Now, the Hall of Famer transitions into a front office role as the President of Basketball Operations, a position he announced by revealing a shirt that said “El Jefe” on the front.

Although he’ll still be involved with the Spurs organization, Popovich’s impact on the sidelines, the League and San Antonio hoops in particular is one that cannot be overlooked.

Before his 29 years with San Antonio, Popovich started with the Air Force Academy.

After playing high school basketball in Indiana, where he grew up, Popovich enrolled in the Air Force Academy, where he played for the basketball team. Popovich was a key contributor, leading the team in scoring during the 1970 season, averaging over 14 points a night.

While on active duty, he earned a roster spot on the U.S. Armed Forces all-star basketball team, and played consistently across Europe. He earned a tryout to the U.S. Olympic trials, which were attended by Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who had just begun his coaching career in the ABA.

Popovich failed to make the team, and later began a coaching career with his alma mater as an assistant coach. After spending six seasons with the Air Force Academy, Popovich was hired by the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, a Division III joint-basketball program shared between Pomona College and Pitzer College in California. He rebuilt the struggling program into a powerhouse, leading the Sagehens to a conference title in the 1980’s, their first in 68 years.

With his success at the Division III level, Popovich was hired by Brown, who was then coaching the Kansas Jayhawks. Brown would give Popovich the breakthrough he needed, as when he became the Spurs head coach in 1988, he again added the Hall of Famer to his staff.

Under Brown, Popovich first crossed paths with a superstar who he would eventually coach years later—David Robinson.

“I loved Pop from the beginning because Pop’s a military guy,” Robinson said in an interview on Joe Buck’s podcast. “Pop had a vision. He knew what he wanted to accomplish. He knew how he wanted to accomplish it, so guys started to buy into it. That really was the big turnaround, that was when things started falling into place.”

After a two-year stint as an assistant with the Warriors, Popovich returned to San Antonio for the 1994 season.

He became the general manager of the Spurs, helping sign veteran point guard Avery Johnson from the Golden State Warriors, and trading away fan-favorite Dennis Rodman to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for center Will Perdue, both who would eventually be contributors to San Antonio’s first title in 1999.

After a 3-15 start, Popovich hired himself as head coach for the 1996-1997 season, in what proved to be a lost season for the Spurs.

Robinson suffered a season-ending foot injury after playing only six games, while the team’s second-leading scorer Sean Elliott only played 39 games due to a knee injury. Chuck Person, another team veteran was out for the entire season with a back injury.

With a roster turning over with injuries, the Spurs ended the season with a 20-62 record, the worst record in franchise history. Popovich himself had coached the team to a 17-47 record.

However, it proved to be a blessing in disguise.

The Spurs won the 1997 Draft Lottery, earning the rights to draft Tim Duncan, the consensus top-overall pick out of Wake Forest.

From then on, the two would form a 19-year partnership. But more importantly, a standard for how Popovich would treat his players.

“The standard you set. You showed up after I got drafted, you came to my island. You sat with my friends, my family. You talked with my dad. I thought that was normal—it’s not. You are an exceptional person, thank you for teaching me about basketball, but even beyond that, teaching me that it’s not all about basketball,” Duncan said in his Hall of Fame speech.

Duncan’s impact on the Spurs was immediate. Popovich coached San Antonio to a 56-26 record in his second season on the sidelines.

Under Pop, Duncan ran away with the Rookie of the Year award, averaging 21.1 points per game and nearly 12 boards a game. As a 21-year-old, he was named to the All-NBA First-Team and immediately became San Antonio’s best player.

With a youthful roster, the team fell short in the playoffs to the Utah Jazz, but bounced back.

In his third season, Popovich led the Spurs to their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. In the 1999 lockout season, the Spurs cruised through the postseason, only losing two games en route to a 4-1 Finals victory over the underdog New York Knicks.

In only three seasons, Popovich transformed the small market Spurs into a title-winning franchise, led by an emphasis on tough defense and slow-paced games that grinded opponents down. With Robinson and Duncan manning the paint, San Antonio boasted the third-best scoring defense in the League, and ranked top in defensive rating.

Strong defenses and an emphasis on a slower, high movement offense would be the standard for Pop-led teams moving forward.

That same season, Popovich drafted an unknown international talent out of Argentina in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft named Manu Ginobili.

Two years later, he drafted French point guard Tony Parker in the 2001 NBA Draft, setting the foundation for the San Antonio’s Big Three.

After remaining contenders for the next three seasons, the Spurs failed to get past the Shaq and Kobe Lakers, but finally broke through in the 2003 season.

Ginobili made his NBA debut after playing Italy for three seasons, and the Spurs formed their Big Three of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker.

Under the Big Three, the franchise won three more titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007. In 2003, the Spurs helped Robinson close out his career with a ring, defeating the New Jersey Nets in six games.

Pop’s team spread the ball, with four players averaging in double-digit points in those Finals, while having the rookie Ginobili provide a spark off the bench. In the closeout game, San Antonio’s defense suffocated the Nets, holding them to 77 points while Duncan nearly posted a quadruple-double, falling two blocks short on the stat sheet.

In 2005, the roster gained new role players—who instantly found their place in Popovich’s schemes. Players like Robert Horry, Brent Barry, Rasho Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed played tough defense while the Big Three continued to play selfless basketball. On Popovich’s teams, everybody had a role, regardless of their standing in the rotation.

Especially Horry, who carried the offensive load in Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals and hit the game-winning three to return to San Antonio up 3-2 in the series. San Antonio would close out the series against the defending champion Detroit Pistons, after clamping up Detroit for an 81-74 Game 7 victory, earning Popovich his third ring.

In 2007, the Spurs won their third championship of the 2000’s, sweeping a young LeBron and an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers team. That season, Ginobili voluntarily relinquished his starting role to come off the bench to help spark the team’s offense.

Ginobili’s selfless play represented Popovich’s teams—selfless basketball, and players who put their egos and statistics aside for the better of the team.

From that standard, it wasn’t a surprise that Popovich was the first coach to believe in Kawhi Leonard. After being drafted to the Pacers on draft night, the Spurs traded George Hill and the rights to two players for Leonard, who instantly made an impact in Texas.

Leonard became a star playing alongside the Big Three, helping lead the franchise to its most recent championship in 2014 over the Miami Heat. Popovich helped coach Leonard into a superstar, with the San Diego State product earning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2015 and 2016.

With a revolving door of contributing role players and the core of Parker, Duncan, Ginobili and Leonard, the Spurs were always racking up wins and contending—even if it didn’t turn into championships.

However, fans don’t remember the defensive efforts or focus on the fundamentals, but rather Popovich’s revolutionary offense. The Spurs taught the world how to pass, run a motion offense and emphasized ball movement. Star players would pass up difficult shots to give a teammate a better look. At their peak, fans called the team’s style, “The Beautiful Game.”

Even now, Pop’s younger rosters still show flashes of the offense that made the Spurs famous.

With their selfless play and adaptable offense, San Antonio remained title contenders for nearly Popovich’s entire tenure with the team. The Spurs made the playoffs for 22 consecutive seasons, leaving him with a 170-114 career postseason record.

Even as the Spurs have been rebuilding for the past few years, it feels as if history is repeating itself.

San Antonio won the 2023 Draft Lottery, earning the rights to draft another generational prospect—Victor Wembanyana.

Similar to Duncan, Wembanyama instantly became the best player on the court. He won Rookie of the Year in a unanimous decision, and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Rudy Gobert.

Pop has helped coached Wembanyama into a lockdown defender, and an offensive threat who can score from anywhere on the court. For the past two seasons, he’s been coaching and teaching Wemby the right way to play the game.

A season later, he helped coached another Rookie of the Year winner in Stephon Castle.

With the talent, draft capital and trajectory San Antonio has been on, there’s still a chance Popovich could get his sixth ring in a few seasons, and first outside of the sidelines.

But with all the hypotheticals aside, the accolades speak for themselves. 1,422 wins, the most ever. Three NBA Coach of the Year awards. A 62.1% winning percentage. Five rings. But most importantly, the care and mentorship he gave to his players, past and present.

Duncan summed up the sentiment in his Hall of Fame speech.

“For everything, thank you for being the amazing human being that you are,” he said.

The post Gregg Popovich leaves behind a legacy of greatness in San Antonio Hoops appeared first on SLAM.

WNBA training camp officially starts on Sunday (April 27) and teams around the League have started announcing their final rosters for camp. With that, keep in mind that official roster spots in the W are limited—there are only 156 roster spots amongst the 13 WNBA teams—which means not everyone will make the cut (although, with the upcoming expansion teams in Toronto and Portland, this number will change!) Here’s a few more things to have on your radar as we gear up for the start of the season:

• “Training camp contracts” are one-year, non-guaranteed contracts that give teams the chance to evaluate potential players.
• Teams can have up to 12 players on an official roster, but most only have 11
• Regular season starts May 16

Here’s every training camp roster, which we’ll update as they drop:

ATL DREAM:

CT SUN:

DALLAS WINGS:

Until then, the Wings just dropped an official playlist by Zaza, and her music choices are fireeee. Will definitely be blasting this on Sunday:

GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES

INDIANA FEVER: stay tuned!

Until then, it looks like CC and Lexie are having fun wit it before camp, too:

LAS VEGAS ACES: stay tuned!

LOS ANGELES SPARKS

MINNESOTA LYNX:

The Lynx have also just announced that they’ve signed Diamond Johnson to a training camp contract.

NEW YORK LIBERTY:

APRIL 25 // UPDATE: Leaonna Odom signed a Training Camp Contract.

Full training camp roster hasn’t dropped yet, but until then, here’s a fun clip of Tash giving her official deli order:

PHOENIX MERCURY:

Per the team, the Mercury have signed three players to training camp contracts:

SEATTLE STORM:

WASHINGTON MYSTICS:

Until then, the rookies—Sonia, Georgia and Kiki—were at the Nationals game to throw the first pitch!

The post Full List of Every WNBA Training Camp Roster appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s everything you need to know to be caught up on the madness so far heading into the round of 32.

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No. 9 Baylor defeated No. Mississippi State

Baylor defeated Mississippi State in a 75-72 game that came down to the wire.

Freshman facilitator Rob Wright led the Bears with 19 points, while Langston Love added 15. Miami transfer Norchad Omier posted a double-double, dropping 12 points and grabbing 10 boards.

However, off all the Bears, the nation was introduced to VJ Edgecombe, a projected lottery pick in the NBA Draft. On the NBA’s mock draft, experts project Edgecombe to be drafted third overall.

On the biggest stage of his career, Edgecombe showed the flashes of his potential, dropping 14 points and grabbing five boards. The freshman guard showcased his explosiveness, slicing into the paint to draw fouls—good for six free throws—and his sharpshooting ability with a team-leading two triples.

Josh Hubbard led Mississippi State with a game-high 26 points. Claudell Harris Jr. added 13 points and Riley Kugel contributed 11 points off the bench.

The game was evenly matched, coming down to the wire. After Edgecombe calmly sank two free throws to give Baylor a three-point lead, Harris had the chance to tie the game with seconds remaining, but came up short.

The Bulldogs outshot the Bears, making 50% of their shots from the field, but were doomed by turnovers. Baylor played handsy defense, logging 10 steals in the game. Mississippi State’s 14 turnovers turned into 15 points for Baylor, the difference in the game.

Baylor will now play Duke in the round of 32, a revenge game for Bears point guard Jeremy Roach and a reunion of between high school teammates Wright and phenom Cooper Flagg.

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No. 2 Alabama defeated No. 15 Robert Morris

Grant Nelson was the X-Factor in Alabama’s win over the No. 1 seeded North Carolina Tar Heels in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

He made fought for a tough and-one layup that gave Alabama the lead with 39 seconds to play. He then sank two free throws to ice the game for the Crimson Tide.

This year, Nelson came to the rescue again.

Nursing a leg injury, Nelson came off the bench and immediately provided a spark. He threw down a ferocious alley-oop to put Alabama out in front with under 10 minutes left in the second half, and played stellar defense. In Nelson’s seven minutes of game time, the NDSU transfer finished with five points, three rebounds and a steal.

That spark propelled Alabama to avoiding a first-round upset against Robert Morris, defeating the Colonials 90-81.

Mark Sears finished with a double-double to lead the Crimson Tide, dropping 22 points and dishing out 10 assists. Clifford Omoruyi scored a season-high 17 points and Mouhamed Dioubate an 18 point, 10 rebound double-double off the bench.

Alabama’s star freshman guard Labaron Philon finished with his lowest scoring output of the season, sinking only one free throw while dishing out eight assists.

Amarion Dickerson led the Colonials with 25 points and Alvaro Folgueiras posted a 15 point, 10 rebound double-double.

Alabama’s top-ranked scoring offense lived up to the hype, shooting 58.6% from the field. However, the Crimson Tide struggled from beyond the arc, shooting only 28.6% from beyond the arc.

Robert Morris kept up with Alabama’s high offensive pace, taking a four-point deficit into halftime, and eventually gaining the lead with seven minutes to play.

However, Nelson’s contributions kicked off a 24-16 run, which allowed Alabama to close out the game.

Alabama will play Saint Mary’s in the round of 32.

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No. 3 Iowa State defeated No. 14 Lipscomb

Iowa State routed Lipscomb 82-55.

Despite losing star guard Keshon Gilbert for the tournament, the Cyclone offense dominated.

Milan Momcilovic led Iowa State with 20 points while Curtis Jones, the team’s leading-scorer, finished with 17 points off the bench. Joshua Jefferson nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Jacob Ognacevic, the ASUN Player of the Year, finished with a team-leading 18 points. Gyasi Powell followed suit with 11 points. Ognacevic and Powell were the only two double-digit scorers for the Bison.

Iowa State ran away with the game from the start. After Lipscomb took a 16-15 lead halfway into the first half, Iowa State recaptured the lead and never looked back.

The Cyclones outscored the Bison 40-24 in the first half, and later 42-31 in the second half.

The Cyclones will now play Ole Miss in the round of 32.

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No. 12 Colorado State upsets No. 5 Memphis

Despite the lower seeding, the Colorado State Rams were favored over the Memphis Tigers in their first round matchup.

Riding the momentum from their Mountain West Tournament run, the Rams played up to that expectation.

Colorado State put on a three-point shooting clinic to pull off the upset against Memphis, 78-70.

Kyan Evans led the Rams with 23 points. He was deadly from beyond the arc, cashing six triples. Nique Clifford, the team’s leading scorer, finished with a near-triple double, logging 14 points, eight boards and six assists.

Dain Dainja led the Tigers with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 boards. Wooden Award candidate PJ Haggerty and Colby Rogers each followed suit with 18 points.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with numerous lead changes in the first half. Memphis entered halftime with a five-point lead, but quickly saw the Rams tie the game up five minutes into the second half, going on a 17-12 run.

After Clifford drilled a jumper to give the Rams a 50-48 lead, Colorado State never looked back.

Memphis was doomed by their inefficient shooting from beyond the arc. The Tigers shot 26.1% from deep and only converted on 70% of their free-throw attempts. The Tigers also struggled with foul trouble, logging 20 personal fouls that turned into 19 Ram free-throws.

Colorado State continued their three-point barrage, nailing 11 triples total. This was the third consecutive game in which the Rams have made 10 or more three-pointers.

The Rams will now play Maryland in the round of 32.

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No. 1 Duke defeated No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s

The overall storyline for the Duke Blue Devils heading into the first round was the health of freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.

Flagg’s performance all but erased that narrative.

The potential top overall pick in the NBA Draft immediately took off, converting an and-one and scoring in the paint. To cap it off, Flagg caught an alley-oop from Patrick Ngongba and threw down a thunderous slam to send the crowd into a frenzy.

No problem with the ankle there.

Flagg finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks to help lead the Blue Devils to a 93-49 rout over Mount St. Mary’s.

Tyrese Proctor led the Blue Devils with 19 points and freshman center Khaman Maluach went a perfect 5-5 from the field, finishing with 11 points.

Arlandus Keyes led the Mountaineers with 15 points off the bench. Keyes was the only Mountaineer to post double-digit scoring numbers.

Duke ran away with this game from the beginning, building a 26-point halftime lead before closing out the game in the second half. The Blue Devils shot 50% from the field and splashed 14 triples in the game.

Duke will now play Baylor and fellow projected lottery pick VJ Edgecombe in the round of 32.

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No. 7 Saint Mary’s defeated No. 10 Vanderbilt

Randy Bennett wasn’t going to led his Gaels be a first-round exit again.

After falling in a shock upset to Grand Canyon last year, the Gaels appeared to be on upset watch again. Playing a tough Vanderbilt team appearing in their first NCAA Tournament since 2017, the Commodores started out hot, jumping out to a 12-point lead.

However, the Gaels dug deep, relying on their elite defense to get the job done.

In a gritty comeback win, Saint Mary’s erased a 12-point deficit to secure a comeback 59-56 victory over Vanderbilt.

Jordan Ross led the Gaels with 15 points, while Augustas Marciulionis added 14 points and eight rebounds. Mitchell Saxen and Luke Barrett both recorded double-doubles, with Saxen posting 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Barrett posting 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Jason Edwards led the Commodores with 18 points. He was the only Vanderbilt player to finish the game in double-digit scoring.

Vanderbilt jumped out to an early lead, and carried a seven-point 29-22 lead into the half. They immediately opened the second frame with a 10-5 run, building up a 12-point lead.

However, the Gaels heated up. They responded with a 16-4 run off of a pair of Ross triples and Saxen layups. At the seven minute mark in the second half, Marciulionis hit a three to give the Gaels a lead they wouldn’t look back on.

With 30 seconds left, Saxen had a chance to the ice the game with two free throws, but split the pair, giving Vanderbilt a chance to tie the game with a three.

With the clock running down, Devin McGlockton pulled up from the corner, but saw his game-tying attempt clank off the rim.

Despite an inefficient shooting night, the Gaels knocked down seven triples, which helped them erase the deficit and pull off the comeback victory.

Saint Mary’s will now play Alabama in the round of 32.

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No. 6 Ole Miss defeated No. 11 North Carolina

With momentum favoring North Carolina with a minute to play, the Rebels turned to their go-to man.

Sean Pedulla, who had recently hit a dagger three to send Arkansas packing in the SEC Tournament, took a handoff from Jaemyn Brakefield. He faked dribbling to the corner and spotted up a three.

He cashed it, just like he had done a week prior. As Pedulla emphatically threw down the three logo to the Ole Miss bench, his dagger three elevated the Rebels’ lead to five with under a minute to play.

With the team closing out the game, the Rebels secured their first tournament win since 2015 by defeating North Carolina 71-64.

Pedulla’s 20 points led the Rebels, while Dre Davis added 15 points and eight rebounds. Brakefield also contributed 12 points off the bench.

RJ Davis scored 15 points to lead the Tar Heels in his final collegiate game. Ven-Allen Lubin added 14 points, but later fouled out in the game.

The Tar Heels were dominated for most of the game, failing to ever capture the lead. Ole Miss opened the game up hot, posting a double-digit lead and carrying an 18-point lead into the half.

However, the Tar Heels battled back. Down 13 points with eight minutes to play, the Tar Heels went on a 14-3 run to cut the lead to two points, capped off by a Davis and-one that sent Kevin Harlan and the crowd into a frenzy.

Pedulla’s three silenced the crowd, and helped the Rebels close out the game.

The Rebels were the more efficient team, shooting 44.4% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. North Carolina struggled to find efficiency, as they only made five triples in 24 attempts.

Ole Miss will now play Iowa State in the round of 32.

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No. 4 Maryland defeated No. 13 Grand Canyon

Maryland routed Grand Canyon 81-49 to advance the “Crab Five” to the round of 32.

Julian Reese led the Terps with 18 points, while freshman phenom Derik Queen posted a dominant 12 point, 15 rebound double-double. Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 16 points and Selton Miguel scored 13.

Tyon Grant-Foster led the Lopes with 23 points. He was the only Grand Canyon player to score more than six points in the game.

Maryland dominated for the entire game. The Terps shot 50.8% from the field and rained down seven triples at a 43.8% clip on the Grand Canyon defense.

The defense held Grand Canyon to 28.6% shooting from the field and 21.7% from beyond the arc.

Grand Canyon grabbed an early five-point lead in the first half. However, a Gillespie jumper eight minutes into the opening frame gave Maryland a lead they would never look back on.

The Terps took a 14-point lead into the half and then outscored the Lopes 39-21 in the final frame to close out the game.

Maryland will take on Colorado State in the round of 32.

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No. 1 Florida defeated No. 16 Norfolk State

Florida routed Norfolk State 95-69 to earn their first tournament win since the 2021.

Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators with 23 points on an efficient 6-11 shooting night and Alijah Martin added 17 points. Alex Condon dropped 12 points and added two steals and two blocks, and Thomas Haugh contributed 13 points off the bench.

Christian Ings led the Spartans with 16 points and Jaylani Darden added 15 points and six boards. Chris Fields Jr. contributed 14 points off the bench on an efficient 7-12 night.

Florida dominated the entire game. Their defense held the Spartans to 14.3% shooting from beyond the arc and forced 12 turnovers.

On offense, the Gators shot 48.3% from the field and knocked down 10 triples. They drove hard into the paint, drawing 24 Spartan fouls. Those fouls turned into 33 free-throw attempts, of which the Gators converted 27.

Norfolk State trailed the entire game.

The Gators will now play the two-time defending National Champion UConn Huskies in the round of 32.

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No. 3 Kentucky defeated No. 14 Troy

Kentucky routed Troy 76-57 to kick off the Mark Pope era in the NCAA Tournament

Otega Oweh nearly put up a triple-double, scoring a team-high 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Elite sharpshooter Koby Brea, Andrew Carr and Brandon Garrison each contributed 13 points.

Myles Rigsby scored 17 points to lead the Trojans and Tayton Conerway added 12 points. Rigsby and Conerway were the only two Trojans to finish with double-digit scoring numbers. Sophomore forward Thomas Dowd, the team’s third-leading scorer, was held scoreless. However, Dowd did contribute on the glass, grabbing 11 rebounds.

Kentucky dominated throughout, taking an eight-point lead into the half before outscoring the Trojans 41-30 in the final frame to close out the game.

The Wildcats’ offense clicked, shooting 47.5% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. Kentucky knocked down 10 threes, with Brea knocking down a team-high three triples.

Kentucky’s defense held Troy to 8-32 shooting from beyond the arc and 34.9% from the field.

The Wildcats will now play Illinois in the round of 32.

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No. 10 New Mexico defeated No. 7 Marquette

New Mexico defeated Marquette 75-66.

The Lobos’ two-headed monster of Donovan Dent and Nelly Junior Joseph excelled on the big stage, combining for 40 points. Tru Washington added 12 points and CJ Noland contributed 11 points off the bench.

David Joplin led the Golden Eagles with 28 points, while Kam Jones added 15 points in what was likely his final collegiate game.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with New Mexico holding a slim three-point lead at the half. However, the Lobos pulled away in the second half. After being deadlocked at 53, the Lobos rattled off a 17-8 run, building a nine-point advantage with a little over a minute to play.

Marquette was unable to catch up and surrendered another devastating loss.

Poor shooting doomed the Golden Eagles, who converted on 40.7% of their shots from the field and 36.7% of their threes. However, despite winning the turnover margin 13-12, Marquette failed to capitalize on the opportunities. New Mexico scored 21 points off of the Marquette turnovers, which became the difference-maker in the game.

The Lobos will now play Michigan State in the round of 32.

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No. 4 Arizona defeated No. 13 Akron

Arizona routed Akron 93-65.

Jaden Bradley scored 19 points to lead the Wildcats while Oakland transfer Trey Townsend added 16 points and eight rebounds. Caleb Love scored 10 points, while Carter Bryant and KJ Lewis contributed a combined 22 points off the bench.

Tavari Johnson and Nate Johnson both scored 13 points to lead the Zips. Shammah Scott contributed 11 points off the bench.

Arizona dominated the entire game, as the Zips failed to take the lead at any point in the game.

The Wildcats put on a clinic, draining 12 three-pointers at a 48% clip and shooting 56.5% from the field. They held the Zips in check, holding them to 33.3% shooting from the field and only allowing seven three-pointers.

Arizona took a 10-point lead into the half and later outscored Akron 52-34 in the final frame to close out the game.

Arizona will now play their former Pac-12 rival Oregon in the round of 32.

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No. 8 UConn defeated No. 9 Oklahoma

Projected lottery pick Jeremiah Fears went out with a bang. In likely his last collegiate game, the freshman guard showcased his whole bag.

He started early with an explosive drive to the basket that immediately drew free throws and followed it up with another tough lefty layup.

He then continued his scoring tear, draining a triple and hitting a highlight reel 360 layup that left Jaylin Stewart in the dust.

Fears finished the game with a game-high 20 points, adding five boards, four assists and two steals as well. A true one man show.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Dan Hurley’s veteran UConn squad took down the Sooners 67-59 in a back-and-forth affair.

Solo Ball led the Huskies with 14 points and Alex Karaban added 13 points. Tarris Reed Jr. lived up to his Big East Sixth Man of the Year Award by contributing 12 points off the bench.

Jalon Moore finished with 13 points and seven rebounds for Oklahoma. No other Sooner posted double-digit scoring numbers.

The Sooners fell behind early and struggled to gain any momentum. UConn outscored the Sooners 32-26 in the first half, and matched every bucket the Sooners made.

In the second half, Oklahoma battled back, taking the lead off of a Mohamed Wague tip-shot. However, it lasted 17 seconds. UConn quickly took the lead back on a Ball pull-up jumper and never looked back.

Oklahoma brought the lead down to four points with two minutes to play, but the Huskies defense only allowed a single Sooner point in that final frame.

The Sooners struggled with efficient shooting from beyond the arc, knocking down only 17.6% of their threes. UConn didn’t fare much better, shooting 24% from deep, but were far more efficient from the rest of the field.

UConn will now play Florida in the round of 32.

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No. 6 Illinois defeated No. 11 Xavier

Illinois defeated Xavier 86-73.

Will Riley led the Fighting Illini with 22 points on an efficient 8-12 night. He also knocked down three triples. Tomislav Ivisic recorded a double-double, posting 20 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman phenom Kasparas Jakucionis finished with a 16 point, 10 assist double-double.

Dailyn Swain led the Musketeers with 27 points, while Dayvion McKnight and Ryan Conwell both added 12 points. Zach Freemantle, Xavier’s leading scorer, struggled. Freemantle was held to five points on 2-9 shooting.

The game was tight for the majority of the first half, with Illinois taking a five-point lead into halftime.

However, after building up a double-digit lead in the second half, Xavier began to regain momentum, slicing the deficit to eight points.

The Musketeers looked to continue their momentum after Jakucionis missed a three. However, Kylan Boswell soared for the offensive board who quickly swung a pass out to Riley, who promptly drilled a dagger three.

Illinois later closed out the game to advance to the round of 32 to face Kentucky.

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No. 2 Michigan State defeated No. 15 Bryant

Michigan State survived an early scare against upset-minded Bryant, defeating the Bulldogs 87-62.

Coen Carr led the Spartans with 18 points. However, his nine rebound performance put on a show. Carr grabbed four offensive rebounds and threw down thunderous dunks, showcasing his incredible vertical. Carr continuously attacked the paint, finishing tough layups and drawing fouls on an efficient 7-10 night.

Alongside Carr, Tre Holloman contributed 14 points off the bench, and Jase Richardson finished with 15.

Rafael Pinzon led the Bulldogs with 21 points and Earl Timberlake added 14 points. Barry Evans, the team’s third-leading scorer, only managed seven points on a tough 3-7 shooting night.

The Bulldogs kept the game close early, entering halftime in a five-point hole. However, the Spartans quickly built a double-digit lead behind a pair of Richardson triples and never looked back. They used an 18-9 run to build a 19-point lead, and closed out the game comfortably.

The Spartans, who had struggled with three-point shooting in the regular season, proved the doubters wrong. They drained 10 triples at a 38.5% clip and shot 44.3% from the field. Their defense tightened up, only allowing Bryant to sink five three-pointers, well below their average of around eight per game.

With the win, Michigan State now plays New Mexico in the round of 32.

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No. 5 Oregon defeated No. 12 Liberty

In the last game of the first round, Oregon routed Liberty 81-52.

Jackson Shelstad led the Ducks with 17 points, while Keeshawn Barthelemy added 10 more. Center Nate Bittle finished with a double-double, logging 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Zach Cleveland led Liberty with 10 points. He was the only Flame to post double-digit scoring numbers in the game.

Oregon dominated in every category, shooting 54.4% from the field and 47.6% from beyond the arc. Their defense held a fast-paced Liberty offense to 32.8% shooting from the field and 21.6% from beyond the arc. Oregon also forced 12 turnovers, which turned into 17 Oregon points.

Oregon led the entire game, opening up the first half on an 18-2 run. Liberty was unable to cut the lead down to single-digits at any point afterwards.

The Ducks carried a 44-20 halftime lead, and later outscored the Flames 37-32 in the second half to secure the win.

Oregon will now play former Pac-12 rival Arizona in the round of 32.

The post Everything You Missed From Friday’s March Madness Slate appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s everything you need to know to be caught up on the madness so far heading into Friday’s slate of games.

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No. 9 Creighton defeated No. 8 Louisville 89-75

As a light drizzle passed over Lexington, a downpour of threes pelted Rupp Arena.

Everything the Creighton Bluejays put up in their opening round clash with the Louisville Cardinals seemed to fall through.

After the game was deadlocked at 15, the Bluejays began firing from deep. With snipers at nearly every offensive position, Creighton immediately built a double-digit lead solely on three-pointers from Steven Ashworth, Jamiya Neal and Jackson McAndrew.

When halftime rolled around, the Cardinals found themselves in a 15-point hole. Creighton had drained nine first-half triples.

The energy carried over into the second half. On Creighton’s first possession, Kalkbrenner faked a screen for Neal. Neal pitched it back to the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

Kalkbrenner stepped into a three and drilled it, summing up how the game went for the Bluejays—they simply couldn’t miss.

Neal led Creighton with a double-double, recording 29 points on 11-16 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds. Neal finished four assists shy of a triple-double. Ashworth added 22 points, and Kalkbrenner, one of the premier shot-blockers in college hoops, tallied four blocks and 14 points.

Chucky Hepburn led the Cardinals with 22 points, while Terrence Edwards Jr. added 21. Creighton’s defense held Reyne Smith, one of the premier sharpshooters in the nation, to five points on one-made three.

Despite the disappointing end, Louisville looks to have a bright future under head coach Pat Kelsey, who orchestrated a 19-win turnaround in his first season with the program.

Creighton will move on to face off against No. 1 Auburn, the top overall seed in the tournament.

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No. 4 Purdue defeated No. 13 High Point

On Selection Sunday, High Point was a popular pick to pull off a shock upset against last year’s runners-up. For most of the game, that seemed like a possibility.

Both teams battled for the first 18 minutes of the half, until the Boilermakers shifted the momentum.

Up 31-25, Camden Heide missed a three-pointer. The ball caromed off the rim, and Myles Colvin crashed the glass hard, throwing down a ferocious jam that sent the bench into a frenzy.

Colvin then stole the ball from High Point’s Terry Anderson and sprinted towards the basket. His layup barely missed.

But Heide, with shades of his electric slam in last year’s National Championship, threw down a two-handed putback jam.

Back-to-back slams.

Purdue rode the energy to a 10-point halftime lead.

Purdue took that momentum into the second half. They tightened up on offense, matching High Point’s high-powered offense by outscoring the Panthers 38-36 in the second half to secure the dub.

Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with a team-leading 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith finished with 20 points, and Heide recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

D’Maurian Williams led the Panthers with 12 points and Trae Benham added 11 points. Williams and Benham were the only two High Point players to score double-digit points.

The Boilermakers dominated the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds and 45 total, outrebounding High Point by 21.

The Panthers outshot the Boilermakers from deep 10-5, but recorded 20 personal fouls. Those fouls turned into 22 free throws for Purdue, of which they converted 14, the difference in the game.

Purdue will now play the upset-minded McNeese State Cowboys and their manager Amir Khan in the round of 32.

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No. 3 Wisconsin defeated No. 14 Montana

The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Montana Grizzlies 85-66.

John Blackwell led the Badgers will 19 points. Steven Crowl added 18 and John Tonje, the team’s leading scorer, finished with 15 points.

The Badgers had five players crack double-digit scoring, with Nolan Winter adding 10 points and six boards, while Xavier Amos dropped 11 off the bench.

Te’Jon Sawyer and Kai Johnson finished with 15 points each to lead the Grizzlies.

The Badgers were efficient on the offensive end, shooting 55.4% from the field and 80% from the free throw line on 20 attempts.

While Montana kept the game close, cutting the lead to four in the second half, the Badgers pulled away, outscoring the Grizzlies 45-34 in the final frame.

Wisconsin will now play BYU in the round of 32.

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No. 1 Houston defeated No. 16 SIU Edwardsville

Houston defeated SIU Edwardsville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a 78-40 rout.

Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan led Houston with 16 points, while L.J. Cryer added 15 points on four three-pointers.

The Cougars had four double-digit scorers, with Ja’Vier Francis and Terrance Arceneaux adding 13 and 10 points respectively off the bench.

Brian Taylor II and Ray’Sean Taylor led SIU Edwardsville with 10 points each.

Houston dominated, grabbing an early lead three minutes into the game and never looking back. The Cougars led by 40 points in the second half at one point, their largest of the game.

Houston’s defense held the Cougars to 30.6% shooting from the field, and 2-24 from beyond the arc. The Cougars’ offensive output of 40 points was their fewest points scored in a game all season.

Taylor II and Taylor were the only SIU Edwardsville players to crack double-digit scoring.

Houston will look to lock up Gonzaga’s second-ranked scoring offense on Saturday in the round of 32.

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No. 1 Auburn defeated No. 16 Alabama State

The Auburn Tigers defeated the Alabama State Hornets 83-63.

Miles Kelly led the Tigers with 23 points, his second-highest scoring night of the season. National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome finished with a double-double, dropping 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Freshman phenom Tahaad Pettiford added 16 points and five assists and boards.

Amarr Knox, who scored the game-winning layup in the Hornets’ First Four game, led the team with 18 points. TJ Madlock followed suit with 11 points. Knox and Madlock were the only two Hornets players who finished with double-digit points.

The Tigers struggled to pull away early, with the Hornets erasing a double-digit deficit into a one-possession game with a little over a minute to play in the first half.

However, Auburn outscored the Hornets 42-32 in the second half to close out the game.

Auburn’s defense stepped up, holding the Hornets to 37.1% shooting from the field and 24% from deep.

They will try to carry that defensive over to a red-hot Creighton team who shot the Louisville Cardinals out of Rupp Arena,

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No. 12 McNeese upset No. 5 Clemson

Amir Khan’s aura could be felt throughout the Amica Mutual Pavilion walls.

The McNeese State basketball manager was everywhere, from signs in the crowd to socks on the cheerleaders.

When Khan led the walkout, equipped with his customized speaker draped around his neck and surrounded by his teammates singing, the makings of an upset were set.

The Cowboys took the energy to the court, jumping out to a massive lead early, and holding on to secure a 69-67 upset victory over the Clemson Tigers.

Brandon Murray led the Cowboys with 21 points off the bench, and Quadir Copeland added 16 more. Christian Shumate recorded a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Jaeden Zackery led the Tigers with 24 points, and Chase Hunter finished with 21 in the final game of his collegiate career. Ian Schieffelin and Viktor Lakhin, Clemson’s second and fourth leading scorers, finished with a combined seven points.

The Cowboys clamped up early, holding the Tigers to 13 points in the first half alone, while scoring 31. The Tigers only made five field goals in the first half.

In the second half, McNeese appeared to have control of the game. The Cowboys maintained a double-digit for most of the half, logging a 17-point advantage with just over four minutes to play.

However, the veteran Tigers weren’t going to go down without a fight. The Tigers drained five triples in the final two minutes of the game, miraculously cutting the previous 24-point McNeese lead into a one possession game with under a minute to go.

However, Garcia made one of his two free throws to ice the game with a four point lead.

Despite the dominant beginning, the Cowboys shot inefficiently from deep and from the free-throw line. They went 4-19 from beyond the arc and 11-22 from the free-throw line.

Clemson didn’t fare better, shooting 36.8% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc on 30 attempted triples. However, they were efficient from the free-throw line, knocking down 16 of their 19 attempted shots.

Despite the dramatic comeback, the hole they dug themselves in the first half doomed them.

With the win, Wade earned his first NCAA Tournament win since the 2020-21 season, when he coached the LSU Tigers. The victory marked the first tournament win in McNeese’s program history.

The Cowboys move on to play last year’s runners-up, the Purdue Boilermakers in the round of 32.

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No. 6 BYU defeated No. 11 VCU

For the third straight time, the BYU Cougars earned a No. 6 seed in the Big Dance. For the past two years, they fell to a No. 11 seed.

In the 2020-21 season, a scrappy UCLA team led by Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez rolled past them. Then last year, the A-10 Champion Duquesne Dukes pulled off a shocking upset.

However, the third time was the charm.

With program legend Jimmer Fredette in attendance, BYU silenced any critics who labeled them on “upset alert” by defeating the VCU Rams 80-71.

Richie Saunders led the Cougars with 16 points and Egor Demin added 15 points. Fousseyni Traore added 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Zeb Jackson led the Rams with 23 points off the bench. Jack Clark, Max Shulga and Joe Bamisile each added 12 points of their own.

The Rams outshot the Cougars in the game, draining 15 triples to BYU’s seven. However, VCU doomed themselves by getting into foul trouble. The Rams committed 23 personal fouls, which turned into 19 points for the Cougars at the charity stripe, the difference in the game.

BYU took an 11 point lead into the half. The Rams were unable to recover, having only led for the first two minutes of the game.

The victory marked first-year head coach Kevin Young’s first ever tournament win in his career.

The Cougars will now take on Wisconsin in the round of 32.

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No. 8 Gonzaga defeated No. 9 Georgia

On Selection Sunday, experts and analytics believed Gonzaga was better than their seeding showed. On Thursday, they played like it.

The Zags rolled through Georgia’s defense, routing the Bulldogs 89-68.

Khalif Battle led Gonzaga with 24 points on 9-13 shooting, while Nolan Hickman and Braden Huff each added 18 points. Gonzaga’s leading scorer Graham Ike finished with 13 points.

Georgia freshman Asa Newell led the Bulldogs with 20 points. Silas Demary Jr. also added 15 points and a team-leading four assists. In what could be Newell’s final collegiate game, the potential NBA lottery pick went out with a bang.

Newell showed finesse and his bag against veteran Gonzaga defenders Ike and Huff, shooting 60% from the field and 8-10 from the free-throw line. Newell added eight boards to his statline. The NBA’s mock draft has him currently going 12th overall, but his stock can still rise.

The Zags dominated early, jumping out to a double-digit lead off of a 13-0 run. Georgia entered halftime in a 21-point hole and never recovered.

Gonzaga’s second-ranked scoring offense showed out. The team shot 60% from beyond the arc and 55% from the field. The team made 12 triples, with four of those coming from Battle, who earned approval from the boss.

With the victory, Zags coach Mark Few earned his 44th tournament win and 16th-consecutive opening round victory.

Gonzaga will now square off against No. 1 Houston, in what is shaping up to be a battle of two premier college basketball programs and coaches.

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No. 2 Tennessee defeated No. 15 Wofford

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Wofford Terriers 77-62.

Chaz Lanier led the Volunteers with 29 points and Zakai Zeigler recorded a double-double, dropping 12 points and dishing out 12 dimes.

Lanier’s scoring ability was on full display, draining six three-pointers and making tough fadeaway jumpers off the dribble. Lanier’s 29 points were the most the North Florida transfer scored since Tennessee’s Feb. 22 win against Texas A&M.

Jackson Sivills led the Terriers with 15 points and Corey Tripp added 14 points. The Terriers finished the game with four double-digit scorers.

Wofford outshot the Vols from deep, draining 11 triples to Tennessee’s 10. However, turnovers and 20 fouls held them back. Tennessee earned 22 free throw attempts from those fouls, which turned in 15 points.

The Vols now move on to play UCLA in the round of 32.

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No. 10 Arkansas defeated No. 7 Kansas

In the battle of premier coaches, John Calipari emerged on top.

In what was billed as a battle between Bill Self and Calipari, Calipari’s Razorbacks defeated Self’s Kansas Jayhawks 79-72.

Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo led the Razorbacks with 22 points. Trevon Brazile posted a double-double, dropping 11 points and recording 12 rebounds. FAU transfer Johnell Davis added 18 points and Kentucky transfer D.J. Wagner finished with 14 points.

Zeke Mayo led the Jayhawks with 18 points, while AJ Storr contributed 15 points off the bench. Star center Hunter Dickinson finished out his collegiate career with 11 points and nine rebounds, and KJ Adams Jr., who injured his achilles in the game, dropped 13.

Kansas outshot the Razorbacks from beyond the arc and the three-point line, draining eight triples and 14 free throws. Arkansas struggled with three-point efficiency, only making 25% of their attempts from beyond the arc.

Despite the higher efficiency, Kansas turned the ball over 16 times, which proved to be the difference-maker in the game.

Calipari will now face off against a former rival, Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Red Storm.

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No. 4 Texas A&M defeated No. 13 Yale

On Selection Sunday, this game was deja vu.

Last year, the Yale Bulldogs won the Ivy League title and squared off with the Auburn Tigers, a solid SEC squad. Behind John Poulakidas and Danny Wolf, the team battled and upset the Tigers 78-76.

This year, Yale, led by Poulakidas was billed to play Texas A&M. Same seeding. Same conference opponent.

The only difference—the result.

Texas A&M took care of business, defeating Yale 80-71.

Pharrel Payne led the Aggies with an efficient double-double, dropping 25 points on 10-12 shooting and grabbing 10 boards. Payne’s 25 points were a career high for the junior forward. Star guard Wade Taylor IV finished with 16 points, and Jace Carter added 10 more.

Poulakidas, the kryptonite of Auburn in last year’s tournament, finished with 23 points. Nick Townsend added 15 more, and Isaac Celiscar contributed 12 off the bench.

A Yale victory was the most picked No. 13 upset in the country, but a tough Aggie defense prevented that from happening. The Aggies held Yale to only 38.1% shooting from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs also struggled from the free-throw line, shooting 64.3% from the charity stripe in 14 attempts.

Bez Mbeng, Yale’s third-leading scorer, was held to only two points on the night. Mbeng finished with nine assists and eight boards, but could not find the bottom of the net.

Texas A&M will now move on to play the Michigan Wolverines in the round of 32.

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No. 11 Drake upset No. 6 Missouri

Experts and fans new Bennett Stirtz was a bucket.

The Division II star joined Drake, along with his head coach, Ben McCollum from Northwest Missouri State.

He had always been a bucket, but could never seem to find the national spotlight.

Maybe a few people noticed when he dropped 22 points in an overtime win against power-conference opponent Kansas State, when he went coast-to-coast before draining a deep go-ahead three of a snatch-back.

Maybe it was when he dropped 30 points on Southern Illinois on only 11 field goals.

However, in his tournament debut, Stirtz put everyone notice.

With momentum favoring Missouri, Stirtz caught the ball with time winding down on the shot clock. He dribbled to the top of the key and pulled up a running-three pointer off of one leg.

He drained it, giving Drake an 11 point lead with just under nine minutes to play, sending the INTRUST Bank Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Stirtz’s 21 points on 8-11 shooting helped propel the Drake Bulldogs to an upset victory over the Missouri Tigers, their first NCAA Tournament win since the 2020-21 season.

Alongside Stirtz, Tavion Banks added 15 points and nine boards. Stirtz and Banks were the only two Bulldogs to finish in double-digit scoring.

Caleb Grill led the Tigers with 14 points and Tamar Bates added 10 points. Mark Mitchell, Missouri’s leading scorer, was held in-check with eight points and eight rebounds.

Drake’s slow pace of play proved to be the difference-maker in the game, as the Bulldogs found efficiency all over the court. Drake shot 54.3% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc, nailing five triples. They shared the ball, with seven different players recording assists and were able to outrebound the Tigers 31-26.

However, despite a 10-point victory, the Bulldogs left opportunities at the free-throw line slip away. Drake shot 12-24 from the free-throw line. Despite the inefficiencies, they still grinded out a victory.

Missouri struggled from the field, only making 15 field goals for the entire game. They shot 33.3% from the field and 4-16 from deep. Grill, the Tigers’ primary sharpshooter only shot 1-7 from beyond the arc and struggled to get going offensively.

Most of Missouri’s points came from the free-throw line, which they converted 23 of 26 total opportunities.

After being down for nearly the entire game, Missouri erased a double-digit lead in the second half, cutting it down to a three-point game. That was the closest the Tigers would get.

Drake, despite missing many of their free-throws while in the bonus, played lockdown defense to only allow six points in the final four minutes of the second half, outscoring the Tigers 13-6 in that frame.

The Bulldogs will now face off against another high-powered offense in Texas Tech in the round of 32.

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No. 7 UCLA defeated No. 10 Utah State

UCLA defeated Utah State 72-47.

Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 14 points each. Adey Mara contributed 10 points off the bench and added five blocks.

Mason Falslev led the Aggies with a double-double, dropping 17 points and grabbing 10 boards. Deyton Albury added 12 points. No other Aggie player scored more than four points.

It was a Mick Cronin special: a dominant defensive performance.

The Bruins held the Aggies to 30% shooting from the field and 12.9% from deep. They forced 11 turnovers and never relinquished the lead after taking a 10-8 lead five minutes into the first half.

UCLA’s experience proved to be the difference-maker. The veteran squad took efficient shots, shooting 48.1% from the field and 41.7% from deep, draining 10 triples. They also went perfect from the free-throw line.

UCLA will look to build off of this performance when they take on another elite defensive team in Tennessee in the round of 32.

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No. 2 St. John’s defeated No. 15 Omaha

Rick Pitino and St. John’s are back in March.

On the heels of a dream season that has seen the Johnnies capture a Big East regular season and conference title, the team made the Big Dance for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

Their seeding as a No. 2 seed—hasn’t been seen since the 1999-00 season, where they were upset by an upstart Gonzaga team led by Richie Frahm.

However, with New York City on their back, the Johnnies took care of business, dominating Omaha 83-53.

Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr. led the Johnnies with 22 points, while Simeon Wilcher added 13. Kadary Richmond and Zuby Ejiofor, other members of the team’s Big Three, added 10 points each.

JJ White led the Mavericks with 15 points, while Marquel Sutton added 11. Sutton and White were the only two Omaha players to finish in double-digit scoring.

However, the story of the game was not St. John’s defense, but rather their shooting.

The Red Storm silenced all critics who were worrisome about their inefficient three-point shooting, knocking down 14 triples at a 37.8% clip.

Luis and Wilcher knocked down five and three triples respectively, while sharpshooters Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith drilled two each.

Combined with a lockdown defense that held the Mavericks to 25.7% shooting from the field and 5-36 from beyond the arc, the Johnnies appear to be peaking at the perfect time in March.

Pitino will now clash with a familiar foe, John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks in the round of 32.

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No. 5 Michigan defeated No. 12 UC San Diego

Down two with two minutes to play against a scrappy mid-major with an upset in mind, Tre Donaldson found himself in a similar spot.

Last year, the junior guard was playing for the Auburn Tigers, who landed the No. 4 seed in last year’s tournament. The Tigers squared off against a Yale team led by John Poulakidas and Danny Wolf—Donaldson’s current teammate with Michigan.

At the free throw line down two with seconds left, Donaldson missed his first attempt. He intentionally missed the second, and after a blocked layup and missed triple, the rest was history. A 78-76 Yale upset.

But in his first tournament game with Michigan, he wasn’t going to let history repeat itself.

In crunch time, Donaldson caught a pass and took one dribble to the wing, pulling up from deep. He held the follow-through, stepping back—almost as if he knew it was going in.

His shot was money, putting the Wolverines up 66-65, a lead they would not relinquish.

After a multiple tough defensive possessions, Vladislav Goldin made two clutch free throws, giving Michigan a three-point lead.

After Tyler McGhie’s game-tying shot caromed off the rim, the Wolverines escaped with a 68-65 victory.

Goldin led the Wolverines with 14 points, while Donaldson added 12, including his go-ahead trey. Roddy Gayle Jr. added 11 points off the bench. Wolf, Michigan’s point-forward, finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

McGhie led the Tritons with 25 points, while Nordin Kapic and Hayden Gray added 15 and 10 points respectively. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, the team’s leading scorer, fouled out after playing only 25 minutes. He finished with seven points, his lowest scoring output since Nov. 21.

Despite losing their leading scorer, the Tritons fought throughout the game. Michigan threatened to run away early, opening the game on a 10-0 run. Facing a 14-point halftime deficit, the Tritons battled, cutting the lead to three only four minutes into the second half.

A McGhie jumper gave the Tritons their first lead of the game with just over two minutes to play. However, on the ensuing possession, Donaldson’s clutch three snagged the advantage back for the Wolverines.

The Wolverines will now face No. 4 Texas A&M Saturday.

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No. 3 Texas Tech defeated No. 14 UNC Wilmington

In a tightly contested affair, the Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the UNC Wilmington Seahawks 82-72.

Kerwin Walton led the Red Raiders with a career-high 27 points, making eight triples. All of Walton’s 19 shot attempts came from beyond the arc. The team’s leading scorer JT Toppin posted a double-double, dropping 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Elijah Hawkins also posted a double-double, dropping 14 points and dishing out 10 assists.

Nolan Hodge led the Seahawks with 18 points off the bench. Donovan Newby, the team’s senior leading scorer, was held in check, finishing with eight points.

The Seahawks gave the Red Raiders a fight when nobody expected them to. Entering the game as 15.5 point underdogs, the Seahawks matched Texas Tech’s high-powered offense, closing out the first half only down four points following a Hodge triple.

Both teams traded buckets in the second half, with the Red Raiders outscoring the Seahawks 44-38 in the final frame.

While UNC Wilmington shot more efficiently than Texas Tech, the Red Raiders’ barrage of three-pointers proved to be the difference-maker in the game. Texas Tech shot 28.3% from beyond the arc, but nailed 13 triples throughout the game, compared to UNC Wilmington’s seven.

Texas Tech will now move on to play Drake in the round of 32.

The post Everything You Missed From Thursday’s March Madness Slate appeared first on SLAM.

Here is everything you need to know before the First Round tips off on Thursday.

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Region 1 Spokane:

No. 1 UCLA vs. Winner between No. 16 UC San Diego and No. 16 Southern

No. 2 NC State vs. No. 15 Vermont

No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 San Diego State

No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon

No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Ball State

No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason

No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Harvard

No. 8 Richmond vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech

Top Seed:

The UCLA Bruins are the top seed overall seed in the tournament. They enter the tournament coming off a historic 30-2 season, where they set a program record for wins in a single season. The Bruins are led by star center Lauren Betts, the Big Ten DPOY and a First-Team All-Big Ten selection. Betts is averaging 19.6 ppg and 2.9 blocks per game and helps provide interior defense to UCLA’s top-50 ranked defense. In the backcourt, junior guard Kiki Rice leads the charge, averaging 12.8 ppg and 1.6 steals per game. Rice joined Betts on the All-Big Ten First Team this season. The Bruins run a deep nine-player rotation that includes Gabriela Jaquez, Londynn Jones and Angela Dugalic. With offensive depth and stellar defense, the Bruins are poised to make a deep run in March.

Key Matchup

The matchup between Richmond and Georgia Tech is poised to be a close one. The Spiders received an at-large bid into the tournament after falling to St. Joe’s on a buzzer-beater in the A-10 semifinals. The Spiders enter the tournament with a 27-6 record and are led by juniors Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom. Doogan enjoyed another dominant season, averaging 16.3 ppg en route to being named A-10 Player of the Year. Ullstrom leads the Spiders’ backcourt as a scoring guard, averaging 15.5 ppg. The Spiders have an efficient shooting offense, hitting 38.3% of their shots from behind the arc as a team while making the second most in the A-10 this season. They square off against a deep Georgia Tech team led by Kara Dunn, Tonie Morgan and Dani Carnegie. The three average double-digit points, with Carnegie providing instant offense off the bench, dropping 13.1 ppg alongside her ACC Sixth Player of the Year award this season. Tech has the 28th-ranked offense in the nation, so expect a high-scoring affair for this one.

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Region 2 Birmingham

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Lehigh

No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Oregon State

No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Norfolk State

No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 Green Bay

No. 6 West Virginia vs. Winner between No. 11 Columbia and No. 11 Washington

No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Oregon

No. 8 Utah vs. No. 9 Indiana

Top Seed

The South Carolina Gamecocks are the top seed in this region. Led by legendary coach Dawn Staley and a deep rotation of scorers, the Gamecocks finished with a 30-3 record and an SEC Championship. The team boasts an elite trio of Chloe Kitts, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards, who all recently met with SLAM. Edwards has filled the void left by Kamilla Cardoso in her first season in Columbia, averaging 13.2 ppg while dominating in the paint and interior game. Fulwiley has provided instant offense off the bench averaging 12 ppg and 1.6 steals. Kitts has become a double-double machine, averaging 10.1 games and nearly eight boards, while also recently dropping a triple-double in a rout vs. Ole Miss. Complementing the trio are veterans Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson, Bree Hall and Tessa Johnson. Staley’s deep and experienced squad has been here before and is looking to repeat their success and go back-to-back.

Key Matchup

Many experts are choosing the Green Bay Phoenix to upset Alabama in the first round of the tournament. The Phoenix are one of the hottest teams in the country, entering the tournament on a 22-game winning streak. They are led by All-Horizon guards Natalie McNeal and Maddy Schreiber. McNeal is averaging 14.9 ppg and 7.3 rebounds per game, while Schreiber is scoring 12.7 points a night. The team can score and lock opponents down, boasting the nation’s 17th-best scoring defense in the country. They will look to hold one of the nation’s best offenses in check. Alabama enters the tournament with the 20th-ranked scoring offense, averaging 78.4 points a night. They boast a lineup full of elite sharpshooters Sarah Ashlee Barker, Zaay Green, Aaliyah Nye and Karly Weathers, all of whom knock down over 35% of their 3’s. Bama’s scoring efficiency and pace could be problematic for the Phoenix, so expect a tight matchup between the two teams.

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Region 3 Birmingham

No. 1 Texas vs. Winner between No. 16 High Point and No. 16 William & Mary

No. 2 TCU vs. No. 15 Farleigh Dickinson

No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin

No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Montana State

No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 South Florida

No. 6 Michigan vs. Winner between No. 11 Iowa State and No. 11 Princeton

No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Nebraska

No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 9 Creighton

Top Seed

The Texas Longhorns are the top seed in this region, finishing the season with a 31-3 record and a regular season title. The Longhorns are led by All-American and SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker. Booker’s sophomore year was equally as impressive as her first, averaging 16.2 ppg, 6.6 boards and nearly three assists and 1.6 steals a night. Booker has established herself as a three-level scorer, knocking down shots in the paint and shooting 43.9% off occasional three-pointers—teams cannot leave her open anywhere on the court. Alongside Booker are veteran players Taylor Jones, Rori Harmon and Kyla Oldacre, who have provided threats at all spots in the starting lineup, with the three averaging over nine ppg. Texas enters the tournament as one of the most balanced teams in the country, boasting the 16th-best offense and 22nd-best scoring defense, and is looking to use its experience to make a deep run.

Key Matchup

Michigan’s first four opponents could be problematic in their first-round matchup. The Wolverines are penciled in to play Iowa State or Princeton, two strong squads. The Cyclones boast elite center Audi Crooks—who recently graced the digital cover of SLAMU—who is having an even better season than last year. Crooks is averaging 23.2 ppg, the eighth-highest in the nation and grabbing 7.6 rebounds a game. She is partnered with frontcourt mate Addy Brown, who has also seen an uptick in scoring. Brown is averaging 15.2 ppg, 7.6 rebounds a game and 5.2 assists. Crooks and Brown’s elite scoring ability down low could be problematic for a Michigan team that is weak defensively, allowing 65.7 points a night. However, the Cyclones would need to get past the Tigers first. Princeton enters their first four matchup with an elite defense, allowing only 56.8 points a night. They boast a scoring trio of Skye Belker, Ashley Chea, and Fadima Tall. All three average double-digit points a night and knock down over a third of their triples. Expect an exciting first-four matchup with the winner giving Michigan a run for their money.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Region 4 Spokane

No. 1 USC vs. No. 16 UNC Greensboro

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Arkansas State

No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 FGCU

No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Liberty

No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Fairfield

No. 6 Iowa vs. No. 11 Murray State

No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 South Dakota State

No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Mississippi State

Top Seed

The USC Trojans are the top seed in this region. Led by Player of the Year candidate JuJu Watkins, the Trojans finished 28-3 and secured their second consecutive No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Watkins is following up her breakout freshman campaign with another dominant season, averaging 24.6 ppg and nearly seven rebounds and two steals a night. Watkins gets buckets in any way. She can shoot from beyond the arc, knocking down 33% of her 3’s. She can hit off-dribble mid-range jumpers and knife her way into the paint with ease. A one-on-one matchup is not enough to stop her. Alongside Watkins is Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen, who is having an elite debut season in Los Angeles. Iriafen is averaging 18.2 ppg and 8.3 rebounds a night, and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team alongside Watkins. The two headline USC’s nine-ranked scoring offense, and are poised to make a deep run in March.

Key Matchup

Many experts are picking Fairfield to pull off an upset in their first-round matchup. The Stags are one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 22 of their last 23 games en route to a 28-4 record. The team is led by Meghan Andersen and Kaety L’Amoreaux, who are averaging 15.1 and 12.5 ppg respectively. Both players are efficient scorers, knocking down over 30% of their shots from beyond the arc. However, Fairfield’s strong suit is their elite defense, allowing only 54 points a night, the 10th-best margin in the country. They will look to put the clamps on a Kansas State team whose leading scorer’s status is unknown. Star center Ayoka Lee hasn’t played since February and may be good to go for the NCAA Tournament. If Lee plays, she will add elite interior scoring and defense. In her 19 games this season, Lee averaged 15.5 ppg and 6.1 rebounds. Lee’s offensive output would help spread the ball between her, facilitator Serena Sundell and Temira Poindexter. The Wildcats rank out as the 15th-best offense in the nation, so expect a battle between two teams that specialize on one side of the ball.

The post Everything You Need to Know From the Women’s Selection Sunday appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s a look back at our SLAMU digital covers we’ve dropped so far this season to keep you in the loop ahead of the tournament:

With Selection Sunday around the corner, it’s the time of the year when the phrases “Quad 1” and “Quality Losses” are thrown around more than ever. As the field of 64 becomes clearer, countless experts scan team resumes, trying to deduce which programs deserve at-large bids into the Big Dance.

Most teams have impressive resumes but look equally similar to others in the field. 

But one team stands above the rest. The Auburn Tigers boast a ridiculous 15-3 record in Quad 1 games, the highest by a wide margin in Division I. To be the best, you have to beat the best. Day in and day out, the Tigers beat down quality opponents soundly in the toughest conference in college basketball, with the record to back it up.

War Eagle has taken flight—soaring high above the rest of the field. The media agrees. In the latest AP Poll, the Tigers were crowned the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, garnering all first-place votes.

The team posts TikTok dances after every win—with the season they’ve had—a lot. They go live on social media to stream their Fortnite games. The Tigers aren’t just the best team in the country, they’re also all best friends.

This season has been the year of the Tigers, a team led by a charismatic coach, a National Player of the Year contender and a deep rotation of elite role players who always seem to get the job done.

The star of the show is forward Johni Broome, a 6-10 double-double machine, who is in the running for the National Player of the Year award alongside Cooper Flagg.

A transfer from Morehead State, Broome has dominated the SEC since joining during the 2022-23 season. As a senior, Broome has been virtually unstoppable. The forward averages a team-leading 18 ppg, 10.7 rebounds per game and 2.4 blocks per game. Broome has been elite on both sides of the ball, providing lockdown interior defense in the paint and a matchup nightmare under the basket.

Watching Broome go to work is entertainment at its finest for basketball fans. He possesses good handles for a taller forward and a quick first step that turns into easy finishes in the paint. He can back defenders down in the post, giving interior defenders Hakeem-like footwork for points in the post, and even knock down threes.

But for Broome, some of his best moments come off the court. Broome is one of the many Tigers active on social media, posting content on his TikTok page, ranging from dances in the locker room to streaming video games with his teammates.

“We’re normal. Every day we come in, having fun. We’re just being us,” Broome said. “Everybody else sees us as a fun team to be, but we’re just acting how we normally act.”

The good vibes spread throughout the team, especially with star guard Tahaad Pettiford.

Pettiford has provided instant offense off the bench as a freshman, averaging 11.3 ppg, nearly three assists and a steal per game.

Don’t let the numbers fool you. The guard fills whatever role he needs to benefit the team. He can score at will, as seen by his 21-point performance in a 16-point shellacking of Kentucky at Rupp Arena. He also put on a shooting clinic against Texas A&M, knocking down six threes to cap off a 19-point night.

When he’s not getting buckets, he’s distributing the ball efficiently, recording six assists in a 30-point blowout against Ole Miss while coming off the bench.

Pettiford credits his veteran teammates for helping him find success as a first-year player.

“Growing up, to be honest, I always played with older people. So coming in, I kind of expected it to be the same to how it’s always been, just being around guys that are more experienced, played the game, played in the tough games,” Pettiford said. “Just having their energy behind me, knowing they had my back in the low times, I feel like that just gives me confidence.”

But for the team who consistently dominates on the road, as seen by their tradition of playing “Take Over Your Trap” by Bankroll Fresh, it’s always been a team effort.

Players like Chad Baker-Mazara, a senior guard/forward who scores at will, averaging 13.1 points per game. Guards Miles Kelly and Denver Jones provide elite depth in the backcourt. Seniors Chaney Johnson and Dylan Cardwell provide an extra layer of interior defense and scoring to complement the stars.

The Tigers have a bonafide star and elite supporting cast, with five players averaging double-digit scoring numbers. 

“I just feel like we have players that don’t get enough recognition,” Pettiford said. “If they didn’t come here, we might not be No. 1 because of what they do for us.”

With so many great moments throughout the season, it’s hard to pick a signature moment for the Tigers.

It could be lifting the trophy at the Maui Invitational after dismantling the No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones, No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels and currently-ranked Memphis Tigers en route to the championship.

It could be grinding out a tough victory against the Big 12 regular season champion Houston Cougars in their second game. Or even beating Tennessee at their own game: a defensive 53-51 slugfest victory. 

Or even winning the basketball variant of the Iron Bowl—a 94-85 victory against No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, for added insult to injury.

All these moments add to a magical season that sees Auburn as the top dog in the country. They’re projected as the top overall seed in March Madness and essentially a lock for a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance. 

With the SEC regular season title under their belt, there’s no doubt Bruce Pearl is looking to add another title to cap off the greatest season in Tigers basketball history.

“This team’s been ready to play, I think because they got something to prove,” Pearl said. “This team’s got a chip on its shoulder. I don’t look at us as where we’re ranked right now in the country. I look at us as who we are, [a] collection of who we are.”

When you walk into St. John’s on-campus home, Carnesecca Arena, the hanging banners tell the story of a proud, storied program. 

Fifteen regular season titles. Three conference tournament championships. Two Final Four runs. A top-10 winningest program in Division I history.

That doesn’t include the certified ballers who once called Queens home.

Hall of Famer Chris Mullin, All-Stars Metta World Peace and Mark Jackson. The list goes on.

However, the past 24 years would be considered a “down year” for their standards.

Until now. College basketball is officially back in the Big Apple.

Under legendary head coach Rick Pitino and a tight-knit group of stud transfers and role players, the Johnnies did what many experts thought was unthinkable at the beginning of the year: winning the Big East title.

Pitino summed the team’s ideology the best in Vice’s Pitino: Red Storm Rising—a documentary about the Red Storm’s season. 

“There’s no individuals. All it is, is team,” Pitino said in a locker room speech.

That’s all St. John’s basketball is: a bunch of talented and selfless individuals who play with one goal in mind: doing whatever it takes to get the W.

Their talented trio of RJ Luis Jr, Zuby Ejiofor and Kadary Richmond headline the Red Storm roster.

Luis is the team’s leading scorer. A junior guard and midrange assassin, Luis can get buckets from all three levels while averaging 17.8 ppg this season. Luis also plays physical defense like the rest of his teammates, averaging 1.5 steals per game.

“I try to come out every night with the same energy, the same intensity and taking pride on defense,” Luis said.

The team’s big man down low is Ejiofor, a junior forward. Ejiofor has been a force down low, averaging 14 ppg and a team-leading eight boards per game.

“I play for my teammates. This is who I do it for—my teammates, my family, this whole community—that’s why I go hard every single day,” Ejiofor said.

The team’s motor is graduate guard Kadary Richmond, a New York native. Richmond was named a Preseason All-Big East First Team talent and has proved it his first year in Queens.

Richmond averages 12.8 ppg, nearly six boards, five assists and two steals a game.

Tack on sharpshooter Deivon Smith and scrappy guards Simeon Wilcher and Aaron Scott, and you’ve got a deep rotation that brings the energy on every possession.

The team has established a tough-minded defensive identity, playing scrappy and allowing no easy buckets. It’s been backed up by their team’s 9.3 steals per game and 5.6 blocks per game. 

But despite their talented depth, they’ve still been doubted all year.

In the Big East preseason poll, experts picked St. John’s to finish fifth in the conference. When they began rolling off conference wins, people still doubted if they could keep the momentum up. Experts still expected teams like Marquette, UConn and Creighton to rattle off wins and overtake them.

But the Red Storm kept winning, rattling off an 11-game conference winning streak. 

And it all boiled over in their Feb. 7 matchup with the two-time defending National Champion UConn Huskies on the road.

The same UConn program that at that point had recently gone on a 28-game home winning streak before having it snapped a week before Creighton. This year’s team wasn’t the same dominant team as last year, but still a talented group.

The Johnnies entered the game as 4.5-point underdogs and quickly found themselves down 14 in the first half. They clawed back, ending the first half on a 27-11 run.

As both teams traded blows, St. John’s found themselves up two with 12 seconds left in the game. With only three seconds on the shot clock, a quick hitter was the only option.

Luis sprinted behind an Ejiofor screen and slingshotted his way back to the ball, leaving UConn’s star forward Liam McNeeley in the dust.

Luis caught the inbounds pass, faded away and drained the shot. Cold-blooded dagger. St. John’s up two scores. A prototypical defensive possession forced McNeeley into a tough layup, where the Johnnies eventually iced the game from the free-throw line. 68-62 final.

If you didn’t believe in Pitino and the Red Storm then, you sure did after that win in a hostile environment.

Since that UConn win, the Johnnies have won five of their last six games, with three of those wins ending in double-digit shellackings.

Now, with a Big East regular season title under their belt, the Johnnies are a lock to go dancing in March in only Pitino’s second season at the helm.

Pitino credits the culture he’s helped build in Queens for the team’s success.

“Coaches don’t win games; players win games. We had confidence going in that we could recruit the players necessary to win and, also, history repeats itself,” Pitino said. “If you have the right culture, be it Kentucky, be it Louisville, be it Providence, you’re gonna turn it around. It’s not false confidence, it’s confidence you’ll bring in the right players to fill the culture you want to present.”

Heading into the regular season finale, the Johnnies rank as the No. 6 team in the AP Poll. However, with losses for Auburn and Tennessee—teams ahead of them in the poll—a win against Marquette on Saturday could potentially catapult the Red Storm into the top five for the first time since 1990.

The team currently projects as a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance. But anything is possible in March. With a win in the Big East Tournament and the cards falling in the right place, you could be looking at the first No. 1 seeded St. John’s tournament team since the famed ’84-’85 squad.

But aside from hypotheticals, all they care about is playing their game and racking up wins. “We got a nice, talented group. Very athletic. We just got some dogs, we just trying to win,” Luis said. “I feel like we’re waking up the city of New York, and we’re gonna keep on doing it.”

Last season, Tennessee enjoyed their most successful campaign of the Rick Barnes era. The Vols clawed their way to the Elite 8, grinding past powerful opponents like Creighton before falling at the hands of Purdue.

The team was led by first-round draft pick Dalton Knecht and his three-level scoring, double-double machine Jonas Aidoo, scrappy guard Zakei Zeigler, long-time veterans Josiah Jordan-James, Santiago Vescovi and Jahmai Mashack and rotational sparks Jordan Gainey and Tobe Awaka.

The team played like a well-oiled machine, securing a No. 2 seed in March Madness and an SEC regular season title.

However, a year later, the Vols look different. Knecht joined the Los Angeles Lakers. Jordan-James and Vescovi graduated. Aidoo transferred to conference rivals Arkansas. Awaka flew west to join the Arizona Wildcats.

Despite the departures, Tennessee is still as dominant as ever. In fact, they’re having an even better season.

For every home game, the orange and white stripes flash at the Thompson-Boling Arena to watch the No. 4 team in the country—a team that rebuilt itself through the transfer portal to dominate on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

This year’s Vols team is led by Zeigler, Gainey and North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier.

Zeigler is the program veteran. The Long Island native has spent all four seasons in Knoxville, where he established himself as a two-way leader.

Last season’s SEC Defensive Player of the Year leads the squad in assists per game with 7.4 and plays lockdown defense, averaging two steals a game.

When he needs to, Zeigler also gets buckets—to the tune of 13.5 per game.

Alongside Zeigler is Gainey, Tennessee’s spark off the bench. Despite being the third-leading scorer on the team, Gainey has retained his sixth-man role, appearing in every game this season but only starting one. The USC Upstate transfer is averaging 11 ppg with efficiency.

But the primary offensive threat has been Lanier. Tennessee struck gold again by landing another pure scorer from a mid-major.

Lanier averages 17.7 ppg in his first season in Knoxville against SEC competition. The team’s leading scorer is deadly from deep, knocking down 40.6% of his shots from beyond the arc while consistently locking up opponents, averaging close to a steal per game.

Lanier can get buckets in any fashion. He put on a shooting clinic in the team’s 77-69 victory against Texas A&M when he drilled eight threes in a 30-point performance.

Against Vanderbilt, Lanier put up 21 points while only making two threes. Whenever his team needs points, the Tennessee native can get a bucket at any level.

“I knew the opportunity was going to be special. And then on my official visit, when I came to Tennessee, all the guys were surrounding me in the locker room. We had a good little celebration. I just knew it was home,” Lanier said. “I knew that I’d be joining something that was bigger than me.” 

Combined with the depth of Felix Okpara, Mashack, Cade Phillips, and Darlinstone Dubar, the Vols have offensive threats at all positions in their lineup.

But, in recent years, Barnes’ teams have thrived on their defensive force.

Barnes’ Vols teams play tough regardless of the stakes. Practices are a battle between players. The team follows an “iron sharpens iron” mentality, improving through physicality to mold a tough-minded identity.

Zeigler said the constant, scrappy battles in practice have prepared them to face any opponent.

“I’m telling you, people don’t understand, we go at each other like we don’t know each other. Like, we be talking trash, we be talking crazy to each other,” Zeigler said. “But you know, just being that competitor, we understand that when we go against each other like that, when we go out on the court and play against somebody we don’t know, it’s gonna be like, ‘Oh this ain’t nothin.'”

That identity has run rampant.

The team ranks out as the seventh-best scoring defense in the country, only allowing 61.8 points per game. While seventh is impressive, it cannot be overlooked that this Vols team allows 61.8 points per game playing in arguably the toughest conference—the SEC—a conference projected to have more than half their members in the Big Dance.

Despite the high-powered offenses on their schedule, the Vols have only allowed 80 points once—an 85-81 victory against No. 15 Missouri.

“The standard for this team is definitely toughness,” Lanier said. “Knowing they’re in the foxhole with you and that you’ll do anything for your brother.”

They stood tough when it mattered most. In the team’s signature victory over No. 6 Alabama, the team held the nation’s top-scoring offense to 76 points, a figure well below the Crimson Tide’s average of 91.1 points per game.

But Barnes’ defense showed up in the critical moments of the game. Deadlocked at 76 with 10 seconds to play, Alabama had two chances to take the lead.

Freshman guard Labaron Philon drove into the paint, but Mashack stepped in to help, ripping at the ball to force a tie-up. Alabama retained possession, but a stingy Tennessee defense locked up all recipients of an inbound pass. The Vols forced a five-second violation, getting the ball back with 3.8 seconds on the clock, needing to go the distance for a game-winner.

Zeigler inbounded to Mashack, who sprinted up the court. He launched a 36-footer as the buzzer expired, crouching as he released the shot, almost as if to will the shot in.

It hit nothing but net. The arena went into a frenzy. Mashack was mobbed by his teammates, who immediately ran to the baseline to celebrate with fans.

The win showcased their defense on a national stage, while also giving the Vols their eighth victory against a ranked opponent.

Heading into their regular season finale, Tennessee remains in contention for a prized No. 1 seed in March Madness. They currently sit as the No. 4 team in the AP Poll and will look to solidify their tournament seeding with strong performances in the upcoming SEC Tournament.

While being a top team is nice, the Vols want their legacy to be remembered differently—as champions.

“Yeah, we want an SEC championship. We want an SEC tournament championship. But we’re going for the big trophy. We made history already with starting off the best in over 100 years, but we’re looking at something bigger than that,” Zeigler said.

For four years, T.J. Otzelberger has developed an established program in Ames, Iowa.

When Otzelberger joined the Cyclones in the 2021-22 season, he took over a program that had fallen into ruin. After successful campaigns in the 2010s that saw NBA players Georges Niang, Monte Morris and Tyrese Haliburton get buckets in Ames, the program had fallen into ruin—ending the 2020-21 season with a 2-22 record.

Otzelberger turned the program around, going dancing in all four seasons of his tenure. The team broke out last year, posting a 29-8 record and hoisting the Big 12 Conference Tournament trophy.

However, the run ended abruptly in the Sweet Sixteen with a double-digit loss to Illinois, a team led by elite scorer Terrance Shannon Jr.

This season, the Cyclones are still a powerhouse—but look even better than last year. Iowa State put itself on the map, achieving the highest AP Poll ranking in school history, reaching the No. 2 spot.

Led by program veterans and new transfers, the Cyclones’ dominant offense has improved, with the depth vaulting them into the conversation for National Title contenders.

The Cyclones are led by a battle-tested starting five of Keshon Gilbert, Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic and transfers Joshua Jefferson and Dishon Jackson. 

The depth includes ironmen Nate Heise and Brandton Chatfield and the team’s leading scorer Curtis Jones.

While the team boasts an offensive threat at all positions, with five players averaging double-digit points per game, the bulk of the offensive load is held by Jones and Gilbert.

Jones is the team’s leading scorer. A transfer from the University of Buffalo, the senior guard averages 16.7 ppg and boasts the ability to take over a game off the bench at any point.

Jones opened the season on a tear, scoring double-digit points in eight consecutive games following the team’s opener, including a 23-point performance against their in-state rivals in Iowa City.

The senior can score on all three levels, boasting an elite sharpshooting ability, knocking down 36.8% of his shots beyond the arc.

The efficient scoring has landed Jones on the Midseason Wooden Watchlist. But if you asked the senior, he probably wouldn’t pay too much attention to the accolades.

“Whatever comes with winning, we’ll take it. We’re not really in it for the recognition, but that’s what comes with it,” Jones said.

Alongside Jones in the backcourt is Gilbert, the other Cyclone on the Wooden Award Watch List.

Gilbert is the second leading scorer on the team. A transfer from UNLV, Gilbert immediately burst onto the scene in his first season in Ames, averaging 13.7 ppg and being named to the All-Big 12 team. 

From that year, he’s only gotten better. The senior now averages 13.8 ppg and 4.3 assists while playing scrappy defense to the tune of 1.8 steals per game.

Gilbert credits the tough-minded mentality and work ethic for his immediate success in Ames.

“I ain’t gonna lie, Iowa State isn’t for everybody—if you don’t really love basketball, you ain’t gonna like it. You ain’t gonna fit here, because basketball is all it is,” Gilbert said. “We work hard as hell, so we know everything’s gonna fall into place.”

While the individual accolades are fulfilling, Jones and Gilbert echo the same sentiment: winning above all.

And they have. The team has 22 wins on the season playing in a tough conference likely to send eight teams to the NCAA Tournament.

The Big 12 is competitive, with games usually tight-knit between conference opponents. In those situations, when the team needs a bucket—Jones and Gilbert are usually the numbers called upon.

Especially in the team’s 85-84 overtime victory against Texas Tech, Gilbert delivered a bucket in clutch time.

Down three in a hostile road environment, the Cyclones needed a bucket to keep the game within reach. After Texas Tech made a free throw to go up three, Gilbert caught in the inbound pass.

He sprinted down the court, putting the moves on his defender. Two quick crossovers drove Gilbert into the paint. Gilbert jabbed and pump-faked before quickly sinking a contested layup to bring the Cyclones within one. 

After Texas Tech split their free throws, Lipsey found Jefferson in the paint to send the game to overtime.

The Cyclones then went on to win in overtime after Jefferson sank two free throws with four seconds left in the extra frame.

The Cyclones’ ability to win close games puts them in great position for the Big Dance, where games seem to come down to the wire so often. They currently sit at No. 10 in the AP Poll and fifth in the Big 12. Experts  project them as a No. 3 seed in March Madness. 

While a No. 3 seed may seem disrespectful, the Cyclones don’t seem to care. Everyone who doubts them and the talents of their roster only feed into their motivation.

“That’s been a chip on our shoulder since before we got here. I don’t feel like me or [Jones] ever got the recognition we deserve,” Gilbert said. “But that’s just more motivation. That just puts more fuel in the tank, and adds more fuel to the fire. So, it is what it is.” — Luke Kaiser, SLAM Intern

Audi Crooks is showing out in her sophomore campaign at Iowa State and is the talk of the town. Named AP Player of the Week in week 17 after leading the team to two big wins over UCF and K State where averaged over 32 ppg with 9 boards shooting at least 75 percent from the field, Crooks is cooking. 

At 6-3, her physicality makes it that much easier to box out and get easy buckets in the paint, in addition to strong footwork and a reinforced midrange makes defenders desperate when looking for an answer. It’s not often you find teams who run their offense through their post but with Crooks dominance, coach Fennely and the Cyclones have their game plan set; feed 55. 

After an outstanding freshman season earning All-Big 12 honors, Crooks posted a dominant 40 point debut in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the teams first postseason since the 2020-2021 season. Looking to make it back to the tournament her emphasis is on what doesn’t show up on paper, “I’d like to be a better communicator.. A better leader and more consistent overall,” said Crooks. 

With days left of the regular season, we’ll see just how far Crooks and the Cyclones go. 

LSU is looking to win two of the last three NCAA titles and with a trio that averages just under 60 alone, they’re gonna be a force in the tournament. Yes you read right, 60. Flau’jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow, and Mikaylah Williams are the trio LSU is hoping to take them back to gold this year and standing at 7th in the nation, that’s not a crazy thought. 

Knowing what they’re capable of, the Big 3 aim for a style of ball that works for each individual’s style, while in the parameters of the team’s culture. Staying within the top 10 since November individual growth is credited as the catalyst for their success, with all three taking more responsibility for the Tiger’s goals, and everything it’ll take to get there. 

“Anything less than the Final Four, I’m not gonna be happy about because I know what this team is capable of,” said Johnson in their SLAMU interview. Only two seasons removed from her 2023 season where she was awarded Freshman of the Year honors that came with the LSU championship, the standards are higher than ever with a hunger to match for Johnson. 

With another former Freshman of the Year in Mikaylah Williams, and the addition of Aneesah Morrow who earned herself First Team SEC honors last year, this could be the year for the Tigers. Repping their cities, and with Baton Rouge behind them, there’s no telling how far they’ll go. — Izabella Williams, SLAM Intern

The post SLAMU Digital Covers Spotlight: Who to Look Out For Ahead of the Tournament appeared first on SLAM.

After an 18-point comeback win over No. 5 Iowa State and dropping both No. 12 UNC and Memphis by double digits, Auburn walked away trophy in hand and with a lei around head coach Bruce Pearl’s neck. That’s when National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome said, “Everybody was like, Yeah, we’re legit.”

SHOP THE AUBURN COLLECTION

Not just legit but purely dominant. So dominant that they’ve been the No. 1 team in the country for over two months straight. They’ve played the strongest strength of schedule in the country while serving up nonstop Ws in a conference that’s projected to send 13 teams to the Big Dance. After amassing the nation’s most Quad 1 wins (16), the Tigers sit at 27-3 with a season’s worth of tests and challenges etched into their résumé. 

They’ve got students pitching tents outside of Neville Arena five minutes after an away game. And the night before the Auburn faithful are let in, you can catch the guys handing out pizzas and sandwiches to their fellow students while Johni and Miles Kelly sneak in a few games of poker. 

Bruce Pearl hasn’t just returned Auburn to prominence, he’s built a spectacle in the SEC. The sheer amount of toilet paper cast across Toomer’s Square is more than enough evidence. And just moments after our early February shoot with the team’s star forward and eccentric freshman point guard, Jay Bilas walks into the practice gym looking to film one of his iconic 94-foot-long interviews with Johni. Twenty minutes later, the two are walking through the sea of tents in Pearlville. All eyes are rightfully centered on The Plains this season. 

Broome falls into more Top 10 rankings than MF Doom’s Madvillainy. No. 4 presides over the SEC with an iron fist and has 17 double-doubles on the season. No one has found an answer for his 18.1 points, 10.7 boards and 2.4 blocks a night. The freshman phenom standing to his side is putting on for a long lineage of New Jersey-bred ballers, unafraid of the moment, the challenge and the deep ball on broken-down plays. Alongside the brilliance of Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly, Denver Jones, Chaney Johnson, Dylan Cardwell and a cast of other contributors, each night is a confirmation that we’re looking at one of the best teams to ever step across campus. 

“We know the situation we’re in. We just try not to dwell on it, focus on it. We just take it day by day,” Tahaad says. 

For the past two seasons, two-time All-SEC selection Johni Broome has been doing just that. After transferring from Morehead State for his sophomore season, the 6-10 Florida native has been steamrolling the limitations placed upon him ever since he was in high school, now ranking top 10 in the nation in blocks, rebounds and double-doubles. 

“I always had that chip on my shoulder, that edge. Growing up, I just had the utmost confidence, because where I’m from you’ve got to have confidence or you’re gonna get eaten alive,” Johni said. “I just grew up and I took it wherever it went with me. I went to college, my mindset was to kill whatever was in front of me. And that just carries on today, because the person I’m playing probably had more exposure, had more offers than me. So each and every night I go in looking to dominate.”

He led the team in scoring in his first season. He became the program’s 18th All-American in his second. The 2024 SEC Tournament MVP catapulted the last few years of momentum into one of the best individual campaigns this collegiate season. Twenty-six and 16 boards at LSU. Against Ohio State: 21 and 20. And twenty-three and 19 against North Carolina. On top of collecting double-doubles like vinyls, he’s swatted away four or more shots in four games.

With one of the best players in the nation back for his senior season, Coach Pearl says it was all about empowering his returning players with a “less is more” approach. Instead of going out and collecting as many five-star recruits and transfers as possible, Coach Pearl asked for more from his guys.

Johni’s managing more minutes (nearly 29 a night) and starting alongside Dylan for the first time in their careers. And freshman Tahaad Pettiford’s dropping haymakers off the bench on a nightly basis. Instead of backfilling the departure of graduate senior Jaylin Williams, Chaney Johnson and Chad Baker-Mazara are finding—and delivering—even more opportunities to shine. The staff was selective when it came to the portal, too, offering the opportunity to win championships instead of promising playing time. SMU transfer Ja’Heim “Turtle” Hudson was more than game. So was Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly. “And the pieces fit really nicely together,” Coach Pearl said. 

The No. 1 team in the country for eight weeks straight knows that everyone is gunning for them. They’ll willingly walk into your trap and then take it over, shouts to the BankRoll Fresh song that’s blasted after every dub on the road. All the while, the goals remain the same; SEC Championship followed by confetti in March. 

“You can’t get complacent. You can’t get comfortable because each and every night they’re coming. We have a target on our backs,” Johni said. “Obviously everybody wants to beat the best. We know that, we’re aware of that, so we’re going to bring it every night. So you better bring it, too.”

That sense of confidence stems from each player’s belief in the guy next to them. As Johni and Tahaad acknowledge their ranking, they’re adamant that the contributions from the entire team are the reason Auburn’s enjoying the success they’ve had.

“I just feel like we have players that don’t get enough recognition,” Tahaad says. “We have players that without them, we wouldn’t be in the position that we are now. If they didn’t come here, we might not be No. 1 because of what they do for us. I just feel like their time is going to come, and when it comes, I feel like they’re going to be ready.” 

Guys like Denver Jones, one of the best defenders in all of college basketball whose name is beyond deserving of being in the Naismith All-Defensive team convo for locking up the opposing team’s best bucket-getter. Guys like Miles Kelly, the Tigers’ go-to sharpshooter who will pull out the team-wide “Call God” celly after draining a step-back three. Guys like Chad Baker-Mazara, the Dominican Republic native who’s posting 13.1 points and 1.2 steals a night and on the Julius Erving Mid-Season Award watch list. Guys like Chaney Johnson who’s scored in double digits for five straight games for the first time in the Auburn blue and orange. Guys like Ja’Heim Hudson, Chris Moore and true freshman Jahki Howard coming off the bench, injecting the right amount of energy whenever they check-in.

The roster is loaded with experience between the portal and returning players who experienced last year’s SEC Tournament Championship. But the squad isn’t built solely off seniority. As one of two true freshmen on the roster getting tick, Pettiford has quickly become one of the most impactful point guards in the nation.

The Jersey native torched Georgia in mid-January for his career-high, 24. He dropped a 21-piece in just his second game of the season, against No. 4 Houston no less. He’s fearless in every regard. Pull up the clips from his 20-point performance at Duke if you’re curious. Or his bombardment of last-second threes that routinely find the bottom of the net. 

“Growing up, to be honest, I always played with older people. So coming in, I kind of expected it to be the same to how it’s always been, just being around guys that are more experienced, played the game, played in the tough games. Just having their energy behind me, knowing they had my back in the low times, I feel like that just gives me confidence,” Tahaad said. “And without them, I feel like my season wouldn’t be going the same as it is now.”

Windmills and no-look drop-offs to the post are complimented by 11.3 points, 2.9 assists and nearly a steal a night. He’ll skip up court into a pull-up three during the biggest game in SEC history, silencing the crowd with a smile. The 6-1 freshman lives for the road. The entirety of the team does. 

“We care about being No. 1 in the nation, but, like, we don’t really feel like that,” Johni said. “We’re normal. Every day we come in, having fun. We’re just being us. Everybody else sees us as a fun team to be, but we’re just acting how we normally act. I think we’re just embracing the moment with each other, and instead of feeling pressure to be No. 1, I think we’re just embracing the journey of being No. 1.”

If there’s anything more certain than Auburn’s locks on the No. 1 ranking, it’s their commitment to joy while doing it. And they often find it on the road, sitting at 7-0 in SEC play after defeating No. 2 Alabama inside Coleman Coliseum on February 15. 

Surrounded by hostilities and the Crimson Tide faithful, the inner state rivalry was turned to a 10 as the first-ever No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup to take place in the SEC. Through the 40-minute battle, the thousands in attendance did everything they could to disrupt Auburn’s chemistry. Instead, the Tigers tightened the screws on the brotherhood that they’d constructed, coming together for a 9-point win. As the final buzzer sounded, they reminded everyone why you don’t poke the bear, waving goodbye to the opposing fans and doing the Crimson Crane in unison right on the cursive A logo. Even a brown leather belt made an appearance in the locker room. 

“Knowing that when we get the chance to come to your spot, dominate and do what we do, I just feel like that just gives us more confidence, more energy that we need,” Tahaad said.

In practice, in the film room, on the court, off the court, that’s just who they are. At the end of the bench, after a blocked shot, following a top 10 win, “We’re like that all the time,” Johni says. They know they’re cold and they know everyone’s watching them enjoy the hell out of the journey, from Tik Toks to the end of the bench. They know they’re the favorites, and they know the Maui Invitational isn’t the only trophy they want resting in The Plains this season.

“I know this, we can be excited to play, and with the schedule that we still have, we’re gonna lose some games. I get that, but this team’s been ready to play, I think because they got something to prove,” Coach Pearl says. “This team’s got a chip on its shoulder. I don’t look at us as where we’re ranked right now in the country. I look at us as who we are, [a] collection of who we are.”

Portraits by Diwang Valdez

The post Johni Broome and Tahaad Pettiford on Auburn’s Dominant Run, Taking Over the SEC and What It Takes to Win it All appeared first on SLAM.

Trae Young knows how to deliver a perfect assist. In fact, for all Chris Paul’s razzle and Nikola Jokic’s dazzle, it’s Young who’s having an exceptional season in this regard, so definitively topping the NBA’s assist chart he should probably have his own page. He’s crossed the 20-assist mark multiple times and spent most of the year hovering around 12 per game. For reference, Magic Johnson spent his career averaging around 11. John Stockton averaged 10-and-a-half.

Not many expected this from Young, not now. Things had been getting more and more sticky in Atlanta over each of the past three years, the Hawks finishing lower and lower in the Eastern Conference standings.

But the truth is, Young started prepping for this nearly two decades ago. 

“When I was a kid, I would wrap a ball in a garbage bag, walk into the garage and turn the lights off,” he says, describing how he’d try to hit targets he couldn’t see, with a basketball he could barely feel. He knew then the odds of becoming an NBA player were long, but he also never really doubted he would, not when right from the beginning it all felt so…real. Young grew up just 30 miles north of Oklahoma City. His family had Thunder season tickets and connections to some of the coaches and players through his dad, a former college player himself.

You’ve likely seen the famous photo of Young and Kevin Durant together—Young was 13 years old but doesn’t look a day over 10. But you might not have realized that Young would go on to play for the AAU team Durant sponsored. Or that as Young got older, he was occasionally invited to Durant’s house to watch college basketball games with KD and his friends. Young also became friendly with Russell Westbrook’s little brother Ray, and then in turn with Russ.

And then there were the DVDs of Steve Nash that Young watched relentlessly before running to the local YMCA to copy the moves. The truth is that even though Young would become more known for his three-point shot by the time he got to college—“the next Stephen Curry,” bleated game broadcast after game broadcast—it was Nash whom he always wanted to be, and still thinks he can become.

“I still have a lot of room to go. I’m going to be one of the best point guards to ever play, and imagine if I do it in Atlanta,” he says, noting it’s been a long time since the Hawks won anything. (Their lone championship came 67 years ago, in 1958.) “That’s my focus. I know we’re not in a position to be doing that right now, but I’ll do whatever it takes to get there.”

As Young talks, he is standing outside the visitor’s locker room in downtown Los Angeles, and it is not lost on anyone that at several points over the past couple seasons, it seemed Young might be headed to this hallway but on the home team side. Those were seasons when the words “faith” and “trust” or even “teammates” were not always associated with Young and the rest of the Hawks roster. Instead, NBA circles were chock full of Young-to-the-Lakers trade rumors, hitting overdrive this past June when Young tweeted an hourglass emoji right after JJ Redick was officially named L.A.’s new coach.

It was no secret at the time that Young was frustrated that the two-year experiment pairing him with Dejounte Murray hadn’t worked. All parties involved have been clear: Young never asked the team for a trade. But it also seems clear he wouldn’t have argued with a deal either, especially one sending him to Southern California, where he already has an off-season home.

Except it didn’t happen. Eight days after Young’s tweet, the Hawks sent Murray to New Orleans in exchange for two first-rounders, Larry Nance Jr, 21-year-old Australian Dyson Daniels and more.

The trade has only aged better and better for Atlanta in the time since. Nance has become a key stabilizing vet presence, and Daniels has more than lived up to his “Great Barrier Thief” nickname, giving the Hawks a much-needed defensive menace while doubling his scoring output from last season.

But most of all, the deal created clarity for and around Young.

“Trae and Dejounte really were both trying to make it work, but it was more of, like, Should I do this or should you do this? and then, You do it and I will stay out of it, which meant neither could really be their full best self,” says Kyle Korver, one of the most prolific three-point shooters in NBA history and now the assistant general manager in Atlanta. “I think they were both trying to sacrifice and, ultimately, well, I was once given great marriage advice from my father-in-law. He said, If both of you are only compromising, you’re going to have a compromised marriage. There’s something to that with basketball, too.”

So trading Murray helped. But it would take more, with effort on both sides. During Summer League, Young flew to Las Vegas to spend time with the Hawks’ newest players. Afterward, the team brass took Young out to dinner, making sure it was a two-way conversation, asking Young about his frustrations and promising to improve communication with their franchise star. 

Young’s relationship with Hawks head coach Quin Snyder also made a difference. Young has had some, um, head coach issues before (see: McMillan, Nate), but he and Snyder have long been kindred spirits and will often text deep into the early morning hours about small moments of a particular game or something Snyder has noticed on film.

This summer, Snyder asked Young to buy in to what would be yet another fresh start for the organization he’s played for since 2018. Young said yes.

“We use the word evolution a lot, and I think sometimes people are just at the right time in their lives to take a step,” Snyder says, noting how Young is still, well, young despite having been an NBA fixture for so long. At just 26, he’s at an age where a number of the kids he went to college with are still living with their parents. Yet Young himself is now a married father of two, playing in his eighth season and he is plainly now trying to do things a different way.

He’s let his scoring numbers dip so his teammates’ could rise. He’s elevated forward Jalen Johnson, empowered sixth man De’Andre Hunter (editor’s note: this story was published prior to the trade to Cleveland). Plus, as one Hawks exec put it, he’s now “looking to compete on defense, which was not always the case.” 

This does not, of course, mean Young has shifted radically. He still knows how to draw a foul, is still one of the craftiest players on the perimeter, still has nights where he tosses off deep bombs like he’s swatting flies. But this year, those moments feel less like a main course and more like a garnish. The flash hasn’t disappeared; it’s just been tempered by purpose. And while the Hawks are still a young team just trying to stay in playoff contention in the East, the changes have paid off in all sorts of small ways.

Making the NBA Cup semifinals in December was a particularly nice moment for the franchise, and it didn’t hurt that they got there by beating the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. It also didn’t go unnoticed that after Young ended the night pretending to roll dice at center court, his teammates crowded around him. “He’s earned the trust of his players,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said a few days later. “This team likes playing with him; that’s obvious. I couldn’t say that in the past, but now they love playing with him.”

Milwaukee would go on to beat Atlanta, but Young saw tremendous value in the whole experience. “It showed us we’re a good team, and all it takes is getting on a run,” he says. “I’ve been on a run before—when you’re on one, and you play well, that’s all that matters.”

Since then, the Hawks have been both up and down, but Young has maintained his grip on the League’s assist mark. The truth is, of all the statistics that clutter a box score, it’s the assist number that tells you the most about what is really going on with a player. It’s an intentional choice, night after night, to create the web of connective tissue at the core of any winning team.

Trae Young can deliver a perfect assist. And this season, it’s not just a pass. It’s a promise. 

The post Trae Young Talks the Art of the Assist and Future in Atlanta appeared first on SLAM.

It all started in Baton Rouge. Flau’jae “Big 4” Johnson and Mikaylah “12” Williams are on campus at Louisiana State University for a visit when they enter the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC). They both look up into the rafters. The winning heritage and history of LSU can be felt throughout the arena, where legends like Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Joyce Walker and so many others set the foundation. 

“We’re gonna be here together, and we[’re] basically gonna take over,” Williams, who is a year younger than Johnson and from Boosier City, remembers them saying to each other at the time. Williams committed to the Tigers in June 2022, and by that August, Johnson unveiled her college decision, too. In her music video for “All Falls Down,” which featured Lil Boosie and Mikewillmadeit, Flau’jae announced that she too would be suiting up for the Tigers. 

The post Flau’jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams on Expectations, Growth and What it’ll Take to Run it Back in the Tournament appeared first on SLAM.

Contending teams have added pieces to bolster their lineups, while teams have invested in the future for young talent and draft picks.

Here are the list of moves that went down in one of the craziest weeks to date.

Feb. 6

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Toronto Raptors acquired center James Wiseman from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a future draft pick.

The former No. 2 overall pick appeared in only one game for Indiana, scoring six points. Wiseman has battled injuries throughout his career, which spanned two seasons with the Warriors and two seasons with the Pistons. He will likely provide center depth for Toronto alongside veteran big man Jakob Poeltl.

Toronto also receives cash considerations.

The Pacers receive a top-55 protected future draft pick.

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Feb. 6

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Milwaukee Bucks forward MarJon Beauchamp in exchange for Kevin Porter Jr.

Beauchamp was drafted in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft by Milwaukee and has seen limited playing time, mainly playing rotational minutes off the bench. In 26 games this season, Beauchamp is averaging two points per game.

Porter has spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. He emerged as an offensive threat in Houston, averaging 17.2 points per game in three seasons. Porter joins a Bucks team sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and will likely provide instant offense off the bench playing behind Damian Lillard.

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Feb. 6

The Wizards continued to make moves in the trade window.

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Memphis Grizzlies acquired forward Marvin Bagley III in exchange for Marcus Smart in a three-team deal involving the Grizzlies, Wizards and Kings.

Memphis receives the former No. 2 overall pick, guard Johnny Davis, a 2028 second-round pick and a future second-round pick. After spending time with the Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons, Bagley experienced an uptick in scoring after moving to the capital city during last year’s trade deadline, averaging 13.3 points per game. This season, Bagley has battled injury and only appeared in 19 games, averaging 4.9 points per game. Bagley and Davis join a talented Grizzlies team in contention for the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Wizards acquired guard/forward Colby Jones, Smart, Alex Len and a 2025 first-round pick. After nine seasons in Boston, Smart spent two seasons with the Grizzlies, where he battled injuries. In his two seasons with Memphis, Smart appeared in 39 games and averaged 11.6 points per game and 1.6 steals per game. The former DPOY and 11-year veteran will provide leadership to a rebuilding Wizards team who recently acquired Khris Middleton.

The Kings also receive forward Jake LaRavia from Memphis.

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Feb. 6

In a three-team move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Atlanta Hawks acquired guard Terance Mann from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for guard Bogdan Bogdanovic.

The Hawks bolstered their backcourt room, adding Mann and Bones Hyland. Mann has appeared in 37 games for the Clippers this season, mainly coming off the bench. He is averaging six points per game.

In addition to Bogdanovic, the Clippers also receive three second-round picks. Bogdanovic has dealt with injury in the 2024-2025 season, only appearing in 24 games while dealing with a hamstring injury. He will provide sharpshooting ability to a Clippers backcourt consisting of James Harden and Norman Powell.

The Rockets also acquired veteran center Cody Zeller and a 2028 second-round pick in the move.

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Feb. 6

The Cleveland Cavaliers are acquiring forward De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks in a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Atlanta will acquire guard Caris LeVert, forward Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two future pick swaps.

Hunter has emerged as a great two-way wing, averaging 14.8 points per game in his six seasons with the Hawks. This season, Hunter has appeared in 37 games, mostly providing instant offense off the bench. He is in the midst of his best offensive season, averaging 19 points per game and shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc. Hunter will now join a Cavaliers team sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference.

LeVert and Niang will now join a Hawks team sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, currently in position for a play-in tournament berth. The two veterans will provide depth to Atlanta’s guard and forward positions, spots currently held by No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and steals leader Dyson Daniels.

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Feb. 6

Patrick Baldwin Jr., a piece in the trade package in the Kyle Kuzma trade, is joining the San Antonio Spurs in a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Spurs will receive an undisclosed amount of cash.

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Feb. 6

After trading away their center, the Charlotte Hornets brought a veteran one back.

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Hornets acquired center Jusuf Nurkic in exchange for forward Cody Martin and guard Vasilije Micic.

Nurkic is an 11-year veteran who spent time with the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. He has averaged 12 points per game and nine rebounds over his career.

In addition to the players, Charlotte also receives a 2026 first-round pick, and Phoenix receives a 2026 second-round pick.

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Feb. 6

Two cornerstones from Baylor’s NCAA championship squad in 2021 have been dealt in this deadline.

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Miami Heat acquired guard Davion Mitchell from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for forward P.J. Tucker.

Mitchell brings two-way guard play to Miami, while Tucker provides a veteran presence to a rebuilding Raptors squad.

In addition to Tucker, Toronto also receives the Lakers’ second-round pick in 2024 and cash considerations for an undisclosed amount.

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Feb. 6

The Washington Wizards continued their busy trade deadline. The team acquired guard Reggie Jackson in a move confirmed by ESPN.

In addition to Jackson, Washington also receives a 2026 less favorable first-round pick of the Thunder, Rockets and Clippers.

Philadelphia receives former NCAA champion Jared Butler, a most favorable 2027 second-round pick of Golden State and Phoenix, Golden State’s 2028 second-round pick, a most favorable 2030 second-round pick of Phoenix and Portland and Washington’s 2030 second-round pick.

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Feb. 5

Jimmy Butler finally got his wish.

In a blockbuster move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Miami Heat superstar is heading to Golden State in a multi-team trade involving the Heat, Warriors, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons.

The Heat receive Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, P.J. Tucker and a protected first-round pick.

The Dubs receives Jimmy Butler, who is signing a new deal that will keep him through the 2026-27 season.

The Utah Jazz receive point guard Dennis Schroder.

The Detroit Pistons receive Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson.

Butler’s move to Miami ends a tumultuous saga that saw numerous suspensions and trade requests from the superstar. Butler was indefinitely suspended on Jan. 27 after walking out on a team shootaround. He leaves Miami as a franchise legend, helping orchestrate two NBA Finals appearances and coining the nickname “Playoff Jimmy.” In his six years in Vice City, Butler made two All-Star appearances and averaged 21 points per game. He will now form a new big three in San Francisco—Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Butler.

Miami’s return package signals the end of Wiggins’ time in California. The former No. 1 overall pick enjoyed his most efficient years with the Dubs, averaging 16.7 points per game and appearing in one All-Star game. Wiggins was instrumental in the team’s 2022 Finals run, as he was the team’s second leading scorer behind Curry. Wiggins will provide a veteran presence to the Heat’s young front court of Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr.

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Feb. 5

In a blockbuster move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Toronto Raptors acquired New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram.

In exchange for Ingram, New Orleans receives a package of forward Bruce Brown, forward/center Kelly Olynyk, and a first and second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Ingram joins a rebuilding Toronto Raptors team currently rebuilding around All-Star forward Scottie Barnes. The nine-year veteran spent three seasons with the Lakers and six seasons in New Orleans, helping lead the Pelicans to two postseason runs in 2022 and 2024. Ingram averaged 23 points per game with the Pelicans over six seasons and was named an All-Star and Comeback Player of the Year in the 2019-20 season.

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Feb. 5

After fans across the world said the Lakers needed a center following the Anthony Davis trade, the team made a move on one.

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired center Mark Williams from the Hornets in exchange for rookie Dalton Knecht and forward Cam Reddish.

After an injury riddled sophomore season, Williams has appeared in 22 games in the 2024-2025 season, averaging 16 points per game. He will likely become the Lakers’ starting center upon arrival.

Charlotte receives a rookie sharpshooter in Knecht who has showed flashes of upside. The Tennessee product is averaging 9.4 points per game this season and has shot 35.8% from beyond the arc. He will join star point guard LaMelo Ball in the Hornets’ backcourt.

In addition to Knecht and Reddish, Charlotte will receive a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.

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Feb. 5

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Sacramento Kings are acquiring center Jonas Valanciunas from the Wizards in exchange for guard/forward Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks.

Valanciunas is a 13-year veteran who played for the Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards. This season, Valanciunas appeared in 49 games and started 12. He primarily came off the bench in the rotation between himself and No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr. In those 49 games, he averaged 11.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game.

He will now look to light the beam alongside frontcourt mate and All-Star Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento.

In return, Washington receives guard Sidy Cissoko, who Sacramento originally received in the De’Aaron Fox trade. Cissoko was drafted in the second round in 2023 to San Antonio, where he saw limited playing time across two seasons.

Washington also receives Denver’s 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick.

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Feb. 5

The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired center Daniel Theis from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for cash considerations, in a move confirmed by the team.

Theis is an eight-year veteran who played for the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Pelicans. He has averaged 7.1 points per game and 4.7 rebounds this season playing alongside rookie center Yves Missi.

Oklahoma City also receives a 2031 second-round pick.

New Orleans receives cash considerations for an undisclosed amount.

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Feb. 5

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Boston Celtics are trading Jaden Springer to the Houston Rockets.

Boston receives a 2031 top-55 protected second-round pick.

Houston receives Springer, a 2030 second-round pick and a protected future second-round pick.

Springer spent three seasons in Philadelphia with the 76ers and two season in Boston, where he won a championship last year. Despite playing limited rotational minutes, the guard is still 22-years old, and will help an exciting Houston Rockets team with depth in the backcourt.

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Feb. 5

The Detroit Pistons received forward KJ Martin and two picks from the Philadelphia 76ers in a move reported by the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey and confirmed by ESPN.

Martin, the son of former Nets great Kenyon Martin previously played for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and 76ers. Martin played rotational minutes off the bench for the 76ers, averaging 4.5 points per game over his two seasons in Philadelphia.

Detroit also receives Milwaukee’s 2027 second-round pick and Dallas’ 2031 second-round pick.

The Sixers receive cash considerations for an undisclosed amount.

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Feb. 5

In a blockbuster move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks dealt away franchise legend Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma in a multi-trade with the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks.

In addition to Kuzma, Milwaukee also receives forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., center Jericho Sims and a second-round draft compensation.

In addition to Middleton, Washington receives guard AJ Johnson an a 2028 first-round pick swap.

The Knicks receive guard Delon Wright and cash considerations.

The three-time All-Star leaves Milwaukee after 12 years with the Bucks, where won an NBA Championship in 2021 alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday. Middleton ends his Milwaukee career averaging 17.1 points per game and 38.9% shooting from beyond the arc. He will provide veteran leadership to a Wizards team with an exciting young core of Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr.

Kuzma leaves Washington after four seasons. In the capital city, Kuzma enjoyed his best offensive seasons, averaging 19.5 points per game and 7.2 rebounds across four seasons. He will likely provide a scoring boost to the small forward position, forming a frontcourt partnership between himself and Antetokounmpo. The Bucks currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

The former NBA champion also reportedly reduced his trade bonus in his contract to help with roster building in the future, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Shams Charania.

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Feb. 4

The Dallas Mavericks stayed active in the trade deadline, acquiring forward Caleb Martin from the Philadelphia 76ers, in a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Martin leaves Philadelphia having played in 31 games and starting 24. He averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The 2022 playoff hero will provide crucial depth for Dallas at both the small and power forward position. He will likely play behind P.J. Washington and Anthony Davis as an instant offense two-way player off the bench.

In return, Philadelphia will receive guard Quentin Grimes and their own second-round pick in the upcoming draft. Grimes appeared in 47 games for the Mavericks, averaging 10.2 points per game on 39.8% shooting from behind the arc. Grimes will provide depth at the shooting guard and small forward position for an injury-marred 76ers squad.

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Feb. 3

The Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder engaged in a pick-swap in a move announced by both teams.

Charlotte receives the Phoenix Suns’ 2029 second-round pick, while Oklahoma City receives the Denver Nuggets’ 2030 conditional second-round pick.

Sam Presti is back at it again.

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Feb. 2

De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine are parting ways with the teams they spent years with. In a multi-team trade reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, LaVine is joining the Chicago Bulls and Fox is joining the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs receive All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin from the Kings and Bulls respectively.

The Kings receive guards Zach LaVine and Sidy Cissoko from the Bulls and Spurs respectively and a haul of five draft picks. Sacramento receives a top-14 protected first-round pick in the upcoming draft, a second-round pick in the upcoming draft, a first-round pick in the 2027 Draft and two second-round picks in the 2028 Draft.

The Bulls receive forward Zach Collins and guard Tre Jones from the Spurs and guard Kevin Huerter from the Kings. The package also includes a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.

Fox joins a Spurs team in the midst of an exciting rebuild centered around generational prospect Victor Wembanyama. Fox will join a frontcourt led by rookie Stephon Castle and veteran Chris Paul and will look to be dropping dimes and lobs to Wembanyama.

San Antonio is one win away from matching their season win-total from last year before the All-Star break as the team has steadily improved over time. The Spurs are two games out of tenth place and a berth for the play-in tournament.

LaVine joins a Sacramento team led by All-Star center Domantas Sabonis and veteran DeMar DeRozan. LaVine will be reunited with DeRozan, who he spent three seasons with in Chicago. After a six-game losing streak left Sacramento with a 13-19 record, the team has found a resurgence in form, going 11-5 in their last 16 games to sit at 24-24. The Kings currently hold the last seed for the play-in tournament.

_________________________________________________________________________________________ Feb. 2:

In one of the most shocking trades in NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks traded superstar Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis in a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania that sent social media, pundits and basketball fans into an uproar. The move comes as a shock, as the Mavericks, fresh off of a NBA Finals appearance, traded away their franchise cornerstone.

The Mavericks receive nine-time All-Star and NBA Champion forward/center Davis, guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.

The Lakers receive five-time All-Star and perennial MVP candidate Doncic and forwards Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.

The Jazz receive guard Jalen-Hood Schifino from the Lakers and two second-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Davis will team up with perennial All-Star Kyrie Irving and Splash Bro Klay Thompson in Dallas. He is projected to play power forward in Dallas—his natural position—with Daniel Gafford taking the center role. Dallas currently sits in ninth place in the Western Conference, well within reach of a berth in the play-in tournament.

Doncic will join a Lakers team sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference under first-year head coach JJ Redick. Doncic will team up with LeBron James, who ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported had dreamed about playing alongside the Slovenian superstar.

The post NBA Trade Tracker: Jimmy Butler joins Dubs, Andrew Wiggins to Heat appeared first on SLAM.

While we’re on the heels of WNBA free agency and a few months out from the Draft, teams across the W have been finalizing their coaching staff, which includes the hiring of 7 new head coaches (!!). There are now 7 women leading the helm and 6 men.

On Monday, teams have been revealing what assistant coaches have been added to their squads. To keep you updated on all the recent changes, here’s our official WNBA Coaches Tracker, which will be updated in real-time as news continues to drop.

Atlanta Dream:

Head Coach: Karl Smesko

Assistants: Brandi Poole, LaToya Sanders

Chicago Sky:

HC: Tyler Marsh

Assistant Coach: Tanisha Wright, Courtney Paris

Connecticut Sun:

HC: Rachid Meziane

Assistant Coach: Roneeka Hodges

Dallas Wings:

Head Coach: Chris Koclanes

Assistant Coaches: Nola Henry, Camille Smith

Golden State Valkyries

Head Coach: Natalie Nakase

Indiana Fever:

Head Coach: Stephanie White

Assistant Coaches: Austin Kelly, Karima Christmas-Kelly

Los Angeles Sparks:

Head Coach: Lynne Roberts

Washington Mystics:

Head Coach: Sydney Johnson

Las Vegas Aces:

Head Coach: Becky Hammon

Assistant Coaches: Larry Lewis, Ty Ellis, Charlene Thomas-Swinson

Minnesota Lynx:

Head Coach: Cheryl Reeve

Assistant Coaches: Eric Thibault, Lindsay Whalen

New York Liberty:

Head Coach: Sandy Brondello

Assistant Coaches: Olaf Lange, Zach O’Brien, Sonia Raman

Phoenix Mercury:

Head Coach: Nate Tibbetts

Seattle Storm:

Head Coach: Noelle Quinn

Assistant Coaches: Pokey Chatman (Associate GM), Ebony Hoffman

The post WNBA Coaches Tracker: Here’s Who is Leading Your Favorite Squads appeared first on SLAM.

The last 12 months have been a flurry of camps, tournaments, events and enacting his own clinics on defenders and offensive threats alike. And the wide-spread recognition has rightfully poured in. “It’s just kind of recent, like my freshman, sophomore year. I realized that I loved basketball once I shot out my sophomore year and I just kept wanting to play,” Chris says. “Because most people, they’ll just stop and quit, but I kept going and worked harder, and it motivated me.”

The 6-10 center with the bag of a guard has always been one of the tallest among his peers. But it wasn’t until his freshman season at Riverside Academy that he began building toward his future. Alongside his trainer, coach James Parlow, Chris crafted the foundation of the skill set that we see today. One dribble, with a shoulder into the chest, straight into a two-hand flush. Face up fadeaways from the same spot. Pull-up middies off the pick-and-roll. The handles to create coast-to-coast in transition and for others. 

“I feel like every year I got two times better than where I was the year before, which is the goal. Just development. A lot of skill work, working on having a lot of skills,” Chris says. “The goal was to be a versatile big that can guard all positions, handle the ball, shoot the ball, take a guy off the dribble, all those types of things. That was our plan, and I worked and got better and it came to life.” 

Despite the pieces falling into place, Chris was forced to sit out the entirety of his sophomore season after transferring to Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. Transfer rules ruled him ineligible. While the team went on to capture its second straight state championship, Chris was holed up in the lab trying to close the gap between himself and the top-ranked prospects who had been grinding for their keep since middle school. “I was just thinking, Be in the gym and catch up to everyone,” Chris says.

He entered the summer with a Big Easy-sized chip on his shoulder and led the school to its third consecutive state title the following season, averaging 13.9 points and 10.2 boards a game. Now, he’s taking his double-double game to the acclaimed Link Academy in Missouri. 

At the program that’s produced the likes of Ja’Kobe Walter, Jordan Walsh and current Texas freshman Tre Johnson, Cenac Jr is taking advantage of every glimmer of opportunity that presents itself. He’s assumed the role of the squad’s head honcho, electing to lead through actions and let his voice follow as he builds out the habits for his future. “The main thing right now for me is winning the national championship with these guys that I’m at Link with,” Chris says. 

The journey has been rewarding, ranking as high as the No. 7 player in the class of 2025. But that feeling of catching up still hasn’t faded. There are more levels to climb before reaching the ultimate goal. 

“It feels good, but at the same time, it’s not the only place that I want to be at. The rankings now, it’s cool. But the NBA, and lasting in the NBA for a long time, is the main goal. I can’t be complacent.”

Photos via Getty Images. Portrait by Marcus Stevens.

The post Chris Cenac Jr Has a New Home at Link Academy and His Sights Set on a National Championship appeared first on SLAM.

A popular saying created by the younger generation emphasizing the transition of eras. Basketball has gone through a massive culture shift. It’s definitely easy to forget how we got to where we are now as the memories and styles of years ago grow older. But some things remain timeless. Time for a quick trip down memory lane.

Baggy shorts and buzz cuts. These two ruled the ’90s. That era had some of the sickest swag the sport could offer. The Memphis State Tigers and Runnin’ Rebels are proof.

In honor of their upcoming matchup, which will only be the sixth time they’ve ever faced off (UNLV is leading the series 4-1), we’re paying tribute to the foundational elements of college hoops: the gear. 

The Memphis State Tigers have been around for a long time and their style has inspired plenty. They possessed a clean look that stood out, much like the players who came through the program (and notably their head coach, the late Larry Finch). But it was the 1991-92 season that those in Memphis still reminisce about. The glory days. Their home unis were crisp white. Striking blue accents lined the waist and trim while their away uniforms flipped the script with a sea of dominant blue and sharp white details. Thick grey block letters stitched above and below the numbers. The loose-fitting shorts, labeled with an MSU patch, were illuminated with their iconic tiger logo just above the knee, capping off the perfect blend of simplicity and style.

On the other side of the aisle, the Rebels were Runnin’ rampant in the ’90s with a timeless aesthetic. Black kicks, knee-length shorts, team huddles on the floor. When you see red, you think bold, tough and rigid. When you see UNLV on your schedule, the exact same feelings come to mind. Their jerseys evoked as much chaos as their open court offense, featuring a predominantly white home design with fresh red accents that extended onto the shorts that fans in Nevada still rock to this day. The away unis were just as fire; a powerful red with white details, creating a fierce and intimidating look. The baggy fit of the shorts with the stripes bleeding down the side and small UNLV logo completed the audacious yet encapsulating aesthetic of the era. This cohesive and fearless look mirrored the Rebels’ aggressive and high-energy play. Just ask Larry Johnson how formidable Las Vegas was.

As these two teams prepare to meet tomorrow, we can’t forget their past. The resurgence of the two programs this weekend doesn’t just exemplify the diverse landscape that continues to expand across the game, it’s cementing the eras that got us here. The ’90s brought flashy individualism both on and off the court, which we still see in today’s game and tunnels. The baggy styles we witness across the NBA and the high school ranks may look different now, but they originated from decades’ past. So respect the OGs for paving the way.

Still done with the ’90s? We thought so…

From the iconic shorts to throwback logos and gear, head over to the SLAM Store to rep your school, whether you’re runnin’ with the Rebels or rocking with the Tigers.

Action photos via Getty Images.

The post Timeless Threads: How Memphis State and UNLV Helped Pave the Way For Today’s ’90s Obsession appeared first on SLAM.

Brickley initially named the runs “BlackOps” because he wanted the workouts and open runs to be discreet. Here, he gives us his breakdown of another year of BlackOps Basketball and his award picks.

The 2024 SLAM x BlackOps Awards

Breakout Season: Paolo Banchero

Photo by @kees2life

This was the fourth summer I worked with Paolo. His energy was laser-focused! We would go 60-75 minutes, and he did every drill at game speed. Coming off his first All-Star season and playoff run, he wanted more. I believe we will see Paolo in many more All-Star Games and many more playoff runs. The Magic will be very good this year.

Best Summer Shooter Award: Klay Thompson

Klay came in this offseason looking like a completely different player. He seemed a step quicker, and he shot incredibly well all summer. He literally broke every shooting record this summer. But, in CJ McCollum’s defense, Klay locked in with me in August/September, while CJ held many records and worked with me in May/June.

Best Middle Schooler I Have Ever Worked With: JJ Crawford

During the workout, JJ’s father (Jamal Crawford), Jordan Clarkson and Boardroom’s Nick DePaula were watching. Ju was hitting NBA three-pointers at a high percentage, picking up the ballhandling drills I was giving him and getting buckets on my interns! The internet always gives the interns a hard time, but they can really defend. After the workout, Jamal and I talked hoops for about an hour, and it was one of my favorite conversations of the summer. Jamal is a true student of the game. I’m calling it now: JJ Crawford will be a top-five pick one day!

Draft Day Award: Matas Buzelis and Tyler Kolek

I believe both of these guys will have long NBA careers. Matas will be a name we see on ESPN’s Top 10 plays many times this season. Tyler Kolek is my sleeper from this past draft. The Knicks got a great playmaker and scorer at No. 34. I think he’ll bring great energy with the second unit.

NCAA Award: lan Jackson

The best thing that happened to Ian Jackson was that to start his senior season, he dropped in the rankings. His entire workout approach changed at that moment, and Ian became a man on the basketball court. He worked out with me five days a week—sometimes twice a day—and went hard! I put him in situations where he played 1-on-1 with NBA players, and he more than held his own—he was wowing everyone in the gym. I can’t wait to see what he does at UNC this season.

High School Award: Kiyan Anthony & Chris Cenac Jr.

I’ve seen Kiyan Anthony develop from a little kid running around MSG to getting buckets in the NBA BlackOps runs. He is constantly texting me, showing his urgency to get in more workouts and keep improving. Chris Cenac played in the Brickley Invitational and shocked me during the workout portion. At 6-10, he can shoot the three, finish around the rim, play in the mid-post and try to dunk on you by the rim. It’s no surprise he’s skyrocketing up the rankings!

Chris Brickley Invitational Award: Tyran Stokes and Jasper Johnson

Tyran Stokes is ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2026 for a reason—he’s a matchup nightmare. He can shoot and find his teammates, and his motor is always on 100. Jasper Johnson went crazy in the game, hitting tough shot after tough shot. He really reminds me of D’Angelo Russell. Kentucky is producing high-level prospects right now.

Mentor Award: Russell Westbrook

People can say what they want about Russ, but the reality is he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the Top 75 NBA players of all time. This was the second offseason in a row where he took the time to mentor a younger player. Last summer, it was Azzi Fudd from UConn, and this summer it was New Jersey legend Isaiah Briscoe. Russ invited Briscoe to a few of his 6 a.m. workouts and shared some gems. Russ and I have developed a genuine relationship over the years, and I’m thankful to have him as a friend.

GOAT Award: LeBron James

I was blessed to help prepare LeBron for his Gold medal run. His work definitely paid off, as he ended up getting MVP of the Olympics at 39 years old! Aside from his great workouts, toward the end of the summer, I was offered a lot of NBA coaching positions, and I needed someone to talk to who knows the game and the business. I reached out to LeBron with no expectations—if he didn’t respond, I wouldn’t have been upset at all, knowing he has a million things going on. But he sent me some great advice, and it was exactly what I needed to hear. So, thanks to the GOAT for taking the time to do that.

Best Group Workout of the Summer: Kevin Durant and CJ McCollum

There was something special about the energy at The Summit, with music blaring through the Bose speakers. Normally, players gradually work up to game-speed actions, but this workout was different. KD caught the ball in the corner, ripped through hard with two dribbles and hit a beautiful pull-up–just like he was in a playoff game. Then I passed the ball to CJ, and he did the same thing. For the next 65 minutes, both players gave it their all. That was awesome.

Best Rapper Basketball Player: Russ

Russ decided to take basketball seriously and came to me after training with his Atlanta trainer. He became a knockdown shooter. The transformation in his game was insane. He had dribble moves, was hitting NBA threes with consistency and just played with confidence. I think Russ became the best rapper-shooter l’ve ever worked with.

Best BlackOps Matchup: Jalen Brunson vs. Immanuel Quickley

Immanuel Quickley, fresh off signing his $175 million deal with the Raptors, was playing with supreme confidence against All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson. There was definitely a sense of major competition. Quickley backed up Brunson for the Knicks before being traded to the Raptors, so it felt like Quick was playing with a chip on his shoulder. Watching these two go at it for almost two hours was super entertaining. It was like watching a great boxing match. They were giving it their all and not letting up. Man, that was a great run!

Photos by @nextsubject.

The post The 2024 SLAM x BlackOps Awards: LeBron James, Jalen Brunson and More appeared first on SLAM.

By the time the already-dubbed “King James” appeared on the cover of SLAM #78 at the midway point of his rookie season, the most hyped prospect in league history was already meeting, and even exceeding the hype.

“It’s only the beginning,” read the cover text. 

He was lacing up his first signature shoe, the Nike Air Zoom Generation, throughout his historic 20.5.5 rookie year. Only Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan had tallied up those kind of points, rebounds and assists totals during their debut seasons by that point. 

It wasn’t just the League that had stamped him as the future — Nike coined him “generational” off top, with a record-setting $90-million rookie shoe deal and a signature series.

To celebrate SLAM’s 30th Anniversary year in 2024, we teamed up with brands around the industry to highlight the players, the covers and the sneakers that have made their mark on hoops culture during that time. We created some fire collabs as a result, layering in the details and memories that have led to SLAM making its mark as a Hall of Fame inductee all these years later for the Class of 2024.

One of the most frequent cover athletes in SLAM history, LeBron James has undoubtedly made a generational impact on the magazine.

The history between SLAM and Bron is also long stamped. SLAM was there early, shooting a young James in Akron during his SVSM High School days and throughout his time as a perennial “Mr. Ohio” player of the year, where he led the Irish to three state championships.

The text behind the tongue of the new SLAM x Nike Air Zoom Generation is updated from the cover and says as much: 

“Since The Beginning…” 

Flipping the hues of his first shoes, a rich red takes on the base color, while a series of design details celebrating his debut signature silhouette all come to life.

The red and black colorway ties back to the original cover shot and the shoe’s iconic first print magazine ad imagery, where James is wearing an era-specific pair of red velour pants.

There’s also a nod to his very first PE, the “Laser” Generations worn on Christmas Day, which was also the first lasered hoop shoe to hit the NBA hardwood.

We created a detailed lasered graphic highlighting the SLAM logo, James’ upbringing in Akron and his first year with Nike that tells the story further.

“I created the hype myself, by playing the way that I play,” reads the inner laser print.

It’s a reference to a standout James quote within the cover feature, when he was asked about what caused the circus and expectations that surrounded him at the time.

In January of 2003, when Nike first wanted to fast-track the design process of creating a signature shoe for LeBron — who was in the middle of his senior season at SVSM — a few potential shoe names were floated. 

“Air King James” was an option on the very first email that proposed the rushed timeline to design and develop the shoes in order to make a December launch.

When the original developer Jeff Johnson entered the shoe into Nike’s internal factory development system, he came up with an (admittedly easy to crack) code name instead, since LeBron hadn’t yet officially even signed with Nike:

“Air Zoom Norbel.” 

There’s a variety of easter eggs and details from the early days of LeBron’s generational starting point with Nike layered into the lasered side panel graphic, box sleeve design and insole throughout. 

While the full Nike track suit and Nike headband may have given it away, when he showed up to a news conference on May 22nd in 2003 to announce which brand he’d be signing with, a simple declaration was all that was needed:

“I’m a Nike guy,” said James.

That statement, his original ‘LJ23’ logo, the ‘KING23’ graphic from his first apparel collection and his then-viral ‘CHOSEN1’ back tattoo are all incorporated into the lasered graphics along the sneaker.

The molded parts on this SLAM Zoom Generation that draft off of his much-discussed silver Hummer H2 are all in chrome, to honor his 18th birthday gift. Along the heel, “SLAM” is also embroidered in the Hummer font. Both the original ‘LJ23’ logo and SLAM ‘S’ can be found stitched along the tongue tabs.

For the very first time, there’s a collar Swoosh placement, just as designer Aaron Cooper originally sketched them up. The logo location was a big debate throughout the year leading into that late 2003 launch, with the Swoosh “bouncing back and forth” on a variety of samples, according to “Coop,” up until the very end.  

“That was constantly the question, ‘Is it a Nike shoe, or LeBron’s signature shoe?’” Cooper told me last year.

“If he was already established in the NBA and it was a more bold signature shoe, it would’ve been directly called ‘The Air LeBron,’ had the Swoosh up on the collar and said ‘KING’ on the side instead of ‘NIKE.’”

With Nike plunking down the aforementioned $90 Mil, and pressure mounting on the shoe all along, a larger logo would only help to better establish the brand and the player together from the start, so the thinking went.

Before even getting to a Phil Knight or Mark Parker call from up top, the logo dilemma simply came down to a vote from LeBron.

“In our conversations, LeBron felt like he hadn’t proven himself,” continued Cooper. “He said, ‘Because I haven’t played yet, it needs to be a Nike shoe first.’”

Towards the very end of the sample process, Cooper grabbed Whiteout to cover up the collar Swoosh, and drew a new logo placement along the middle of the shoe. 

As we all know, LeBron more than proved himself, with this updated logo placement edition of the Air Zoom Generation speaking to the truly generational impact he has left on the game, and standing as a “more bold signature shoe” with his legacy long cemented. 

As SLAM turns 30, LeBron has also left an impact on the magazine, the readers, and the sneaker game all these years later. 

This special edition Air Zoom Generation made for friends & family links SLAM back up yet again with Bron, for one of the most detailed editions of his first signature sneaker to date. 

BUY YOUR COPY OF 30 YEARS OF SLAM

The post SINCE THE BEGINNING // This Nike Air Zoom Generation Collab Celebrates SLAM’s 30th Anniversary  appeared first on SLAM.

When the 1992 Olympic Dream Team used a ridiculous, 46-1 first-half run to turn its opening game against Angola into an emphatic statement of what was ahead for the rest of the world in Barcelona, it did more than just validate forward Charles Barkley’s prediction that Angola was “in trouble.”

It began a brand-new era for USA Basketball. After decades of sending the nation’s top collegians up against the world’s best, it was time to show everybody just how Dr. Naismith’s invention was meant to be played. From that point on, NBA stars populated teams that played in—and most of the time won—the biggest competitions.

But U.S. basketball domination didn’t start in ’92, and USA Basketball’s tradition isn’t just about the Dream Team. The country’s hoops governing body has created a legacy of success that has featured some of the game’s greatest players and most exciting results. The U.S. first stepped onto the international stage in 1936, when the sport was initially contested at the Olympics, and since that time it has been the world leader in the sport. As the nation’s governing body, USA Basketball has been the north star for the sport and has played a role in bringing basketball to America and the world. It has also provided an opportunity for U.S. fans to experience the game’s best playing together, as part of a vibrant red, white and blue tradition. 

In 1974, the Amateur Basketball Federation of the United States of America (ABAUSA) was formed to bring all of the nation’s various organizations under the same governing body. Fifteen years later, the ABAUSA changed its name to USA Basketball, but its mission remained clear: provide the best possible support and leadership for U.S. teams to compete and win on the world’s biggest basketball stages, while also growing the game throughout the country. To say that it has been successful in that mission is a gigantic understatement. 

Under USA Basketball’s leadership, the nation’s top players and coaches continue to dominate. The Men’s National Team has won nine of the last 11 Olympic Gold medals (the U.S. did not participate in the 1980 Moscow Games) and the last four. It has also captured four world championships over the last three-plus decades—in 1986, 1994, 2010 and 2014—and another in 1954. There have been numerous titles in competitions like the Pan Am Games and other tournaments worldwide. As the Paris Olympic Games approach, the U.S. is heavily favored to defend its Gold-medal status, thanks to a team of 12 NBA All-Stars that includes four MVPs and six NBA champions. It’s another example of the strong relationship between USA Basketball and the country’s greatest players, whose desire to represent their country is deep, and whose talent is overwhelming. Former NBA All-Star and 1996 Gold medalist Grant Hill, now USA Basketball’s Men’s Team Managing Director, selected the team and filled it with versatile standouts. 

“The United States is home to some of the best basketball players in the world, and I appreciate the vast interest in being part of this roster,” Hill said. “These decisions weren’t easy, but it was a pleasure to go through the process and reach this outcome.”

EARLY DOMINANCE

More than 40 years after Naismith invented his game, the International Basketball Federation (originally known as FIBB) was born in 1932, and plans were made for the sport to be part of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. A field of 22 squads played, but it was really only about one team: the United States, which finished the competition 4-0 (there were no medal rounds) to claim the Gold. 

Six straight Golds followed for the U.S., which was rarely challenged. The nation’s best collegians and recent graduates took on the world. Rival teams were often comprised of much older players, some of whom were paid—although no country would ever admit to it. It didn’t matter. From 1936-68, the U.S. went 55-0 in Olympic play, the type of dominance many expected from the country that invented the sport.

Among the standouts during that stretch were center Joe Fortenberry, who averaged 14.5 ppg in 1936, forward Clyde Lovellette (13.9 ppg) on the ’52 team, San Francisco big man Bill Russell (14.1 ppg) in 1956, 1960 standouts Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas, both of whom averaged 17.0 ppg, and Spencer Haywood, whose 16.1 ppg led the 1968 squad to Gold.

Haywood was the first college freshman ever invited to try out for the Olympic team, and the 19-year-old from tiny Trinidad State JC in Colorado proved he belonged. Not only did he score plenty—he had 21 in the Gold medal win over Yugoslavia—he also set an Olympic record for field-goal percentage (71.9) that still stands.

But Haywood, like so many of the great players who have represented the U.S. internationally, was part of a team. He could have scored even more, but he blended with other standouts to help continue a tradition that has defined USA Basketball: representing the United States.

For decades, the U.S. was the world’s supreme basketball powerhouse, but trouble was looming. The Soviet Union had invested heavily in its sports programs, with the goal of promoting Communism around the world. When Haywood stood on the podium and watched a giant American flag unfurl in the Mexico City arena, he could not have known the turbulence that lay ahead.

BIG CHANGES

The next 20-plus years were a time of great transformation for the nation’s top basketball organization. It all began in 1972, when the United States team suffered a crushing, 51-50 loss to the USSR in the Gold medal game in Munich. The contest featured enough confusion and controversy to fill an entire Olympiad. A U.S. protest was denied, and the American players refused to accept their Silver medals. It was the first Olympic loss in U.S. history, and it remains a dark chapter.

Two years later, the ABAUSA was created as a response to a decision by the international body (by then renamed FIBA) to revoke its recognition of the AAU, which had governed the sport in this country. The new organization brought together representatives from every amateur basketball confederation in the country and began its 50-year run of leading the nation’s basketball fortunes.

One of its first successes came in 1976 at the Montreal Olympiad, when the U.S. gained a measure of revenge for the ’72 debacle. The Americans rolled to a 7-0 record and the Gold medal. Although the final win came against Yugoslavia, which had upset the USSR in the semifinals, and not the Soviets, it was still a great first act on the largest international stage for America’s new governing body. 

Since the U.S. didn’t participate in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and the USSR boycotted the ’84 Games in Los Angeles, the two basketball superpowers didn’t meet again until 1988, in South Korea. The matchup didn’t take place in the final round, rather in the semis, and the U.S. was unable to overcome a loaded Soviet team that included future NBA standouts Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis and fell, 82-76. Although the Americans won the Bronze by routing Australia, it was clear changes needed to be made, since the U.S. was using college players against teams with much older—and professional—competitors. 

In April of 1989, FIBA made the historic decision to allow countries to use professional players on its international teams. Although the U.S. delegation voted against the change, the 56-13 decision was emphatic and created the opportunity for the U.S. to bring its best players to the world. Then-ABAUSA president Dave Gavitt declared the move necessary “in this new, worldwide era.” That October, the ABAUSA changed its name to USA Basketball.

FIBA had taken the big step. It was time for the United States to show basketball fans everywhere, from one side of the world to the other, what that meant.

STILL DREAMING

Barkley’s pre-Olympics prediction that Angola “was in trouble” could have applied to every opponent the Dream Team faced in 1992. The U.S. roster, comprised of 12 future Basketball Hall of Famers, blitzed to the Gold medal and won its eight games by a combined 43.8 ppg. Croatia’s 32-point defeat in the Gold medal game was the closest any rival came. Head coach Chuck Daly, who never called a timeout during the Olympics, put it well afterward.

“You will see a team of professionals in the Olympics again, but I don’t think you’ll see another team quite like this. This was a majestic team.”

Daly was right. There have been other teams filled with NBA stars that have brought Gold medals to the U.S. The ’96 version was nearly as dominant, winning its eight games by an average of 31.2 ppg. But the first squad, which included some of the best players to walk the planet (Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird) and one of arguably the top five collegians of all time (Christian Laettner), remains the ultimate standard.

Yes, there was that hiccup in 2004 when the U.S. managed only a Bronze. But in every other Olympic competition since the Dream Team’s triumphant march onto the world’s court, the United States has been golden. The 2008 “Redeem Team” re-established the U.S. as the world’s best and began a run that American fans hope will continue this year in Paris.

Although the 2021 U.S. team dropped its first game to France, snapping its 25-game Olympic winning streak, it rebounded to roll into the Gold medal rematch with its group-stage nemesis. Thanks to 29 points from Kevin Durant, who averaged 20.7 for the tournament, the U.S. avenged its earlier loss and brought home a fourth-straight Gold medal, 87-82, over France. 

The tough road demonstrated how USA Basketball had helped spread the game across the planet. When Jordan, Magic and Bird formed the Dream Team and overwhelmed all comers in ’92, the sport of basketball was still germinating worldwide. Over the next 30 years, it has blossomed remarkably, with many different countries boasting the kind of talent capable of challenging the U.S. The game is now loved worldwide and its growth is encouraging, due in large part to USA Basketball’s ability to nurture it at home and export it around the globe.

THE FUTURE

The U.S. Olympic team may be the most visible part of the USA Basketball profile, but the organization promotes and grows the game at every level. That means sponsoring youth camps and clinics, coaching academies, regional and national tournaments and international teams that participate in a variety of competitions. 

It’s not all about winning. USA Basketball is committed to player development, safety and good sportsmanship. The organization continues to make sure the game thrives at all levels, and while it is fun to root on the U.S. teams against the world, it is also important to make sure all who play the game do so in environments that feature everything necessary for success and enjoyment of the sport.

As the 2024 Men’s National Team prepares for Paris, they carry with them all the years of training and development USA Basketball has given them. The world will be watching. And that includes the young athletes of USA Basketball’s development and junior teams, who might one day be a part of history.

SLAM PRESENTS USA BASKETBALL IS AVAILABLE NOW

Photos via Getty Images.

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The epic showdown drew 18.9 million views, making it the most watched basketball game since 2019. The world saw not only how undeniably dominate the Gamecocks are, and have always been, but got a glimpse at just what to expect from the future of the game: with a talented roster that included a future first-round WNBA draft pick in Kamilla Cardoso, they were also equipped with a core group of freshman and sophomores, including Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Raven Johnson and Chloe Kitts, they could’ve easily faltered under the pressure. As Staley told us for the cover of SLAM 250, rather than having “balked” for minutes or playing time, they carried themselves with grace, were guided by veteran leadership and showed up every game with a can’t-lose mentality that, eventually, became a reality.

“It got harder every level in the competition,” Johnson told us in May, just a month after the title game. “We played Texas A&M twice, probably, and in the regular season, compared to in the SEC tournament,  that was a whole different team. So just, the competition, and the fact that everyone was either winning or done—I think the level of competition grew a lot it was way more physical. You had to be on your A game. The preparation is key and I think our coaches did a good job of mentally preparing us as well as physically preparing us. And also, the leaders on my team, the older people, they told us what to kind of expect. MiLaysia [and I], they told us just to play our game, forget the big stage or whatever.”

As the entire world watch Staley’s squad power their way through the NCAA tournament, the National Championship was the pinnacle of must-see TV. And when the lights were the brightest, Johnson, who played the most minutes (25) for a freshman, shined like the star that she is and led her squad with a career-high 19 points off the bench. To say that she was clutch would be an understatement, Johnson was pure perfection whenever the moment called upon her, which was quite often. In the second, she was out there knocking down silky-smooth midrange jumpers and finishing at the rim with ease, and by the third, she was dishing dimes to teammates like Bree Hall and hitting clutch threes that had everyone in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on their feet.

Not only was she the most efficient on the floor, shooting 63 perfect from the field, but she was absolutely fearless.

Fearless is a word the Minnesota-native resonates with on an even deeper, spiritual level.

“Before the games, I pray because I play for God out there. Besides the fact that I play for South Carolina, my family and my teammates, I really play for God. I represent Him on the court and so I pray to just ease my mind, give me peace, and I pray for the other team, [too]. [For] no injuries and stuff like that. That calms me down when I get on the court. I was also thinking of the word fearless, because, when I was younger, I would play fearless. [I’d think], Why am I afraid to make mistakes? Like, everyone’s gonna make mistakes out there on the court.”

It’s a pregame practice that Johnson’s always had as part of her routine: during warm ups, she sits in the fourth chair from the end. The number four is a symbolic one for her: a four-star recruit, Johnson wore No. 4 throughout her high school career as a star at St. Michael-Albertville. It also reminds her of her sister, Rae, who rocked it as her jersey number while hoopin’ at Iowa State, and in the Bible, the number also represents the creative work of God, specifically in creating all of life in a four-day span.

“I just prayed [for] what I felt in my heart,” Johnson adds. “If I remember correctly, I was praying for guidance, for peace [and] for strength on the court.”

All season long, Johnson says her mindset was to just trust the process, especially given that she was new to the team and felt that she had a lot to learn in terms of comfortability on the hardwood. “I’m a beginner, I’m not as comfortable on the court, I haven’t played with them before, so just trust the process, trust my coaches, and trust myself out there. Because, at the end of the day, like I’ve worked, I don’t know how long, I don’t know how many years, but I’ve worked for it, and just to trust myself out there, and have confidence out there.”

Then there’s the trust that Staley had in her. Revered for being a “player’s coach,” Staley has credited her coaching style as wanting to be a “dream merchant” for young people. What she saw from Johnson, and others on the team, was just that: an unwavering confidence and willingness to learn and be guided. “Tessa [Johnson could’ve been like], I could play with the best of them. Let me get some of Breezy’s time. Let me get some of Raven’s time. [But] they didn’t,” she told WSLAM. “Actually, the youngsters just allowed the older players to guide them to the point where they were so confident entering the basketball game that they knew that they were going to make an impact.”

It’s that type of support that drew Johnson to South Carolina in the first place. Growing up, Johnson was always ultra competitive—her mom, Danielle, who was us in our office when Johnson stopped by for a photoshoot—admits that she’s always had a yearning to be the best.

“You always wanted to be a dawg,” she chimes in and says to Tessa during our interview. “The best at whatever they were doing. When you worked hard, you wanted to be the first one done with something. You wanted your journaling at school to be better than the other kids. Not in a bad way, but just that she wanted to always do her best.”

Despite having a bubbly, upbeat personality, plus a sense of humor that’s unmatched (go watch our latest video with her, the 6-0 guard is so charismatic on camera, she absolutely needs her own television show one day), Johnson’s ability to tap into that level of competitiveness whenever she’s on the court is part of what makes her a star on the hardwood. “I didn’t care what it was, I just wanted to do better than them. And then, after doing it, another competitive piece of me is, I want to do better than what I just did. So, like, always getting better every day is what motivates me.”

Johnson saw herself being able elevate her game to that level in Columbia. After averaging 6.6 points in her first year, she’s now focused on not just elevating her game physically this summer, but is even more focused on her mental health. It’s always served as a key component of her breakout success, even dating back to high school when she missed her sophomore season due a broken leg injury. Johnson returned as a junior and helped her team emerge as runner-up to the state title, and by her senior year, she led her squad to its first state title since ‘09, dropping a double-double in the championship game. “I feel more like, powerful out there because I went through that and I’m back now,” she told Kare11 News in 2022.

Even as an NCAA champion, Johnson feels like she can approve her mental approach even more. “Yes, I need to work on all my physical stuff and just my skills and fundamentals but I think basketball is a very mental game,” she says. “Me being able to overcome all my mistakes and just having a growth mindset and being able to listen to whoever’s trying to help me. I think that’s what I need to get better at.”

How exactly does she plan on going about that? “That’s a good question. Getting deeper into my faith,” she explains. “I think that always helps and that’s what I do every day. I try to build a better relationship with God. But, going about it, I think I just need to always take moments out of my day and just reflect on myself  and think of what I need to do better and what I have overcome in general because you have to think positive. I know for me sometimes that’s hard because I have such high expectations for myself. And so when I don’t reach it, I’m like, I just get a little negative with myself. Like, the fact that I want to be better than my yesterday self. That helps me.”

As for how life’s been since winning the ‘chip, Johnson admits she’s still processing. It was a legendary moment, one that’ll go down in not just women’s basketball—but all of college hoops—history, but that doesn’t mean that the grind is over. As the Gamecocks look to embark on the “Repeat Tour” for the 2024-25 season and run it back, they’ll have to bring that same energy and then some.

“[The recognition], it’s good, but then I’m thinking of next season because that’s what we have to do,” she says. “We can take all the moments and enjoy the moments. But now, we’re on to summer. And school is over, so we’re thinking of next season, just working out and getting better because teams are going to scout us harder and play us tighter. [They’ll] know more of the little things that we do. So, that’s kind of the mindset.”

Photos via Getty Images. Portraits by Evan Bernstein.

The post The Emergence of Tessa Johnson: South Carolina Star Reflects on Winning the Title, Mental Approach and Being Guided by Faith appeared first on SLAM.

20. Jason Richardson

Don’t let those epic dunk contests—and they were definitely epic—in the early 2000s distract you from the bigger picture: Jason Richardson was an all-around hooper who had an incredibly productive 13-year NBA career. The Michigan native was the fifth overall pick in the 2001 Draft and made an immediate impact for the Warriors, posting 14.4 ppg as a rookie. For the next nine seasons, his scoring average never dipped below 15 and rose as high as 23.2 in 2005-06. Perhaps the most telling stat about J-Rich? Of the 857 games he appeared in, he started 842 of them.

19. Richard Jefferson

Kids, listen up: Before Richard Jefferson was on TV talking about the game, the man could flat out ball. The versatile forward out of Arizona played for eight teams over a 17-year NBA career. He was a key piece of a notable New Jersey Nets squad that reached the Finals twice, falling short to the Lakers in 2002 and the Spurs in 2003. RJ would finally get his ring as a veteran in 2016, coming off the bench for the Cavaliers when they overcame a 3-1 deficit to topple the Warriors.

18. Lamar Odom

A 6-10 point forward from Queens, NY, Lamar Odom’s game was extremely unique and made him extremely difficult to contain. He could handle the ball, initiate fastbreaks and orchestrate the offense. He had outstanding court vision and knew how to make plays for his teammates. As he once told SLAM, “Since New York City basketball is mainly a guard’s game, I learned how to be a guard.” He could control the post, isolate on the wing and work off the ball. That versatile skill set led L.O. to become a 2x NBA Champion and the 2011 Sixth Man of the Year. From 1999-2011, he averaged 14.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4 assists. 

17. Rajon Rondo

Shortly after 4x All-Star and 2x Champion Rajon Rondo, who ranks 15^th on the NBA’s all-time assist list, made his retirement official back in April, LeBron James said this about his former teammate: “One of the best players I ever played with. Obviously, his IQ was out of this world. I was very lucky to get to team up with him…’Do always talked about if he ever teamed up with me, he knew we could win a championship. And we did that.” When you earn praise like that from one of the greatest to ever do it, nothing else needs to be said. Rondo returned to camp as a participant in the Top 100 coaching program, paying it forward to the next generation of basketball greats. 

16. Joe Johnson

It didn’t matter what uniform he was wearing or what arena he was hooping in or who was guarding him, you could always count on Iso Joe to take over in crunch time. The man had ice in his veins. During his 18 years in the League, Johnson hit an absurd amount of clutch shots and game-winners. His best years were spent with the Hawks, but the talented guard also got buckets for the Suns and Nets. He scored over 20,000 points for his career, made seven All-Star teams and delivered countless unforgettable moments.

15. LaMarcus Aldridge 

He was one of the top high school prospects in the nation, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year while at Texas, the second overall pick in 2006 and a 7x NBA All-Star. And still, LaMarcus Aldridge’s career tends to be underrated. From 2008-20, the big man averaged 20.2 points and 8.6 rebounds. During that stretch, when LMA caught it on the low post, it was game over. He was a maestro in the mid-range, and his touch around the basket was always money. Just ask Trail Blazers’ and Spurs’ fans about Aldridge—they’ll have a lot of fond memories of watching this dude ball.

14. Jermaine O’Neal

A superstar at Eau Claire High School in Columbia, SC, O’Neal jumped straight to the NBA in 1996, drafted with the 17^th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers. It would take several years and a trade to the Indiana Pacers for J.O. to unlock his full potential in the League, but when he finally did, the big man was a serious problem. He won the Most Improved Player award in 2001-02 and appeared in six straight All-Star Games from 2002-07. Overall, he spent 18 seasons in the NBA with seven different franchises, but that run with the Pacers was definitely the most memorable. And in a full circle moment, his son, Jermaine O’Neal Jr., is attending this year’s camp. 

13. Trae Young

A lot of crazy crossovers and nutmegs and lobs and deep threes come to mind when you think of Trae Young, and rightfully so. But the image that stands out the most? The Atlanta Hawks guard at Madison Square Garden, holding a finger to his lips after silencing the crowd with a game-winning floater during a first-round playoff matchup against the Knicks in 2021. Shhhh. That moment perfectly captured Young: a fiery, fearless, trash-talking competitor with the ridiculous talent to back it up. There’s a reason they call him Ice Trae.

12. Jaylen Brown

Here’s how Kemba Walker described Jaylen Brown to SLAM back in 2020, when the two were teammates: “He’s a guy who’s worked extremely hard at his game. He can do it all. He can score, he can pass, he can rebound, he can shoot. He’s fearless. He’s a competitor.” Brown was Georgia’s Mr. Basketball in 2015 and played one season at the University of California, Berkeley, before being drafted third overall by the Boston Celtics in 2016. The athletic forward has blossomed into a star for the Cs, helping them contend in the Eastern Conference year after year after year. Since attending Top 100, Brown has stayed involved with the NBPA, becoming one of the youngest players elected to the NBPA Executive Committee in 2019.

11. DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan’s journey has brought him from the West Coast (Compton and Los Angeles) to the North (Toronto) to the South (San Antonio) to the Midwest (Chicago). Along the way, he’s been a McDonald’s All-American, a Pac-10 Tournament MVP, a lottery pick in 2009 and a 6x NBA All-Star. He spent the first nine years of his NBA career in The 6, where he became the Raptors’ all-time leading scorer and reached the playoffs five times. He’s had more standout moments since, including averaging a career-high 27.9 points with the Bulls in 2021-22. Salute to a real one.

Action photo via Getty Images.

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When the legend herself walks in wearing an all-white fit, her aura and energy is mesmerizing. Her presence commands the entire room. This is the same visionary who just led her team to an undefeated season and the program’s third national championship, a feat very few expected them to accomplish. This is the very trailblazer who is the highest paid Black coach in all of women’s basketball. This is the Dawn Staley, the dream merchant who has led not just a program, but the culture, into a new day where no one can deny what she’s done and no one can doubt that she is one of the greats. It’s written in the banners, in the stars, and on this very cover. She is in charge. The CEO of excellence. 

SLAM 250 featuring Dawn Staley is available now.

With her right hand man, Champ, prancing a few steps behind her, Staley exudes calm, cool and collected as she walks onto set. Biggie is blasting through the speakers in the background, serving as the perfect anthem for what we’re trying to capture: her aura, her energy and all that damn swaggggg. Not only is this Dawn’s first-ever solo SLAM cover, but it’s the first time ever that any coach has had their own cover for the magazine. Today is about capturing the legacy of someone who is way bigger than the box scores—but, if we are talkin’ hoops, a legacy that includes 38 straight wins this past season. The Gamecocks were out here destroying teams by upwards of 50, 60, nah, 80 points per game. 

As legendary photographer Diwang Valdez snaps away, Staley, who is now wearing the team’s 2024 National Champions tee, effortlessly poses in front of the camera. Just when you think the flicks couldn’t get any more fly, Dawn turns things up with another outfit change. This time she’s rocking a black blazer, tearaway joggers and, of course, a crisp Louis Vuitton tee. She goes from giving soft smiles and playful banter to transforming, as she leans back into the chair she’s now sitting in, crosses her legs and rests her elbow on a basketball. She stares into the lens, giving the same look that we’ve seen from her on the court. It’s deeply methodical, poetic even. Right now, Dawn means business. 

This is the face of someone who has personified strength, resilience and authenticity for decades. Here, she gives us a glimpse into her mind and her magic—a conversation that is as much about basketball as it is about how she sees people, her legacy, and—with true sincerity—herself. 

SLAM: You’ve mentioned in the past how you didn’t really have an interest in coaching, at least early on. Can you bring us back to when you were playing in the WNBA and coaching at Temple at the same time?

Dawn Staley: One of the most gratifying moments of my life was to be able to play and then be able to coach all at the same time. Because it played on both sides of my brain and the passion was on full display. If any of the younger players in the WNBA ever have the opportunity to do both, they would find that it’s so fulfilling. You’re able to get out the aggression of playing while also being a dream merchant for younger players and giving them an experience that you are actually living. A lot of coaches have to go back in time to that place when they were playing, but when you’re able to do it in real time, it is an automatic respect from your players because they know you’re doing the very thing that you’re asking them to do and to be disciplined at.

SLAM: You often refer to yourself not just as a coach but a “dream merchant.” Can you elaborate on what you mean?

DS: Anybody that is coaching this game, that’s what you are. I know we try to figure out our purpose in coaching, and it’s just that: being a dream merchant for young people. Helping young people find their passion [and] work towards that. It’s not always basketball—it’s not. For 90 percent of them, it’s not basketball. It is figuring out what you want to do, because I want people to work in their passion. It is a lot easier to work in your passion if that’s what you do on a daily basis. The real world really is taxing. It pulls you in a lot of different directions and if you’re not passionate about it, you are not going to give it your full effort. And maybe half of you is good enough in some instances, but for you as a person, your fulfillment is most important. 

So, what does a dream merchant do? That person guides, that person helps to navigate, that person is a listener [and] an observer. That person is someone that is trustworthy of not only the student-athlete but everybody that touches that student-athlete, because it’s not just a one-way street. All young people have people in their lives that impact them. I find that young people talk to their parents every single day…I think back to when I was their age, I probably talked to my mom or my dad maybe twice a month. And you know when that was? When the funds were low. But they talk to them every day, so I’m like, OK, well, I may have to change my style. I may have to pivot a little bit because I want to be the biggest voice in my players’ heads, and if it’s the parents that have access in that way, in talking to their daughters every day, [then] I gotta talk to the parents. 

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SLAM: Who were your mentors? And did any coaches inspire you?

DS: I really didn’t have coaching mentors. I’m more of a private person. I don’t like to show weakness, and that’s probably a downfall of mine, but it’s the very thing that keeps me going, because it has me working. It always has me preparing for the worst, and I don’t like to take my problems to anybody else. I will say I have people in my life that I bounce things off that [are not] as close to the game as probably some other coaches, and I like them to give me feedback from the outside looking in, because when it’s all said and done, I like to be covered. My mind works as a basketball coach most of the time, so I’m always looking for basketball things to teach lessons to our players because I believe that sometimes they learn better from that standpoint. 

And then, if I get advice from somebody that’s not in the basketball world, I can balance that and make sure that I’m giving our players what I see, as well as what somebody else may see that I’m not covering. 

SLAM: Has your approach to coaching changed at all over the years? Are there things that worked early in your career that may not work now and vice versa?

DS: We’re in an era where we have to pivot. What worked 24 years ago will not work today. I’ll say this: The core principles of who I am as a person and coach doesn’t change. [The] battles I fight? They change. Take for instance this year—my approach was entirely different than my approach in just the recent years. In recent years, we had a group of players that got it. They understood the assignment and what they needed to do and they executed on and off the court, so they gave us no issues. I was just able to be a basketball coach. 

This year, they were different. They were younger, their approach was different. They were lackluster, they didn’t really have a plan as individuals—they may have thought they had a plan. Their plan was just to play more. You can approach it that way, but it’s shallow, so you gotta put something behind it. We worked from a place that we hadn’t worked from in a long time, which was, Hit the ground running. We couldn’t [even do that] because they couldn’t run, they were outta shape. They came in just thinking, I wanna play. I sat for a long time. It’s my time. Well, their time, and who they thought was taking their time, [the] approach was a lot different. Zia, Aliyah, Brea [Beal], they all came in shape. Every time that we had to come back in the summer, so we could hit the ground running…It was more of creating better discipline and habits, because they hadn’t formed it to the degree of them being ready to rock and roll. So, I looked at it as a challenge, and once I looked at it [as that], I got more passionate behind it because I’m drawn to challenges. It was cool because they did teach me [that] there are a number of ways to be successful and a number of ways to approach things.

One of the battles that I did not fight that I normally fight: if everybody had the same sweatsuit on, and one person didn’t, I knew that they spoke to that person. I knew it. I could see it, I’m looking at [it] and it looks strange to me…I approached it as a mistake that had been handled. But that’s one of the things I didn’t fight, because I knew this team had a way of delivering the message that I would deliver. 

SLAM: As you mentioned, the start of the season was a little different for you. What do you attribute this year’s success to? 

DS: We’ve had the best team in the country prior to this year, I would say for years. The best team in the country and this one ended up being the best team in the country by way of default, so to speak. But it was a way that was formed by them and I will give them all the credit because they could’ve balked, they could’ve said, I should be starting—for a while, they could’ve said, I’m the It. I should be starting. Tessa [Johnson could’ve been like], I could play with the best of them. Let me get some of Breezy’s time. Let me get some of Raven’s time. [But] they didn’t. Actually, the youngsters just allowed the older players to guide them to the point where they were so confident entering the basketball game that they knew that they were going to make an impact. And they kept holding each other accountable. Ashlyn [Watkins] found her superpower, and her superpower is on both sides of the basketball, but it was also leading. Her voice was prevalent in huddles, and it got to the point where they didn’t want to lose. It wasn’t even being undefeated, they just didn’t want to lose. It was nothing about winning each and every game, but in the moment of each game, they didn’t want to lose. So, they would listen to each other and they were very coachable, and then we just got momentum. We kept pushing through and then when we got to the Final Four, they were like, We gonna win this thing.

Before the national championship game, they were talking major cash ish. The coaches’ locker room is connected to the big locker room, and we don’t go in there [to] let them have their space. I’m too close to the situation, I don’t want to hear them, [but] they’re like, We’re going to kick their A, and I’m like, Lord, they don’t know what they don’t know. Either we’re going to get blown out, or we’re going to blow somebody out because they were talking. And I know they’re hyping themselves up, but as coaches, you know, we gotta go out there and face Caitlin [Clark] and them. Like, they got themselves here, they got momentum. 

As coaches, too, we would ask each other, You drinking the Kool-Aid? We would literally ask each other. So, for the most part we were like, Nah, we ain’t drinking it. Towards the end of the year, we asked, How about now? You drinking the Kool-Aid? I’m like, I’m sippin’. I ain’t taking a big gulp, but I’m sippin’. Because they’re putting it on display. I think, just overall as I reflect, it was a super cool journey and environment to be around them. They just played loose. I told this to a friend, I said, “They played free.”…So, I think that was really kind of cool for them to take us coaches down their journey. It’s usually, like, our journey—how we want to direct them and guide them. Nah. Nah, we got on their train and we rode their coattails. 

SLAM: Now that you’ve accomplished it all—going undefeated, winning your third chip—how does it feel?

DS: It feels great, like seriously. It’s unbelievable to me…[The] 2022 [team] looked the part. They looked the part, they played the part. They played just freer, but with pressure. And then this group was just unlike any of them. I don’t think anybody saw it coming. We didn’t see it coming, so that’s what I like about it. I’m sitting [here] and I’m happy…I want to share our story. I want to share the good, the bad, the ugly but also the likelihood of someone else doing what we did—I want to give them hope, because we didn’t look like a national championship team at the beginning of the season. We looked like most of the teams in the country, so we’re relatable to most of the teams. If we could do it, anybody could do it. 

SLAM: Your legacy reaches far beyond Xs and Os, wins and losses. We could go on and on, but what do you, Dawn Staley, want your legacy to be? 

DS: I want my legacy to be an “odds beater.” I am an odds beater. The odds said that I wouldn’t be an Olympian, I wouldn’t be the head coach of an Olympic team. To have coached 24 years in this game, I know that I don’t care about a personal legacy. I want to let my players talk about the legacy that they were able to feel every day from our coaching staff. I don’t have to say anything, they say it. Historically speaking, you don’t really hear my name as being a great coach, whether it’s X-ing and O-ing. I’m probably known to be a player’s coach, whatever that means. But to win three national championships, to not be an X and O coach and only be a player’s coach, I think we’re doing pretty good. If the X-ing and O-ing coaches aren’t winning national championships, I know they would probably flip it and be a player’s coach, if it produces national championships. I really don’t care about any of that, but what I do care about is our players, their experiences [and] their legacy, because the more of a legacy they have, it comes back. I just want to do right by our players. 

SLAM: You’ve seen women’s basketball skyrocket from a business standpoint, starting from your playing days to what it is today. What has it been like to see this transformation in real time?

DS: Women’s basketball is super cool, now. I would say now. It was super cool to me when I was growing up playing it and going to college because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Now that I know what I know about our game, one, we’ve been intentionally held back. I know that because it just doesn’t come out of nowhere. It seems like our game has just come out of nowhere and now everybody is falling in love with it, when we know different. We know that back when I was playing in ’88, in college, in ’89, people were watching. They would tune in. I know it because I know when I go to different places, I’m more known for playing at Virginia than anything. So, they were watching it. 

So, what happens between then and now? Decision makers are making some really good calls when it comes to our game…They know that women’s basketball is a mainstay. So, the biggest difference now is we are being treated like a real sport. The good, the bad and the ugly because in sports you have storylines, like a Caitlin Clark. In our game you have storylines of us being undefeated, winning a national championship. You’ve got Juju [Watkins], Hannah [Hidalgo], MiLaysia [Fulwiley], all of these storylines that are being played out now because the fans want more and more and more. And now, finally, and maybe, it’s the new negotiated TV deal that is allowing us to continue to grow. Maybe there’s somebody in the room that’s making sure that we have different people telling our stories. You got Elle Duncan, Chiney Ogwumike, Aliyah Boston, [Andraya] Carter, Carolyn Peck…I thought that whole crew broke basketball down like no other. Wasn’t biased, because we gotta get the bias out of our game. So, you saw what happens when it’s unbiased. It was absolutely beautiful.

SLAM: You don’t seem like the type to chase milestones or history, it just sort of finds its way to you. With that being said, is there anything that you have your eyes set on before you bow out of coaching?

DS: Selfishly, it’s just one thing that I wanted out of this game: I wanted to be a Hall of Famer. So, I went in [to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame] in 2013 as a player. Now, I do want to go in as a coach. 

Portraits by Diwang Valdez. Action photos via Getty Images.

The post The Excellence of Dawn Staley: South Carolina Head Coach Talks Championship, Being a ‘Dream Merchant’ and Growth of Women’s Hoops appeared first on SLAM.

So the brands adapted. With an impeccable roster headlined by Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Jewell Loyd, Nike began releasing their player’s exclusive colorways to the public. 

Bird and Loyd, each known for their affinity with Kyrie Irving’s former Nike signature shoes, received a number of colorways in the marketplace, with Bird headlining the “Keep Sue Fresh” collection that spanned from the Kyrie 4 Low to the Kyrie Infinity. 

Out in Phoenix, DT began repping ‘Bron’s signature series, from the LeBron 9 and LeBron X to the LeBron 19—she even had compiled an extensive Mercury-colored collection of LeBron PEs, including the LeBron 18 “La Cabra”—which translates to the GOAT in Spanish.

In Washington, six-time All-Star Elena Delle Donne was paying homage with her PE rotation, dawning a Swoopes I-inspired colorway of the Nike Hyperdunk 2017 alongside a steady influx of KD 12s. But at the tail end of the 2019 season, Delle Donne flipped the script, electing to wear a lace-less model, the Nike Air Zoom UNVRS. Constructed around the brand’s newest technology, Flyease provided wearers with a hands-free, easy-access design geared toward those with disabilities. The latter would serve as a three year-long smoke signal of what was to come. 

In October of 2022, Nike and Elena Delle Donne officially released the Nike Air Deldon. While the high-top model wasn’t specifically marketed as a signature offering, the silhouette was as close to one as you could get. Built with Flyease technology at its foundation, the Air Deldon was inspired by the two-time MVP’s younger sister Lizzie, who is disabled. The model represented several aspects of Delle Donne’s personal journey, detailing her battle with Lyme disease on one colorway while joining Nike’s BE TRUE initiative that heralds the LGBTQIA+ community with a rainbow-treated installment.  

Then there’s Sabrina Ionescu. Before the legend of Caitlin Clark arose, Ionescu captivated the nation in college—breaking national and school records at the University of Oregon with a flashy play style and an unstoppable pull-up three. 

While standing on the shoulders of the legends that came before her, Nike announced Ionescu would be the eighth women’s signature athlete in Nike Basketball history. After 17 years, The Swoosh had returned in full to the women’s game and they flooded Sabrina’s business with support. An expansive marketing campaign, a full release schedule featuring more than a dozen colorways, a full unisex apparel collection and intricate storytelling that ran throughout the model. 

Touted as the first-ever unisex signature basketball shoe, the Nike Sabrina 1 sold out the first handful of colorways during the late summer. Then it took things to another level when the model was added to Nike’s customizable Nike By You platform. With layers of detailed fabrics, stitching and panels, the Sabrina 1 brought out the platforms’ full potential, allowing fans of the already praised silhouette to create their own 1-of-1 versions.

Custom Nike Sabrina 1s engulfed social media in the following months, with creators drawing inspiration from their favorite colorways of past signature models like the “Bruce Lee” Kobe 5. Some designs even stuck and were replicated at mass, like the titular rendition dubbed the “What The” colorway—inspired by Nike Basketball’s mid-2010s run of taking every colorway from one signature shoe and compiling it into one loud, expressive and surprisingly cohesive ensemble.

From the W and the NBA to men’s and women’s college basketball and the G-League, the Nike Sabrina 1 exploded in popularity. As soon as the 2023-24 season tipped, the low-top model quickly became a go-to for many Nike-endorsed NBA players with Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Tyler Herro and others customizing their own PEs at a frantic pace.

This time around, Sabrina’s sneaker won’t be a one-and-done: she confirmed during this year’s New York Liberty training camp that her second signature is currently in the works. 

And then there’s the long awaited announcement of the Nike A’One. As the first Black woman to receive a signature shoe with the brand since Sheryl Swoopes, A’ja Wilson continues to cement her legacy as not only a great, but a player deserving of the utmost recognition and respect. After headlining the Nike Cosmic Unity last season and dawning a regal black and gold LeBron 21 PE during the 2023 Finals, two-time WNBA Champion and New York Times Best-Selling Author A’ja Wilson has been positioned for an insanely bright future, and arrival of the A’One in the Spring of 2025 was met with top-tier marketing: Wilson posted a flick of herself wearing an iconic hoodie that read, Of Course I Have a Shoe Dot Com with the caption: “The answer to the question.” It was just as iconic as Wilson and her illustrious career. 

Wilson and Nike aren’t just only releasing a signature sneaker though—the two-time WNBA champion and MVP has been working for over a year now on a full apparel collection and signature slides, too. She’s been heavily involved in each step of the process, consistently checking in with the brand and going as far as to suggest satin-lined hoods so women wouldn’t have to wear a bonnet during travel days. 

As for other stars, in the summer of 2021, Jordan Brand announced the largest women’s roster in the brand’s history, signing Dearica Hamby, Satou Sabally, Jordin Canada, Aerial Powers, Te’a Cooper, Crystal Dangerfield, Arella Guirantes and Chelsea Dungee. Joining an established core of Kia Nurse and Asia Durr, the Jumpman went out and put pen to paper with Rhyne Howard, Dana Evans, Isabelle Harrison and Gabby Williams over the next year and a half. 

Picking up the legacy of the since-retired Moore, Jordan’s revamped athlete roster has brought a fresh perspective to the brand’s once-reserved approach to the ladies’ side of the game. Player Exclusive colorways have flooded WNBA hardwoods as a result. Kia Nurse’s Toronto Raptors-treated Tatum 1, Satou Sabally’s international-inspired Air Jordan 37 and Isabelle Harrison’s butterfly-coated Jordan Luka 2—in homage to her late sister—have each extrapolated a piece of the respective athletes’ journeys. In turn, sneaker blogs and team social media accounts have begun to add another element of storytelling to the WNBA’s atmosphere. 

Even though signature silhouettes and exclusive colorways continue to draw headlines, both Nike and Jordan have been cultivating their next generation of partners in the backdrop through the new possibilities presented by NIL. Mirroring the selectivity of their signature lineup, Nike has signed reigning National Freshman of the Year Juju Watkins, former AP Player of the Year Paige Bueckers and top high school sophomore Jerzy Williams to NIL deals. 

In the same realm, Jordan Brand has signed Rutgers-bound guard Kiyomi McMiller, LSU’s SEC Freshman of the Year Mikaylah Williams and UCLA point guard Kiki Rice. 

While it’s yet to be officially announced, Caitlin Clark has reportedly signed an endorsement deal with The Swoosh as well. Clark was one of the brand’s first NIL signings before her senior year at Iowa. 

This is just the beginning, and with investment, attention to detail, and unwavering support for women’s basketball, the renaissance continues.

Feeling nostalgic? Here’s a history lesson on how past WNBA legends paved the way in the sneaker game.

The post Today’s WNBA Legends Are Shifting Sneaker Culture  appeared first on SLAM.

From legends like Christian Laettner and Grant Hill to the rim-piercing Zion Williamson, there was always a star to carry on the legacy of the Blue Devils. Now, it’s Cooper Flagg’s time. Get ready, Cameron Crazies, because Flagg’s about to ignite a frenzy unlike anything seen before. 

The light is always green for Isaiah Evans. No matter the defender, no matter the team, the lethal scorer will never settle for anything less than a bucket. Despite being largely overlooked in his early playing career, bucket by bucket, Evans has climbed up the rankings. The forward—nicknamed “Baby Brandon Ingram”—will suit up for one of the nation’s most prestigious collegiate programs, where he will continue to prove the doubters wrong. 

The son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, Dylan Harper has all of his father’s best attributes and more. The shifty floor general wears mismatched shoes and talks his talk any chance he gets, but with the ball in his hands, he is also deadly composed. If his high school performances attest to anything, it’s that Harper is bound to be a star. 

V.J. Edgecombe is a blazing bolt of thunder in transition. The uber-athletic guard led the NIBC in scoring as a junior and stuffed the stat sheet en route to a 21-5 record in his senior season. Make no mistake—as soon as he touches down in Bears territory, the high-soaring scorer will be cleared for takeoff.

Go ahead and throw any defensive scheme at Tre Johnson, it won’t matter: the sharpshooter will always find a way to put the ball in the basket. Any spot on the floor is fair game for the guard who has made a living putting defenders on skates. The addition of Johnson alone is enough to make Texas hoops must-watch television.

The post  The 2024 SLAM HS Boys All-Americans appeared first on SLAM.

Bird vs. Magic. Larry vs. Earvin. The Hick from French Lick vs. Buck. A folk hero vs. a showman. No matter which way you slice it, there’s only ever been one matchup that built college basketball into the living, breathing sensation it is today. The historic rivalry between Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson has been referenced ad nauseam. The Finals appearances, the championships, the rings; their legends were first intertwined on that one fateful night, March 26, 1979, when college basketball sprouted from a simple pastime on tape delay into a gargantuan titan. 

The two were polar opposites. Bird despised any and all attention from the media; Magic welcomed it. Bird was methodical; Magic put on a show. One was a forward who could pass and shoot like a guard. The other was a guard the size of a forward dishing out no-look dimes in transition. The arrival of two superstars who went decidedly against the grain of the game’s positional rigidity served as the catalysts for the evolution of college basketball. 

Behind the immaculate play of senior forward Larry Bird and a supporting cast featuring Carl Nicks, Alex Gilbert and Bob Heaton, Indiana State University had achieved their first-ever postseason appearance. With season averages of 28.6 points, 14.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, No. 33 would lead the Sycamores to topple No. 8 Virginia Tech, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 2 Arkansas and No. 2 DePaul in March.

Bird’s star had been rising in Terre Haute for years, deciding to forgo his selection in the 1978 Draft for his final year of college eligibility. The latter would institute a massive shift in attention toward the Hoosier State and ISU’s bright baby blue threads. Winning 33 straight that season helped a bit, too. 

A 35-piece in the Final Four from the collegiate Player of the Year, on 16-19 shooting, would send ISU to its first NCAA Championship game against the Michigan State Spartans and a dime-dropping 6-8 point-forward from the factory side of Lansing, MI. 

The Spartans hadn’t fared as well leading up to March, losing four of their six contests in January. Yet the smile, humor and larger than life personality of Magic Johnson refused to let the team dwell on missed opportunities. Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, Ron Charles and Co. responded in kind. 

After averaging 17.1 points, 8.4 dimes and 7.3 boards throughout the season, Magic’s Spartans (25-6) would knock off No. 3 LSU, No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 9 Penn for the collegiate showdown of the century. 

Formerly known as the Special Events Center at the University of Utah, now the Huntsman Center, the Sycamores and Spartans would meet for the first time in the history of their respective programs. Looking back 45 years later, the true essence of the game didn’t lie on the court, but rather in the grandeur of the moment. In a post-John Wooden era, two stars injected the college game with a level of anticipation that even the release of Avengers Endgame couldn’t match. 

After leading by nine at half with Dick Enberg on the call, Michigan State refused to look back, trouncing Indiana State 75-64 and capturing the program’s first NCAA Championship. Despite leading the tournament in points and rebounds, Larry Legend was uncharacteristic in his final collegiate game, going 7-21 from the field with 19 points and 13 boards. Meanwhile, Magic Johnson put on yet another historic March performance. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player poured in a game-high 24 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. 

The sheer impact of that 1979 championship game hasn’t been replicated. And it probably never will. All these years later, college basketball still hasn’t seen a game draw anywhere near the level of audience it did in the late ’70s, equaling a 24.1 overall viewer rating. For the non-stat historians, that equates to roughly two out of five television viewers tuning into the game.

The hype wasn’t just felt in family rooms across America. Shockwaves from the historic matchup were simultaneously sent throughout the nation’s broadcast boardrooms. It was time to fully capitalize on college basketball. Magic and Bird had cemented it, so much so that CBS eventually made the push to completely overtake the tournament’s television rights in 1982. Bird and Magic were the only justification they’d need. College basketball deserved the primetime spotlight.

TV deals skyrocketed and the playing field was opened from 40 to 64 total teams. March Madness had been born. Before the 24-hour news cycle and the dedicated Selection Sunday special, Bird and Magic had successfully propelled the game to unseen heights. In just a few years, the arrival and obsession with “superstars” in the NBA would catapult the L into unequivocal success. And who would be credited with that impact? Bird and Magic.

Photos via Getty Images

The post When March Went Mad: Looking Back at the Legendary Matchup Between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson appeared first on SLAM.

Alright, let’s take a collective moment and rummage through the memories. Think of the greatest game you’ve ever seen. Michael Jordan’s “last shot” over the Utah Jazz for the 1998 Finals? Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals? How about Syracuse and UConn’s six-overtime bout in 2009? The question is honestly subjective. These are all fair responses, but if we’re talking star power and buzzer-beaters, it’s got to be the 1992 Elite Eight matchup between Duke and Kentucky. 

Two legendary coaches, two legendary squads and a litany of future NBA staples. Last week we chronicled the game that jump-started the allure of March Madness. This week, we’re diving into the two teams that epitomized the glory, emotions and thrills of what Larry Bird and Magic Johnson started. 

But this game wasn’t just a game. It was an epic, a heavy-weight showdown, like if Hov and Biggie battled in a cypher. Shot for shot, bar for bar. 104-103, Duke. 

The image of Christian Laettner spinning and rising over Deron Feldhaus is seared into the minds of Dukies, Kentucky diehards and basketball fans alike spanning generations.

After putting together a 26-6 record and securing the No. 2 seed in the East region, Kentucky ran through Old Dominion, Iowa State and No. 3 UMass leading up to the matchup of the century. Led by sophomore Jamal Mashburn and “The Unforgettable’s” – four seniors in John Pelphrey, Feldhaus, Richie Farmer and Sean Woods – Rick Pitino and the Kentucky Wildcats weren’t to be trifled with. Matter of fact, they’d steamroll you. 

On the other side of the aisle, Mike Krzyzewski had assembled one of his most treasured rosters. Senior center Christian Laettner, sophomore Grant Hill and two juniors in Bobby Hurley and Thomas Hill were seemingly unstoppable, aside from those two measly losses on their record. The reigning national champions had hardware on the brain. 

The tension inside of The Spectrum in Philadelphia – now known as the South Philadelphia Sports Complex – could have been cut with the dullest of knives. Duke in their home whites, Kentucky in their away blues. 

With just under eight minutes to go, Duke had assumed complete command with a 79-69 lead. Yeah, Kentucky wasn’t having that. In just over two minutes, the Wildcats had enacted an emphatic 12-2 run to tie the game at 81 a-piece. The catalyst? Returning to Pitino’s pressure man-to-man defense that extended the full 94 feet of the court. 

The Cats attacked, clawing their way back into the game. Duke’s frustrations mounted and then boiled over when Laettner emphatically stomped on the chest of Kentucky’s Aminu Timberlake. Ejection? Up to you. Technical? For sure. Game changer? Kind of. 

The final five minutes of the game turned into a slugfest. I mean yes, it was physical. Physical to the point of frustrated stomps. But the greatness in the contest lies in both teams’ complete refusal to simply miss shots. The last 25 minutes of the game saw both teams shoot a scintillating 63 percent from the field. 

“It was like being in Carnegie Hall and just seeing the best musician or the best singer, and just sitting there in amazement at what they were doing out on the basketball court,” Pitino said to the media ahead of Louisville’s matchup against Duke in March of 2019. 

When the buzzer had sounded, Kentucky knocked down just under 57 percent of their attempts and a whopping 54.5 percent from downtown. Meanwhile, Duke went OFF, hitting over 65 percent from the field and a clean 50 percent from deep. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, there’s still time on the clock. Precisely one minute. 

Thomas Hill had just tied the game at 93 with a step-through floater. Now was the time for Kentucky to capitalize on their forceful second-half run. The play was discombobulated from the start, but Deron Feldhaus came through with a put-back that eventually sent the game into its impending, and illustrious, overtime. 

6-7 forward John Pelphrey knocked the lid off the rim with four minutes to go, giving Kentucky a narrow three-point lead before racing back to the other end and drawing a momentous charge against Brian Davis. All-American Bobby Hurley responded in kind with a trey of his own. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s best player – Jamal Mashburn – had fouled out midway through the period. 23 points, 10 boards and two steals were sitting on the pine. And one after another, the Blue Devils and Wildcats answered buckets with buckets. 

With 7.8 seconds left, Sean Woods caught the sideline inbound, immediately deployed a rapid double cross against Hurley, drove into the paint, and cast up a contested floater over the outstretched hands of Laettner. Glass then net. 103-102 Kentucky. 2.1 seconds left. 

“I was always the playmaker. I was known for and good at getting people the ball. At this particular time, it was just my time to go get a shot,” Woods told the NCAA in 2017. 

That was until Grant Hill and Christian Laetner connected on one of the most spectacular passes in basketball history. 

In the huddle, Pitino devised a strategy based on Clemson’s loss to UConn in an eerily similar situation during the 1990 tournament. No one would defend the inbounder. Send two on Laettner instead. In the end, it didn’t matter. We all know what happens next. 

To be honest, the pass was just as tough as the shot that ended numerous collegiate careers. We’ve seen far too many failed full-court heaves to not acknowledge the precision with which Grant Hill threw that 75-foot dot. The leather met Laettner’s palms perfectly, who faked to his right before pivoting his left foot to meet his right. The most hated 6-11 man in America rose over Feldhaus and sent the Blue Devils back to the Final Four. 

Antonio Lang immediately dropped to the paint. Thomas Hill was in tears. And Laettner was mobbed by a pile of blue and white threads in front of the Wildcats bench. 

“The Shot” and Laettner were immortalized along with Duke’s eventual national championship. And while there’ve been plenty of March buzzer beaters since ‘92, even ones for the chip, nothing can really touch the magic between Duke and Kentucky’s matchup all those years ago. Hell, we’re still writing about it 32 years later. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The Greatest Game Ever Played: Chronicling Duke and Kentucky’s Illustrious 1992 Elite Eight Matchup appeared first on SLAM.

We compiled a group of individuals (programming note: 30 entries, not 30 people total) who mean something special to SLAM and to our audience. Read the full list here and order your copy of SLAM 248, where this list was originally published, here.

The idea for SLAM came to me sometime in early 1994. A friend of mine suggested I make a hip-hop basketball magazine. This light bulb moment became much brighter that night, and I published the first issue of SLAM three months later. The rest is history—30 years later, it is surreal to me that it has survived this long. 

Keep in mind, there was no internet back then—SLAM was the basketball internet. The world is much different now, but what continues to blow my mind to this day is how many times people come up to me to say how much SLAM influenced their lives. It feels good every time I hear that.

Let’s go back to 1994 in New York City, where it all began. Cory Johnson, the founding editor of SLAM, and I began to plan out that legendary first issue. Larry Johnson would be on the cover, and we had features on Jason Kidd, Rodrick Rhodes and playground legend Joe Hammond, a column on Felipe Lopez, SLAMadamonth and our first PUNKS story on Steve Wojciechowski. No one had seen a sports magazine like this. If you were lucky enough to buy that premiere issue on a newsstand, then you are officially an original member of the SLAM Fam. 

Then we were on to Issue 2. Enter Stephon Marbury—the first of a few players who would help define SLAM through the years. I’ve been following HS basketball since I saw Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) play in high school. And if you followed high school hoops in the ’90s and lived in NYC, you know everyone was talking about Stephon Marbury from Lincoln HS in Brooklyn. The Marburys were New York City’s first hoops family. There were three Marbury brothers who came before Stephon, and now it was his turn to be the first Marbury to get to the NBA. The pressure was real, but you would never know it from watching Stephon play. He was the best point guard since four-time All-City player Kenny Anderson. He had to be in SLAM. 

Stephon appeared in two articles in Issue 2 (the one with Shawn Kemp on the cover). The first was for our inaugural SLAM High School All-American team. Stephon made it as a junior, alongside another junior, Kevin Garnett, and seniors Felipe Lopez, Raef LaFrentz and Jerod Ward. Plus, for our first-ever fashion shoot, we wanted to feature Stephon and his teammates at Lincoln. SLAM dug up some hoop apparel for the Lincoln players to wear like they do in GQ. Thankfully, Coach Bobby Hartstein was open to the idea, as insane as it was.

The SLAM team packed up our cameras and subwayed (no Ubers back then) out to Coney Island. This is the first time I met Stephon, and I will never forget it. When we arrived at Lincoln, the principal directed us to his class. Steph was sitting in the front row rocking a POLO hoodie with a fresh haircut in his signature style. We shook hands and just clicked. We bonded right away around basketball and what it meant to both of us. Looking back, I’m sure we both had no idea how it would shape our lives in so many ways. Steph represented a new generation of hoopers influenced by hip-hop that only SLAM could understand. The photo shoot went down without a hitch. If you want to see the spread, check out the SLAM Digital Archive and look for “School Daze” in Issue 2. Not exactly GQ, but way ahead of its time for any sports magazine. 

Stephon continued to play a prominent role in our early days. He was the first SLAM High School Diarist, which began in SLAM 4 (the John Starks cover—our first real cover shoot). I went on to watch most of his games his senior year at Lincoln and saw him finally win his first NYC PSAL championship at the Garden. He was Mr. Basketball in New York. I saw him announce his commitment to Georgia Tech and then watched him go head-to-head against Allen Iverson at MSG. I was at the 1996 NBA Draft when he was picked fourth by the Bucks and then traded to the Timberwolves to team up with KG. The Marbury family had finally made it to the NBA (for the record, 1996 is unquestionably the greatest NBA Draft class ever). SLAM continued to grow with every issue, and Stephon was on a few more covers along the way. He had a great but underappreciated NBA career. He ended up playing in China, where he won three rings. Go watch the documentary A Kid from Coney Island if you want the full story.

Stephon and I speak or text maybe once a year. I was just texting with him while he was in China. He posted a photo on Instagram of him running a clinic. He had his head down, dribbling with his left hand, going hard to the hoop. The same patented move from Lincoln that only Stephon can do. I recognized it immediately and DMed him: “I know that move.” He replied: “Big bro, you know because you saw it live.” If you know, you know. 

The post THE 30 PLAYERS WHO DEFINED SLAM’S 30 YEARS: Stephon Marbury appeared first on SLAM.

We compiled a group of individuals (programming note: 30 entries, not 30 people total) who mean something special to SLAM and to our audience. Read the full list here and order your copy of SLAM 248, where this list was originally published, here.

Where to start? It’s him. Sorry, He. What hasn’t been written or said? What’s left to be said or written? There’s a GOAT, and there’s a God. What do you write about the someone who occupies both? Are you there God? It’s me, Michael. Not Margaret. Your sidekick. Your Pippen. The one you made in your image like your other son.  

He became, over the course of his career and the existence of this magazine, something greater than any human being—including himself, despite how it was displayed in Air—ever expected. At the time, Ali and Babe Ruth were the mystic and mythical sovereigns. Jordan’s ascent above them put him in a god space only God could explain.

Jordan. Name. Brand. Logo. Symbol. Purpose. Meaning. Being. On which he stands. One nation. Under his groove. Under his influence. Under God. Trapped in an awe of “Ahs.” Spiritual connections to what he was doing, fans praying for him, to be like him; defenders just praying. Moving basketball from a game into territories once only reserved for religions and the NFL. Ten feet closer to heaven. He rose. We rose.

“Is this the end? God Only Knows.” 

The dual use of the word “God.” For him and Him. Shared. Black backdrop, black XIIIs, Black Cat. It was the magnum opus of slept-on covers in the history of magazine covers. Even Alex Wong’s doctrinal testament Cover Story (a book about classic mag covers) slept on it. Deeper than “A Star Is Born” and “Bag it, Michael!” Deeper than “Why?”

Above him: “The Only Jordan Story That Matters.” As if we were going to write something biblical. Jordan 6:23-45. As a magazine, we were getting to the point where we were beginning to believe the outside hype that we were a “basketball bible.” Twenty-seven issues deep. Readers repeating the words from our articles and stories back to us like hymns. Worshippers. We called it the SLAM Dome, but it was feeling more like a temple as we were feelin’ ourselves. As if we were serving a greater purpose. Were we wrong? The only Jordan story that mattered was because we were the only basketball publication that spoke His language. To His people. We were one. Couldn’t tell us nothin’. 

As the great Amiri Baraka said: Wise, Why’s, Y’s? A wise man in 1988 said: “Once I get the ball, you’re at my mercy.” Damned if he ain’t prophet and profit off that. The words rang true like gospel. Every note Shirley Caesar’d, TD Jakes’d. Every move Elgin Baylor’d, Julius Erving’d. Every Inc. decision Bob Johnson’d, Oprah’d. Every approval Deloris’d.  He went from entertainer to empire. All the while paying faithfully acute attention to the fact that the words “In God We Trust” are on every dollar bill this country prints.

Thirteen covers.

Thirteen* million stories. What you learn from writing about Jordan for 30 years is that he is the most difficult person (outside of probably Nelson Mandela and Kanye West, for two totally different reasons) to write about. He always blessed us with access, even when he would close himself off from the rest of the media (sans Ahmad, without doubt). Just enough time to build, have and sustain a relationship with him. He never B. Russ’d us, never pushed us off or away. Always made sure we were a part of his congregation.

Somehow Judy Blume knew what to say for Margaret. Had he even been this Jordan at that time, she couldn’ta spoken for Mike. In all honesty, none of us could. But that’s what we attempted to do at SLAM: Speak for Mike while speaking about him. Speak in a way that removed the corporate aura and colorblind force field he’d built to gain acceptance and move forth as no other athlete had in America. His play wasn’t enough, the endorsements weren’t either. Neither were the shoes, the style, the personality, the magnetism. “Be Like Mike” had limits and was for them. “Mike is ours,” was for us.  

And every time he appeared or his name was mentioned in these pages, that sense of belonging to the culture—of basketball and Blackness, of SLAM instead of Sports Illustrated—that was what we tried to preach. Our sermons not only told his story, but spread the word of our own. Of how he represented everything we were trying to do and everything we strived to stand on. Still, because all Gods work in enigmatic and sublimely impervious ways, never really coming close to capturing who Michael Jordan was. 

Just the way He wanted it.

Photo via Getty Images. Portrait by Atiba Jefferson.

The post THE 30 PLAYERS WHO DEFINED SLAM’S 30 YEARS: Michael Jordan appeared first on SLAM.

I’ve always tried to do things a different way, and I’ve never been afraid of taking a risk. 

That meant going to Oak Hill, when I was already the #1 player in the country, cause I wanted to run at 6 AM every day. Learn from the best High School coach of all time, Steve Smith. I wanted to play the best schedule in the country. I wanted to break Melo’s scoring record. I wanted to put my skills on display, every night, and see if my love for the game, and that $30 orange ball, could get me millions. (And I did all that.) 

When I skipped college and went pro in Rome, I took an even bigger risk. I signed a shoe deal with a football brand that had never even launched a basketball shoe, and I took pride in that shit. I trusted Kris Stone and Kevin Plank and the vision we all had. I knew we all had that same dog mindset to get after it. 

I’m the OG at Under Armour, had their 1st ever signature shoe, and to this day I’m proud of that decision. The way I looked at making big decisions, I was always willing to take a risk, but confident about what I bring to the table. I was open minded, but knew how much work would have to go into building things from scratch. I always knew what I signed up for. And I was hyper aggressive and wanted to create some real energy.

That type of mindset was also exactly how Kevin Plank built the whole brand from his grandma’s basement. 

I always had that same entrepreneurial spirit, and you can probably see that now too, ever since I launched my own brand — Tuff Crowd. 

And now, it’s all coming full circle.

My Draft classmate, who I call Thirty, took a chance on UA a handful of years after me too.

When Stephen Curry first signed on with Under Armour, he hadn’t even made an All-Star Game yet. (He started the very next one.) His team hadn’t won a ring in like 40 years. (He won his first of four titles the year after that.) He got a signature shoe too, and now he’s on his 11th. (He won MVP in the 1, then again in the 2s.) 

So it’s only right that the two guys that laid the foundation of Under Armour Basketball are coming together now for a full collaboration collection. 

When I first launched Tuff Crowd in 2019, it was built on a simple idea. Life is a Tuff Crowd, and things don’t always go according to plan. That’s what I started to really figure out when I was by myself and playing in China that year. Stuff gets thrown your way that you didn’t think you’d ever have to deal with, but you gotta power through.

That’s where the idea of my “Hostile Territory” tagline comes from. You gotta have that dog mindset to get past the struggles, and trust me, when you have that belief that things will work out, there’s no better feeling than being on the other side. 

I’ve been through it all. I tore my Achilles and my entire life changed. Changed the whole course of where I thought my career was headed. I was on a run right before that and playing my best hoop ever. But that’s life.

Friends and fam issues came up that you couldn’t imagine. Situations where I had to fight through, that made me stronger. I spent a lot of time by myself when I was playing in China and Russia, where I could really reflect. And I have perspective, appreciation, and belief cause of all of it. I’m at peace with the path I’ve lived. 

All of that goes into Tuff Crowd. 

People might not know this, but during the NBA lockout in 2011, I actually interned at Under Armour for that whole summer in Baltimore. Kevin Plank loaned me his black Jeep to drive around. Had a whole office with my job title on it — “Curator of Cool.” 

Being in there every day, with Kris Stone, Ron Johnson and Ryan Drew, was everything. Being able to see how things work as a company, and learning about materials, fabrics, designs, comfort and different styles, it helped me get more detailed about how I wanted my product to be. 

That whole internship helped me a lot. Waking up every day, going to the office and working on projects that had to be delivered by a certain time and required an attention to detail — it was my foundation of understanding how brands and business works. 

When it comes to style, I always felt like I had an eye for stuff that was effortless, but bold. Drewsy at UA used to always joke that he could drop me off at a Goodwill for 10 minutes, give me $20 bucks to cop a whole outfit, and I’d come out fresh. 

I always just had that feel. That sauce. 

I’d be on LeagueFits every day if it was around back then. 

Since I’ve been working on my brand for the last couple years, we’ve had a ton of highlights for sure. Getting featured in NBA 2K has been killer. Doing an official collab with the Bucks was crazy. 

And I gotta give a shout out and special thanks to Jordan Clarkson. He really believed since day one that Tuff Crowd would take off, and he rocked the whole fit when he won 6th Man of the Year. You have no idea how much that support has meant to me.

Seeing players rock Tuff Crowd at championship parades, in the tunnel and at All-Star events ever since has been amazing.

But this, I’m telling you, is the dopest thing I ever worked on.

You already know Steph is locked in for life at UA, and with Curry Brand, he’s looking to really build up the style and designs of what he’s putting out.

That’s why we teamed up.

Tuff Crowd and Curry Brand — but not just a shoe, or a couple pieces. A whole collection. We’ve got three shoes off top, and almost 20 pieces of gear and accessories. And the story behind it is great. 

The idea of 11:11 is big for me. 

The bones design on the collection come straight from my neck tattoo, and it’s a spiritual reminder for me. 

It speaks to understanding who you are, what your purpose is, and alignment with your path and what God has in store for you. When you think about it, there’s no better representation of that than Stephen.

He’s a good dude at his core, he’s locked in on what matters most, and he wants to really, genuinely, help people out. No matter if you’re from Charlotte, Oakland, or anywhere else in between, he has a whole team around him that’s there to get things moving and make a difference. I’ve seen that firsthand. 

Steph has been rocking with Tuff Crowd since the start. It’s funny, cause earlier this summer, I was randomly looking up some of our original orders from TuffCrowd.com, and sure enough, Steph had bought one of the first beanies that we dropped years ago. He rocks the collar stitch tees. The dad hats. The dog hoodies too. 

And of course, that fire ass black and red chain stitch jacket that I made him after he broke the 3-Point record, with 2974 on the wrist, and patches repping his kids on the sleeve. 

But this is different. We’ve got some Curry 11s that have black Flow tech for the first time ever for Curry Brand. The Cozy we did is so fire and clean. We got a hoody that I think is the best clothing item that Curry Brand has ever made. We got tees, socks, shorts, hats and a tote bag that is my go-to, day to day joint. 

I wanted to bring an edge to this collection and show another side of Stephen, that people haven’t seen. There’s a mood the whole way through. People think Steph is just a nice guy, but trust me, he’s hostile out there on the court, with how competitive he is. He attacks everything he does in life with intent and purpose, and I wanted to celebrate that part of his game and his mentality through the designs.

It’s about the details. The story. And the idea that two of UA’s most impactful dudes early on can come together again and put out some real heat that you’ll actually want to rock. To dinner. In the tunnel. On the court. With your fam. Wherever. 

I’m big on the idea of ownership. Of running your own thing. Putting your name, your imprint and your stamp on something that you can stand behind and be proud of. That’s what Steph is doing now as President of Curry Brand, what I’m building with Tuff Crowd, and really the roots of how Under Armour took off. 

When my guy launched his own damn Curry Brand at the end of 2020 (which is killer…read that sentence again!!), one of the first things he told everyone at UA was something like, ‘Look, this isn’t even about me, we have a real opportunity here to impact the next generation.’ 

They came up with a tagline for Curry Brand to describe the idea: “Change The Game For Good” 

Ever since, I’ve been able to see that impact up close. 

I’ve been at Curry Camp the last two summers now, where Stephen is walking the top next up dudes and women through every drill, every detail and giving them some real talk about how you need to think the game at that highest level. All these boys and girls are the best at what they do — right now — but that doesn’t guarantee nothin when the lights come on, on the biggest stage, a few years from now. 

We know Steph’s story. He laughed and told all the Camp players, that when he was their age, he wouldn’t have even been invited to his own camp. That should say a lot right there. There’s work, detail and intent that you gotta pour in, to get to where we’ve gotten.

The week after his camp last year, I pulled up to a middle school in Long Beach, where him and Snoop Dogg had re-done the entire gymnasium for the LBC community. 

Man, you shoulda seen the smile on these kids’ faces. I can’t even begin to tell you how much hope that provides to all the youngins coming up, to get to see STEPH CURRY right up close, and know that he cares about them and wants to help them out.

Look — the shoes and the clothes we’re dropping are hard as hell. Like, really some of the hardest stuff I’ve ever dropped since I even started Tuff Crowd. 

But Steph’s line that he uses — “Change The Game For Good” — is real.  

That’s what makes this next sentence so amazing. 

As part of our 11:11 collection launch this week on Saturday, we’re actually taking it back to my hometown gym in LA, where I literally picked up a ball at 5 years old and learned how to hoop. Where our kids league director JK made sure we had a safe place to play. I got the trophy to prove it. 

I’m talking Rowley Park.

Back in 2011, one of the first givebacks I did with UA was donate a new outdoor court at the park. The street signs say Brandon Jennings Way and Under Armour Way. And for the whole last decade it became a spot where kids from the neighborhood could escape and just play. Just have fun. Just be kids. 

This time around, I wanted to do even more.

That inside gym in Gardena, California ain’t seen any love since I was there in elementary school. It was the same hard court I dribbled on as a kid. The same walls and everything.

And we’re about to upgrade and overhaul the whole thing. 

A whole new Rowley Park, that’s gonna last for years to come. 

It’s gonna have “TUFF CROWD” on the baselines. My dog logo at the center court. The Curry splash logo with the barbwire in the key. And on the sidelines, it says “Change The Game For Good.”

11:11 is all about timing. All about balance. All about alignment, and things working out for you when your energy is right. 

The “011” on the hardwood means it’s the 11th court that Curry Brand has helped to re-do and upgrade since 2020. That’s timing right there.

We’re gonna kick the gym re-opening off with a basketball camp for kids. And then let my hometown get a first crack at copping the whole Tuff Crowd x Curry Brand collection. It’s gonna be one of the proudest days ever. 

All of this is as full circle as it gets for me. I’m hoping it shows the power of what players can provide for the communities that built them and supported them on their journey to somewhere as amazing as the Association. And how you can continue to find new passions in life, like being a clothing designer, or even a co-host on a basketball show. 

It also shows how impact isn’t just about launching some fresh black and red shoes and some hard clothes — it’s also about leaving something real for the kids coming up next. 

The kids from Compton and Gardena that need to know they can find their path in life. They can power through any situation they’re faced with. They can channel that Tuff Crowd mindset and keep going. 

The post The Most Impactful Collaboration The League Has Ever Seen  appeared first on SLAM.

Last year, there was one women’s HBCU program in particular that separated itself from the pack for the vast majority of the season: Jackson State University. While members of the media were focused on Deion “Primetime” Sanders and the school’s football team, they were overlooking a historic run unfolding right before their eyes. The women’s team entered the SWAC tournament on a crazy win streak and was heavily favored to clinch a spot in March Madness. They’d end up being upset by Southern University in the semifinals on a last second buzzer-beater. This year, the Lady Tigers are on a revenge tour to make up for that lost opportunity. They’re returning All-SWAC First Teamer Ti’lan Boler and SWAC Coach of the Year Tomekia Reed, along with a group of ladies proven to have a positive impact on the floor. The sky’s the limit for the Lady Tigers–let’s see where they land.

Norfolk State punched their ticket to the Big Dance after a stellar season in which they won their regular season and conference tournament. They want to take things a step further this year. That means advancing in March Madness. Repeating their success will prove challenging as the Lady Spartans lost two All-MEAC First Team selections, including the Defensive Player of the Year, Camille Downs. But this year’s squad is star-studded, led by one NC State transfer Diamond Johnson, a potential WNBA draft pick. Johnson isn’t the only high-major talent on the roster, which consists of transfers from St. Johns, VCU and Seton Hall. Coach Larry Vickers was named MEAC Coach of the Year last season, and the staff he’s put together has been a major factors in transfers opting to play for him. The Lady Spartans have the ingredients to be very special and make some real noise in college basketball this year.

All eyes will be on returning MEAC Player of the Year Destiny Howell out of Howard University. The 6-foot guard will be on a mission to maintain her spot as the best player in the conference. She’s the only player from last year’s All-MEAC First Team who wasn’t a senior or graduate student. If she’s even a little better this year and All-Rookie selection Nile Miller continues trending upward, Howard University has a real shot at cutting down the nets at the end of the season.

HBCUs have an exceptional history of producing female athletes who embody strength, resilience and excellence both on and off the court. This season, we continue to honor and build upon this legacy.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post What to Expect for the 2023-24 HBCU Women’s Basketball Season appeared first on SLAM.

There will be tons of upsets throughout the 2023-24 college basketball season, of course, but we’re betting the last teams standing next April will be some familiar names. Don’t @ us.

Here’s our official 2023-24 Men’s College Basketball season preview.

1. Duke: The returns of Kyle Filipowski, Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor, and Mark Mitchell, along with another crop of four and five-star standouts, will make Jon Scheyer look like a pretty darn good coach this year.  

2. Kansas: The Jayhawks are deep, versatile, and nasty on defense. Adding Michigan center Hunter Dickinson makes them lethal in the pick-and-roll. If KU can stroke it from the outside, it will be national title time. 

3. Michigan State: Tom Izzo says a Big Ten team has to win it all to prove the conference is elite. Here’s a squad that can do it. The Spartans will grind like no other team, have plenty of experience and boast a first-rate backcourt.  

4. Marquette: The Golden Eagles aren’t that big, and they don’t bang the boards like Visigoths, but oh, that backcourt. Tyler Kolek, Stevie Mitchell, and Kam Jones can pile it on, and there should be enough inside for a shot at the Final Four. 

5. Tennessee: Behold the college basketball equivalent of oral surgery. The Vols play like someone wants to steal their rent money. The guards are rugged, and if Zakai Zeigler’s knee is healthy, big things—and sore opponents—lie ahead. 

6. Purdue: He’s back! The Big Maple, unguardable 7-4 center Zach Edey, returns to own the paint. The question is whether Fletcher Loyer and the perimeter team can hit shots. If they can, the Boilermakers will thrive. 

7. Houston: Kelvin Sampson has done a masterful job creating a sustainable powerhouse with defense and tough love. The Cougars aren’t pretty and certainly aren’t fun to play, but they have won big—and will continue to do so. 

8. Creighton: The Bluejays lost some talent to the portal but then added experienced contributors the same way. Call it a wash. Ryan Kalkbrenner is a two-way force inside, and he’s surrounded by strong perimeter scorers. 

9. Baylor: There are a bunch of new Bears, but they are good. Really good. Look out for freshmen guards Ja’Kobe Walter and Miro Little. Transfer RayJ Dennis can fill it up, and holdover Jalen Bridges is a steady frontcourt piece. 

10. Florida Atlantic: Last year was a magical one-off, right? Right? Nope, all but one of the key Owls are back and ready for more. FAU is loaded with talented, experienced guards and has good depth. This encore should be fun. 

11. Arizona: The Wildcats were big and slow last year. They’re a lot quicker this time. Transfers Caleb Love and Keshad Johnson will be immediate standouts, and big man Oumar Ballo will cause all sorts of problems inside. 

12. Villanova: It’s time for Nova to head back to where it belongs. Last year was an anomaly. Guard Justin Moore and big man Eric Dixon are major producers, and four transfers will add depth and versatility.  

13. Connecticut: The defending champs lost some real stalwarts, but big man Donovan Clingan is a budding star, Tristen Newton and Alex Karaban have plenty of experience, and Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer and a loaded crop of freshmen have arrived. 

14. North Carolina: Armando Bacot and RJ Davis are back for their ninth seasons in Chapel Hill. At least it feels that way. Freshman point man Elliot Cadeau is the human assist and transfers Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan are welcome additions. 

15. Gonzaga: You want points? The Zags score plenty of them. Drew Timme’s gone, but Mark Few found a bunch of high-octane newcomers to join returning starters Nolan Hickman and Anton Watson. Time to spin the scoreboards again. 

16. Kentucky: It’s been a while since John Calipari’s bunch has made a national splash. It could happen this year. The freshman class is ridiculous. There are actual seniors (Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell) on the roster. UK is back. 

17. Illinois: The Illini were supposed to be tough last year, but they sagged. Terrence Shannon Jr is back to make ’23-24 different. He’s joined by the usual strong cast of transfers. If Illinois can shoot it, plenty of wins will follow. 

18. Miami: Wonder why Jim Larrañaga keeps hanging around Coral Gables? It’s teams like this. Nijel Pack is a top-shelf guard, Norchad Omier can cause big problems inside, and wing Wooga Poplar is ready for big things. 

19. Texas A&M: The Aggies waited until after the calendar turned to 2023 last season to play their best ball. There should be no delay this season, thanks to point man Wade Taylor IV and three other returning starters. 

20. Arkansas: Mr. Transfer is at it once again in Fayetteville. Eric Musselman imported seven players from other schools, with Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle expected to team with returnee Davonte Davis in a potent backcourt. 

21. San Diego State: The Aztecs lost a lot, but they will still grind and defend and fight. That’s worth a lot. Lamont Butler leads four key holdovers, and USC transfer Reese Dixon has plenty of talent. 

22. Texas: High-scoring Oral Roberts transfer Max Abmas brings serious juice to the Longhorns’ attack. Rodney Terry is now the full-time boss, and he has guard Tyrese Hunter and forward Dylan Disu as featured performers. 

23. UCLA: Presenting the most interesting roster in college hoops. The Bruins are filled with international players, could start two centers, and could look like a Euro professional team, style-wise. They might even try to play with one of those orange-and-white FIBA basketballs. 

24. Virginia: The Cavs lost in the first round again last year. When that happened in 2018, they won it all the following season. It will be about defense again at UVA, with Reece Beekman up top and a bunch of stingy friends around him. 

25. St. John’s: Fast-talking Rick Pitino spent the offseason convincing a pile of high-scoring transfers to join potent pivot Joel Soriano in Queens. Jordan Dingle and Chris Ledlum were Ivy League killers, and Daniss Jenkins was a big producer at Iona. 

Duke fans, this one’s for you. Get your copy of SLAM 247 copy and cover tees.

Photos via Getty Images

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Population…roughly 3,000.                                                      

It is here where the epicenter of the biggest story in high school basketball originates.  

It is here where one of the most highly touted high school prospects in recent memory began his hoops odyssey.

A journey that technically can be traced back to the early 1990s. That’s when Cooper Flagg’s mother, Kelly, was turning heads on the hardwood at Nokomis Regional High School on her way to scoring 1,257 career points. Nokomis would become the same school where almost three decades later, one of her three sons would begin capturing the attention of the basketball universe.    

Kelly went on to play DI ball at the University of Maine from 1995-99, where she embarked on an incredible run that included four consecutive American East titles and making appearances in the NCAA Tournament all four years. Her senior year, when she was the team captain, Kelly was a starter and led the Black Bear over Stanford to the program’s first and only NCAA Tournament win.  

She was already a Maine hoops legend in the ’90s, but her contributions to the game were only just beginning. 

Enter…Cooper Flagg. It wouldn’t take long for Kelly to notice that Cooper—born seven years after her collegiate run and a minute after his twin brother Ace—wasn’t the typical elementary school kid. Looking to challenge him, she enrolled him on a 4^th grade rec league team—as a 2^nd grader. 

“I remember the ball was going out of bounds on the baseline, the other team’s end of the floor. He jumped up in the air and palmed the ball. Cooper didn’t just chuck it back inbounds to anybody, he kept it in play and found a teammate at the same time. Moments later, he sprinted down to the other end of the floor and caught it for a layup. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a 7-year-old have those kinds of instincts,” she recalls. “It was apparent to us that year when the rec season ended that he needed more. That is not what you normally see in a 7- or 8-year-old kid.

“There were a lot of weekends we went to play and they would only have five or six kids,” she adds. “As a second grader, he never left the floor and would just be exhausted because they would play two or three games in a day. The next year, we got him on a team as a third grader with fifth grade boys. That was a really good fit for him. Their team played more of a five in, five out style.”

“I remember the first couple of practices just being really tough. I would come out really tired and exhausted,” says Cooper. “I think I had a bunch of bruises. It was just really rough to start out because of how much older everyone was. I was also just as tall as them from a really young age, so I didn’t really feel out of place, but you could tell that they were more physically developed than me… That’s something that I look back on and I’m really thankful for. Both of my parents always pushed me to play against older competition. It helped me to develop a lot earlier.”

SLAM 247 featuring Cooper Flagg is out now. Shop here.

At the end of Cooper’s third grade year, Kelly was approached by Andy Bedard, whom she had gone to college with but had subsequently lost contact with. He had gotten her number from Amy Vachon, the current women’s basketball head coach at the University of Maine and expressed interest in having her sons join the youth team he was coaching, which also included his own son, Kaden. Andy had begun hearing rumblings that Kelly’s kids were pretty good at basketball. There was only one little problem: Andy was based out of Portland—an hour and a half away from where the Flaggs lived.

But with the family committed to the game (Cooper’s dad, Ralph, also hooped collegiately at Eastern Maine Community College) and the boys’ continued development, they decided to make the trip multiple times per week, on weekdays. At times, these trips even included numerous family members and car swaps. When Kelly wasn’t able to drive the boys all the way to practice, she says her father would take them halfway, where Ralph, who worked in Portland, would meet them. The boys would hop in his car, and he’d drive them the rest of the way to practice.

“We would then hop in the vehicle, and I would have already made lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sometimes we ordered a pizza ahead and grabbed it on the way so that they could get some food,” says Kelly. “We would get down there for practice at 4:30. We practiced until 6 or 6:30, and then we would head back home. There were a lot of [long] nights for 10-year-olds [where] we were getting home at 9 at night on a school night. It was a big commitment, and we did that twice a week, but it was all worth it.”

To help pass time in those long car rides, Kelly would have the boys watch recordings of the 1980s Celtics’ championship teams. It helped set the foundation for their basketball knowledge, serving as a way to learn the game’s history while also doubling as elite film study sessions… and three-plus hours of much needed in-car entertainment.

“We would always either have the ‘85 or ‘86 Celtics championship games on or the Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird movies. It instilled Bird’s mindset within me and Ace. How he was always the hardest worker, no matter what,” recalls Cooper. “Especially from that Celtics team that played against the Rockets, it was more about the teamwork and the ball movement.”

By the time Cooper and Ace were ready to attend high school, it was an obvious choice where they would go—Nokomis Regional, the same program where their mom starred in the early ’90s, and, well, the only high school in the city of Newport.

They entered their freshman year in the fall of 2021 under a unique set of circumstances. With the world still reeling from the effects of a global pandemic, Cooper, Ace and his teammates had to wear masks while playing. But more unique was the family affair that the opportunity provided. On the team was also their older brother, Hunter, who was a senior. But as the season progressed, the roles between the younger brothers and their oldest sibling began to shift.

“The team was really bad for years leading up to that year and that run they had,” Kelly says. “They were 1-17 for two years in a row. In Hunter’s junior year, they were 3-15. Hunter was a big who got a lot of minutes and was a starter in his sophomore and junior years. Early on in [Cooper’s and Ace’s freshman] season, all three of them started. Cooper averaged six dunks a game in middle school. The buzz that his name was generating in the state of Maine around basketball was extraordinary before he even played his first high school game. People just couldn’t wait to see him play. A couple of games into the season after a successful preseason, the coach had Hunter and another senior coming off the bench. The both of them handled it so well even though it was a tough pill to swallow. All the seniors were so gracious and were just excited to have a winning team. Even the parents of the senior boys were amazing.”

That season ended up being one for the ages. The team went 21-1 on their way to capturing the state title. Cooper began to show the same flashes of elite talent that the rest of the world has now caught up on. He averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists that season as a ninth grader. The USA Basketball website highlights one particular outing where he dropped 32 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 blocks and 3 steals in an early January game.   

“[Having Ace, Hunter, and me on the same team] was always something we were excited about. It was a really fun year in general because it was going to be our last year with Hunter. We knew that we probably weren’t going to be going back to Nokomis after that year, so we had a lot of fun with it,” says Cooper. “Winning the state championship together was a dream we always had, and something we wanted to do together for the community… We knew what the team was going to be because we had a fall ball team that had been playing together since the summer. Ace and I had been playing up with the varsity [team] during the summer.”   

As if the Flaggs’ story so far wasn’t already a Hollywood-type script, the story behind the supporting cast of that championship team really drives home the point. When Kelly was a senior at Nokomis, she shared the floor with teammates Penny, Jaime, Katie and Amanda—fast forward some three decades later, and their respective sons—Dawson Townsend, Ethan Cote, Alex Grant and Madden White—were all now sharing that same floor with Kelly’s kids at the very same school. A reminder of just how small the Newport community really is.  

After the movie-esque season, though, came a difficult decision. The family had to decide between continuing their high school careers at Nokomis or making the sacrifice of relocating in search of a chance to take their games to the next level. In the end, the latter took precedence, and Cooper and Ace found themselves on their way to Florida for their sophomore campaigns, enrolling at national powerhouse Montverde Academy. Aside from featuring an unmatched alumni list that includes Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid (transferred out), D’Angelo Russell and RJ Barrett, among a plethora of other NBA players, the Eagles are renowned for their state-of-the-art facilities and playing a top-notch national schedule that competes against the country’s top talent. It’s been regarded as the closest thing to a DI program at the high school level. In fact, since 2021, Montverde has had 12 players selected in the NBA Draft. In contrast, during that same period, Duke has had eight and Kentucky has had seven.    

“There were these whispers about a kid that was potentially very good, from Maine of all places, and they were playing at The Big House, which is 30 minutes from our school in Florida in a Made Hoops event,” recalls Montverde head coach Kevin Boyle. “So, I went there to watch some of our younger guys and to see what kind of potential Cooper had. You could just see he had a competitiveness and athleticism that at minimally, he was going to be an outstanding player.”  

The move to Montverde helped raise Cooper’s profile on a national scale while also taking his game up a notch. In 2022, he became the youngest ever USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.

The competitive side of Cooper is no more evident than when you hear him talk about the driveway battles he’s had with his family throughout the years. Those would get really heated sometimes, and no one was safe from it, not even his own mother. 

“Countless hours spent in the driveway battling against both of [my brothers]. Too many fights to remember. Just a lot of fun we used to have playing against each other and just battling,” says Cooper. “Me and my mom used to battle all the time [too]. I think the last time we played was in fifth grade. She actually got hurt when we were playing, and we haven’t played since. So I never beat her. I was beating her that one time. I was up 9 to 8 in a game to 11, but then she got hurt.”

“That’s not exactly the way I remember it happening,” says Kelly, after getting wind of Cooper’s 1-on-1 recollection. “He may have been in the lead, but I’m sure had I not torn my meniscus, I would have come back and beaten him in that game. I drove to the left and did a hard jump stop. He went flying, and I would have scored and tied up the game. When I planted it, I just felt [like] something was not right. So, he technically has never beaten me.

“I didn’t play them that often,” she adds. “Every once in a while, I would get in there just to remind them who the boss was. All three of our boys had battles. Those occurred daily, or at least several times a week. Every single time that the three of them went out to play, we knew that it was going to end in some sort of physical fight or verbal altercation. There was usually someone bleeding at the end. The ball was chucked across the street. It didn’t end well. I attribute that to their competitiveness, especially in those early days of wanting to win.”

Stories of just how competitive Cooper is are rampant. When Coach Boyle is asked for a story that perfectly reflects Cooper’s personality, he laughs for a few seconds before recalling the time Cooper had to be separated from a practice scuffle…with his own twin brother.

“It was Cooper and his brother swinging at each other in practice when they were on opposing teams,” Boyle says. “They got tangled up in a few plays and we had to break them up after throwing punches at each other. It’s a good story because it just shows the competitiveness in him because the family all love each other dearly, but when they’re on the court, they’re competing. It’s one of the few fights at practice we’ve had since I’ve been at Montverde. It brought a smile to my face, it brought me back to the St. Patrick [HS in Elizabeth, NJ] days.” 

As impressive as his game is, it’s the fact that he’s still only 16 years old that really hits. He’ll be 17 for his first four months of college since his birthday isn’t until December. Beyond the skill set, hard commitment to both ends of the floor, impressive athleticism, otherworldly confidence and poised demeanor, Cooper is barely old enough to be in his current grade. 

This past summer, though, Cooper Flagg-mania hit a new tier. Unless you spent the warmer months of 2023 living under a rock, you likely saw highlights of Cooper in your feed at some point while scrolling on your phone. His name would trend on Twitter periodically and videos of him absolutely manhandling his peers drew the attention of hoop fans and added fire to the frenzy. This all led to an epic run at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam.

Playing for Maine United, which earlier in the spring looked to be in jeopardy of even qualifying for Peach Jam, Cooper and company ended up going on a Cinderella-type run in the days that followed. Although they entered the U16 Peach Jam with a 9-9 record, the team went undefeated (4-0) in pool play on its way to the championship game, where they ultimately fell short. Flagg averaged 25.4 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists in the tournament and even had LeBron James approach him at one point to chop it up—an interaction that made the rounds online.

“It’d be tough for anybody to do a scouting report on me in terms of how they’re going to take me out of a game,” Cooper says. “They can take certain parts of my game away, but I think that I’m too versatile and too much of a well-rounded player that no team can take me out of the game.

“In terms of challenging, I don’t really know if I could say something that’s really challenging because most of the things that people would see as challenging are an outcome of some opportunity that I’ve been given. You have to look at it in that way.”      

For Cooper, though, it wasn’t just about shocking the world in leading an unbeknownst AAU team from Maine, of all places, to the title game of the most prestigious grassroots circuit in the world—all after barely maintaining a .500 record going into the final session. It was more about the fact that this very same AAU program was full of teammates that he met when he would travel 3+ hours for practice as a fourth grader. It was the culmination of an almost decade-long journey alongside some kids from The Pine Tree State with similar hoop dreams as his.        

Not long after, Cooper found himself having to make yet another high-stake, life-altering decision this past summer: stay in his current class and continue to the dominate everyone in front of him, or reclassify up and join the senior class of 2024, which would expedite his ultimate dream of going pro one day. He chose the latter, of course.

And although everyone watched his meteoric rise this year on social media, what they didn’t see was that behind the scenes, Cooper was taking summer classes when he wasn’t traveling around the country and tearing up every event he stepped foot in, all in order to put himself on track to have enough credits to reclassify up to the Class of 2024.  

“It was really tough because when I was home, the main thing I was doing was schoolwork,” Cooper says. “I had to focus on schoolwork over seeing my friends that I hadn’t seen in months. Trying to balance all those different things was tough but something that I had to do.”

All those previous decisions led to this current decision, his most important one yet. Deciding between UConn and Duke. Cooper visited both campuses in recent weeks, and when it came time to pick a destination, he went with his gut feeling, just like he has with every other decision.

“I think after I got on campus at Duke, I really started to feel it, to be honest,” he says. “That’s something the coaches definitely stressed to me, that once you get to campus, it’s something you have to feel. And [I knew then] I wanted to go to Duke and that’s where I wanted to play college basketball. What went into the decision, I mean, I was just looking for a coaching staff I was really comfortable with, but [also] a coach and staff that was really going to hold me accountable. Being on the visit, I got to see them in practice, and see how they were holding their guys accountable, and really pushing them to be better. For me, ever since I was a little kid, I always had dreams of playing Division I basketball at the highest level. Especially with a place like Duke, once we got to campus, we felt it.

“I’m honored that I have the opportunity to join The Brotherhood, and hopefully I’ll be one of the players that recruits are looking at some day and someone they can see themselves being. Especially from all the love I saw this last weekend when I was there, it made me really excited, all the [Cameron] Crazies and the fans. I think it’s going to be a really exciting year and [fans] should just get ready because I know that I’m all about winning, so I’m trying to keep that winning culture that Duke has.”

In Durham, after wearing No. 32 his whole life—a jersey number retired by Duke thanks to Christian Laettner—Cooper has chosen to wear No. 2 instead next year, in honor of his close friend Donovan Kurt, who attended Nokomis Regional back in Maine (he wore No. 2) and passed away last year after a long battle with brain cancer (visit here to support families of children fighting cancer in Maine).          

“[This] is something that I’m trying to carry with me. [I want to] prove that kids from Maine can make it if they put their minds to it and they really work hard enough,” says Cooper. “That’s something that I’m taking a lot of pride in. It’s proving to everybody from Maine, the rest of the country, and around the world, that kids from Maine can make it.”     

SLAM 247 COVER TEES AVAILABLE NOW.

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post No. 1 HS Recruit Cooper Flagg Announces He’s Headed to Duke on the Cover of SLAM 247 appeared first on SLAM.

It’s a heater on this late August day in Dallas, TX. Despite the scorching sun and inescapable humidity, there’s an upbeat tone behind the voice of five-star guard Tre Johnson. Calling on the phone from his hometown, the No. 4 player in the Class of 2024 just finished up his daily summer routine: a morning lift and an afternoon skill session. On this particular Wednesday, the 6-6 Dallas native was able to fit in some Pro-Am runs in between. Plus, he snagged a pair of the “Easy Money” KD 3s before hitting the weights. Overall, a decent day for any typical hoop head.

Except there’s nothing typical about Tre Johnson. He’s spent the past three months traveling across the country, from the Nike EYBL circuit to numerous top-ranked camps and academies. And to cap it off, he dominated the weekend at the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 5, securing the 2v2 championship with Aaliyah Chavez and the dub in the Saturday night game at Rucker Park. He also snagged the W in Vol. 4.

“To be 2-0 at Rucker with no losses? That’s a great feeling,” Tre says with a laugh. But it’s not a jokey chuckle. It’s one that conveys a sincere truth behind his answer, with a little bit of attitude on top. I mean, he did just drop 14 at the most hallowed basketball park in the world.

In three seasons at Lake Highlands in Northeast Dallas, Johnson totaled well over 1,000 career points. His high release point, infinite range and magnetic ballhandling make him a threat from all over the floor. His performance in the UIL 6A Texas State Championship was a perfect display of all his gifts, as the baby-faced sniper dropped 29 points to secure state-wide prominence for the Wildcats.

By the time you’re reading this, Johnson will have embarked on a new step in his journey, suiting up for esteemed basketball powerhouse Link Academy. Tre announced his decision to join the reigning national champions this past June and headed up to campus in Branson, MO, just a few days after our call. There, he’ll join fellow Texas natives Jalen Shelley (No. 43 in the class of 2024) and BJ Davis-Ray (No. 54 in the class of 2025) as well as head coach Bill Armstrong, a former assistant at LSU.

“He’s a defensive guy. He was a defensive coach in college. And that’s something that I’ve always wanted to get better and become great at, as much as my scoring. Going in there knowing I’m going to be pushed on defense,” Johnson says.

While the Lions will boast a star-studded roster, Johnson is quick to point out that this year’s squad may not be matching up as equally in the height department. “So we’ve got to be able to get under people, cause havoc and get turnovers, and also rebound,” he says. “If that means me not having to score 20-plus just for us to win but also filling up in other categories [like] assists and rebounding and stuff like that, that’s going to be big for me this season.”

His top six programs—Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Texas and Baylor—may have been initially tuned into his innate scoring ability, but the 17-year-old is already tapped into the little things that will lead him to his ultimate goal: the League.

“Defense can translate,” Johnson explains. “Being able to guard the other team’s best player, you can get put on the court for that. Everybody in college came from being the best player on their high school team and scoring the ball.”

In the meantime, Tre’s got a few more items to check off his high school list. An invite to the Nike Hoop Summit and McDonald’s All-American Game are looming. A gold medal with the U19 USA Team and national championship with Link reside off in the distance. With a proven winning mentality and maturity, the latter is easy money.

Portrait by Marcus Stevens.

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In this excerpt, former SLAM editor Alex Squadron takes the reader inside the lead-up to the annual G League Winter Showcase, when all teams converge in one city to play in front of NBA scouts and executives.

‘Life in the G’ is available now. Get your copy here.

Film went longer than usual on the morning of December 16—way longer than usual. The Showcase was a few days away, and there was a lot to cover.

First, the new protocols. An impromptu mandatory meeting for all G League head coaches and athletic trainers had been convened the night before. In a Zoom conference call, league officials had mapped out a revised set of rules for Showcase due to the alarming spread of a new highly contagious coronavirus variant called Omicron. The first confirmed case of Omicron had been detected in the United States about two weeks prior. Research suggested that Omicron was more transmissible than previous variants and could be contracted by fully vaccinated and boosted individuals.

Amid this troubling next phase of the pandemic, the Showcase was going to be run like abubble. No fans would be permitted to attend. No guests would be allowed in hotel rooms. Masks were to be worn at all times, except when playing. It was strongly recommended that group meals, which could not exceed six people, be eaten outdoors.

“If you are seen at the craps table gambling, or at a bar or nightclub, the repercussions may be getting suspended through Showcase,” [head coach Ryan] Pannone said.

“No may about it,” [associate general manager Billy] Campbell chimed in. “They are looking to make examples out of everyone. There’s a huge outbreak going on not only in the NBA but also in the G League. If you don’t know, Windy City is not going to play at Showcase. They’ve had so many positives that they are out of Showcase. So all of the guys who have worked since training camp to get in front of NBA scouts will not be there.”

Oof. Just hearing those words made stomachs turn. Showcase undoubtedly presented the best opportunity for G Leaguers to impress NBA scouts. Squadron players couldn’t fathom the idea of it being taken away at the last second by something so largely out of their control. The team had undergone testing earlier that morning and fortunately received zero positives. Around the G League, however, the number of cases was climbing. The NBA was in even worse shape. Injury reports were starting to look like CVS receipts, with more and more players being sidelined by COVID each day. Coaches, executives, referees, and broadcast crews were also coming down with the virus.

The spread of Omicron was so rampant that Commissioner Adam Silver found himself scrambling for solutions to avoid a complete NBA shutdown. Should the league postpone games? Expand rosters? Impose stricter guidelines? Test daily? All of these questions were presently being floated. And the situation was trending in the wrong direction—fast.

In the meantime, as Silver puzzled his options, there was a silver lining to this period of chaos: an unprecedented number of opportunities were opening up for G Leaguers. NBA teams were in desperate need of reinforcements—rosters would be full one day, then down five players the next—and naturally turning to their minor league affiliates for relief. That was exciting for G Leaguers, of course, but also tremendously nerve-racking. Clearly, no one—not even a group of healthy, vaccinated, and boosted professional athletes—was safe from catching Omicron. Forward Stanley Johnson had been called up from the South Bay Lakers to the Chicago Bulls, only to test positive and be placed in the health and safety protocols immediately.

Around the Squadron was a noticeable shift in tone: less jovial, more intense; less distracted, more focused; less jokey, more apprehensive. COVID precautions previously unenforced were now being taken seriously. Players were hanging out less, wearing masks more. Johnson, a former lottery pick, had spent significant time in the NBA already; but for those who hadn’t, the idea of what happened to him happening to them was unthinkable.

At one point, Harper let out a soft sneeze during practice, and Cheatham instinctively leapt in the opposite direction. “Oh, hell nah!” he exclaimed. “Where my mask at?” He was half kidding, but the other half reflected a real concern growing among members of the team, particularly Cheatham and Young. They would not—could not—screw up a chance at the NBA because they caught Omicron.

According to the NBA’s COVID protocols, players had to be sidelined at least ten days or record two negative tests in a twenty-four-hour window before returning. Decimated organizations—such as the Bulls, who, with ten players and several staff members infected, saw two of their games postponed—had begun handing out ten-day contracts. Capitanes forward Alfonzo McKinnie was another to receive a deal from Chicago, shortly after his back-to-back dominant performances against the Squadron at Legacy Arena.

During a typical NBA season, teams aren’t permitted to issue ten-day contracts until January 5. The deals that players like McKinnie were signing required a “hardship exception,” granted to teams that had a player in the health and safety protocols or at least four players out with long-term injuries.

Though ten-day contracts generated little media buzz—especially in years unaffected by COVID—and didn’t guarantee even a second of playing time, G Leaguers cherished them. Signing one was a realization of the NBA dream. “To spend any time in the NBA is a blessing,” Cheatham had once said—even just ten days.

The compensation made those ten days even sweeter. The value of a ten-day contract varied based on previous NBA experience, but most players were paid more than double what they received for an entire G League season, sometimes triple or quadruple. Stanley Johnson, for example, was guaranteed over $120,000 when he signed his ten-day deal with the Bulls.

Suffice it to say, the stakes at the annual Showcase were always exceptionally high. About a dozen representatives from every NBA team would be in attendance, and production on the court wasn’t the only factor they took into consideration. Somebody was always watching, lurking around the slot machines and roulette tables, taking mental notes.

“NBA teams are not looking for a reason to sign you. They’re looking for a reason to not sign you,” Pannone told the Squadron. “There’s a plethora of players.” More than three hundred were playing in the G League alone. It was difficult for NBA scouts to narrow down their lists, so they were constantly searching for an excuse to cross a name off, like college admissions officers combing through an endless stack of near-identical applications.

Instead of extracurricular activities, scouts nitpicked at factors like nutrition. At Showcase, it was unwise to be seen eating or carrying anything unhealthy. No Twix bars, which Harper liked to eat before games (a curious superstition since his college days at Auburn). No Monster energy drinks, which Young liked to use for a boost before practices. No Subway, Nathan’s Famous, Pan Asian Express, Bonanno’s New York Pizzeria, or Johnny Rockets, all of which were right outside the convention center where the games would be played.

“Somebody tell me what Travis Stockbridge looks like,” Pannone said.

Crickets.

“Somebody tell me who Travis Stockbridge is.”

“I assume he’s affiliated with the league?” Cheatham mumbled.

Stockbridge was the general manager of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and a basketball operations coordinator for the Houston Rockets.

“It’s the perfect example of ‘You don’t know who the fuck these guys are,’” Pannone said. “You don’t know what they look like. You would have no idea he’s out there. You don’t know who the fuck he is. And you don’t know who any of these guys are from the NBA. Every time you think you’re not being watched, you’re being watched. Somebody is there. Somebody is going to see and watch everything you do. They are going to judge everything you do.”

“These are little things, but we talked at the beginning of the year about million-dollar decisions,” Campbell added. “At Showcase, all of those things are heightened. Every decision you’ve made from training camp until now has been a million-dollar decision. At Showcase, everything is magnified. Every single thing you do is magnified. They may be like, ‘Oh man, I remember Joe Young from the Pacers. Why does he have a Chick-fil-A bag?’ All those little things that you don’t think matter, they matter to someone else.”

And because of Omicron, there were far more “little things” to consider. Forgetting to wear your mask could cost you millions. Inviting someone to your hotel room could cost you millions. Playing a hand of blackjack could cost you millions. Having dinner with a large group of friends could cost you millions. Wandering aimlessly on the Strip could cost you millions.

“Any kind of infraction that they see is not going to be a slap on the wrist,” Campbell continued. He hated lecturing the team but knew, in this case, it was necessary. He desperately wanted to see Squadron players get called up in the ensuing weeks. To give them a chance, however, they had to hear this message. And they had to hear it clearly. “It’s literally going to be, you are out of the bubble. Period. There will be no, ‘Can you call Marc? Can you call the league?’ If they see you doing this stuff, there is no may about it, they will absolutely kick you out.”

The locker room was silent as players digested this new information. Showcase was going to look and feel a lot different than what they had anticipated at the beginning of the season. Some had questions. The protocols were vague, and guys were nervous about mistakenly breaking a rule.

“What about Uber Eats?” Cheatham wondered.

“They do not specify, but that should be no problem,” Campbell replied.

Harper wanted to know if he could go to a private gym—alone—to get shots up. His request was reasonable, especially considering that after practice in Birmingham today—a Thursday—guys wouldn’t have official court time until 5:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, when they would have merely an hour to go over their game plan for Sunday.

“We have asked about having a site for y’all to shoot,” Campbell said. “This morning—like, literally ten minutes ago—they said that they would strongly, strongly, strongly recommend that you do not have a team practice off-site.”

“If you go individually to shoot . . .” Pannone shrugged, implying that it shouldn’t be an issue. “I know some of you guys have got connections to get into a gym. It’s like going out to eat. From my understanding, as long as you’re not at a bar or a nightclub, going out gambling, going to a concert where there are a bunch of people, that’s on you guys. But from today at 2:00 until 5:00 on Saturday, that’s a lot of time without getting in the gym and shooting—just so you guys know that.”

It was a big adjustment. Given the significance of Showcase, it was a frustrating one too. All the players liked to get up extra shots outside of practice. In Vegas, that wouldn’t really be possible. For stars like Harper, who was already on the radar of multiple NBA teams, having to change routines now seemed unfair.

Everyone was having to adjust, though. By the morning of December 16, the whole world was adjusting to Omicron, and the G League was no exception. Showcase would create an environment about as anxiety-inducing as imaginable, but if players adhered to the rules, stayed out of trouble, and took care of business on the court, it also presented the best chance they would ever have to reach the NBA.

“You gotta know what’s at stake,” Cheatham said after practice. “My mindset going into Showcase is just consistency. I want to stay with all the things that I’ve been doing. As a team, stay with all the things that we’ve been doing. Don’t get out of character. Don’t try to do too much. Just play the game I’ve been working hard at damn near my whole life.”

Such was the cruel irony of the G League. A damn near lifetime’s worth of work could come down to three days—three very unusual days—at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Excerpted from Life in the G: Minor League Basketball and the Relentless Pursuit of the NBA by Alex Squadron by permission of the University of Nebraska Press. ©2023 by Alex Squadron.

Shop here to order your copy.

The post ‘Life in the G’: Alex Squadron’s New Book Gives an Inside Look at the G League and the Relentless Pursuit of NBA Dreams appeared first on SLAM.

This story and so much more is featured in the latest issue of KICKS 26. Get your copy here.

First Team

P.J. Tucker

As sure as the sun rises in the eastern sky, P.J. Tucker is back on our First Team. There’s nobody in the League more versed, more versatile and more willing to play in any pair. He cemented himself long ago on this list, yet he keeps on proving himself over and over.

James Harden

James Harden is a fairly uncommon human being in general. He did, after all, help to rewrite the NBA rule book with his singular style of play. His seventh signature silhouette, the best of the 2022-23 campaign, is particularly exceptional. It’s got a funky shape, it’s got an upper that looks like a puffer jacket, it’s full of the best tech the Stripes has to offer and it had incredibly hard colorways throughout the season. 

DeMar DeRozan

It’s not a shot at P.J. to say with confidence that DeMar DeRozan has the best Kobe collection in the League. As has been printed in these pages many times, he’s played in every Nike Kobe silhouette throughout his career and continues to add Kobe PEs that look more like art pieces than sneakers to his collection.

Ja Morant

Before his signature sneaker debuted on Christmas Day 2022, Ja Morant had been hooping in high quality Kobes and original versions of the early Kyries. Then he stomped into the signature game with a handful of unique colorways. And because he moves differently than just about everybody in the League, there’ll be more originality in his future.

Stephen Curry

The best shooter ever had variety in 2022-23. Curry 10s, FloTros of the 1 and 2, some sprinkling of the 4 FloTro all got court time with No. 30. There aren’t many others who tell stories with their footwear like Stephen. His nonstop commitment to the underrated and underrepresented often gets communicated through his footwear. 

Second Team

LeBron James

Flavor after flavor after flavor. LeBron James’ 20th season will be remembered for the multitude of colorways he played in. Both the Nike LeBron 20 and the Nike LeBron NXXT Gen appeared under the bright lights in equally subtle and outrageous makeups, night after night. 

Paul George

Even though his signature line has wrapped up, Paul George didn’t miss a step. Each game brought a new chance for him to show off his unexpected appreciation for basketball sneakers, like, for example, wearing the “All-Star” Nike Kobe 6 while playing in the City of Angels. You get the connection?

Malik Monk

Malik Monk very much understands how to properly apply hues to footwear. All of his Kobe PEs, be it 5s or 6s, are consistently fire. None of them are really that similar, either. There’s a ton of variation from pair to pair, with browns and blues and purples and blacks and pinks
showing up throughout his stable. 

Trey Lyles

Look, let’s be honest here, yeah? Kobes are this generation’s Jordans. Trey Lyles has a stockpile of rare heat that he’s amassed over the years and most of them aren’t protros. He’s on this list because he consistently hoops in heavy hitters from the game’s most cherished line, oftentimes reminding people about pairs or colorways they’d previously forgotten. 

Jayson Tatum

Another visual storyteller, Jayson Tatum started the season with many versions of the Air Jordan 37 and Air Jordan 38 Low that let the public in on what matters most to him. Once ASW rolled around and he got to unveil his first signature with Jordan Brand, the storytelling door flew clean off the hinges. Tatum tells us a whole lot about himself without ever saying a word. 

MVP: P.J. Tucker

LeBron James only has four MVPs. Michael Jordan only has five MVPs. What in the hell is good with that? That’s not the truth. Both deserve a minimum of 10. In the context of basketball sneakers, P.J. Tucker is LeBron. He is MJ. In our pages, he will continue to get his shine until he hangs up his sneakers for good.

We’ve called him a lot of things over the years, like the Michael Jordan of wearing Jordans. We’ve compared his conquering of basketball footwear to passages in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Now that we’ve finally gotten him on the cover and had a chance to listen to him speak openly about sneakers, he’s the MVP because he loves it all more than anyone else. We hear you, P.J. 

Rookie of the Year: Jalen Williams

The list of Stripes silhouettes that Jalen Williams played in is mighty long. It includes the Harden Vol. 7s, Crazy 97s, Dame 5s, Top 10 2000s, D.O.N. 4s, Agent Gils, Harden Vol. 4s, D Rose 1.5s and Dame 8s. 

Williams maintained a steady rotation throughout the season, varied with many colors. He seems to be a student of the sneaker game. He joined the likes of Tracy McGrady, Nick Young and Jaylen Brown when he rocked mismatched adi joints. The young star popped out to All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City with one white Harden Vol. 7 and one pink Harden Vol. 7. His name will most definitely show up again in these pages next year.

Most Improved Player: Paul George

The Swoosh decided to end Paul George’s signature line at the PG6. It went out with a bang, concluding after the drop of his collab with Hot Wheels. 

The ending of one thing is the beginning of another. Freed up from being required to play in his latest signature model, PG hit the ground running by wearing Kobe 4s, Kobe 5s and Kobe 6s. He dug into the closet for the return of the PG1, the PG2 and the PG2.5. Strategically, he secured this spot when he played in the “Draft Day” Kobe 4s in Charlotte. That was a wakeup call signifying there was another knowledgeable sneakerhead ready to show out. 

LeagueFits Arrival Sneaker of the Year: Russell Westbrook

Michael Jordan’s retirement in 1998 gave the first class of Brand Jordan athletes the full sneaker spotlight. They were getting to play in retro colorways made just for them. Guys like Ray Allen, Derek Anderson, Vin Baker, Eddie Jones and Michael Finley are the reason every sneakerhead knows what PE (player exclusive) stands for. Retro PEs continued for the next couple of Jordan athlete generations, with guys like Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson gaining fame for their heat. 

But Jordan Brand changed up the overall thought process a few years back. Retro PEs are far more rare now. 

Their scarcity is why Russell Westbrook’s Air Jordan III colorway is getting the nod for the LeagueFits Arrival Sneaker of the Year. Seeing these IIIs in the wild is like seeing the Loch Ness Monster finally reveal itself. 

Best of the Brands:

Curry 10

adidas Harden Vol. 7

Jordan Tatum 1

New Balance TWO WXY v3

Nike LeBron 20

PUMA MB.02

READ MORE: KICKS, NBA, WNBA

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  Minnesota Lynx Superstar Napheesa Collier on Leading the Lynx to the Top of the League and Evolution of the Women’s Game
  Sometimes, you have to sit back and mentally rewind the clock to see just how far you’ve come and all that you’ve accomplished. Three years ago, Napheesa Collier… Read more: Minnesota Lynx Superstar Napheesa Collier on Leading the Lynx to the Top of the League and Evolution of the Women’s Game

The post The 2022-23 KICKS Awards: First Team, MVP and MORE! appeared first on SLAM.

The SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 5 took place at Rucker Park this weekend and featured many of the top high school standouts in the country.

Mikayla Blakes showed up and showed out to win MVP with her speedy, elite game; meanwhile, Ian Jackson dropped 45 points and took home the MVP award for the boys, while Flagg’s crazy buzzer shut down the park and has already been the subject of headlines.

SSC Vol. 5 started Friday at Gauchos with a dunk contest, 2v2 and celebrity game.

Jalil Bethea took home the dunk contest title and Tre Johnson and Aaliyah Chavez won the 2v2 tournament. For the celebrity game, none other than Cam Wilder pulled up and got busy.

On Saturday, fans lined up outside of Rucker Park in Harlem, NY hours before the girl’s game even started. Miami commit-Leah Harmon was in her bag with moves like this to the basket…

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All the girls, from Alabama commit-Chloe Spreen to Jaloni Cambridge, kept that same energy and more throughout the entire game. Me’arah O’Neal showed she’s got crazy bounce while Chavez’s court vision was top tier.

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With Quavo sitting courtside, the boys game lived up to the hype. Between high-flying dunks by AJ Dybantsa and a major comeback thanks to Flagg’s clutch shot making, the competitive energy was next level.

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Follow SLAM, WSLAM and SLAM HS for even more coverage and behind the scenes moments.

The post WATCH: SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 5 Full Recap and Highlights appeared first on SLAM.

The NBA App will stream the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 5 on Saturday, Aug. 19, adding to the growing list of elite basketball programming available year-round on the new platform. The fifth annual basketball showcase at Rucker Park in New York City will feature 28 of the top high school age players in the U.S.  Headlined by Jaloni Cambridge, Aaliyah Chavez and Kennedy Smith, the girls game tips off at 5 p.m. ET followed by the boys – featuring top high school prospects Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and Tre Johnson – streaming at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, several members of the Jr. NBA Court of Leaders will participate in the event.

The addition of the SLAM Summer Classic is part of the NBA’s larger commitment to make the NBA App an all-in-one destination for global basketball programming. Over the past year, premier basketball content available on the app has included select WNBA, Basketball Africa League and NBA G League Ignite games, as well as Nike Elite Youth Basketball League’s (EYBL) Peach Jam, Jr. NBA Showcase, LNB Betclic ELITE, top pro-am leagues such as the Drew League, Miami Pro League and AEBL, and more. 

The NBA will produce and distribute the SLAM Summer Classic games on the free-to-download NBA App and on NBA.com.   Below are the full team rosters.  

BOYS ROSTER

 GIRLS ROSTER

* Member of the Jr. NBA Court of Leaders

The post The SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 5 Returns this Saturday at Rucker Park appeared first on SLAM.

Three years ago, the WNBA faced criticism over its hiring practices due to the lack of women in leadership roles, particularly in head coaching positions. Now, in its 27th season, women make up 75 percent of the head coaches in the League, six of whom are former WNBA players.

Read on to learn why it’s so important to have players as coaches and all of the intangibles they bring to the position. 

NANCY LIEBERMAN PAVES THE WAY

In 1998, Nancy Lieberman became the first player-turned-head coach in the W after assuming a dual role as general manager and head coach of the Detroit Shock. Lieberman, a New York City native, was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in 1997 at 38 years old. She played one game for the Detroit Shock in 2008 at the age of 50. The Hall of Famer is considered a trailblazer for her advocacy work related to gender equality in sports and for paving a new path for female coaches across both men’s and women’s sports.  

SANDY BRONDELLO: FIRST FORMER PLAYER TO WIN A TITLE AS HEAD COACH

After she was drafted with the 34th overall pick by the Detroit Shock in 1998, the first WNBA coach Sandy Brondello played for was Nancy Lieberman. The two had actually crossed paths a year prior in Phoenix. 

“I visited Phoenix to spend some time with Michele Timms, who I was quite close to, and I remember shooting around a little bit, and later I heard that Nancy was scared that I was going to take her spot,” Brondello jokes. “But I was injured, so I wasn’t taking anyone’s spot.” 

As a player, the Australian native’s WNBA career would last five seasons, with stops in Detroit, Miami and Seattle. Figuring out what comes next once the ball stops bouncing is a harsh reality that every athlete must face at some point. After 17 years as a professional basketball player, Brondello, then 36, had to confront the big question: What now?  

The answer came to her after the 2004 Olympics, when it became harder for her to recover from the multiple injuries she had sustained over the course of her career.  

“It was my choice to retire. I wasn’t forced out,” says Brondello. “I got to a stage where I played so much basketball and achieved all of the goals I set out for myself. It was all about what’s next. I knew I wanted to coach.”

Brondello’s desire to coach in the WNBA became a reality when she was offered her first assistant coaching job for the San Antonio Silver Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces) by then-head coach Dan Hughes in 2005. “That opportunity paved the way for where I am today,” she says. 

Using her experience as a former player to her advantage, Brondello was able to bridge the gap between the players and the coaching staff. In 2010, she was promoted to head coach of the Silver Stars, a decision she views, in hindsight, as a mistake. 

“Why I wanted to be a head coach and why I shouldn’t have [been] is because I was pregnant and had a baby during the season,” explains Brondello. “Trying to be a mom of two and being
a coach in my first head coaching job—it was tough. I should’ve prioritized being a mom right there because I didn’t have enough support, to be quite honest, to do my job at the highest level with one assistant.”

During that time, the WNBA only allowed one assistant coach per team, a role Brondello had filled with her husband, Olaf Lange. Together, they had to navigate both coaching and parenthood as a team of two.

The Silver Stars finished the 2010 season third in the West with a 14-20 record and eventually lost to the Phoenix Mercury in the conference semifinals.

At the conclusion of the season, Brondello’s and Lange’s contracts were not picked up. Using her experience in San Antonio to learn and grow, Brondello prepared for her next opportunity. 

Since 2005, she has served as either a WNBA head coach or assistant. 

In 2014, Brondello made history as the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, leading the team to a 29-5 record and a championship in her first season, while also winning the League’s Coach of the Year award.

Now serving as the head coach of the New York Liberty after eight years in Phoenix, Brondello is on a quest to make history again by bringing New York its first title in franchise history. 

BECKY HAMMON: BREAKING BARRIERS

Last year, Becky Hammon joined Sandy Brondello as the only former WNBA players to win titles as head coaches when she led the Las Vegas Aces to its first championship in franchise history. 

“I played against Sandy, and then she coached me [in San Antonio], and now we coach against each other,” says Hammon. 

This season, the Aces and Liberty have been dubbed “superteams” due to their free agency roster additions. The Aces, with Hammon at the helm, are looking to win back-to-back titles, something that hasn’t been done since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002. Two-time WNBA champion Candace Parker is on the roster, which already includes two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, veteran guard Chelsea Gray and former No. 1 overall picks Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young. And the Brondello-led Liberty added Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot. 

“When she signed Stewie and that news broke, it must’ve been a couple of days later when I said, Oh, this is about to be fun, because you want to play against the best,” Hammon says.  

A student of the game, Hammon says she learned a lot from Brondello during her days playing in San Antonio, a true testament to the positive impact of having former WNBA players in head coaching positions. 

“Obviously, it’s not a prerequisite to be a great coach, to have to be a former player, but I think that there are so many great minds in the women’s game [that] just want to give back to the game that has given us so much. I respect that,” she says. “There are so many of us now that it actually speaks to the longevity of the League, now that we’re getting to cycle through having all of these players be head coaches. It’s a cool thing we got going on, [I] definitely want to keep it open and leave something for the next person coming in, opportunity wise.” 

Hammon admits that she never really thought about what she wanted to do after her playing days were done. “Back then, I was more worried about keeping my job and trying to get better every year,” she says.

In 2012, after seeing former player Stephanie White become a coach in Indiana, Hammon started weighing her post-retirement options. After sustaining a knee injury in 2013, she pivoted to broadcasting before officially retiring the following year. 

“When I retired from the League, I went right into the NBA. I had, like, two days off, so there wasn’t a lot of down time. It was one right into the other,” Hammon recalls. “There’s a pipeline now. There wasn’t always that.” 

Today, current and former players have more access to resources, like the NBA Coaching Development Program, that assist them with getting coaching opportunities. WNBA players like Candice Dupree and Kristi Toliver have benefitted from such programs. 

A six-time WNBA All-Star, Hammon is also helping to set a new precedent of pay equity for coaches across the League. In 2022, the Aces signed Hammon to a $1 million annual contract, the largest in WNBA history. 

“The rising tide lifts all the ships so that everybody moves up,” she says. “Investing into people is why I got into coaching, into leadership. It’s because I really feel like I’m mentoring the next generation of leaders with a really simple, straightforward message: Serve the people around you.” 

TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Each of the League’s dozen teams have taken advantage of hiring a former player to join their staff.

“It’s real intentional to re-engage former players. Not every former player wants to be a coach, but the ones who do, give [them] an opportunity,” says current Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White. 

A few years ago, the WNBA implemented a new League policy, allowing teams to carry three assistants (rather than two) on the condition that one is a former player (with at least a year of experience). 

In a League composed of over 70 percent Black athletes, this policy has helped to improve representation and diversity efforts within the WNBA hiring cycle. 

Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright is a by-product of former Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer’s coaching tree. Wright joined the Aces staff in 2020 and was hired by the Dream one year later. 

“Bill absolutely championed women and gave women opportunities to coach in the W,” says Wright. “He’s just somebody who saw the importance of having former players and giving women opportunities to impact this League in a special way.” 

Wright prides herself on helping to create opportunities for others, especially those who are often overlooked when it comes to second chances. This season, she added former Wings head coach Vickie Johnson to her staff after Johnson’s contract wasn’t renewed by Dallas. 

“It’s important for us to create opportunities for ourselves because we [Black women] often don’t get second chances,” says Coach Wright. “So if we have the opportunity to open the door for one another, then we need to do that. We need to leave the door open for the next generation coming.” 

Currently, one fourth of the League’s head coaches are Black. Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn shared similar sentiments when she reached out to Pokey Chatman to join her staff in 2021. 

“Before I put Pokey on my staff, people weren’t checking for her anymore. I think that she is one of the best to have done it and continues to do it,” says Quinn. “If I have the opportunity to put somebody else on, then I’m going to do that. But not because they’re a woman or because they’re Black, but because they’re deserving…Representation matters and it’s not only important to have that on a coaching staff but [in] front office positions, too.”  

With the WNBA in its 27th season, it’s important to recognize those who have paved the way, while still acknowledging that there is still progress to come.

“It’s really important for our League to continue to find ways to embrace and bring back former players,” says White. “Whether that’s on the coaching side, the business side, general managers, ownership. I hope one day our League has a commissioner that’s a former player.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos via Getty Images.

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

The cover of SLAM 8 captured an iconic moment in time. Picture this: in March 1995—March 18, to be exact—Michael Jordan announced his highly anticipated comeback. A few days later, on March 24, he would step on to the court at a sold-out United Center with Air Jordan Xs on his feet and 45 on his back to face a young and swaggy Orlando Magic squad. These were hallowed moments.

Orlando’s Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was unfazed. It was just his second season in the NBA, but he had already established himself as a superstar. Forget the “what ifs” for a moment—Penny was one of the most exciting players we’d seen. He was a Magic Johnson remix. You could’ve compiled a top-10 highlight reel for every game he played. He already had a signature shoe and one of the dopest ad campaigns of all time to match (a campaign that this very cover would later appear in). Let me explain it this way: when my closest friend, Neil Stansbie, copped the black pinstripe Hardaway Magic jersey that spring, I asked no questions. Not one. It was a no brainer.

The Bulls won this matchup, but as I said, the image on the cover of SLAM 8 captured something significant. It was MJ in the frame, but instead of denting somebody’s ego, he was on the other end of things. At that moment, Penny had us wondering if Mike was regretting turning his back on those batting cages in Birmingham. A student was getting the better of a basketball master.

Recent interactions have demonstrated that you should avoid talking smack to the greats, but there’s still something in us as basketball fans that loves to see a young dude giving an OG a run for his money. Ultimately, for Anfernee Hardaway, it didn’t turn out great in terms of ever surpassing the exploits of MJ—and there were reasons for that. For me, though, this moment will always represent what should’ve been had the basketball gods been kinder to Penny. There’s so much that we’ll never know, but I do know this: These young dudes need to keep the OGs on their toes, never back down and not be afraid to put a legend on a poster. Or, if you’re truly special, a SLAM cover.

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

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

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

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

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But there are two pieces that have led this team through the whole season: Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson. 

SLAM 243 featuring LSU’s Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson is out now.

It’s a bright, sunny Tuesday afternoon in Baton Rouge. Walking past Tiger Stadium, which resembles more of an NFL stadium than a college one, to the spaceship-looking Pete Maravich Assembly Center (better known as the PMAC), there’s a sense of grandeur to just about everything you pass. As Angel and Flau’jae arrive for their SLAM shoot, they walk past a sign that reads “Respect the Past, Embrace the Future” on the practice facility walls, which are adorned with images of LSU greats like Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles. 

The air is refreshing, the atmosphere is calm, a complete contrast to what it was like just a few weeks prior. 

The PMAC was packed and fans were roaring so loud that there was no point in trying to communicate on the court. LSU was facing Arkansas and it was a tightly contested back and forth game. There were about five minutes left and LSU had just extended the lead to 10. As Angel and Flau’jae made their way down the court to get back on defense, Arkansas’ Chrissy Carr drove down the baseline and dished out to the free-throw line. Somehow, as Angel closed in on help defense, she slid out of her shoe. As she tried to quickly pick up her shoe and get the referees’ attention, the Razorbacks’ Samara Spencer drove into the lane. Angel didn’t hesitate to toss her Nike Freak 4 to her left hand so that she could get the block with her right. The block was emphatic, sending Spencer to the floor. Angel stood above her screaming “GIMME THAT SHIT!” while still holding her sneaker with her left hand. Flau’jae was right next to her hyping her up. The PMAC was going wild. 

“I don’t know how I got out [of] my shoe,” Angel tells SLAM. “I know if I took that play off and they had scored, the coach would have been upset with me because I didn’t get to help defense. I was trying to get the ref’s attention to be like, Can I put my shoe on? She didn’t respond to me. So, I just picked [up] the shoe, I put it in my other hand and I just blocked the shot. I was in that mode.”

It was a viral highlight that amassed millions of views across social and TV. It’s a highlight that perfectly exemplifies the type of showtime basketball that this program brings every time they step on the floor. Top to bottom, the roster is filled with dawgs. In a season that was supposed to be a “rebuild year” after adding nine newcomers last summer, they far exceeded what anyone thought this team could achieve. 

“We don’t have expectations,” Reese says in early February. “We’re not supposed to be 23-0 right now.” 

Just a few days after our shoot, the Tigers suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the reigning national champs, the South Carolina Gamecocks. But what makes this team so scary is that they have no fear, because they’re not supposed to be here. Just two years ago, no one would’ve believed you if you said LSU would be a top team. 

In 2021, Reese was trying to find her way as a freshman at Maryland, coming off the bench, while Johnson was barely ranked in the top 100 in her recruiting class. And Kim Mulkey? She was still at Baylor. 

After 21 years of building Baylor’s women’s basketball program, which amassed three national championships and counts a plethora of WNBA greats among its alumni, Mulkey was ready for something new, and in April of 2021, she was officially announced as LSU’s new head coach.

“This doesn’t just happen with a phone call,” the Hall of Fame coach shared during her introductory press conference. “It takes a lot of people pulling a lot of strings and committing to women’s basketball.” 

“I want you to look at those banners,” Mulkey continued, as she looked up at the rafters of the PMAC. “Final Four, Final Four, Final Four, Final Four, Final Four. Nowhere on there does it say National Champion. That’s what I came here to do.”

And with that, the new era of LSU women’s basketball began.

The first order of business for the new Tigers head coach was to get acquainted with the pieces she had inherited while also lighting a fire on the recruiting trail to start building the winning culture she expected. 

Around the same time, Flau’jae Johnson was wrapping up her junior year. At the time, she was more known for rapping than hooping. Just three years earlier, a 14-year-old Flau’jae stepped on stage at NBC’s America’s Got Talent and shocked the world with her bars. 

“I did a song about gun violence, it’s called ‘Guns Down,’” the Savannah, GA, native explained on stage to Simon Cowell in 2018. “My dad’s name was Camouflauge, he was an up-and-coming rapper, he was gonna be signed to Universal Records, but two days before he was gonna sign the contract, he was murdered, and my mom was pregnant with me. My whole goal is to continue my father’s legacy,” she told the AGT judges as she wiped tears from her eyes. 

She went on to give a performance that went viral and earned her the Golden Buzzer, and at the same time that her music career was taking off, she was hooping, too, although she wasn’t seeing the same level of success. Yet. 

“My journey in basketball is unbelievable,” Johnson tells us. “Like, I came out of my junior year and I wasn’t ranked, I didn’t have any offers.”

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That summer, the 5-10 guard joined the Atlanta-based FBC BounceNation21 AAU program to get on the grassroots travel circuit, and she quickly started making some noise. After just a few months, she went from unranked to No. 55 in her class.

“I don’t think she realized how good she was,” Sprayberry coach Kellie Avery told the Washington Post last summer. “She does so much in her off time with her music that I don’t think basketball had balanced out until her sophomore year. Then she was like, Maybe I could do both. She got on the right AAU team this year, and it showed.”

She then got a coveted invite to the 2021 SLAM Summer Classic and really showed out. As the lowest ranked player in the game, she knew there were haters doubting her skills. Puzzled people asked, Isn’t she the girl from The Rap Game? when she arrived in New York for the weekend. But just a couple days later, they not only knew Flau’jae the rapper but also Flau’jae the hooper, when she walked away with the game’s Terrence Clarke MVP award. 

“Man, that was the game I was like, Oh, this my opportunity,” the LSU guard remembers. “I always said just give me an opportunity, I’m gonna make it happen. I saw they had all the top kids—Kiki Rice and Janiah Barker—that’s all I needed to see, because I knew that they were the top in my class. So I was like, Oh, yeah, I gotta go up there and dominate, and I came out MVP. I did what I had to do. I was working because I knew when I get that call, I’m gonna be ready.” 

Many college coaches took notice that summer, but one stood out: Kim Mulkey. 

Within just a few months of receiving a list of offers to different schools, Flau’jae committed to LSU in the only way Flau’jae “Big Four” Johnson could—with a track titled “All Falls Down,” featuring Baton Rouge’s Lil Boosie and a music video with special words from Mike WiLL Made-It. 

“I don’t think I would want to have experiences at any other college,” the freshman phenom shares with a smile. “Because it feels like home.”

She went on to finish her senior year of high school as the No. 6 guard in her class, and at the time of our shoot, was the Tigers’ second leading scorer behind Angel, averaging 13 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 47 percent from the field.

In Flau’jae Johnson, Mulkey found her very first puzzle piece. 

While Johnson was finding her way through the recruiting process, Angel was trying to find her place at the collegiate level. 

Reese was the No. 2 overall player in the Class of 2020 coming out of the DMV. Being near family was a big factor for her, and she chose to play close to home at the University of Maryland. 

By her sophomore year, Reese was averaging an impressive 17.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, but something didn’t feel right. At the end of April, Angel sent the NCAA hoops world into chaos after announcing that she would be transferring out of Maryland. She immediately became the top player in the transfer portal. 

“I actually didn’t want to be in the portal that long,” the National Player of the Year candidate recalls. “I think I was in the portal for maybe 12 days, if that. I didn’t want to deal with it.”

During those near two weeks, Angel and her family went through the process of setting up visits and speaking with coaches, but LSU wasn’t on the list of potential schools. 

“Well, technically, I didn’t think I was coming to LSU,” the 6-3 forward says. “Kateri [Poole] was the one that called me to ask about LSU. And I was like, I don’t know, I already have visits set up. I’m not sure. So, I don’t think Coach thought she could get me because she already thought I was going somewhere else. So, when she called me, I was like, Alright, I’ll take a visit, I guess, and, happily, she was the first visit I had set up. After I came down here for my visit, I canceled the rest of my visits. It was wrapped.”

Angel was looking for a family outside of basketball, one that she could feel at home with beyond the court. She also wanted a program that would help her grow as a person just as much as a player. 

“I just wanted to figure out who really is Angel Reese,” she says. “Coming to LSU, I feel like I figured out who I am. I’m able to be myself here. It’s just something I really love.”

It’s clear to see that now in the way she’s playing this season, putting up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-type numbers— averaging 23.4 points and 15.5 rebounds a game, at the time of our shoot. The “Bayou Barbie” (which she’s dubbed and trademarked) is appointment TV, making viral highlight plays seemingly every night of the week. 

In Angel Reese, Kim Mulkey found her second puzzle piece. 

With a host of other notable transfers—Kateri Poole, LaDazhia Williams, Jasmine Carson and Last-Tear Poa—along with the players who stayed, including Alexis Morris and Sa’Myah Smith, the Tigers have the best show in college basketball. But it’s taken time to hone everyone’s skills, as every player finds their role on this team. 

“We just really enjoy playing with each other,” Flau’jae says. “Once we’re in our rhythm and we’re bouncing off each other, Angel doing her thing, Jaz hitting threes, it’s like we’re really going. Like, we really get the flow on the floor [going] and nobody can roll with it.”

And that comes from this roster putting in the work from top to bottom, pushing each other, day in and day out. 

“This team is really competitive,” the Bayou Barbie says. “We can critique each other, and I think that’s just something that you don’t really see, being able to critique each other and not take it personal. It’s just fun how we compete against each other, so by the time we compete on the court, it’s just, like, we’re all together.” 

It’s a team no one expected to be among the best going into March. The Tigers had a lot of doubters at the start of the season, with many shaking their heads at a perceived easy out-of-conference schedule.

“People are going to say our out- of-conference schedule was terrible,” Angel says while laughing. “That’s fine. Y’all can say that. But it’s the Free Smoke Tour. I don’t think anybody on the team is scared of anything.” 

“They mistake our confidence for arrogance,” Flau’jae quickly adds. “We’re gonna pop it regardless.”

There’s truly nothing scarier than a team that has nothing to lose. 

Angel and Flau’jae are the puzzle pieces that were needed to put together this new era of LSU basketball. When those lights come on, you know it’s showtime. 

Portraits by Marcus Stevens

Johnson hair: Dinesha Wells; Reese hair: Devon Williams at Divine Allure; Makeup: Diamond Nikole Standifer

The post Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson are the Missing Pieces Needed to Transform LSU appeared first on SLAM.

It’s easy to explain the 1993 NBA All-Star Game in today’s terms: Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson are MVPs as their team wins an OT classic. Neat as it would be for the locals if Markkanen and Clarkson played a big role in this year’s game—were they even to make it—or even if this was last season and the Gobert-Mitchell partnership starred, that doesn’t actually do justice to what went down at the Delta Center on February 21, 1993, the first and only time Utah has hosted the game until this year.

The ’92-93 NBA season saw two Jazz legends at their steady and consistent best. Power forward Karl Malone, at 29 years old and in his eighth season, played all 82 regular season games, averaging 27 points and 11 rebounds per game for a Jazz team that was on the rise. Many of his points came via feeds from Utah point guard John Stockton, a 30-year-old in his ninth season who led the League in assists at 12 per while also notching 15.1 ppg and 2.4 spg. At that point in their careers, in fact, Malone and Stockton had each only missed a total of four games. “DNP-rest” did not exist back then, to say the least. The two pick-n-roll greats didn’t rest on the day of the All-Star Game that year, either, each starting and playing more than 30 minutes.

Obviously, every All-Star Game is filled with the best the NBA has to offer, but the way that
year’s classic fell in certain players’ career trajectories gave it an extra sheen. And this was despite the fact that this was the first All-Star Game in NBA history (dating to 1951!) without a Celtic or Laker on a roster.

We had to re-watch this joint on YouTube in part because, in something as rare as the Celtic-Laker stat but in reverse, SLAM wasn’t there. And for an awfully good reason—we didn’t exist yet. So we’ve got no funny stories about run-ins with other media or PR staff, over-the-top gifting suites, too many free drinks, off-the-hook Stance Spades parties or Sprinter vans on the loose. Considering SLAM launched before the ’94 All-Star Game took place, this ’93 mid-winter classic belongs in the record books for that reason alone: The Last All-Star Game Before SLAM. 

And just to stay on that tangent, the cover of the very first SLAM, which hit stands sometime around Jan 1, 1994, featured Larry Johnson, who started the ’93 All-Star Game, which shows how fly a player he was. And yet…you know a crazy stat about LJ vis a vis the other star(ter)s in the ’93 Game? He’s the only one who is not in the Hall of Fame. 

Peep the greatness from the other nine ballers who were on the court for the game’s beginning: Malone, Stockton, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler and David Robinson in the West; Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Scottie Pippen and Isiah Thomas in the East. 

The game was the last of 12 straight Thomas would make in his career. It was the last All-Star appearance Jordan would make before he won his third straight NBA title and then shocked the world with his first retirement. It was the first All-Star appearance of 15 O’Neal would make in his big career. The ’93 All-Star Game also featured classic pivot men Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon off the bench, along with the penultimate All-Star appearance for Dominique Wilkins, who appeared in a total of eight as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.   

Chock full of dudes known as much for their competitive spirits as their on-court abilities, the game was entertaining and tightly contested from the jump, which the video of the game confirms. With Dick Enberg on play-by-play duties and Mike Fratello and Magic Johnson on color commentary, the early hype around the game focused on Jordan (already well on his way to GOAT status) and Shaq (the first rookie to start an ASG since…Jordan in ’85). When the PA announcer ran through the Western Conference starters, he led with Stockton and closed with Malone, who got by far the biggest applause of anyone. It all felt cute, but not like these were real MVPs-in-waiting.

As was their custom, though, the Jazz stars steadily asserted their influence on the game, wearing down the East with their all-around excellence. Jordan was the leading scorer, notching 30 points and making the biggest pass of the game, when he hit Ewing to complete a perfect pick-n-pop for a game-tying jumper with seconds left in regulation. When the West took control in overtime, however, the writing was on the wall. A strong performance in the fifth period helped Stockton and Malone to final stat lines of 9 points and 15 assists (the only player with double-digit dimes) and 28 points with 10 rebounds, respectively. Within about three seconds of the buzzer sounding to end the game, and before the players could even have been told, Enberg made it official: Stockton and Malone were co-MVPs.

What else happened that weekend? Well, not as much as would happen at later extravaganzas, to be honest. Friday was media day, but MJ didn’t even get to town for that because he was off playing golf (as he would do most years). There was no All-Star Friday night because there was no Rookie Game, Rookie-Sophomore Game, Rising Stars Challenge, etc. That whole concept didn’t exist yet. Like SLAM, that was an invention that the world would need to wait until 1994 for. 

All-Star Saturday was a thing, and 1993’s version was, let’s say, average? The Three-Point Shootout was won by Mark Price, which is fun because dude really was a bonkers shooter and because he won the next year, too. Those were the only two three-point shootouts Price was ever in, which is a dope stat. 

The Dunk Contest had already fallen from the ’80s highs of MJ vs Dominique but was still a place you might catch a future star do their thing. In ’93, Harold Miner provided a glimpse of what might be, winning the contest as part of a rookie year that saw him, believe it or not, average 10 points in just 19 minutes per outing with the Miami Heat. The dunks and the instant offense were, as of February 1993, enough to make one think maybe the “Baby Jordan” moniker that had been attached to the 6-5, shaved-head-sporting shooting guard was accurate. Alas, by year three of his career, his numbers had fallen off precipitously, and while Miner did join Price in the two-time champ club when he won the ’95 Dunk Contest, he was out of the League for good by ’96. It could be argued the rookie year dunk title was the high-point of his career.

There was also, if our photo research can be believed, some sort of celebrity dunk contest that involved Jaleel White and Mayim Bialik. We literally can’t figure out what was going on there and probably don’t want to. Honestly, all of the Saturday “action” was long-forgotten by the time Sunday’s game reached its exciting climax. As Enberg would say in his second to last line of the broadcast, the game had produced a “Utah Jazz parlay” in the form of the co-MVPs (Enberg’s sign-off that day was “Wayne’s World is next.” The ’90s were on one.), and that’s all anyone in Utah cared about. Malone himself summed things up with a perfect quote after the game. “I guess if you were writing a storybook,” The Mailman said, “this is just about how you’d write it.” 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post A Look Back at the 1993 All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City appeared first on SLAM.

Walking around the 35-acre campus on a crisp January afternoon, Isiah Harwell explains his decision to leave his hometown of Pocatello, ID, in search of a greater challenge in Utah.

“Out there is family for real,” Harwell says of Idaho. “But the reason why we left was because we felt like there could have been better competition that I could’ve been playing against that would’ve pushed me to be better.”

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After leading the Century Diamondbacks to the District Finals with averages of 18 ppg and 8 rpg during his freshman campaign, Harwell now finds himself lacing up against the nation’s best in the NIBC for Wasatch Academy. 

Immediately drawn to the Tigers coaching staff, who had been regularly traveling the four-hour distance between the bordering states to catch Harwell’s dominant freshman season, Harwell says it was an easy decision. 

“As soon as you meet ’em, it’s like a bond is just there,” he says. “It’s like you’ve talked to them before.”

As just the second sophomore on a senior-laden squad, the 6-5 shooting guard has quickly carved out his do-it-all role with the team. Sure, Harwell can bully his way to the basket or spin and hit a fadeaway J in your eye—which he breaks out often—but it’s the defensive side of the ball that he’s taken the most pride in midway through the Tigers season. 

The son of a former Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year—Ron Harwell was swiping 2.2 steals a game at Idaho St. in the ’90s—Isiah’s best teacher has always been experience. Growing up, playing defense always seemed like an afterthought. As soon as his pops took notice, Isiah was in the gym learning the techniques and nuggets of knowledge his dad had gained over the course of his collegiate career. 

“I was like, Oh, this is actually kind of easy. If your man doesn’t score on you, it does something psychological to them,” Harwell explains. “I need to be, like, a shadow on somebody, don’t leave them. You need to be one step ahead of them.”

Snatching 3 steals and swatting 2 blocks in a 13-point November win over Bishop Walsh, Harwell and the Tigers then competed at 2022 Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta the following weekend, where he was quick to assert his wide-ranging skill set. Averaging 13 points and 4 boards while shooting 36.4 percent from three, the five-star prospect began showing flashes of becoming the Beehive State’s top-ranked talent. 

Starting alongside junior point guard Jeremiah Johnson and Kansas State signee RJ Jones has placed Harwell in a keen position to analyze and embody the successful traits of the team’s leading scorers. Specifically, “how they get their shot off and how they’re getting to the basket and drawing fouls,” he explains. 

And where will Harwell head after Wasatch? He’s got some time, and a lot of offers, including Kansas, UNC and Texas. Until then, he’ll be stoically soaking in the vast amount of hoops knowledge in his home away from home. It’s time to tap in. 

Photo via NIBC/Wasatch Academy

The post Isiah Harwell is Ready to Reach the Highest Level at Wasatch Academy in Utah appeared first on SLAM.

For the past 30-plus years, I’ve had the chance to witness the remarkable career of Duke Men’s Basketball legend and basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill. I’ve gone from being just a fan to a friend. We’ve talked many times about what it was like to be an African American student and athlete at Duke University, and recently I had the chance to ask him a few questions about the evolution of Duke Basketball, from a racial standpoint, and how basketball fans across the country and the world perceived Duke Basketball, then and now.

9TH WONDER: You know as well as I, and we’ve talked about this many times, but when people think of Duke—the campus, being on the Men’s Basketball team, even playing for Coach K—Black and Duke don’t go together, at least in the minds of many people. Did you feel that way before you got to Duke? 

GRANT HILL: I understand—now—the sort of thought process behind that. And in large part, I had a similar relationship in the NBA in the 1980s [with] the two franchises that really kind of ushered the League into this new era, the Celtics and the Lakers. As a young Black boy, I gravitated to the Lakers. They were exciting, they were Showtime, you had the personality of Magic [Johnson], but they were Black. And Boston—Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge—they were white. This was me as a young 10, 11, 12-year-old, not fully aware of some of the racial dynamics and history that existed in Boston at that time. I think I naturally gravitated toward a Laker team much like I gravitated toward the Georgetown Hoyas. 

And so I understand, looking back at it now, how people perceived that, particularly while we were there. We didn’t have Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, but we had Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley—Danny Ferry before that—and we had success. And so I think that helped shape a lot of people’s perceptions, particularly people in our community, about how they felt about Duke at that time. But, also, I don’t know if I was fully aware of what those perceptions were, and I think we were insulated. We’re in a world now where everything’s at our fingertips. There’s technology, there’s social media, fans. Anyone and everyone has an opinion. Back then it was the Durham Herald-Sun and USA Today. And then, within the community of Durham, which as you know has a strong African American population and history, I, along with my other Black teammates, always felt that love, or at least love and respect. It’s difficult, because [North] Carolina, the rivalry makes it interesting. But I think even people who were maybe Carolina fans were always like, Yo, I rock with you, or, I don’t like Duke, but I love the way you play. So I felt that rivalry, but I never felt that deeper sort of angst within our community toward Duke and the Duke Basketball program.

So part of that is, look, the five schools that I looked at, three of them were state schools: North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan. And then two were small private schools, Duke and Georgetown. And the reality is, Georgetown’s very similar to Duke. But the perception about Georgetown was very different, in part because they had an all-Black basketball team and a very strong Black leader as a coach. But the schools themselves were very similar—they all were predominantly white institutions. So I always kind of looked at things through that lens. There may have been more Black students at Carolina or at Virginia or at Michigan, but the schools were bigger, and so naturally they were going to have more of us. But I think the percentage of Black students was probably very similar to Duke and Georgetown at those other schools. I feel like we weren’t fully aware of those perceptions that were out there at that time.

9TH: So probably the two most polarizing figures around that time, when it comes to [the perception by some of Duke] being non-Black or being against Black people or being anti-Black, or anything dealing with Black and basketball, are Coach K and Christian Laettner. And they were the two quote-unquote “symbolic” reasons why I, as a Black man, should hate Duke. But what people don’t realize is Coach K’s from Chicago, and although Chicago has diverse places and not-so-diverse places, it’s never been on the record that he’s been against African Americans or anything like that.

And even when we talk about Christian Laettner, he loved hip-hop. Not to say that makes him Black, but he loved hip-hop. So in that insulated blanket that you guys were in, did you ever feel—from your teammates or the program itself—any type of racial tension? Did you feel any different being a Black player for Coach K? Like, Well, he does this for the white boys on the team, or anything like that?

GH: No, no, I didn’t. And Christian, when I arrived, was—look, let’s face it, Christian was one of the great college basketball players of the modern era. You go from 1980 onward, there’s not someone who’s as accomplished, who had as much success, and Christian was dominant. And so there was a respect for that and an understanding that he was our horse. It was interesting, you talk about Christian, Christian not only loved hip-hop, but I think he really respected and took the time to try to understand Black culture.

And I think it’s maybe more accepted now in some ways, but back then, that was—you’re talking about a southern school in 1990! And so the perception…obviously the I Hate Christian Laettner documentary, I think, dispelled a lot of perceived myths of him at the time. But yeah, we were just trying to win. And ultimately, it was like, What’s going to give us the best opportunity to be successful? We needed Christian to be great. We needed Bobby [Hurley] to become the player that we knew he could be. I needed to do what I did. So there were obviously issues of race on campus. I remember when I first arrived around this time, 32 years ago, [Republican] Jesse Helms was running against [Democrat] Harvey Gantt.

9TH: I remember that.

GH: In the state of North Carolina! And there were a lot of people, a lot of students, who opposed Jesse Helms. A lot of Duke students, Black and white. And I mentioned that in my book, but I say that in part to represent that there were matters and issues of race that emerged on campus, and I’m sure emerged at a lot of campuses. Do we have enough African American faculty members? Just things of that nature that were indicative of the times.

But in terms of Duke basketball…I don’t know. Like I said, I was oblivious to it. And I joke, and this is maybe simplifying things, but everywhere we went, we were hated. And any time a team came to Cameron, they were hated. And you just thought that was ACC basketball. You thought that was also a byproduct of us being really good. And even when we played non-conference teams, they wanted to play us. They wanted to boo us. They wanted to beat us. And the crazy thing on that front is when you went to a lot of these games, a lot of times you looked in the crowd, and in the students’ section it was predominantly white. You know what I’m saying? You go to Florida State, you go to Clemson, you go to Carolina, you go to NC State, you look in the crowd, and I’d say 90 percent, 95 percent of the student population was white. So I just thought that was [because] we were good. People wanted to beat us. And when [opposing teams] came into Cameron, the Cameron Crazies, they dished it out, too. And so I just thought that was part of intercollegiate sports at that time. I really did. I understand now, but at the time, I was a little bit oblivious to all of that. Not a little bit—I was very much oblivious to all of that.

9TH: If Duke was like that in 1990, do you feel as if, over the years, it has gotten Blacker? The basketball team?

GH: Well, I think part of what played into this feeling was that Duke Basketball, from ’85, ’86, when that team emerged, really until present day, has been good. And particularly ’86 to maybe the mid-2000s, we seemed to have a steady stream of really good white basketball players who were like, Player of the Year [level], and were cocky. And you had a Danny Ferry, you had a Bobby, you had a Christian, you had a JJ Redick. You had guys that didn’t mind playing the role of villain, and I’m sure that rubbed people the wrong way. And like I said, played into this narrative. [But] I’ll say this, and I don’t know if people fully understand this, but when I was at Duke, those three years that we recruited, we tried to get guys.

9TH: Y’all tried to get Chris Webber.

GH: Jerry Stackhouse came on a visit. He obviously chose to go to North Carolina and had a great career at Carolina and a great pro career. We brought in Chris Webber on a visit. He chose to go to Michigan, had a Hall of Fame career. And there are other guys as well. So it wasn’t like we weren’t trying to recruit certain guys. We were trying to win. And I think it’s just, not all those guys necessarily wanted to come to Duke, for whatever reason. And we missed out on white guys, too. But I think this idea that Coach or the program only exclusively went after good white players or good guys or guys who fit a certain mold, I think that was inaccurate. I was there. I housed those guys. I mean, I used to entertain Stackhouse. When Chris Webber came, we threw a party trying to…we understood how good he was, and guys chose to go elsewhere.

And so I think as Coach K [increased] his success and stature…and I think the Olympic team and getting validation from those pros, I think a number of things may have played into where now we field teams [where] we’re all Black, or at least predominantly Black. So it’s almost ironic, the irony and all. It’s like the so-called perception of Duke Basketball and how that’s changed, particularly in the last decade. But look, Coach K…you know Coach K as well as anyone. All he wants to do is win.

9TH: That’s it.

GH: And he wants to get the best players that give him an opportunity to win. And that was up until this last year [when he retired], and that was certainly back in 1990 when I first arrived
on campus.

Oh, one other thing. I do think the fact that we played and we beat two very significant teams, UNLV, who was dominant, and then Michigan, and sort of what they represented culturally, and we beat both [of] those teams—I think that also played into people’s feelings about us. And, of course, our star guy was Christian Laettner, and we had a Bobby Hurley and then Coach K, and we were categorized as good versus bad. And I think the media did that. 

9TH: What was the soundtrack of the locker room while you were there?

GH: That’s a good question. I don’t know. I think it changed every year because music was changing. So it was really kind of whatever was in. I think Poor Righteous Teachers, Jungle Brothers, LL Cool J. NWA’s second album. I’m trying to think what else. I remember my third year, that was The Chronic, that was a big album. And I also remember Geto Boys. That was big. [A] Tribe [Called Quest]. Oh Tribe! My second year, ’92, Tribe. And then my senior year, it was Cube, it was Wu-Tang. It was hip-hop. I mean, I knew about the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but that wasn’t in the locker room, that was just more in the school. 

But yeah, it was very much hip-hop. It was embraced socially on campus with the non-Black students, which obviously is the same as I would assume it is now, the present day.

9TH: And it’s crazy because the time you played at Duke, ’91-94, if you place the the rap albums that came out those three years, it is insane. And movies, too. I’ve talked to a lot of guys who went to school with you, and a lot of white guys, and they say, I was here when Grant was here.
And I was like, What was your music of choice? They were like, Nas. And I was like…[Wow]. And this is a guy our age, corporate, and he loves Nas and Wu-Tang. So it’s funny to say this out loud, but you played at Duke during the golden era, during the golden era of hip-hop. It’s incredible to say out loud. 

GH: Durham always gave us love, man. Anyway, I just think it’s important. I think you understand the city there, but we’d go off campus, we were out and about. People showed a lot of love. So I’m looking at Duke’s perception in the Black community through the lens of the residents of Durham. And so if we were in the West End, or if we were at McDougald or whatever, we were out and about like that. It was always love. Now, maybe the love was like, Yo, the Duke basketball players, they’re coming over and they’re spending time, they’re doing things, they’re hanging out, whatever it is. And ironically—well, I can’t say this with absolute certainty, but DC loved Duke.

9TH: Wow. 

GH: Now if I say that, people may hate on me for saying it, but think about it. Coach K helped build some of his foundation by going up to the DMV.

9TH: Yes, absolutely. He did.

GH: Know what I mean? He got a lot of people out of the area. And so because of that, there was a lot of love. When I went home, people used to rock with Duke.

9TH: Wow, I never thought of that. That’s an interesting dynamic.

GH: Yeah. So I’m looking at it through that lens. All I know is the DMV, and I know Durham. I’m not going to these other places. And so I didn’t realize it until I left school and I got into the League and I started to understand how people perceived us. But look, the foundation, you got Johnny [Dawkins]—no disrespect to David Henderson, Mark Alarie, those guys, they were just as important. [But] you get your backcourt from DC. Then you come back, you get Billy King. Then you get the Player of the Year, Danny Ferry. That got it rolling. 

It’s just interesting. I don’t feel like the Black community looks at Duke Basketball the same as they did 30 years ago.

9TH: No, not at all. It is ever-changing. It’s always transforming, all the time. And they don’t look at it the same. It’s a respect factor. It’s still I don’t like Duke, or whatever, but it’s a respect factor. It’s the “Duke Starting 5 Haircut” the 2015 national championship team had. 

And on top of that, we have to understand that this generation of Black kids, they don’t really remember the Laettner years. A lot of these kids, their memory [goes back to] Kyrie Irving. And that’s the beginning. And if they’re looking at TV for the last 10 years, 12 years, all they see is all of these Black players. So if you’re a kid watching ball for the last 12 years, you don’t see Duke through the same lens as people saw Duke in 1991. 

And I think that’s a beautiful thing. 

Photos via Getty Images

The post Grant Hill and 9th Wonder have a Candid Conversation about Duke Basketball and its Relationship with the Black Community appeared first on SLAM.

The Suns are currently 1-9 in their last 10 games after dropping a 30-point decision to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. They’ve also ended their four-game road trip with three straight losses to the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Memphis. The losses can be attributed to the Suns being last in offense (104.6 offensive ratings) and 23rd in defense (117.2 defensive ratings).

Chris Paul, Cam Payne, Cameron Johnson, and Devin Booker have also been out for periods of time due to leg, hip, and foot injuries. Booker has been out since Dec. 17 due to a hamstring injury, and CP3 has been in and out of the Suns’ lineup due to a collection of injuries.

After their 136-106 loss to Memphis on Monday, Suns forward Josh Okogie said that Phoenix can get out of their rut by simply playing “through it.”

"Keep playing. Can't get out of it. You've got to get through it."

Josh Okogie as #Suns are 1-9 in their last 10 after Monday's loss at #Grizzlies to end 4-game road trip with three straight defeats. #MLKDay2023 pic.twitter.com/UCi07VoAKz

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 17, 2023

Okogie is also encouraged by the Suns’ culture persevering through this skid and that Phoenix’s “spirits are still high” despite the losses they’ve dealt with. Okogie believes that once the Suns get healthy, they’ll “be just fine.”

“The way we operate, the way we practice, our attention to detail, we’re still operating like we’re a top three team in the West.”

Okogie and the Suns are set to host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.

The post Josh Okogie is Confident the Suns Can ‘Get Through’ Recent Skid appeared first on SLAM.

Based on his performance over the three-day event, Lofton Jr. earned a late invitation to the NBA Draft Combine. On May 23, just after the Combine ended, he announced his decision to remain in the 2022 Draft. “See y’all June 23,” he wrote on Twitter. “100% staying in the draft!” Though he wasn’t selected, the 20-year-old eventually signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies and continued to shine at NBA Summer League in July, posting 14.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

At 6-6, 275 pounds, Lofton Jr. is built more like an NFL tight end than an NBA forward. His strong frame, “bully ball” style and smooth lefty jumper immediately reminded Grizzlies fans of Zach Randolph. The hype surrounding him grew even more during a matchup with No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, in which Lofton Jr. overpowered the 7-1 Gonzaga star down low, notching 19 points and 6 boards.

A point guard in high school before sprouting from 6-2 to 6-6 and moving to the frontcourt at Louisiana Tech, Lofton Jr.’s game reflects just that—he is as comfortable handling the ball up top as he is operating on the post, where he makes up for a lack of height with sheer muscle and excellent footwork. Asked about the development of his unique skill set at Grizzlies media day, Lofton Jr. said, “I just knew post moves. I just added everything I had and put it in one bag and used it.”

That bag includes a soft touch in the paint, a crafty spin move and an impressive passing ability. And now, with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, Lofton Jr. is adding to his arsenal. After taking just 20 total threes in college, the rookie is currently averaging just under 4 attempts per contest. He shot 50 percent from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc in December, averaging 21.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists to lead his team to a 7-2 record.

Memphis went 2-0 at the recent AT&T Winter Showcase in Las Vegas, the event that every G Leaguer has circled on the calendar. Playing in front of scouts and executives from all 30 NBA teams, Lofton Jr. was dominant. He showed his expanded range, knocking down 5 three-pointers, and overwhelmed weaker defenders inside. He was unstoppable driving to his left, using his body to keep shot blockers away and finishing through contact at the rim. In the two most important games of the season so far, he averaged 27 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5 assists. He was named to the All-Winter Showcase Team along with Brandon Boston Jr., Tre Mann, Isaiah Mobley and Terry Taylor.

Of course, Lofton Jr. still has a lot to improve—reducing his turnovers, upping his efficiency from deep, playing defense without fouling. But since the Elite Camp seven months ago, when he wasn’t even set on turning pro, the big man has already taken significant steps toward becoming a real contributor at the NBA level.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (DECEMBER STATS)

Mason Jones, Forward, Mexico City Capitanes: 24.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 63 FG%, 49 3P%

Isaiah Mobley, Forward, Cleveland Charge: 25.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, 65 FG%, 57 3P%

Mamadi Diakite, Forward, Cleveland Charge: 24 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 53 FG%

Orlando Robinson, Forward, Sioux Falls Skyforce: 25.5 points, 15.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, 62 FG%

Vernon Carey Jr., Forward, Capital City Go-Go: 25.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 59 FG%

Carlik Jones, Guard, Windy City Bulls: 23 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 52 FG%, 37 3P%

Brandon Boston Jr., Guard, Ontario Clippers: 23.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 49 FG% (Winter Showcase MVP)

Brandon Williams, Guard, College Park Skyhawks: 23.4 points, 4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals, 52 FG%, 49 3P%

Tyler Dorsey, Guard, Texas Legends: 27.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 51 FG%, 47 3P%

DECEMBER CALL-UP TRACKER

Louis King, Forward, Rio Grande Valley Vipers to Philadelphia 76ers

AJ Lawson, Forward, College Park Skyhawks to Dallas Mavericks

Jared Rhoden, Guard, College Park Skyhawks to Detroit Pistons

Carlik Jones, Guard, Windy City Bulls to Chicago Bulls

Stanley Johnson, Guard, Sioux Falls Skyforce to San Antonio Spurs

Orlando Robinson, Forward, Sioux Falls Skyforce to Miami Heat

Photos via Getty Images.

The post NBA G League Player To Watch (December Edition): Kenneth Lofton Jr.  appeared first on SLAM.

When we caught up with Redick after filming was done, he was just as reflective about his playing career and going into broadcasting and sports media.

“I think a big part of it was just going to play for the Clippers, to be honest with you,” Redick says of how he’s transitioned into media while being introverted. “Duke felt like a bubble. And then Orlando is a smaller market, even when we were really good it didn’t feel big. And when I went to the Clippers, big media market, a lot of eyeballs, we were a good team. The city’s huge. You start meeting people, you’re randomly at a fundraiser for the Democratic Party at Magic Johnson’s house and you’re up on stage with Harry Reid. And you’re like, what? How did I f***ing end up here? I’m taking a picture with Diane Keaton. 

“By the time I was doing ESPN [and] by the time we had launched the ‘The Old Man and Three’ in 2020, I was very comfortable by then. I look at those four years in L.A. as sort of the growth and the journey. That, to me, was a pivotal moment in my life—and it coincided with me becoming a father.  That gave me a whole new perspective on things and what mattered and not caring as much to be honest with you. Not being so sensitive.” 

The decision to get into podcasting for Redick really started out of curiosity. “It was something other than basketball, which is something that I had thought about for a long time,” he says, later adding: “It’s weird, because I grew up so introverted and now I have to have gotten comfortable. I have to talk a lot on camera.” 

It was around 2012-2013 when Redick, who was then playing on the Orlando Magic, took a trip to Boston to visit his best friend from high school. They hit up Fenway, as well as Harvard, where they ended up having a two-hour long conversation on the quad. “I remember thinking at the time, ‘I wish somebody had recorded that.’ I didn’t have the podcast [yet].” This moment ultimately contributed to the start of a journey that would lead to Redick diving into podcasting. 

Now, Redick has established himself as one of the strongest voices within sports media, offering both a deep knowledge of the game, as well as a player-first perspective. Whether he’s challenging Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take, interviewing superstars around the NBA on the “The Old Man and Three” podcast, including Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum, alongside co-host Tommy Alter, or going back and forth with the DraftKing’s Starting Five about the state of the game today, Redick admits that these are all skills—public speaking, asking questions, getting subjects to open up—that he’s had to learn and develop over time. Since he became the first active player to host a podcast when he launched a weekly show with Yahoo Sports in 2016, Redick has spent the past five years perfecting his craft with the same preparedness and attentiveness to the game as he did as a player. 

“There are certainly comparisons, there are certainly similarities. I think a lot about preparation. For me, being undersized with a short wingspan, not particularly bouncy, not particularly agile—I mean relative to you, I’m a better athlete, but relative to NBA players, I was on the lower end of the spectrum. So I had to prepare and people tell me all the time, and it drives me f***ing crazy, ‘Oh, you’re a natural.’ And I’m like, ‘Mmm, no, I’m not.’ It goes back to the extroverted thing. I’m not. I’ve actually got hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of reps. Like last year, I would do a f***ing five-minute SportsCenter hit at 12 o’clock, I’m preparing 45 minutes for that. I get the questions. I’m doing my research. I’m thinking about clips. I do it the same way I played. That’s how I had to play and I look at it [like] I have to do it the same way here…Look, if we’re being honest, you go to Miami in Game 4, you’re down and you hit a big bucket down the stretch, you make the game-sealing free throws, and Joel gets the rebound to end the game and you’re going back in the locker room with your teammates to fly back to Philly to close them out. There’s no better feeling than that. We probably, as athletes, we probably won’t ever feel that again. There’s got to be some level of acceptance on that but you can still grind and search and challenge yourself in ways that you approximate that.”

When he’s watching the game these days, Redick pays keen attention to body language—a skill he learned at Duke while playing under Mike Krzyzewski. 

“I think it’s because I played for Coach K, I am big on watching body language—and I know that sounds weird. There’s four or five actions you can run in the NBA, and there’s three or four ways to defend those actions, generally. There’s some creativity around watching Phoenix or Dallas—the different ways they get into the pick and roll. I find it fascinating and when I call their games, I’ve tried to find ways to point this out and break it down because I think most casual fans [are like], ‘Explain pick and roll. What’s that?’ [and] the Twitter nerds, they love it.  But I watch body language a lot and when I’m evaluating a team, I’m watching the body language. When I’m evaluating a team winning or losing, I’m watching the body language. I’m watching players that have edge—I am fascinated by Jose Alvarado, T.J. McConnell, Marcus Smart. I love watching those guys. 

“And then, as a true basketball fan, and this is where I, like, for whatever reason, run into such headwinds. I appreciate greatness. Shouldn’t we all? I guess not because so much of the narrative side of it is pointing out all the failures of great players versus celebrating the longevity, the scoring, the winning. It annoys the f**** out of me, to be honest with you. It does. I love watching Tatum play, I love watching Ja Morant. I view games through the analytical lens for sure, but I’m also just a basketball fan. I retired and I was like, I’m going to take a break, and then I had to sign up for ESPN, but then, like, f***ing two weeks into the season I’m like, Jesus, man, I’m doing the same thing I did as a player. I’m watching eight [NBA] League Pass games, switching back and forth channels, channels, channels, and then it’s 12:30 at night and I’m like, Okay, I can finally go to bed because I’ve watched all the games.”

For Redick, there’s “two components” to the way he approaches his work now as an analyst and podcast host: “There’s the analysis of the game, which to me, seems very black and white,” he explains. “In that, I can go look at advanced stats, and I can talk about them all day, I can watch a play, and I can break that down. It’s cut and dry. The narrative side of media, which is where I think I’ve made some headway, if that makes sense, that is the gray. Tobias [Harris] and I talk about this all the time, because he was such a black and white person, and it used to drive me crazy. I’d be like, ‘Dude, you gotta learn to live in the gray.’ And I like to live in the gray. That’s how I operate in my life. And so I think, every conversation we have about narrative, it’s always super nuanced. I enjoy having those conversations. That, to me, is where you get a lot of disagreement. And that’s inevitable, because so and so player, team, their stans. And you are never going to change the opinion of a stan. You’re just not. But I enjoy having those conversations. And I’m not always right. I know I’m not always right. And I knew when I was wrong. I do, or at least I try to. Kings fans, I’ve acknowledged that I’ve admitted the whole trade, whatever.”

Then there’s Redick’s ability to understand his subjects, an attribute that has made him so compelling as an analyst. He’s been there, not just on the court, but as a professional athlete who’s been put under a magnifying lens by the media and general public. When the scrutiny surrounding Russell Westbrook gets brought up mid-interview, Redick offers both perspectives—there’s the one that only he, and his former NBA teammates, could ever possibly understand, and then there’s the outside, fan perspective. “So, number one, we’ve all been memed and GIF-ed. I think we’re all cognizant that the camera is on us, but we’re also human. And I remember during the [NBA] bubble, our second game, we got blasted by the Clippers and I had to lay down because of my back, so I never sat on the bench. I’m rolling my back …and I’m, like, staring into the abyss. That became a GIF for, like, four days and it’s like, Yeah, you caught me in a bad moment. I was f***ing pissed. We were losing by 30 in the third quarter. Like, it happens. So, the body language part I get and certainly players like Russ are scrutinized, especially once different storylines get added in.” 

It’s in the gray area where Redick shines most. By intertwining his knowledge of the game and 15 years of playing experience with his understanding of how NBA fandom works, as well as the media, Redick has been able to get players around the League to let their guard down and open up about never-before talked about topics, from mental health to getting cut from a team, in a way most broadcasters could only imagine. He’s still that same determined, competitive and straight-up clutch sharpshooter that he was at Duke and in the League—the only difference now is that he’s bringing that same passion to every assignment, every game and every interview. 

“It’s the juice. Yeah, that’s the juice for me,” Redick says of getting players to open up. “When I played, the competition part was such a drug. And the highs of it were just so good. The lows were so bad. But it was so addicting, all of it was so addicting. And as athletes we really struggle to recapture that in our post-playing days, it’s damn near impossible. I sometimes get it on the golf course. Going back to recording, for the podcast, for me, that is the drug. When PJ Tucker talks about how, at the end of his first season, the Raptors cut him and prior to cutting him for the playoff run, they brought him into the office, the whole staff was there, and they showed we’ve had a camera on you. For the last two weeks, here’s your body language in huddles, here’s your body language when your teammates scores, here’s your body language in practice. Like, when he tells that story, that’s a high for me. When DeMar [DeRozan] opens up about his mental health approach and his struggles and his journey there, that’s a high for me. You don’t always get that in every interview or every episode, but when you get it, God, it’s so f***ing good.”

Watch the latest episode of the DraftKings Starting Five series featuring JJ Redick here. 

The post JJ Redick Quickly Became a Rising Star in Sports Media by Approaching it the Same Way He Approached the Game appeared first on SLAM.

Herro makes NBA History by becoming the first player to record nine or more three points on back-to-back nights. On Thursday, he tied the franchise record for most three-pointers (10) in a single game against the Houston Rockets, which featured a career-high 41 total points for him.

Wednesday night was a similar performance with a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Herro knocked nine 3-pointers to his 35 points. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been on a tear lately, but Herro is only focused on what he can contribute to pushing the Heat back into one of the contenders of the East.

“I didn’t know it was the record until last night when I hit nine, and they said I was one short,” Herro said per ESPN. “I didn’t have any intention of coming in to tie the record, but I was just trying to get 3s up. I think shooting more 3s is helping.”

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It’s not like he’s just chucking three balls out there, either. His numbers are looking as efficient as ever from the outside. Herro shot a career-best 10-15 from beyond the arc. While he shot 12-23 from the field against the Thunder, Herro hit the game-winning basket from 15 feet to aid him as the best field goal percentage made shooter among starting guards the last two games.

“Regardless, he’s too good of a shooter for us to not take 3s off the catch,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game. “He has to continue to be assertive in those opportunities. He’s just a brilliant shooter. He can do it off the dribble and off the catch.”

The back-to-back historic nights for the Kentucky product aren’t one of his first marks in NBA history. Against the Boston Celtics in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, Herro recorded a 37-point game in a critical Game 5 that listed him with the second most all-time playoff points for a player 20 years old or younger behind Magic Johnson(42).

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This time around, Herro, at 22-years-old achieves another Heat record by becoming the youngest player to have a 40-point game in the regular season, breaking franchise legend Dwyane Wade‘s at 23.

Herro has lived up to his $130 million contract this season, and more importantly, he earned himself a spot in the starting lineup, a role he was excited to grab this past summer.

With the presence of All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat may have solidified a Big Three that can contribute at all ends of the court to reach the destiny of a fourth championship.

For now, only one thing is certain; Herro is indeed a Bucket.

The post Tyler Herro Makes History After Hitting Nine Triples in Back-to-Back Games appeared first on SLAM.

Of all the standout players in the G during November, Iowa Wolves star Luka Garza shined the brightest. A quick reminder what the 6-11 center did at the University of Iowa: 2020-21 consensus National Player of the Year, two-time First Team All-American, the only player in Big Ten history with at least 2,250 points and 900 rebounds. Garza graduated as Iowa’s all-time leading scorer and had his No. 55 jersey retired by the program. His list of accolades is seemingly never-ending—just scroll through his bio page here.

And yet…Garza was not a top NBA prospect. There were a lot of questions about how his old-school game would translate to the pros, and whether he was mobile and athletic enough to still be productive at the next level. Despite a remarkable college career, the Hawkeye legend fell all the way to the 52^nd pick in the 2021 Draft, where he was scooped up by the Detroit Pistons.

As a rookie, Garza played in 21 games for the G League’s Motor City Cruise, averaging 21.6 points and 9.1 rebounds. He was named to the G League All-Rookie Team and the All-NBA G League Third Team. He also appeared in 32 games for the Pistons, contributing 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest (17.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per 36 minutes).

Detroit moved on from Garza this past summer, and the 23-year-old eventually signed a two-way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was able to learn from All-Stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert throughout training camp and preseason. Since then, Garza has spent much of his time with Minnesota’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves.

“That was one of the draws of coming here—being able to develop my game, but do it in a place that’s basically my second home,” Garza told reporters in mid-October. “I’m from DC, but now it feels like I’m from Iowa. I love it out there, so I’m super excited.”

Back in his “second home,” the big man averaged 27.3 points (second in the G League), 8.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists (first among centers) in November. His efficiency was ridiculous—he shot 67.6 percent from the field and 55.2 percent from behind the arc (on 4.1 attempts per game). Just look at the array of ways he scores in the highlight clip below: finishes out of the pick-and-roll, fade-away baseline jumpers, put-backs, three-pointers, floaters in the lane, crafty post moves—he does it all.

With Garza in the lineup, the Iowa Wolves went 6-1 in November; without him, they were 0-2. After Towns suffered a right calf strain a week ago, Garza was temporarily called up from Iowa to Minnesota. In December, our “G League Player to Watch” might just get an opportunity to prove himself on the big stage.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (NOVEMBER STATS)

Jaden Hardy, Guard, Texas Legends: 29 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 55 FG%, 48 3P%

Jay Huff, Forward, South Bay Lakers: 17.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 4.4 blocks, 68 FG%

Sharife Cooper, Guard, Cleveland Charge: 26.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 51 FG%, 45 3P%

Kenneth Lofton Jr, Forward, Memphis Hustle: 27.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 57 FG%

Mark Williams, Center, Greensboro Swarm: 23.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 63 FG%

Chris Chiozza, Guard, Long Island Nets: 15.1 points, 11.9 assists, 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals

Jamaree Bouyea, Guard, Sioux Falls Skyforce: 18.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.5 steals, 53 FG%

Luka Samanic, Forward, Maine Celtics: 21.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 blocks, 53.7 FG%. 

NOVEMBER CALL-UP TRACKER

DaQuan Jeffries, Guard, Westchester Knicks to New York Knicks

Alize Johnson, Forward, Austin Spurs to San Antonio Spurs

Dru Smith, Guard, Sioux Falls Skyforce to Miami Heat

Saben Lee, Guard, Raptors 905 to Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors

Devon Dotson, Guard, Capital City Go-Go to Washington Wizards

Ibou Badji, Center, Wisconsin Herd to Portland Trail Blazers

AJ Lawson, Forward, College Park Skyhawks to Minnesota Timberwolves

Orlando Robinson, Forward, Sioux Falls Skyforce to Miami Heat

Jordan Hall, Forward, Austin Spurs to San Antonio Spurs

The post NBA G League Player to Watch: Luka Garza (November Edition) appeared first on SLAM.

“It definitely was the proving ground,” he adds. “That’s the place where you had to go play. Coming out of this city, if you didn’t come through there, then you weren’t real.”

In the wake of the devastating 1967 Detroit Riots, Sam Washington—the athletic director at St. Cecilia’s—was determined to create a safe haven for kids. Washington opened up the doors to St. Cecilia’s gym and before long it was attracting some of the most talented basketball players in the area. At a time of tension and unrest, the modest facility—located near I-96 in west Detroit—had a unifying effect on the community, and became a symbol of the city’s resilience.

Hall of Famer Dave Bing was the first NBA star to play at The Saint, using the gym to work out amid a contract dispute with the Pistons. As the years passed, everyone from George Gervin to Magic Johnson to Isiah Thomas to Jalen Rose and Chris Webber graced St. Cecilia’s court, drawing huge crowds that packed into the cramped space.

“You would go in on a Saturday morning at 9 o’clock and you wouldn’t leave until 10 o’clock at night,” Cureton recalls. The former big man started his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers, but would return to Detroit every summer for The Saint’s pro-am league. 

“Once I got to the pros—we won a championship in Philly—I couldn’t wait to get back to St. Cecilia’s in the summertime,” Cureton continues. “We would see each other in the League during the season and we’d all be saying, ‘Okay, who’s going to win The Saint this year? You won an NBA championship, but you gotta go back and win The Saint.’”

The list of greats to make appearances at The Saint goes on and on: Dave DeBusschere, Rudy Tomjanovich, Spencer Haywood, Jimmy Walker, B.J Armstrong, Joe Dumars, Derrick Coleman, Steve Smith, Shane Battier. One summer, Bernard King even flew in with a team from New York just to play at the mecca of Detroit hoops.

In early November, the Pistons unveiled their 2022-23 City Edition uniforms, which pay tribute to St. Cecilia’s. Designed in collaboration with Creative Director of Innovation Big Sean, who went to basketball camp at The Saint as a kid, the new threads are green, just like the walls of the iconic gym. The shorts feature a replica of the stained-glass window that adorns the front entrance of the building, and the jerseys include the same quote—“Where stars are made, not born”—that is inscribed on the hardwood floor. 

“It was like the Drew League in Detroit before the Drew League,” Big Sean says about the summer league at St. Cecilia’s. “[The gym] is just a part of the community and I think it’s kind of been slept on these past few years so I’m glad it’s being highlighted. I’m glad we were able to pay homage with these uniforms. This was my first time designing anything like that. It was a big deal for me.”

Not too long ago, the Detroit rapper was just a fan sitting in the nosebleeds at The Palace of Auburn Hills during the 2004 NBA Finals. He remembers waiting outside one of the arena’s gates with his brother and seeing Richard Hamilton—clad in a fur coat and chains—hop in his Range Rover after the game.

Designing the uniforms was “a full-circle thing,” Big Sean tells SLAM. “It’s major for me. I’m grateful. I feel like I’m doing it not just for me—I feel like I represent a lot of people from the city of Detroit. I represent my family. It feels good to just be able to put a little bit of our signature on it.” 

Big Sean’s actual signature appears on the jersey, as well as a trio of gold stars that represent the organization’s three titles.

“It was easy just because we had a vision. We didn’t want to go too extra. I kind of wanted to keep it clean, keep it classic,” Sean says about the design process. “And that colorway is so classic. First of all, that’s my high school colorway—that green and white. That’s MSU. That’s Wayne State, Eastern Michigan, so many schools around the city. My brother went to Eastern Michigan. A lot of my family, friends went to MSU. I went to Cass [Technical High School]. It just kind of had a lot of meaning, the green and white. And then we added the blue. I loved how the numbers were shadowed on some of the other uniforms, so we added that and made it blue, just to represent the blue-collar history of Detroit.”

In addition to rocking the uniforms throughout the season, the Pistons are spearheading efforts to renovate St. Cecilia’s. SLAM’s parent company, JDS Sports, recently pledged a $250,000 grant to help kickstart construction, joining the Detroit Pistons Foundation and the Knight Foundation. 

“I love the storytelling around this jersey, but it’s not just the look-back storytelling,” says Alicia Jeffreys, Chief Marketing Officer for the Pistons. “I think it’s the future of The Saint that we really want to put out into the world. We want for the next several generations of kids in this neighborhood to be able to have a safe place to play ball. Restoring The Saint is just as important to us as restoring the Pistons on the court. We have to do both of those things in tandem.”

Photos courtesy of the Pistons.

The post The Story Behind the Detroit Pistons’ New City Edition Uniforms appeared first on SLAM.

𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗗

Head Coach @coachthibault is retiring from coaching the Washington Mystics.

The 3-time WNBA Coach of the Year, 2019 WNBA Champion and winningest coach in WNBA history will continue with the Mystics as our General Manager.

https://t.co/vGX6a2DCci pic.twitter.com/saMvZOJ6ty

— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) November 15, 2022

Thibault, 72, will hand off head coaching duties to his son, Eric Thibault, and will now join the front office of the Mystics as the general manager. In a press conference announcing his retirement, Thibault shed recognition to the ownership group that believed in his abilities to bring Washington its first championship in franchise history.

“I will be forever grateful to Ted Leonsis, Sheila Johnson, and the Monumental ownership group for the support and resources they have given us to succeed,” said Thibault. “As well as the lifetime friendships that we have formed, I have been blessed to have worked with so many great players here in D.C. and throughout my career, and I’m excited to still be around the wonderful core group we have returning this coming season.”

Associate Head Coach Eric Thibault has been elevated to Head Coach!!@ET_hoops, who has spent 10 seasons on our staff has helped lead the team to eight postseason appearances, has directed much of the player development in his four years as Assoc. Head Coach.

— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) November 15, 2022

Thibault is in the Mount Rushmore of WNBA figures, and his resume speaks for itself. Thibault is the winningest coach in WNBA history after winning 379 games throughout his career with the Mystics and Connecticut Sun.

In three of his 19 seasons, Thibault was awarded the prestigious coach of the year award in 06′, 08′, and 13′. The wins came in bunches, but the epitome of his coaching legacy came from his first championship in 2019.

The Mystics went 26-8 that season and were led by 2019 MVP Elena Delle Donne, Kristi Toliver, and Emma Meesseman, to name a few. That Big 3 set the edge for their Finals series against Thibault’s former Sun team. The Mystics made it to the Finals the year before but were swept by the Seattle Storm. Game 5 of the 2019 WNBA Finals was just a little more significant with the backdrop of trying to win Thibault’s and Washington’s first-ever title.

It was the cherry on top to finally be crowned a champion for Thibault. His role now is to hope his son delivers the same success he has had for the last two decades.

“A special thanks to the wonderful staff we have had throughout our time here – I couldn’t ask for better teammates in this journey,” said Thibault. “I have had so many great mentors and met so many unbelievable people because of the game of basketball – thanks to all of them. Thanks also to our great fans who believed in us when we promised them a championship after all the years of waiting.”

The post Mike Thibault Retires After Legendary Coaching Career appeared first on SLAM.

Wearing his favorite player’s number during his days playing for the Mid Queens Fresh Meadows league, the Queens native grew up in the easternmost borough religiously watching every Knicks game with his father while the walls of his room lay rife with posters of Doc Rivers, Derek Harper, Hubert Davis and Greg Anthony, his “OG heroes.” Whether it was the ’94 Finals run or Larry Johnson’s legendary 4-point play against the Pacers with time expiring, “These moments were bigger than basketball to me,” Fieg says. “They defined my youth.”

As the founder and owner of the lifestyle brand Kith, Fieg and his ever-extensive collection of collaborative installments continues to be informed by the brands that formalized his adolescence—such as the company’s Coca-Cola branded apparel pieces and its redesigned BMW vehicles. But just one has been able to include both New York City and its hometown Knicks, making Fieg’s newest position as the organization’s Creative Director that much more sacred.

Yes, you read that right. The man who brought you the past two years of sleek City Edition uniforms while continuing to cohabitate with the biggest sports and fashion brands on the globe—The Swoosh, Versace, Bergdorf Goodman and Asics, just to name a few—is now leading the creative direction of the New York Knicks.

At age 7, Fieg’s father gifted him a Knicks t-shirt that he quickly became obsessed with. He recalled exactly how upset he was when his arms and torso grew out of its youth size. Still, he didn’t want to give it up. There was too much history, too much nostalgia stitched into its seams. “That’s the same feeling I want to give people today when I design Knicks product,” he says.

Fieg says the landmark opportunity came by way of his work on the team’s City Edition uniforms and subsequent Kith collections from the past two seasons. The brand’s special projects and marketing efforts in collaboration with the organization led to Fieg and the Knicks’ relationship growing to the point of this next step making sense for both parties.

“I think they saw the passion I have for the team, and they wanted to take what we were doing together to the next level,” Fieg says. “We shared long conversations about what the Knicks not only mean to the League, but to the world. Through these conversations, as well as the Kith partnership, they understood my vision and we began to shape this opportunity to do some very special things.”

In Fieg’s eyes, New York remains the most aspirational city on Earth, with both he and his brand’s roots tied to its nostalgic ’90s aesthetic. When asked about his favorite elements of the Knicks jersey during his childhood, he notes that the specific jersey—with its vibrant orange and blue accents and piping—didn’t change between 1983 and 1997, so that’s the one he goes back to as the OG.

During Fieg’s high school years, the team’s jersey—with a thick jet black stripe down the top and bottom—was worn from 1998 to 2012, so you can expect that period to heavily influence his coming work as well.

“Whatever you love during that era is what you’ll love for the rest of your life,” Fieg adds. “So many incredible memories were made with those jerseys that make their design coveted forever.”

The immediate work, however, doesn’t call for an immediate jersey overhaul or redesign of the hallowed MSG hardwood. Rather, he’s opting for building out the consistency of the way the general public views the Knicks’ brand. “It’s going to be my responsibility that they also love the brand the same way I do,” he says.

The franchise is equally excited to have Ronnie on board.

“When Ronnie created his first Knicks City Edition uniform during the 2020-21 season, the organization knew we had something special, and each year’s design has been more innovative than the last. We are honored to have him join the Knicks as Creative Director,” says David Hopkinson, President and Chief Operating Officer of MSG Sports. “Ronnie’s position will help provide a distinctive look and feel across marketing, content and merchandise initiatives. Given Ronnie’s life-long Knicks fandom, creative vision and New York City roots, we are extremely excited for our continued and expanded collaboration.”

The 2022 Kith for Knicks collection is “a combination of products that really speak to the best of what Kith has to offer as a brand,” Fieg says. “The first two collections were in collaboration with Nike, and that called for a more athletic approach. This time around I wanted to go super luxury with the product and feature the team in ways we’ve never seen before. Knits, Manteco Wool jackets, leather varsities, new sweatshirt bodies, etc.”

The collection includes a collared varsity jacket in royal blue and a beige leather version that Fieg describes as his “favorite piece yet.”

What can fans of both Kith and the Knicks look forward to?

“Expect there to be tender loving care applied,” Fieg says. “I’m a tough critic of my work, so New York and I have that in common. I hope I can make fans proud of what they speak on and wear to represent the team and brand.”

The post EXCLUSIVE: Ronnie Fieg on Being Named the First-Ever Creative Director of the New York Knicks appeared first on SLAM.

On June 30, the night NBA free agency began, a black SUV with tinted windows rolled up to Udonis Haslem’s vacation home in Orlando, FL. 

“That s**t almost got shot up,” Haslem said on teammate Duncan Robinson’s podcast, The Long Shot. “It’s creeping and it’s slow, I’m like, Who the f**k is this?!”

To his surprise, a delegation of six Miami Heat employees got out of the car. It was 6 p.m., the literal minute free agency began, and they were there to make a personal pitch for the big man to come back for his 20th season—tied for the second-longest tenure with any one team.

Usually, this type of pitch is reserved for high-profile targets. Haslem, on the other hand, has only played in 58 regular season games the last six seasons. So why the royal treatment? 

UD’s impact within the organization is undeniable. He was a key player on all three of their championship teams. He’s the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder. And when his number was called last year, he stepped up.

On the other hand, a roster spot is a valuable thing. After all, an NBA team only has 15 of them. Haslem’s critics say that spot should be used for an up-and-coming player, a new free agent or more. So why use it on a 42-year-old power forward? 

Well, the Heat clearly know the answer. His teammates know. And you can be sure that UD knows. And he was kind enough to sit down with SLAM and tell us. 

SLAM: We heard your interview on Duncan Robinson’s podcast this summer. You said: “Another misconception is I take up a roster spot…People are so focused on my age and why I’m here. There’s a reason why I’m f***** here.” So, what’s that reason?

UD: I mean, for me, there’s very few people, at any level, that can pay attention to every single detail, and that can actually do it consistently. I’m one of those people. I’m anal that way. But it doesn’t always translate when it comes from a coach to a player. But when it comes from player to player, it translates differently. 

I raise the level of everything. Not just on the court. I raise the level off the court, I raise the level of the organization. I’m raising the level of the trainers, I’m raising the level of Pat [Riley] when he’s sitting there watching. I raise the level of everything around me. I am the Heat way. We’ve rotated players, but it doesn’t matter. Regardless of who’s come here or who’s left, I remain here, and I am the Heat way. And it rubs off on others.

But every year, I have to earn the respect. Nobody’s given me s**t. Every year these guys are walking in here saying, This old motherf***er back again, and I gotta earn the respect of the new guys. The guys that have been here, they know. They understand. But I gotta earn the respect of the new guys that come in. And then I’ma show you. I’ll go out there and I’ll play. And I’ll do what I have to do. 

SLAM: Speaking of leadership, ownership is something you’ve aspired to. Could you talk a little about that? 

UD: My influence is very, very strong. And the only way I can maximize that and use it in the right way, for the Miami Heat and for myself, is to be in the highest level of leadership, and that goes in ownership. 

But I have influence around this entire NBA, as the OG. A lot of guys look up to me. A lot of guys reach out for advice. And I appreciate that. You lose those relationships if you step into a coaching situation. But I think when you step into a leadership role of an owner, and somebody who guys have trusted as a player, I think it just maximizes the power that you have and for the organization that you’re working for. 

SLAM: It seems you do have a gift, or a knack, for impacting these younger guys. I mean, the Heat have turned into this elite developmental organization for undrafted players.

UD: I call them “My Undrafted Minions.” I love those dudes, man. Those dudes, man, they got my heart. Max [Strus]. Gabe [Vincent]. Duncan [Robinson]. Caleb [Martin]. Dewayne Dedmon. 

SLAM: Why is that?  

UD: Because I understand, man. It’s such a short leash when you come here in that situation. There’s no room for error. And odds are literally stacked against you. They probably got a guy that they drafted that plays your position, or another guy that came from another team that plays your position. I just understand the pressure of that situation. If you can come through that and be out on top, and not just be on the team but be actual rotation players and guys that actually move the needle? All these guys have added years onto their career, have gotten their money…these guys have literally beat the odds.

But I don’t think people really understand the work I’ve put in to be able to impact these guys. I can’t just show up and smoke cigarettes and throw s**t at the walls and see if it sticks. 

SLAM: The only way to tap into these younger guys is to show it and to earn it. 

UD: Yeah, and I have to earn it every year, bro. I have to earn it every year. I can’t take a summer off. As soon as the season’s over, I give myself a week or two and I’m back at it. That’s how it has to be. 

SLAM: It’s amazing you’ve continued for this long at such a high level. When those guys come in, day one, the Undrafted Minions, what do you say to them?

UD: Follow me, I f**k with you. Off the top. I don’t know you, I know nothing about you. I know your situation, and based off your situation, you my brother. You’re not just my teammate. Based on your situation, you have now become my little brother. 

SLAM: Still, though, it’s one thing to say you enjoy someone else’s success, but it’s another to actually embody it. 

UD: It’s very hard. I had to learn some of these things the hard way. When you get to a point in your career and the organization starts to make a shift toward younger players, you have a choice. You can bitch and moan and complain, get shipped out or go somewhere else, or you can settle into your situation and figure out how to make the best of it. And how to win. And any situation I’ve been put in, I’ve just said, F**k it, I’m not gonna whine. Whine? How can I win in this situation? Whatever it is, whatever you put me in, how can I win here? And that’s all I’ve done. 

And oftentimes you can’t control the situations you’re in. You ask these guys around the League, there’s maybe 10 guys around the whole League that actually play the role that they want to play. Everybody else, you’re in the supporting cast. Everyone else is in the supporting cast. So, how can you star in that role? 

SLAM: It definitely takes a humbling. How do you do that? 

UD: There’s been the dark nights. You don’t wanna get out of bed, you’re in the dark all day. You’re frustrated. You don’t understand. But it’s the nature of the business. It can be nothing that you’ve done wrong.

And for me, yes, I could’ve left a long time ago and went and played somewhere else. But would my heart have always been in it? No. It’s not all about the money, it’s not all about playing. I’ve always had a long-term goal. My long-term goal was to be part of this organization for my whole career, and then from that, impact the city. I’ve always had a bigger vision.

SLAM: You’ve gone toe-to-toe with so many guys. You’ve been the enforcer, holding them accountable. What makes you so fearless? 

UD: My pops. I remember I thought he was nuts. I couldn’t imagine a man that wasn’t afraid of anything. But now that I got older, I appreciate that. My pops never thought anybody was better than him. He never thought he could lose. And you believed that if you had him on your side, you had an army with you. I just kind of inherited that. It wasn’t always like that, but I inherited that. 

That’s something I’ve been able to give to my guys. Because I do believe in each and every one of them. Even if they have doubt, I’m gonna look them in they f**king eye and tell them, I believe, so you better! You better, because I do! I don’t give a damn if you’ve been drafted 1, I don’t give a damn what school he went to. I believe in you. Kick his ass! 

SLAM: You’ve won championships. You’re in the Heat history books. You’ve got the respect. At this point in your career, what brings you joy? 

UD: Watching these dudes come in here, man, and getting their money. Getting their recognition. Watching Caleb Martin get paid this summer. Watching Duncan Robinson get paid a few years ago. Watching James Johnson get paid his $66 million when he was here. Dion Waiters getting paid his $60 million when he was here. Hassan Whiteside getting paid his max contract when he was here. That is what I enjoy. 

All those guys that I named that have gotten their money, gotten their contract, resurrected their careers, have come here on their last leg when nobody else believed. Like Omer Yurtseven. You know how much of an ass kicking I had to do with O last year? And to watch O get out there, when Bam was out, to have all those double-double games? That’s it, bro. That’s it. That’s what I need. That’s all I need. Don’t waste my time. When those guys listen, and those things manifest for them, I’m happy. 

Photos from Getty Images.

The post Udonis Haslem Has Lasted 20 Years in the NBA, and the OG Did it His Way appeared first on SLAM.

Not everyone knows what it takes to get to the next level, let alone to the highest level of a sport. But Dorell Wright does. Before he became head coach at Donda Academy, the former NBA small forward was a first-round pick in the ’04 Draft straight out of high school and went on to win an NBA championship the following season in 2006 as the youngest member of the Miami Heat. After nearly 12 years playing in the League with the Warriors, Sixers, and Trail Blazers and overseas, Wright got into coaching after he retired mainly because of his own children—he coached his son, Devin, in middle school and co-founded his own AAU program, Team Wright Legacy, with his brother Delon.

With a coaching style that’s a “mixture” of the legends he’s been coached by in the past—demanding at times like Stan Van Gundy, but still motivational like Pat Riley—Wright is ready to help the next generation of hoopers at Donda. Featuring a stacked roster including Kentucky-commit Robert Dillingham and top-50 recruits JJ Taylor and AJ Johnson, many of the Doves have already started making names for themselves on the national circuit and even graced the cover of SLAM 236. 

“You could get those kids that are super entitled [and] super into what they’ve done, [but] one thing about me, I’ve done just as much as them at this level, you know? Probably even a little more. But it’s never an ego trip on my side or with the kids,” Wright says over Zoom. “The returning players want to have a better result than what they did last year, so they’re buying in. And then the guys that we added are just great kids, [who are] looking at this as using this platform, getting more offers [and] learning the terminology of the game of basketball from somebody that did it at the highest level.”

Photos by Dominique Oliveto.

The post Dorell Wright is Ready to Lead Donda Academy as their Newest Basketball Head Coach appeared first on SLAM.

After winning the chip, the veteran forward draped himself in a Mexican flag, proudly honoring his Mexican heritage. 

Toscano-Anderson broke many Warriors fans’ hearts after he decided to sign with the Lakers for the 2022-2023 season.

In five preseason games, he averaged 5.0 points, 3.0 boards, and a whole lot of competitive fire in 18.3 minutes.

“Juan is doing some amazing, competitive basketball-playing,” Lakers Coach Darvin Ham said, per Andscape. “You need those kinds of guys that can get you 50-50 balls, take charges, and put bodies on bodies knowing that they may not be the one who gets the rebound or stat or whatever.”

“They still sacrifice for their teammates. You can’t have enough of those guys in your locker room. And Juan Toscano-Anderson is at the top of the list of everything he does. His attitude, [the] energy [he] brings to work every day. His teammates are very fond of him.”

Not only does JTA’s character shine on the court and in the locker room, but he is trailblazing a path for Mexico and basketball. 

“Things don’t happen overnight,” Toscano-Anderson said. “Basketball is a growing sport in Mexico, there; there’s a lot of financial interest in it — I know there are guys that can do it for me, but it’s a different world now in regard to marketing and advertising. I’m opening doors to bridge the gap between the U.S. and Mexico.”

Toscano-Anderson is the first Laker of Mexican descent. For a city that is 75 percent ethnically Mexican, is populated by over five million Mexicans, and has the largest Hispanic, JTA’s arrival is momentous. While the Lakers have aired Spanish-speaking broadcasts since 1993, the franchise has not had a Spanish-speaking player since Kobe Bryant retired in 2016.

Although he was not Hispanic, Bryant energetically embraced the Mexican community in Los Angeles.

“If there was a guy that understood the love, the passion, the loyalty of the Hispanic community, especially towards the Lakers, it was Kobe.” former Lakers Spanish television announcer Adrian Garcia Marquez said. 

Being the first Spanish-speaking player since Kobe and being half-Mexican, JTA can connect to L.A’s Hispanic and Latino roots.

“There are probably more Mexicans watching the Lakers than any other demographic. That’s very important, not only for myself in the Lakers, but in L.A. for [the] Mexican community, the Latino community,” Toscano-Anderson said. “I don’t want to call myself an ambassador, but somebody who’s representing and who can speak the language. I’m representing full throttle. I can speak the language; I represent my culture, everything.”

Toscano-Anderson is embracing the L.A. community, and the L.A. community is embracing him. Known for murals of Laker greats – Kobe, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and more – the city recently added a Juan Toscano-Anderson mural. On the outside wall of a Mexican bakery, JTA dons a Lakers jersey with a Mexican flag wrapped around his shoulders, and Mexico City’s Tenochtitlán pyramids and downtown L.A. in the background.

“I went to the reveal of the mural. That was really dope,” Toscano-Anderson said. “I’m very appreciative of that. It’s LA, man, City of Champions. That was really cool. I couldn’t believe it, to be honest. I didn’t have anything, nothing like that before. It was more than just the sports thing. It was about that community embracing me there.”

Born to an African American father and a Mexican mother, JTA wants to be a positive role model for both Mexican American and African American kids. 

“It’s been magnified that I’m Mexican, but I also want people to know that I’m just as proud of being Black.”

“I’m Black every day. The way I dress, the way I talk. My sauce. I’m a Black man when I step out on America — Black is beautiful; I’m proud of being Black as well. Being Black makes me who I am.”

For Oakland, Los Angeles, and Mexico, Toscano-Anderson’s impact has not gone unnoticed. The community-oriented forward plays in his first game as a Los Angeles Laker tonight against the Golden State Warriors. The second NBA player of Mexican descent to win a title, Toscano-Anderson will be honored and receive his championship ring.

The post Juan Toscano-Anderson On the Love He’s Received From L.A.’s Latino Community appeared first on SLAM.

Eastern Conference contender emerges as interested suitor for Suns’ Jae Crowder: pic.twitter.com/oxw12tvnUt

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 10, 2022

The former second-round draft pick has solidified himself as a premier defender that could stretch the floor offensively. Crowder is the type of modern-day 3-and-D player any team finds value in. It’s no wonder the Hawks aren’t the only team interested in the 32-year-old.

Trade rumors surrounding Crowder came after multiple reports revealed Phoenix was shopping the veteran during the offseason; Crowder went to Twitter to express how he felt.

ONE MUST SEEK WORK WHERE HE IS WANTED.. WHERE HE IS NEEDED.! I AM THANKFUL FOR WHAT THESE PAST 2 YRS HAVE TAUGHT ME.! NOW I MUST TAKE ON ANOTHER CHALLENGE WITH CONTINUED HARDWORK & DEDICATION.! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO CLOSED THE DOOR ON ME…. THANK YOU! 99 BACK SOON.!

— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) September 25, 2022

He made it known that not only would he not be at training camp, but Crowder would also like to play for a team where he is wanted. Since tweeting this out, Crowder has not been seen at training camp or preseason. The organization is on the same page as the veteran as they try and find a resolution for his future.

Cam Johnson is set to replace Crowder in the Suns’ starting lineup going into the new campaign. If the trade goes through, it will be interesting to see how the veteran will fare, teaming up with the latest Big Three of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and John Collins.

The post REPORT: Hawks Emerge as Potential Suitor for Jae Crowder appeared first on SLAM.

After Friday’s practice, when asked how much he wanted to play in this year’s preseason competition, James replied, “More than I played last year,” per NBA.com. 

The Los Angeles Lakers lost all six of their preseason games last year, while LeBron only played in 3 of them for a combined 73 minutes. A rough start in the preseason gave way to a difficult and injury-riddled 2021-2022 campaign for the Lakers. After only playing in 56 games last season and dealing with nagging injuries throughout, James made some adjustments to his off-season training regimen and his diet—even picking up pickle ball.

“Being Black and understanding how heart rate and blood-pressure things run in my family, living a healthy lifestyle is very important,” James said, per NBA.com. “It’s not only to myself. But it’s about showing that to the kids and people all around. If that can translate to the game, cool. But it’s more about life.”

LeBron James expects to play more preseason games this season than he did last season (2).

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 30, 2022

New Lakers head coach Darvin Ham says the team will decide “in the next few days” whether LBJ plays in more than three exhibitions. “We don’t want to go crazy,” Ham said. “But we also want it to be enough where we can establish a rhythm, so he can be in game mode with a good rhythm going into the regular season.” 

It will be important for the new-look Lakers roster to hit the ground running when the season starts and James is hoping to be in his best state to go running with them. “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve played this game. The day you think you can stop learning is the day you start going backwards,” James said. “I’m always trying to figure out ways I can get better and learn from a new coach, new teammates and life in general. Every day is a learning experience for me. I love it.”

The Los Angeles Lakers play the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

Photo via Getty Images.

The post LeBron James Plans on Playing in ‘More’ Preseason Games Than He Did Last Year appeared first on SLAM.

On Tuesday, Mike Scotto of Hoopshype reported that Indiana was prepared to offer Myles Turner and Buddy Hield for Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, and two first-round picks. The Pacers were also willing to take on Daniel Theis’ contract. Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johson were traded to the Utah Jazz last week for Patrick Beverley, who addresses the defensive and long-range shooting concerns many had about the Lakers.

However, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Utah seems to be a “more likely” landing spot for Westbrook. During a recent podcast appearance, Buha reported that Indiana is offering up Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.

“As far as Westbrook’s trade market, I’ve heard Indiana and Utah are the two most likely destinations,” Buha said. “I think Utah is, from what I’ve been told, more likely than Indiana. There are several permutations there with Indiana where it could be Myles Turner and Buddy Hield together or one of the two.”

Although acquiring Hield and Turner would further alleviate the Lakers’ immediate need for shooting and versatile defenders, trade negotiations were reportedly described as “dead” earlier this summer, per Bob Kravitz. With training camp coming up, LA and Indiana could re-engage in trade talks. Hield averaged 15.6 points per game on 40.6 percent shooting from the field and 36.6 percent from beyond the arc.

His ability to stretch the court and Turner’s shooting capabilities (33.3 percent shooting) could help Westbrook regain his efficiency at the rim and make his job easier as he surveys the hardwood for dunkers or shooters. Last season, Westbrook was the scapegoat for the Lakers’ failure to make the playoffs after averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field 29.8 from long-distance.

That said, Utah is headed for a rebuild after trading Rudy Gobert and making it clear that they are willing to part ways with All-Star guard Donovan Mithell this off-season. If Mitchell is traded, Utah will likely have draft capital and players that could be used to sweeten up the pot in a three-team deal packaged around Westbrook and Mitchell.

The Lakers are reportedly keen on helping to resurrect Westbrook’s career despite the swirling trade rumors. Newly hired Coach Darvin Ham told reporters he has a “wholehearted plan” to bring the best out of Brodie, while Westbrook reportedly had a phone call with LeBron James and Anthony Davis to smooth over their commitment to playing with each other on the Lakers.

The Lakers hope the hiring of Ham and the signing of younger, more athletic talent will help them return to the playoffs after a disastrous 2021-22 campaign full of injuries and drama surrounding their Big 3.

The post REPORT: Utah and Indiana Emerge as Trade Partners for Russell Westbrook appeared first on SLAM.

The Jazz are trading Patrick Beverley to the Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 25, 2022

The trade is expected to be finalized sometime this Thursday morning, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

Patrick Beverley is returning to LA — this time, with LeBron James and the Lakers pic.twitter.com/SHY6XGLIAa

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 25, 2022

Beverley will be playing in LA for the first time since he was a Clipper. Beverley played for the crosstown rival from 2017-2021 and is expected to bring his much-needed defensive presence and bulldog mentality to the Lakers’ locker room. First-year Coach Darvin Ham has made it clear that his main priority other than revitalzing confidence with Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis is to improve the Lakers’ defensive standing.

Acquiring Beverley will do just that. Over the past five seasons, Beverley has held opponents to 41.9 percent shooting as the closest defender, second best among players that have defended 2,000 shots, per ESPN.

Beverley has one year and $13 million remaining on his contract. His expiring deal will give the Lakers significant salary-cap space to build around Davis and James, who will be the only players on the Lakers’ books in 2023-24. The Lakers could have as much as $88 million in salary to pay for the 2023-24 campaign. The projected salary c

With THT off the Lakers’ books next summer, they could have as little as $88.9 million in salary for 2023-24. The projected salary cap is $133 million for 2023-24.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) August 25, 2022

Beverley was reportedly eager to join the Lakers via trade, per ESPN, and was thrilled to learn of the impending deal. The late summer deal helps Utah inch closer to their rebuild after acquiring Horton-Tucker; the franchise is reportedly expected to remain active on the trade market and will likely still be seeking a trade partner for Donovan Mitchell.

Horton-Tucker averaged 10 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists last season. Johnson put up 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.

The post REPORT: Jazz Trades Patrick Beverley to the Lakers to Accelerate Rebuild appeared first on SLAM.

Russell is iconic not only because of his winning as a player and coach (back-to-back titles in ’68 and 69) but because of all he endured as one of the few Black players in the NBA at the time. The Celtics may have been one of the most progressive teams after drafting Russell and other Black players like Sam Jones, Satch Sanders, K.C. Jones and Al Butle, but that contingent of players, especially Russell, had to deal with the racism and bigotry that was prevalent not just in Boston but across the states in general.

The battles he fought on and off the court could’ve made the 11-time champ bitter. Instead, Russell has become the elder statesman of a League that has embraced many legendary and unique players like Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry.

When commissioner Adam Silver sat down with Howard Stern of Sports Illustrated to talk about his bond with Russell, he called the NBA legend “the founding father of the modern NBA.” and the Babe Ruth of the NBA who was able to talk and stand with his current contemporaries.

“He’s sort of the founding father of the modern NBA,” Silver says. “And with that, I think he became the League’s DNA for our players to feel comfortable speaking out on societal issues. I would say a lot of the courage of the modern-day players, there’s a direct through line to Bill, against the whole shut up-and-dribble crowd.”

Silver went on to talk about how much he loved hearing Russell’s story about his playing days, including his disdain for being asked to sign autographs. Silver also spoke about Russell’s fight for civil rights and the big man’s iconic 1961 protest.

Russell and his teammates, Jones, Sanders, and Butle, walked out of an exhibition game after they were refused service in a restaurant in Lexington, KY. Silver also admired Russell’s support for Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who hasn’t played in the NFL since protesting against police brutality during the 2016 season by kneeling during the national anthem.

“He recognized the value of the platform that was afforded him by being an MVP, NBA champion player,” Silver says. “And he was realistic about that — He ultimately decided; obviously, he could do more through the platform that playing offered him. But he tweeted that clearly in support of these players, saying that, ‘I have your back.’ And again, classic Bill, he wasn’t saying that means you shouldn’t be playing—because he kept playing—but it was just saying, ‘I understand. That’s something you all should be thinking about.'”

He also detailed how happy he was to see modern players come up and give their respect to Russell and their reactions as Russell told stories of his playing days with the Celtics.

In the coming days and years, Silver will also make sure to continue to draw inspiration from his friendship with Russell and hopes to one day pass that knowledge on to his two young daughters.

“For whatever my children want to do in their lives, it may have nothing to do with sports, or it may not be something which traditionally you think of as a competition where people get objectively ranked,” Silver says, “but I’d want to teach them that quality of truly being willing to give your all to what you’re passionate about. And that’s the unique quality that Bill had.”

The post Adam Silver on His Bond With Bill Russell: ‘He’s the Founding Father of the Modern NBA’ appeared first on SLAM.

Count Lakers legend Magic Johnson amongst the many calling for Bill Russell’s number to be retired across all of the NBA.

Russell would join Jackie Robinson in a select class of retired numbers in North American sports; Robinson had his number 42 retired all over Major League Baseball.

Magic Johnson wants the 11-time champs number retired to honor everything Russell did beyond the lines of play. Russell’s work as a champion and life activist has certainly earned him the right, and Johnson believes that legacy furthers his case for a League-wide jersey retirement.

Some NBA players do still wear the No. 6, most notably LeBron James, who switched from 23 to 6 after his first three years in Laker land.

“It’s always been a part of me, to be honest,” James said in 2021. “Six has a lot of meaning to me, from my family and numbers and things of that nature to what I believe in and things of that sort, but my mentality doesn’t change.”

No comment has been made yet by James or NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, but Johnson’s pitch on Twitter is a great suggestion.

The post Magic Johnson Calls For the NBA to Retire Bill Russell’s Number appeared first on SLAM.

Known as the elite high school basketball players’ favorite all-star game, the SLAM Summer Classic will again bring together the top boys and girls from across the country to take part in a weekend filled with community, culture and competition. 

For the first time, the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 4 will take place at the famed Holcombe Rucker Park in Harlem, NY. The girls game will tip off at 5 p.m. and the boys game will tip off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022.

Among the players taking part are:

Mackenzie Mgbako, Gill St. Bernard School (Gladstone, NJ), Robert Dillingham, Donda Academy (Simi Valley, CA), Simeon Wilcher, Roselle Catholic HS (Roselle, NJ), Jared McCain, Centennial HS (Corona, CA), Judea Watkins, Sierra Canyon HS (Los Angeles, CA), Jadyn Donovan, Sidwell Friends School (Washington DC), Hannah Hidalgo, Paul VI HS (Haddonfield, NJ).

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More than a few previously under-the-radar players have made their mark at the Classic and saw their college and pro stocks rise after the weekend. Previous SLAM Summer Classic participants include NBA stars Jalen Green, James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Chet Holmgren, RJ Hampton, Josh Christopher, Jalen Suggs and Cassius Stanley, as well as rising NCAA stars Flau’jae Johnson, Diamond Johnson, Kiki Rice and Angel Reese.  

Partnering with SLAM to put on the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 4 are Gatorade, Spalding, Def Jam, CLOT, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), Champs Sports, SHOWTIME^® and Nike.

“The SLAM Summer Classic is unlike any other high school basketball game! We’re so excited to bring it to the legendary Rucker Park and give these athletes an authentic NYC hoops experience,” says Les Green, CEO of SLAM Media Inc. “SLAM is all about celebrating the game of basketball as well as the culture surrounding the game. We’ll give all the young men and women a weekend to remember, full of energy, competitionand fun. With a roster of 24 amazing athletes and eight great partners, this year’s Classic will be the biggest one yet.”

For more information about the SLAM Summer Classic and real-time coverage of the event later this month, follow @SLAM, @SLAM_HS and @WSLAM on all social media platforms. 

The post SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 4 Returns on August 20 at Rucker Park appeared first on SLAM.

Suns forward Cam Johnson was spending time at UNC Chapel Hill with his brother, Puff when he saw all the news about Kevin Durant.

“It’s Puff’s teammates, my teammates (in the locker room at UNC). I’m like, “Nah, man, don’t put me in this.”” Johnson said via AZ Central. “And next thing you know, whoever it was, Windy (ESPN’s Brian Windhorst) or somebody on the TV was like naming the potential trade targets. Naming DA (Deandre Ayton), me, Mikal (Bridges). And I was like, “come on, man,” but it’s the business.”

Johnson averaged 12.5 points this year on 46.0 percent shooting from the field and 42.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc for the Suns this year, and has been using the offseason to reflect on the loss and using the summer to improve on his weaknesses.

The playoffs were a different story, however, as the Suns lost in seven games to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals. Johnson would love to run things back with the Suns after he saw Deandre Ayton sign an extension.

“This is the time you explore (your) game and work on things that you see from previous seasons where you can be better. Where you can impact winning more. It’s been a lot of fun working on those things. Just enjoying life.”

Johnson is eligible for an extension as he enters the final season of his rookie deal.

The post Cam Johnson Speaks On His Future With the Suns and Their Game 7 Loss appeared first on SLAM.

Russell was a five-time MVP, 12-time All-Star and four-time rebounding champ with the Celtics. On top of anchoring one of the NBA’s greatest dynasties and retiring as one of the greatest defensive players of all time, Russell was the first Black head coach in NBA history and an outspoken political activist. The NBA Hall of Famer, who received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2011, was at the march on Washington as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech and publicly supported the late-Muhammad Ali when the iconic boxer refused induction into the military draft in 1967.

Russell died “peacefully” with his wife, Jeannine, at his side, according to statement posted via Twitter.

“Bill’s wife, Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you for keeping Bill in your prayers. Perhaps you’ll relive one or two of the golden moments he gave us, or recall his trademark laugh as he delighted in explaining the real story behind how those moments unfolded,” the family statement said. “And we hope each of us can find a new way to act or speak up with Bill’s uncompromising, dignified and always constructive commitment to principle. That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6.”

Two years ago, the NBA legend contributed a powerful essay in SLAM’s special issue devoted to social justice, where he detailed his fight against racism throughout his life. Read here.

The entire basketball community from legends such as Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to current players including Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum and more took to social media to pay their respects to the late and great Bill Russell.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:

Stephen Curry:

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Boston Celtics:

Charlotte Hornets:

Shaquille O’Neal:

Charles Barkley:

Magic Johnson:

Paul Pierce:

Jayson Tatum:

Marcus Smart:

Dwyane Wade:

James Harden:

WNBA:

Photos via Getty Images.

The post NBA, WNBA Community Remembers Bill Russell on Social Media appeared first on SLAM.

At that point, Barnes had yet to fully embark on the entirety of a season that many are now calling perhaps the most impactful rookie season in Raptors’ history. But to have the chance to chop it up with a member of the inaugural Raptors team (Stoudamire won Rookie of the Year that season in Toronto, like Barnes) just seemed like fate. 

“He was just really telling me to try to get Rookie of the Year, keep doing what I got to do and really take over this League,” Barnes says while on set of his SLAM 239 cover shoot.  

That was Stoudamire’s first time meeting Scottie officially; he’d watched him play in high school and at different Nike EYBL and AAU events, but now he was actually seeing what Barnes was capable of doing in the League. Just a month prior to their meeting, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft had dropped a double-double on the Cs—in just the second game of his career. 

“He was a matchup nightmare,” Stoudamire, who’s now an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, later tells us on the phone. “The good Lord doesn’t bless us with everything, but if [Scottie] figures out a way, and he doesn’t have to be a knockdown guy, but once he figures out his spots on the floor in terms of shooting the ball on a consistent basis, it could be dangerous. He would have cracked the code then because, I mean, everything else he has.” 

SLAM 239 featuring Scottie Barnes is OUT NOW!

Barnes wasn’t even born when the Raptors drafted Stoudamire as their first-ever pick in 1995, or when he graced the cover of SLAM 11 in the spring of ’96 (subscribe here to the SLAM Digital Archive). When he got to Toronto, Stoudamire explains, the team was just trying to grow the game of basketball throughout Canada. But what he didn’t realize back then was that he’d ultimately be able to impact an entire country. Many after him have been just as revered—from Vince Carter and DeMar DeRozan to Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry. All-Stars. Champions. Icons. But in this new era of the game, Scottie Barnes isn’t a glimpse into the future of Toronto. He is the now, and even the legends who came before him see that already.

“He has [an] opportunity to lead Toronto, but then be the face of a country,” says Stoudamire.

Excitement has been buzzing all around T-Dot about their superstar-in-the-making. His SLAM 239 cover shoot feels like a momentous occasion, from the Drake tracks blaring over the speakers (Honestly, Nevermind had dropped just a few days before) to Scottie singing along in between takes while he rocks a black and gold Swingman uniform and an icy, blinged-out chain that has an even icier “SB” for the camera. It’s the crowning of a new star in the North. 

After all, it’s been three years since the Raptors won that historic, first-ever championship in 2019, and since then, the team has been well-equipped with an arsenal of All-Stars and bucket-getters who helped them make the playoffs every year except one. The arrival of Scottie has had the place boomin’ with hype around what’s to come, especially since the Raptors exceeded any and all expectations last season when they finished fifth in the East. 

“I feel like I have the defensive tools, I really just want to put on the offensive end,” Scottie says. “Make my game more all-around. I’m just working on being able to get to the basket, being unstoppable on the floor. Scoring, being in the midrange area and just being a consistent shooter. Being able to knock down shots consistently, being able to carry myself in that way as being one of those top people in the League.” 

He’d look at those goals every single day. Winning ROY was a major moment not only for him, but for his family. It’s one of the reasons why he surprised his mom, Kathalyn, with the news. He had watched her relentlessly sacrifice for him and his siblings growing up, working late nights to put food on the table and get them school clothes. “[She tried] to get a few pairs of shoes to go to school, try to have some swag going to school so we could carry ourselves with that confidence. She made a bunch of sacrifices for us. Even though we didn’t have that much, we were still some spoiled little kids, [wanting] everything, trying to flex.”

Winning ROY also meant something for Toronto, as Barnes became just the third Raptor ever to win the award, joining the company of Stoudamire and Vince Carter. “That award meant everything to me. Everything. All the hard work, effort I put in since I was a kid. It meant everything for the city of West Palm Beach, for the country of Canada, city of Toronto. Masai [Ujiri], Bobby [Webster]. They put their faith in me, and I put in the work. So, every single day, I try to carry that with me.”

Now, his Rookie of the Year trophy sits on a stand, right next to two Rookie of the Month awards, inside his game room at his house. Since the season wrapped up, he’s been mainly spending his offseason in his native Florida, while going back and forth to Toronto. It’s a place he’s now calling home, and he’s already found his go-to spots to eat at, too. “I got a couple. Harbour 60, Cactus Club. I just love the city. It’s beautiful.”

A few days before our shoot, Barnes was livestreaming when he raved about how hyped he was to be a Toronto Raptor. When we asked him about it, he didn’t hold back in letting us know how much he’s been embracing the city. 

“It’s a blessing for me to get drafted to Toronto. I felt like it was just the best thing for me and the program,” he says. “I felt like I found the right home, with them being able to draft me…I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I feel like it was just a big thing that happened to me. It’s amazing. I feel like Toronto, they always support me, even the whole country of Canada supports me, shows me love. And it just feels like we’re all family.”

Scottie reveals he’s already on a text message/IG story-reply basis with Drake (“It’s really small talk, but we can tell that we’re brodies”). When he first arrived in Toronto after the draft, he even hung out with him at his mansion.

“His house is humongous. He got a lot of things that’s going on in there, it’s a dope house. He got the basketball court as soon as you walk inside, where he plays his league basketball. You know, he be killing ’em, but his house is fire. I think we put up like a couple of shots, but we were just getting to know each other. Just really chatting it up.”

According to Scottie, Drizzy let him know then that he had to put on for the city. “He just told [me] that the city’s gonna love [me], just really put on for the city. Do what we got to do.”  

In his rookie debut against the Wizards, Scottie showed glimpses of exactly what he could do, from a lefty sky hook for his first bucket to dishing out an elite bounce pass to Chris Boucher in the fourth. Nick Nurse called his performance “OK,” but also pointed out, “I think we see a really good player there.” 

For Barnes, the mindset early on was to do what it takes to win by making the right plays and putting in the effort, whether it’s rebounding, passing or guarding the best player on the court. When asked about what he expected for himself early on in the season, “winning” is the one word he mentions over and over again. “I felt like coming into the season, I really just tried to focus on winning, try and do whatever it takes to win…I really tried to focus on those little things, and then I knew everything else would carry on to the court with me.”

Scottie’s always been competitive. Growing up, he’d compete with his older brother in school and try to get better grades than him so he could show it to his mom, hoping she’d give him a few dollars. He wanted to play on his brother’s basketball and football teams, too, even though everyone was a few years older. He started playing organized basketball in third grade at the Salvation Army on a team that was mainly made up of fourth graders. Scottie then went on to become a five-star product in high school—he played at the University School alongside Vernon Carey Jr and then with Cade Cunningham at Montverde before suiting up at Florida State, where he earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors.

Now he’s channeling that same drive into everything he does, from video games (“[I’m] the best out of all my friends in [NBA] 2K, top three in [Call of Duty]”) to whatever challenges were thrown at him on the court this past season—from guarding all five positions against the Bulls, Celtics and Wizards in October, including superstars like Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal. By November, he was logging 35 minutes a game, but as Nurse previously said, “one of the first things to instill” is playing the “full 48.” 

When asked about his early season performances, Scottie points out that for him, it was a matter of maintaining the energy. “I would say in the beginning, I showed a lot of energy, but you got to really try to find those ways of channeling it [differently] because sometimes you can express way too much energy and then that next possession, you get really tired…Being at Florida State, I played a good three, four minutes, and then I would get subbed if I was too tired. But now, it’s just like, you got to be able to maintain that energy throughout the whole entire game for however long you’re playing.”  

On a team full of different personalities—from “chill vibe types” like Fred VanVleet and Isaac [Bonga] to “funny guys” like himself, Justin Champagnie and Dalano Banton, according to Barnes—it also helped that the team fully embraced him and allowed him to be himself on the court, especially OG Anunoby. “He was really telling me to be me on the floor, each and every single time. That really [gave] me that confidence when I stepped on the floor to be who I am, keep being aggressive, attacking.”

In December, Barnes dropped a double-double against the Knicks, was a defensive ace with those five blocks against Sacramento a few nights later, and then followed that up with a 23/12/5 stat line against Brooklyn, while being matched up against Kevin Durant, making him the youngest Raptor ever since Tracy McGrady to put up at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 dimes. By January, Bradley Beal was already calling him a “special” talent and saying he “looked like a star” after Barnes put up 27 against the Wizards. 

The Raptors went on an eight-game winning streak going into February, and after the All-Star break, Scottie was averaging just under 20 points per game. When he dropped a 31-piece on the Lakers in March, even the King let everyone know what was up. 

“I saw Scottie Barnes for the first time in seventh grade and I told one of my good friends that this kid is going to be special,” LeBron James said after the game. “It’s a beautiful thing to watch.” 

Looking back on the season, Barnes says he’s started processing the game quicker, too. “I felt like on the court I really know where I could get to my spots, can score the ball at [and] how I can just set my presence throughout the game, on both ends of the floor. I feel like I’ll be able to make more of an impact on the game because I really just found ways to really just attack the game. I got smarter throughout the year, and I just really realized how the NBA works with the calls and all the little things about the game.”

This same team that had missed the playoffs the year prior soon found themselves in a first-round matchup against Philly. Barnes nearly had a triple-double in his playoff debut—15 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists—and despite missing Games 2 and 3 with an ankle injury, another SLAM 11 cover star, Magic Johnson, saw that the promise was all there. “There’s definitely a lot of ‘Showtime’ in him,” Johnson told the Toronto Star.

While the Raptors lost that series, it’s clear that things are really looking up in the 6ix. Their 48-34 record was a vast improvement from the previous year, and Barnes is making it clear that his past season was really just the beginning. “This is just us getting our footing together, but I feel like we’re gonna take that next step to try to make a deep playoff run and be one of those top teams in the League.”

And as for his own goals, this offseason has been all about prepping his body for the demand of the 82-game regular season (Barnes started all 74 games he played in), while also sharpening the tools he’s well-equipped with. You might’ve already seen recent videos of his “revamped jumper” circling around the internet, too. Scottie’s already looking ahead at the type of player he wants to evolve into. Him adding to his already extensive bag? Dangerous. 

“Be who I am on the floor [and] be able to keep developing my playmaking [and] really just improve my scoring,” Barnes says of what will take him to the next level. “Keep [doing] what I do on defense, but just amping it up to another level where I can change the impact of a game throughout the court. Really taking over on the defensive end where I can get multiple stops, being able to be so active on the floor where I can just alter shots, change shots, just give teams different looks where I can have that presence. Talking, communicating and kind of just step up my role of being a leader on this team. I feel like that’s really what’s going to take me to that next level.” 

Deyscha Smith is an associated editor at SLAM. Follow her on Twitter and IG, @deyschasmith.

Portraits by Gabe Pineda/Victory Creative, follow them on Instagram @gabepineda/@victory. Styling by Ian Pierno, follow him on Instagram @ianpierno.

The post Scottie Barnes Has Everything it Takes to Become Toronto’s Next Star appeared first on SLAM.

Last season, the Lakers (33-49) finished 11th in the Western Conference. The Lakers roster was, on average, 30.0 years old, the oldest in the League, and was led by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. Davis and James missed pockets of times with various injuries, particularly Davis, who came under fire for his relative lack of availability throughout this season and his entire Lakers tenure.

The first move the Lakers made this offseason was to fire former coach Frank Vogel and then hire longtime assistant coach Darvin Ham. Ham will be tasked with flipping the Lakers around into a defensive juggernaut and helping Westbrook turn his Lakers career around after the 2017 MVP failed to live up to Lakers standards last year. Ham, in particular, has publicly stated he believes Westbrook “has a ton left in the tank” and that he has a plan on how to get the best out of Westbrook.

“Absolutely,” Buss said when asked if she liked the Lakers’ move to hire in Ham. “I’m a big believer in Darvin Ham. When you’re at the Board of Governors meetings and governors say to you, ‘We interviewed your guy; you got a great coach.’ Or, ‘He worked for us; you got a great guy.’ His reputation around the League brings me a lot of pride to hear other people say how much they admire him. We got a really good coach.”

Buss also talked about the Lakers’ offseason execution, missing Kobe Bryant, and her relationships with Magic Johnson, Phil Jackson in her Q&A with NBA.com.

The post Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss Speaks on Hiring Darvin Ham: ‘I’m a Big Believer in Ham’ appeared first on SLAM.

The other nine players included are Margo Fydek, Lisa Leslie, Deanna Nolan, Temeka Johnson, Courtney Vandersloot, Chelsea Gray, Sherly Swoopes, Sabrina Ionescu, and Candace Parker. 

“If it wasn’t for my teammates, I definitely wouldn’t have got it,” Jefferson said, “I didn’t realize I had seven rebounds at the time, and everybody was yelling at me. So at that point, I just started flying everywhere to try to get a rebound, and it worked out.”

Jefferson recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists during Minnesota’s 92-64 win over the Wings. Jefferson not only finished with her first triple-double but also posted the first in franchise history. The accomplishment came after Jefferson’s teammate, Aerial Powers, told the team on notice that Jefferson only needed three rebounds to accomplish the feat.

“I put everyone on notice. She only needs three. Y’all box out and let her get the rebound,” Powers said. 

When Jefferson completed her last rebound for the night, her teammate was just as excited as she was.

“We’re really happy for her to fly around and get some rebounds,” Coach Cheryl Reeve said, “It’s awfully special for Mo. Obviously, it’s her former team. There’s some motivation there,” Reeve mentioned. 

Jefferson is averaging 13.4 points, 5.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 30 minutes per game. The Lynx host the Aces on Friday, looking to win consecutive games for the second time this season.

The post Moriah Jefferson Joins Elite Company With Triple-Double Against Her Former Team appeared first on SLAM.

To her surprise, the Three Stripes not only rocked with her vision but wanted to turn her dream of having her own court and, more importantly, giving back to the community into a reality. 

“I’m like, Oh, my God, are you serious?” McCoughtry says over Zoom of her reaction when she found out adidas wanted to help her put the project together. 

This past Friday, the five-time gold medalist and adidas unveiled the newly refurbished “Reach for the Stars” basketball court at Shively Park. They started organizing everything for the refurbishing last fall—while opting to begin painting in the summertime to ensure the paint would dry—and the result is a vibrant and intricately designed court, created by Project Backboard, with an array of colors and geometrically shaped patterns. 

McCoughtry says she specifically wanted reds to be included in the mural’s color scheme because it represents both Louisville and the community. There are also hints of yellow and her favorite color, purple. 

“There’s just hints of all kinds of colors that just brighten it up. It’s just really going to attract everybody to the court and to that area.”

Located less than 10 minutes away from the University of Louisville campus, the court also features a stunning portrait of a women’s basketball player lifting her hands in the air in triumph.

“I think what the mural symbolizes is just overcoming adversity,” McCoughtry says over Zoom, just days before the court’s unveiling. “Being a champion. There’s so much emotion behind it, and that’s what I love about the court. It’s a woman’s face, a Black woman. You don’t really see many courts with a woman figure.” 

There’s also the phrase “Reach for the Stars” written in her handwriting on the court, which also happens to be the title of her latest single. For McCoughtry, the opportunity to intertwine her love for the game with her passion for music makes that detail even more special. 

“I’ve been doing music for so long, and, of course, basketball has been my number one passion, but I’ve done it for a while. Many people don’t know that, and I just never really promoted to that level, it’s just [like] I put it out, and whoever likes it likes it, and I keep it moving, I go play basketball. But with this, just to have a connection with the court, reaching for the stars, and then they can download the song and actually be inspired by the song as well. I don’t think we’ve heard anybody do that. With adidas, we are definitely setting the bar high. We are definitely breaking barriers. I’m really excited about that part just for people to see, like, Wow, you can really do anything. That’s what my speech is going to be to the kids on that day, like; I just started playing basketball at eight. I just love the game. So if you find something you love, it can take you places you’ve never imagined. I’m standing right now on a basketball court that I helped create with adidas. So, it’s amazing.”

Growing up in Baltimore, the five-time gold medalist admits that the courts were “rough,” At the time, she didn’t see anyone, from big names to brands, coming in to refurbish the space for young hoopers like herself to play on. She heard a lot about Shively Park during her time at Louisville, and while she mainly spent most of her time on campus and in the program’s training facilities, she did pass by it once or twice.

To be a part of the court’s revamping is a full-circle moment for McCoughtry, as it represents not only her own chance to give back to the community, but she hopes it will inspire more female hoopers to “know their value” and have courts of their own.

“I think that is going to start to spiral more women [and] next thing you know; more women will have courts. I assume you could see Sue Bird have one and Breanna Stewart. I’m sure they’re like, whoa, you know? That’s the goal: for more women to do these kinds of things and to inspire (them) to set the bar high. I think it’s time for us to start setting the bar high in our worth and our value and what we can bring.” 

It’s also about the next generation of female hoopers paving the way for future opportunities to arise, too. McCoughtry has continued to be an inspiration throughout her career—her resume includes numerous gold medals, WNBA Rookie of the Year, five WNBA All-Star appearances, and earned All-WNBA First Team honors twice.

Lately, she’s been spending time recovering from significant knee injuries that caused her to miss the 2021 WNBA season, but as of now, she says she’s been back in the gym and is in a good place.

“I went to the gym yesterday to just play; I felt really, really good where I’m at. I gave my agent the okay to talk to teams, so I think very soon, by the All-Star break. I’m really excited to get back out there.”

And now, having a court with her image on it only adds to her illustrious legacy. She’s not stopping there, though, and hopes that the refurbished court at Shively Park will create even more opportunities for both herself and the future of women’s basketball. 

“I will say this is definitely something that leaves a legacy. Even after I retire, I can go on and see that, wow, there’s a court. These are things that last forever—my grandkids can come and see that court. It’s amazing, and sometimes it’s like winning a championship ring, right? The championship ring doesn’t really have its value until 20 years later, 10 years later. You see how we go back and look at what Magic Johnson’s done or Michael Jordan or Lisa Leslie because the value increases as the years go by. That’s how I feel about the court; I think just the value will continue to increase. And off the court, I already talked [NBA] 2K, you know they have the WNBA side of it, [and I’m like], hey, this is an opportunity. The court to be in the video game. There (are) so many ideas and ways to maneuver with it, and (it) talks about putting the music in the video game on the WNBA side. Not even just the W side; put it on the whole video game!

But hey, just the fact that they’re loving my idea and being able to pitch that part is just amazing. Whoever thought the WNBA players would be in the video game anyway? Now I’m talking about our assets, our courts, (and) our music in video games, too. We’re taking this to a whole other level.”

The post Angel McCoughtry and adidas Look to Inspire the Next Generation with Refurbished ‘Reach For the Stars’ Court in Louisville appeared first on SLAM.

This list is also featured in our special issue, SLAM Presents TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time. Shop here.

Check out the full list below to see who our number one is and where your favorite team ranks. We expect that there will be some disgruntled fans out there, but that’s what makes this fun, right?

No. 66-75

Last but certainly not least. From the 1997-98 Pacers who put up a fight against the Chicago Bulls’ “Last Dance” squad to the 2018-19 Raptors that made history in the 6.

READ HERE

No. 65-55

These squads set the foundation for greatness to come. The birth of the Celtics dynasty with Bill Russell to the 2004-2005 Phoenix Suns had the best record in the L.

READ HERE

No. 54-44

Rewriting history. The 2003-04 Pistons that ended the Lakers’ Finals run to Milwaukee’s first title.

READ HERE

No. 43-33

Heavyweights turned champions. From the 1983-84 Celtics that brought the ‘chip back to the Bean over LA to the 2011-12 Heat that won LeBron James his first ring.

READ HERE

No. 32-22

Tight spaces and pressure packed situations formed these teams into dynasties. From the 2001-02 Lakers completing the three-peat, to the Spurs squad that gave Tim Duncan his third ring.

READ HERE

No. 21-11

These squads made history. The 2015-16 Warriors that won 73 games to the Cavaliers team that upset them in that same Finals.

READ HERE

No. 10

Back to back. Miami became the first Eastern Conference team to repeat as champions since the “Last Dance” Bulls.

READ HERE

No. 9

At the height of their dominance in 2000-01, the Shaq and Kobe-led Lakers generated one of the best postseason runs ever when they lost just one game in the 2001 playoffs.

READ HERE

No. 8

Paid in Full. The early 80’s were mostly dominated by the Lakers and Celtics, but the 1982-83 Sixers, led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone, swept LA in the Finals.

READ HERE

No. 7

The first of six rings for Jordan, this Bulls squad redeemed themselves when they swept the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals and then defeated the Lakers in five.

READ HERE

No. 6

A revenge tour and Magic’s first regular-season MVP, this “Showtime” Lakers team returned to the Finals after missing it the previous season.

READ HERE

No. 5

A coin flip in ’69 allowed the Bucks to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which brought a championship in his second season as he averaged over 30 points per game and earned MVP honors. Legendary.

READ HERE

No. 4

Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics were flying high in the mid 80’s. Larry himself won his second Finals MVP trophy in ’86.

READ HERE

No. 3

The opening act before Showtime. The Lakers capped off a tremendous season and brought vindication to the franchise. Wilt Chamberlain was the Finals MVP, and Jerry West could finally feel like a winner.

READ HERE

No. 2

One of the most talented teams ever assembled in the L, the Warriors lost only a single game during the 2017 playoffs. Adding Kevin Durant made their 2016-17 squad unstoppable.

READ HERE

No. 1

Top 2 and they’re not 2. The 1995-96 Bulls weathered a perfect storm; getting Michael Jordan back in full form, adding Dennis Rodman, the Bulls won their fourth title.

READ HERE

Photos via Getty Images.

The post SLAM’s TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time: FULL LIST appeared first on SLAM.

The three leading men of Boston became the first trio of teammates to finish a Finals game with at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Michael Cooper did it in 1984.

Brown got the Celtics off to a strong start attacking the rim, scoring 22 of his 27 points in the first half. Brown also posted nine boards and five assists. Tatum helped Boston cross the finish line, scoring 15 of his 26 points in the second half while contributing nine rebounds and five dimes. Smart finished Game 3 with 24 points, seven points, and five assists.

“I was born in ’98, so that’s way before my time,” Tatum said in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters. “But that’s great company to be in.”

With two 3-pointers from Jaylen Brown… Brown & Jayson Tatum are the first pair of teammates in Celtics history to each make 50 3-pointers in a single postseason pic.twitter.com/O94a6VrMLD

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 9, 2022

Tatum and Brown are also the first Boston teammates to knock down at least 50 three-pointers in a single postseason. The All-Stars accomplished the feat after Brown hit the first of his four triples in the first half.

In previous playoff runs, Ray Allen made at least 50 threes when Boston made a run to the Finals during his tenure in Beantown. However, his closest teammate, Paul Pierce, maxed out at 40 during Boston’s 2008 and 2010 run to the Finals. Larry Bird only made 80 three-pointers in the postseason for his whole career.

Boston is up 2-1 in the Finals after Wednesday’s Game 3 and has a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead on Friday. Celtics and Warriors fans will wait with bated breath for an injury update on Stephen Curry’s foot injury he suffered in the fourth quarter.

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Though Brooklyn Tea sits in downtown Atlanta, the quaint shop would easily be at home in Brooklyn’s Park Slope or Dumbo neighborhoods. It’s clean, quiet and keeps the cups of tropical green coming. You can see why Long Island native Jah Rawlings would want to meet there to talk basketball. 

“I was born in New York, but Atlanta raised me,” says Rawlings, who hooped for Georgia Perimeter College before founding the Atlanta Entertainment Basketball League (AEBL) in 2010. “[Atlanta] gave me the opportunity to get my dreams out and flourish and do the things that I wanted to do. That’s why I rep so hard for the city.” 

On this day, Rawlings doesn’t order anything at the tea shop, but he does explain how he’s poured his heart and his wallet into the AEBL, a pro-am summer league he envisioned having the swagger of ATL with the soul of Harlem’s Rucker Park. 

“If anyone can do it, I can,” Rawlings, 39, says. “My mentor was Greg Marius, rest in peace. He started EBC [the Entertainer’s Basketball Classic tournament at Rucker Park—Ed.]. My uncle, Bob McCullough, created the Rucker [Pro Tournament]. It’s already in my DNA.” 

Rawlings admits that the first few seasons of his outdoor hoop dream were a challenge—light crowds, heavy rains—but he kept at it. A former member of the Atlanta Hawks organization, Rawlings knew the city had a thirst for streetball, he just needed more time for things to simmer. 

First step, take the game indoors. Second, ask another “uncle” for an assist. In 2017, Kyrie Irving was filming Uncle Drewin Atlanta. A friend of a friend invited Irving to come through and the point guard said he would. Rawlings didn’t get his hopes up until he saw the future Hall of Famer walk into the gym. And once he did, a buzz shot through the rafters that still hasn’t cooled.

Over the past few years, a who’s who of Hawks (John Collins, Trae Young), NBA ballers (Jaylen Brown, Montrezl Harrell) and future stars (Auburn’s Jabari Smith) have suited up. And they aren’t out there half-assin’ it. Once vets like Lou Williams and Isaiah Thomas get a taste of the competitiveness and massive crowds, they’re hooked. 

Much like Rucker’s legendary summers, AEBL games are about more than just the action on the court. It’s the energy and the engagement everywhere else. At any given game, 2 Chainz or Tee Grizzley could be in the stands. Halftimes almost certainly turn into mini concerts. In-arena host Bria Janelle is magnetic on the mic. The “E” in AEBL really means something. 

Still, Rawlings is as proud of his league’s ability to prepare young staffers for careers at Nike and in the front office with the Atlanta Dream as he is about seeing ’21 MVP Kevon “Cheat Code” Harris ball out in the G League. Additionally, AEBL participates in community initiatives, donates to local athletic programs and volunteers at shelters over the holidays. 

“I want young kids to know that I made it pro as a CEO,” says Rawlings. “I’m still in the game. I’m actually a major player in basketball. I’ve never stepped foot on an NBA court, but look at what I’ve done. My mentors are like, Man, we see you being a GM. I’m like, I got my own NBA.”

AEBL’s 2022 season kicks off with a bang on July 4th weekend. In addition to the men’s action (former Hawk Joe Johnson is debuting a squad), the calendar will include a dope women’s league and other events. With adidas as a sponsor, AEBL is also dropping a Trae Young 1 sneaker, draped in the league’s logo and stylings.

“AEBL is bigger than basketball,” says Rawlings, who spearheads an HBCU-focused camp and a program aimed at elite high schoolers throughout the year, too. “We’re culture. We’re community. We’re entertainment. We’re mentorship. When people look at us now, they’re like, Oh, this is bigger than just some NBA guys playing on the court.” 

Photos courtesy of AEBL.

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“To be honest, I’ve always liked fashion. I always liked getting dressed. From the beginning, I just liked clothes. I liked sneakers all the time. It was always a thing for me; I just never thought of it as something to actually make a living out of and make my job,” the 28-year-old tells SLAM.

Barnes ended up connecting with James Johnson, who suited up for the Brooklyn Nets this season, during his time in Dallas. It was then that Barnes truly made strides in the fashion industry, largely because of this relationship with Johnson, who he calls one of his ‘best friends’ to this day.

“I’ve always met different members and teammates on his team. At the time, he was playing with the Mavericks, and I met Dorian Finney-Smith and Trey Burke at dinner. We all just got cool. Probably like two weeks later, Dorian booked me for my first game, my first time styling him. They played the Knicks probably like a week or two later, and I styled him, and he wore my hat,” explains Barnes about the first time he styled an NBA player.

Barnes started his brand, Drip Sold Separate, in July 2020, a mere nine months before styling Finney-Smith. Since then, he’s worked with standouts around the L, fellow Pennsylvania natives Wayne Ellington and SLAM 236 cover star Kahleah Copper to four-time rebounding champion Andre Drummond back when he was a member of Barnes’ hometown Sixers earlier this season.

However, little did Barnes know that Drummond would eventually end up teaming up with his best friend Johnson and another player he would soon work with: Kevin Durant. If you told Barnes back in July of 2020, when he first started Drip Sold Separate that he would work with Durant, he might have called you crazy. Barnes has been a fan of KD since “forever.”

“Kahleah was in New York, they were playing the Liberty, so I was already going to the game. This was probably not too long after I came out with my first hat, and she texted me like KD gon’ be at the game, and I was like, alright, bet I was going to take a hat. One of my friends that knows KD as well, I tell him bro you gotta hit KD up, I’m going to the game, and I wanna give him a hat,” Barnes explains how he first met Durant.

Everything then changed after Johnson signed with Brooklyn over the summer.

“I always go to James’ games, and being that I’m in Philly and New York is right there, I started going to almost every home game. I started going to the games, and me and K [Durant] just started seeing each other all the time too. So like, we starting to put a face to the name. We acknowledging each other, we’re shaking hands, we’re catching up for a couple seconds, and then I made James a 1-of-1 hat, and I made [Durant] a 1-of-1 hat [too],” Barnes says.

Durant ended up wearing that hat in a postgame press conference following a game against the Clippers. “I was just geeked up like I was hype. My favorite player got my hat on, and then we started building a rapport; we got pictures speaking together at the game. It was dope.”

From there, a true relationship blossomed into what eventually would become a collab between Barnes’ Drip Sold Separate and Durant’s media network company, Boardroom.

“I’m just like, man, he liked my hat so much I gotta figure something out. One of these days, I was just in the house watching the [Boardroom] podcast, and they had their merch link in the bio. I click on it, and I’m like, they don’t got nothing for real — and they don’t have hats like KD loves hats, how do you not have hats,” Barnes explained on how he first got the idea to try and make something between the two brands.

“So, just thinking ahead, I just created something. It just so happened the “D” from my logo fits right in the middle of “Boardroom” so I just created the hat at first, and then I was like, let me make a sweatsuit just in case this goes somewhere, and they wanna see what else I got.”

When Durant and the Nets were in Philadelphia on March 9th, Barnes had a sense of urgency to talk to Durant about his mock-up designs. Who other to turn to than James Johnson? Going into Johnson’s hotel room, Barnes expected to talk about the game that was scheduled for the next day. Instead, he was greeted by the two-time NBA champ sitting ominously on the couch.

“I’m like, oh shit. Damn. KD right there. I instantly got nervous. Inside I’m going crazy; I’m sweating for the first 30 minutes. So then we just chilling, watching the game, listening to the game like normal people. I’m comfortable now; we’re laughing and joking. I said something about the 1-of-1, and he said that’s one of his favorite hats.”

“I’m like, yeah, I was watching the podcast the other day, and I seen y’all don’t really got that much merch, you need some hats. And he literally was like cook it up. That simple,” Barnes explained on how the two agreed to a collaboration. “I showed him the picture of the hat, and he like, damn bro, that’s tuff. I showed him the picture of the hat and sweatsuit, and he went crazy about it.”

After getting Durant’s blessing to work with his brand, Barnes knew he had to speak to Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman since Durant was focused on the season at hand. After meeting with Kleiman following a Nets game, a mutual agreement to work together was formulated. In fact, Durant had already talked to Kleiman about Barnes’ proposal.

The drop was officially released on May 15th. That day marked not only a momentous occasion for Barnes, but it came with mixed emotions.

“The date was the one-year death anniversary of my brother; he got killed last May 15th. So Sunday was just a crazy day for me; my emotions was all over the place. I was upset and hurt about my brother, but I did something monumental, so I made that day really like a honorable day.”

Having top-of-the-line quality fabric for both pieces of clothing with such a tremendous backstory behind it, Barnes says the collaboration with Boardroom couldn’t have gone any better, especially when it came to decision-making. “They let me do my thing with it. I really appreciated that, for real,” Barnes said. “It means everything. Opportunity don’t come by very often, especially an opportunity like this.”

“This just the beginning. This is just the beginning. For sure. That’s family now; we locked all the way in.”

Photos via Taron Barnes

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6. 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Pat Riley

Record: 65-17

Roster: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Adrian Branch, Frank Brickowski, Michael Cooper, AC Green, Magic Johnson, Wes Matthews, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, Mike Smrek, Billy Thompson, Mychal Thompson, James Worthy

One of the greatest teams in Lakers history began and ended the regular season with losses. A truer representation of the Lakers’ dominance came in the stretch of March and April, in which they won 21 of 22, a run that served as a statement of intent for the postseason. These guys were serious.

They were motivated, too. A year earlier, they’d missed the Finals for the first time in five years and watched as Larry Bird and the hated Celtics won their third title of the decade. They’d be in no mood to watch this time.

Magic Johnson was already a three-time NBA champion and two-time Finals MVP, but unlike his rival Bird, he had yet to win a regular-season MVP. He went out and put up numbers that would make it hard to give it to anyone else: a career-high 23.9 ppg and a League-high 12.2 apg, along with 6.3 rpg and 1.7 spg. Those numbers helped cover for the diminishing production of living legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who, at age 39, still averaged 17.5 ppg.

The rest of the Showtime squad was at or near its prime. James Worthy and Byron Scott were terrors running with Magic on the break, with Worthy averaging 19.4 ppg and Scott adding 17. Second-year forward AC Green was a famously weird stylistic fit on Hollywood’s favorite squad, but his 10.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg spoke to his value in the paint. Vets like Michael Cooper, Mychal Thompson and Kurt Rambis personified the team’s underrated defense and toughness.

After that dominant regular-season—they finished six games ahead of Boston and a full 10 games clear in the West—the Lakers looked basically untouchable through the first three rounds of the playoffs: 3-0 over Denver, 4-1 over Golden State, 4-0 over Seattle. It all set up the seemingly inevitable matchup with the Celtics, who’d needed seven games to get past Milwaukee and Detroit in the East. The Lakers had all the momentum, but they knew better than to take the Celtics lightly.

They did anything but, walloping Boston by a combined 32 points en route to a 2-0 lead before eventually taking a 3-2 lead back to Los Angeles for Game 6. Down 5 at the half, the Lakers blew the roof off the Forum with a 30-12 third quarter and cruised to victory behind a throwback 32-point effort from Kareem. But it was Magic who added another Finals MVP to his first regular-season trophy. In this moment, the League belonged to him.

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8. 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers

Coach: Billy Cunningham

Record: 65-17

Roster: JJ Anderson, Maurice Cheeks, Earl Cureton, Franklin Edwards, Julius Erving, Marc Iavaroni, Clemon Johnson, Reggie Johnson, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, Mark McNamara, Clint Richardson, Russ Schoene, Andrew Toney

The season after the Sixers lost the Finals to the Portland Trail Blazers, the team crafted a ticket sales pitch to fans informing them, “We owe you one.” The franchise didn’t pay up the next year. Or the one after that. In fact, the slogan became something of a punchline for the franchise that always had talent but couldn’t convert it to a title.

Philadelphia lost to the Lakers in the ’80 Finals and again in ’82. It seemed impossible that a team with Julius “Dr. J” Erving, one of the most exciting players in basketball history, would never hang a banner.

Then came Moses.

Not long before the start of the ’82-83 season, the Sixers executed a sign-and-trade for Houston center Moses Malone. All of a sudden the team of All-Stars had the final piece. With Malone handling the rough stuff in the middle—and sweating a ton in the process—Erving was free to soar over and around rivals all season. Meanwhile, the dynamic backcourt of point man Maurice Cheeks and clutch sharpshooter Andrew Toney provided ample trouble for opponents from the perimeter. And just when teams thought they had that quartet under some measure of control, Bobby Jones would come crashing through for a fastbreak dunk or to jam home a missed shot.   

The Sixers took command of the Atlantic Division early and cruised past the Celtics. Their 65 wins were the best by far in the NBA, and as Philadelphia headed into the playoffs, Malone uttered the famous quotation, “Fo-fo-fo,” meaning the Sixers would win each of the three playoff series necessary to take the title in four games.

The Moses Doctrine looked pretty good after the first round, which the Sixers won over the Knicks in four. But Milwaukee won a game in the Eastern Finals, and Philadelphia had to settle for the five-game trip to the Finals.

Waiting there—fittingly—were the Lakers, who had many of the same players who had caused the Sixers trouble in previous Finals. However, L.A. would be without rookie James Worthy, who broke his leg late in the regular season. It likely wouldn’t have mattered. The Sixers were committed to rectifying their earlier shortcomings, and they blitzed the Lakers in four games, completing the sweep on the Forum floor where they had watched L.A. celebrate a year before.

When it was all over, the Sixers were able to put out another message: 

Paid in full.

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Here’s our No. 21-11:

21. 2015-16 Golden State Warriors

Coach: Steve Kerr (Luke Walton, Interim Head Coach)

Record: 73-9

Roster: Leandro Barbosa, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Ian Clark, Stephen Curry, Festus Ezeli, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, James Michael McAdoo, Brandon Rush, Marreese Speights, Jason Thompson, Klay Thompson, Anderson Varejao

Never before in NBA history had a team finished the regular season with a single digit in the loss column. When these Dubs did it, fresh off the first of what seemed sure to be three or five or 10 titles with the Curry-Thompson-Green core, a championship seemed like almost a formality—and even more so when they took a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead in the Finals. Only then it was Cleveland’s turn to make history.

20. 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record: 57-25

Roster: Jared Cunningham, Matthew Dellavedova, Channing Frye, Joe Harris, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Richard Jefferson, Dahntay Jones, James Jones, Sasha Kaun, Kevin Love, Jordan McRae, Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams

There would be no shame in a second straight Finals loss to the mighty Warriors—no shame for LeBron, Kyrie and Kevin in falling short against the historically elite Dubs. There would be disappointment, sure, that the title LeBron came back to Cleveland to win, as part of arguably the most talented team in Cavs history, simply wasn’t meant to be. But this was Cleveland. They were used to disappointment. They weren’t used to making history. Until they did.

19. 1991-92 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 67-15

Roster: BJ Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, Bob Hansen, Craig Hodges, Dennis Hopson, Michael Jordan, Stacey King, Cliff Levingston, Chuck Nevitt, John Paxson, Will Perdue, Scottie Pippen, Mark Randall, Rory Sparrow, Scott Williams

One title, against an aging Lakers team, did not make a dynasty, and so the Bulls came into the ’91-92 season motivated for more. Those 67 regular-season wins were a statement, as was another MVP award for Michael Jordan (30.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 6.1 apg). But as ever, the playoffs were where it mattered, and Chicago needed to survive a seven-game series with the Knicks en route to the Finals. Once there, a hungry and talented Portland team promised to make the Bulls earn it. And so they did.

18. 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Record: 62-20

Roster: Jeff Ayres, Aron Baynes, Marco Belinelli, Matt Bonner, Shannon Brown, Austin Daye, Nando De Colo, Boris Diaw, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green, Damion James, Othyus Jeffers, Cory Joseph, Kawhi Leonard, Patty Mills, Tony Parker, Tiago Splitter, Malcolm Thomas

The whole thing with the Spurs’ post-millennial dominance was that it was Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, and then whatever spare parts Coach Pop managed to perfectly align around them. It wasn’t supposed to be like this: A 22-year-old, third-year forward who averaged 12.8 ppg in the regular season emerging as the most impactful player in the entire postseason, including a Finals MVP performance in a five-game humbling of the Heat. This Kawhi Leonard guy might be pretty good.

17. 1997-98 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 62-20

Roster: Keith Booth, Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Scott Burrell, Jason Caffey, Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Joe Kleine, Toni Kukoc, Rusty LaRue, Luc Longley, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Dickey Simpkins, David Vaughn, Bill Wennington

The Bulls kept the gang together for the “Last Dance,” and the result was a sixth title in eight years. There was plenty of tension and pressure. As usual, Michael Jordan was a hard-driving, big-scoring winner, while Scottie Pippen rode shotgun. Toni Kukoc did a bit of everything, and Dennis Rodman pounded the boards. Chicago survived a seven-game thriller with Indiana to reach the Finals, then dispatched Utah in six to end it all in style.

16. 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers

Coach: Alex Hannum

Record: 68-13

Roster: Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Costello, Billy Cunningham, Dave Gambee, Hal Greer, Matt Guokas, Luke Jackson, Wali Jones, Bill Melchionni, Chet Walker, Bob Weiss

After years of dominating the scorebook but not the winner’s circle, Wilt Chamberlain finally won a title. He did it by playing great defense, grabbing nearly every rebound and, amazingly, passing. He had plenty of targets. Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham and Wali Jones were dangerous scorers, and few were tougher inside than Luke Jackson.
The Sixers whipped the Celtics in five to reach the Finals and then stopped the Warriors to give The Big Dipper a championship.

15. 1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Pat Riley

Record: 62-20

Roster: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson, Earl Jones, Mitch Kupchak, Ronnie Lester, Bob McAdoo, Mike McGee, Chuck Nevitt, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, Larry Spriggs, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy

The Lakers had lost in two straight Finals but ’84-85 would be different. L.A. trampled all Western Conference competition and was led again by maestro Magic Johnson. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still a force in the paint, while James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper were a formidable supporting cast. After L.A. lost by 34 in the Finals opener, Abdul-Jabbar took over and was MVP of the Lakers’ first-ever championship win over Boston.

14. 1988-89 Detroit Pistons

Coach: Chuck Daly

Record: 63-19

Roster: Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley, Darryl Dawkins, Fennis Dembo, Joe Dumars, James Edwards, Steve Harris, Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, John Long, Rick Mahorn, Pace Mannion, Dennis Rodman, Jim Rowinski, John Salley, Isiah Thomas, Micheal Williams

The Pistons won a title with a team as tough as their town. The Bad Boys were physical, to be sure, but they had plenty of talent. Isiah Thomas teamed with Joe Dumars in a lethal backcourt, with Vinnie Johnson providing heat off the bench. Rick Mahorn and Bill Laimbeer handled the rough stuff, and the mid-season trade for Mark Aguirre brought it all together. Detroit ended the Showtime era by sweeping the Lakers in the Finals.

13. 2017-18 Golden State Warriors

Coach: Steve Kerr

Record: 58-24

Roster: Jordan Bell, Chris Boucher, Omri Casspi, Quinn Cook, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Damian Jones, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, Patrick McCaw, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, Klay Thompson, David West, Nick Young

For the Dubs, regular-season records had long since been rendered meaningless. This was about trophies, and the last of Golden State’s trio of titles ended up being its most conclusive. KD and Steph both missed chunks of the season but still functioned as the League’s most reliable cheat code when it mattered, and after a seven-game scare from Houston in the West Finals, the Warriors swept a depleted Cavs squad for the championship.

12. 1996-97 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 69-13

Roster: Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, Bison Dele, Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Robert Parish, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Dickey Simpkins, Matt Steigenga, Bill Wennington

By now, it was only a question of how long they could keep it going. A year after that 72-win campaign, the Bulls started the ’96-97 season with 12 straight victories and had five winning streaks of seven games or more. The machine just kept humming right up until the Finals, and then, there was a moment in Game 6 when it looked like the Jazz might force a Game 7. But they didn’t, because against these Bulls, nobody ever did.

11. 1964-65 Boston Celtics

Coach: Red Auerbach

Record: 62-18

Roster: Ron Bonham, Mel Counts, John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones, Sam Jones, Willie Naulls, Bevo Nordmann, Bill Russell, Tom Sanders, Larry Siegfried, John Thompson, Gerry Ward

The best team of Boston’s ’60s dynasty? It’s at least in the conversation. Six Celtics averaged double figures, led by Sam Jones’ 25.9 ppg. It was the last of Bill Russell’s five MVP seasons, and the last of Tommy Heinsohn’s Hall of Fame career. The defining moment, thanks to a legendary call by Johnny Most, came against Philly in Game 7 of the East Finals: “Havlicek stole the ball!” A 4-1 dispatching of the Lakers in the Finals was almost anticlimactic.

Read here to find out who made it on the rest of the list, including No. 75-66, 65-55, 54-44, 43-33 and 32-22.

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At this point in the list, we’re getting into dynasty territory. Clutch moments and high-pressure situations were the norm for these squads, many of whom won multiple championships over a three to five year period. Different.

From iconic three-peats to historic dubs, here’s our picks for No. 32-22:

32. 2004-05 San Antonio Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Record: 59-23

Roster: Brent Barry, Bruce Bowen, Devin Brown, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Dion Glover, Robert Horry, Linton Johnson, Sean Marks, Tony Massenburg, Nazr Mohammed, Rasho Nesterovic, Tony Parker, Glenn Robinson, Malik Rose, Beno Udrih, Mike Wilks

The Spurs and Pistons came into the season having split the previous two NBA championships, and both upset higher-seeded opponents (the Suns and Heat, respectively) in the Conference Finals that spring. That set up a title bout that made up for a relative lack of star power with heavyweight intensity and dominant D. Five of seven Finals games ended with the losing team not breaking 80 points. The series ended with Tim Duncan securing his third ring.

31. 1963-64 Boston Celtics

Coach: Red Auerbach

Record: 59-21

Roster: John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones, Sam Jones, Jim Loscutoff, Clyde Lovellette, Johnny McCarthy, Willie Naulls, Frank Ramsey, Bill Russell, Tom Sanders, Larry Siegfried

Yawn, another title run, but at least Boston got a new Finals opponent to break up the monotony. The San Francisco Warriors tried to play immovable object to the Celtics’ unstoppable force, and in Wilt Chamberlain, the Dubs at least had the firepower. But Boston had the balance, experience and pedigree: John Havlicek and Sam Jones led the offense, and Bill Russell did his usual work, dominating defensively and on the glass to lead Boston to its seventh championship in eight tries.

30. 1969-70 New York Knicks

Coach: Red Holzman

Record: 60-22

Roster: Dick Barnett, Nate Bowman, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Walt Frazier, Bill Hosket, Don May, Willis Reed, Mike Riordan, Cazzie Russell, Dave Stallworth, John Warren

When a new decade brought an end to the Celtics’ dominance, the Knicks asserted themselves as the class of the League. Behind MVP Willis Reed’s 21.7 ppg and 13.9 rpg and Walt Frazier’s stylish 20.9 points and 8.2 dimes per, New York rolled to the League’s best record and a Finals meeting with the Lakers. What followed was a seven-game classic against West, Wilt and Baylor, best remembered for Reed’s Game 7 effort on a bum leg that inspired his teammates to victory.

29. 1981-82 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Paul Westhead, Pat Riley

Record: 57-25

Roster: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brewer, Michael Cooper, Clay Johnson, Magic Johnson,Eddie Jordan, Mitch Kupchak, Mark Landsberger, Bob McAdoo, Mike McGee, Kevin  McKenna, Norm Nixon, Kurt Rambis, Jamaal Wilkes

Pat Riley was second choice. When Paul Westhead was fired (at Magic Johnson’s urging) 11 games into the ’81-82 season, Lakers owner Jerry Buss named Jerry West head coach. Only West didn’t want it, so Riley—the former player turned broadcaster turned inexperienced assistant—got the gig. Duly motivated, Magic, Kareem and Jamaal Wilkes led L.A. back to the Finals, where they bounced the Sixers in six. Showtime was in effect, and one of the greatest coaching careers was born.

28. 2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 58-24

Roster: Kobe Bryant, Joe Crispin, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Devean George, Robert Horry, Lindsey Hunter, Mark Madsen, Jelani McCoy, Stanislav Medvedenko, Shaquille O’Neal, Mike Penberthy, Mitch Richmond, Brian Shaw, Samaki Walker

The third title of the Shaq-Kobe axis didn’t come easily. That Western Finals series with Sacramento was brutal, and there were those who thought the Lakers shouldn’t have won it. But they did, and then L.A. dusted Jersey in the Finals, behind another overpowering performance from O’Neal. The dynamic duo was again tremendous, while Derek Fisher provided stability at the point, and supporting players like Rick Fox and Robert Horry stepped up when needed.

27. 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Record: 58-24

Roster: Brent Barry, Matt Bonner, Bruce Bowen, Jackie Butler, Tim Duncan, Francisco Elson, Melvin Ely, Michael Finley, Manu Ginobili, Robert Horry, Fabricio Oberto, Tony Parker, Beno Udrih, Jacque Vaughn, James White, Eric Williams

These Spurs scored when they needed to, and they moved the ball like no one else. But the real strength of the team was on defense, where San Antonio could stifle rivals, just like it did Cleveland in the Finals sweep. Tim Duncan was a no-frills frontcourt star, with point guard Tony Parker’s creativity and Manu Ginobili’s flair and passion the keys to the team’s success. Role players like Bruce Bowen and Michael Finley helped complete a pure team.

26. 1980-81 Boston Celtics

Coach: Bill Fitch

Record: 62-20

Roster: Tiny Archibald, Larry Bird, ML Carr, Terry Duerod, Eric Fernsten, Chris Ford, Gerald Henderson, Wayne Kreklow, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Rick Robey

After Magic Johnson got his title in 1980, it was Larry Bird’s turn. He and the Celtics waged a year-long battle with the Sixers that culminated with a seven-game Eastern Finals series that featured three big Boston comebacks. Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were interior forces, while Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford and Cedric Maxwell patrolled the perimeter. The Rockets were tough in the Finals, but they weren’t tough enough to stop the Celtics machine.

25. 1989-90 Detroit Pistons

Coach: Chuck Daly

Record: 59-23

Roster: Mark Aguirre, William Bedford, Joe Dumars, James Edwards, Dave Greenwood, Scott Hastings, Gerald Henderson, Vinnie Johnson, Stan Kimbrough, Bill Laimbeer, Ralph Lewis, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Isiah Thomas

The Bad Boys went back-to-back with the same formula that won their first title: ferocious defense, timely offense and a Mean Streets attitude. Isiah Thomas smiled a lot, but he was a killer. Joe Dumars quietly piled up the points. Bill Laimbeer made no friends inside. Dennis Rodman rebounded and defended like a dervish. Mark Aguirre scored in many ways. James Edwards was a force in the post. And nobody wanted to mess with John Salley.

24. 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 65-17

Roster: Trevor Ariza, Shannon Brown, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, DJ Mbenga, Chris Mihm, Adam Morrison, Lamar Odom, Josh Powell, Vladimir Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton, Sun Yue

The first of back-to-back titles was Kobe Bryant’s initial one as undisputed leader of the Lakers and redemption for the Mamba. A year after losing in the Finals to ancestral rival Boston, the Lakers piled up 65 wins—third most in franchise history—with Bryant leading the way but receiving plenty of help from Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum inside. The anticipated Finals matchup with Cleveland and LeBron James didn’t happen, so L.A. whipped Orlando instead.

23. 2007-08 Boston Celtics

Coach: Doc Rivers

Record: 66-16

Roster: Ray Allen, Tony Allen, PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, Glen Davis, Kevin Garnett, Eddie House, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Scot Pollard, James Posey, Leon Powe, Gabe Pruitt, Rajon Rondo, Brian Scalabrine

Depending on how you define it, the Super Team era started in Boston in the summer of ’07, when future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce to give the Celtics their best team in (at least) 20 years. Behind Pierce’s scoring, Allen’s shooting and KG’s two-way play, the Cs posted an NBA-high 66 wins and bounced LeBron and the Cavs en route to the Finals, where they renewed their rivalry with the Lakers. Not long after, they hung banner No. 17.

22. 1992-93 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 57-25

Roster: BJ Armstrong, Ricky Blanton, Bill Cartwright, Joe Courtney, Jo Jo English, Horace Grant, Michael Jordan, Stacey King, Rodney McCray, Ed Nealy, John Paxson, Will Perdue, Scottie Pippen, Trent Tucker, Darrell Walker, Corey Williams, Scott Williams

The Lakers and Pistons had taken some of the magic out of title repeats by the time the Bulls
won their second straight, but no team since the Celtics’ ’60s dynasty had won three in a row. The Bulls felt like making history. The formula by now was familiar: Jordan averaged League-
highs in points (32.6) and steals (2.8), Scottie Pippen was a terror at both ends and Chicago made the big plays when it mattered, edging Barkley and the Suns in the Finals to seal the threepeat.

Read here to find out who made it on the rest of the list, including No. 75-66, 65-55, 54-44 and 43-33.

Get your copy of SLAM Presents TOP 75 NBA Teams Of All Time

The post SLAM’s TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time: No. 32-22 appeared first on SLAM.

Wow. The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years after their 120-110 series-clinching win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Warriors!

A look from inside the arena as the @warriors accept the Oscar Robertson Trophy! #DubNation pic.twitter.com/KuOKSHPmUL

— NBA (@NBA) May 27, 2022

The win is sweeter when you remember where the Warriors were after their 2019 NBA Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors.

A lottery finish in 2020 and a play-in tournament flameout in 2021 wasn’t enough to stop the Warriors’ core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green from dreaming of coming back to the FInals again. The Dubs (53-29) finished the regular-season with the third-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The 2021-22 campaign was highlighted by Curry becoming the all-time king in long-range shooting and Thompson’s long-awaited return.

To get to this point, the Warriors beat the Nuggets in a gentlemen sweep, outlasted the Grizzlies in six games, and beat the Mavericks in five games.

“This is a blessing,” Curry said. “Obviously, this is a team effort with what Draymond said, for us to be out the mix the last two years. To be where we belong back in the Finals — this is special.”

“Everything about it is special. . We know this isn’t the ultimate goal, but we have to celebrate this cause of all we went through these last three years.”

THEY’RE BACK!!! (via @SportsCenter) pic.twitter.com/2VkJClrPLg

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 27, 2022

Game 6 Thompson (32 points on eight made threes) made an early appearance to help the Warriors close out the Mavericks on Thursday’s Game. The five-time All-Star scored 19 points on five triples, giving Golden State a 17-point lead on this dagger-three that Thompson celebrated with a Curry-like shimmy.

Klay hitting the shimmy got me LITTTTT (via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/KSCf8NuMX0

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 27, 2022

In the second-half, Golden State grew their lead to as many as 25 points after Curry (15 points, nine assists) knocked down a floater. Luka Doncic (28 points, nine rebounds, six dimes) then woke up from his sleepy start and scored 15 points in the third frame, helping to engineer a 15-4 run that cut the deficit to eight points powered by back-to-back triples from Luka Magic.

Luka with 15 points in the 3Q pic.twitter.com/NJVAPVSzm3

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 27, 2022

However, that’s as close as Dallas would get. The Warriors scored five straight points to bring the lead back to 15, and the Golden State Big 3 of Curry, Green (17 points, six rebounds, nine assists, including seven in the fourth), and Thompson scored 15 points to close Game 6 out, with Curry and Thompson knocking down consecutive three-pointe to build a 16-point lead with 2:02 left in the game.

“You’re going to make me emotional, man,” Thompson said, smiling from corner to corner. “It’s hard to put in words — I dreamt of this day. There were some dog days, and to be here, I’m so thankful for our squad they started the season so incredibly well, allowed us to finish out strong, and we are four wins away from a championship.”

With the WCF series wrapped up, Curry became the first-ever Magic Johnson Trophy winner. The Warriors await the winner of the Heat-Celtics series, the Celtics lead the series 3-2. Golden State will host Game 1 of the FInals when they begin on June 2.

The post Golden State Advances to Sixth NBA Finals in Eight Years appeared first on SLAM.

From the visionaries to the managers and all of those who helped blaze a trail while battling discrimination, the Black Fives helped strengthen and uplift their communities during Jim Crow.

Below is an excerpt from Johnson’s new book, which you can purchase here:

CHAPTER 26 

“TRUE WORLD CHAMPIONS” 

FEBRUARY 19, 1937, was a big night in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. That’s because  the Oshkosh All-Stars, a local all-White basketball team, were on the eve of  playing in a “World Series of Basketball” that would put the small city and the  state of Wisconsin on the national professional hardwood stage. 

Their opponents were the all-Black New York Renaissance Big Five. One  would think that in the Midwest, during the Great Depression, and during Jim  Crow, that the appearance of an African American team in an all-White town  would be of concern. But actually, the Rens were universally considered the  champions of basketball, and Wisconsin residents were some of the country’s  most passionate basketball fans. So they eagerly welcomed the visitors. 

Wisconsin was not new to interracial basketball. The Renaissance Five  had begun visiting Wisconsin in 1934. That year the Milwaukee Raynors, an  all-Black club, barnstormed the state from their home base of Milwaukee. The  Milwaukee Colored Panthers were also popular, and the all-Black Chicago  Crusaders toured through Wisconsin during the mid-1930s. 

Formed in 1931, the Oshkosh All-Stars had played the Rens for the first  time in February 1936 in a two-game series. The games drew so many specta tors that local promoter and Oshkosh team manager Lon Darling decided to  do it again in 1937. This time the two squads staged a five-game series to be  played in Oshkosh, Racine, Green Bay, Ripon, and Madison. Darling declared  that the winner of the series, which the papers dubbed the “World Series Of  Basketball,” would be considered the world’s champions of basketball. 

“It was a money-maker,” recalled former Renaissance Five star and future  Basketball Hall of Fame member John Isaacs. Each venue saw huge attendance,  and in local newspapers, race as a point of difference was rarely mentioned. It  seemed to matter only as a descriptive term. Prejudice was, if not trumped, at least mitigated by love of the game. According to Isaacs, on this trip the Rens  were able to stay in hotels and eat at restaurants like everyone else. “We had  trouble when we first started with all these white All-Americans, and when  we first started playing them, damn near every night we had to knock one  or two of them out,” said the Rens travel secretary and road manager, Eric  Illidge, many years later. “For two or three years straight, two or three jaws  were broken,” he continued. “Every night, every GAME we played, we had a  fight, not with the customers but with the players themselves—they couldn’t  stand us beating them,” said Illidge, whose only concern was keeping the score  down so they would get invited back. “I had two fighters on the team, they  broke about four or five different jaws, Pop Gates and Wee Willie Smith” he  explained. “And we kept doing it until everybody respected us.” Illidge had no  regrets. “My job with the Renaissance was easy and I’ll tell you why, we had  the best team at that time in basketball,” he said. “We was the biggest drawing  card in basketball.” His duties included making sure players would “leave on  time, be at the game on time, check the gate receipts, collect the money, give  them their lunch money, in fact, I took care of all the business.” Yet, Illidge  was always prepared for inevitable trouble. Often, the cash accumulated so  fast that he had to wire it back to Harlem using Western Union, unless it was  close to payday. “All this goddamn money in my pocket,” Illidge said. “One time  in Louisville some guy came and grabbed me and tried to take my money off  of me, but, he was so scared,” Illidge laughed. “I had my pistol in my pocket,  and I stuck it in his jaw, and he flew!” 

While the Rens faced all kinds of challenges on the road, none were as  bad as what happened to the New York Harlemites, an African American  barnstorming squad based in St. Louis. While driving toward Chester, Mon tana, on February 6, 1936, for a scheduled game, they encountered a blizzard.  Their car broke down and “the entire party was forced to get out and walk  to a farm house three miles away,” according to the Fort Benton River Press.  “The lowest reading of the thermometer was approximately 42 degrees below  zero” that week, the paper reported. They were rushed to nearby Shelby for  medical attention treatment of “frozen faces, feet and hands.” They continued  playing on schedule into March, when it was reported that the players, whose  frostbite injuries had “necessitated their playing with their hands taped, are  again able to play without bandages.” About 260 people showed for the game,  which the Harlemites won, 44-43, and “the colored artists performed perfectly despite the loss of their classy forward who died at Shelby when gangrene set  into his hands after they were frozen near there during the recent blizzards.”¹ The twenty-six-year-old professional basketball player, Benson Hall, had lost  his life after being sent home “because his mother back in St. Louis refused  to let them amputate parts of his body,” according to the daughter of Donnie  Goins, one of his teammates.

Getting back to the Rens, just in case, their team bus, a custom-made REO Speed Wagon, had two potbelly stoves on board for heat. These also  served to dry their sweat-soaked woolen uniforms when it was too cold to  let them air-dry with the windows open. “The bus was your home, when you  come to think of it,” said Isaacs in 1986. “The hard part wasn’t the playing,  it was the traveling.”³ Still, according to Isaacs, the Rens’ game strategy was  always the same. “Get ten points as quickly as you could, because those were  the ten points the refs were gonna take away.”  

Meanwhile, the Oshkosh All-Stars were trying to build a case to join the  National Basketball League, a proposed new circuit of teams from the Midwest  representing both large and small companies, from the Akron Firestones and  Akron Goodyears to the Indianapolis Kautskys and Richmond King Clothiers.  This league was still only just an idea at the time. The All-Stars lost that 1937  series with the Rens, three games to two, but Bob Douglas agreed to a return  engagement, a two-game series in March 1937. 

Ever the shrewd promoter, Darling declared that those two extra games  would extend their previous “World Series” to seven games. In other words,  if the All-Stars won both, they would be the new world champions, instead of  the Rens. The All-Stars managed to pull it off, and the following season the  NBL added Oshkosh as a founding member. 

Beyond delighting Wisconsinites, the series between the All-Stars and  the Rens served a purpose for basketball fans around the country: It helped to  determine which top-notch team was truly the best. For a long time, any team  (like Will Madden’s Incorporators) could claim they were “world champions,”  and often the public was understandably confused. Behind the scenes, promot 

ers took notice. A team’s won-loss record might speak for itself. But no hard  stats could prove the greatness of a barnstorming team without a doubt. Which  was why Edward W. Cochrane, a Chicago Herald-American sports editor,  came up with the idea for a World Championship of Professional Basketball.  “At the time there were no less than a score of professional basketball teams, all advertising themselves as world’s champions,” Cochrane remembered in  1941. The annual tournament was born “out of the chaos of these conflict ing claims,” he said. So, they decided to settle the chaos once and for all. The  clear-sighted inclusion by the Herald-American of all-Black teams from the outset gave legitimacy to the tournament as well as to pro basketball itself.  Twelve teams were invited to the inaugural tournament in 1939, the best  pro teams in the country, including the New York Rens, Oshkosh All-Stars,  Harlem Globe Trotters, and New York Celtics. It tipped off on March 26, at  the 132nd Regiment Armory in Chicago, a cavernous drill hall, where eight  thousand fans saw the Rens defeat the New York Yankees 30–21. The follow ing day, the Rens took down the Globe Trotters, 27–23 at Chicago Coliseum,  a historic structure that had been the site of six Republican National Conven tions and the home of the Chicago Blackhawks early in their existence. Bob  Douglas and his Renaissance Five had made it to the final, which was played  on March 29 against their familiar rivals, the Oshkosh All Stars. New York  triumphed, 34–25, making headlines across the country. But when champi onship jackets were awarded to the players, star guard John Isaacs famously  borrowed a razor blade from a teammate and carefully removed the stitches  that attached the word colored off of the back of his, so that it read, simply,  world champions. 

John William Isaacs, aka “Boy Wonder,” a bruising, powerfully built six-foot,  three-inch, 190-pound guard, was a star player from East Harlem. He led  his Textile High School squad to the 1934–5 Public School Athletic League  championship, with a defeat of New York City powerhouse and defending  PSAL champion DeWitt Clinton High School. Following a successful 1935–6  season, Textile lost in the city PSAL playoffs when Isaacs, being twenty years  old, was ruled ineligible to play in high school.”⁴ 

Being ineligible had its perks. Isaacs played games with the St. Peter  Claver Penguins, a Brooklyn-based “colored” team that featured Puggy Bell, a  future pro teammate, and in the fall of 1936, he appeared with the New York Collegians, another all-Black squad.⁵ These brief stints not only proved that  Isaacs could play at the next level, they also caught the eye of Bob Douglas. 

Excerpt from the new book THE BLACK FIVES: THE EPIC STORY OF BASKETBALL’S FORGOTTEN ERA by Claude Johnson published by Abrams Press

Text copyright © 2022 Claude Johnson

The post ‘The Black Fives’ Tells the Monumental History of the Black Pioneers Who Revolutionized the Game appeared first on SLAM.

From dominant big threes and electrifying duos to all-around greatness, here’s our top 43-33:

43. 1958-59 Boston Celtics

Coach: Red Auerbach

Record: 52-20

Roster: Gene Conley, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones, Sam Jones, Jim Loscutoff, Frank Ramsey, Bill Russell, Bill Sharman, Bennie Swain, Lou Tsioropoulos

The greatest rivalry in NBA history began, for all practical purposes, in the spring of ’59, and it foreshadowed the decade to come. Led by veteran guard Bill Sharman’s 20.4 ppg, five Celtics averaged better than 15 ppg en route to the League’s best record. They needed seven games to dispatch Syracuse in the conference finals, setting up a first-ever Finals meeting with the Minneapolis Lakers. Three Cs averaged 20-plus, Bill Russell pulled down 22.1 boards per and Boston swept their way to the title.

42. 2002-03 San Antonio Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Record: 60-22

Roster: Mengke Bateer, Bruce Bowen, Devin Brown, Speedy Claxton, Tim Duncan, Danny Ferry, Manu Ginobili, Anthony Goldwire, Stephen Jackson, Steve Kerr, Tony Parker, David Robinson, Malik Rose, Steve Smith, Kevin Willis

The Kings, Mavs, Spurs and Timberwolves all finished ahead of the three-time-defending-champion Lakers in ’02-03, but one of them would still have to beat L.A. when it mattered. Led by Tim Duncan, fresh off a second straight League MVP award, and second-year point guard Tony Parker, San Antonio got its chance in the second round and dispatched Shaq and Kobe in six games. They handled Dallas and New Jersey in similarly businesslike fashion en route to the chip.

41. 2018-19 Golden State Warriors

Coach: Steve Kerr

Record: 57-25

Roster: Jordan Bell, Andrew Bogut, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, Stephen Curry, Marcus Derrickson, Kevin Durant, Jacob Evans, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Jonas Jerebko, Damian Jones, Damion Lee, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, Alfonzo McKinnie, Klay Thompson

The three-peat was never a given, but it was right there, within reach. As injury-impacted NBA championships go, this one is right up there. With Steph, KD and Klay, the Dubs were the scariest offensive team in the League; but a mix of minor and major injuries to the Splash Bros, Durant and much of the supporting cast in May and June were too much for the Dubs to overcome. Toronto got them in six games in the Finals. You just know they’d love a do-over.

40. 1993-94 Houston Rockets

Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich

Record: 58-24

Roster: Scott Brooks, Matt Bullard, Sam Cassell, Earl Cureton, Mario Elie, Carl Herrera, Robert Horry, Chris Jent, Vernon Maxwell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Richard Petruska, Eric Riley, Larry Robinson, Kenny Smith, Otis Thorpe

Go ahead and attribute Houston’s first title to Michael Jordan’s baseball flirtation. Others have done it, and it’s just wrong. The Rockets excelled at both ends of the court, had all-time great Hakeem Olajuwon and his Dream Shake in the middle and boasted a versatile lineup of fierce gamers like guards Kenny Smith and Vernon Maxwell and rugged Otis Thorpe. Houston outlasted the Knicks in a classic Finals series and deserves a title with no asterisk.

39. 1983-84 Boston Celtics

Coach: KC Jones

Record: 62-20

Roster: Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Quinn Buckner, ML Carr, Carlos Clark, Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Greg Kite, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Scott Wedman

After two years of watching hated rivals Philadelphia and the Lakers hoist the trophy, Boston reclaimed its rightful spot atop the NBA. Or at least that’s how Celtics fans figured it. Call the roll: Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale were up front. Dennis Johnson, Cedric Maxwell and Gerald Henderson handled the backcourt. The Celtics had way more regular-season victories than anyone else and won a thrilling seven-gamer over L.A. to take the title.

38. 2011-12 Miami Heat

Coach: Erik Spoelstra

Record: 46-20

Roster: Joel Anthony, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Eddy Curry, Mickell Gladness, Terrel Harris, Udonis Haslem, Juwan Howard, LeBron James, James Jones, Mike Miller, Dexter Pittman, Ronny Turiaf, Dwyane Wade

Although LeBron James had taken his talents to Miami a year earlier, the Heat hadn’t won a title. In the lockout-shortened ’11-12 campaign, James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh & Co. changed that. The Big Three were a force all season, and a strong supporting cast helped fuel a focused postseason run. The seven-game Eastern Finals series with Boston was a grind, but the Heat dominated OKC in the Finals to take the title.

37. 1972-73 New York Knicks

Coach: Red Holzman

Record: 57-25

Roster: Dick Barnett, Henry Bibby, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Walt Frazier, John Gianelli, Phil Jackson, Jerry Lucas, Dean Meminger, Earl Monroe, Luther Rackley, Willis Reed, Tom Riker, Harthorne Wingo

If it’s possible, the Knicks five-game wipeout of L.A. in the Finals was actually an anticlimax after their thrilling Eastern Finals upset of the Celtics. The Knicks were the consummate collection of team players. Backcourt men Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe were practically unguardable. Dave DeBusschere was a force inside, while Bill Bradley patrolled the wings. Jerry Lucas was the League’s best passing big man, and Willis Reed could still hang with the best centers around.

36. 1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 67-15

Roster: Kobe Bryant, John Celestand, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Devean George, AC Green, Ron Harper, Robert Horry, Sam Jacobson, Travis Knight, Tyronn Lue, Shaquille O’Neal, Glen Rice,
John Salley, Brian Shaw

This was the first of three straight for the Big Brother-Little Brother Lakers. Shaq and Kobe were together for three seasons before ’99-00, and although their relationship wasn’t always the warmest, their talent was overwhelming. There was just no stopping the Diesel. O’Neal overpowered defenders and swept the boards clean, while Bryant provided offense from all over. Glen Rice was a potent outside weapon, and a cast of veteran winners completed the Laker machine.

35. 1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers

Record: 60-22

Roster: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ron Boone, Marty Byrnes, Kenny Carr, Jim Chones, Michael Cooper, Don Ford, Spencer Haywood, Brad Holland, Magic Johnson, Mark Landsberger, Butch Lee, Ollie Mack, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes

Showtime made its NBA debut in Magic Johnson’s rookie season, when the 6-9 point guard brought fun back to the Lakers and kick-started perhaps the League’s most entertaining decade. Johnson revitalized center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and served as the trigger for a raucous L.A. attack that was bolstered by Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes and Jim Chones. The Lakers ruled the West and finished off Philadelphia in six, with Johnson scoring 42 in the Finals-clinching victory.

34. 2014-15 Golden State Warriors

Coach: Steve Kerr

Record: 67-15

Roster: Leandro Barbosa, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Stephen Curry, Festus Ezeli, Draymond Green, Justin Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Ognjen Kuzmic, David Lee, Shaun Livingston, James Michael McAdoo, Brandon Rush, Marreese Speights, Klay Thompson

The Warriors’ first title in 40 years—and the first of three in four seasons—was accomplished primarily by the never-ending shooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, whose solution to tough defenses was simply to move back another step or two. Draymond Green handled the tough work and never backed down from a soul, while Harrison Barnes and Marreese Speights did what was necessary. The Warriors dumped the Cavs in six to take the crown.

33. 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers

Coach: Jack Ramsay

Record: 49-33

Roster: Corky Calhoun, Johnny Davis, Herm Gilliam, Bob Gross, Lionel Hollins, Robin Jones, Maurice Lucas, Clyde Mayes, Lloyd Neal, Larry Steele, Dave Twardzik, Wally Walker, Bill Walton

The Blazers weren’t overpowering during the regular season, but by the playoffs, they had become the perfect team, working as a highly efficient unit under coach Jack Ramsay. It all started with Bill Walton, a pivot savant who could pass, score and rebound. Maurice Lucas provided the muscle, with Lionel Hollins, Dave Twardzik, Bob Gross and Larry Steele willingly playing supporting roles. Portland overcame Julius Erving’s high-flying Sixers in the Finals with textbook unselfish basketball.

Read here to find out who made it on the rest of the list, including No. 75-66, 65-55 and 54-44.

Get your copy of SLAM Presents TOP 75 NBA Teams Of All Time

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We’re gonna keep it real though: this list was pretty tough to put together. It was mostly guided by the idea that the way to measure the true quality of a team is to think about how much better they were than everyone else they played against. Some decent team in the 2000s would almost definitely destroy an excellent team from the ’70s if we teleported all of the players into the same dimension and let them go at it, but that’s not how this works. This is about dominating your era. Read here for No. 75-66, and 65-55.

Here’s our top 55-44 best teams of all time:

54. 1978-79 Seattle Supersonics

Coach: Lenny Wilkens

Record: 52-30

Roster: Dennis Awtrey, Fred Brown, Lars Hansen, Joe Hassett, Dennis Johnson, John Johnson, Tom LaGarde, Jackie Robinson, Lonnie Shelton, Jack Sikma, Paul Silas, Dick Snyder, Wally Walker, Gus Williams

For the greatest team in franchise history, it was all about balance. Seven players averaged double-figures for Seattle in ’78-79, led by the high-powered young backcourt duo of Gus Williams (19.2 ppg) and Dennis Johnson (15.9 ppg), while second-year big man Jack Sikma held it down in the paint to the tune of 15.6 and 12.4 per game. The Sonics rode that young core to the Finals, where they dropped the series opener in Washington before taking four straight from the Bullets.

53. 1974-75 Golden State Warriors

Coach: Al Attles

Record: 48-34

Roster: Rick Barry, Butch Beard, Steve Bracey, Bill Bridges, Derrek Dickey, Charles Dudley, Charles Johnson, George Johnson, Frank Kendrick, Jeff Mullins, Clifford Ray, Phil Smith, Jamaal Wilkes

Rick Barry led the NBA in free-throw percentage and steals in ’74-75, League-leading numbers
to go along with a casual 30.6 ppg, 6.2 apg and 5.7 rpg. The Dubs were solid, with silky-smooth rookie Jamaal Wilkes averaging 14.2 ppg and a steady backcourt pairing of Butch Beard and Charles Johnson. But it was Barry, a decade into a spectacular career, who carried Golden State to a Finals sweep of the Bullets for the franchise’s first championship since relocating to the Bay.

52. 1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Pat Riley

Record: 62-20

Roster: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tony Campbell, Michael Cooper, AC Green, Magic Johnson, Jeff Lamp, Wes Matthews, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, Mike Smrek, Billy Thompson, Mychal Thompson, Ray Tolbert, Milt Wagner, James Worthy

It had been 19 years since an NBA champion successfully defended its title, so when Pat Riley guaranteed his Lakers would do just that after the ’87 Finals, the pressure was on. If not for Isiah Thomas’ injured ankle, Detroit might have made Riley a liar, but don’t tell a Laker fan that the last title of the Showtime era was a fluke. James Worthy confirmed his Hall of Fame bona fides with a 36-point triple-double in Game 7 to ensure his coach’s guarantee held up.

51. 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks

Coach: Mike Budenholzer

Record: 46-26

Roster: Jaylen Adams, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, DJ Augustin, Elijah Bryant, Pat Connaughton, Torrey Craig, Mamadi Diakite, Donte DiVincenzo, Bryn Forbes, Jrue Holiday, Justin Jackson, Rodions Kurucs, Brook Lopez, Sam Merrill, Khris Middleton, Jordan Nwora, Bobby Portis, Jeff Teague, Axel Toupane, PJ Tucker, DJ Wilson

You can focus on the pandemic-shortened schedule, or the placement of Kevin Durant’s toe, but as time passes, what people will remember about the ’20-21 season will mostly come down to one dude: Giannis. A two-time League MVP who still faced skeptics who said he couldn’t produce when it mattered most, Antetokounmpo did just that, first against KD and the Nets (31.9 ppg, 12.9 rpg) in a seven-game Eastern Conference Semifinal thriller, then even more impressively against the Suns (35.2, 13.2) in the Finals.

50. 2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 57-25

Roster: Ron Artest, Shannon Brown, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, DJ Mbenga, Adam Morrison, Lamar Odom, Josh Powell, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton

It was Kobe’s team, but even prime Kobe knew he couldn’t do it alone. In 2010, with a title to defend and a matchup with the hated Celtics in the Finals, the Lakers’ star once again relied on the steadiness of Pau Gasol (18.6 ppg, 11.3 rpg), and got invaluable defense and clutch play from a resurgent Ron Artest. “Kobe passed me the ball!” the man now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest said after hitting a title-sealing three late in Game 7. Every Laker fan shared his joy.

49. 1973-74 Boston Celtics

Coach: Tom Heinsohn

Record: 56-26

Roster: Don Chaney, Dave Cowens, Steve Downing, Hank Finkel, Phil Hankinson, John Havlicek, Steve Kuberski, Don Nelson, Paul Silas, Paul Westphal, Jo Jo White, Art Williams

Russell and Cousy were retired, Red Auerbach was no longer on the bench, and it had been five long years since the Celtics last hung a banner from the Garden rafters. But with John Havlicek (22.6 ppg) still around and young Dave Cowens (19 ppg, 15.7 rpg) already looking like a future Hall of Famer, Boston decided five years was long enough. They needed seven games to take down Kareem, Oscar and the Bucks, but soon enough, Red was lighting that stogie once again.

48. 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks

Coach: Rick Carlisle

Record: 57-25

Roster: Alexis Ajinca, JJ Barea, Rodrigue Beaubois, Corey Brewer, Caron Butler, Brian Cardinal, Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, Dominique Jones, Jason Kidd, Ian Mahinmi, Shawn Marion, Steve Novak, Dirk Nowitzki, Sasha Pavlovic, DeShawn Stevenson, Peja Stojakovic, Jason Terry

There was still a sense that calling Dirk Nowitzki “the greatest European player of all time” was sort of a diss. Nobody doubted his production, but plenty of people questioned whether he could be that dude when it mattered. All questions were answered that June: With help from a veteran supporting cast that included Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler and 37-year-old Jason Kidd, Dirk averaged 26 points and 9.7 rebounds in the Finals to dispatch the Heatles and confirm his spot among the all-time greats.

47. 2005-06 Miami Heat

Coach: Stan Van Gundy, Pat Riley

Record: 52-30

Roster: Derek Anderson, Shandon Anderson, Earl Barron, Michael Doleac, Gerald Fitch, Udonis Haslem, Jason Kapono, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, James Posey, Wayne Simien, Dwyane Wade, Antoine Walker, Matt Walsh, Jason Williams, Dorell Wright

A decade dominated by the Lakers and Spurs didn’t leave much room for Eastern Conference contenders, but in ’06, a Miami team loaded with loose parts and a wild array of past-their-prime big-name vets coalesced around a dynamic third-year guard from Marquette. Sure, Dwyane Wade benefitted from some friendly officiating in a Finals matchup that Dirk and the Mavs are probably still mad about, but mostly, Flash earned what he got in leading the Heat out of a 0-2 Finals hole and on to the title.

46. 2003-04 Detroit Pistons

Coach: Larry Brown

Record: 54-28

Roster: Chucky Atkins, Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell, Hubert Davis, Tremaine Fowlkes, Darvin Ham, Richard Hamilton, Lindsey Hunter, Mike James, Darko Milicic, Mehmet Okur,  Tayshaun Prince, Zeljko Rebraca, Bob Sura, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Corliss Williamson

Larry Brown talked all the time about playing basketball “the right way,” but he had never
won a title until the Pistons hit the League with their stifling defense. Sure, Richard Hamilton was a potent scorer, Chauncey Billups was good all year (especially in the Finals win over the Lakers) and the mid-year arrival of Rasheed Wallace was huge. But the embodiment of Detroit was lunch-pail center Ben Wallace, whose relentless approach keyed a championship.

45. 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Record: 37-13

Roster: Antonio Daniels, Tim Duncan, Mario Elie, Sean Elliott, Andrew Gaze, Jaren Jackson, Avery Johnson, Steve Kerr, Jerome Kersey, Gerard King, Will Perdue, David Robinson, Malik Rose, Brandon Williams

It was the post-Bulls era and a lockout-shortened season, but the Spurs were ascendant. Their first championship team featured the Tim Duncan-David Robinson interior axis, one of the few times a twin towers configuration had enjoyed supreme success. Avery Johnson ran the team, Mario Elie hit big shots and locked down opposing high scorers, while Sean Elliott was a do-everything type who fit in perfectly. The Spurs lost just two games the entire postseason.

44. 1994-95 Houston Rockets

Coach: Ruddy Tomjanovich

Record: 47-35

Roster: Tim Breaux, Scott Brooks, Chucky Brown, Adrian Caldwell, Sam Cassell, Pete Chilcutt, Clyde Drexler, Mario Elie, Carl Herrera, Robert Horry, Charles Jones, Vernon Maxwell, Tracy Murray, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kenny Smith, Zan Tabak, Otis Thorpe

If Houston’s ’94 title run was inspired, the ’95 version seemed unlikely to ever happen. The Rockets posted the NBA’s 10th-best record and were pushed to the distance in their first two playoff rounds. But something about matchups with arguably the other two best centers in the League seemed just what Hakeem Olajuwon needed: He Dream-shook and dominated newly crowned MVP David Robinson in the conference finals, then went for 32.8 and 11.5 to sweep young Shaq and the Magic for the title.

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During Early Bird negotiations last offseason, Ayton and his representatives attempted to negotiate a five-year $170 million extension. Phoenix and Ayton ultimately could not agree to a deal, leaving Ayton “disappointed.” Phoenix reportedly tried to gauge Ayton’s trade value per Jake Fischer, including a deal centered around Domantas Sabonis. 

Deandre Ayton addresses contract talks, saying he’s “disappointed” a deal hasn’t gotten done and he wants to be respected like his peers as ESPN reported last week contract talks were stalled over getting rookie max extension. #Suns pic.twitter.com/XVtj06fojN

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 12, 2021

This offseason, three teams, Atlanta, Detroit, and Portland, have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring Ayton in the open market. Charlotte is also amongst the reported Ayton suitors as well as San Antonio. The Spurs have a similar problem on their hands while they weigh what they want to do with their frontcourt as Jakob Poetl’s contract ends in 2023.

The dynamic around the Suns and Ayton has been shifting recently. Ayton was benched for the entire fourth quarter of the Suns’ Game 7 blowout loss to the Mavericks. When Coach Monty Williams was asked about the benching, he replied: “It’s internal.” Williams was noncommital to Ayton during his exit interview with reporters too, revealing that he and Ayton haven’t spoken since Game 7.

“The Deandre situation is something we’ll deal with this summer,” Ayton said.

Fischer reports that some among the League believe that the Phoenix front office doesn’t view Ayton, or any center, as a player worth a deal greater than $30 million annually. On the coaching end, Fischer reports that Ayton is not a favorite of Williams, particularly of Ayton’s apparent waning focus. During the 2018 NBA Draft process, there were question marks about Ayton’s motor and work ethic.

Four seasons into his career, Ayton has seemingly answered those questions, averaging a career of 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

If Phoenix adds a massive Ayton extension to their already expensive payroll, it will make it much more challenging to re-sign Cam Johnson, who is also due for an extension. According to Fischer, should Phoenix decide to let Ayton walk away, they could engineer a sign-and-trade for a frontcourt replacement. They could also choose to re-sign JaVale McGee or Bismack Biyombo in hopes the two vets can fill the center position by committee.

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We know there will probably be some disgruntled fans out there, but we’ve come up with a list that we’re standing by. Here’s our top 66-75 best teams of all time:

75. 1997-98 Indiana Pacers

Coach: Larry Bird

Record: 58-24

Roster: Travis Best, Etdrick Bohannon, Austin Croshere, Antonio Davis, Dale Davis, Fred Hoiberg, Mark Jackson, Derrick McKey, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Mark Pope, Jalen Rose, Rik Smits, Mark West

Yes, the ’97-98 Pacers lost a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals series to the Bulls, but this was an extremely strong team. Indy was the next-to-last partner in Chicago’s “Last Dance,” but the Pacers won 58 games—second best in the East—and boasted a deep lineup led by the trio of sharpshooter Reggie Miller, 7-4 tower Rik Smits and do-everything forward Chris Mullin. The loss was disappointing, but the Pacers had plenty to be proud of.

74. 1994-95 Orlando Magic

Coach: Brian Hill

Record: 57-25

Roster: Nick Anderson, Darrell Armstrong, Anthony Avent, Anthony Bowie, Horace Grant, Geert Hammink, Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, Tree Rollins, Donald Royal, Dennis Scott, Brian Shaw, Brooks Thompson, Keith Tower, Jeff Turner

In just their sixth year of existence, the Magic reached the Finals, thanks to the dynamic pairing of Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. Orlando posted the East’s best record and then outlasted the Pacers to win the conference. Shaq was unstoppable inside, and Hardaway dazzled all over. Add in Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott’s long-range shooting and Horace Grant’s steady interior game, and the Magic were quite strong, even if Houston did sweep them in the Finals.

73. 1986-87 Boston Celtics

Coach: KC Jones

Record: 59-23

Roster: Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Rick Carlisle, Darren Daye, Conner Henry, Dennis Johnson, Greg Kite, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Fred Roberts, Jerry Sichting, David Thirdkill, Andre Turner, Sam Vincent, Bill Walton, Scott Wedman

A year after domination, the Celtics returned to the Finals once again, but lost to the Showtime Lakers in six. The usual cast was back for the conference title winners. Larry Bird was practically infallible, and Kevin McHale and Robert Parish plundered inside. Dennis Johnson ran the show, while Danny Ainge irritated everybody but Celtics fans. But Boston lacked a strong bench, and that’s why the ’86-87 edition was very good, but not a champion.

72. 2011-12 Oklahoma City Thunder

Coach: Scott Brooks

Record: 47-19

Roster: Cole Aldrich, Nick Collison, Daequan Cook, Kevin Durant, Derek Fisher, James Harden, Lazar Hayward, Serge Ibaka, Royal Ivey, Reggie Jackson, Eric Maynor, Nazr Mohammed, Kendrick Perkins, Ryan Reid, Thabo Sefolosha, Russell Westbrook

This was it. This was the last time the Thunder’s Big Three would be together, and Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden almost got it all done. The Thunder won the West and made it to the Finals. They even won the first game against Miami before dropping four straight. Durant, Westbrook and Harden combined for 70 ppg in the series but couldn’t finish the journey and hoist a trophy.

71. 1992-93 Phoenix Suns

Coach: Paul Westphal

Record: 62-20

Roster: Danny Ainge, Charles Barkley, Cedric Ceballos, Tom Chambers, Richard Dumas, Frank Johnson, Kevin Johnson, Tim Kempton, Negele Knight, Dan Majerle, Oliver Miller, Jerrod Mustaf, Kurt Rambis, Alex Stivrins, Mark West

The Suns had reached the Finals before, in 1976, but fell to Boston. This time would be different, even if they were facing the Bulls. Phoenix had the NBA’s best record, the League’s best offense and Charles Barkley, acquired from Philly in a blockbuster. The Suns were deep and fast and fun. But when they lost Game 4 of the Finals to Chicago to fall behind 3-1, you knew it was over. And it was.

70. 1988-89 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Pat Riley

Record: 57-25

Roster: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tony Campbell, Michael Cooper, AC Green, Magic Johnson, Jeff Lamp, Mark McNamara, David Rivers, Byron Scott, Mychal Thompson, Orlando Woolridge, James Worthy

There would be one more last gasp for Showtime, but this really felt like the end of an era. Sure, the Lakers won the Pacific, put up the most wins in the conference and reached the Finals after posting a perfect 11-0 playoff record. But the usual suspects—Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, etc.—were beat up by the same Detroit Bad Boys they had defeated a year earlier.

69. 2018-19 Toronto Raptors

Coach Nick Nurse

Record: 58-24

Roster: OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, Lorenzo Brown, Marc Gasol, Danny Green, Serge Ibaka, Kawhi Leonard, Jeremy Lin, Kyle Lowry, Jordan Loyd, Patrick McCaw, Jodie Meeks, CJ Miles, Malcolm Miller, Greg Monroe, Eric Moreland, Norman Powell, Malachi Richardson, Pascal Siakam, Jonas Valanciunas, Fred VanVleet, Delon Wright

In Canada for just one year, Kawhi Leonard proved his absolute greatness. The Raptors had been good, but they weren’t championship good. No way. Then Leonard averaged 26.6. He hit a quadruple-doink jumper to beat the Sixers in the Eastern Semis. And Kyle Lowry brought the toughness, while Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam bumped and banged inside. The Trophy had never been north of the border, but Leonard made sure it got there.

68. 1961-62 Boston Celtics

Coach: Red Auerbach

Record: 60-20

Roster: Carl Braun, Al Butler, Bob Cousy, Gene Guarilia, Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones, Sam Jones, Jim Loscutoff, Gary Phillips, Frank Ramsey, Bill Russell, Tom Sanders

Bill Russell didn’t lead the NBA in points, rebounds or assists, but he earned his third MVP award for leading the Celtics to a League-best 60 regular-season wins and his (and Boston’s) fifth title. It was arguably his best statistical season—a career-best 18.9 ppg, along with 23.6 rpg—and he upped those averages to 22.9 points and 27 boards in the Finals to lift Boston from a 3-2 deficit to a 4-3 victory over the Lakers.

67. 1980-81 Philadelphia 76ers

Coach: Billy Cunningham

Record: 62-20

Roster: Maurice Cheeks, Doug Collins, Earl Cureton, Monti Davis, Darryl Dawkins, Julius Erving, Lionel Hollins, Ollie Johnson, Bobby Jones, Caldwell Jones, Steve Mix, Clint Richardson, Andrew Toney

It’s easy to forget how close the early ’80s Sixers came to dynasty status. There were Finals losses to L.A. in ’80 and ’82, and of course, before their eventual revenge in ’83. But the ’80-81 squad, led by Dr. J in his only NBA MVP season, was right there: They matched Boston’s 62 regular-season wins and took a 3-1 lead on the Celtics in the ECF before an epic Larry Bird-led comeback carried the Cs to the Finals.

66. 1984-85 Boston Celtics

Coach: KC Jones

Record: 63-19

Roster: Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Quinn Buckner, Rick Carlisle, ML Carr, Carlos Clark, Dennis Johnson, Greg Kite, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Scott Wedman, Ray Williams

The ninth Celtics-Lakers Finals matchup would be the first from which Boston did not emerge victorious. You could almost call it an upset. Larry Bird claimed his second straight MVP award, and the Cs won a League-best 63 games, then cruised through the Eastern Conference playoff bracket before stomping the Lakers by 34 in Game 1. Kevin McHale averaged 26 points and 10.7 rebounds for the series, but Boston couldn’t slow the Kareem-Magic-Worthy trio and fell 4-2 to L.A.

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Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro has won the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 3, 2022

The Kentucky product won the award over fellow finalists Kevin Love and Cam Johnson. Love finished as the runner-up for the award after receiving 214 total votes from award voters. Herro received 488 total votes, including 96 first-place votes.

Herro pulled the flamethrower out. (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/069VqQ5lnl

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 3, 2022

Herro averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 39.9 percent from beyond the arc. He was the second-leading scorer for the No. 1 seeded Miami Heat. Herro thrived coming off the bench a season after he was maligned for not meeting expectations coming into his second season. He put up 15.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game during his up and down sophomore season.

The Boy Wonder's range is limitless. (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/HGyraBkjF9

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 3, 2022

Herro became the first Heat player in franchise history to be named Sixth Man of the Year. He also broke up a streak of six straight Western Conference players earning the honor, with the Clippers winning four of them.

Herro is coming off a 25-point, seven-dimes performance in a 106-92 Game 1 win over the 76ers. Game 2 of the Heat-Sixers second-round series will take place on Wednesday.

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In the first round against the Pelicans, Ayton averaged 20.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on 70.0 percent shooting from the field. A good jump from his regular season when he posted 17.2 points and 10.2 boards per game.

As the Mavericks-Suns series rolls, Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd’s use of small-ball lineups might not be as valuable against Ayton, who is athletic enough to keep up with shooters like Maxi Kleber when Kidd deploys him as small-ball 5. The Suns also have lengthy and versatile defenders like Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, and Cam Johnson, who can chase the Mavericks’ marksman

“We have to adapt,” Kidd said per Sports Illustrated. “Our game plan against Utah is not going to work against the Suns. We’ve already changed that mindset because we’re not playing the Jazz.

Ayton will be tasked with taking advantage of the Mavs whenever he’s in a pick-and-roll situation with CP3, rim-running in transition, and bullying his matchup when he’s given the rock in the low post. Ayton is also a threat to score from deep, sinking 50 percent of his four three-point attempts so far in the playoffs.

“We understand their strength is midrange, but they hurt you with the 3 in transition, and they can hurt you in the paint with JaVale and Ayton. This isn’t Gobert or Whiteside. These guys can put the ball in the basket. So, our bigs are going to be tested.”

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That’s how I learned about the Hall of Famer English, and even though I was a kid in the ’80s, he and the Nuggets were overlooked by adults back then, too. Just ask an NBA fan of any age this question: Who scored the most points in the 1980s? Even if they know Michael Jordan’s career started too late and that Magic Johnson was too pass-first, they have a host of household names to offer up. Moses Malone. Larry Bird. Dominique Wilkins. George Gervin. All-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The 6-7, 190-pound English outscored all of ’em. English used his elite mid-range game, willingness to run the floor and all-around efficiency to score 21,018 points in the decade (Moses was second at 19,082). 

The above would be interesting to SLAM readers at any point in the magazine’s history and to be sure, Alan Paul did a piece on English for SLAM 21 back in 1997 that pointed this out. Sadly, the scope of the eight-time All-Star’s achievements and the lack of credit they’re given have renewed relevance in the wake of the NBA selecting a mostly glorious 75th Anniversary team that did not include English. 

Besides being wowed by Nuggets box scores in the paper and enjoying the occasional game on TV against my local Knicks or Nets, my love for English was enhanced by the fact that my late grandfather recognized him on a plane once and asked for his autograph. I still treasure the little scrap of paper that says “Best Wishes Ben Alexander English.” 

Speaking on the phone from his native Columbia, SC, the University of South Carolina legend and current member of the school’s Board of Trustees chuckles at my autograph memory (“We were certainly flying commercial back then!”) and proves to be a charming and engrossing subject. 

SLAM: You played for the Bucks and Pacers before you went to Denver. What’s the short version of what happened at your first two stops? It looks like you were putting up numbers from the very beginning of your career. I would have thought Nellie [longtime Bucks’ coach Don Nelson-Ed.] would love you? 

ALEX ENGLISH: I got drafted by the Bucks in the second round. Wayne Embry was the GM and Nellie was an assistant coach. I had a make-good contract, which meant I had to make the team to get the contract. I signed for $55,000 with a $10,000 bonus if I made the team. That was a lot of money back then! I made the team and had a decent rookie year. I mostly played behind Bob Dandridge. The next year they traded Dandridge to the Bullets but drafted Kent Benson, Marques Johnson and Ernie Grunfeld. [Johnson and Grunfeld] played my position. I was the sixth man [English averaged 9.6 ppg in just 18.9 mpg.—Ed]. Nellie was the head coach by then and we made the playoffs. The NBA standard contract was getting ready to change. I was a restricted free agent—I could go anywhere I wanted but my current team could match. At midnight on the first day of free agency, [Pacers’ coach and GM] Slick Leonard signed me to a three-year deal: $135,000, $155,000, $175,000. I signed that contract. The Bucks had the opportunity to match and I’d have to stay. Wayne says Don said it was too much for me. So they let me walk. I had a good year and a half in Indiana but then they had the chance to bring George McGinnis back home so Slick Leonard traded me to Denver for him. 

SLAM: That trade was during your fourth season. In year five of your career, Doug Moe becomes the Nuggets’ head coach. In my mind, that’s when your career started.

AE: Well, I was putting up good numbers in Indiana, that’s why the Nuggets wanted to trade for me. I was [an] all-around [player]: rebounded, blocked shots, passed the ball. Averaging about 16 points a game, maybe 8 or 9 rebounds. But, yes, what happened in Denver was Doug Moe. He was the best at up-tempo offense. 

SLAM: You guys were the highest-scoring team in the NBA in the ’80-81 season even though Donnie Walsh started the year as the head coach and Moe was an assistant. In Coach Moe’s first full season, ’81-82, the Nuggets averaged 126.5 ppg! Still the most in NBA history.