Sheck can credit at least part of his recent success—which includes a record deal under Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Records and Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music—to his relationship with Bamba.

“I really get inspired by certain things, and Mo would always say, Yo, you need to throw me in a song!” Sheck tells us during a visit to the SLAM office in late February. “I decided to make a song about him, but the song was really about my recruitment as an artist and comparing it to the recruitment of a player like Mo. That’s why I named my song ‘Mo Bamba.’” The song and video have taken Sheck to new heights and places—one day after our photo shoot and interview, Wes is off to Europe for club appearances and performances.

Sheck, who is rocking a super rare pair of Nike HyperAdapt 1.0s while talking to us about Lil Dicky’s shot selection and what Kanye wears when he hoops with him in L.A. (“He wears Yeezy basketball sneakers. Unreleased joints, shit is crazy”), was a skilled point guard in high school, and even led the city’s public league in assists per game during his junior year. But his life went in a different direction when he got the invite to be a part of 2015’s Yeezy Season 3 fashion show at Madison Square Garden.

“I had a Bronx Borough playoff game and I had to make a decision, like, Am I gonna be a part of this game, or be part of this fashion show? And I made the decision to go to Yeezy Season 3. That show opened up doors for me, and it opened up my mind.”

Though he can’t legally buy a drink yet, Sheck Wes is already well traveled. As a young kid, he spent his time back and forth between Harlem and Milwaukee, where his mother owned a hair salon, and he discovered a passion for sneakers at the Number One Sports store next door.

After he chose music over ball, Wes started “living this wild lifestyle” which led his mother to send Sheck to Senegal to get his mind right. Once back in the States, Sheck started getting everything he ever dreamed that he would achieve from basketball—but not in the way he originally planned.

“Everything I wanted from basketball, I get now from making music. Like a damn SLAM interview, that’s amazing.”

—

Peter Walsh is a contributor for SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Welcome to the Life of Sheck Wes, the Next Star of Harlem 🔥 appeared first on SLAM.

Kyrie was on-hand to answer questions about the making of Uncle Drew the movie and give insight into what his days on-set were like. During the discussion, we found out Irving heard about the trade that sent him to Boston while he was working on the movie and, like a true professional, didn’t let the news stop him from finishing the scene.

Check out more about one of the “craziest summers of [Kyrie’s] life” below.

Q: When did the idea of Uncle Drew the movie become a reality?

Kyrie Irving: I was actually at a minicamp, I forget exactly where, but [writer] Jay Longino and I were talking to [director] Charles Stone and my agent and they were saying that Uncle Drew could become a movie. This was two years before anything being set. So when they came to me, I was like, Wow, you can’t be serious. You see one rough draft of the script and then a final draft of the script and I was like, Okay, so when are we doing this? It just happened to be shooting during one of the craziest summers of my life. To think about the journey to get here that started in New Jersey, started with internet shorts and inspiration coming from an old dude taking a skateboard out of a suitcase to schooling youngbloods, to a full on movie, man, it’s awesome,

Q: What was it like doing this job for the first time on a set but also, as you said, going through this crazy summer?

KI: I was on set [when I found out I was traded,] so you can only imagine what that reaction was like. When I was finding out that I was traded, I left for about five minutes and came back and started acting my scenes again. That’s a full blown life right there [laughs.] It was an awesome experience, even with everything going on and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I tried my best not to let it mix as much as I could. Inevitably it did.

Q: You’ve kept to yourself in terms of endorsements, you keep everything kind of controlled. Does Uncle Drew allow fans to see a different side of you? Will this change your public perception?

KI: Where I am in my profession and what has come with it has been a lot. It’s been a true adjustment for me because as a kid, you want it and when you get it, you’re like, This is it. This is what everyone is so crazy about. When I have a great chance to be authentic and showcase talent that I’ve had for a while—and I’m not saying I’m the best actor—but I’ve always wanted to act, and be a creator and influencer, but not necessarily put my name on it. I’ve always had that attitude since I was a kid. I don’t necessarily want to be in the front, I like to be in the back observing. Sometimes that’s the best way to learn. For me, it’s great. It’s great for my family. I think about the multiple legacies I want to leave before I’m done playing basketball, before I’m done leaving earth. I think that Uncle Drew is part of that lineage now. Whether I do it again, who knows? I just love putting a stamp on something that I can be proud of.

Q: Did filming during the offseason interfere with your preparation for the next season?

KI: In the summertime, I’m trying to gain as much ground as I can to be ahead of the curve heading back into the season, that’s why this summer was so unique. When we had our preliminary meetings with Lionsgate, everything was coming together and they said, Okay, we’re going to do this in August. In the back of my head I’m thinking, Okay, I have this much time for vacation, I have this much time to work on my game. I’m usually pretty strategic because I have an idea of things I want to get better at during the summer time. That all went out the window with this movie. When I had that time, I had to figure out how to be an actor and be a professional athlete and balance the two.

Coming off that set, I was like, I want to play basketball right now. I need it. I ended up playing with Lou Will and Montrezl [Harrell] at the [Atlanta Entertainment Basketball League] playoffs because I was thirsty for basketball and wanted to play at a high level. At the same time I had to be up for 4-5 AM call times, get my makeup on, then be on set, then play basketball on set, acting and then go from there.

Q: How much did working as an actor open your eyes to the work that goes into making a movie?

KI: I give all respect to Jay Longino and Charles Stone, I gave all the power to them. For me, it was a unique experience because I had never acted before. I had been on a few TV shows, been on camera for a little bit, but full-blown acting for 14-hour days and thinking when you have to get off set, I’m in my Uncle Drew makeup eating lunch and trying to stay in character as much as possible. Just how diligent and strategic the scenes are, that’s something I’ll never forget. It was something that I can only experience myself to understand what actors go through on a day-to-day basis. Putting on that makeup was an experience in itself.

Q: You were clean shaven at the introductory press conference in Boston. Was that because of the beard you had to put on for Uncle Drew? You didn’t shave because of a new start in Boston or anything?

KI: Nah, nah, nah. I tell you, I appreciate people taking a double-look, like, I don’t think that’s Kyrie, because people are so used to seeing me with a beard [laughs.] I loved it, though. When I actually had hair on my face and I had to put makeup on, I had on a full-blown mask and had to tie the hair in, it would rip some of my hair out. There was one time I had glue stuck in my beard and after the day was done, I started combing my beard and some of the glue was still stuck in my beard. As I was combing, some hair started to come out, so I had to shave. It was for the makeup though, not for a fresh start.

Q: Do you have the bug now? Or will this be the only time you appear in a movie?

KI: My strength and conditioning coach was like, The next movie you’re doing will be when you’re retired.

Q: Are there any basketball films that you grew up liking?

KI: One of my favorites was He Got Game. That was a unique story for me. It played on my life a little bit—not necessarily the combat that was going on between the husband and wife—but Jesus losing his mom and the way his dad pushed him. I envisioned that as my dad in our backyard telling me, People in L.A. are working out while you’re sleeping! You want it? And my dad giving me a whole bunch of talks to the point where I took the reins and ran with it. When I turned about 16 years old, I didn’t need the motivational talks from my dad anymore where he would tell me this is the person you need to be ready for, or this is the opportunity that you need to be prepared for. From that point, I already had that itch and that it factor of wanting to destroy and wanting to become a maniac of this game. Once you become maniacal about it, you can kiss a lot of the things normal people do out the window.

Q: How did you prepare for your scenes and memorize your lines?

KI: I had an acting coach, Adam Lazarre. We were right across from the Four Seasons in the park reciting lines and how to best remember lines and being in my room and having my best friend practice my lines with me and asking him, How are the lines looking today? You get the script and the way the scenes are going to go the next day. I was in my room reading the script in different voices, trying to do my best to remember the lines. I was trying to come in every single day to remember lines, I didn’t want to be the guy who had to yell out, Line, please!

Q: Who was the best actor out of you, Shaq, Chris Webber and the rest of the cast?

KI: Me [laughs.] Nah, everyone had their mess ups and everyone had their great days. It’s a real commitment to be an actor. I’ll tell you that, man.

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Kyrie Irving on ‘Uncle Drew’ Movie, ‘He Got Game,’ Acting and More appeared first on SLAM.

Peep our other episodes of LEAGUE PETS:

The post SLAM Presents LEAGUE PETS: Michael Beasley’s Two Dogs appeared first on SLAM.

Check out Slow Mo’s two dogs and check out our other LEAGUE PETS episodes featuring Bradley Beal’s five dogs and Danny Green’s two snakes:

SLAM Presents LEAGUE PETS Ep. 1: Bradley Beal’s Five Dogs

https://youtu.be/EhuwBn5acmM

SLAM Presents LEAGUE PETS Ep. 2: Danny Green’s Snakes

https://youtu.be/Pra-HWPy32M

The post SLAM Presents LEAGUE PETS Ep.3: Kyle Anderson’s Two Dogs appeared first on SLAM.

The sixth-year guard, who is widely considered one of the top five shooting guards in the League and, with all respect due to DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, part of the best backcourt in the East (when healthy), was never an All-Star before this year. Last season, Beal finished behind Iman Shumpert, Kyle Korver, JR Smith, Jeremy Lin and Avery Bradley in fan voting. He was posting 23 points per game.

This season? Beal is averaging a career-high 23.8 points per game, yet still finished behind Isaiah Thomas, who has played only a handful of games, Dwyane Wade and Ben Simmons in fan votes. Fortunately game recognizes game and Beal was selected as a reserve in the Eastern Conference before eventually being drafted by captain LeBron James.

“It would surprise me if I wasn’t an All-Star this year,” Beal tells SLAM during a December afternoon photoshoot at his crib in the suburbs of DC, weeks before he made the team. “As crazy as it might sound, I don’t get caught up in it because I’ve been snubbed before—at least in my opinion—and I understand the business aspect of it. Granted, being an All-Star is great, but winning a championship is far more of a better accolade than that. That’s my ultimate goal, but I would love to be an All-Star.”

The guard isn’t speaking out of turn either. In the East, Beal is neck and neck with DeRozan and Victor Oladipo as the conference’s top shooting guard. And he’s getting his due props from his peers. Following a 106-99 loss to the Cavs in December, LeBron told reporters that Beal is “playing at an All-Star level this season,” and in January, John Wall said that his teammate “should be an automatic lock” to make the team.

Following injuries and inconsistent play during the first four seasons of his career, the St. Louis native has blossomed over the last season and a half. Through the first 40 games of the ’17-18 run, Beal has been exceptional. He has scored at least 30 points eight different times while taking on more responsibility and handling some point guard duties as Wall has dealt with a knee injury that has limited him to 37 games and will keep him out for the next 6-8 weeks.

Labeled as a catch-and-shoot player for the majority of his career, Beal has shown the full repertoire of his bag this season. The guard’s ever-expanding game was put on display during his career-high 51-point outburst against the Blazers in December: coming off screens; beating his man off the dribble; hesitation step-backs; attacking the rim; pull-up jumpers. Beal was unstoppable and put the rest of the NBA on notice that he is a threat from any position on the floor.

“I saw my first couple [of shots] go in and it was a wrap from there,” he says. “I feel like I have a lot to prove in the League and I’m big on evolving my game. I don’t want to be labeled strictly as a shooter or a catch-and-shoot guy. I want to be labeled as a scorer and a playmaker and someone who can get his teammates involved in plays off the dribble. I don’t want to be a one-dimensional guy.”

It’s a cool, grey afternoon before Christmas when we’re greeted by five dogs at the front door of Beal’s home. Beal’s four brothers—Brandon, Bruce, Byron and Bryon—are posted up at various spots around the house, either playing 2K or fooling around on their laptops, while the two Rottweilers and three French bulldogs are corralled by Brad’s girl, Kamiah Adams. It’s a familial setting, one that Beal feels most comfortable in.

“We’re a tight-knit family and we keep our circle more like a dot,” says Beal. “I’m big on family and big on love and providing for them and helping them in any way I can.”

Beal credits his mother for putting a ball in his hands and introducing him to the game. “Still to this day she mentors me and cusses me out if I don’t shoot it the right way,” he says with a laugh. He says he recognizes how lucky he is to come from a stable household where both of his parents were present.

The family atmosphere carries over to the Wizards locker room. You’d be hard pressed to find a team that is more close-knit than the Wiz, who have built a young core that will spend the foreseeable future together.

“We really are tight—it’s not just to show people that we can act like great teammates, we really are,” says Beal. “We’re even better friends off the court. We’re like brothers. We clown on each other off the court and all that stuff. It’s real down to earth. We understand that it’s a business but we don’t necessarily treat it like that. We understand that we can be cool off the floor just as well as on the floor.”

Before the 2016-17 season, Beal and Wall’s relationship came under the microscope when Wall told CSN Washington that he and his backcourt mate “…a lot of times we have a tendency to dislike each other on the court.” From that point on, their body language started to become dissected, and quotes and interviews regarding their relationship became online fodder.

With two stars sharing the rock, there’s bound to be some friction—that’s natural for anyone in a high-stakes, competitive environment. Whatever issues may have hampered them in the past, though, seem to be resolved, as the two led the Wizards to the brink of the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

“I think the thing that people probably confuse it with is that we’re competitive and we both want to win, we both want to be successful, and we both want to lead,” says Beal. “I think they get it confused that we don’t like each other, or we hate on another because of our competitive edge. I think that’s just who we are and what makes us one of the most dominant backcourts in the League, because we’re able to compete. We respect each other’s game and we push each other.”

The Wizards have been one of the more brash teams in the League, shit-talking with the best of them both on the court and during press conferences. Beal and Wall have routinely called themselves the best backcourt in the NBA, and the team has scrapped with the Celtics, Bucks and Warriors, among others. While the Wiz aren’t short on confidence, the team has yet to get over the hump and pull together enough wins to truly be considered one of the League’s elite. And they know it.

This season, the team has been up and down and after a 113-99 loss to the lowly Hawks, Wall told the Washington Post that when the Wizards play a team whose record is below .500, they “go out there playing for stats. It’s simple as that.” The quote holds weight. As of press time, the Wizards are 12-11 against teams with a winning record this season, and curiously 16-11 against losing teams—tied with the Knicks, Magic and Kings for most losses against sub-.500 teams, according to ESPN.

With the loss of Wall, Beal will once again become the focal point of the Wizards’ offense. It will take a group effort to finish strong while missing a star point guard, but with Beal at an All-Star level, the Wiz should be able to weather the storm and make another playoff push.

“I feel like we haven’t done what we’re capable of doing,” says Beal. “I feel like that’s a good thing and a bad thing because as the season goes on we can get it clicking right before the playoffs. At the same time, we’re disappointed with how we’ve been playing. We’re not happy about it and know that we should be a lot better than 17-14 [the Wizards improved to 27-22 as of press time—Ed.] at least we feel like that. We’re confident in ourselves, but reality is what it is—we’re sitting at 17-14. We’re not complacent about it, we’re not happy about it, but we feel like we have to do something about it and that’s go out and play to our potential every night.”

—

SLAM 214 hits newsstands next week!

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh.

Portraits by Joseph L. Sherman.

The post Bradley Beal Finally Gets The All-Star Recognition He Deserves appeared first on SLAM.

SLAM Presents LEAGUE PETS Ep. 1: Bradley Beal’s Five Dogs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhuwBn5acmM

SLAM Presents LEAGUE PETS Ep. 3: Kyle Anderson’s Two Dogs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdNUORd5liM

The post SLAM Presents LEAGUE PETS Ep. 2: Danny Green’s Two Snakes appeared first on SLAM.

In this episode, Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal invites us into his home to introduce us to his five dogs: King, Nala, Coco Chanel, Diesel and Bella.

Peep our other episodes of LEAGUE PETS:

The post SLAM Presents LEAGUE PETS: Bradley Beal appeared first on SLAM.

Listen above or check us out on audioBoom, iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play.

Related
Respect The Game Episode 78: Spencer Dinwiddie
Respect The Game Episode 77: Joseph Sherman aka @shermyszn
Respect The Game Episode 76: College Hoops With Franklyn Calle
Respect The Game Episode 75: Suns Rookie Davon Reed
Respect The Game Episode 74: Early Season Storylines With Yaron Weitzman
Respect The Game Episode 73: SLAM 212
Respect The Game Episode 72: Chiney Ogwumike
Respect The Game Episode 71: Michael Beasley

The post Respect The Game Episode 79: Alex Wong aka @steven_lebron appeared first on SLAM.

Listen above or check us out on audioBoom, iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play.

Related
Respect The Game Episode 77: Joseph Sherman aka @shermyszn
Respect The Game Episode 76: College Hoops With Franklyn Calle
Respect The Game Episode 75: Suns Rookie Davon Reed
Respect The Game Episode 74: Early Season Storylines With Yaron Weitzman
Respect The Game Episode 73: SLAM 212
Respect The Game Episode 72: Chiney Ogwumike
Respect The Game Episode 71: Michael Beasley

The post Respect The Game Episode 78: Spencer Dinwiddie appeared first on SLAM.

Now that he’s making his mark felt around the League, Simmons is getting the star treatment. The rook is the face of Champs Sports’ holiday campaign and we caught up with him to talk Champs, the And1 Mixtape Tour’s influence on his game, his French Bulldogs, and much more.

SLAM: I read that you were influenced by an AND1 Mixtape Tour stop in Australia when you were a kid. What do you remember about that day?

Ben Simmons: I had watched them on the internet and when they came to Sydney, Australia, I actually got to go see them play and compete and I tried to get a spot to play against them later that night for a national game that they host. I did that and I think I was 8 years old when I tried out. It was a different style of play, it was a lot of fun.

SLAM: Who were some of your favorite street ballers?

BS: My favorite would definitely be The Professor. I actually worked out with him when I was about 16. We worked on some ballhandling stuff and he showed me his handles.

SLAM: Has his style influenced the way you play now?

BS: I think I have a little flair when I play with different passes and dribbling moves. That plays a little bit into it.

SLAM: You’ve had a ton of pets over the course of your life. Do you have anything now down in Philadelphia?

BS: I have a couple Frenchies—Wonder and Flash. I love animals. Growing up in Australia, there was a ton of wild life around me, so I’ve always been in love with animals.

SLAM: Who takes care of the dogs when you’re on the road? 

BS: My parents live down the street so they watch them. They don’t mind at all.

SLAM: How did sitting out last year and watching from the sideline prepare you for your rookie year?

BS: I think it made me more mature about taking care of my body and being prepared to play. Off the court, I was making sure I was doing the right things to be ready to come back on the court. It took a lot of time, but it was definitely key to this year.

SLAM: A lot of rookies say that the speed of the game is the hardest adjustment. Did you feel like you were more prepared for the speed of the game when you took the court this season?

BS: I don’t think the game is that quick. If anything I think I speed it up because of my size. I haven’t really been shocked by anything honestly.

SLAM: You haven’t been surprised by anything?

BS: No.

SLAM: Who has been the toughest player to guard so far?

BS: Individually, it would probably be John Wall or Kyrie. They’re so quick and can handle the ball so well.

SLAM: When you were in college you wore a ton of custom LeBron XIIIs. Are you still heavy on NIKEiD these days?

BS: I go on there sometimes, but for now I just go with what I’m sent, which is different colorways of the Nike Hyperdunk. There’s a few different colorways I’ve been wearing and that’s definitely the shoe I want to keep wearing this year. The Hyperdunk is a light shoe for me, I’m a fast player that gets up and down so the sneaker would have to be sturdy. It’s a great shoe for me.

SLAM: Do you want to play in the Off-White Hyperdunks?

BS: I haven’t played in them yet, but I’d be open to it. It depends on how they feel.

SLAM: Can you tell me a little bit about partnering with Champs Sports and the holiday campaign you’re doing with them?

BS: It was a great opportunity and I had a lot of fun recording the voiceover of myself. I think it turned out great.

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh.

Video via Champs Sports

Images via Getty Images

The post Ben Simmons on Streetball Influence, His Dogs, and Rookie Year appeared first on SLAM.

Kobe’s Hollywood ending served as a setup for his next career move: Bryant then founded Granity Studios to help athletes maximize their full potential through creative storytelling.

In November of 2015, Bean penned “Dear Basketball,” an ode to the game that debuted on The Players’ Tribune. Kobe then teamed with two legends in the film industry—animator and illustrator Glen Keane, who has worked on Disney films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, and composer John Williams, whose credits include Star Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T., and other classics—to bring “Dear Basketball” to life.

The five-minute short film was a 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Official Selection and is being considered for an Academy Award nomination. The film is available to watch here via Verizon’s go90.

While Kobe is working on other endeavors, he still keeps an eye on what’s going on in the League now. We caught up with him to talk about “Dear Basketball,” filmmaking, the Warriors, LeBron, Giannis and much more.

SLAM: Where did the idea to turn “Dear Basketball” into a short animated movie come from?

Kobe Bryant: I knew that storytelling was where I wanted to go, and I wanted to build a company where the fabric of the company was stories. I had this kind of pipe dream of turning “Dear Basketball” into an animated short film and to go out and get Glen Keane and John Williams to work on this piece. To say that that is a ridiculous dream to have is an understatement, but that’s where it started. I wrote this letter to the game of basketball and then from that point, I called up John and Glen to see if they wanted to make this dream a reality and that’s what we did.

SLAM: Did you work with them both in the studio?

KB: Glen and I worked out of a studio. The first thing we did after our phone call was we met up together at a studio, not to talk about the piece really, but just to get to know each other. My family came, his family came, and we just talked and got to know each other. We talked about all of his previous works, and we talked about my career and he and I just bonded. Even though they were different disciplines, we approached them both the same way. From there, things just grew and it transformed into, You know what? Let’s do this thing. That’s how it developed.

I’ve known John since about 2008. I gave him a call and he had read the piece and loved the piece and said that he would love to join us.

SLAM: Do you approach filmmaking with the same tenacity you did during your playing days?

KB: For the creative process, it’s the same passion for detail and heart delivered into it. When you’re creating, you have to create something from a place within and you have to find a way to pull that out and communicate it in a way that people can internalize it themselves. It’s a different process compared to competing and hitting game-winning shots and things of that nature. That stuff is a physical action, this involves a lot more introspection and quiet time to pull that out and manifest it into words, or pictures, or music, or all three.

SLAM: As a beginner in the film industry, I’m sure this has been an exciting learning experience for you. Has the learning experience with film been any different compared to when you were learning as a young NBA player?

KB: It’s no different than my approach to the game of basketball. It’s no different. It’s learning, learning, learning, learning, learning. After the first championship, I learned. After the second championship, I learned. So everyday for me was learning like I knew nothing at all. That’s the key. As a beginner here in this industry, my attitude is the same now as it was going into my last game ever. It’s learning—that never changes. That never, never changes.

SLAM: I wanted to get your opinion on a few NBA storylines that have been developing this season. First, the Warriors have been playing with a chip on their shoulder and we’ve seen Kevin Durant and Draymond Green get tossed from games. As someone who has been to the Finals multiple years in a row, is this their way of staying motivated during the regular season?

KB: I don’t know if they’re thinking of it that way, but I think the season means a lot to them. The fact that they are emotionally invested and they have these outbursts shows that last year’s championship doesn’t mean a thing to them—they want this one, and they want it bad. It shows that they care and they’re not resting on the championships that they’ve won.

SLAM: Who are a few guys that you’re a fan of?

KB: Giannis is really, really fun to watch. The way he plays the game and the passion with which he plays, I love watching Giannis play.

SLAM: Does he remind you of the way you played at all?

KB: He plays with the same passion and the same mean streak. He’s aggressive, he’s always attacking at both ends of the floor.

SLAM: The Lakers are going through a transitional phase with their young core. What’s your impression of Lonzo, Ingram, Kuzma and how they play?

KB: I think they’re doing well. It’s always tough to go through a transitional period with so many young players because they’re still trying to figure themselves out individually. But the beauty is they get to grow together and figure out how to mesh together. No different than Golden State. When those guys first came into the League, they were young and they kept them together. They developed their players and they grew and all of a sudden you have this juggernaut. They certainly have a lot of potential. Brandon Ingram has really seemed to turn a corner in the terms of the way he’s playing.

SLAM: Lonzo has been getting a ton of attention. Putting all the off-court stuff aside, what are some things you like about his game and the way he plays?

KB: His athleticism and his length are really important. His size, his vision. He’s a really good rebounder, which is important to have as a guard because you can control the tempo of games a lot better. The shooting thing, that will come around. It’s about getting used to pace, and tempo and all that other stuff. He has a really good feel for the game and from everything I hear about him, he’s a hard worker. No matter where his game is now, even if he’s playing lights out basketball, because of his work ethic he’s going to continue to learn and get better.

SLAM: You were right around the same age he is now when you were a rookie. You can probably relate to the pressure he feels as a young player who is looked at as the future of the Lakers. Do you feel like he’s handling it well?

KB: How would I know? I have no idea, I hope he is. The only thing I try to do is just focus on the craft. That’s the only thing that’s important: the craft. Focusing on your game, developing your game, mentally and physically doing what you need to do, you focus on that. The hoopla that surrounds you is nothing more than hoopla. What’s important on Monday won’t be important on Tuesday. But what’s important consistently every single day is how you improve and how you get better. Hopefully he’s locked in on that. If he is, he’ll be just fine.

SLAM: LeBron is in his 15th year…

KB: Which is crazy!

SLAM: What’s impressed you the most about his longevity?

KB: What’s impressed me the most about his longevity? I don’t know if I’m impressed by it. I’ve come to expect him to have a long career because of his size and the way he takes care of his body and his commitment to the game. It’s a pretty simple formula. We all played together on the Olympic team and one thing I always said to the guys was, If you do the work, you take care of your body and do the things you’re supposed to do, you’ll play for a long time. And if you don’t put in the work, you won’t.

SLAM: As fans we got robbed of a Finals matchup between you and LeBron. Does it disappoint you that you never played against each other in the Finals?

KB: Sure, I think it would have been a fun matchup. You have the Magic and Bird matchup, and the Magic and Michael, and Michael and Clyde and all those fun matchups. It would have been fun, that’s for damn sure.

SLAM: When you were on Team USA together, did you guys ever talk about what it would have been like playing against each other in the Finals?

KB: Who, me? No, never. I never trash talk. I would never say anything like that. [Laughs] Of course we did.

SLAM: One of the most impressive things about LeBron’s legacy is that it took other superstar players around the League to join up just to stop him from winning again. What do you think about superteams and the League’s parity?

KB: I don’t think it’s any different than him going to Miami to stop our reign in L.A. We both got blindsided by the Dallas Mavericks, but it’s the same thing. I’ve seen it before. Whether it’s him going to Miami, or Durant going to the Warriors. I’ve seen it before.

SLAM: Some of the old-school players seem to take offense with the amount of money the players are making today and criticize them for the way the game is played. Are those fair criticisms?

KB: No one determines what’s fair and what’s not fair in terms of criticism. Everyone has the right to criticize—whether it’s fair or not depends on the point of view you have. I really don’t care one way or the other. I think the game is meant to evolve, and meant to change, and meant to go through ebbs and flows.

The game has always been different. From when Elgin and Oscar were playing to when Dr. J came in the League, which was different than when Magic and Bird were in their prime, and when the Bulls were going through their run in the ‘90s. The game evolves and styles change. There will be a point of time when things will go back closer to the way they used to be with bigs dominating in the paint, but now is not that time. It’s just the natural cycles.

SLAM: Today’s players, and LeBron especially, use their platform to raise awareness about social and political issues. What do you think of the social movement going on in the NBA?

KB: I think it’s great, I think they’re doing exceptional things in that regard. The NBA has always been forward and at the forefront of not only allowing, but encouraging players to speak up. This is the society and the world that we live in, right? You want to be able to have every body feel like they have the ability to speak their opinion, and speak their mind and speak on issues that they believe are important and significant to them and their culture. I think it’s been phenomenal what LeBron, D-Wade and CP have done, and going down the line to Maya Moore and what the WNBA has done as well. I think it’s been great.

SLAM: Kyrie took a huge chance by leaving the Cavs, but has had a great start to the season in Boston. You have a documented relationship with him. Have you noticed any differences in the way he carries himself now that he’s the centerpiece of a team?

KB: He’s done the same things. You can’t change who you are—you are who you are. The same way he was in Cleveland is the same way he is in Boston now. I think the game and the systems are different. Cleveland played that kind of two crown approach of basketball when he was there. Boston plays a more democratic system.

A lot of the criticisms were that Kyrie likes to have the ball in his hands all the time and all this other stuff and that’s true. His game hasn’t changed, the system has changed and it’s allowed us as fans to see another side of his game.

SLAM: Your jersey retirement is tonight. Have you given any thought to what kind of emotions you’ll be feeling? In the past you’ve said that you don’t miss the game, but being back on that court will bring back memories, I’m sure.

KB: I think it will bring back some nostalgia. You see fans and faces in the crowd that I grew up seeing on a nightly basis and to have that moment i think is going to be very emotional. It’s going to be fun, though. I’m looking forward to it.

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh. 

Photos via Getty Images

The post Kobe Bryant on LeBron James, The Warriors, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jersey Retirement and Filmmaking appeared first on SLAM.

The game will be live streamed free on Facebook Watch on Friday at 9 pm ET/7 pm MT. Log on to facebook.com/BallislifeTV to view the scheduled contest and check Ballislife.com for schedule updates. You can go back and watch replays of any of the BIL HSBB Weekly Showcase Games in their entirety.

The post Watch The Ballislife HS Basketball Weekly Showcase Featuring Pinnacle’s (AZ) Nico Mannion and Mike Bibby’s Shadow Mountain Team appeared first on SLAM.

Barnes made the announcement on Instagram and, in true Matt Barnes fashion, ended the caption with three middle fingers emojis:

Barnes averaged 8.2 points, 4.6 boards and 1.8 assists for his career.

The post Matt Barnes Announces Retirement: ‘Love Me Or Hate Me, I Did It My Way’ appeared first on SLAM.

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It’s the day before the NBA season is scheduled to kick off and Hardaway Jr is dribbling and shooting around on a beat-up court in Harlem’s Morningside Park. Following an unseasonably warm early fall, there’s a chill to the air that reminds us that along with the grueling winter months ahead, NBA basketball is back after a fun offseason that saw superstars changing teams at a pace that had everyone’s heads spinning and Twitter feeds on fire.

While Hardaway Jr works on his dribble and gets a few shots up on an uneven, net-less rim that is at least 12-feet high, I ask him what he thinks about all the moves that went down—in particular the heavy roster turnover that took place in Cleveland.

“Oh, they’re gonna be tough,” he says. “Especially once IT gets back from injury.”

As he rises for another picturesque jump shot, I remind him that Dwyane Wade recently signed with the team, too. Instead of letting go of the rock at the apex of his jumper, he holds on to the ball and shoots me a bewildered look as his Jordan Vs hit the ground.

“Yo!” he exclaims. “I forgot about that. Crazy.”

It was that kind of offseason.

Slightly lost in the shuffle was the big deal that brought Hardaway Jr back to New York. In July, the shooting guard inked a four-year, $71 million contract with the Knicks, the organization that drafted him in 2013. While some pundits scratched their heads at the deal, the 25-year-old readied himself to begin his second stint as a Knick.

“It feels great to be back in New York,” he says at his apartment as his French bulldog Otto keeps an eye on things. “You feel more like a Knick, you know? You always feel good when you’re living in the city for the team you play for. My previous years, I didn’t live here. I lived up north in White Plains by the practice facility in Westchester. [Living in the city] is new for me—it’s great. New team, new front office, new system and new goals. I’m happy right now and I’m ready for the journey.”

Though he’s only been in the League since 2013, Hardaway Jr’s journey thus far has already taken him from New York to Atlanta to a stint in the G-League to the Hawks’ starting lineup, and now back to New York. He’s been a first-round pick, been part of the worst team in Knicks franchise history, traded, demoted, seen his minutes cut, made the playoffs and, most importantly, carved out a role for himself as a legit scorer who can get hot and give a team 30.

“I’ve been through it all,” he says. “I’ve been to the playoffs, been on the worst team in Knicks history, down to the [D-] League, to a point where I wasn’t seeing the court at all. I’ve been through it all in the last five years. It was hard.”

As a rookie in 2013-14, Hardaway Jr was a regular rotation player and appeared in 81 games with New York. A scorer off the bench, the late first-round pick averaged 10.2 points per game, good enough to earn First Team All-Rookie honors.

The following season, Derek Fisher took over head coaching duties from Mike Woodson and the Knicks were a train wreck. The team won 17 games and Hardaway Jr saw his minutes and role fluctuate. After a promising rookie season, he averaged 11.5 points per game and his field goal percentage dipped below 40 percent.

On the night of the 2015 Draft, Hardaway Jr was attending a party at Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine restaurant with teammates Cleanthony Early and Langston Galloway. Shortly after the Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis, Hardaway Jr got a call from his agent and learned that he’d been traded to Atlanta for the draft rights to point guard Jerian Grant.

“I was just devastated,” Hardaway Jr says. “I really had big plans going into that summer to rebuild and play like I did my rookie season and it sucked that I couldn’t get the job done.”

In Atlanta, Hardaway Jr found himself on a crowded roster that included vets like Kyle Korver, Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha. He didn’t play a single minute until a win over Boston on November 24. In December of 2015, he was sent to the D-League, where he played first for the Canton Charge and then the Austin Spurs. He ended up playing five games total between the two teams, but credits the experience as a pivotal point in his career.

“I could have went down to the [D-] League and had an attitude where I said, You know what? I’m not even gonna play basketball, or, I’m just going to stay in the [D-]League and cry about it and not play with heart and passion,” he says. “I had my best friends, my parents, my sisters and my agent constantly being on top of me telling me to do the right things and play with a smile on my face. Everyone may see the [D-] League as a negative, but I see it as a way to improve. It was great for me, but it’s not for everyone. You have to go out there and earn it. If you’re not playing hard, they’ll find somebody else.”

Once he was called back up to the Hawks in January 2016, he became a fixture in the rotation and played in 25 straight games, earning minutes during the Hawks’ playoff run. While he only averaged 6.4 points, 1.7 boards and 1.0 assists on the season, the former Michigan Wolverine had regained his footing as a player.

During the 2016-17 season, an improved Hardaway Jr put up career-highs of 14.5 points, 2.8 boards and 2.3 assists per game. With his restricted free agency looming, the shooting guard played the best ball of his career down the stretch, averaging 18 points a night over the final three months of the regular season. In Atlanta’s first-round series against the Wizards, Hardaway Jr averaged 12.8 points over 33.5 minutes per game.

Back up in New York, the franchise was undergoing a change. Team president Phil Jackson was fired and general manager Steve Mills took over. Without a new GM in place, Mills offered Hardaway Jr a four-year, $71 million contract, which the Hawks did not match.

Just like that, Hardaway Jr was on his way back to the team that drafted him.

“It was a surprising feeling,” Hardaway Jr says of getting the call from the Knicks. “I feel like they sent me away to camp and they said, Well, we’ll see where you are down the road. Once I got a call from my agent that the Knicks were interested and they were willing to invest in my abilities, I was happy. I felt like I was on my way home. I felt like there was some unfinished business to take care of.”

“I was excited when I heard that we were signing him,” adds teammate Kristaps Porzingis. “That’s another young guy who works hard and is willing to do the right things to grow as a team. In the preseason, to me, he looked great. He was making shots and getting to the basket. He’s an explosive player. He’s only going to get more comfortable with the team, and me and him are going to find that connection on the court and that’s going to help us. I like his mentality—he’s a hard worker and I enjoy playing with him.”

While Hardaway Jr was thrilled to be coming back, not all Knicks fans and analysts shared the same sentiment. With Jackson gone, and Carmelo Anthony traded to the Thunder, the franchise appeared to be on the way to a true rebuild with Porzingis and rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina as the centerpieces. Many scoffed at the big money given to Hardaway Jr (What was he supposed to do? Say no?), but based on other recent deals that have been given out to shooting guards—like the four-year, $84 million extension given to Nuggets guard Gary Harris—Hardaway Jr could have the same people who originally blasted the big offer singing his praises by the end of the season.

“I have to use [criticism] as motivation,” he says. “I take it as those are your fans and they’re coming at you with that. It hurts. But at the same time, you can’t harp on that. You have to go out there and show that you deserve what the Knicks offered. At the end of the day, it’s not my fault. They came to me. I knew that if it was something big, I would have to deliver. I’ve been delivering since last season in Atlanta. I feel like I’m confident and capable of getting what I got money-wise and going out there and playing for the team and playing for the franchise and playing for the city.”

Hardaway Jr’s season didn’t get off to an ideal start. Through the first three games of the season the Knicks were 0-3 and the team’s new shooting guard was averaging 9.3 points and shooting under 30 percent. But THJ then turned things around quickly—the Knicks won three straight and he broke out of his slump with a 34-point game against the Cavs. Hardaway Jr is now averaging 17.5 points, 4.4 boards and 2.9 assists on the season, and the Knicks, who weren’t projected to win a whole lot of games this season, sit at a surprising 8-7.

Hardaway Jr is optimistic about the team’s chances.

“Behind closed doors, no one else sees it, but I see it—everybody is bustin’ their tail and wants to prove everybody wrong out there. We believe in ourselves and people can take it how they want it, [but] I feel like we can sneak into the playoffs. Everybody can laugh at that statement but I feel like it can happen. If we come out there and play hard every night, knock down shots and get stops when we need to, we can make it.”

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh.

Portraits by Joseph L. Sherman, action shot via Getty Images.

Video by Veronica Studios.

The post The Big Payback appeared first on SLAM.

“This is like the Mecca of basketball,” says Ponds at October’s Big East media day. “I think every kid should want to play at Madison Square Garden. It’s like a dream come true.”

Ponds’ history with the Garden dates back to his high school days. As a senior at Brooklyn’s Thomas Jefferson High School, Shamorie led the Orange Wave to its first PSAL city championship since 1954 on the big stage. In the fall, the point guard nicknamed Slick moved from his home borough of Brooklyn to Queens to take over as point guard for the Red Storm.

In his first season on campus, the 6-1 Ponds lived up to his billing as a top-50 recruit with averages of 17.4 points, 4.4 boards, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals a game for the 14-19 Red Storm. The lefty also set the St. John’s freshman scoring record with 573 points and led the conference in swipes per game. While the Red Storm struggled to get wins, Ponds gave his opponents fits.

“First of all, he’s quick and he’s fast,” says Villanova point guard and Big East preseason Player of the Year Jalen Brunson. “He’s a really good player. I actually really enjoyed watching him last year—he was fearless as a freshman. He has a bright future. It’s definitely not easy going up against him, but he’s super fun to watch. We have a lot of respect for him.”

Coming into year two, Ponds will have a target on his back as he hopes to get St. John’s back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.

“He’s gotten stronger—physically he’s done a good job in the offseason and his pace has picked up in drills,” says St. John’s head coach Chris Mullin. “I’m looking for him to have a really good year. The basketball part for him is natural. He’s got a great feel for the game and great instincts. He’s got a wonderful personality, his teammates love him and he’s a gym rat. He’s going to score the ball, but we need him to do more. We need him to play defense each and every night. He had a great year last year, but each year is tougher to match.”

To get ready for the season, Shamorie worked on his game by hooping at the buzzworthy “Black Ops” runs headed by Chris Brickley and Carmelo Anthony. The games were a learning experience for Shamorie, who got to play with the League’s brightest stars and see first hand what it takes to make it at the next level.

“It was good to go against NBA players and to see how hard they work, even in pickup games and to see how they just keep going,” says Ponds. “The games were nonstop. It was a great experience, it was a lot of fun.”

This season, Ponds won’t be sneaking up on anyone in a tough Big East conference. Other guards in the league are fully aware of what makes the Brooklyn native so tough and will be focused on shutting down the Red Storm’s top player.

“He’s a real smooth player, kind of like myself,” says Seton Hall guard Khadeen Carrington. “[He’s a] lefty, he can shoot if from deep—it’s tough to guard him at times. He’s grown up a lot, he’s gotten better in his pick and roll game and with his range. He’s definitely one of the guys on that team that we focus on.”

“He can shoot and he can get to the rim, and he has a pull-up so you have to keep him honest and stay in front,” adds Creighton guard Marcus Foster. “I think the best part of his game is he can shoot and he’s so quick, he can pump fake and go right by you. Last year our emphasis was to shut him down. We always put our best defender on him at any time.”

St. John’s was ranked sixth in the Big East preseason poll and should see more improvement in Mullin’s third season. Along with Ponds, the Red Storm are bringing back talented backcourt mate Marcus LoVett (15.9 points, 3.8 assists per game last season), forward Bashir Ahmed (13.4 points), and transfers Marvin Clark II (Michigan St) and Justin Simon (Arizona).

“I’m real, real confident,” Shamorie says. “I told my teammates that I’m really fighting for this. This is the most confident I’ve ever been in my life. I feel like this is our time to make a run. If we didn’t make it to the Tournament, it would be a bust. I’m sticking with that.”

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh.

Photos via Getty Images

The post Big City Dreams appeared first on SLAM.

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The post Respect The Game Episode 74: Early Season Storylines With Yaron Weitzman appeared first on SLAM.

Under legendary head coach Tom Izzo, Michigan State is a perennial powerhouse, churning out pro players and victories over the top programs in college basketball. The ’16-17 season was the team’s worst since 2010-11, when the Spartans went 19-15. But in April, the team and school got a dose of good news.

Miles Bridges was coming back for his sophomore year.

Bridges, a 6-7, 230 pound guard/forward who can jump out of the gym, was thought to be a one-and-done freshman. He shocked most of the basketball world when he announced his return.

“The main reason I came back was because I wrote my goals down when I was young and one of them was to win a National Championship,” Bridges says. “I didn’t want to go back on my goals. I knew we had a great team coming back and I knew I had to lead the team.”

Along with SLAM 212 cover subjects Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr and Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, Miles Bridges is in the conversation to potentially be the best player in college basketball this upcoming season. As a freshman, Bridges averaged 16.9 points, 8.3 boards, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks on 48.6 percent field-goal shooting and 38.9 percent from behind the arc. He was the first freshman to lead the Spartans in scoring since Shawn Respert did it during the 1991-92 season, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was a finalist for the Karl Malone Award, and was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team.

Capable of playing in the post or on the perimeter, Bridges is at his best when he’s on the break. He had more than a few Yo, I gotta check Twitter or IG immediately to see that over and over again dunks last year, and with a crowded frontcourt that will cause him to play on the wing more this upcoming season, expect to see Bridges flying down the court and putting plenty of opponents on posters. “I had to really work on my conditioning [this offseason] because I’m going to be playing the wing spot and doing a lot of running,” he says.

The super-talented Bridges grew up in Flint, MI, before heading east to close out his high school career at West Virginia’s Huntington Prep. He grew up admiring the late-’00s and early ’10s Michigan State teams that featured Draymond Green, Kalin Lucas and Adreian Payne, but Bridges is well aware of the program’s deep history and affiliation with his hometown. The 19-year-old joins the likes of Charlie Bell, Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves (aka “The Flintstones”) as Flint hoopers who stayed local to attend MSU.

“Flint produces tough basketball players,” Bridges says. “There’s open gyms with no fouls. The reason I became as good as I am is because I used to play with older kids and get mad over fouls. They would tell me, ‘You’re not getting that call, you gotta be tougher.’

“I’m tight with Mo Pete, Charlie and all the players who went to Michigan State. I grew up watching Michigan State—that’s how I really fell in love with basketball.”

With Bridges back in the fold, the Spartans enter the season as Big Ten favorites, a top-5 team in the nation (they rank No. 2 in the SLAM NCAA men’s rankings) and will undoubtedly be in the mix for a Final Four berth. Along with Miles, the team returns guards Cassius Winston, Josh Langford and Tum Tum Nairn Jr along with big man Nick Ward, and they’re welcoming Jaren Jackson Jr, a consensus top-10 recruit and potential top-10 pick in next year’s draft. Save for Jackson, the team has been through an up-and-down season together and are as battle tested as any squad in college hoops.

“We faced a lot of adversity and I feel like it’s something that’s going to really help us for this year,” Bridges says. “The main lesson is, all the little things count. One rebound can win you a game, and a missed rebound can lose you a game. It’s the little things that count in college.”

Before he bounces for the lavish lifestyle that the NBA provides, Bridges has a chance to make his mark and become one of the best players in Michigan State history—no small feat considering the talent that has passed through the university.

“I really love Michigan State basketball, and for me to be a key piece of this program is an honor,” he says. “It’s a blessing and I give all the glory to God for that. As a young kid from Flint, I never thought that I’d be in this position. It is an honor for me.”

—

Pete Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Guess Who’s Back appeared first on SLAM.

***

SLAM: What’s it like to be able to work with Kobe?

Richard Sherman: I grew up a Lakers fan and am still a Lakers fan. It’s really cool and it’s a dream come true for a kid from L.A. to work with Kobe as a creative director for BODYARMOR’s “Obsession Is Natural” campaign. It’s about as good as it gets for me.

SLAM: Tyson Chandler was a huge recruit at Dominguez. Do you remember the hype around him back then?

RS: I was actually one of the ball boys when Tyson was there and he was making his run and they were going to state championships. I ran into him not too long ago at The Players’ Tribune and he remembered me being the ball boy. We had a good laugh at that and how far we’ve come.

SLAM: Do you have a relationship with any other current NBA players?

RS: Me and KD have a pretty cool relationship. Right now we got a pact to see who can get their second ring first. Our season starts and ends before his, so hopefully I can get that done. When I was in high school, the girl I was dating went to Russell Westbrook’s high school so I used to go up there all the time. We ended up having a cool relationship—we’ve been in contact since high school.

SLAM: Who are the best ballers on the Seahawks?

RS: I’d say someone between Doug [Baldwin], Kam [Chancellor], Earl [Thomas] and Jimmy [Graham].

SLAM: Do you guys get together and play during the offseason? 

RS: We go up to L.A. Fitness and run all the time. They’re pretty competitive. Most of us as football players are defensive stoppers, but we can get the ball in the basket when we want to.

SLAM: There’s such a great basketball community in Seattle. Do you think an NBA team is ever going to come back to the city?

RS: I would hope so. It’s unfortunate that this fan base had to be punished for what the owner did. It’s not like the fans weren’t coming to the games. These fans are the most incredible fans in sports and they deserve a team.

SLAM: You made a comment during the offseason that NFL players may have to go on strike to get the contracts that players deserve like the NBA did in 2011. Do you think the NBA’s bargaining deal is the model that other leagues should follow?

RS: I don’t know if it’s the model CBA, but there are things in the NBA’s CBA that they do well and there are things that we do well. We really like the way they treat their players. Obviously their league is more of a players’ league than our league. Our league is owners controlling and them keeping the personalities of the players pretty much suppressed. I think there are things we can learn from the NBA and MLB and how they got their deals done.

SLAM: Does “Obsession Is Natural” accurately describe your approach to football and life? 

RS: It definitely does. It’s always been my dream to be remembered in this game and remembered as one of the all-time greats, just like Kobe is in basketball. In our game, with how violent it is, I don’t think you can play 20 years, but I’ll do my best. Everything I do, every bit of energy, every thought is focused on some version of me being better at football than I was yesterday.

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh. 

Top photo via Getty Images

Photo in post via BODYARMOR

The post Birds Flyin’ High appeared first on SLAM.

Even though the drama surrounding KP lasted between the months of April and June, it might as well have been a lifetime ago.

This summer, while KP chilled out in Latvia in between workouts and playing for the Latvian national team at the 2017 FIBA Eurobasket, the Knicks underwent a major overhaul. Frank Ntilikina was drafted, Jackson was let go, Tim Hardaway Jr was signed to a big deal, Scott Perry was hired to replace Jackson and Carmelo Anthony was traded.

When KP made his way back across the Atlantic, he was greeted with plenty of new faces at Madison Square Garden, and with a new role as the centerpiece of the Knicks’ rebuild.

Now that the season is here—the Knicks are set to take on Melo and the OKC Thunder tonight—it’s time to get back to basketball. We caught up with Kristaps to talk about his offseason, Luka Doncic’s NBA potential, and what he learned from Melo.

SLAM: Based on how everything went down last season with the Knicks and the changes in the front office, is it good to get back to just playing basketball?

Kristaps Porzingis: Oh, for sure. It’s good to put all that aside and just focus on basketball and myself as a basketball player so I can help my team win. That’s the only thing that I’m thinking about. It was a long summer—we didn’t make the playoffs last season again and I was back home for four, five months just working on my game. I was doing individual work everyday preparing myself for the season. I’m excited the season is here and I can’t wait to show what I worked on all offseason.

SLAM: Was it nice to spend time and unwind with your family in Latvia? 

KP: I had a great time back home. Exactly as you said, I had a lot of downtime with my family, but I was also in the gym for six hours a day or on the track and field, or in the swimming pool. I was working on my body and working on myself. That was the main focus and the main goal while I was back home.

SLAM: Was playing for Latvia in EuroBasket a good way to prepare for the season, as opposed to playing in pickup runs?

KP: Definitely. I think playing in the EuroBasket helped me as a leader and it will help me this season—it’s already helping me. The experience of being with another coach, being with other players and speaking my own language and communicating that way, it was a lot of fun. We weren’t able to do what we wanted to do but it was a good experience and it prepared me for the season.

SLAM: Luka Doncic blew up over the summer and he’s getting a lot of love as the potential top pick in the 2018 draft. What did you think about his game?

KP: What he’s doing at 18, I’ve never seen a player in Europe do that. He’s one of the leaders for Real Madrid and he’s being very consistent—he’s not playing one game great and then playing the next poorly as most young guys do, as I did myself. He’s being very consistent and that has surprised me the most. What he’s doing at the top level of Europe, I believe that he should be the No. 1 pick.

SLAM: From our perspective in the US, all we’ve really seen from him are clips on Twitter and random games. But as someone who has played against him, you think he’s the real deal?

KP: I do, I do. I’m judging it based on the highest level of playing in Europe, which is very tough to do. Another story is how is it going to translate to the NBA. Guys who are killing it in Europe don’t always come over to the NBA and have success right away.

Myself, for example, I wasn’t a huge star like Luka is right now in Spain. But I came over and it was easy to adapt and translate my game to the NBA. For guards, I think it’s always a little harder. He may need a little bit of time, but based on what he’s doing in Europe, I think there’s no college guy who would be able to do what he’s doing in the EuroLeague at that level right now.

SLAM: There was a lot of change in the organization while you were in Latvia. Are you sensing a culture change with the Knicks?

KP: As you said, there are a lot of new faces and new people and all of us together are trying to build the right culture and right mindset in the organization. It’s also up to me to lead by example, to be the guy that comes in every day, does his work consistently and is very professional. That way, every one else will keep that high level. We’re on our way there, hopefully. The front office tried to make changes and hire new people to help that, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process and hopefully we can get there one day.

SLAM: Based on the roster composition, there’s more of a youth movement with yourself, Tim Hardaway Jr and Frank Ntilikina as the core. With you being at the center of that, are you taking on the responsibility of being the face of the franchise?

KP: It’s gotta come natural. It can’t be something forced where I have to be this, or I have to be that. If that’s how people view me, and that’s how it has to be, then it will be like that—I will be the leader and step up and be that guy. Like I said, it’s only going to happen with me playing at that level and people putting me in that position. All I have to do is focus on playing on the best basketball that I’ve ever played.

SLAM: With the Knicks and Thunder playing this week, it almost feels like the NBA has scripted what’s going on. Do you even think about the matchup with Melo, or do you approach things the same way you would any other game?

KP: It’s another game, but obviously it’s going to be against my ex-teammate. I have nothing but the best to wish for Melo—he was a great example for me in my first two seasons and a great leader and mentor. I only have the best things to say about him. It’s going to be fun to go out there and play against him. It’s also going to be tough, [because] he’s still one of the top offensive players in the League in my eyes and I’m probably going to have to guard him. It’s going to be a challenge for me, but I’m looking forward to it.

SLAM: By all accounts Melo was well liked by teammates in New York. Did he ever talk to you about what it’s like to be the face of a franchise, or did you learn from watching how he carried himself on a day-to-day basis?

KP: It was more natural for me to look at what he was doing from the side—how he handled things on and off the court—and I think that’s how you learn the best. I asked as many questions as I could that came to my head that I wanted to know. My first three years were great seeing him day-to-day.

SLAM: Yeah, and for a guy like Melo who has had his name in trade talks, had amazing years and years where he was hampered by injury, it seems like he is someone you can learn a lot from. 

KP: It was crazy to see how calm he was when all the stuff off the court was happening with him and Phil [Jackson]. He was the same in practice, he was the same in the locker room, he was the same all the time. He’s always calm and collected—he’s such a professional. That’s something I learned from him for sure.

SLAM: Can you tell me about BODYARMOR’s  “Obsession Is Natural” campaign?

KP: It was Kobe’s idea. That’s been his mentality his whole career. I think BODYARMOR has signed guys that have had that mentality—not the “Mamba Mentality” exactly, but kind of obsessed with what they do and I see that in myself. I saw the video [Above–Ed.] that they made and I love the way I look in that video. I really enjoyed making that whole campaign commercial and I’m enjoying the whole idea and what we’re doing.

SLAM: Have you had any interactions with Kobe?

KP: I think when the idea came out, he called me and I had a lot of questions for him and tried to steal a little bit of his time and ask questions about being a leader and so on. We had a good conversation.

SLAM: Were you starstruck at all when you heard Kobe’s voice on the other line?

KP: [Laughs] It was pretty crazy, honestly. I was happy that I had the opportunity to talk to him and ask him some things and get 15 minutes of Kobe’s time. Even after finishing playing, he’s still very busy and that was really cool that he called me.

SLAM: Was there any advice that he gave you or any words that have stuck with you?

KP: Of course. Every word he said I still remember. That’s a conversation between him and I and I’m going to keep all those secrets to myself.

SLAM: Fair enough. I’m sure the conversation involved a lot of cursing on Kobe’s end.

KP: [Laughs] Nah, nah, nah. It was a normal conversation.

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh.

Photo via Getty Images.
—

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We were on-hand in Italy when Jordan Brand introduced the Air Jordan XXXII, their newest flagship sneaker. It makes use of a Flyknit upper and a dual cushioning system featuring Nike Zoom Air and Flight Speed tech. Hardaway says he’ll be one of the players that gets to lace up the XXXII this season.

The 25-year-old is entering his fifth season in the League. He averaged a career-best 14 points last year for the Hawks and is all ready to make his return to the Garden — the Knicks drafted him with the 24th pick in 2013. We recently linked up with THJ to discuss his deal with the Jumpman, an agreement he’s (rightfully) hype about.

SLAM: How did you link up with Jordan Brand? Did they reach out to you?

Tim Hardaway Jr: It was more of a mutual thing with Jordan Brand. My pops [Tim Hardaway] was a big part of it. I was with adidas for all of college and for my first three years [in the League], but I played my fourth season in the NBA as a sneaker free agent. I just loved playing in Jordans and Kobe ADs.

They just felt comfortable. I just told my pops, ‘Hey, I love these shoes, even though they’re lows.’ My pops doesn’t like me playing in lows. I played in the shoes in the playoffs, when we played against the Wizards.

After the season, I was talking to my agent [about brands] and told him, ‘Hey, what’s up with Jordan? I don’t care what they give me, it’s just the honor to be able to play for the Jumpman and go out there and represent him in a great way.’ That was the pitch I gave them. And then my pops tried to talk to Jordan personally.

SLAM: Your dad still has a relationship with MJ? 

THJ: Just the mutual respect between one another. I’ve known his kids, Marcus and Jeffrey, since we were playing at Hoops Gym in Chicago. It’s just a mutual respect kind of thing.

SLAM: And you’ll be playing in the XXXIIs, right?

THJ: Maybe a couple of retros here and there but not too much. The XXXIIs feel very, very comfortable. They’re a great, great looking shoe. We’ve got some PEs coming, a lot of Knicks colorways. It’ll be great. I’m happy and excited to reveal them once the season keeps going.

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The post Tim Hardaway Jr Talks About Signing with Jordan Brand appeared first on SLAM.

The majority of SLAM voters did not agree and I respect their opinions. But based on what we saw in last year’s Finals, it feels like Durant has closed the gap on LeBron and this upcoming season could mark the “passing of the torch.”

Granted, LeBron put up jaw-dropping numbers in those same Finals, but KD was unstoppable and was rewarded with both the Larry O’Brien trophy and a Finals MVP award.

Since that June night, shit has gotten a little strange for Durant. It started when he said that “Kyrie is better than Allen Iverson” and continued to spiral. His most recent Twitter fiasco reportedly left both Warriors team officials and teammates “perplexed” by the superstar’s offseason and resulted in an awkward apology from Durant to his former teammates and the Thunder franchise.

It was a long, strange offseason. Fortunately for him, he’s just days away to getting back to what he does best—hoop.

Last season, Durant averaged 25.1 points, 8.3 boards (career-high), 4.8 assists, and 1.6 blocks (career-high) per game, while shooting 53.7 percent from the field (career-high) and 37.5 percent from three. He also likely would have been in the thick of the MVP race had he not been sidelined with an injury that limited him to 62 games.

And guess what? In his second season with the Warriors, he could be even better. While the Cavs, Celtics, Thunder, and Rockets figure things out after major roster changes, the Dubs bring the whole squad back and should hit the ground running. That should (and, if we’re to believe Draymond Green, does) make the rest of the NBA scared as hell.

At his best, Durant is unconscious from the field, able to hit shots from all angles and at any length over any defender. Paired with Stephen Curry, Draymond  and Klay Thompson on the court at the same time, he can’t be double teamed. The rest of the NBA has been gearing up to stop LeBron and the Warriors have cracked the code, thanks to luck and savvy roster management. The rest of the League has been in a never before seen arms race, all thanks to KD’s decision to leave the confines of Oklahoma City for the sunshine of the Bay Area.

Durant has rubbed some fans the wrong way, there’s no question about it. From his decision to join the Warriors, to his bizarre social media habits, to his terse press conferences and interviews, KD has become a villainous figure in the League–much like LeBron was at one point in Miami. And similar to LeBron during his “villain era,” Durant has the skills to back up the behavior.

This season, we could realistically see the best offense in NBA history and KD challenging all types of efficiency records. In Cleveland, LeBron has been hampered by an ankle injury all preseason and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he played a maximum of 70 games in the regular season. If Durant can stay healthy, and LeBron slips even a little bit, there’s no reason why he won’t universally be considered the best player in the Leauge by season’s end.

Previous Rankings:
2016: No. 4
2015: No. 3
2014: No. 2
2013: No. 2

Rankings are based on expected contribution in 2017-18—to players’ team, the NBA and the game.

No. 50 – Dion Waiters
No. 49 – Ben Simmons 
No. 48 – Brook Lopez
No. 47 — Harrison Barnes
No. 46 — Jrue Holiday
No. 45 — Lonzo Ball
No. 44 — Myles Turner
No. 43 — Goran Dragic
No. 42 — Andre Drummond
No. 41 — Al Horford
No. 40 — LaMarcus Aldridge
No. 39 — Kevin Love
No. 38 — Paul Millsap
No. 37 — Hassan Whiteside
No. 36 — Andrew Wiggins
No. 35 — Marc Gasol
No. 34 – DeAndre Jordan
No. 33 — Bradley Beal
No. 32 — Kemba Walker
No. 31 — CJ McCollum
No. 30 — Devin Booker
No. 29 — Nikola Jokic
No. 28 — Joel Embiid
No. 27 — Mike Conley 
No. 26 — Kyle Lowry
No. 25 — Rudy Gobert
No. 24 — Gordon Hayward
No. 23 — Kristaps Porzingis
No. 22 — Carmelo Anthony
No. 21 — DeMar DeRozan
No. 20 — Blake Griffin
No. 19 — Draymond Green
No. 18 — Chris Paul
No. 17 — Klay Thompson
No. 16 — Jimmy Butler
No. 15 — Isaiah Thomas
No. 14 — Karl-Anthony Towns
No. 13 — Damian Lillard
No. 12 — DeMarcus Cousins
No. 11 — Kyrie Irving
No. 10 — John Wall
No. 9 — Paul George
No. 8 — Anthony Davis
No. 7 — Giannis Antetokounmpo
No. 6 — James Harden
No. 5 — Kawhi Leonard
No. 4 — Stephen Curry
No. 3 — Russell Westbrook
No. 2 — Kevin Durant
No. 1 — LeBron James

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Quad Studios, as members of Oladipo’s crew quickly point out, is the same place where 2Pac was shot and robbed in 1994, where Bobby Shmurda, Rowdy Rebel and the rest of the GS9 crew were arrested and where, on a happier note, Beyonce has recorded in the past. Once we get off the elevator, platinum and gold plaques from artists from all walks of life adorn the walls. Inside the studio, engineer Morning Estrada greets Vic and the rest of the crew before he begins to set up for the session.

While Estrada preps, Oladipo and his crew, which includes music industry vet Nieman Johnson and producer/songwriter Sam Hook, swarm the cramped recording space and shoot the shit about their time in New York, the afternoon run Vic hooped in—the same run that included Melo, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Chris Paul—and about goings on around the League. The mood is light, jokes are cracked and Victor seems at ease.

Oladipo released his debut single, “Song For You,” a Donny Hathaway cover, in late August. Since he was in college at Indiana, and throughout his time in the League, Oladipo made it known that he could sing—but it still took people by surprise when “Song For You” dropped and it was good. Really good.

“I can’t lie, I was a little shocked,” Oladipo says of the reaction to his music. “Singing was just something that I loved to do, it’s a little hobby of mine and something that made me feel good. To see people want to listen to it and it touching people is an amazing feeling. It’s like when people say that if you have a gift, you should share it. And for me, singing is one of my gifts and to be able to share it with the world it a blessing in itself.”

Oladipo began singing in the children’s choir at St. Joseph’s Church in Upper Marborlo, MD, and quickly fell in love with music. As he got older, Oladipo used his skill just like any other teenaged kid would—to try and get girls.

“In high school, I used to go over to my good friend [Atlanta Hawks point guard] Quinn Cook’s house and just mess around,” he remembers. “I used to sing and he would do the beats and he was like, ‘Bro, you can really sing.’ Then we used to go to these little mixers and used to bet each other who would get the most numbers and my friends would be like, ‘I bet you won’t go up to that girl and sing to get her number.’ And I haven’t struck out yet.”

“I remember when I first made him do it,” Cook says. “We were at the movies and there was this girl and I told Victor that he couldn’t get her and Victor started singing to her. He proved me wrong—he got her. We would go to the movies every weekend and he would always sing to the girls and I haven’t seen a girl deny him yet. He’s probably 95 or 96 percent from the field.”

***

Back in the studio, Estrada begins to play joints off the EP, starting with “One Day,” “Unfollow” and “Nothin’ Like Your Ex.” The music is a stark difference from the hip-hop we’re accustomed to hearing from NBA players who dabble in music.

“I never tell people it’s me on a song, and they’re like, ‘Who is that?’ And I’m like, It’s me. And they say, ‘Not it’s not!’” Oladipo says. “It’s a great feeling to be good at something. I’m just trying to get better, just like I’m trying to get better at this basketball thing every day.”

Oladipo’s hoops career has taken quite a few twist and turns since he was drafted second overall by the Magic in 2013. For the second time in as many offseasons, Vic was traded, this time from the OKC Thunder to the Indiana Pacers for Paul George in a move that caught everyone by surprise.

“I was on a plane [when the trade went down] and didn’t find out until I landed,” he says. “When you first get the news, it’s a bit of a shock. You build relationships, you build chemistry and you get comfortable in a city. I was just leaving there from my camp—I was running a free basketball clinic for some kids and they were asking me, Are you going to come back next year? And for that to happen, it was tough, and you don’t have any control over it because it’s a business.”

The move to Indiana is a homecoming of sorts for the shooting guard, who has averaged just under 16 points for his career. Oladipo starred at Indiana University from 2010-13 and was an All-American in 2013.

“Over time, I had a chance to digest the situation and I got really excited,” he continues. “I have a great opportunity. I’m going back to Indiana where I went to college so the fans are very familiar with me. It kind of catapulted my summer, and I’ve been working my butt off on the court.”

As things are wrapping up, the crew heads into the lobby of Quad, where they chop it up with staff and other artists who have walked in for their sessions. Oladipo has started playing pool while others get their plans together for the rest of the night.

The project is finished. Now the real work begins.

“I’ve been doing music, but I’ve been on a 9-5 grind when it comes to hooping. I’m ready, man, I’m looking forward to it. I wish the season started tomorrow and I can’t wait to go home to Indiana and play.”

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

Video by Stephen Roll

—

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The post Respect The Game Episode 71: Michael Beasley appeared first on SLAM.

The lefty is widely considered one of the top point guards in the Leauge and was one of just eight players to average at least 20 points and 6 assists per game in ’16-17 (the others: Eric Bledsoe, Stephen Curry, James Harden, LeBron James, Kyle Lowry, John Wall, and Russell Westbrook.)

Conley, at this point in his career, is best known for inking a massive 5-year $153 million dollar deal that made him the highest-paid player in the history of the NBA during the summer of 2016. The general reaction from fans and those who follow the League was basically, “What the hell?” The point guard responded by having the best year of his career, averaging 20.5 points and 6.3 assists, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range. Memphis finished 49-39, good enough for seventh in the West. In the first round of the playoffs, Conley elevated his game, scoring 24.7 points and dishing out 7.0 assists in a six-game series against the Spurs.

So what’s next for the Conley, and the Grizzlies, in general?

At age 29, Conley is playing at the highest level of his career. He has not played in 70 games since the 2014-15 season and with Memphis sporting a bench that consists of guards Wade Baldwin IV, Mario Chalmers and Andrew Harrison, the Grizz need Conley to stay healthy, and keep posting career-best numbers, in a bad way.

The Grizzlies are in a curious position in that they are transitioning from the Grit-N-Grind era into a rebuild on the fly. This past offseason, they inked Chalmers, Tyreke Evans and Ben McLemore to short-term deals and said goodbye to Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and Tony Allen.

Franchise center Marc Gasol recently told Spanish outlet Cataluyna Radio that the team has to “keep growing” and “If this is not lined up, maybe we have to revisit things.” Earlier this month, a different report surfaced that both Gasol and Conley are “untouchable” in trades, and that the longterm contracts signed by Conley and Gasol means that the Grizzlies have the intention of building around those two in the future.

For a team that hasn’t missed the playoffs in nearly a decade, anything short of a berth would be a failure, but with Conley and Gasol, and coach David Fizdale, the team has at least a fighting chance for a spot in the loaded West.

Of course, any positive contribution from Chandler Parsons, who has unfortunately been slowed by injuries since signing with the team, would boost Memphis’ chances.

As far as the elusive All-Star berth, Conley will forever be fighting an uphill battle in the West. Playing in a smaller market certainly doesn’t do him any favors, but either does playing in a conference where Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Chris Paul, and Damian Lillard all dwell.

All-Star or not, Conley has solidified himself as one of the top floor generals in the League and Memphis will need him more than ever if they are going to make a run.

Previous Rankings:
2016: No. 32
2015: No. 32
2014: No. 40
2013: No. 45

Rankings are based on expected contribution in 2017-18—to players’ team, the NBA and the game.

No. 50 – Dion Waiters
No. 49 – Ben Simmons 
No. 48 – Brook Lopez
No. 47 — Harrison Barnes
No. 46 — Jrue Holiday
No. 45 — Lonzo Ball
No. 44 — Myles Turner
No. 43 — Goran Dragic
No. 42 — Andre Drummond
No. 41 — Al Horford
No. 40 — LaMarcus Aldridge
No. 39 — Kevin Love
No. 38 — Paul Millsap
No. 37 — Hassan Whiteside
No. 36 — Andrew Wiggins
No. 35 — Marc Gasol
No. 34 –  DeAndre Jordan
No. 33 — Bradley Beal
No. 32 — Kemba Walker
No. 31 — CJ McCollum
No. 30 — Devin Booker
No. 29 — Nikola Jokic
No. 28 — Joel Embiid

The post SLAM Top 50: Mike Conley, No. 27 appeared first on SLAM.

As the events unfolded, NBA players took to Twitter to echo the feelings of shock, fear and disgust that the majority of the public was experiencing. Donald Trump fueled the fire by refusing to immediately condemn the supremacists, claiming at a press conference that there was violence on “both sides.”

Days later, LeBron James spoke at his foundation’s annual family reunion and used his platform to call Trump the “so-called president of the United States.” James then made a plea for those in attendance to take a look in the mirror and ask, “What can we do better to help change?”

NBA players—and professional athletes in general—have a long history of being involved in social, political and race issues. Over the past few years, more and more marquee players have been using their status to voice their views and help promote change. LeBron, along with friends and fellow superstars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, stood on stage at the 2016 ESPYs—just one week after the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling at the hands of the police—and called on celebrity athletes to “Speak up. Use our influence. And renounce all violence.”

The acts of those four superstars have had a trickle-down effect, with more and more NBA players getting involved in community efforts, speaking out against racist violence and actively participating in protests, following in the footsteps of activists like Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Isiah Thomas.

“We all have feelings and we just want to talk about [issues] the right way,” says Karl-Anthony Towns, who penned a piece for The Players’ Tribune following the violence in Charlottesville. “I just try to be positive and do it the right way. I don’t want to bash anyone. I want to spread love and respect to everyone. I want to remind people of our situations and do that with love and respect.”

In the NFL, America’s most popular sports league, quarterback Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned as of press time as more and more no-name quarterbacks take the field. Kaepernick has become the center of attention following his decision to protest the National Anthem by sitting during the playing of the song before a 2016 preseason game. Later on, he started taking a knee before games as the Anthem played. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL media in late August of ’16. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Kaepernick is widely believed to have been blackballed from the NFL because of his protest. Throughout the preseason, players across the NFL showed their support for the quarterback by kneeling for the anthem and saying that Kap should be on a roster if team owners and general managers are serious about winning games. It’s clear that keeping Kaepernick off the field is not going to silence his message or simply make him go away.

With the NBA season looming and players becoming increasingly politically active, it begs the question as to whether we’ll see more activism on the hardwood in the same vein as Kaepernick’s.

“I think there are some players that have enough courage to follow [Kaepernick’s] lead or help him on his journey,” Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler says. “I think if you were doing something to symbolize Kaepernick and what he’s done and what he’s trying to accomplish, a player would have to take a knee or something in that regard during the National Anthem. To be honest, I don’t think any of the players are going to do it. But if it were to happen, it would probably be something similar to that.”

But before we continue to look forward, it’s important to look at how the NBA has handled cases of activism and protest in the recent past.

Before the 1991 Finals against the Lakers, Craig Hodges, a three-point specialist for the Bulls, asked Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson not to take the floor for Game 1 as a way to protest the beating of Rodney King by four white LAPD officers. When the Bulls visited the White House in ’92 to celebrate their second-straight NBA title, Hodges wore a dashiki and handed President George H.W. Bush a letter that urged him to address the problems of poor and minority communities.

The Bulls would later release him and he never played in another NBA game.

‘’I thought we improved ourselves [at Craig’s position],’’ Phil Jackson told The New York Times in 1996. ‘’I had the highest regard for Craig, though. He was a great team player, never caused any problems and I respected his views. I’m a spiritual man, and so is he. But I also found it strange that not a single team called to inquire about him. Usually, I get at least one call about a player we’ve decided not to sign. And yes, he couldn’t play much defense, but a lot of guys in the league can’t, but not many can shoot from his range, either.’’

In 1996, Hodges filed a $40 million lawsuit against the NBA claiming that “the owners and operators of the 29 NBA member franchises have participated as co-conspirators” in “blackballing” him from the League “because of his outspoken political nature as an African-American man.” The case was later dismissed. Hodges bounced around internationally throughout the rest of the ’90s, but did find his way back to the NBA as an assistant with Jackson’s Lakers from 2005-11.

Also in 1996, Denver Nuggets point guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was suspended by the NBA for refusing to stand during the playing of the National Anthem. Abdul-Rauf, a practicing Muslim, had been skipping out on the ceremony throughout the season, opting to stay in the locker room or stretch on the sideline. When asked by a reporter about his actions during the playing of the Anthem, the point guard said that the American flag was a symbol of “oppression, of tyranny.” Abdul-Rauf and the NBA came to a compromise: Mahmoud would stand for the Anthem, but would pray silently to himself with his hands cupped in front of his face.

Unlike Hodges, Abdul-Rauf was a starter—a damn good one at that. He averaged 19.2 points and 6.8 assists for Denver that season. The reaction to his protest divided NBA fans, and the controversy soon spilled out to the public sphere. Abdul-Rauf was met with death threats and had the letters “KKK” spray-painted close to the construction of his home in Gulfport, MS. He never moved into the home and in 2001, the vacant house was burned to the ground.

Abdul-Rauf, who was in his sixth season at the time, was traded to Sacramento and was out of the League by 1998. He returned for a brief stint in Vancouver in 2001, but his career was never the same after what happened in Denver.

“It’s a process of just trying to weed you out,” he told The Undefeated last year. “They begin to try to put you in vulnerable positions. They play with your minutes, trying to mess up your rhythm. Then they sit you more. Then what it looks like is, well, the guy just doesn’t have it anymore, so we trade him.

“It’s kind of like a setup. You know, trying to set you up to fail and so when they get rid of you, they can blame it on that as opposed to, it was really because he took these positions. They don’t want these type of examples to spread, so they’ve got to make an example of individuals like this.”

In 2014, players including LeBron, Derrick Rose, Kevin Garnett, Kyrie Irving, Deron Williams, Jarrett Jack and Alan Anderson wore “I Can’t Breathe” shirts during warmups after a grand jury decided that the officer who choked Staten Island, NY, resident Eric Garner to death would not be indicted. None of the players were fined for violating the League’s apparel rules.

Also in 2014, the Los Angeles Clippers staged a silent protest before Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs. The team was showing solidarity after audio of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist comments was leaked to TMZ. The comments sparked outrage throughout the NBA, with LeBron saying at the time that “there is no room for Donald Sterling in our League.”

Sterling was subsequently banned for life by commissioner Adam Silver.

Based on recent history, the NBA has become more progressive and understanding of protest, and Silver and National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Michele Roberts recently sent a letter to the players saying that the “Players Association and the League are always available to help you figure out the most meaningful way to make the difference” when it comes to social issues. But it is impossible to totally look past the treatment of Hodges and Abdul-Rauf. There has been an increase in big-time players using their platform to raise awareness, but there has not been an NBA protest as divisive as Kaepernick’s kneeling during the National Anthem.

“[What happened to Abdul-Rauf] wasn’t that long ago,” Chandler says. “I would like to put my faith in the NBA and owners, it’s a wonderful organization and seeing how they handled the Donald Sterling situation, hopefully if a protest happened now, they wouldn’t blackball a player for exercising his constitutional rights.”

While we would like to believe that the NBA would act much differently than the NFL, we won’t really know until a marquee player takes a dramatic on-court stand.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told The Washington Post, in regards to Kaepernick, that he’s “glad the NBA doesn’t have a politician litmus test for our players. I’d like to think we encourage our players to exercise their constitutional rights.”

With more and more people seemingly in tune with what’s going on in DC thanks to social media and 24/7 news coverage, it seems as if you can’t go anywhere these days without stepping into a conversation about politics. Will that carry into NBA arenas this season?

“I don’t think it will have much of an impact,” Cuban told SLAM via e-mail. “Most people follow political commentary as much as they follow cricket scores. For those of us who pay close attention, it seems like a big deal. For everyone else who goes to or watches games for the love of the team and game, it’s not something they pay attention to.”

NBA players have a chance, now more than ever, to use their platform to raise awareness about issues that hit close to home. As events become politicized and cause friction amongst the general public, we may soon find out if players are given an opportunity to speak up and spread a message of hope—or if they’re subtly discouraged from doing so.

–

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @peter_m_walsh.

Photos via Getty Images

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For too long, one of the best personalities in the NBA has been cast aside by fans and the media because of a falling out in Cleveland, a sometimes questionable shot selection and a career that didn’t immediately live up to where he was selected in the draft.

Fortunately for us, Waiters never changed. Instead he bet on himself then doubled down.

Last summer, Waiters waited in limbo with OKC while the Kevin Durant-to-Golden State situation played out. Once KD bounced to the West coast, Dion was left out in the cold by the Thunder and signed a 1-year deal with Miami. Like so what many players who have passed through the Heat organization have done before him, Waiters got in the best shape of his life and balled the hell out. Philly Cheese averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 30.1 minutes while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and a career-high 39.5 percent from three-point range. However, due to ankle and groin injuries he was limited to 46 games.

Against the Warriors in January, he had one of the best moments of the regular season when he hit a game-winner and crossed his arms with a “you can’t mess with with me” scowl on his face. In February, Waiters averaged 18.4 points on 47 percent shooting and led the Heat to an 8-3 record for the month as they stormed back from a disastrous start to the season to just miss the playoffs. And in April, he won over just about every basketball fan with his touching piece on The Players’ Tribune—appropriately titled “The NBA Is Lucky I’m Home Doing Damn Articles.”

This past summer, there was no waiting around for other players to get their money. Waiters inked a 4-year, $52 million deal with Miami on July 5, proving that his “Bet On Yourself Then Double Down” motto wasn’t just a case of a player writing a check with his mouth that his ass couldn’t cash. A week later, Waiters claimed he was one of the five-best shooting guards in the League then said that there’s an “alpha male” in Miami already when the franchise became a rumored potential destination for Kyrie Irving.

Looking ahead to this season, Waiters will be expected to maintain the numbers he put up during his February stretch. First and foremost, he has to stay healthy enough to appear in more than 46 games. Last season, the Heat went 29-17 with Dion on the court 12-24 with him on the sideline. With a healthy Waiters playing up to his contract, Hassan Whiteside in the middle, Goran Dragic running point and a leap in improvement from Justise Winslow and the Heat have a real shot at making the playoffs in what is projected to be a weakened east.

Above all, if Waiters and the Heat play well, it means more shit talk, more scowls, more amazing quotes, and, above all, more fun for us.

So, yeah, Waiters probably shoots a little too much, and isn’t a guy that the analytics favor. But screw it, Dion Waiters is out here living his best life and his true rags-to-riches story is what makes professional athletes worth rooting for.

Previous Rankings:
Has Never Been Ranked on the #SLAMTop50

Rankings are based on expected contribution in 2017-18—to players’ team, the NBA and the game.

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Irving told the assembled media that “it was time to do what was best for me” and that he wanted to be in an “environment that’s conducive for my potential.”

More from Cleveland.com:

“It was my time to do what was best for me in terms of my intentions and that’s going after something bigger than myself and obviously being in an environment that’s conducive for my potential,” Irving said. “I think that statement is self explanatory, because it’s pretty direct in terms of what my intent is, and that’s to be happy and be with a group of individuals that I can grow with.”

 

“Me leaving there wasn’t about basketball,” Irving said.

The superstar point guard was asked about LeBron James and said that he has not spoken to him, but gave him props for “incorporating me into that special team that we had in Cleveland” and that playing with him was “awesome.”

“I’d be telling you guys a lie if I didn’t tell you how much I learned from that guy.

 

“The perfection of the craft comes in a variety of forms, and you watch and you ask a lot of the great players — what does it take to be great?”

…

 

“And I’ve had the unique opportunity to play with one of the greats, and it was awesome,” Irving said. “At times it was all over, just like it is in any other team, and when you look back and you’re eternally grateful for the moments that you had and you shared, you’re able to put peace with that journey and start anew.”

Cavs beat reporter Joe Vardon had a few interesting tweets during the presser, tweeting that it “drove Kyrie nuts” that LeBron was the center of attention when it came to non-basketball issues:

It drove Kyrie nuts that we didn't care what he had to say about politics, racial and social issues. Only LeBron

— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) September 1, 2017

That's why the whole 'flat Earth' thing happened. Kyrie said something dumb on a podcast, and suddenly everyone cared

— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) September 1, 2017

My favorite subject @WoosterEdu was rhetorical studies. THIS, folks, was the most important part of the Kyrie presser. pic.twitter.com/NwNqcSSvt0

— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) September 1, 2017

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Over the weekend, KAT was active once again, taking part in a livestream for the latest Call of Duty: WWII video game. Once he hopped off the sticks, we spoke with the star about the Mayweather-McGregor fight, the new-look T’Wolves, Hoodie Melo, his appearance in the latest Katy Perry video and more.

Check it.

SLAM: What did you think of the Mayweather-McGregor fight?

Karl-Anthony Towns: I watched the whole fight—undercards included. Mayweather-McGregor was one heck of a fight. They absolutely went out there as warriors. I have nothing but true admiration and respect for Conor McGregor going out there against one of the best fighters who ever lived and holding his own.

SLAM: Were you surprised the fight went that long?

KAT: No, I was expecting the fight to go longer than six rounds. I expected McGregor to slow down. He’s not used to that kind of conditioning—no matter how much sparring you do, it’s still hard. His experience hasn’t gotten him there yet. The first undercard fights are 10 rounds. Boxing fans and analysts always worry about people who come up and fight championship fights—now it’s two extra rounds you have to fight. That could definitely change the outcome. Those two rounds, if someone is tired and the other guy is not, that could lead to a knockout.

SLAM: Do you think Floyd is really going to retire or are they setting things up for the rematch?

KAT: He’s done. I hope everyone enjoyed it while they had the chance.

SLAM: How was Kentucky this past weekend? 

KAT: It was good, it was fun to be back on campus and have a chance to see the players and see the fans. I’m so happy that I had a chance to go back to a place that I feel is home. Kentucky has a big part of my heart.

SLAM: Who were you most excited to see when you got there?

KAT: I got a chance to talk to Trey Lyles and Alex Poythress a lot. People you don’t usually get to see a lot—it’s always good to see the coaching staff and to be in Kentucky. The aura is different, the air is different there. It’s always good to go back anywhere that is like home. It was a great chance to be with my friends and coaching staff that I hadn’t seen in a while and teammates that I hadn’t seen in a while and play the game of basketball that we grew up loving.

SLAM: How did you end up in Katy Perry’s “Swish, Swish” video?

KAT: [Laughs] A phone call led to being asked to make a cameo in the video and I accepted. I thank Katy for giving me the opportunity to be in the music video. It’s a great video. It’s very intriguing, very funny and entertaining.

SLAM: Was that your first time in a music video?

KAT: Yeah, it was cool. It was like shooting a commercial. It was very meticulous work and you want to make sure you get it done right.

SLAM: If you could be in any artist’s music video right now who would it be?

KAT: I think it would be Kendrick Lamar. He’s killing the music video game, I would love to be in one of his. A good friend of mine, Mac Miller, I would love to be in one of his videos, too.

SLAM: Did the trade between the Celtics and Cavaliers catch you by surprise?

KAT: I was surprised, you didn’t know the whole situation—we all didn’t—I’m just happy they both found a way to deal with the situation. I wasn’t too much into it. I’m glad the respected teams got done what’s best for them and that’s really it.

SLAM: What do you think of Minnesota’s new Nike uniforms?

KAT: I mean it’s a new image, we’re trying to do something new. Obviously, we feel that we have a new team to start a new chapter in Wolves history and the jerseys definitely show us going in a new direction that we haven’t taken before.

SLAM: What is the ceiling for this team now that you’ve added Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague?

KAT: I’m very excited. I think we have a great chance to do something really special. Obviously it’s upsetting that we had to lose Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn to trades but that’s how the business is. We have to look forward and I’m excited about what we have.

SLAM: Last year the Wolves were a trendy pick to take the next step and make the postseason. Obviously, that didn’t happen. After that experience, does your approach to the season change at all?

KAT: No, I expect us to be in the playoffs and I expect us to compete in the playoffs and have Minnesota rocking not just for one round, but for multiple rounds. We have a lot of faith in ourselves that this is something that we can do and we have a coaching staff behind us and great teammates. I think we have something truly special here.

SLAM: I’m sure you’ve been catching all the Hoodie Melo memes. Do you guys get a kick out of that stuff?

KAT: I think it’s funny and I think most of us look at it as very funny. Melo’s been doing that for years and social media took it to a whole new level. It’s fun to see Melo getting in those workouts and see him focused for the upcoming season. You want to go against the best and you want the best to be at their best when you do.

SLAM: Much respect for the article you wrote for The Players’ Tribune. Why did you feel like it was time to make your voice heard?

KAT: I think the timing was right and you never realize how important your voice is until you speak up. I’m trying to do my part to help society and humanity. I wanted to say something. I feel that fans and kids look up to us as professional athletes and role models and we have to do stuff to improve society and make it better for kids to live in. I was trying to do that and spread a message of love and everyone should respect each other and love each other regardless of color, regardless of gender, regardless of situation or monetary status in life. Right now, it should all be about love and respect.

SLAM: What is the response you have been getting?

KAT: People have been texting me and telling me that they’re proud of me for speaking up. I don’t feel like I need admiration or attention from the article—I felt like it was the right time to write something like that. It was on my mind and in my heart and I really wanted to speak out about it and give my ideas. Like i said, these kids look up to professional athletes and we hold a high importance to a lot of kids in the world. It’s important to do something positive with the attention we garner and do something good for the world.

SLAM: What is your initial reaction to Call Of Duty WWII after playing? How is the gameplay?

KAT: It’s great. It’s very fluid, very smooth and they’re going back to the things that made it great from the beginning. This game is really special and Call of Duty fans will feel the nostalgic feeling from old-school COD.

SLAM: Have you been playing COD since back in the day?

KAT: I’ve been playing since the first one came out on PC.

SLAM: How often do you play during the season when you’re on the road?

KAT: I always bring an Xbox everywhere, a lot of us do. For good reason—we have long road trips and we’re tired and want to be in our room and connect with our friends and that’s how we’re able to do it.

SLAM: Who is the best gamer on the Wolves?

KAT: It would be me. Hands down. I’m the best gamer on the Wolves, hands down.

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

Photos via Getty Images

The post Karl-Anthony Towns on Mayweather-McGregor, Timberwolves, Hoodie Melo and Call of Duty appeared first on SLAM.

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Sources: Boston, Cleveland on trade call now with league office. Deal is done.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 22, 2017

The Celtics will receive Kyrie Irving in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn’s first round pick in the 2018 Draft.

Just when it seemed like the Kyrie Irving drama had cooled down, a new trade rumor has re-ignited the summer news cycle.

Original Story: According to reports from both ESPN and The Vertical, the Cavaliers and Celtics are in “serious talks” on a trade that would involve a swap of All-Star guards Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas:

Cleveland and Boston have moved into serious talks on a trade centered on All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, league sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 22, 2017

Sources: Boston, Cleveland nearing deal on Kyrie Irving, but details still working to completion. Isaiah Thomas, Crowder, pick(s) in talks.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 22, 2017

Cleveland and Boston engaged in active trade discussions centered on Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas, league sources tell The Vertical.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 22, 2017

Jae Crowder has reportedly been in the trade discussion as well.

Last week, it was reported that LeBron and Kyrie had met in Miami and teammate Dahntay Jones claimed that a “small conversation” would be able to fix any ill feelings between the two.

The Cavaliers’ front office, however, appears to still be actively engaged in trade talks surrounding its star point guard.

NBA players around the League had plenty to say about the blockbuster trade.

Be sure to check out players’ up-to-the-minute reactions in our comprehensive Kyrie-to-Boston tweetcap.

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Mitchell stops and chats with the guys about the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry, Rick Pitino’s coaching style and Jamal Mashburn’s Kentucky career before we head across the street to the Hollis Playground to get a few shots up. Suddenly, a day camp invades the park. At first, none of the kids pay much mind to Mitchell, who at this point is playing one-on-one against his teenage sister, Jordan. One camper, appropriately dressed in a Jr. NBA shirt, walks up to Mitchell and sheepishly asks him if he plays in the NBA. Once he responds yes, kids begin to mob the rookie with selfie and autograph requests.

By this point, Donovan is used to people taking some time to recognize who he is, but that won’t last much longer. This past summer, Mitchell was drafted No. 13 overall by the Utah Jazz, inked a sneaker deal with adidas and blew up at the Las Vegas Summer League with a 37-point, 8-steal performance against the Grizzlies. Funny thing is, four months ago, the former Louisville Cardinal guard wasn’t really sure it was the right time for him to make the jump to the L.

Following a sophomore season in which he averaged 15.6 points, 4.9 boards, 2.7 assists and 2.1 steals for Pitino at Louisville, Mitchell threw his name into the draft, but didn’t hire an agent right away. Still undecided about his next move, Mitchell had a workout with Chris Paul and Paul George in Los Angeles that changed everything.

“It’s been surreal, to be honest,” he says. “I know it’s easy to say that, but it’s hard to describe. I worked out this past summer with Paul George and Chris Paul and they were really the ones who convinced me to keep my name in the draft. We had talks and they said, Look, you’re good enough. Just go out there and show it. [The NBA] was a thought, but I didn’t think it would happen this fast. It’s crazy to me that I’m here now.”

If things had gone a little differently, Mitchell probably wouldn’t be riding in the back of a suburban en route to the next photo shoot location as he tells us this. Instead, he’d be riding on the back of a sweaty bus, grinding it out for a Major League Baseball team’s minor league affiliate. Mitchell’s father, Donovan Mitchell Sr, has spent his adult life working in baseball. Sr was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1992 and spent years in the minor leagues both as a player and a manager and now works for the New York Mets as the Director of Player Relations and Community Engagement. A standout player himself, Jr—who wears the number 45 because that was Michael Jordan’s number when he played baseball—suffered an injury on the diamond as a sophomore in high school, causing him to miss the AAU season.

“Baseball was really it,” he says. “I had my mind made up—I wanted to make the Major Leagues. But then I broke my wrist and that kind of went out the window right then.”

Once he transferred to powerhouse Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, the bouncy guard’s main focus became hoops. With his attention shifted to ball full-time, the Elmsford, NY native’s tenacity and competitiveness started to come through.

“Being ranked in high school is a big deal and I really got upset that I was ranked 43rd [by ESPN]. So I’m watching guys who I think I’m better than being ranked in higher spots and I’m like, Damn, why is that not me? I need to be out there. And that’s where that hunger and that fire and that determination and being under the radar, but still being a killer, really transpired from.”

Coming from a tight-knit family, Donovan’s exposure to professional athletes through his father has helped prepare him for the big change from college kid to NBA baller.

“When you grow up watching guys like David Wright, Jose Reyes and Pedro Martinez, you definitely have a sense of professionalism about yourself and you see how guys who are making millions of dollars stay humble and stay grounded,” he says. “I’ve also seen athletes who are not humbled and not grounded and are jerks in that way. I try to go out there and treat people right. My mother is big on that. She tells me, ‘The way you treat people is the way they’ll treat you.’ I’ve grown up with that same philosophy and that outlook doesn’t change whether I’m in the NBA or not.”

With his adidas deal, Mitchell joins a growing stable of very young, very cool players like Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray, Kris Dunn, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, James Harden and Damian Lillard. Considering he didn’t even think he would be in the NBA at this point, the fact that he’s got a sneaker deal is another milestone that came way quicker than anticipated.

“When my agents and I were talking about the sneaker deal, I thought it was going to be the typical agent meeting where they promise you a shoe deal and you’re like, Alright, I’m not that good, this is for guys who are big-time,” says Mitchell. “So when it happened, I was like, Wow, you were right, it did happen! It was a no-brainer going with adidas and I’m blessed and happy to be in this position and hope to keep representing them for a long period of time.”

Given Mitchell’s age, I have to ask if he’s familiar with the history of Run-DMC, considering the location of our shoot. Somewhat to my surprise, he’s not only aware of the legendary group, but also of how much it means for him to share something in common with them.

“I knew about Run-DMC from the song ‘My adidas,’ obviously, and being from New York, you hear about them,” he says. “But it’s not something you think about in the way like, Damn, I’m a part of this now. You don’t think about it in that way. You think, Oh, it’s a cool song, and about the legacy of Run-DMC. Now I’m a part of it. I didn’t think anything like this would be coming so fast. I think that’s the part that really got to me.”

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

Portraits by Joseph L. Sherman.

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Sky’s Peddler Themes EP is available now!

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As has been well documented, Lonzo and his family initially attempted to link with a powerhouse brand such as Nike, adidas or Under Armour for a partnership deal. When that didn’t pan out, BBB stormed ahead as an independent family business. While the NBA has seen players start their own brands in the past, no rookie before Lonzo had ever had a signature sneaker before his name was called by the NBA commissioner on draft night.

While some have scoffed at the Ball family’s practices—especially the marketing efforts of LaVar Ball—BBB has people paying attention on all levels.

“Every rising prospect is definitely closely watching to see how the Big Baller Brand venture goes for the Ball family,” says Nick DePaula, who covers the sneaker industry for Nice Kicks. “The concept of owning your own likeness, and retaining full rights to any marketing or revenue by launching your own brand is something everyone has taken notice of. With how much players are able to interact and market directly to fans through social media in today’s world, I definitely see another top player trying it.”

The explosion of social media has been the driving force behind BBB’s rise. Between Lonzo, LaVar and Zo’s two younger brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo, the family has just under 5.3 million combined Instagram followers. It’s what makes BBB so different from past player-founded brands like Stephon Marbury’s Starbury or Al Harrington’s Protege line, which launched back in 2009 with a distribution deal with Kmart already in place.

“The difference with Big Baller Brand at this point is they don’t have a distribution deal, so they really have to rely on social media to get behind it,” says Harrington. “I think it’s a beautiful thing. I would say, Why not try it? If it doesn’t work, Nike, adidas and Under Armour will be right there to scoop ‘em up. At the end of the day now, players have so much accessibility to fans and I think that more and more guys are going to take the leap of faith and start betting on themselves.”

On the grassroots level, top high school prospects are already plotting on their own brands. Last year, thanks to a strong social media following, the New York City-based JellyFam movement gained major momentum and attracted attention from superstar players like Carmelo Anthony and rappers like Cam’ron. Similar to BBB, the combined social following of all the players involved—including Isaiah Washington, who was named New York State’s Mr. Basketball and is readying for his freshman year at Minnesota—allowed the movement to grow out of the playgrounds of NYC to middle America. While JellyFam didn’t necessarily start selling product featuring its likeness, members of the collective are thinking ahead.

“I feel like [BBB] is doing a great job of marketing themselves,” says class of 2018 point guard and JellyFam member Jahvon Quinerly. “Even though everyone has an opinion on Lonzo’s dad, he’s still marketing his kid the right way. I would consider creating my own brand down the road. That’s different—that’s one of one.”

Quinerly isn’t the only recruit paying attention.

“I’m a big fan [of BBB],” adds class of ’19 guard Cassius Stanley. “I love what they’re doing. I think that the way they approach it with the dad being that outspoken, some kids now think it’s a joke. But I think some kids might eventually decide, ‘Hey, I want to make my own shoe.’ I think it’s a great idea and wish nothing but the best for them.”

Just a few years ago, the thought of starting a profitable brand without the backing of a retailer like Kmart or Walmart seemed impossible. But in 2017, anyone can easily open up an e-commerce shop and start moving products almost immediately. With built-in social media audiences that can reach millions of people with a simple Instagram or Facebook post, there’s less emphasis on conventional marketing tactics and even less of an emphasis on getting product in actual, physical stores from the jump. The ability to instantly access potential consumers via IG, FB, Twitter and YouTube has changed the game.

In the future, if an increasing amount of BBB-esque independent brands pop up and find success, we could see the powerhouse brands and the mom and pop brands working in harmony, so everyone eats.

“Let’s say Big Baller Brand really takes off—all it’s going to be is mergers and acquisitions at that point,” Harrington says. “[Nike, adidas and Under Armour] will just buy those companies and treat them as their own and expand them. That’s how I see it happening.”

So what do the big sneaker companies think of the way Big Baller Brand moves? At this point LaVar and Co. are impossible to ignore, leading one of the more memorable media tours in recent history. The $495 price tag of the ZO2 became a hot topic, and exact sales of the sneaker are relatively unknown, but both the shoe and the marketing around it has kept the family in the news cycle since the sneaker’s debut in May.

“No brand is dismissing it,” DePaula says. “They’re all closely watching, and I’ve heard from several people at multiple brands that they’ve all had pleasant interactions with LaVar in the past and really like his ambition. From a big-picture standpoint, brands don’t consider Big Baller Brand to be a head-to-head competitor, but they’re definitely aware of the interest they’ve generated and are taking them seriously as a niche upstart.”

The next year is crucial for the development of Big Baller Brand and the future of player-owned brands in general. If Lonzo finds immediate success as the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, BBB is sure to take off. And with LiAngelo and LaMelo potentially hitting the pro basketball ranks within the next three years, BBB could have three high-profile endorsers in the League.

While we likely won’t see another marketer as boisterous as LaVar, we can be sure that top prospects and their parents and guardians are out there tracking his every move and already thinking about how to utilize the BBB format in years to come.

“You see 16-year-olds already establishing a brand—now they need someone to come behind them and establish some capital to actually push it and make it a business,” Harrington says. “Because of social media and the way they can get their stories and ideas out there, I think it’s going to happen a lot more. For sure.”

Additional reporting by Justinn Delaney

—

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter at @Peter_M_Walsh.

Portrait by Atiba Jefferson. Sneaker shots via Getty Images.

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And waited.

Teams at the back end of the second round called to offer D-League opportunities,  but Ferrell and his agent turned them down. Once Tyrone Wallace’s name was called at No. 60, Ferrell sat without a team while the future of his career hung in the balance.

“That night I was pretty sad because after 11 of my 16 pre-draft workouts, I felt like I could really say that I impressed the organizations and I felt like one team wanted to pick me up in the draft,” says Ferrell, who was in Indianapolis before heading back to Dallas for offseason workouts, when we spoke. “That was a tough night. But I stayed with it—I used it as another chip on my shoulder.”

The draft night snub was a surprise to those who have known Yogi since he was  a child. Ever since he touched the hardwood, Ferrell had been a star. His father,  Kevin Sr, used to take him to play pickup with grown men at the YMCA or Lifetime Fitness, and Junior held his own. When he was in the fifth grade, he was ranked as the top player in the nation, but his parents intervened and pulled him from AAU ball later on in middle school. Kevin Sr wanted his son to “get rid of the noise,” as Yogi puts it, and not lose out on his childhood.

Still, Yogi’s brief hiatus from the summer circuit—he returned in high school—did not stop his rise and development. A McDonald’s All-American in 2012, Ferrell committed to the hometown Indiana Hoosiers and went on to start all 137 games he played in.

The 6-0 point guard finished his senior year with averages of 17.6 points, 5.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game as IU won the Big Ten Championship outright and advanced to the Sweet 16. He finished first in career assists, second in career three-pointers made, played and started in the most career games and ranks sixth in career scoring at the blue blood school.

Beloved in his hometown and by the university, Ferrell’s draft night experience was a sobering one to say the least.

Yogi eventually signed a Summer League deal with the Brooklyn Nets, then bounced around between the Nets and their D-League affiliate in Long Island. He appeared in 10 NBA games with Brooklyn while he and his agent entertained overseas deals.

During his brief stay in Brooklyn, the 24-year-old learned under Jeremy Lin, not knowing at the time that his career path was headed for a similar trajectory.

“I talked to Jeremy a lot and he told me that he felt like I was an NBA player and to stick with it and go out there and just kill,” says Yogi. “He said, ‘Someone is going to notice you, someone is always in the stands. The best thing you can do is go out there and give it your all.’”

Lin’s words proved to be a foreshadowing of what was to come.

While Ferrell toiled away with the Long Island Nets, the struggling Dallas Mavericks were in need of a playmaker. They gave Yogi a call in late January and offered a 10-day contract. The down-but-not-out baller was on his way to Texas almost as soon as he hung up the phone.

“I was with the Nets’ D-League team and we were getting ready to play a game in Erie, PA—random city, don’t ever go there,” Ferrell remembers. “My agent called me about four hours before the game and said the Mavs wanted to sign me to a 10-day. I went straight to the airport in Erie and flew to Dallas and the next day I was the first guy out there because I needed to learn the offense.

“Rick Carlisle came up to me and was like, You’re starting tomorrow against the Spurs,” he continues. “In my mind, I’m like, Wow, I’m starting my first game against Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Manu and the Spurs. Someone within the Mavs organization told me that what he sees a lot of times with guys on a 10-day contract is they try to come in and fit the system. You can’t really do that. He told me to come in and play my game and everything else will come with it.”

Ferrell took the advice and ran with  it, helping the Mavs to a 105-101 win in his first career start. With Yogi handling starting point duties, the Mavs then went on a four-game winning streak that culminated with a 108-104 dub over the Blazers, during which Yogi hit a rookie-high nine three-pointers and finished with 32 points.

Yogi, who had watched 60 players get selected ahead of him just eight months prior, was suddenly one of the most exciting stories in the NBA.

During his career-best night, the rook was noticeably confident and played with a swagger not often seen from an undrafted player on a 10-day. This wasn’t a coincidence—he had been offered a two-year contract with the Mavs hours before tip-off, putting his mind at ease and allowing him to play loose.

“A few hours before the game, my agent actually told me that they wanted to sign me to a two-year deal,” Yogi says. “I felt like a huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. I felt like I could go out there and play free and not worry about mistakes. I actually signed the contract on the plane before we landed.”

The Mavs organization has a long history of being a place where veteran players find a second-life and a spot where young players get their careers  off on the right foot. In Yogi Ferrell, it looks like Dallas has found another  piece to help them rebound from a  rare missed postseason berth. And Ferrell is surrounded by experienced NBAers like JJ Barea, Dirk Nowitzki and Devin Harris, a solid group of vets to shown him the ropes.

“Devin and JJ have really helped me out a lot,” he says. “Devin would always tell me, ‘Attack, attack, attack.’ JJ is so deceptive. If I’m on the bench, I’m watching him and how he gets into the lane. I’ve been trying to study him because he throws a lot of great lobs to the bigs. I’ve been trying to soak in as much knowledge as possible from these guys.”

With an offseason of workouts ahead, Yogi is already thinking about the ways he can help the Mavs rack up wins next season.

“I’m the type of player to go out there and bring my energy to the court,” he says proudly. “I bring my all defensively and offensively and do my all to win. I just let my game do the talking.”

–

Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter at @Peter_M_Walsh.

Action photos via Getty Images. Portrait via Kamel Lahmadi, styled by Grungy Gentleman.

Video by BLUELINE.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have a Kevin Durant problem.

For the second straight game, the Warriors’ major offseason acquisition was unstoppable, this time going for 33 points (13-22 shooting), 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks and 3 steals to lead Golden State to a 132-113 victory and a 2-0 series lead in the 2017 NBA Finals. Golden State has not lost a game thus far in the playoffs.

While KD torched the Cavs on offense, he was perhaps even more impressive on the defensive end.

“His defense was amazing, and we needed it,” said Steve Kerr after the game. “I thought that Kev’s defense was unreal, and it was probably the key to the whole game.”

Kevin Durant is TOO GOOD. pic.twitter.com/xcOUf7VZ68

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) June 5, 2017

Durant’s presence and impact made things easier on his star teammates, too. Stephen Curry put up his first career Finals triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and Klay Thompson finally broke out of his playoff-long slump by putting up 22 points.

“For me, it did feel good to see the ball go in,” said Thompson. “More importantly, it felt good to get the win. I think tonight I was just in a good rhythm. It started with getting to the basket early and taking good shots. If I do that, it’ll all even out.”

CHEF CURRY pic.twitter.com/tIxK45t3dH

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) June 5, 2017

The Cavaliers hung tough through the first half and trailed by three at the end of two quarters, thanks in large part to the efforts of LeBron James. The King notched his eighth career Finals triple-double with a 29-point, 11-rebound, 14-assist performance, tying Magic Johnson for the most career triple-doubles in NBA Finals history.

“Right now, it means nothing. But it will mean something,” LeBron said of tying Magic. “He’s one of the greatest to play this game. Right now, individuality means absolutely nothing when it comes to this team sport. But when I’m done, I’ll probably look back on it and say it was a cool feat.”

LEBRON. JAMES. pic.twitter.com/JqIoIcMKsc

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) June 5, 2017

But it wasn’t enough.

Kevin Love scored 27 points to go along with 7 boards and Kyrie Irving dropped a quiet 19. But just like in Game 1, the Cavs bench struggled mightily.

“I thought for the most part with the game plan that we had we tried to execute it as close as possible. [We were] Much more physical today than we were in Game 1. And we forced them to 20 turnovers and they still beat us pretty good,” said James.

The series heads back to Cleveland for Game 3 and the Cavaliers clearly need to make some adjustments to slow down the Warriors’ juggernaut offense. There’s only so much LeBron James can do by himself.

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Kevin Durant‘s decision to join the Golden State Warriors continues to look better and better. After shocking the hoops world on the morning of July 4, 2016 by announcing that he was leaving Oklahoma City for the Bay Area, Durant faced intense scrutiny, a glorified beef with former teammate Russell Westbrook, “cupcake” taunts, and a new reputation as a traitor.

Now he’s just three wins away from securing the first ring of his career.

“This is what every player wants to be, is the highest level of basketball,” said Durant. “That’s what you dream about as a kid, is to play at the highest level.”

The 7-footer finished with 23 points in the first half and scored a game-high to go along with 8 boards and 8 assists.

Durant’s presence certainly caught the attention of LeBron James. When asked what he noticed most about the game, he responded bluntly with “KD.”

The third installment of Cavs-Warriors certainly lived up to the ridiculous hype surrounding the matchup in the first quarter. After both teams went scoreless in the first minute, the two squads erupted to score a combined 65 points.

Going back and forth and trading big dunks, Cleveland and Golden State were living up to the lofty expectations set by the NBA and the fans following a lackluster playoffs. The Warriors led 35-30 after one.

BRON (via @espn) pic.twitter.com/yVcLVc8uEy

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 2, 2017

KD blows by LeBron for the jam. (via @warriors) pic.twitter.com/Yzyc20g04J

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 2, 2017

From there, the Dubs kept their collective foot on the gas and dominated the next three quarters to take a 1-0 series lead.

Golden State had everything clicking in the third quarter. Following Durant’s electric first half performance, Stephen Curry took the reins in the third frame, scoring 14 of his 28 to stretch Golden State’s lead to 21.

“The shift came in the first about two minutes and 30 seconds after halftime. That’s something that we have to limit going forward, especially when it’s an eight-point game,” said Irving. “We have done a good job of limiting them to certain things going into halftime, had a few too many mistakes, and then coming out of halftime they just jump on us. Great teams do that.”

Curry's celebration tho pic.twitter.com/ytLoUiOO6F

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 2, 2017

For Cleveland, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving shouldered the offensive load. Bron put up a monster-yet-ordinary for him stat line: 28 points, 15 boards, and 8 assists. But also had 8 turnovers (the Cavs finished with 20 total compared to just 15 assists).

Kyrie was crafty around the rim, finishing with touch amongst the Warriors big men. He wound up with 24 points on 10-22 shooting.

The rest of the Cavaliers, however, did not give the Cavs’ two stars the help they needed. Kevin Love scored 15 points and grabbed 21 boards, while the rest of the roster scored a combined 21 points.

LeBron had a simple message on what he needs from his supporting cast following the game:

“Just to be themselves and do what they have done throughout the course of the season, throughout the course of the last couple years. Play with energy, play with effort, play with their mind and their bodies and understand what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Cleveland had no answer for the offensive powerhouse the Warriors rolled out. Will things change in Game 2? Find out on Sunday night.

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Strickland, who played for the Knicks, Spurs, Blazers, Wizards, Heat, Timberwolves, Magic, Raptors and Rockets during his 17-year career, isn’t the first player MCs think of when name-dropping in songs, which goes to show why Rae has been considered one of the best lyricists in the game for 25 years.

“I wasn’t a big Rod Strickland fan back in the day,” admits Chef. “I knew about him but that rhyme came out because it needed to come out. It was a metaphor thing, but it was also a vibe I was in. It made sense in the rhyme at that time. The kid could play ball and he was getting busy and I just said his name. It just worked.”

Like Strickland, Raekwon’s career has taken him all over the hip-hop map, both as a member of Wu-Tang Clan and as a successful solo artist. At 47 years old, the Staten Island, NY, native just dropped The Wild, his eighth solo record, in March.

—
Hear more from Raekwon from our sitdown on the “Respect The Game” podcast:

—

While Rae is admittedly a bigger fan of baseball than basketball, his influence can be felt on the NBA hardwood. He’s been an annual staple at All-Star Weekend, most recently performing at a GQ party in New Orleans this past February, and last summer photos of a massive Wu-Tang Clan tattoo on Kevin Durant’s leg began to circulate.

“When I saw Kevin Durant’s tattoo, that blew my head off,” he says. “People were like, ‘Yo, did you see what this dude put on his leg?! He threw the ‘W’ up there!’ And I was like, Yeah, he’s official. That’s when you realize this music is really influencing these players. Music puts you in a zone, and these guys are constantly in a zone—the music is part of them being motivated.”

As a veteran MC, Rae has played every role—from a superstar on his own albums to coming through with a clutch verse to give a Wu-Tang classic an extra jolt. It’s why he’s been able to stay relevant despite the ever-changing landscape of hip-hop music.

“I’m a [Robert] Horry ni**a, I can’t front,” he says, comparing his career accomplishments to Big Shot Rob’s seven titles. “But I’m Michael Jordan too, though. I’m both of those muthafu**as.”

—
Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter at @Peter_M_Walsh.

Photos via Getty Images

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Behind 29 points from Kevin Durant and 36 points from Stephen Curry, the Warriors defeated the Spurs 129-115 to complete the four-game sweep. Without Kawhi Leonard for the third-straight game, the Spurs had little chance and fell behind 31-19 after the first quarter. San Antonio would never come close to taking the lead.

For Manu Ginobili, the game may have been his final in the NBA. Throughout the ESPN broadcast, Mark Jackson, Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy talked as if Ginobili was planning to retire if the Spurs were to lose the game. In what may have been a hint of Manu’s impending retirement, Gregg Popovich gave the legend a rare playoff start. Ginobili left the floor to a standing ovation and “Manu” chants from the crowd:

Manu gets a standing ovation as he leaves the floor. (Via @BenGolliver) pic.twitter.com/L65WWUqKTg

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 23, 2017

As of press time, Ginobili has not said if this will be his last season. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Stephen Curry passed Kobe Bryant for fifth all time on the NBA Playoffs three-pointers made list. He has hit 293 and needs to make 22 more to pass LeBron James.

Golden State awaits the winner of the Cavaliers-Celtics series. The Cavs hold a 2-1 lead and if they hold on, will face the Warriors in the Finals for the third-straight year–which would be a first in NBA history.

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This year’s draft class is widely considered one of the best in the past decade. Throughout the past college season, there was a steady debate over who would go No. 1—Lonzo Ball or Markelle Fultz—and fans from Philly, Boston and Phoenix were already studying up on their franchise’s next potential superstar. Despite the publicity and attention the top picks have garnered, there remains a very tall, relatively unknown 7-footer out of Creighton University who could, given his ridiculous upside, challenge for the title of top player in this loaded class.

Justin Patton, the rare player to declare for the NBA draft as a redshirt freshman, is projected to go anywhere between picks  No. 10 and 20, depending on which mock draft site you favor. But it’s likely you’ve never heard of him until very recently.

A quick Google search for “Justin Patton high school highlights” yields just two videos. One, from 2014, is a 45-second clip that shows a gangly, somewhat awkward Patton hoisting up mid-range jumpers during a practice. The other, from 2015, shows grainy footage of an explosive big man catching a lob off the backboard during one of his Omaha North (NE) high school games.

It begs the question: how did Patton go from a scrawny kid jacking up slow mid-range jumpers to a super-athletic, bouncy 7-footer that has NBA teams ready to make him a major piece of their franchise in the span of just a few short years?

For starters, a high school growth spurt took him from a 6-foot wing player to a 6-9 big man.

“I was 6-2 as a high school freshman and now I’m 7-feet tall,” says Patton. “I grew seven inches my sophomore year. I had a little growth spurt. I don’t think my game caught up to my body until my redshirt season at Creighton. [Before that year] I was falling down on the court and I would get tired easily. Now my conditioning has caught up with my growth and I feel like I’m a much better ballplayer than I was two years ago.”

During his high school years, Patton played with the Nebraska-based OSA Crusaders on the AAU circuit, where his coach, Bob Franzese, saw the potential in him as a raw sophomore who still had a lot of work to do.

“I remember I was trying to find another player for our AAU program and I went and watched him play,” says Franzese, “and I had a lot of people tell me he wasn’t good enough as a 6-9, 6-10 sophomore. And I was thinking, Man, with the progress he has made, I think a year or two from now we could really have something.”

Franzese told the same thing to the coaches at Creighton, where the staff—predicting that he would likely be a three-to-four year project—offered Patton a scholarship early in the summer of 2014. Patton said yes before head coach Greg McDermott could even finish his sentence.

It was the only D-I scholarship offer Patton received.

Later that summer, the rising big man’s game started to blossom a bit and he showed flashes of dominance at tournaments. In the Crusaders’ first major showcase of the AAU season, Patton displayed his explosiveness with tip dunks and blocked shots. As the summer progressed, more and more coaches began to show up at games.

“We went down to a tournament in Kansas City and played in front of 150 college coaches and Justin had the game of his life,” says Franzese. “I’m thinking, OK, here we go, we’re going to get 500 phone calls tomorrow. We didn’t get one call.”

Justin’s big summer continued and the phone calls started to roll in, but his eyes never strayed from Creighton’s CenturyLink Center. His commitment to Coach McDermott never wavered. For a hometown kid, playing at Creighton meant everything.

“Everyone in the state goes to the Creighton games—they drive from all over to see Creighton play,” Patton says. “When you play there, all eyes are on you. We filled the gym with 18,000 fans every game. It’s like no other playing there. Everyone is rooting for you—you’ll be walking down the street and they’ll be treating you like a God. It was fun being in that environment.”

Patton’s chance to prove himself took a little detour when he got to college, as he and the coaching staff decided that it would be best for him to take a redshirt year to develop and build on his skinny 200-pound frame. While hosting a recruiting visit with Class of 2016 guard Davion Mintz during Justin’s redshirt year, Mintz, his father, Patton and McDermott were eating at a restaurant that overlooked the Missouri River. Following the dinner, the crew looked up facts about the body of water and learned that the part that flows through Omaha is called the “Big Muddy River,” which prompted McDermott and Mintz’s father to say, “Justin, since this is your city, we’re going to call you Big Muddy.” Little did the group know that Patton’s true takeover of Omaha would come quicker than anyone could have anticipated.

Patton first started to turn heads on a national level when he scored 10 points and grabbed 7 boards in an early-season win over No. 9 Wisconsin last November. In a January game against St. John’s, Patton scored 25 points, snatched 9 rebounds, dished out 4 assists and blocked a shot. His stock skyrocketed. The Bluejays started the season 18-1 and climbed as high as No. 7 in the polls before star point guard and National Player of the Year candidate Maurice Watson Jr went down for the season with a torn ACL.

With Watson out, “Muddy” became more of a focal point of Creighton’s offense, frequently initiating the offense from the high post. The change meant Patton got to show off his versatility. Already known as a skilled post player and capable finisher at the rim off the pick-and-roll, the 7-footer flashed his handle, court vision and ability to step out and hit shots from both mid-range and three-point territory. JP finished the season with averages of 12.9 points, 6.2 boards and 1.4 blocks, while shooting 67.6 percent from the field for the 25-10 Bluejays.

Patton didn’t begin to seriously think about declaring for the NBA draft until halfway through this past season, but with a new wave of stretch big men like Kristaps Porzingis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid taking over the game, his skill set—and untapped potential—gives him a shot at being a franchise cornerstone like the aforementioned stars.

“I feel like those players have a similar game to mine,” Patton says. “I’m always trying to learn new things and I’m always watching those guys play and see how they do it at the highest level every day. I try to watch them and take pieces from their games and add it to mine.”

Most one-and-done players are thrust into the spotlight at a young age and dubbed the next NBA superstar, often before they are old enough to fully grasp what that means and how much baggage comes with drawing such attention during their formative years. For Patton, growing and maturing late allowed him to analyze the landscape and see what has worked, and more importantly, what hasn’t for other players.

“I feel like I got to grow up before all of this happened,” he says. “A lot of these players, they go through this whole process and they’re just kids and don’t have the opportunity to grow up. I got to watch a lot of other people make mistakes and a lot of people prosper and I studied that. By the time I started to blow up, I was already a mature person and knew how to handle everything.

“I want to rise to the top,” he adds. “I’ve always been someone that was never given a chance but made the most of everything they got. I hope and I will become one of the best in the NBA. That’s one of the things I’m banking on right now.”

—
Peter Walsh is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter at @Peter_M_Walsh.

Photos via Getty Images

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In March, Irvin dropped by the SLAM Dome to talk about his role in Slamma Jamma, the 1992 Foot Locker Slam Fest, the Dallas Hoopsters, balling with Mitch Richmond as a kid in Florida and more.

SLAM: Did you play basketball in high school?

Michael Irvin: I played at St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) and I went down to the Beach Ball Classic, where guys like Kenny Anderson were playing, and took home MVP, broke rebounding records and was the leading scorer. I was physical—the way I played football was the way I played basketball. I almost went to Indiana to play football and basketball. Lorenzo White and I—he played for the Oilers—we went up to IU for a skills camp in high school. The camp went well and then we went and played basketball. I remember I came down and dunked on Uwe Blab, who was a center on the hoops team. I thought I was going to play both sports at Indiana. It was a tossup for a while.

SLAM: You and Mitch Richmond know each other from way back, right?

MI: When we were kids, we used to travel around all the time and challenge all the brothers in the hood. They were putting up beers, [and] we would put up our milk or something and we would beat them down! I would be talking trash and Mitch used to calm me down.

SLAM: You, Mike Conley Sr, Barry Bonds, Tim Brown, Deion Sanders and Ken Griffey Jr were in the 1992 Foot Locker Slam Fest. What was it like?

MI: I don’t know why they stopped doing that. I lost to Mike Conley in the Finals and the prize was $50,000. Deion was saying to me, Mike, you better let that track and field dude win. You know they’re not making no $50,000! I was like, That’s a lot of money, what are you talking about? That’s a lot of money for a few dunks!

SLAM: Did the Cowboys play any pickup?

MI: I used to run the Dallas Cowboys Hoopsters. It was myself, Emmitt Smith and a few others and we would play staffs from police departments or radio stations. We had a great squad. Larry Allen was a monster! One day, Larry—this dude is 360 pounds—he went off both feet and dunked and took the whole hoop down. He cut his head and was bleeding everywhere! I took the hoop off his head and told him to talk to the trainer. He kept asking, What are we going to do about the rim?

SLAM: Were you friendly with any Mavs?

MI: Derek Harper was a good friend—he was from Florida, too. Derek was so good growing up. They used to call him “Wop.” I was like, what kind of nickname is “Wop?” And then at the gym, he would pull up and the whole gym would go “Wop!” and the ball would hit nothing but net.

SLAM: What about Dallas owner Mark Cuban? Do you know him at all?

MI: Mark is always messing with me because I had my company PCN, Players Communication Network, and I remember Mark walking in the building and he offered us a percentage of Broadcast.com to join my company. We should have taken it, but I had people telling me to hold out for more. We never got more. Now when I see him, he’s like, “Michael, you know what your take would have been?” I like Mark and yeah he’s eccentric, but I like that [Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones and Mark have that quality about them.

The post The Playmaker appeared first on SLAM.

YFN Lucci then joins the show to talk his new EP, ‘Long Live Nut,’ hooping in celebrity games and his relationship with top-10 recruit Collin Sexton.

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San Antonio Spurs guard Kyle Anderson graduated from St. Anthony’s in 2012 and is currently the only alum to play for an NBA team. Anderson transferred to St. Anthony’s after his former high school, Paterson Catholic, shut its doors following his sophomore year. While playing under Hurley, Anderson went 65-0 during his two seasons. Slow Mo was considered a top-5 recruit in the Class of 2012 and played two seasons at UCLA before declaring for the NBA Draft. He is currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs.

We caught up with the former Friar to talk about lessons learned at St. Anthony’s, playing under Bob Hurley and what has carried over from his days in high school to the NBA.

SLAM: How did you hear about the school’s closing?

Kyle Anderson: I read something about it on Twitter, then my dad had sent me a text message saying it was true. That’s how I got the news.

SLAM: What was your initial reaction?

KA: It’s tough, this is my second high school closing. Paterson Catholic, the school I went to my freshman and sophomore year, closed and when I heard St. Ant’s closed down, I felt like I had been in this position before. But it still stinks. You want to see something as special as St. Anthony’s continue on forever. But for certain reasons and unfortunate reasons, it can’t happen and it’s sad.

SLAM: Being that you had the experience of a school closing while you were at Paterson, can you empathize with the kids who are at St. Anthony’s now?

KA: Definitely, just kind of thinking about it, you don’t really have anything to go back to now. You don’t have a high school team to go watch, there won’t be anymore St. Anthony’s games. Fortunately you still know the same people but to not have your high school still there, it’s tough.

SLAM: I feel like every year, a rumor would pop up that St. Anthony’s was in danger of closing and then at the last minute the money would come through thanks to a donation or fundraiser. Did you think that was going to happen this year, too?

KA: I think that’s what everyone was thinking. Every year you hear rumors about the school closing and for this year to finally be true, it’s shocking. It’s tough, I was very taken aback by it.

SLAM: The team was so successful in the two years that you were there. What are some of your favorite memories from playing at St. Ant’s?

KA: A lot of great memories on and off the court. The players and the guys I went to school with and shared success with at the time, those were great guys and a very hard working, fun group to be around. I still keep in touch with those guys, they will be my friends forever. We won state championships, we didn’t lose a single game while I was there. I remember all the hard practices and beating St. Pat’s my junior year in the Non-Public B State Championship Game. Too many memories to even count.

SLAM: What was it like playing for Coach Hurley?

KA: He’s a very demanding coach and wants the best out of you and wants to give your all whenever you step into that rectangle. It’s tough, you have to be very strong minded and have to be willing to accept criticism. I think it pays off in the long run.

SLAM: Are there any similarities in his style and the way Pop coaches?

KA: Yeah, I see some similarities. Honestly, both great coaches and both are very demanding and selective in what they want. I think that’s what makes both of them great coaches.

SLAM: Are there any lessons that coach Hurley has taught you, either on the court or off the court, that have carried over to your professional career and adult life?

KA: There were so many. I think one thing I learned from Coach Hurley on the basketball floor is to never take possessions off and play as hard as you can every time you’re on the floor. He really got that out of me and it was something I wanted to get better at when I got to St. Ant’s. I think I learned how to do that once I got to St. Anthony’s.

SLAM: As the only player from St. Ant’s in the NBA right now, do you feel a certain pride that you’re from the school and a responsibility for holding down the school’s legacy?

KA: There’s always that pride when you come from St. Anthony’s. I think everybody has it once they go through. I’m not trying to uphold any legacy or anything, it’s a privilege to say that I went there and played there.

—

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—

Peter Walsh is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him @Peter_M_Walsh.

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Before Ray and Maya join the podcast, we also talk about the major storylines surrounding the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

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He was never supposed to make it out of Tacoma, WA. Never supposed to be on the cover of SLAM Magazine. And sure as hell never supposed to be one of the NBA’s most feared scorers.

Last pick in the draft? He’ll be lucky to make the team. Traded by the Kings? Not even one of the worst franchises in sports wants him. Traded in a last-minute deadline deal between the Suns and Celtics? Nah, he’ll spend his career as a journeyman.

Good thing Isaiah spends more time putting in work than listening to critics. Because today he’s a two-time NBA All-Star, the best fourth-quarter scorer in the League, a legit MVP candidate and the face of the Boston Celtics.

What are y’all gonna say now?

It’s an unseasonably warm late February day in Boston when Isaiah Thomas strolls into the gym at Cambridge, MA’s Rindge and Latin School rocking a full Nike Tech Fleece sweatsuit and a pair of Air Max 90s. After showing off the cover of a local Boston magazine he was featured on recently, Isaiah and his agency rep joke, “We’re leveling up today!” before he begins to change into his Celtics road uniform and matching green-and-black Kobe A.D. sneakers.

As he’s changing, a small crowd trickles in. First, a few members of the school’s faculty. Then, Officer Michael Daniliuk of the Cambridge PD enters, hoping to get a minute to thank Isaiah for the charitable efforts he and his wife Kayla made after a massive December fire displaced 125 East Cambridge residents.

Isaiah’s face lights up as SLAM photographer Atiba Jefferson tells him stories about working with Kobe Bryant. Meanwhile, students start to pop in to try and sneak a pic for Snapchat. As the swarm grows, Thomas remains unfazed—nowadays, crowds hoping to get a glimpse of him are the norm.

He is a full-blown superstar. And he’s earned it. He came into the NBA in 2011 wanting to become one of the best, and he’s done just that.

“My job is to make people eat their words,” he says after the shoot. “I’m a guy who likes to speak things into existence. Whatever I say, I feel like I can accomplish because I put work in. I’m not where I want to be. I’m headed in the right direction, but I feel like I have so much more to show the world.”

Playing in his second full season with the Celtics, the 28-year-old is showing the world plenty. He is averaging 29.1 ppg, third in the league behind only Russell Westbrook and James Harden—and he’s etching his name into Boston lore right next to Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Kevin McHale and more. He set a new Cs record by scoring at least 20 points in 43 straight games and his 16 35-point games are the most in a Celtics season since Bird was running around on the old Garden’s parquet. He also became just the sixth Celtic to score at least 2,000 points in a season.

On February 5, IT saw up close just how much the players mean to Celtics fans when Pierce, now wrapping up his career with the Clippers, played his final game in Boston. The Truth memorably ended the game by coming off the bench and hitting a three-pointer—with Zeke playing some relaxed D—as the crowd went wild.

“I was glad I could be part of that moment and see how they embraced him,” Thomas says. “The night before I was out to eat with Jamal Crawford and Paul came into the same restaurant and sat down with us. He was telling me, ‘If you win here, there’s no better feeling in the world because of these fans.’ The next day, seeing how they embraced him, that was an unbelievable moment. And for him to hit the last shot and go out like that, you dream of things like that.”

Thomas’ ascension to icon status with the Celtics was far from a sure thing when he arrived. Isaiah himself was initially unsure how the move would work out, especially after being traded first from Sacramento and then Phoenix less than a year into his contract. After getting the call that he was being sent out of PHX, Thomas was feeling down about playing for his third team in two years. But the people around him—both basketball legends and current players—knew this would be a career-changing move.

“I remember he was very down after the trade, and I talked to him an hour or two hours after and I was just talking and telling him how exciting and life-changing this would be for him,” says Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who has been close with IT4 since his days at Washington. “I just thought the way he played the game and the situation the Celtics were in at the time, it was a city and a franchise that would love him and love the way that he plays. I thought it was perfect.”

And sure, in hindsight the situation seems perfect now, but not even his closest friends expected things to take off this fast.

“To be very honest, the first thing I told him was, You can make an All-Star team over there,” says his best friend and fellow Seattle-area native Jamal Crawford. “I didn’t expect 30 points a night. I didn’t expect it this fast and for him to be in the MVP conversation. I didn’t expect all that. I did expect him to be an All-Star. The next level, I did not see it coming this fast.”

Crawford and Thomas have a relationship that dates back to Isaiah’s teenage years. When IT was playing prep ball at South Kent (CT) School, Crawford was playing for the Knicks, and Thomas would frequently stay at Crawford’s White Plains, NY, apartment on weekends. For as long as he can remember, all Thomas wanted to do was be an NBA player—and it was those weekends hanging out with Jamal when he learned what it took to be a professional baller off the court.

“I would be at Jamal’s house and see how he interacts with people and how he goes about his day,” Isaiah says now. “I wanted to be an NBA player, so my whole thing was, I have to do everything I can. When I got older and got into college and became a pro, Jamal taught me how to be a pro, how to be professional, how to come to work every day whether you’re playing or not, how to treat people who can’t do anything for you.”

As Crawford tells it, “When he was going to go [to South Kent], his parents were a little hesitant—he was going across the country for the first time and living alone. I was with the Knicks, so I’m like, Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’s good. Every weekend he didn’t have school, he would come to my apartment, stay with me and come to games, and I would go to his. I would be the only one in the crowd. My wife and I would drive an hour, hour and a half to watch him play and we’d be some of the only people in the crowd. Since he was 16, we’ve talked every single day. I was a groomsman in his wedding, and he was a groomsman in mine. That’s like my brother. It’s deeper than basketball.”

“He’s like a big brother to me,” Thomas adds of the elder Crawford, who just turned 37. “Without him, there would be no me.”

The Wednesday night after our photo shoot, the Celtics welcome LeBron James and the Cavs for a nationally televised game. The Celtics, at 39-22, are right on the Cavs’ heels for the No. 1 seed in the East, and this is easily the biggest game of the year at the Garden thus far. The crowd is a little bigger than the one at Rindge and Latin, but Isaiah’s cool and calm demeanor hasn’t changed during his pre-game rituals.

Over the next four quarters, with several members of the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots in the crowd, Isaiah flies around the court, zig-zagging through defenders, tormenting whoever is stuck guarding him. When he’s on the bench for a breather, he rarely sits. Tiptoeing the out-of-bounds line with a towel around his shoulders, Isaiah barks directions at his teammates like a surrogate coach, always involved with the game. Cavs PG Kyrie Irving and Thomas trade spectacular plays all game long.

When the camera pans to the crowd before the start of the fourth quarter, the jumbotron shows young Celtic fans pointing to their wrist, eagerly awaiting the fourth quarter heroics that IT has become known for. Everyone in the building knows what time it is—except for Iman Shumpert, who goes under a screen and leaves Thomas wide open for a go-ahead three with under a minute left.

“I embrace fourth quarters,” Thomas says. “My teammates and the staff look for me to make plays and be that guy in the fourth, so I try to take advantage. At the same time, when I’m in the gym by myself, that’s what I’m working for. To be in those moments and to be looked to as the guy when the game is on the line to take and make the game-winning shot.”

The Celtics withstand a monster 28-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist performance from LeBron to win 103-99. Thomas finishes with 31 points, 5 assists, 2 boards and 1 block. After the game, when a reporter suggests that the Cavs held him in check for most of the game, Thomas quickly interrupts him: “Nobody holds me in check.”

The reporter tries again. “I average 30 points for a reason,” Thomas says.

Up close, it’s stunning to think a player of Isaiah’s size and stature could average 30 a night in a league of mammoth-sized men. Much like Allen Iverson before him, Isaiah gets bumped when he tries to go over a screen, knocked to the ground when he goes to the basket and bullied in the post when he goes up against bigger opponents. But just like his friend Floyd Mayweather Jr, no matter how hard he gets hit, he keeps coming.

It’s a huge reason why legends of the game have lauded him. While tons of ex-players in the media blast many of today’s stars, Thomas seems to be universally loved and respected by ballers of all ages. Over the past two years, IT has gotten the chance to meet and talk with Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan, both of whom are admitted fans. At All-Star Weekend in Toronto two years ago, IT got a chance to sit down with Iverson, the start of a close relationship.

“He said he was a real big fan of mine,” Thomas says. “It didn’t seem real. You know, people say they’re fans of you, but he was, like, emulating my moves and telling me that he watches all of my games and that I’m cut from the same cloth. We exchanged numbers and we’ve gotten closer. He’ll text me after games and be like, ‘Man, that reminded me of myself.’

“He was one guy who, when I got to sit with him, changed everything, because he’s arguably the best pound-for-pound player to play, and I want to be right behind him. To sit down with Allen Iverson and for him to tell me, ‘You’re a real killa, just like me,’ nobody can tell me anything anymore. He gave me the OK to be me.”

Then at this year’s All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, MJ and IT flicked it up for Instagram, and the GOAT passed along a few compliments.

“[Jordan] actually told me, ‘Keep doing your thing, and take the night off when you play the Hornets,’” Thomas says. “That means everything. For the best player to ever play the game to watch what I’m doing, it says a lot.”

The love for Isaiah isn’t limited to legends, either. His peers respect his game immensely. Even LeBron called him a “clear-cut star” this season.

“I think he’s embraced, first of all, because of his size,” Crawford says. “Guys his size usually get weeded out in the NBA in general—they don’t really get a fair shot. His size and his heart, I think everyone sees that. Isaiah is a true student of the game. He works on his craft. He knows the guys who came before him, whether they were a star or not, and he respects those guys and pays homage to them. I think the OGs of the game really take to that because a lot of guys don’t always pay respect like that.”

Before Thomas dips for the day back at our shoot, the Rindge and Latin boys and girls basketball teams come into the gym to take photos with Isaiah and crack jokes with the local hero. At the time, the boys varsity team is riding a 19-game winning streak into the playoffs, and their head coach asks IT to say a few words to the team.

After being challenged to one-on-one games, Thomas gets real about the tough transition from high school to college. He leaves them with a word of advice: “Make the most of every opportunity.”

Speak it into existence, indeed.

—

Peter Walsh is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

Portraits Atiba Jefferson

BTS video by @VASHR, Reaction video by Shakil Uddin

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On February 13, Nurkic was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Portland Trail Blazers. And, in 15 games with the Blazers, the third-year big man is posting 14.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. On March 9, he put up a ridiculous 28-point, 20-rebound, 8-assist and 6-block performance in a win over the Sixers.

Nurkic is all of a sudden living up to his “Bosnian Beast” nickname. We caught up with him earlier this season to learn about his path to the League.

SLAM: How did you get introduced to basketball?

Jusuf Nurkic: My father is a 7-foot tall, 400-pound police officer in Bosnia—don’t mess with him [laughs]. He tried to play basketball but they couldn’t find shoes for him. He’s a size 22. My agent saw him and went up to ask him if he had any kids and my dad said, ‘Yeah, I have one and he’s giving me trouble because I can’t find shoes for him.’ From the first day I met my agent, he told me I was going to be an NBA player and I thought, What’s wrong with this dude? I haven’t even practiced yet [laughs].

SLAM: When did you sign your first professional contract?

JN: I signed my first professional contract in 2009. I was only 14 years old and I had never left my family, not even to go on a sleepover. I went to Slovenia and I cried almost every day for six months. I was going to school and trying to learn a new language and a new culture. It was hard, but it was fun.

SLAM: What was your EuroLeague experience like?

JN: I was practicing five times a day and going to school at the same time. I got hurt in 2011, but when I came back, everything changed. I got a lot of opportunity playing for Zadar in the Adriatic League—I had an unbelievable time there. People love you when you fight and show you want to play hard. Then I went to play for Cedevita in Croatia and played 14-15 minutes a game and averaged like 12 and 7.

SLAM: What was draft night like for you?

JN: Getting drafted was probably the happiest moment of my life. It was my first time in the USA and in New York, and my whole world changed overnight. When I saw my name and my country’s flag on the big screen, it made me proud for my people and myself.

SLAM: Was it hard to learn a new language and adjust to American culture?

JN: In America it’s easier to learn a new language—no one makes fun of you, people try to help you. In my country, if you say something wrong, everyone makes fun of you [laughs]. When you come into a new system, new culture and new people, everything is new for you. Especially when you’re young and have never been that far from home. It was a tough learning process, but I’m getting used to it.

SLAM: Is trash talk different in the NBA compared to the leagues in Europe?

JN: Overseas, if I said something wrong they could use it against me even if I didn’t mean it. I had to be careful with what I said. They may have taken it the wrong way and I didn’t want to get myself in that type of situation. In the NBA, Kevin Garnett is one guy I didn’t want to mess with. I didn’t get a chance to trash talk with him, but I heard him talk to my teammates and I liked it—I was laughing.

SLAM: Were there any NBA players you looked up to?

JN: Just one: Kobe Bryant. My first game in the NBA was against the Lakers in San Diego and when Kobe came out for warmups, I stopped and went to the bench and watched him. I couldn’t believe I was playing against him. When Coach called my name, I couldn’t even pay attention, all I could think about was Kobe. I’ll remember that night for the rest of my life. He gave me a signed jersey and shoes before he retired.

SLAM: How do you keep in touch with friends and family in Bosnia?

JN: We use FaceTime and Skype, but it’s hard to communicate because I am always traveling and there is a big difference in time zones. I try and do whatever I can to make my home in [the US] feel like home in Bosnia, but you miss your family and friends. You grow up with people and try and stay in touch, but it’s hard. People back home will get up at 3 o’clock in the morning to watch me play. It will be fun to have an NBA event in Bosnia one day. We’re working on that.

Peter Walsh is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

Photos: Panagiotis Moschandreou/EB via Getty Images, Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images, AP Photo/Kathy Willens

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While the Knicks got the best of the Spurs on this blustery afternoon (even the Spurs aren’t immune to a 3:30 tip the day after a Saturday night out in New York), San Antonio will win its 42nd game of the season the next night in Indiana, assuring the franchise its 20th consecutive winning season.

On this day, the Knicks and Spurs sit in locker rooms just down the hall from each other, but they may as well be on different planets when it comes to how each organization is run. The Knicks, in the midst of an ugly, public battle between fan favorite Charles Oakley and owner Jim Dolan, are skidding after starting the season 14-10. Their starting point guard, Derrick Rose, chose not to show up to work on a game night in January and team president Phil Jackson has been taking shots at Carmelo Anthony on Twitter while doing seemingly everything he can to run his star player out of town.

The Spurs, who have rarely made a headline for anything other than winning in over a decade, have a drama-free locker room, a franchise player in the MVP hunt and one of the greatest coaches ever running the show. It is remarkable how different the two teams’ fortunes have been since they met in the 1999 Finals.

Since beating New York in those ’99 Finals, San Antonio has a regular season record of 969-383. They have made the Western Conference finals eight times, advanced to the Finals five times and won four more NBA championships. No other team in the NBA has had nearly as impressive a stretch, yet San Antonio remains one of the most underappreciated teams in all of pro sports.

Their prolonged success begs a simple question: How have the Spurs been this good for this long?

Pop served as general manager and vice president of basketball operations for the Spurs before taking over head coaching duties 18 games into the 1996-97 season. That year, the team finished with a 20-62 record—as fortunate a losing season as a franchise can have, as it landed them Tim Duncan in the ’97 NBA Draft. The next season, the Spurs won 56 games. And the following season, Duncan and Pop won their first title together. From there, the Spurs’ dynasty was born.

It is nearly impossible to find a player who has been as important to a team’s personality and success as Tim Duncan, who retired after last season, was to San Antonio’s. Duncan shares the rare distinction of winning a championship and playing for one team his entire career with Willis Reed, Larry Bird and Kobe Bryant. While Pop will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time, Duncan was the cornerstone that set the precedent for every player that has passed through the sleepy Texas city since.

“It’s pretty usual that a team adopts the personality of the franchise player. The problem is, the personality and the philosophy of the franchise player is not always great,” says Boris Diaw, who played for the Spurs from 2012-16. “The thing with Tim is he was such a great teammate and team player and focused so much on winning and playing the right way that the franchise turned into his character and it’s been a good thing for the team for a long time.”

In 2002, RC Buford, who was an assistant coach for the Spurs under Larry Brown in 1988 and remained in the organization from 1994 on, was hired as GM of the team. Working with Pop, the two were tasked with placing the right players around Duncan to win championships and have developed a working relationship that is unlike most in the League.

“RC and I have done everything together,” says Popovich. “From day one, we’ve done everything together and our groups have done everything together. Managers are in coaches meetings, we’re in the managers meetings and walk in as we please. We talk about it, argue about it, have a beer or wine and move on. We’ve done it all together.”

Since San Antonio won a championship in 1999, the game has been in a constant state of evolution. Through the early 2000s, isolation-minded guards and towering centers dominated the game, until Mike D’Antoni came in and flipped the game on its head with Steve Nash and the “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns. When Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in Boston, a new precedent of “super teams” was set. When LeBron took his talents to South Beach and teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the super team strategy was pumped full of steroids. Today’s game is geared toward small ball, with positionless players roaming freely and favoring the three-pointer over a mid-range jumper. Add in changes to the CBA, gameplay and free agency rules and the NBA has changed drastically during the Pop-Buford era.

And yet, the Spurs have always been either one step ahead of the game or able to immediately adapt on the fly—and have flourished for the past 17 years despite the constant changes.

“Pop is an innovator. He leads the charge in a lot of areas of coaching, especially at this level,” says Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Brown, a member of Pop’s staff from 2000-03. “He does not rest in terms of thinking about the past. He’s always thinking about what he can do to change and make the Spurs better going forward. Yes, they create space and play fast and all that other stuff, but even back in the day, they played small ball with guys like Malik Rose, who was an undersized power forward. Now he’s going back to the traditional way and playing two bigs. He’ll probably end up changing the trend here again going forward because of the success he’s had with the two big guys on the floor.”

From 2002-16, the franchise was able to plug in a rotating cast of players around Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. The Spurs have scoured the planet to find guys who fit their system, often adding players who flamed out on other teams or in other leagues and turning them into valuable options. Guys like Danny Green, Boris Diaw, Patty Mills, Jonathon Simmons, Bruce Bowen, Rasho Nesterovic, Stephen Jackson and Tiago Splitter have thrived and played major roles on some of the franchise’s best teams.

The front office has been able to pull off crafty moves that have set them up for the coming 10 years, too. Kawhi Leonard, one of the top-10 players in the League right now, was acquired in a 2011 draft night swap for guard George Hill that may go down as one of the best trades ever.

“The Spurs are good at what they do. They are good at finding the right guys who will fit the system, first of all,” says Diaw. “That’s a tribute to RC and the scouting department finding those guys like Manu playing in Europe, even Kawhi or Jonathon Simmons and Danny Green. And then it’s having the right system for them. Those players who were not blossoming somewhere else but are doing great here is because of the system. It’s easier to play in that system and contribute because of your role—you know what you gotta do and Pop makes it comfortable for those players.”

While other coaches have tried and failed to use a no-nonsense, hard-ass approach in the NBA, Pop has been beloved by players because he brings the best out of them on the court. It also helps that he treats every player with the same level of respect—whether it’s the franchise player or the last man on the bench.

“When I did get an opportunity to play, I missed a defensive assignment,” remembers Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who played a handful of games for the Spurs in the 2008-09 season and now serves as a scout for the organization. “Popovich took me out and, rightfully so, he tore me a new one. When I sit down at the end of the bench, I’m thinking that I’m never going to play again. A few seconds later, maybe the next quarter, Tim Duncan makes the same defensive mistake. Popovich takes him out and tears him a new one and basically does the same thing he did to me, to him. It proved to me and showed me why the Spurs have been so successful. Tim Duncan looked at him and said, ‘You know what, Coach? You’re right.’ And goes and sits down at the end of the bench. If the greatest power forward who ever lived does that, what does somebody like myself do?”

Stylistically, the Spurs have played an extra-pass, find-the-open-man, give-up-the-good-shot-for-a-great-shot offense and hard-nosed defense ball that has been dubbed by some as “The Spurs Way.” The offense in place is similar to that found in the EuroLeague; no franchise has had more contributions from international players than San Antonio. Since Pop’s first season, 24 foreign players have suited up in the silver and black—27 if you include Dominique Wilkins (born in France), Steve Kerr (Lebanon) and Tim Duncan (United States Virgin Islands). The system demands that players be skilled in every facet of the game and able to adapt to any style of play based on matchups.

“It is pretty much a European style of play of basketball as far as everyone has a role and everyone contributes,” says Diaw. “Everybody has got to be able to pass and everybody has to be able to think about the game and play defense the right way. It’s not like, OK, we have a shooter and that’s the only thing he can do. Everyone on the Spurs has to be able to do everything and I think in Europe, that philosophy starts at a young age.”

“The better teams in Europe, you have three or four guys who score 10 points or more a game and no one is really a 25-30 point player a game, and that’s kind of what we have here,” adds Latvian rookie Davis Bertans. “I think the games that we have five, six, seven players scoring in double-digits, we’re pretty much unstoppable offensively.”

As the season wears on and teams around the League begin to either make a push for the playoffs, tank for the bottom of the standings or slip into drama-filled disarray, the Spurs (currently 53-16, No. 2 in the Western Conference standings) remain a model of consistency and continue to rack up wins. The precedent and example set by Duncan has officially carried over to the younger guys on the roster. Since TD’s retirement, The Spurs Way won’t be going away any time soon.

“The NBA is full of trends, and other teams try to keep up with the Joneses. The Spurs try to tweak what we’re doing and maintain our principles,” says Mensah-Bonsu. “I think in regards to how we have been able to stay successful is just our personality, and we got that from Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich. I think it will continue with guys like Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. They have adopted those personalities and embraced it and that’s how we continue to be the Spurs.”

Peter Walsh is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

All photos via Getty Images

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Peep the highlights:

Bonzie Colson tallied 18 points and 7 rebounds in today's win. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/h5uFCHTLKl

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2017

Notre Dame holds on! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dSXHx58M4p

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2017

Related
SLAM’s 2017 Final Four Picks

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Shoutout to Northwestern and Vermont.

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Inside the SLAM office, some of us tracked the story of Ben McLemore’s missing dog, Rolex, like Woj tracks a trade. Thankfully, the adorable Blue French Bulldog was found and returned to Ben unharmed. D’Angelo Russell’s dogs are staples on his Instagram stories. Kyle Anderson and his German Shepherds popped up on the Westminster Dog Show broadcast and Klay Thompson’s dog Rocco is a fan favorite.

We had to learn more about the connection between ballers and their dogs.

* * *

All-Star Media Day is a complete disaster, with an overwhelming number of reporters from all over the world asking a wide-range of questions that range from bizarre to corny. This, we determined, would be the perfect setting to ask players about their dogs, how they care for them, who watches their canine companions while they’re on the road and the most rewarding parts of being a dog owner.

GORDON HAYWARD

“I have a German Shepherd named Siber who is going to be 4 this month. When I saw that a German Shepherd won the Westminster Dog Show, I told my wife and we thought that was really cool.

“When I’m on the road, my wife is home and to be honest, he probably takes care of her a little bit more than she takes care of him. He’s kind of like our protector. I have two little girls and we got him so he could be there when I’m gone.

“My favorite thing about having a dog is probably whether or not I have a good game, bad game, good practice, bad practice, he’s always greeting me at the door and I love being able to go play fetch with him. He loves tennis balls and I’m a big tennis guy as well, so we go to the court and he chases the ball and it’s fun.”

JOHN WALL

Ever wonder what @JohnWall does in his downtime? Meet the pups that he hangs with at home. pic.twitter.com/ujwlZ6EqMU

— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) January 26, 2017

“My dogs are doing great. I have three Pit Bulls and two little French Bulldog minis. My cousin (rapper WallWay Pack) and I take care of them. All my dogs are doing great—they are having fun, enjoying the house and getting ready for some warm weather. I took them to a trainer and had them trained, but I do a little bit at the house so I can get a little advantage on them.

“I just love dogs, man. It’s like having kids, and I don’t have any kids, I have a lot of nieces and nephews. It’s fun, I enjoy them. I always had dogs has a kid. I had Rottweilers and Pit Bulls.”

PAUL GEORGE

“I have a male Pit Bull named King—he is doing real well. Raising a dog has been awesome. I first got him when I got to the NBA and he’s been through seven years of basketball with me. He’s my best friend. It’s dope. I grew up with dogs my whole life so when I got a chance to be in my own place and wanted to keep that alive so my daughter would be able to get familiar with dogs, and they’ve grown together. They love one another. It’s pretty awesome to see her bond with a dog.

“When I was injured, King kept my spirits up. Dogs don’t really know what’s going on, but he definitely kept my spirits up.”

STEVE KERR

In case anyone is wondering, my dogs and I are having an outstanding offseason. pic.twitter.com/cCpdki0r8Y

— Steve Kerr (@SteveKerr) July 30, 2013

Steve Kerr’s dogs have unfortunately passed away. RIP Steve Kerr’s dogs. They were good dogs.

DEMARCUS COUSINS

The marathon continues… pic.twitter.com/JmH8D8oUC6

— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) July 18, 2016

“I have two Pit Bulls named Kane and Gotti. When I’m traveling, they stay at my house, I have people who stay with me and watch them. If they’re not around, I have arrangements with people who dog sit. Do I miss them? No. [Laughs] They drive me crazy when I’m home. Those are my guys, though.

“I grew up with dogs, I’ve had Pit Bulls my whole life. My favorite part about owning a dog is the bond and the loyalty between a man and dog.”

D’ANGELO RUSSELL

“I have two Bernedoodles [A cross between Bernese Mountain dogs and poodles.—Ed.] named Max and Molly. My agent has the same kind of dog. I used to go to his house and would hang out with his dogs—I really liked them. I enjoy taking care of them. My brother takes care of them when I’m on the road. Sometimes they’ll get into his room and eat stuff. I shut my door when I leave, and he doesn’t always shut his, so the dogs get in there.”

—

Peter Walsh is an Associate Editor at SLAM. He has a dog named Cooper. He’s a good boy.

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Since 1993, the tiny school of around 150 students has finished its season as the No. 1 HS team in the country eight times under the tutelage of head coach Steve Smith. The list of players who spent time at Oak Hill is long and impressive. Carmelo Anthony, Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant, Stephen Jackson, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Rajon Rondo, Josh Smith, Jerry Stackhouse and Rod Strickland are just a few of the many players who have suited up at Turner Gym before making their way to college and the NBA.

Unlike most traditional basketball programs, Oak Hill, part of Jordan Brand’s Class of XXXI, travels the country playing the best teams in the nation, with a roster that features some of the top prep players from both the US and Canada. A small town in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains isn’t exactly a prime location for a teenager, but the allure of the NBA and a shot to prove yourself against intense competition is enough to convince a handful of teenagers each year to pack up everything and leave their hometown for a shot at basketball greatness.

This season’s squad boasts four seniors who are ranked in the ESPN 100, and after going 45-1 and winning the DICK’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament in dramatic fashion at Madison Square Garden in 2015-16, the Warriors are thinking repeat.

Big man Billy Preston, a Kansas commit and one of the most versatile players in the country, landed at Oak Hill after attending schools in Southern California and Dallas. At 6-10, 230, Preston has the ability to grab a defensive rebound, go coast-to-coast and finish with authority. The Los Angeles native, who is currently ranked No. 19 in the ESPN 100, isn’t short on confidence. He told USA Today, “There aren’t 19 players in the country better than me.”

Guard Lindell Wigginton (above) is the first hooper from Canada to play at Oak Hill. The 6-1, 165-pound future Iowa State Cyclone hails from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and led the team in scoring the past two seasons. In last year’s national championship against La Lumiere (IN), Wigginton converted a huge three-point play in OT to help push Oak Hill to a 62-60 win. “He’s probably our best player right now,” Smith told Canada’s The Globe and Mail. “Lindell is a fierce competitor, you can see how he plays. He’s aggressive. He doesn’t mind getting hit, when he goes to the basket he wants to get hit, he wants to go to the foul line, he wants three-point plays. But he can shoot, too, he shoots pullups, he’s got the whole game.”

Wigginton’s backcourt mate, Matt Coleman, is a smooth floor general who made his commitment to Shaka Smart and Texas during the Hoophall Classic in mid-January. Dishing out 6.1 assists per game for the Warriors, Coleman has a similar flash to his game as fellow lefty and Oak Hill alum Brandon Jennings, and is the setup man the Longhorns have been missing during Smart’s tenure. “It’s the perfect fit,” Coleman (below) told ESPN. “I’m a point guard who makes plays.”

Ty-Shon Alexander, a 6-4 shooting guard who is on his way to Creighton, is the team’s long-distance threat—he’s shooting 40 percent from three-point range on the season. The Charlotte native earned his rep as a clutch player when he hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to take down Sierra Canyon (CA) last season.

With a record of 32-4 record, Oak Hill ranks top-10 in the country this season just like they do every other year. Though they’ve already suffered four losses, it’s been more indicative of the rigorous national schedule they partake in than anything else. Competition like this is the reason why so many Oak Hill players go on to have successful basketball careers after high school. To be the best, you have to play against the best. Oak Hill players learn that at a young age.

In early February, the Warriors snapped the Ball Brothers-led Chino Hills (CA) High 60-game winning streak in a comeback victory that saw them erase a double-digit deficit to pull away with the 96-91 win.

More important than going up against the best teams in the nation, Oak Hill offers kids a chance to get their minds right and focus on nothing but hoops and academics.

“Oak Hill is really just about books and basketball,” Preston told USA Today. “No cellphones, no reception, my mom who I’ve been around every day my whole life isn’t around, nothing. It’s just woods and mountains and the gym. It’s made me grow up a lot.”

(Photos: Jon Lopez/Basketball Hall of Fame)

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Along with the interviews, we also discuss our celebrity sightings, the best and worst parts of All-Star Weekend and give our take on the DeMarcus Cousins blockbuster.

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This past summer, when he was in Brazil winning a Gold medal with Team USA, Thompson responded to questions about KD’s arrival in the Bay Area on pretty much a daily basis. Along with cookie-cutter answers about how excited the Warriors are and how great of a player Durant is, Thompson made waves when he was asked by The Vertical if he had any intentions on changing up his game now that another superstar had been added to the fold.

“I’m not sacrificing shit,” he said. “Because my game isn’t changing.”

Thompson is one of the NBA’s more interesting personalities, and in the lead up to the 2016-17 season, he gave a glimpse into how he operates. Cool, calm and collected, Klay can come across as almost oblivious to fans. But make no mistake about it—he takes this game dead serious and he’s driven by a desire to win at the highest level.

“I see the same thing with Kawhi Leonard, you know? Just because they don’t show a ton of emotion, people may think they don’t care or just don’t show it—and he’s definitely a guy who doesn’t show it,” says Klay’s older brother Mychel, who plays forward for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s D-League affiliate. “When he speaks, people listen because they know he’s not going to say something unless it’s really important or it means something. He’s a guy who’s not afraid to say what needs to be said either. He just wants to win, to be honest.”

For the media and those who follow the League on an obsessive level, the Warriors have all the characters you could ask for in a high-profile team. Stephen Curry is the baby-faced superstar, Draymond Green is the trash talker, Durant is the hero-turned-villain putting up monster numbers and Thompson is the laid-back dude who sips on Coors Light during his post-game media sessions.

“There’s a saying, ‘Still waters run deep,’ and yeah, he’s still, but there’s a depth to him and a major desire to master his game and win,” says University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, who recruited Klay and coached him during Thompson’s freshman year at Washington State. “He was quiet—you didn’t see all the fist-pumping and grabbing guys—but he was serious, he was respectful and he was a delight to coach. Even though he was quiet, there was something to him. You see the attributes, the beautiful stroke, his ability to elevate, but I liked his work ethic and things didn’t faze him. He had a poise about him.”

Thompson’s competitiveness can be traced back to his childhood. The son of NBA champion Mychal Thompson, Klay is the middle child between Mychel and younger brother Trayce, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The trio played just about every sport and still maintain a healthy rivalry with one another as adults.

“Everything definitely was a competition and still is a competition to this day,” says Mychel. “Me and my brothers play video games and we treat it like we lost a real game. We had a lot of broken windows in our house from rough-housing. We tried pretty much every sport: football, baseball, basketball, even hockey at one point because we were into The Mighty Ducks. We were typical, active kids.”

Growing up on the West Coast, Klay looked up to Kobe Bryant, one of his favorite players ever. While Kobe certainly couldn’t be described as laid back, Klay shares a similar cerebral quality in his approach to the game.

“I love how he put everything he had into the game of basketball,” he says of the Black Mamba. “He maximized his potential. Not a lot of guys can say that, and he gave everything he had for 20 years in this League. That’s why I really respect everything Kobe did. He gave everything he had and nothing was going to stop him. For an athlete, that’s rare. It was really his craft. That’s what I admire most about Kobe.”

Speaking of maximizing potential, few players in the League have blown up the way Klay has. Despite playing in California and being ranked as one of the top-100 players nationally in his class by ESPN, Thompson was only offered a spot by one Pac-12 school: Washington State. By his junior season, he was leading the conference with 21.6 points per game before declaring for the 2011 Draft.

“I had no idea that he would eventually become one of the best players in the League when he was a freshman, but you saw flashes,” says Bennett. “When he got it rolling, I thought, Man, this kid is unbelievable.”

Selected 11th overall behind the likes of Jan Vesely and Jimmer Fredette, Thompson has been a huge part of the franchise’s transformation from bottom feeder to world-beater. In the five years since Klay was drafted, Golden State has averaged 52 wins (including an NBA-record 73) and made two NBA Finals appearances, winning one.

“It’s surreal, it’s unbelievable. I never would have envisioned this to be honest,” says Klay of the Warriors’ recent run. “To go from winning 23 games my first year to winning about 70 games a year now, it’s ridiculous. The fan love and the notoriety our team receives now is crazy and that’s why I enjoy every day. Time is going by so fast. You have to enjoy every day.”

While Curry has racked up two straight MVP awards and rightfully been regarded as one of the best offensive threats the NBA has ever seen, it’s been Thompson who has come up huge when the team needed him most. Down 3-2 against the Thunder in the 2016 Western Conference finals, Thompson hit 11 three-pointers and scored 41 points to force a Game 7.

And while Curry’s offensive exploits over the course of the past two seasons have been well-documented, it’s been Klay who has put on the most impressive single-game performances over that same time span: a 37-point quarter against the Kings in January of 2015 and 60 points in 29 minutes against the Pacers in December 2016.

The addition of Durant in the offseason led to some thinking that Thompson would be the odd man out. But a quick look at the numbers, and Klay’s right: He hasn’t sacrificed shit. The sharpshooter is averaging 22.1 points per game this season (same as last year) on 17.3 field-goal attempts a night (same as last year) and he’s fifth in the League with 182 made threes.

“Nah, I haven’t really had to make any sacrifices,” reiterates Klay. “I knew I wasn’t going to have to sacrifice because a guy like KD fits into our system, and I’m not sacrificing because having a player like Kevin only makes us better in the long run.”

With Durant in the fold, the Warriors are averaging a League-best 118.4 points per game and have the NBA’s best record (46-9 at press time) at the halfway point of the year. There have been a few bumps in the road, including a Christmas Day loss to the Cavs and an OT loss to the Grizzlies in which they blew a 24-point lead, but the Dubs are the clear favorites to make a third straight Finals appearance. And with Klay and Stephen already publicly stating that they’d like to re-up for long-term deals with Golden State when their contracts are up, it’s highly probable that the Warriors could reach the Finals this season, next season and the season after.

Safe to say that all of those offseason questions about the team’s chemistry with the addition of Durant were overblown.

“Kevin’s been amazing for us,” Klay says. “His efficiency has been crazy. He’s willing to work every day and that’s why he fits on our team so well. He wants to be great and he wants the team to be great. I mean, he can fit into any system because he’s such a cerebral and versatile player that he’s elevated all of our games. I think we have the ability to be a great team for a long time and I knew he was a hard worker—but not this hard. It’s been a pleasant surprise and it’s a real joy to be on his team.”

Although Klay has a lot of basketball left in his career, he has already carved out a spot as one of the all-time great shooters. When he’s hot, he can drop 30 as effortlessly as any player in the world. His rise from a lightly recruited high schooler to one of the League’s best players has come as a shocker to many, but not to those who know him best.

“I’m proud of him. It’s not so much that I’m surprised because I know the amount of work he puts in, so it doesn’t really shock me,” says Mychel. “Whenever he shoots the ball I think it’s going in. So if he shoots 30 times, I think he’s going to have 60 because I think he’ll make every shot, honestly. I think he’s the best shooter in the world.”

—

Peter Walsh is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

Photos via Getty Images

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“The first book I ever read was Drive, Larry Bird’s biography,” says Hammer. “In the book was a picture of his childhood hoop which was an old, wooden backboard hung up on an old barn that looked like it could fall over. I thought it was so amazing. I was like, Man, how did this guy come from that? I thought that image told a great story, and that’s really how the project started.”

Hammer and his dog make frequent cross-country road trips and while he’s traveled near and far to tell stories through his photos, he’s yet to make a pit stop in French Lick, IN, to see to Bird’s childhood home and bring the project full circle.

“I don’t know what it is, but there’s something that’s keeping me from going to French Lick,” he says. “I don’t know if it’s a weird thing where I don’t want to be disappointed if I see his hoop.”

Hammer, whose professional ad work includes shooting for Nike, adidas, Under Armour, Reebok and Foot Locker, among others, is hosting a Basketball Hoops Project premiere at the Boyd Satellite Gallery in New Orleans from February 4 through March 1, with a party celebrating the gallery taking place the Friday before All-Star Weekend (full disclosure: SLAM is sponsoring the event, see above). The project is ongoing, though, as Hammer continues to seek out more hoops on his travels moving forward.

“Having a gallery was one of the big goals for my project this year,” he says. “It’s a long-term project for sure, and I’ve been doing it for three years. I don’t really plan on stopping any time soon. I plan on doing a book, but that won’t be for a little while down the road.”

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For more information on the Champions League and to invest in the Gotham Ballers, visit www.owngothamballers.com.

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As an MC, Shaq is without question the most successful professional athlete to try his hand at rapping. After appearing on The Arsenio Hall Show with the Fu-Schnickens in the winter of 1992, O’Neal was inked to Jive Records and his 1993 album, Shaq Diesel, went platinum. Diesel went on to release three more albums, 1994’s Shaq Fu: Da Return, 1996’s The Reign and 1998’s Respect. Shaq also went to work on Shaquille O’Neal Presents His Superfirends, Vol. 1, a project that was rumored to feature Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, Snoop Dogg and others, but the album was eventually scrapped in 2001.

The list of A-list artists Shaq worked with is extensive. The superstar hopped in the booth with The Notorious B.I.G., RZA, Method Man, Phife Dawg, Mobb Deep, Jay Z, Rakim, Lord Tariq, Peter Gunz and appeared on Michael Jackson’s HIStory album.

For the #SLAMMusicIssue, we talked with Shaq about his music career, rappers he has worked with, the politics of the music business and much, much more.

SLAM: Who were your early influences? How did you get into rap?

Shaq: One day in New Jersey I heard this dude playing Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” and the beat just sounded different. And after that, shit, I just kept following it and got into The Real Roxanne, The Fat Boys, Will Smith and Big Daddy Kane. I used to quote all of Big Daddy Kane’s lyrics so whatever he said, I used to write it down and recite them.

Once I left New Jersey for Germany as a teen, my cousin would send me a tape once a month, so I was up on all the hip-hop. Then I started DJing and rapping a little bit. For me, basketball and hip-hop come from the same place because on the way to games, I’m listening to my favorite artist. Then when I’m on the court, I’m trying to be like my favorite player, which is Dr. J. I think the reason I was able to go into it was because I’ve been doing it for my whole life. It’s not like I showed up in ’92 and was like, Oh, I wanna rap. I’ve been rapping since I was eight years old.

SLAM: Do you think rappers like Redman, RZA, Method Man and all the other guys you worked with respected that about you?

Shaq: Yeah, I think so. When the Fu-Schnickens and me did “What’s Up Doc?” on The Arsenio Hall Show, people saw that I had rhythm and flow. Then when rappers saw me in the studio and saw my work ethic and how I put songs together, they saw I was really serious. That was my whole concept, I wasn’t trying to be a rapper, I was fulfilling my dreams and rapping with my favorite rappers. I always wanted to have special effects in my videos and make everything memorable.

SLAM: You mentioned that Arsenio Hall performance, that set everything off for you. What do you remember about that night? Were you nervous at all?

Shaq: Nah, I wasn’t nervous because I had been doing it. I used to do talent shows; I used to rhyme in the mirror and all that stuff. I used to see Arsenio all the time and he was like, Yo! Come on my show. And I was like, I want to do something different, let me rap with my favorite rap group. I need you to contact Fu-Schnickens for me.

He contacted Fu-Schnickens, they came down and they let me hit a beat and shit, I laid that down in about five minutes. They were like, Oh my god! And I said, Hey, we’re gonna perform on the show. The next day I got record offers. Jive offered me a deal and gave me a chance to have my own label and I thought, you know what let me try it, if I can do something with my favorite artists that would be awesome for me.

SLAM: What was a bigger deal for you, being drafted No. 1 overall or getting a record deal?

Shaq: Getting signed to Jive.

SLAM: Who were your favorite artists to work with?

Shaq: I’ma have to go Biggie, Jay Z and Nas. It’s just like basketball. If I’m calling in Biggie, it’s like I’m calling in Mike, my game gotta be straight. I had my shit and I would do it and I was like, Nope, it ain’t good enough for Biggie. I would do it, do it and do it so when I got there my shit was already done because I wanted my rap to be perfect for Biggie.

Biggie came to my house, we had something to eat, had a conversation and then me, him and Lil’ Cease went to the studio in the back of my house. I played my verse for him and he was like, That’s tight big fella, that’s tight! And he just let it ride. He said, Play that again. And then he was like, Aight, I’m ready. And he went in there and laid a monster verse but was a little too X-rated. I was like, Biggie, no disrespect but… and he was like, Oh, that’s right, it’s for the kids! It’s for the kids! And that’s when he laid the verse he did.

Jay Z was the same way—no pen, no pad. And Nas was the same way, too. And I was like, Oh my god, this is why these guys are the best ever. Me, I gotta listen to the beat and put it in my walkman, go to sleep with it, think about concepts, think about lines, think about what I can and can’t say and them boys came in and just murdered the track. One take.

SLAM: Biggie only had Method Man on his first album, he had DMC and The Lox on his second album. All legends. So for you to even be on that list is really an incredible feat in itself.

Shaq: I wasn’t even gonna call him because I thought he was too big. But when he said, “I’m slamming brothers like Shaquille!” That’s when I had to do it.

So when I called him, he was like, Yo, man, I love your game, big fella. That’s how I want to rhyme aggressively like that. I was like, Would you mind doing something with me? He was like, Hell yeah, big fella just send me the ticket. I sent him and Cease first class tickets and they were down there the next day.

SLAM: What was it like working with Phife Dog?

Shaq: Aw, he was the best. It was really good because we’d come in there and spend two hours on music and 10 hours on sports. We would talk football and basketball. He loved the Knicks and would ask, ‘Yo, why you be doing my man Patrick like that?!’

SLAM: Were you ever starstruck being around any of these guys?

Shaq: Oh, all of ‘em. I know that I’m Shaq but mentally I’m still a guy who loves people, loves meeting people and recognizes real superstars. The first time I saw Halle Berry, I couldn’t even say hi to her. I know I’m Shaq, but my stuttering was like I-I-I-I-I-Hello!

It was the same thing [with rappers]. When you’re in L.A., you’re like, Oh my god, that’s Snoop! And you see him in the club and he’s like, What up, boy? I like that game, boy. Boy, you be thrown them mothafucka’s around!  The guys that I loved, they know and love me. It’s awesome.

SLAM: What motivated you to keep going after you went platinum in literally one try? 

Shaq: I just wanted to continue to do it. It was like a challenge. I went platinum the first time, can I go platinum the second time? Or triple, or quadruple? It was fun. The first time I only got to work with five or six guys, I got like a 100 favorite artists so I wanted to work with everyone. When I went out to the West Coast, I met DJ Quik, Def Jef, Snoop, B-Real, Ice Cube, I also did something with Dr. Dre that never got released.

SLAM: Were those part of the unreleased Super Friends album?

Shaq: Yes, they were.

SLAM: How come that album never materialized?

Shaq: It didn’t have enough promotion. At that time, A&M and Interscope was splitting up and my record label got caught up in the middle and I was like, Ugh, here we go.

SLAM: So you got to experience the bullshit in both the NBA and the music world…

Shaq: Politics. Politics all day every day.

SLAM: How did you navigate through the politics?

Shaq: When I went to radio stations I would always tell them, If you like it, play it. I ain’t gonna be giving you tickets to the games, a hundred signed balls and shit, we ain’t doing all that. I would go to radio stations and they would have like a hundred million balls to sign. I don’t do politics. You either put it in your rotation because you like it, or not, I’m cool.

Being a rapper, there wasn’t enough money in that to take it real seriously. When I went platinum, I made a million plus, but that’s too much work for a million when I can just run and up down the court and dunk and get 20 million.

SLAM: You worked with RZA and Meth when they were really hardcore artists. Did you worry about your image at all?

Shaq: My thing is, it’s not about being the best it’s about going and doing something on a super-high, respectable level. I ain’t the best rapper but I can be somewhere in the middle. I know I can sound better then some of these rappers now. I know that for a fact.

SLAM: Did any players say anything to you about your music on the court?

Shaq: No, they couldn’t.

SLAM: Did they ever try and collab with you?

Shaq: Players? No. I knew the criticism was going to be coming from both angles, so that’s why I got the best. I got Erick Sermon to produce something. I got RZA. I wasn’t getting no producers who hand out mixtapes on the street.

SLAM: If you were giving advice to any basketball players aspiring to be rappers now, what would you tell them?

Shaq: I’d just tell them to make sure your stuff is tight. The level of criticism right now is mayhem. When I was coming up, the local news could say something, maybe Billboard magazine would say something, maybe someone at MTV could say something. Now, you got the Facebook and Twitter, so you gotta come correct.

SLAM: Have your kids showed any interest in getting into music at all?

Shaq: I took them into the studio one time and we did a freestyle and they actually murdered it one take. They have ‘it,’ so if they want to do it, I could show them how to do it. I was impressed, I had all my babies kick a verse, it was awesome.

SLAM: That’s amazing. Will there ever be an O’Neal Family cut?

Shaq: You know what? Maybe.

—

Related:
Change of Plans — Dave East Feature From SLAM 205
Beat King — Chris Webber Feature From SLAM 205

Peter Walsh is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

Photo: AP/Raymond Chow

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Before we talk to Iceman, Abe and Peter talk the #SLAMMusicIssue, Damian Lillard and the Blazers and the Cavs move to get Kyle Korver.

The post The SLAM Podcast Episode 34: George “Iceman” Gervin appeared first on SLAM.

Chris Webber, who was playing for the Sixers when the album was released, produced and co-wrote the song “Blunt Ashes.” For the beat, C-Webb sampled Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology).” On the writing side, Nas and Webber namedropped music legends Prince and Bobby Womack, as well as famous writers Langston Hughes and Alex Haley.

“We was in the studio in Kelis’ session,” Nas said of the making of “Blunt Ashes” during a 2006 interview with MTV News. “One of my mans told Chris to put on one of his [beat] CDs. We was in there freestylin’. I started freestylin’ to one joint about shit we just be talking about, and I was like, ‘This is my shit right here. This is my joint.’ But Chris is my homie though. One of my closest homies.”

“After being drafted in the NBA No. 1, that’s the best feeling I had since that day,” Webber told Sway Calloway of working with Nas in a 2007 interview.

The beat placement wasn’t just a product of being homies with Nas; Webber was, in that era, a real part of the hip-hop culture and someone who had paid his dues as a writer, rapper, producer and record label owner for over a decade.

Shortly after he was traded to the Wizards (then the Bullets) in November of ’94, Webber appeared on BET’s Rap City and revealed that he was starting a record label with DJ Kay Gee from Naughty By Nature. Before long, the super-talented power forward began to pop up on major label releases.

In 1995, Webber appeared on Naughty by Nature’s Poverty’s Paradise on the “Webber Skit,” where he alludes to his beat-making by saying that he’s “been in the lab, tryin’ to come out with something different.”

In 1997, the same year he was named an All-Star for the first time, Webber launched Humility Records. Webber spent the next two years working on his debut album, 2 Much Drama.

Released under the name C. Webb in March of 1999, Webber’s 21-track project featured appearances from Kurupt and Redman. His single, “Gangsta, Gangsta (How U Do It),” with Kurupt, peaked at No. 75 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

“I went to Chris’ house—this was when he was living in Maryland,” says Redman. “It was quiet. There were a couple homies there, but it was strictly work. He took it as serious as much as a player can. One thing I can say, his garbage was overwhelming. It was always full, spilling from so much shit.”

Webber shot a video for “Gangsta, Gangsta” that included cameos from Big Daddy Kane, Ghostface Killah, Redman and Erick Sermon. The video itself was a classic ’90s clip, full of dancers and oversized clothing, all set to a house party backdrop.

As Webber’s play on the court continued at an All-Star level, his career as a rapper was becoming more than a hobby.

Following the release of 2 Much Drama, Webber put his efforts behind Detroit-based rap group and Humility Records’ own Nocoast, a duo consisting of MCs Glock 9 and Low Life. Their 2000 release Coastales also featured guest spots from Redman and Kurupt and production from DJ Scratch of EPMD fame. It was the last known release under Humility.

In 2003, Webber popped up on Rebels of Rhythm’s Chunky album. Credited as “Chris Webber (Da Beatmaka),” the Sacramento King produced “Gettin’ Home.”

Webber’s public activity in music seemed to slow by 2004, but in an interview with DIME, he revealed that he was making beats under a pseudonym. . “I make beats under an alias,” he said. “It’s some well-known cats coming out using my stuff right now. But it’s under an alias and hopefully the music will speak for itself because it won’t have my name on it.”

In 2005, he popped up on local Sacramento rapper Big Slep Rock’s State Raised: The California Project Vol. 2 album, spitting a verse on “Earl Flynn,” a song that was named after a dance that originated in Webber’s hometown of Detroit.

In 2007, he once again teamed up with Nas for “Surviving the Times,” the first cut on the legendary rapper’s Greatest Hits album. The track didn’t come without some controversy. Following its release, underground rapper Wordsmith accused Webber of jacking the sample (“What Would I Do” from the 1978 musical adventure film The Wiz) from his 2006 song “As The Art Fades Away.” Wordsmith later retracted the statement.

Shortly after the release of Hip-Hop Is Dead, Webber sat with Sway for an extended interview on MTV. During the sit-down in his home studio, Webber talked about his love of music and explained how much he looked up to hip-hop stars as a teen.

“I grew up on hip-hop,” he said. “It’s so much different now. It’s cool to be a black man, it’s cool to impose your will. Back then, I had to have Public Enemy be who they were. It’s such a part of me and it fills me with pride to see Rakim ice grillin’ and not smilin’. I took that strength and took it to the basketball court. They gave me heart, like, OK, it’s cool to be you. I’m one of them because at the time they were the only ones I saw shinin’. Either them or guys in the neighborhood and at that time, I didn’t want to go that route—I wanted to be [one of the musicians].”

Based on his history, the rappers he collaborated with and his decision to make music under an alias, it’s clear that Webber—who declined to be interviewed for this story—wasn’t trying to be a part of the hip-hop culture as an artist strictly because he had the means to. C-Webb put in the work and showed utmost respect to the people he worked with.

“If I was a rapper who wanted to play ball, I would respect my legends,” says Redman. “I would learn to dot my I’s and cross my T’s, and that’s going to help my game better. He definitely had that kind of respect for us. One thing I can say about Chris Webb is he definitely didn’t use his money to get an album done, just to say, ‘I’m a rapper. I got money, I can get anyone on my album to prove that I’m a rapper.’ Nah, he really took this shit serious. He took the platform serious and he took the craft serious. When he came around legends and worked with myself or Nas, he wanted to know as much as possible and he wanted to be on his A game.”

—

Peter Walsh is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

Photo via Johnny Nunez/WireImage

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We’re running out of ways to describe Russell Westbrook’s season. The ferocious point guard once again put together an unreal stat line with 26 points, 22 assists and 11 boards to help the Thunder snap a two-game losing streak. The triple-double was the 13th of the season and the 50th of his career.

Russ also took basketball Twitter by storm when he hit Tyler Ulis with the Shammgod:

Russ' Saturday performance: 26 points. 22 assists. 11 rebounds.

AND THIS: https://t.co/vmSdBmkECZ

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 18, 2016

(Don’t forget to read our SLAM 204 cover story on Russ and the Thunder.)

Pacers 105 (14-14), Pistons 90 (14-15)

Indiana snapped its two-game losing streak behind a 26-point, 7-rebound, 2-assist, 2-steal performance from Paul George. The Pacers built a 19-point lead in the second half and Detroit never got closer than 11. Six players scored in double figures for Indiana.

Hornets 107 (15-13), Hawks 99 (13-14) 

Kemba Walker returned to the floor after missing Friday’s game against the Celtics and made his presence felt with 18 points and 10 assists as he continues his All-Star caliber season. ATL came back from 12 down in the third quarter and cut the deficit to one in the fourth quarter thanks to a Kyle Korver three. The Hawks took a 95-94 lead but Marco Belinelli responded with a three of his own and Marvin Willams sealed the deal with a three-pointer against his former team. Atlanta is 4-12 in its last 16.

Cavaliers 119 (19-6), Lakers 108 (11-19)

The Cavaliers-Lakers game started in high spirits when Cleveland mobbed Timofey Mozgov after giving him his 2016 championship ring:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOJQrLeBAgv/?taken-by=slamonline

L.A. kept things close in the fourth, cutting the lead to three with four minutes to go. But the well rested big three of Cavs were too much for the short-handed Lakers, who were without D’Angelo Russell. LeBron finished with 26 points, 7 boards and 9 dimes, Kevin Love had 27 and 17 and Kyrie Irving scored 21 points to go along with 12 assists. Nick Young scored 32 in the loss.

Rockets 111 (21-7), Timberwolves 109 (7-19)

Karl-Anthony Towns’ 41 points and 15 boards wasn’t enough to deny the Rockets their 10th straight win. Minnesota was up by nine with one minute to go before Houston went on a 3-point barrage. Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson hit back-to-back threes, then Ariza tied it up at 95 with 6.5 seconds left. Houston outscored Minny 14-2 over the final two minutes of regulation.

In overtime, James Harden scored 10 of his 28 points and the young Wolves couldn’t hold on for the dub. The Beard finished with 28 points, 13 assists and 9 boards. Anderson had 28 and Eric Gordon had 20, 6 and 4.

Clint Capela left the game with a bruised left leg after knocking knees with KAT.

Nuggets 127 (11-16), Knicks 114 (14-13)

The Knicks got Carmelo Anthony back after missing Thursday’s game in Golden State but it made no difference as Denver spoiled Melo’s return to Denver. Denver shot 56 percent from the field and the Knicks had no answer for Kenneth Faried, who scored 25 points on 10-11 shooting. Melo scored 29 to lead NY.

Warriors 135 (24-4), Trail Blazers 90 (13-16)

KD dropped 21 points in the first two quarters and this one was all but over by halftime. Durant finished with 34 points on 11-13 shooting, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Ian Clark hopped off the bench and chipped in 23 and Draymond Green had 12 boards and 13 assists. The 45-point margin of victory is the highest in the NBA thus far this season and prompted Damian Lillard to say that the Blazers have to start playing “with some damn heart.“

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Before we talk to Nurkic, we talk Klay Thompson’s 60-point performance and Draymond Green’s actions through the first quarter of the season.

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On the season, Rose is averaging 16.4 points, 4.8 assists and 4.1 boards per game for the 9-9 Knicks. At 28 years old and with one year left on his contract, the former MVP is looking to continue to improve throughout the season to ensure that he not only racks up plenty of wins, but a nice contract, too. On Monday, Rose went head-to-head with Russell Westbrook and scored 30 points, grabbed 7 boards and dished out 4 assists and looked more like the DRose of old—a good sign for Knicks fans who haven’t seen their squad make the playoffs in three years.

Last night, DRose and teammates Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez and Kyle O’Quinn kicked it at the new adidas store in NYC. Between cracking jokes with KP, Hernangomez and O’Quinn, Rose chopped it up with SLAM about the D Rose 7, Russell Westbrook, Tom Thibodeau and taking on more of a leadership role on the Knicks.

SLAM: How have you liked playing in the D Rose 7 so far this season?

Derrick Rose: I love the 7, man. It was the only shoe I had total control over and seeing everything develop on the shoe. The [D Rose 8] and [D Rose 9] that’s coming out over the next few years, I’m involved in making the shoe. It means a lot to me and my partnership with adidas.

SLAM: A lot of guys are getting low cut sneakers now—do you think you’ll get something like that in the D Rose line?

DR: I don’t know, man, I don’t know. If they make it for the fans, I’ll probably put it out but my personal shoe will still have to be a mid-cut [laughs.] As far as right now, I love for my ankle to feel secure in a mid-cut shoe. I don’t want it high-top, but mid-cut is good for me.

SLAM: The Knicks are 6-4 in the last 10 games. Are you guys starting to develop chemistry?

DR: It’s taking time, man. Everyone is getting comfortable with each other and figure out a new system without making things hard for each other on the floor. Of course, I can’t play the same way I played in Chicago with this team, like coming out and firing right away. I’ll look dumb shooting all those shots I shot in Chicago with this team and with the talent we have with this team. It’s about being patient, taking our time and letting it all click. At some point in the season, I know I’ll be able to play the way I normally know how to play. First we gotta learn how to win.

SLAM: Last week you said something like “the vintage” is gone, but then you had 30 against Russell Westbrook. Was that a good measuring stick for you as far as where you stand in the League?

DR: I can still hoop, man. There’s a time and place for all that. Me coming out and being aggressive, Coach wanted me to play like that and he wanted me to matchup with Westbrook. Then there’s a game like last night in Minnesota where I only shot 12 times and we still won the game.

Finding out how we’re going to win games, we got 10 new people on the team—it’s not like they had a foundation here and we came right into it. We’re building the culture. We’re building the foundation now. I’m under a one-year contract so of course I want to play the rest of my life here. But it takes time, it takes patience to figure out how every one is going to fit, if it is going to fit and going from there.

SLAM: Right, it’s only game 18 of the season. It’s more important where you’re at in game 60.

DR: Exactly. Our goal is to have fun while we’re playing and get to the playoffs. After that, we’ll see where we’re at.

SLAM: Russell Westbrook is probably the biggest story in the NBA. What do you make of the season he’s having thus far?

DR: This is the first time the League has seen something like this in a long time. It shows how hard he’s working. It shows that hard work pays off.

SLAM: After seeing you, Willy Hernangomez, Kyle O’Quinn and Kristaps interact, it seems like you guys really get along.

DR: Yeah, they’re playful, man, they’re really playful guys. Willy and KP, they played on their Euro team together so they got a lot of chemistry. They’re young, and they listen and they want to win. I can talk to them however I want—not in a disrespectful way—like yelling on the court and they don’t take it personal or disrespectful. That goes a long way in having chemistry on a team. You’re dealing with guys in the NBA with egos an money and that ego and pride comes into place. You gotta talk to guys without hurting feelings or being disrespectful.

SLAM: When you came in with the Bulls, you were that young dude who had a lot of veteran leadership around. Do you feel like you’re transforming into that role as a mentor for the young guys now?

DR: That’s my goal, man. My goal is to help guys get better, help guys win and win along the way, get better and prove myself. When I got a guy like KP on my team, it’s no point in me coming down and shooting some crazy shots, or make crazy moves like I used to. My job is to pick and choose my spots and go from there.

SLAM: We’ve noticed in the way you’ve been playing, you’ve been really crafty at the rim and using the rim as a weapon to keep shot blockers away. Is that something you worked on to avoid contact when going up for a layup?

DR: Yeah, that and putting different parts in my game to attack without thinking. The last three years I had injuries and when you’re on the floor after you have injuries, you’re thinking on the floor instead of reacting. Right now I’m attacking the rim. Second part of the season I’m going to have my jump shot. Third part of the season and the playoffs I’m going to have the trey ball. I’m working on pieces of my game so I’m improving and helping the team along the way.

SLAM: You guys played the Wolves on Wednesday and again Friday night. Have you talked to Thibs at all? He had a huge impact on you and your career—how do you feel about the way things have worked out for you guys after leaving Chicago?

DR: Yeah, I talked to him a little bit. I think things are going to work out well. Thibs, he’s got a young group over there. I think we both have room and space for opportunity. We both work so hard at our craft and what we do that nothing but good is going to come from it. I think we’re good people and we obsess for greatness. I think he wants success and when you have that and good people around you, I think you find your way to success.

—

Top photo via Jihad Dennis (@jihad_lb), action pic via Getty Images

The post Derrick Rose Talks D Rose 7, Knicks, Russell Westbrook and Tom Thibodeau appeared first on SLAM.

Averaging 21.4 points per game, 7.2 boards and 1.5 blocks per game for the 9-9 Knicks, KP  has social media going crazy with a highlight block, massive dunk or deep 3-pointer every time he touches the floor. At 7-3, Porzingis is living up to and exceeding the hype he built in his rookie year.

Off the court, Kristaps is well on his way to becoming a star endorser for adidas. Having signed a multi-year contract with Three Stripes in October, Porzingis joins a dope roster that includes teammates Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, as well as Damian Lillard, Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Lowry. The big man has been hooping in Crazy Explosives all season and if things keep going the way they have been, it could only be a matter of time before the Latvian native gets his own signature look.

On Thursday night, Porzingis, along with teammates Willy Hernangomez, Kyle O’Quinn and DRose dropped by the new adidas store in midtown Manhattan. SLAM chopped it up with Porzingis about signing with adidas, the Knicks and how he feels about players trying to dunk on him.

SLAM: You made big news in the sneaker world by deciding to sign with adidas. Why did you decide to sign with them? What was their pitch to you like?

Kristaps Porzingis: What I loved about adidas the most is they give their athletes freedom; they let them create, they let them have a voice. In the meeting I had with them, everything I wanted to hear, I heard. It wasn’t about the money, I really felt that this was the brand for me, it felt right. I knew what I wanted at that point.

SLAM: How have you liked playing in the Crazy Explosive so far?

KP: Honestly it’s much more comfortable than I expected. The landing after my dunks is so soft, I don’t hurt my feet at all. I know they’re still working [on a new design of the shoe], so the shoe will only get better. It’s amazing for my feet, I have nothing bothering me.

SLAM: For a big dude like yourself that’s so important.

KP: Super important. That’s why the number one thing for me was if I decided to switch brands from Nike to adidas, the shoe had to be comfortable because my feet are the most important thing, basically.

SLAM: You and Karl-Anthony Towns both had a huge game earlier this week. Is it cool to think that you two will probably be matching up for at least the next decade?

KP: I hope so, I hope so. That’s a dream for me to have a long, successful career in the NBA and it’s the same for him. Hopefully we have many more chances to play against one another and have a long rivalry.

SLAM: The Knicks are 6-4 in the last 10 games. Have things changed at all since the start of the season, or are things just starting to click a little bit for you guys?

KP: We’re figuring it out on the court as we play a lot of times and we’re realizing how much talent we have. This is a big season for us, we can’t just let it pass by, we have to take every opportunity and treat every game like it’s our last. We can’t feel comfortable at any point. We’re still figuring it out, we’re not even close to what we can do and how much potential we have. We’re working towards that and once we click 100 percent, we can do big things.

SLAM: You’ve been taking right around 20 shots over the past five games. Have you been getting more plays drawn up for you or is everything coming in the flow of the offense?

KP: I think the point guards are looking for me. They want me to attack, they want me to create for others and the ball is getting to me. It doesn’t mean every time I have to attack, I can drive, kick out and keep playing and good things come out of that. I think it’s more teammates are finding me and know what position I’m going to be in and where I can attack and be effective.

SLAM: Carmelo is going to get his shots, Derrick is going to get his shots. Does your recent surge in shot attempts and scoring make you guys more formidable and help ease the burden on Carmelo a little bit?

KP: Yes, for sure. Since I’ve been here he’s been that guy for me and he still is the guy that draws the most attention from the defense. That gives me more space and more options to be open. Same thing with Derrick, he’ so aggressive and he creates for others and that’s what we love about him. The defense collapses and he’s able to kick the ball out and get me good looks.

SLAM: Earlier this week Zach LaVine said he would try and dunk on you if you two met you at the rim. Do you think he changed his mind a little bit after the block you had on Shabazz Muhammad?

KP: [Laughs] I don’t know, I don’t know. They probably asked him a tricky question, like, ‘Will you try and dunk on Porzingis?’ Of course whoever is in front of you, you’re going to try and dunk. He probably has the highest vertical in the NBA and that’s what he does. But if I see him coming to try and dunk on me, I’m going to go for the block. If you’re a shot blocker you’re going to get dunked on, that’s my mentality.

—

Photo via Jihad Dennis (@jihad_lb)

The post Kristaps Porzingis Talks adidas, Knicks and Players Trying to Dunk On Him appeared first on SLAM.

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The post The SLAM Podcast Episode 30: SLAM 204 With Editor-In-Chief Adam Figman appeared first on SLAM.

“I ended up with my shirt off,” Galloway says, with a laugh, of his wedding reception.

Galloway went undrafted in 2014, then went to the D-League as part of the Westchester Knicks before signing a 10-day contract with New York in January of 2015. In doing so he became the first-ever Westchester Knick to be called up to the NBA.

From there, the 6-2 combo guard was awarded a partially guaranteed deal with the Knicks, and averaged 11.8 ppg over the rest of the ’14-15 season, good enough to earn a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team. In ’15-16, Galloway played in all 82 games, posting 7.6 points, 3.5 boards and 2.5 assists over 24.8 minutes per game.

Now, the hometown kid is getting guaranteed money to play for the hometown team—a pretty remarkable story for a guy who entered the League on a 10-day.

“My family is real excited for me,” says Galloway, who in just over 20 minutes a game is posting 8.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.2 spg for New Orleans so far this season. “It’s a dream come true to play back home, to play in front of the home fans and play in front of my friends and family.”

Galloway has gotten a chance to play a key role off the bench for the Pelicans, as fellow NOLA guards Tyreke Evans (recovering from a knee injury) and Jrue Holiday (tending to his family) began the year sidelined indefinitely (Holiday just recently re-joined the team).

The last four months have been nothing short of a whirlwind for the St. Joe’s University product, but the level-headed Galloway is keeping everything in perspective.

“Life is moving pretty fast. I’m enjoying it step-by-step. It’s nothing I can control—I just go out there and enjoy life and enjoy what I’m doing,” says Galloway. “I get to play basketball every single day and do what I love. It’s definitely a blessing.”

—

Related: The SLAM Podcast Episode 19 Feat. Langston Galloway

Peter Walsh is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

Photo via Getty Images

The post Bring It Back appeared first on SLAM.

In 2011, Thomas and Father Michael Pfleger of The Faith Community of Saint Sabina in Chicago, organized the Peace Game, which later grew to the Peace League, to bring rival Chicago gang members together for a peaceful game of basketball. As has been widely reported, gun violence has plagued Chicago communities—including the neighborhood where the Thomas family was raised—and Isiah has used the game of basketball and the Peace League to try and bring gang members together in a non-violent way in an effort to slow the violence epidemic in Chicago.

With Thomas and Father Pfleger’s efforts, and the support of NBA players like Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker and Will Bynum, the Peace League has yielded positive results. As Thomas notes, in the Peace League’s first year gang members had to be bused in so they would not cross rivals’ lines. In subsequent years, gang members have car pooled together to get to the gym.

However, there is still much work to be done. In August, Dwyane Wade’s cousin Nykea Aldridge was fatally shot while pushing her newborn in a stroller on Chicago’s South Side. The shooting came just one day after Wade, Wade’s mother and Thomas took place in a Town Hall event and spoke on putting an end to gun violence in Chicago. The shooting was one of 400 reported in August. At least 78 of those were homicides.

Earlier this month, NBATV aired a “Beyond the Paint” special about Thomas’ involvement in Chicago communities, the Peace League and Wade’s family opening a new recreation center attached to their church.

SLAM caught up with Zeke about the special, his history of activism, involvement in Chicago, LeBron James’ similarities to Muhammad Ali and more.

SLAM: How did the Peace Game and the “Beyond the Paint” special come about?

Isiah Thomas: For the last five years, Father Pfleger and I have been doing the Peace Game in Chicago. The idea was to bring rival gangs together and play a game for peace. We do a Sunday Peace Walk and as we were walking the neighborhood, I ran into some of the former gang members and we started talking and Father Pfleger and I were asking if we put together a game would they play with the rival gang members. At first there was some resistance to it but the more we talked with them, the more we got some of the gang members to buy in.

The first year we had to bus the rival gang members in because they couldn’t cross a certain boundary line. The second year, they were actually carpooling together and getting to know each other.

I got my master’s in cultural studies and sport and education and what I came to find out is when you take the play out of neighborhood and play out of the community, people don’t get a chance to know each other. Once they get the opportunity to really know each other, you start breaking down social boundaries, cultural boundaries, language boundaries and intellectual boundaries. We were able to do that with the Peace Game and our first year, our first game actually, NBATV was involved. They came down with a camera crew and followed our growth over the first five years. Matt [Winer] and his crew came down with his crew and did a special about it.

SLAM: You spoke about basketball and sport being a vehicle to break down barriers. When you were growing up on the West Side of Chicago, did anything like the Peace Game exist for kids your age?

IT: Well, there were always leagues in terms of basketball leagues but nothing really specifically to speak to the gang violence and the people who were part of the educational season. There was no specific league or program designed for that.

SLAM: Did you find playing basketball, whether in Chicago, at Indiana or in the NBA, to be a unifying thing?

IT: I find that sport is the only place where you can bring different factions of life together under one arena and people will only root for or against the team in blue or the team in white. Very rarely do those differences that they have—socially, culturally or racially—ever come to mind when they are in that arena space.

SLAM: Why is community involvement so important to you and why do you continue to make it a priority?

IT: I guess you would say it goes back to my mother—it’s the family business, so to speak. My mom marched with Martin Luther King Jr. She was very active in the community on the West Side of Chicago—there is actually a street named after my mother on the West Side of Chicago. We didn’t have nannies so every place that she went—my brothers and sisters all went with her. Her activism and fight for equality has always been ingrained in me and is something that I have always done and always been a part of whether I was in high school, college or the NBA.

You hear players talking about using their platform for social activism; we were taught that in high school. I was fortunate to save some of my high school clippings and when I went back and looked at the things I said in high school into where we are today, we were still talking about equality, race, class and gender.

SLAM: I read that your family had interactions with gangs but your mother was very adamant that none of the Thomas children would join. There’s a semi-famous story of her coming to the door with a shotgun to scare away gang members who were recruiting you, but also stories of her going to bond gang members out of jail. Did this teach you to have compassion for people despite the faults they may have or what their intentions may be?

IT: Absolutely and you hit on the right word, compassion and also being a servant to the community. Never judging, giving acceptance and showing love for your fellow human being no matter what his or hers situation may be.

SLAM: Was there ever a point where you considered joining a gang? Or was it always something that was out of the question?

IT: My mom was such a strong woman who had relationships with both gangs. We were always considered friends of the gangs, not necessarily in the gang. It was a very unique position we held in the community to be able to balance and walk on both sides and not be seen as an enemy or rival but as a peacemaker or peacekeeper. And that was the role we always tried to play in the community.

SLAM: When Joakim Noah was in Chicago he was very adamant about being being involved in the community. Jabari Parker, who is a Chicago native, is open and vocal about issues in the community and shows his face in neighborhoods. That didn’t necessarily start with you, but you are a huge star who has been doing the same since the beginning of your playing days. Do you think part of your legacy is paving the way and setting an example for guys like Joakim, Jabari and Derrick Rose to go into communities to try and make a difference?

IT: Absolutely and that was the intent, to always give and show a path way back to your community to inspire and motivate and educate. The more young people we can touch, the better our world and communities will be.

A big part of my conversations with LeBron was not necessarily about basketball but about understanding how he has an opportunity to be talked about to this generation like Muhammad Ali was talked about in our generation. When it’s all said and done and history writes his story, it won’t just talk about NBA champion, it will also talk about someone who stood for equality and justice off the court also and trying to help people and that’s what I tried to do in high school, college, in the NBA and after the NBA.

SLAM: With the amount of violence that is shown in entertainment and media, do you think gun violence has become normalized in our country and people are starting to be desensitized to it?

IT: I don’t want to say the nation is desensitized, I think we as a nation and we as a people are very sensitive to anyone dying and it impacts all of us. In terms of how it is covered and how it is talked about, those are things that we should definitely always critique. When we talk about gun violence, I don’t think many people are opposed to the Second Amendment, but some people would want qualifications for the type of weapon that is on the street and the type of militarization and arsenal that we have and an everyday person can purchase is concerning.

SLAM: It seems now more than ever that it’s important to focus on the good coming from communities that suffer from violence. What is the next step for you in terms of promoting the good work being done in violence-riddled communities in Chicago?

IT: To go back and re-invest in these distraught communities and more or less put your money where your mouth is. What I do in Chicago is I do multi-family housing and affordable housing some of the toughest neighborhoods and toughest communities. Those are the areas that I am looking to not only put my time into but also my resources into to make sure we can educate in poverty; we can be decent and respectful to each other in poverty.

I’m not trying to re-invent the wheel. Those things have been done and the reason that I keep emphasizing that there are more positive things that come out of our neighborhoods than negative things is because the question should be how do parents continue to graduate their kids, send their kids to college to become doctors, lawyers, policeman, fireman, there are more good things that come out of our communities than bad things. When you talk about highlighting the positive, at one point in time those things were highlighted and then the news cycle changed to if it bleeds it leads. With words and pictures, you can change and create perception. What we want to do with words and pictures is balance the story to positive side of our communities and of our people. There are some negatives but the positives far outweigh the negatives.

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