguably Jordan’s biggest rival and definitely his most prevalent foil. If Jordan had a nemesis, it was Zeke (or Jerry Krause). But Thomas had coached the Pacers to the best record in the East by the break, so he was his coach for the night. Infamously, there is a conspiracy that Isiah Thomas led a charge to freeze Jordan out of his first All-Star Game in 1985. Jordan was a rookie and finished the game with seven points on 22.2 percent shooting in a 140-129 loss. And now 18 years, two retirements, and 13 All-Star appearances later, Michael Jordan was the elder statesman in the All-Star Game, with Yao Ming as the lone rookie to participate in the game. 

Jordan, however, was aggressive but wasn’t hot right out of the gates. He started the game 0-7. He began the game only 10 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points in the All-Star game’s  history and the Atlanta crowd was hungry for him to break the record (a record that’s been snapped by the late-Kobe Bryant and LeBron James since then). Each missed attempt by Jordan was followed by hushed sighs of resignation by the crowd but the voracious outbreak when he finally made a jumper was well worth the wait. 

The first quarter was a relatively competitive defensive performance for both sides, the first quarter ended with the East leading 23-18 off the strength of a 13-0 run. Jordan never really got any hotter from the field, but he eventually broke the record and finished with 20 points on 9-27 (33.3 percent) shooting. 

The pace and level of play picked up considerably but the defensive effort faltered in the second quarter when the reserves checked in. The signature playground style of all-star ball had infiltrated every corner of the game and it was fun as hell. A sequence of lobs from Brad Miller to Vince Carter followed by Stephon Marbury to Shawn Marion early in the second quarter was especially electrifying. Shortly afterwards, Dirk Nowitzki went on a mini-heater in two minutes and scored all nine of his points for the night. All-Star games are interesting in that way. Basketball is improvisational like jazz and these are the best artists in the world. You never know when a player might go off onto a solo and strut his shit. 

Rick Adelman decided to indulge every hoops fan everywhere and played a lineup of Francis-Garnett-Duncan-Shaq-Yao. If any lineup with four seven-footers could work in a real game, I feel like this would be the one. Great mix of shooting, passing, mobility, length, and defense. They went on an 8-2 run in just over two minutes to secure a 55-52 lead heading into halftime. 

Halftime was a show in itself. The NBA had orchestrated a tribute for Michael Jordan that involved Mariah Carey coming out and singing in two different Jordan jerseys. She sang “Boy (I Need You)” while wearing a mini-dress styled to look like Jordan’s Bulls jersey. While they played a montage of Jordan highlights, Seinfeld clips, Gatorade commercials, SNL monologues, and Spike Lee poetics, Mariah Carey changed into a floor-length dress designed after Jordan’s Wizards jersey.

Mariah Carey gave chilling renditions of “My Saving Grace” and “Hero” at the center of a stage placed on the court. Jordan was moved to tears during the performance and Mariah Carey introduced Jordan to the crowd for an opportunity to address them. It took the standing ovation over a minute to calm down enough for Jordan to even get any real words out. When he could finally speak, he tearfully thanked the fans, his family, and expressed his gratitude for being able to pass the game along to the next generation. Much of the next generation was sharing the floor with him in this game and they’d determine how it would end. 

 If basketball is jazz, Tracy McGrady’s third quarter was like Miles Davis at his peak. He was cashing jumpers from all over the court and making daring forays to the cup, it was very clear why he was arguably the best scorer in the world at that moment. Iverson got it going as well with the pass-first Jason Kidd by his side in the backcourt to start the half rather than Michael Jordan. For the West, Kevin Garnett continued his impressive play on both ends of the floor. He hardly missed anything and remained a conduit of unbridled energy. Kobe got it going as well after pretty much sleepwalking through the first half.  

In the third, Shaq was throwing Jordan’s layup back to the three-point line. The crowd booed Shaq for hampering their hero but the East largely controlled the third quarter, eking out a 93-86 lead heading into the final frame. 

As usual the fourth quarter was more competitive than the rest of the game. Shaq dominated the reserve minutes but most of the Eastern Conference starters remained on the floor, even at the beginning of the quarter. Both of the Boston Celtics young guys, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, complained about the lack of playing time they received in the game. Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Cleveland Cavaliers did not publicly complain but he only played four minutes. Isiah Thomas met all complaints with a closed ear, “it’s my team” he commented.   

Michael Jordan is one of the clutchest players in NBA history, if not the most clutch. He had won games, and championships, with his elite shot making ability with the game on the line. With 10.1 seconds left and the game tied at 120 a piece, and a young Shawn Marion on him with overtime looming, Jordan posted up in complete isolation. He took a few dribbles in the midpost, then turned over his shoulder and shot his patented turnaround jumper. He missed. The crowd sighed as it clanged off the rim. Overtime, the sixth instance this happened in All-Star game history. 

And then it’d eventually go into double overtime—the first time in NBA All-Star game history. 

Isiah Thomas must have felt guilty about the lack of minutes allocated to his bench players (along with the starters probably being exhausted with the extra basketball time on this night) because he put in a few guys who hadn’t seen many minutes down the stretch to start double OT. The West quickly jumped out to a lead and never relinquished it again. Garnett dominated against the smaller East lineup, finishing with 37 points on 70.8 percent shooting. The West held on to win the game 155-145 despite Iverson’s best efforts. 

The game came to a close with the usual procession of handshakes, hugs, and high-fives, as the players rushed to get off to a night on the Atlanta streets. Peace to mankind, it was a beautiful time to be alive. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Here’s a Look Back at the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta  appeared first on SLAM.

To witness a real genius these days is to stand out so much from the crowd that platitudes suddenly become relevant again. The only part of the definition that might not apply to the case of Luka Doncic is the “natural” aspect. That implies he didn’t work to be able to play genius-level basketball. 

He did. He worked hard. 

He became a pro at the age of 13. He was required to leave his hometown of Ljubljana, Slovenia, for Madrid, Spain. There the work commenced, and it continues now, a decade later, on a grand scale, in Dallas, TX. 

He looks like a genius because of the way he plays basketball. He seems to see the unseen. Whether his passes come from predicting or reacting, can’t really be said for certain. And whether or not he feels the usual chest-tightening sensation that clutch end-of-game situations carry with them is something only he can tell the world. But from the outside, we view the spectacle of his game as genius, as prophetic, and as his nickname suggests, magic. 

Of course, these praises could be considered more hollow platitudes. There are plenty of great performances every single night in the NBA. Doncic has separated himself through two factors: youth and consistency. 

Ever since Luka entered the NBA as a 19-year-old, he’s regularly dominated, with career averages of 27/8/8. This year’s 34/9/9 has been accomplished in the Jordan Luka 1. The silhouette challenged the Brand’s designers enough to make the IsoPlate and Formula 23, two new technologies, just for him. 

They respect his genius that much.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The Genius of Luka Doncic and What He’s Accomplished Already in the Jordan Luka 1 appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s a nice and simple number, though: 

Five. 

Jayson Tatum has had five 50-plus-point games in his career. That’s more than Larry Bird, more than Paul Pierce, more than John Havlicek, more than Isaiah Thomas, more than Sam Jones, more than Bob Cousy, more than Kevin McHale and more than Ray Allen. 

Tatum has scored at least 50 more times than any other Celtic. He and Bird are the only players to ever score 60 for the League’s most storied club. 

Here’s one more easy number to put all of that into perspective: 

24. 

As in, he’s only 24 years old. 

The above is special regardless of age. The skill level is magnified under the intensity of the attention that the Cs have always received. Last season’s run to the Finals has heightened the attention around Tatum even more. He’s delivered, making expectations seem more like invitations to demonstrate his dominance. A few more numbers, true as we go to press, to illustrate the evolution super clearly: 

—Career-best 31 points per game

—Career-best 8.6 rebounds per game 

—Career-best-tying 4.4 assists per game 

—Six 40-plus-point games

—10 30-plus-point games 

The eye test is a resounding pass. He scores a 100 on that, an A+, gets five gold stars and one round of applause. 

Tatum scores in every single way imaginable on the floor. Single coverage is pretty much no coverage for him. Going up against a double team is like a fun challenge that he can solve most of the time. These days, it looks like triple teams are becoming a necessity. 

He’s been surpassing the ghosts of Celtics past in mostly the Air Jordan 37 Low. Jordan’s signature foam, Formula 23, is stacked in the heel for landing, while an Air Strobel unit and a Zoom Air unit are double-stacked in the forefoot. Tatum’s shown off a variety of PEs while he’s been in the 37. 

But things are about to change…

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Jayson Tatum’s Game is Already Otherworldly, but He’s Just Getting Started appeared first on SLAM.

He can shoot. 

He can pass. 

He doesn’t back down. 

The Jordan Brand seems to have found another youngster with a transcendent physical ability and a high level of skill. Already at 20 points a game and 70 percent shooting near the rim, he’s going for an average of 8 free throws a game—11th in the entire League, as we head to press. That left shoulder is doing its job. 

Don’t get it twisted because Paolo can also shoot. The Celtics found that out when he went 6-7 from distance against them in December. 

Yeah, the 20-year-old can go. For real, for real. 

He’s done most of his damage in the Jordan Zion 2, the sneaker his fellow powerful Duke Blue Devil brother uses for all of his own physicality. Banchero has worn multiple colorways of the 2, as well as the Air Jordan 37 and the Air Jordan 37 Low. His (so far) career-high of 33 points was scored against the Kings while in the 37 Low. 

It was Howard “H” White’s job to publicly welcome Banchero to the Brand. The Vice President of Jordan Brand took Banchero to the same exact restaurant in Hillsboro, OR, that made him late to a meeting with No. 23 all the way back in 1984. 

This time, in 2023, almost 40 years later, he made sure that he was there for Banchero. 

Photo via Getty Images.

The post Paolo Banchero Continues to Exceed Expectations this Season, All While Rocking the Jordan Brand appeared first on SLAM.

It’s easy to explain the 1993 NBA All-Star Game in today’s terms: Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson are MVPs as their team wins an OT classic. Neat as it would be for the locals if Markkanen and Clarkson played a big role in this year’s game—were they even to make it—or even if this was last season and the Gobert-Mitchell partnership starred, that doesn’t actually do justice to what went down at the Delta Center on February 21, 1993, the first and only time Utah has hosted the game until this year.

The ’92-93 NBA season saw two Jazz legends at their steady and consistent best. Power forward Karl Malone, at 29 years old and in his eighth season, played all 82 regular season games, averaging 27 points and 11 rebounds per game for a Jazz team that was on the rise. Many of his points came via feeds from Utah point guard John Stockton, a 30-year-old in his ninth season who led the League in assists at 12 per while also notching 15.1 ppg and 2.4 spg. At that point in their careers, in fact, Malone and Stockton had each only missed a total of four games. “DNP-rest” did not exist back then, to say the least. The two pick-n-roll greats didn’t rest on the day of the All-Star Game that year, either, each starting and playing more than 30 minutes.

Obviously, every All-Star Game is filled with the best the NBA has to offer, but the way that
year’s classic fell in certain players’ career trajectories gave it an extra sheen. And this was despite the fact that this was the first All-Star Game in NBA history (dating to 1951!) without a Celtic or Laker on a roster.

We had to re-watch this joint on YouTube in part because, in something as rare as the Celtic-Laker stat but in reverse, SLAM wasn’t there. And for an awfully good reason—we didn’t exist yet. So we’ve got no funny stories about run-ins with other media or PR staff, over-the-top gifting suites, too many free drinks, off-the-hook Stance Spades parties or Sprinter vans on the loose. Considering SLAM launched before the ’94 All-Star Game took place, this ’93 mid-winter classic belongs in the record books for that reason alone: The Last All-Star Game Before SLAM. 

And just to stay on that tangent, the cover of the very first SLAM, which hit stands sometime around Jan 1, 1994, featured Larry Johnson, who started the ’93 All-Star Game, which shows how fly a player he was. And yet…you know a crazy stat about LJ vis a vis the other star(ter)s in the ’93 Game? He’s the only one who is not in the Hall of Fame. 

Peep the greatness from the other nine ballers who were on the court for the game’s beginning: Malone, Stockton, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler and David Robinson in the West; Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Scottie Pippen and Isiah Thomas in the East. 

The game was the last of 12 straight Thomas would make in his career. It was the last All-Star appearance Jordan would make before he won his third straight NBA title and then shocked the world with his first retirement. It was the first All-Star appearance of 15 O’Neal would make in his big career. The ’93 All-Star Game also featured classic pivot men Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon off the bench, along with the penultimate All-Star appearance for Dominique Wilkins, who appeared in a total of eight as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.   

Chock full of dudes known as much for their competitive spirits as their on-court abilities, the game was entertaining and tightly contested from the jump, which the video of the game confirms. With Dick Enberg on play-by-play duties and Mike Fratello and Magic Johnson on color commentary, the early hype around the game focused on Jordan (already well on his way to GOAT status) and Shaq (the first rookie to start an ASG since…Jordan in ’85). When the PA announcer ran through the Western Conference starters, he led with Stockton and closed with Malone, who got by far the biggest applause of anyone. It all felt cute, but not like these were real MVPs-in-waiting.

As was their custom, though, the Jazz stars steadily asserted their influence on the game, wearing down the East with their all-around excellence. Jordan was the leading scorer, notching 30 points and making the biggest pass of the game, when he hit Ewing to complete a perfect pick-n-pop for a game-tying jumper with seconds left in regulation. When the West took control in overtime, however, the writing was on the wall. A strong performance in the fifth period helped Stockton and Malone to final stat lines of 9 points and 15 assists (the only player with double-digit dimes) and 28 points with 10 rebounds, respectively. Within about three seconds of the buzzer sounding to end the game, and before the players could even have been told, Enberg made it official: Stockton and Malone were co-MVPs.

What else happened that weekend? Well, not as much as would happen at later extravaganzas, to be honest. Friday was media day, but MJ didn’t even get to town for that because he was off playing golf (as he would do most years). There was no All-Star Friday night because there was no Rookie Game, Rookie-Sophomore Game, Rising Stars Challenge, etc. That whole concept didn’t exist yet. Like SLAM, that was an invention that the world would need to wait until 1994 for. 

All-Star Saturday was a thing, and 1993’s version was, let’s say, average? The Three-Point Shootout was won by Mark Price, which is fun because dude really was a bonkers shooter and because he won the next year, too. Those were the only two three-point shootouts Price was ever in, which is a dope stat. 

The Dunk Contest had already fallen from the ’80s highs of MJ vs Dominique but was still a place you might catch a future star do their thing. In ’93, Harold Miner provided a glimpse of what might be, winning the contest as part of a rookie year that saw him, believe it or not, average 10 points in just 19 minutes per outing with the Miami Heat. The dunks and the instant offense were, as of February 1993, enough to make one think maybe the “Baby Jordan” moniker that had been attached to the 6-5, shaved-head-sporting shooting guard was accurate. Alas, by year three of his career, his numbers had fallen off precipitously, and while Miner did join Price in the two-time champ club when he won the ’95 Dunk Contest, he was out of the League for good by ’96. It could be argued the rookie year dunk title was the high-point of his career.

There was also, if our photo research can be believed, some sort of celebrity dunk contest that involved Jaleel White and Mayim Bialik. We literally can’t figure out what was going on there and probably don’t want to. Honestly, all of the Saturday “action” was long-forgotten by the time Sunday’s game reached its exciting climax. As Enberg would say in his second to last line of the broadcast, the game had produced a “Utah Jazz parlay” in the form of the co-MVPs (Enberg’s sign-off that day was “Wayne’s World is next.” The ’90s were on one.), and that’s all anyone in Utah cared about. Malone himself summed things up with a perfect quote after the game. “I guess if you were writing a storybook,” The Mailman said, “this is just about how you’d write it.” 

Photos via Getty Images.

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Walking around the 35-acre campus on a crisp January afternoon, Isiah Harwell explains his decision to leave his hometown of Pocatello, ID, in search of a greater challenge in Utah.

“Out there is family for real,” Harwell says of Idaho. “But the reason why we left was because we felt like there could have been better competition that I could’ve been playing against that would’ve pushed me to be better.”

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After leading the Century Diamondbacks to the District Finals with averages of 18 ppg and 8 rpg during his freshman campaign, Harwell now finds himself lacing up against the nation’s best in the NIBC for Wasatch Academy. 

Immediately drawn to the Tigers coaching staff, who had been regularly traveling the four-hour distance between the bordering states to catch Harwell’s dominant freshman season, Harwell says it was an easy decision. 

“As soon as you meet ’em, it’s like a bond is just there,” he says. “It’s like you’ve talked to them before.”

As just the second sophomore on a senior-laden squad, the 6-5 shooting guard has quickly carved out his do-it-all role with the team. Sure, Harwell can bully his way to the basket or spin and hit a fadeaway J in your eye—which he breaks out often—but it’s the defensive side of the ball that he’s taken the most pride in midway through the Tigers season. 

The son of a former Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year—Ron Harwell was swiping 2.2 steals a game at Idaho St. in the ’90s—Isiah’s best teacher has always been experience. Growing up, playing defense always seemed like an afterthought. As soon as his pops took notice, Isiah was in the gym learning the techniques and nuggets of knowledge his dad had gained over the course of his collegiate career. 

“I was like, Oh, this is actually kind of easy. If your man doesn’t score on you, it does something psychological to them,” Harwell explains. “I need to be, like, a shadow on somebody, don’t leave them. You need to be one step ahead of them.”

Snatching 3 steals and swatting 2 blocks in a 13-point November win over Bishop Walsh, Harwell and the Tigers then competed at 2022 Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta the following weekend, where he was quick to assert his wide-ranging skill set. Averaging 13 points and 4 boards while shooting 36.4 percent from three, the five-star prospect began showing flashes of becoming the Beehive State’s top-ranked talent. 

Starting alongside junior point guard Jeremiah Johnson and Kansas State signee RJ Jones has placed Harwell in a keen position to analyze and embody the successful traits of the team’s leading scorers. Specifically, “how they get their shot off and how they’re getting to the basket and drawing fouls,” he explains. 

And where will Harwell head after Wasatch? He’s got some time, and a lot of offers, including Kansas, UNC and Texas. Until then, he’ll be stoically soaking in the vast amount of hoops knowledge in his home away from home. It’s time to tap in. 

Photo via NIBC/Wasatch Academy

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“How you doing, man?” the 52-year-old Russell answers jovially when I call the number that Utah Jazz Director of Alumni Relations Quincy Lewis gave me. Attention ’90s hoop fans, please feel free to re-read that sentence for the full experience. 

Not that it was easy to hear Russell talk over the music thumping in the background but a) he apologized for the noise and b) why shouldn’t he be partying on a Thursday night? In the “Calabasas area,” where he lives, no less? This is a gentleman who spent 13 seasons in the NBA and cleared more than $25 million in the process.

And Russell was about as relevant a non-All-Star could be for several of his seasons in, of course, Utah. A second-round pick for the Jazz out of Long Beach State in 1993, the 6-7 swingman from San Bernardino, CA, spent the first nine years of his pro career in Utah, making the playoffs every last one of them (and the Finals twice; we’ll get back to that in a minute).

While he was occasionally deployed as a versatile sixth man, the bulk of Russell’s time in Utah was spent starting alongside the legends Karl Malone and John Stockton, usually guarding the opponent’s best player. Over his nine seasons in SLC, Russell averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals, numbers that speak to all the ways he provided value.

Asked for a favorite memory of his time there, Russell doesn’t hesitate, if not in the way you might expect from a multi-NBA Finalist. 

“Everything there is a positive memory,” he gushes. “There was never a dull moment, and it was all phenomenal. When I played there, we had great chemistry, great teammates and great coaches. And the atmosphere was great, too—probably the loudest fans in the League, I’d say.”

All this to say that, yeah, if you want to remember him for something else, like, being the defender Michael Jordan made his famous “last shot” over to lock up the ’98 NBA Finals and give the Bulls their second straight six-game Finals win over Russell’s Jazz, fine. Bryon is not sweating it. “I wish we woulda got one, sure,” he says. “But I’m not mad or disappointed at all. We did our best.”

Russell certainly did. In the ’97 Finals loss, he played a workmanlike 39 minutes per game, second only on the team to Malone, scoring 11.3 ppg in the process. Similarish story in the ’98 Finals, when Russell was second to Malone with 36.2 mpg. And almost all of these minutes, over both series’, were spent covering the greatest player of all time. What a time for Bryon Russell to be alive.   

With Utah’s near-dynasty winding down in the early ’00s, in the summer of 2002 Russell signed a free-agent contract with the Washington Wizards, who featured none other than…Michael Jordan, playing his truly last season. The year in DC was followed by a season with the Lakers—where he played for former nemesis Phil Jackson and with long-time teammate Malone—and then wound it down with two seasons in Denver.  

Russell’s been out of the League since ’06, and mostly out of the spotlight as well. As mentioned up top, he lives happily in or near Calabasas, heading back to Utah “whenever [the Jazz] call me.”

The outro on our call is as amusing as the intro. When I follow standard current protocol and ask Bryon what fans could look out for from him—anything to plug, so to speak?—he says, “just look out for Bryon having a good time.”

Good night. 

Photos via Getty Images.

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