Kelsey Plum has never been one to hold back. Not when she was 10 years old and told her mom that she wanted to play in the WNBA. Not in Washington, where she broke numerous records. Not in San Antonio, where, as the franchise’s first-ever No. 1 pick in 2017, she made it clear in her introductory press conference that critics were “good” because they “make skin tough.” And not in Vegas, where the team relocated in 2018 and where Plum would go on to show just how tough she really was by bouncing back from an Achilles injury to win Sixth Woman of the Year and then back-to-back championships. 

The KP that is talking to us now is in Los Angeles. Having been acquired by the Sparks via a three-team trade in early February, her words are a message to the fans regarding what they can expect from her new squad this year. But really, they echo a truth about her entire career, too. Plum has always been about putting in the work. 

“Kelsey’s just elevated our whole organization because of the hard work she does on and off the floor,” says Cameron Brink, who is sitting with Plum, Dearica Hamby and Rickea Jackson inside a gym at El Camino College, where the Sparks are hosting their preseason content day. “She’s been a huge inspiration for me in that sense. We both have the same trainer—I’ve said that before—but she’s the hardest worker I know, and it inspires me to just put in that much more effort every day. So obviously she’s amazing on the floor. She’s one of the best players in our league, but she’s really taking our organization to the next level.”

Long before they were teammates, Cam got a glimpse of just how competitive KP truly was during a workout they had together. Brink was only in high school at the time. “I was very intimidated. She kicked my ass in every drill, everything,” she says.

The way Plum remembers it, Brink dished it right back, too. “You probably don’t remember, but you blocked the s**t out of me in that workout,” Plum says to her.

“Did I?” Brink says, stunned at the memory, as if she isn’t a 6-4 shot blocking machine. Neither of them could have known all those years ago that one day they’d join forces.

The same goes for Plum and Hamby, who played together in San Antonio at the beginning of their careers and now, years later, are teammates yet again. They go way back, too. “I first met D in the hotel lobby. What was that? The Final Four?” Plum asks her. “You had just had Amaya [in 2017], [she] was cute in the baby stroller. I’ll never forget that. You just said, Hi, you’re going to be my new teammate.” 

“She’s been one of my best friends since she came into the league, and I’m just grateful to have her back,” says Hamby. As for when Plum met Jackson, neither of them had talked to each other until the Aces played the Sparks last season. “I just remember looking at her shoes and being like, OK, she’s got swag,” says Plum. 

It’s crazy how things can change in the course of an offseason, but here they are, together, all wearing the purple and gold. The timing couldn’t be any more perfect for the Sparks, who went 8-32 last year, haven’t made it to the playoffs since 2020 and have had three coaching changes since then. But with new head coach Lynne Roberts, a new floor general in Plum to help set the tone and a roster full of ultimate bucket-getters, which also includes Odyssey Sims and Azurá Stevens, to name a few, the team is ready to get back to what it once was: a winning franchise. 

If this were a movie, then Jackson has the perfect title. 

“Baddies and Buckets,” she says. 

Say less. 

Even though they only played one preseason game against the Golden State Valkyries on May 6, that down-to-the-wire matchup provided a glimpse at what the Sparks can do offensively. Plum was shifty with the ball in her hands and facilitated the offense by dishing off plenty of dimes—5, to be exact—to her new teammates, which included one to Hamby right from the jump. Hamby, a three-time All-Star and 2022 champ who had 4 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds, plays with power and poise on both ends of the floor.

“I think D is one of the most underrated players in our league. Plays both ends of the court,” says Plum. “I kind of said this earlier in the press conference, [but] the 4 position is the most difficult in our league because you’re matching up with the best of the best in the world. So what she [has done] on a night in and night out basis throughout her career is, to me, one of the most impressive things. She plays both ends. She plays incredibly hard, she moves well without the ball, almost better than anyone I’ve seen, and she’s very instinctive and plays to that strength. And she’s going to have a great year.”

As a two-time Sixth Woman of the Year, Hamby is ready to add All-WNBA honors to her stacked résumé this season. “I think the next step for me would be to be All-WNBA,” she says. “I think I’ve kind of had every role possible throughout my career, but definitely want to be an All-Star again.”

Then there’s Jackson, who was so silky smooth from beyond the arc, going 2-4 and leading the team in scoring with 13 points. She carries herself with the confidence of a seasoned vet despite being drafted just last year by the Sparks as the No. 4 pick. “I just want us to win, whatever that looks like,” she says, when asked about her goals this season. “Whatever my role is, I’m just ready to contribute and continue to sharpen out the tools in my toolbox.”

“She’s being humble,” KP adds. “She’s an All-Star waiting to happen, but that’s OK. I respect that.” Later, Plum also describes Jackson as “one of the most talented players I’ve ever played with.”

“I’ve played with some talented players, but her ability to create her own shot—and because of her length at her position—she’s really a size big but in a guard body and she can shoot the three, which is incredible,” Plum adds. “I think the sky’s the limit for her. She can go as far as she wants to go in her career.” 

The only player we haven’t seen yet is Cam, who is still rehabilitating from an ACL injury suffered last season. “I think it’s just doing everything I can to be back on the floor with these three amazing women, that’ll be a success for me,” Brink says of her goals this year after averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 boards last season. 

It’s that positivity and resilience that will guide her throughout the process, but when she does return, everyone will be tuning in to see her do what she does best. “I think Cam is a Defensive Player of the Year waiting to happen,” Plum says. “Cam has everything she already needs in her toolbox. She really just needs to be empowered and continue to build that confidence. But the skills are there. God gave her some incredible talents. I have never played with someone who has been able to affect people’s shots and really deter entire plays. And I [would] know, I played against her. I would try to go in there and there’s not a lot of room to go in there. I would foul her.” 

Despite the absence of Brink, the Sparks have their sights set on the upcoming season. They’ll meet the Valkyries again in their first regular-season game and have a packed schedule that also includes the jersey retirement of Candace Parker, who helped bring the City of Angels a WNBA title in 2016. It’s been nearly a decade since then, but expectations are high.

“I think that a lot of people can have statistics, but do you affect winning?” KP says of her mentality. “I think that’s why I chose to come here. The individual stuff ends up happening when collectively you work together and you win games, so that’s my mentality.” 

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson.

The post Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson on how LA is finding their SPARK this Season appeared first on SLAM.

With 7:17 left in the first quarter, Young, one of the best scorers in the W, drove right at the 6-0 guard and former UConn star. “[DiJonai] was there to get the jump ball so I could catch my breath for a second, but that was no joke. The slide to contain, stay in front on a closeout, just get checked. Yeah, that was real,” says Bueckers, who had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, with a smile. It’s May, and Bueckers is here with us at the University of Texas Arlington gym, where she and her new Wings teammates, Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington, are posing for their first SLAM cover together.

Individually, they each have a swagger that’s undeniable. Arike, who was drafted by the Wings in 2019 at No. 5, is their captain and the second-longest tenured player on the team with a game so flashy and clutch it’s earned her All-Star and All-WNBA honors. Then there’s DiJonai, who was last year’s Most Improved Player and is bold and confident in everything she does, from guarding the best player on the floor to scoring over everybody and then hitting ’em with the seatbelt celly. As for the rook, Bueckers exudes an aura so captivating, she’s become beloved—from gracing our cover in high school to winning a national championship at UConn just two months ago to reinvigorating the Wings as the No. 1 pick. There are even hundreds of TikTok edits and fan pages obsessed with her every (dance) move. But like the braid she once wore in college, she’s leaving the hype in the past and embracing her new role as a rookie.

“It’s crazy, I went from being the oldest and I guess the vet on the UConn team to being the youngest here, or one of the youngest,” she says. “I’m [continuing] to stay humble, stay hungry and working to be the best teammate, best leader I can be, [and] working to find my voice. Obviously, I don’t have as much experience, but I still feel like I have a lot of knowledge and wisdom for the game and a lot of love for it.”

It’s here in Dallas that she’ll learn how to compete in the pros. And it’s together as a unit that she, Arike, DiJonai and their squad of standouts will look to show the entire League that the Wings can hold their own, too.

“New” is the theme this year for the Wings, who are now led by first-year head coach and former defensive coordinator Chris Koclanes, who, per the Dallas Hoops Journal, is emphasizing “playing fast…playing smart. Every action has to have purpose.” New is also the word Arike uses when asked about the team so far ahead of the season. “It’s just new, there’s a lot of new, [which is] something that I’ve wanted to happen and something that’s needed to happen for the city,” she says. “I think the front office did a great job bringing in the players they brought in, drafting the players they drafted, the trades that they made happen in free agency. So now I feel like this team is really ready and willing to compete, and we’ll have fun while doing it.”

Last season, the Wings were 9-31 and didn’t make the playoffs. But this year, they’ve got their sights on changing that. For Arike, who averaged 22.2 ppg and has experienced all the ups and downs over the years, including losing in the semis to the Aces in 2023 and three head coaching changes since she first arrived, her goal is to make everyone around her better. “Last year, Year 6, it was tough in the win column,” she says. “[My goal now is] just being better than last year, getting my teammates involved, going higher in every statistical category. But definitely more wins is the main thing for me.”

Her teammates will look for her to guide them. “She’s been a leader for the team, she’s captain of the team and she’s your voice,” Bueckers says. “She’s a bucket, of course. Everybody knows that. Just being around her, she’s super selfless, super welcoming.”

While it’s only been a few weeks since training camp started in late April, it’s obvious that the key to the Wings’ success this season will be their ability to develop chemistry quickly in a short amount of time. It’s all happening before our very eyes—from Carrington helping fix Bueckers’ hair mid-photo shoot to attending the SZA and Kendrick concert as a team (the Wings even got them a suite, says Arike). “We’re still finding our chemistry,” Arike says. “I think it helps that we like each other off the court. We’ve been to a couple dinners together, we’ve been to a concert together, we’ve hung out these last couple of weeks more than I think I have in the past couple of years, which is good. To build that type of chemistry and relationship off the court, it’s gonna transfer to on the court.”

In the Wings’ most recent exhibition game against the Toyota Antelopes at home, fans got a glimpse of just how flashy, energetic and most importantly, connected, their team can be on the floor—from Bueckers dishing a crisp, overhead dime to Ogunbowale that was so on target, you’d think they’d played together for years, to Ogunbowale’s buzzer-beater and Carrington’s ability to finish at the rim. The three of them, along with Myisha Hines-Allen, all finished the game in double digits. 

“We’re all uptempo,” says DiJonai. “We like to play fast and just get out and have fun. It’s never too serious, which I like.”

For the 5-11 guard, the move from Connecticut, where she averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds last season, to Dallas serves as an opportunity to be in an entirely new environment that’s unlike anywhere she’s ever been before. “There are no similarities, actually, between here and Connecticut or here and Waco,” she says. Carrington also brings a level of competitiveness, energy and leadership to the team, as well as a fun-loving attitude, which is especially apparent in the way her teammates talk about her.

“Nai/DC/DJ, she doesn’t like DC or DJ [as nicknames], she only likes Nai…she’s great,” says Paige. “She’s like a baby vet because she’s still young. She’s just a fun time to be around. I’m always trolling her, making fun of her, annoying her. That’s been fun. She just has a heart and a passion for the game that you can tell.”

When asked about her first impressions of Arike and PB, Carrington dishes it right back. “Paige is God punishing me for how I bothered my vets when I was a rookie,” Carrington says, lovingly. “Rike, she’s cool. She’s a vibe. I already knew that, though.”

And just like that, the building blocks of a team are already in motion. As for what the Wings will accomplish this season, we’ll all have to wait and see, but as for what we can all expect: a lot of buckets, elite dimes and plenty of LeagueFits-worthy tunnel fits. It’s never been a more exciting time to be a Dallas sports fan.

“I’m sure big money NIL Paige will come correct and DiJonai as well, I know she’ll be fitted,” says Arike.

“I don’t know what they got going on, but I’m coming trim, Game 1,” says DiJonai, hinting at the looks she has planned. “I can’t tell y’all yet. Just know it’s gon’ be tea. I can’t spill it.”

“I do think we’ll have the best dressed team in the League,” adds Bueckers. “I’ll say that.”

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson.

The post With Paige Bueckers, DiJonai Carrington and Arike Ogunbowale, the Dallas Wings are Ready to FLY this season appeared first on SLAM.

DT was the franchise’s first-ever No. 1 pick in ’04, and from the moment she arrived until she retired 20 years later, she was the franchise’s centerpiece, the iron at the core of their offense. Taurasi played a style of basketball tougher than the element itself: the spin moves, the fadeaway pull-up jumpers, the crisp dimes, all that attitudeand fire. Everyone’s got a DT story, a moment they’ll never forget: the trash talk, the kiss, that selfie she took after getting ejected (“Got tossed, lol.”), the door. Early on, the Mercury played a fast-paced, run-and-gun offense under then-head coach Paul Westhead, known as the “The System,” that allowed DT to evolve into a scoring machine. By ’06, she averaged a career-high 25.3 ppg; by ’07, she was a champion. Just two years later in ’09, the Merc’s legendary trio of DT, her now-wife Penny Taylor and Cappie Pondexter won another one.

In 2013, the Mercury drafted a 6-9 anomaly from Baylor named Brittney Griner as the No. 1 pick. BG opened up the team’s spacing, dunked on their competition and helped bring another title back to the Valley of the Sun in 2014. The rest is…

History. No one could have imagined that last season would be the very last time we’d ever see those two in the purple and orange. This past February, the franchise as we know it changed forever: Griner signed with the Atlanta Dream in free agency. Right around the same time, the Mercury made a four-team trade to acquire Alyssa Thomas from Connecticut and Satou Sabally from Dallas, as well as center Kalani Brown and guard Sevgi Uzun (from the Wings). As for Taurasi, it was a matter of if she was going to retire or return for Year 21. On February 25, she announced in TIME that she was retiring from the game. The end of an era.

Now, for the first time in a very, very long time, the Mercury are starting over. Under the helm of head coach Nate Tibbetts, the Mercury have a vision for how their squad, led by the new Big 3, will compete this season. Everyone’s calling it positionless basketball.

The term isn’t one Tibbetts came up with directly, but it is one he’s embracing. “I don’t know who has termed it ‘positionless,’” he said, via Desert Wave Media. “I love the term. We’re just trying to figure it out and play with space.”

For the past decade, the Mercury relied heavily on DT’s scoring ability and BG’s defensive dominance, but Tibbetts has reimagined the Mercury’s system entirely. They’ll still play fast and aggressive defensively, but he’s emphasizing way more versatility. “Us going in and getting [Thomas] and [Sabally] is just going to give us more size. Maybe just not at the center position, but just positionally,” Tibbetts continued. “Like [Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren] said, let’s make this our own path. We’ve got different ideas.”

By utilizing each player’s individual skill set and not limiting them to the confines of their traditional positions, Tibbetts is going to let his stars unleash their creativity while creating opportunities for others. For a player like Sabally, who earned the nickname “Unicorn” because of how dynamic and unique her game is (in Dallas, she averaged 17.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.0 assists last season in just 15 games due to injury), it’ll allow her to play with the freedom she hasn’t had before. “Positionless basketball is what we’ve all been doing as individual players,” Sabally said to the media on May 8, while sitting alongside Copper, Thomas and Tibbetts. “Now we’re put into a system that will really enhance that and will let us be free.”

As she spoke, Thomas, who is one of the best facilitators in the League and a six-time All-Defensive superstar, nodded her head in agreement. During her time in Connecticut, AT broke the WNBA single-season record for assists (316) and double-doubles (28) in 2023 and remains the franchise’s leader in almost every major category, including games played, rebounds and assists. “[Thomas is] a basketball wizard,” Tibbetts told the media, via TheNext. “I’ve been super happy with how she’s been willing to speak up and use her voice in situations. You can say a lot of things about [Thomas], but the number one thing is, she’s a winner. Her teams win, and they win at a high level. That’s what we want, to win at the highest level here, too.”

With 11 years of veteran experience, Thomas can now tap into all the different layers of her game, from running the point to also playing center and forward. “AT starting the break, imagine a 4 trying to pick her up full court? That’s tough,” said Copper.

As for Kah, who averaged a career-high 21.1 points per game while earning her fourth All-Star appearance last year, she’ll be expected to drop buckets, play aggressive defense and bring that same intensity, grit and Philly-bred attitude she’s always played with (who could forget the in-your-face staredown she gave Sophie Cunningham in Game 2 of the Finals in 2021?). But her impact this season, specifically, will go way beyond just the Xs and Os. Kah is undeniably one of the team’s leaders, and having played with greats like Candace Parker, whom she won a title with in Chicago, as well as Griner and Taurasi last year, this is now her time to lead a squad of her own.

“Playing with great players is a great thing,” Copper said earlier this month, via AZcentral. “You learn different leadership styles. Just going back to my 2020-21 season [in Chicago], winning the championship, that team was full of leaders, but leaders in their own way. And I think you’re able to be your best, most authentic and genuine self when you do it your own way.”

While it’s only been a few weeks since training camp started in late April, it’s Copper who will “set the tone” every single day, according to Tibbetts. “[Copper] is special,” Tibbetts said, via TheNext. “She means a lot to me and what we’re trying to do, and her growth over the course of the year, like, a year ago, she and I, we had just met for the first time, and our conversations, our relationship, our trust, is at the ultimate level…My whole challenge to her this year is lead. And it’s not just with what you say, it’s what you do…And every day she has set the tone.”

Her presence is already being felt by her teammates, too. “We’ve already had a conversation… she was like, I’m gonna demand a lot from you,” says Sabally. “We looked each other in the eyes and we were like, Yeah, good. I want that. I know her drive as a player. That’s where I want to be.”

As for what happens next, all eyes will be on Phoenix to see how exactly they rise to the occasion this season, which officially starts May 16. Still, it’s obvious that the Mercury are not looking to rewrite the past, but pen their own chapter. No one can replicate what Taurasi and Griner brought to the organization, but with a new roster, a new training facility, a new philosophy and a ton of new additions—including sharpshooter Sami Whitcomb from Seattle, overseas standouts Monique Akoa-Makani, Anna Makurat and Shyla Heal, and new signees like Alexis Prince and Kitija Laksa, to name a few—the opportunities are endless. “I anticipate I’ll get some of the most open looks I’ve had probably in my career, because people will leave me to guard them,” Whitcomb says of the Big 3. Adds Kalani Brown: “Nate has given me a green light, and he wants me to evolve. So I’m very happy about that. It’s very uncomfortable at first, but I think once I get it down, it’s gonna be better.”

Without the present, there’s no future, and right now, the Mercury are locked in on just that. Exactly how it’ll all come together, only time will tell.

“In the end, it’s still basketball,” says Satou. “The ball has to fall in the hoop, and we’re pretty good at that.”

Portraits by Erik Isakson.

The post The Phoenix Mercury—and their New Big 3—are ready to RISE to the Occasion This Season appeared first on SLAM.

From Angel Reese—who was an honorary member of the host committee alongside track superstar Sha’Carri Richardson and the GOAT of gymnastics, Simone Biles—to the reigning New York Liberty champs Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu, women’s athletes took over the event.

This year’s theme was a celebration of Black fashion and identity, titled, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

Barbie Returns to the Met: Angel Reese

Reese, who also pulled up to her first preseason game against the Brazilian National Team in Thom Browne, wore the designer on the grand stage, rocking a custom-made, stunning corseted ensemble. And she did it all on the day before her birthday.

Oh, and she linked up with THEE Megan Thee Stallion and Doechii:

The Finals MVP: Jonquel Jones

JJ owned the theme in a tailored suit and hairstyle that truly was a MOMENT.

Queen of NY: Sabrina Ionescu

Sab looked elegant in a flowy skirt, blazer and white top.

STEW-YORK: Breanna Stewart

Stewie pulled up in a too-clean, all-white fit that truly was giving Monday best.

HER MOMENT: Clara Wu Tsai

BIG 4: Flau’jae Johnson

From LSU to her first Met, Flau’jae Johnson looked like the STAR that she’s always been.

The Williams sistas: Serena and Venus Williams

Meltdown? More like Serena and Venus ATE DOWN at the Met.

Venus’ look even featured a tennis-skirt moment. We’re here for all the sporty spice vibes.

THE GOAT: Simone Biles

Simone always scores a perfect 10 in everything she does, on and off the mat.

HER OWN VIBE: Sha’Carri Richardson

Sha’Carri dominated the Met’s theme with a look entirely tailored for her, from the nails to the fit to the bows in her hair.

RED, GABBY’S VERSION: Gabby Thomas

Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas showed up and showed out at the Met in a red set.

The post Angel, Big 4 and Liberty: Women’s sports takes over the Met Gala appeared first on SLAM.

The move was made official via the WNBA’s transactions page, and then shortly announced on the Dream’s socials:

The Maryland-standout guard, who averaged 14.4 points per game, was drafted this year by the Valkyries in the second-round as the No. 17 pick. She was then waived by the Valkyries, a move that stunned fans as Sellers had not yet played in a preseason game.

Just a few days ago on May 3, head coach Natalie Nakase said via ESPN’s Kendra Andrews that “she picked up everything we asked her to, did everything that we asked. It’s just that I have to choose the best 12 that are going to fit. Doesn’t mean it’s the most talented, it means it’s the best 12.”

With limited roster spots across the W, many were hoping to see another team pick up Sellers, who has become a favorite for her elite game and Tik Tok, where she and her fiancé, Seton Hall forward Faith Masonius, who also played at Maryland, give a glimpse at their life and journey both on and off the court.

Now, Sellers will head to ATL. Best believed we’ll be tuned in for every bucket and vlog, too.

The post SHY TO ATL: Shyanne Sellers claimed by Atlanta Dream off of waivers appeared first on SLAM.

That’s what Agot Makeer would think to herself wherever she watched South Carolina play. The five-star recruit and the No. 4-ranked player in the class of 2025 recently committed to the Gamecocks in March, but even before that, she’d always felt drawn to the program. “Seeing the crowd, seeing the energy, seeing the joy they all have playing with each other, it’s just like, I want to be part of that,” Makeer tells us over the phone a few weeks after the news became official. 

As the latest signee, along with Cypress Springs forward Ayla McDowell, who committed in November, the Gamecocks now have a top-25 recruiting class (according to ESPN). At 6-1, Makeer is a versatile wing who can knock down shots, cross up opponents and get buckets against anyone who tries to guard her. When it came time for the Montverde senior to make her college decision, she narrowed it down to three very important factors: Who do I want to be surrounded by? What school will give me the best chance to win a national championship? What school will help me become a better woman in every aspect of my life?  

For her, South Carolina was that answer. 

With an undeniable talent and the ability to play multiple positions, Makeer, who is originally from Canada and attended Crestwood Prep before transferring to Montverde for her senior season, has averaged 10 ppg and 5.7 rpg for the program. While she’s been battling a hip injury and most recently tore her PCL in January, Makeer says she’s hoping to bounce back in time so she can still play in the McDonald’s All-American Game and compete in the Chipotle High School Nationals. 

Her faith and her family keep her going. Her two older brothers inspired her to play sports in the first place; as the younger sis, she just wanted to do what they were doing. First it was soccer, and then by second grade, she started playing basketball.

Now the game is about to take her from Florida to South Carolina. When asked how she envisions her game evolving under a visionary like Dawn Staley, Makeer speaks with a sense of confidence that’s sure to get Gamecock fans hyped. 

“I think right now, I’m kind of a two-way player who can have an impact both on offense and defense,” she says. “I can also score the basketball at all three levels. So I think that makes me even harder to guard because you have to respect me at all parts of the court. Towards the end of my senior year at South Carolina, I feel like my body will be a lot different. You might not be able to see it, but I feel like I’ll be stronger, even mentally and emotionally.” 

Portraits by Trenton Junior. Follow him on IG, @mindofjr.

The post Agot Makeer is Ready to Bring Her Versatile Game to South Carolina appeared first on SLAM.

As the organization finalizes their roster and gets ready for preseason games—on Saturday, May 3 the Fever will face off against the Mystics—Bonner talked to the media about the level of competitiveness in camp so far, and how, even with so much “firepower,” they’re still figuring out team fit and chemistry within rotations.

“It’s been competitive and great,” Bonner says of camp so far. “[We’re] just trying to figure out how we all can fit and how we can all make these rotations work. Giving each other a lot of grace because we have people coming in—like myself—that haven’t played since losing last year in the playoffs, so all just trying to figure it out. I think that’s the most exciting part because we have so [much] firepower and we can go anyway any given night and just be unpredictable. Just making sure everybody is locked in on the goal and understands what we want to do.”

Bonner, who signed with Indiana in free agency, is coming off of an All-Star-level season in Connecticut, where she played alongside her wife and now Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas for the past five seasons. Prior to that, DB was in Phoenix for the first eight years of her career as their No. 5 pick in the ’09 draft.

Earlier today, DB arrived for her first media day with her new squad:

Bonner has been praised by the Fever’s new head coach Stephanie White, who coached Bonner in CT, as having a “mama bear” type of personality as a veteran leader.

The Fever recently unveiled their new campaign this year, “Now You Know,” with a cinematic video featuring the team’s stars. The slogan is meant to emphasize the Fever’s “passion, pride and the pursuit of greatness,” this upcoming season.

The post DeWanna Bonner: Fever have so much ‘firepower’, still figuring out fit appeared first on SLAM.

With the 2025 WNBA season just around the corner, training camp—which started April 27—is well underway. All across the W, teams have given us a glimpse of what to expect ahead of preseason games, which tip-off May 2.

Here’s training camp updates on the Wings:

April 29: Kaila Charles has arrived:

The Wings also gave us an exclusive look at how the runs in camp are going. Let’s dive in…

In the clips we’ve seen so far, the Wings’ ball movement has been eliteeeeee.

Mai Yamamoto was knocking down shots, too:

New head coach Chris Koclanes shared his thoughts on DiJonai Carrington’s top-tier defense.

He told the media, “I love Dijonai’s ability to guard multiple positions and she will for sure be attacking ball handlers and getting into the ball early. She just has a presence and an instinct that you can’t teach.”

After practice, Arike, PB and DiJonai went through shooting workouts today.

And here’s a clip, from Grant Afseth, on the Wings’ defense:

On a non-basketball note, the team’s rocker-paper-scissor game continues. Arike is still undefeated:

April 28: More Paige content.

April 27: It’s only Day 1 and the team’s chemistry is already apparent:

Speaking of Paige, journalist Dorothy J. Gentry asked her what’s the different between playing in college and the pros. Her response? SCREENS.

The post Dallas Wings: Training Camp Updates appeared first on SLAM.

It’s crazy to think that just two years ago, all Tyrese Haliburton wanted to do was get to this moment he is in right now. Not only are the Indiana Pacers competing right now, but since he said those very words, they’ve have had their best playoff runs since the 2019-20 season.

Last year, they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals and now, with the game on the line, it was Haliburton that delivered a game-winning layup to defeat the Bucks and clinch the series.

Winning has always been the goal, but with this win in particular, Haliburton sent a message.

Ty talked to us about that, too: the criticism he’s had to face throughout the entirety of his career. Ain’t nothing new.

“I just love proving people wrong. I don’t know, I love negativity,” he said in the SLAM cover story. “I love seeing negativity on Twitter. I love hearing people say negative comments about my game. It always interests me. It could be somebody with, like, no followers, I just want to prove them wrong.”

Since he arrived in Indy after a mid-season trade from the Kings, Haliburton has proven that he truly has no ceiling.

In the postgame press conference, Haliburton, who was critical of himself for missing shots and key possessions earlier in the game, said that it was his teammates encouraged him to just keep playing. Ultimately, the Pacers “made plays when we needed to,” especially when they went on an 8-0 run the last 40 seconds.

“Resilience” is the word Haliburton then used to describe this Pacers squad: Haliburton had 26-point performance and Myles Turner tallied 21-points and nine boards in the 119-118 dub.

As they get ready to play No. 1 Cleveland, that’s exactly what they’ll need going into the second round.

The post Tyrese Haliburton Calls GAME against the Milwaukee Bucks to Win the Series appeared first on SLAM.

With the 2025 WNBA season just around the corner, training camp—which started April 27—is well underway. All across the W, teams have given us a glimpse of what to expect ahead of preseason games, which tip-off May 2.

Here’s daily updates on the Sun:

April 29:

April 28: A glimpse of Day 2 of camp, where, according to The Hartford Courant’s Emily Adams, the team practiced on the floor at Mohegan Sun for the very first time.

Sun players answered a pretty tricky riddle – “What runs around the court but never gets tired?”

Not gonna lie, had to think about this for a minute…

ROSTER UPDATE: The team has waived Abbey Hsu and Mya Hollingshed.

April 27: Happy first day, Sun fans!

The post CT Sun: Training Camp Updates appeared first on SLAM.

With the 2025 WNBA season just around the corner, training camp—which started April 27—is well underway. All across the W, teams have given us a glimpse of what to expect ahead of preseason games, which tip-off May 2.

Here’s daily updates on the Atlanta Dream:

April 29: Happy birthday Rhyne Howard!

It’s crazy to think that just two years ago, the Dream guard was on the cover of SLAM 244. Now, she’s gearing up for Year 4 in the W. The coverline says it all: she’s a nightmare for any opponent.

April 28: Brittney Griner shares her first impression of the city:

BG was knocking down threes in practice today, too:

April 28: From Colombia to Georgia, former Gamecock Te-Hina Paopao opened up about her new teammate, Allisha Gray, and how Dawn Staley has prepared them for the pros:

April 27: First day for the rookies!

The post Atlanta Dream: Training Camp Updates 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.

After going No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Bueckers is now down south in Dallas with her new team. In official photos, here’s a first-look at Paige wearing her No. 5. Wings jersey.

Paige once told CT Insider’s Maggie Vanoni that she picked five because that’s what she wore when she played with USA Basketball. The kicks she’s wearing are the “X-Ray” Kobe 5s to match the fly of her Wings uniform.

Ahead of training camp, which officially starts April 27, the Wings welcomed her and fellow WNBA draft picks—Aziaha James, Madison Scott, JJ Quinerly and Aaronette Vonley—in an introductory press conference. Sitting alongside new General Manager Curt Miller and new head coach Chris Koclanes, Paige talked about the Wings being a “winning organization,” and that they’ll “continue to build off each other, continue to build off the momentum of women’s sports and the wave that’s been created.”

The post FIRST LOOK: Paige Bueckers Rocks No. 5 Dallas Wings Jersey appeared first on SLAM.

Sometimes the thought, Do I have it in me to keep doing this? would cross his mind, especially at the end of the season. The weight of his position, as a coach and basketball mastermind in charge of orchestrating a championship-winning roster, and all it takes to make that happen, would dawn on him.

“I don’t know that I think of it in terms of who’s coming after me or what am I leaving behind, but I think some of the things that we’re going to leave behind are probably undoable in the future,” Auriemma said over the phone back then. “I don’t think anybody can sit here and say, OK, pick out a coach that you think is going to win 11 national championships that’s coaching today. You’d be hard-pressed. Pick a team that won 111 in a row. Pick one that won 90 in a row, three times…Name a program that’s going to go to 14 straight Final Fours. Things that we’ve done legacy-wise are going to be undoable now.”

His words foreshadow the brilliance we’ve seen from the Huskies, which was on full display in this year’s NCAA tournament. After persevering through injuries and losses, UConn has powered their way past opponents—Arkansas State, SD State, Oklahoma, USC, UCLA and, finally, South Carolina—to make to the podium for the first time since 2016. Along the way, they made history: the 34-point dub in the semi-finals against UCLA is now the largest win over a No. 1 seed in women’s Final Four, ever. Then, on the same day Auriemma was celebrating 40 years at the helm, the Huskies defeated the reigning champs, South Carolina to win their 12th National Title, making UConn the winningest program in all of college basketball history.

“The legacy that’s going to be left here by those people that have worked here and played here, some things—we’re going to be in the record books for eternity,” he added.

As much credit Auriemma gets, he’ll be the first to not make it about him, and in the rematch of the 2022 National Championship game, the Huskies executed their game plan perfectly. The Gamecocks were no match for UConn’s “Big Three” of Paige Bueckers, Final Four MVP Azzi Fudd and freshman phenom Sarah Strong; a poised Bueckers had 17 points, while Fudd and Strong both dominanted with 24-points each, plus Strong’s 15 rebounds.

The rest of the roster, which includes KK Arnold and Kaitlyn Chen, hustled and dazzled on plays, from volleyball-esque passes to finishes at the rim and tough-nosed boxouts, that made the difference when it counted most. The Huskies won, 82-59 by controlling tempo of the entire game.

As Huskies fans will tell it, it was really the Power of Friendship that fueled their epic run.

And in their final game together with Bueckers in a UConn uniform, Auriemma had just one message for her as they embraced each other on the court for the last time. It’s a message he’s likely said to her and many of the players he’s coached over the years before. “I love you,” Auriemma told PB as they both emotionally embraced each other on a confetti-covered court.

Legacy solidified.

The post UConn’s Reign Continues as the Huskies Win their 12th National Title appeared first on SLAM.

After averaging an impressive 23.4 points and 7.5 boards this season, the 6-3 center has announced that she’s returning to Iowa State for her junior season. The SLAMU cover star made it official with her own Instagram post, which poked fun at any speculation that she’d be taking her talents elsewhere.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Audi Crooks | Iowa State #55 (@audicrooks55)

Crooks is one of the most dominant bigs in college basketball and has been capturing the world’s attention with her style of play in the paint, which she’s perfected since arriving in Ames.

 “I chose Iowa State because it made me feel cared for as a person, not just for what I do on a basketball court,” Crooks told us for the digital cover of SLAMU (which is now her profile pic on IG, we see you AC!).

During the recruiting process, head coach Bill Fennelly and his coaching staff made Crooks feel comfortable and welcome from the very beginning, a sentiment that hasn’t changed since she’s suited up in the red and gold. “He’s going to be tough on you,” Crooks said of Fennelly. “But at the end of the day, you know that he loves you and that he supports you.”

With Crooks at the center, and teammates like forward Addy Brown—who will also be returning—the Cyclones will look to make a major comeback after losing in the first-round of this year’s NCAA tournament. Crooks, meanwhile, has emphasized that she’s ready to improve her leadership and be more consistent on the floor. Here’s what Cyclones’ fans can expect:

“I think a part of my game that I like to elevate is not necessarily going to show up on the stat board,” she says. “I’d like to be a better communicator. I’d like to be a better leader and just more consistent overall, whether that be in the paint, at the mid-range, setting screens, whatever it is, even on the defensive end,” Crooks said.

Cyclone fans, your fav is back. Celebrate Audi’s return with our Iowa State Collection

The post Audi Crooks is Returning to Iowa State: ‘Let’s Run it Back’ appeared first on SLAM.

The Sparks have announced that they will be retiring Candace Parker’s jersey on June 29 at Crypto.com Arena as the team faces the Chicago Sky. Parker will join the elite company of Lisa Leslie and Penny Toler, No. 9 and No. 11 respectively, as the third-ever Spark to have her jersey honored.

Parker won a title with the Sparks in 2016 and was named Finals MVP of the series against the Lynx. She holds the franchise’s career assist record with 1,331.

“To see my jersey hanging in the rafters amongst other legends is truly an honor.  This moment is not just about me — it’s about my family, my teammates, and the incredible support from the LA Sparks organization and fans,” says Parker in an official press release. “I’m grateful to my parents, who believed in me every step of the way, to my brothers who still are my heroes and to my wife and kids, who inspire me every day. The Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) raised Lailaa and this was her playground growing up. Holding the record for assists reminds me that basketball is never just about individual success — it’s about elevating others and being a part of something bigger than yourself. This jersey represents all the moments, all the connections, and all the love that got me here.”

Congrats legend.

The post LA Sparks Will Retire Candace Parker’s No. 3 Jersey appeared first on SLAM.

In a matchup against the Pacers that went to the wire in the fourth, the Lakers were down by just one point, 118-119, with less than 10 seconds remaining when LeBron James delivered an elite putback – off of a missed floater by teammate Luka Doncic – right as the buzzer went off.

Despite going scoreless and then having just three points going into the fourth, James rallied and dropped 11 points in three minutes on four straight possessions. He finished with a double-double of 13 points and 13 boards to extend his double-figure scoring streak now to 1,283 consecutive games, an NBA record. Elite.

He did it all with none other than Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hull in attendance, too.

As James continues to prove he’s still got it – and is inspiring Tik Tokers to drop banger after banger in his honor – he told the media after the game:

He also revealed that at first he wasn’t entirely sure if he got it off in time.

The Lakers are ranked fourth in the WCF right now behind the Nuggets.

Meanwhile, the Pacers, who saw Bennedict Mathurin lead with 23 points, plus a handful of double-digit scorers including Tyrese Haliburton, will look to bounce back after the loss. They play the Wizards at Capitol One Arena tonight.

The post LeBron James Extends Scoring Streak, Followed by Elite Putback Buzzer Beater Against Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

Just like that, all the pieces came crashing down. 

Latson was ruled out with an injury and missed both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. FSU eventually lost to Georgia in the first round. 

“That really just changed my perspective on a lot of things, like, the game can be gone in an instant,” Latson, who is currently leading the country in scoring as a junior, says on the phone in March. In just a few days, the Seminoles will play George Mason in the first round of the NCAA tournament. “Basketball isn’t the end all be all for me, I have to have a backup plan. I have to be somebody outside of basketball.”

During the time she was out, she missed the competitiveness of being on the court the most. The rush of a big game and the chance to experience it on the biggest stage like the NCAA tournament. “That’s something that I’ll never take for granted again,” she says. 

Latson’s first game back to the court happened to be at USA tryouts over the summer, which proved to be even more of a mental challenge. Thoughts of, Will I be the same? and How’s my body going to react to this? raced through her mind. 

What she needed was an escape. It was last year that Latson, who bounced back for her sophomore season and matched her scoring average, found herself picking up LEGOs as a hobby again. Growing up in Miami, she always loved to play with them, but her parents weren’t able to afford the sets, so eventually she stopped. 

Now that she’s able to cop her own, it’s a different story. Lately, Latson has been creating entire LEGO masterpieces; she’s currently building a Marvel box, which features the iconic logo and characters popping out from the sides, as well as a radio that’s 906 pieces. She tries to find time when she can and works on them either before or after practice, with a majority of her building getting done on her off days. 

“I have to be dialed in when I’m building these LEGOs,” she says. “And it just takes me to another place. The creativity part of it is just beautiful to see that you can do something from scratch.”

She’s channeling her artistic side—which also includes journaling and wanting to learn to play the piano—in her game, too. On the court this season, Latson moves with grace and precision. Her shot is a work of art in itself. Perfect release. Perfect arc. A perfect swish through the basket every time she launches from three. 

This offseason, Latson worked with her trainer in Atlanta on refining every little detail of her approach when it came to shooting. She watched film on the greats, too, from Stephen Curry to Kyrie Irving, and studied how they placed their feet and shot the rock consistently the same way every single time. 

All that work is evident across the stat sheet this season; Latson is currently averaging a career-high 24.9 ppg, as well as 4.7 apg. Her name is being mentioned in the National Player of the Year conversation, too, which has always been a goal of hers. 

“Coach Brooke [Wyckoff], we had a conversation before the season started about my goals for myself and things like that. Obviously, I wanted to be nominated for National Player of the Year this year, [and I] knew that I needed to improve on my passing. That was something that was really important to me.” 

As the team’s captain, leader and the orchestrator of the offense, what helps her stay grounded throughout the ups and downs of the season is the advice Wyckoff has given. “She always tells me to just stack days and take things day by day,” Latson says. 

That’s another thing she’s building toward, too. As Latson continues to become a household name at Florida State ahead of her senior year, she has her sights set on turning her game into a real-life masterpiece, too. When asked what exactly that looks like, she breaks it down for us like it’s a new LEGO set she’s just discovered. We can only imagine what the final outcome will be. 

“[I want] to just continue to build off what I did this season [and] to be consistent. I always pride myself on that,” Latson says. “And [also] improving in areas like turnovers, that’s something that I want to limit as much as possible. I want to average more assists. I want to get more rebounds, and just to continue to grow my leadership.” 

Action photos via Getty Images and LEGO photos courtesy of KLUTCH SPORTS.

The post BUILT FOR THIS: Ta’Niya Latson’s Ascension into Stardom at Florida State and as the NCAA’s Leading Scorer appeared first on SLAM.

“Too small.” 

Just another day in Cleveland. It’s a Saturday afternoon inside the Cavaliers’ practice facility, and Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are addressing the elephant in the room we’re now sitting in. Moments before, members of the team had been on the practice courts, running through individual skill workouts and shooting sessions as reggae music blasted through the speakers. The only thing that can be heard now is the Cavs’ backcourt keeping it real about the public’s perception of the NBA and what’s been the difference-maker for them this season. Then the question gets brought up.

What is the craziest or most absurd thing that people have said about you?

“The ‘not being able to play together’ I think was definitely the toughest one, because they don’t give it a chance, you know?” Don says. “Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are another duo in this League, it took them eight years to win a championship. It takes time. Not saying we’re them, not saying they are us…Jamal Murray and Jokic. AD and Bron. It takes time.” 

None of those guys won titles overnight, and they all had to deal with their own fair share of criticism and sky-high expectations to make it there. Since LeBron James led Cleveland to their first-ever title in 2016, the franchise has been on the rebuild. And over the years, there haven’t been many who believed the Cavs could be as good as they are right now. Not when Garland arrived as a first-round pick in 2019, or when they acquired Jarrett Allen from the Nets via a four-team trade in 2021, or when they drafted Evan Mobley that summer with the third overall pick. When Mitchell arrived prior to the start of the 2022-23 season via a trade from the Jazz, there were doubts about whether he and Garland, two ball-dominant guards, could even be successful together. Despite all of this, the Cavs finished with a 51-31 record, the franchise’s highest win total since the 2016-17 season. 

This year, that same core four has managed to lead the Cavs to an even better record, which is 55-10 as we go to press. It takes time to build the type of rhythm they’re playing with. “I think people fail to realize that,” says Mitchell, who is averaging 24.2 ppg. “They think that you’re supposed to just click and vibe, but obviously, we haven’t got a chip yet. We got some work to do, but we’re headed in the right direction, and that’s all you can ask for—just continue to take the proper step forward.” 

And with their same core, the Cavs are now two-stepping their way to the playoffs under new head coach Kenny Atkinson. When Atkinson arrived to replace J.B. Bickerstaff, he reimagined the Cavs’ motion offense with an emphasis on free-flowing movement, quick reads, cutting and creativity. DG and Spida set the tempo in the backcourt. Garland is a shifty point guard who moves, in his own words, “like a dancer,” with fancy footwork, spin moves and speed, while Mitchell is explosive and groovy with the way he weaves down the lane for a bucket. 

“I just like to dance with the ball,” says DG. “I’m a dancer…I just use my shiftiness, my quickness, and then I like to give [Mitchell] the ball, because he’s just so explosive.”

Then there’s the rest of the Cavs’ ensemble, which includes seven-footers Allen and Mobley who cause havoc in the paint. Allen is constantly moving and leaves defenders dizzy and distracted as he sets screens and rolls to the basket, while Mobley is an All-Star who crashes the boards with a fury and, as we’ve seen this year, Euro steps his way to the rim like a guard. With Isaac Okoro, Max Strus and newly-acquired De’Andre Hunter (a trade that happened just the day before our cover shoot) to balance out the scoring, the Cavs have so much range as the No. 1 offense in the NBA. 

For the first time in a long time, what’s being said about them isn’t, well, bad. But don’t think they forgot. 

“We got a lot of hate last year,” Garland says, to which Mitchell adds: “From the same people that’s [saying] really nice things about us. Appreciate it.” It goes without saying that public perception controls the narrative in the NBA. In today’s world, this is all happening online, where people only pay attention to what’s being curated on their feeds, from game highlights to hot takes from media personalities and podcast hosts. The casuals are so lost in the scroll, they only pay attention to who is still standing in June, rather than actually watching a team rise to the occasion throughout an 82-game season. 

“We really look at the NBA game as, like, it’s 2K for real,” Mitchell says. “He’s never played with a ball-dominant guard, and I haven’t either, so that takes time for us to continue doing what [we do]. [Fifty-one] games the first year. That’s success, and people don’t look at us as that, but that’s success in itself. OK, we failed in the playoffs. Cool, next year, boom. Everybody gets hurt, different things, but we finally win a playoff series, first time. That’s another step. Now we’re at the top of the League, but at the end of the day, this really don’t mean nothing until we do something in the playoffs.” 

Seeing is believing, and when the Cavs played the reigning champs on Feb. 28, everyone watched to see what they were about. Despite Boston’s 25-3 lead to start the game, the Cavs went on a 41-22 run and dominated the fourth quarter. They never got flustered, and Mitchell especially turned things up. With two minutes left, he literally soared to the basket past Sam Hauser and above Al Horford to draw a foul. By the time he landed back on the ground, his teammates on the sideline were already making their way toward him to dap him up in excitement. Mitchell finished the game with 41 points in the Cavs’ 123-116 win over the Celtics. According to StatMuse, he tied LeBron James for the most games (12) in Cavaliers history with at least 40 points and 5 threes. 

“When he turns up, starts flexing and starts clapping dumb hard, starts talking to the crowd, I love that Don,” says Garland. “That’s the Spida we all need, for sure.” 

The story of the Cavs’ backcourt duo actually started long before they teamed up in The Land. Mitchell hosted Garland as a recruit at Louisville back in the day (DG ended up going one-and-done at Vanderbilt). Years later, they worked out together during the summer prior to the 2022-23 season; Mitchell happened to be in Miami with his trainer, Ronnie Taylor, who asked if the Cavs’ PG could join them. The meet-up was pure coincidence, as neither of them knew what was going on behind the scenes in the Jazz and Cavs’ front offices. “[Donovan] was just so locked in the entire workout, like, if he missed a shot, he wanted to just do the whole set over again,” Garland says. “If he missed two in a row, he was doing a sprint back and forth and coming right back to the set. So, it was like, just his work ethic, his mindset, he wants to be great, the best version of himself and one of the best players to play this game.” 

Mitchell was impressed by Garland, too. “I’ve never had to go shot for shot with somebody like that in a workout, like really try to beat the person that you’re working out with. That was my first real moment where I was like, He’s like that.” 

Over the years, Garland has emerged as a poised point guard who’s been able to battle through adversity, the loss of his grandmother and injury, including a fractured jaw that forced him to miss 19 games last season and go through a grueling recovery process that included a liquid diet, causing him to lose 12 pounds. DG has since then bounced back and is currently averaging 21 ppg this year. 

“I was away from the guys last year for almost two months, and that’s when I was really at my lowest,” he says of the injury. “I couldn’t talk to them, they’d FaceTime me after a big win, and I’m just sitting there, like, Yay, can’t talk. That was tough for me, but right now, just being around the guys, it’s some real brotherhood over here. It’s like a grown man AAU team. We’re always around each other. We’re always laughing, making jokes, going out to eat with each other. We had sweet potato pie on the plane yesterday. It’s a real family.”

They hype each other up like one, too. When I bring up Garland’s epic buzzer- beater from the Pistons logo on Feb. 5, Mitchell interrupts DG before he can say a word.

“I was trying to [be] PG all interview. Man, that was a f–k you to everybody. That’s what that was. That pose, all that was on—I’m sorry. I know, I know I shouldn’t swear. I’m trying my best, but like, that’s exactly what that was. I felt that, too. That’s why I went nuts [after]. Somebody was talking smack—I won’t curse again—the whole game and I just felt like, [he had] a lot of pent up, [like], This is what I really do, and y’all really playing with me. And I should have ended the game about 10 minutes prior, but we ain’t gonna talk about that. But like, you know what? Since we’re here, I’m gonna go ahead and do this. Forget the play that we drew up, Coach. I got it. So that’s what that was. He ain’t gonna say it like that, but I’m gonna say it.”

“I’ll talk a little bit of shit,” DG, who was named an All-Star this year, says of the game-winner. “It was against our former coach, too, which made it like 1000 times better…That was something that was totally different.” 

“That was basically, like, everybody that was talking noise, just sit here and watch us,” Don chimes in.

The playoffs are just around the corner, too, which means everything they’re doing now is in preparation for their ultimate goal of winning a championship. It was Mitchell who once told me in Utah that “winning takes care of everything in this League,” but it’s clear now that it’s a sentiment he shares with his backcourt mate. 

“Until we have this parade in Cleveland, [and I’m] on the floats and [have] a ring on my finger,” Garland says, “we haven’t done anything.” 

Portraits by Matthew Coughlin.

The post Believe in the Land: Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell on Cavaliers’ Dominance, Doubters and Championship Mindset appeared first on SLAM.

In a new animated film from writer-director Rob Edwards, SNEAKS tells the story of an exclusive collector kicks, Ty (Anthony Mackie), and Maxine (Chloe Bailey) that are stolen by ‘the Collector’ (Laurence Fishburne). As they attempt to escape, Ty finds himself separated from his sister in the middle of New York City—and it’s then that he meets a street-smart and scuffed up sneaker named JB (Martin Lawrence) for one epic, and hilarious adventure.

With original music by the iconic, GRAMMY Award-winning producer Mustard, the film is perfect for the whole fam and will be in theaters April 18. Check out the trailer below.

The post Watch the Trailer for “SNEAKS”: New Epic Animated Adventure Starring Anthony Mackie and Chloe Bailey appeared first on SLAM.

“My mom just signed me up in kindergarten,” she tells us after practice in January. “She was like, You’re tall. Let’s try this. So, she signed me up for rec basketball in kindergarten and I met some of my best friends through basketball.” 

It’s a good thing Jazzy stuck with it, because she’s transcending high school hoops right now as the No. 3 ranked player in the nation. The three-time Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year averaged 26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.6 assists per game through 25 games last season at Clackamas, and she knows that what truly separates her from the competition is her versatility on both ends of the floor. That’s exactly the word she uses when describing her game. “I play really well off my teammates without the ball in my hands, so that’s something that I feel kind of separates me a little bit from other top players,” she says. “Also just playing both sides of the ball. Defense is a huge thing for me, and I feel like I get a lot of my offense off of defensive rebounds and pushing it in transition.”

The USC commit will look to refine her game once she gets out to Cali and suits up for head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. What stood out to her most during the recruitment process was how close-knit and “family-oriented” the Trojans, currently ranked fourth in the AP poll, are. She has her sights set on elevating her game in college and winning “a few national championships” at USC, but she knows that in order to get there, she has to put in the work first. And her main focus will be on consistency.

“I know I have a lot of work to do to get there,” she says. “Personally, I feel like I kind of do a little bit of everything, but I can always be more consistent and get better at all the little things that I already do. So, just consistency offensively. And then defensively, just making sure I’m locked in every possession, whether I’m on the ball or off the ball. [I just need to keep] fine tuning things and getting them to be more consistent.”  

Portraits by NASHCO Photography

The post Jazzy Davidson, the No. 3-Ranked Player in the Class of 2025, is Ready to Ascend Her Game at USC appeared first on SLAM.

It’s in everything he’s done so far in his career: from being the Celtics’ No. 26 pick in the 2020 draft to, in just five seasons in Boston, inking his name in the record books by hitting multiple buzzer beaters in the Finals, winning a championship and now leading the Sixth Man of the Year race. Whenever the guard has the ball in his hands, he’s like a magician in his bag of tricks. The court vision and dazzling dimes. His ability to create plays off the dribble. The efficiency at which he shoots the ball, unafraid to let it fly whenever, over whomever, from wherever. Doesn’t matter if it’s 50 feet. 

Pritchard’s impact on the Celtics is evident in his ability to perform and deliver, especially when they need it most. But to do all of that while coming off the bench? That takes sheer confidence. 

“I definitely wanted to be considered in the conversation for one of the best players off the bench,” he tells us after shootaround one day. “I mean, obviously, with our team [and] the way we’re built, we are very talented. And our starting five, obviously it’s a lot of big names. So I felt like for myself to make a jump and be considered one of the best bench players in the League, that would only help our team. And I thought I was very capable of that.”

As of mid-January, Pritchard is leading the NBA in total points off the bench (895), which puts him above last year’s Sixth Man of the Year, Minnesota’s Naz Reid. Look up and down the stat sheet and you’ll see career-high numbers in almost every category: minutes played (28.2), field-goal attempts (10.6), an ability to shoot at a more efficient clip than in years’ past. He’s averaging 14.4 ppg—double what he averaged as a rookie (7.7)—on a career-high 47.9 percent shooting from the field and 42.4 percent from behind the arc. 

During the offseason, Pritchard dialed in on refining those very aspects of his game. What we’re all witnessing now is everything coming into motion. “Just being able to shoot off the move and shoot off the dribble from three more, that’s definitely added levels to my game,” he describes. “I thought my mid-range and finishing was always really good and just continued to be good, but [I try to] just continue to be a complete ballplayer. Defensively, being more active.” 

At just 6-1, Pritchard is crashing the boards and averaging 3.8 trb and 1.4 offensive boards.

“It really just comes down to confidence, honestly,” Pritchard says, when asked what’s been the difference maker for him this season. “I’ve just been confident every time I step on the floor. That’s what I’m capable of doing, and I’m capable of helping [us] win at the highest of levels.” 

You know it’s real when you are who you think you are, and no one can deny Pritchard’s innate ability to be a spark for the Cs whenever he’s out there. In a win against the Pistons, Pritchard’s impact was everywhere en-route to a 27-point, 10-assist performance, from 27-foot pullup threes to assists to Queta to easy layups and big rebounds. “I thought he made big-time plays whether it was the offensive rebound, whether it was the play at the end of the game or just pushing the pace. You know, he kinda just has the ability to impact the game in different ways,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla after the game. 

Just last night against Portland, he dropped a career-high 43 points and knocked down a best 10 threes. Alongside teammate Derrick White’s 41-point performance, they’re the first Celtics duo ever to score 40 or more points in the same game.

The type of energy that he brings is what White called the “Payton Effect” on The Young Man and the Three podcast.

“I think it has something to do with the energy that it gives people,” Pritchard tells us, when asked about White’s comments. “The excitement, just the momentum swings and just me coming off the bench to come in with a spark and this new life of energy and the pace of play. The crowd gets behind it, too.”

In other words: he is just on a different wavelength. It’s when he’s playing freely and creatively that Pritchard does things that leave the crowd in total awe. Take for instance what happened in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic. With the Cs already up 112-89 in the fourth, Pritchard didn’t hold back when matched up against Wendell Carter Jr, who played solid defense but was no match for P’s artistic dribbling combos and elite footwork. Plus the step-back jumper he drained immediately after. 

“It’s definitely an art form,” he says about his approach to shooting. “I feel like there’s such a rhythm piece to it. It’s just allowing your body to be all in one motion when you shoot. That definitely helps.” 

His mindset is simple: Don’t think, just shoot. Whatever happens on the floor—including some of the craziest half-court buzzer beaters we’ve ever seen, which, might we add, he doesn’t practice but has obviously perfected—is all the result of just how much time and dedication he’s put into every aspect of his craft. What we’re witnessing now is someone just straight up hoopin’. “I’ve practiced and I’ve worked so many hours at it that I feel like when I shoot, the worst is when I start to think about my form, start to think about certain things, rather than just letting all the work I put in just come naturally,” he adds. “I try to harp on, Just let it fly. Don’t think. Be in the flow of shooting.”

Keep in mind, he’s doing all of this while on a championship squad that’s currently leading the NBA in threes. Not only is Payton shooting the lights out, but the Celtics are leading a three-point resurgence across the League, one that’s drawn a bit of criticism. But, in his opinion, if this is just one of the many things that makes them so lethal, why switch up now? “We have eight dudes on our team that could go off and hit five threes in the game very easily,” P explains. “We have eight dudes that are high-level shooters that make us very difficult, so you have to worry about every one of us. Now, a lot of teams don’t have that, and I think that’s what makes us different from most teams. You just have to worry about all of us when we’re on the court.” 

As a reigning champion, Pritchard knows there’s something bigger they’re all playing for, too: going back-to-back in the Finals and raising Banner 19. But when he looks back at how he’s gotten here and solidified himself as a key piece in their rotation, it all comes down to his ability to find balance. In the good and the bad. In the clutch performances and big-time plays. This is what he would tell a young Payton just coming into the League:

“[Don’t] ride the waves of the lows and the highs. Try to be balanced through it all,” he says. “I’ve learned that now, and I’m still learning that at times, but I’ve definitely gotten a lot better at it. But I feel like the thing that’s hardest for young players, especially in the League, is just the ups and downs. There could be a lot of nights where things just don’t go your way, or a lot of things are out of your control, but not letting it mentally affect you. But then obviously you’re gonna have a lot of good nights, but not riding that high too high either. Just maintaining that balance.”

To have his name be part of the Sixth Man conversation is an “honor,” he says. While it might come as a surprise to many, what it means to him is that all of those hours are paying off. Now it’s about keeping that same energy and more, every night.

“It means I’ve elevated to another level, which is from the work and stuff like that,” he says. “But we’re almost halfway through the year, so I got another halfway to go and show what I’m capable of. I’m just worried about game by game now [and] showing [that] every day.” 

The post The Payton Pritchard Effect appeared first on SLAM.

The Cyclones, up by 2 points, went crazy with excitement after the play, from the bench to head coach Bill Fennelly to sophomore guard Kelsey Joens and forward Addy Brown, who gave a smiling Crooks a celebratory chest bump.

Through the highs and lows of this season, Crooks has been the force propelling the Cyclones forward when they’ve needed it the most. The previous time Iowa State played K-State, in late January, Crooks had a double-double of 28 points and 11 boards in a down-to-the-wire OT thriller, with Iowa State coming out on top, 79-87. This time around, she finished with 36 and 10 in the 85-63 upset win.

“If we throw it in there, we know it’s going up and it’s going in,” sophomore forward Addy Brown told us earlier this season. “That’s a good thing to have inside, and we kind of play around her.”

Crooks has been dominating in the post since her high school days at Bishop Garrigan High School in Algona, IA, where she led her squad to back-to-back state titles and inked her name in the state record books. She broke the tournament record by dropping 49 points in the state championship game, doing so while ducking the haters who tried to call her a one-hit wonder, like she does her defenders. “The critics say sometimes that all I do is get baskets right under the basket,” she told The Gazette in 2023. “I mean this in the most humble way: It works.”

It’s at Iowa State that Crooks has perfected the art of posting up. The minute the Cyclones get possession of the ball on the offensive end, Audi is always right there, scheming under the basket and boxing out or dancing with her defenders. Sometimes she’ll take a few dribbles and then either push right past her opponent or go right under them for a smooth layup finish. 

What’s even scarier for everyone is that this season, Crooks has been challenging herself to knock down jumpers from the mid-range, too. After earning All-Big 12 honors as a freshman, she locked in on it during the offseason. “I took the time to appreciate what I did my first year, but also improve,” Crooks tells us. “[I] focused a lot [on] turning up [on] the defensive end of the floor, being a better defender, being a better shot blocker, and then also coming out of the paint a little bit [with my] mid-range game, trusting myself with the rock and trusting myself to be able to handle the ball.” 

It’s that trust—in herself and from her squad—that’s led Crooks to emerge into a college basketball star as just a sophomore. “I chose Iowa State because it made me feel cared for as a person, not just for what I do on a basketball court,” Crooks told us when asked about her decision to play for the Cyclones. During her recruiting process, Fennelly and his staff worked hard to make sure she felt that way, from dining at her favorite restaurant, Cinco De Mayo, a local Mexican spot in Algona, to sending her a picture of her future locker. They even defended her against the aforementioned critics, including on the night that Crooks led her high school squad to a state title. 

As a disgruntled fan questioned whether she could play at the next level in college, Fennelly remembers snapping back at them then. “We’re not recruiting somebody to sit on the bench,” he told them then per The Des Moines Register. 

That so-called fan, and really anyone who has doubted her ability to compete in college, couldn’t have been more wrong. As a freshman, Crooks played in every game, and by the fifth, became a starter. She then broke records, became the first Cyclone freshman ever to be named an All-American and captivated the world while leading the Cyclones to the NCAA tournament, where she had a monstrous 40-point performance in the first-round win against Maryland. Then Crooks held her own in the paint against future WNBA first-rounder Cameron Brink when Iowa State played Stanford in the second-round. Despite the loss, it was the first time the Cyclones had made it that far in the postseason since 2020-21. 

Now in her sophomore campaign, Crooks has upped her numbers across the stat sheet and is currently averaging a career-high 23 ppg on an even more efficient 60 percent from the field. Anytime she’s on the floor, you can see she plays with joy—and an ever-present smile—that her teammates feed off. It’s been the case from the moment she arrived, recalled senior guard Emily Ryan. 

“I just remember when she came on and [visited] the first time, just her personality stands out right away,” Ryan explained. “She’s a light, and she lights up every room she walks into.”

That energy has been needed, especially this year as the Cyclones have had to grind their way through a tough season. By the time this SLAMU digital cover appears on your feed, their record is 21-10. Expectations are high, especially coming from Fennelly, now in his 30th season coaching in Ames. “He’s going to be tough on you,” Crooks told us, adding: “But at the end of the day, you know that he loves you and that he supports you.”

While the Cyclones have yet to make it past the second round of the tournament, they’ve got all the pieces to make a run this March. Their top three scorers include Ryan, a poised and elite veteran leader who helps set up the offense, as well as Brown, who is averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds a game. They have plenty of other experienced bucket-getters, too, and just two freshmen on their entire roster. 

Audi is their anchor, though, and where she goes—or posts up—they all follow. As the Cyclones gear up for the BIG 12 conference tournament, they’ll all need to show up for every possession and every match up.

”She just dominates,” Ryan said of Crooks. “It’s what she does, and being able to have that enforcer in the paint is huge for us both on the floor. You know what to expect from her every day. She’s super consistent.” 

For No. 55, consistency is “key,” she says, not just right now at Iowa State or in the tournament, but throughout her playing career. When asked how she wants to elevate her game, Crooks elaborated: “I think a part of my game that I like to elevate is not necessarily going to show up on the stat board. I’d like to be a better communicator. I’d like to be a better leader and just more consistent overall, whether that be in the paint, at the mid-range, setting screens, whatever it is, even on the defensive end,” Crooks said. “After Iowa State, I would like to play professionally somewhere. We’ll see.” 

It’s with those words that a smile appears on her face yet again. Only time will tell whether she’ll be the one having the last laugh…

Portraits by Matthew Coughlin

The post Iowa State’s Audi Crooks is the CENTER OF ATTENTION | SLAMU 6 Digital Cover appeared first on SLAM.

“Coach P” is a title he wears with pride. For him, providing the next generation with opportunity, resources and more is bigger than his own namesake or individual success. He founded his own AAU team, the P. Miller Ballers, and has coached everyone from DeMar DeRozan to Jalen Suggs.

“To be able to coach and be the President of Operations at the University of New Orleans is an honor,” P tells us over the phone last week. “I grew up there, that’s my hometown, and to be able to help revitalize the program, I mean, that’s what it’s about with me. It’s about making sure these student athletes get the right education, make sure that they can move on in life and be successful, and we could bring winning basketball tradition back to the city of New Orleans.”

Now, Miller has his sights set on empowering the next generation of student-athletes at the University of New Orleans, where he’s just recently been named their new President of Basketball Operations.

“This is what I get up in the morning for. I love this,” P tells us over the phone last week. “I love being a coach, and I love educating and preparing the next generation, because lot of these kids [are] going through a lot of things. Being able to help this program build a real NIL [program] to make sure our kids don’t get into these things that kids are getting into, the negativities and [whatnot]. It’s a business now, so these kids could actually make money, take care of their families and the ones that’s gonna go to the pros, to be able to represent the whole Privateer Nation and be able to now take their skills to the next level. [Not everyone is] going to make it to the pros, but we can prepare everybody on this team to be successful in life.”

As their new president, Miller is on mission to change the culture at UNO and build a competitive, top-notch program from the ground up. The focus will be entirely dialed in on what their student-athletes need, from sports-performance resources to marketing, partnerships and, as mentioned before, an established NIL program.

“To be honest with you, it’s all about the culture,” he says. “Traditional coaching is done because these kids are getting paid. Coaches have to be involved in these kids lives. We want to be able to turn these kids into dogs and push it, but we also want to be able to show them love at the same time and let them know because a lot of these kids, some of them not going to have fathers in their life, so you going to have to be a father in their life to some. It’s about pushing them to be successful, and it ain’t just about X and O’s, even though we’re going to be able to to be experts at this, and being able to make sure we[‘re] watching film, we preparing for these games…

With our team, we’re an Under Armour (sponsored) team, [so] the first thing that I’m going to do is use my resources to go out and get Stephen Curry and UA to make this a premier team and to sponsor our university the right way.”

Having talked to Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders about what he’s doing on the football field as head coach of Colorado, P’s vision also includes empowering his players, many of whom are not just playing for UNO, but to better their families and loved ones.

“These kids need certain things now,” Miller continues. “They need good places to stay. They need a great environment for living arrangements. They need the right nutrition. We need the right strength and conditioning coaches to be prepared to be able to go on the court, but also at the same time, these are young men now, so they need to be able to get around; I’m reaching out to these car companies in our community, saying, ‘Look, let’s create these NIL deals so when these kids come here, they have the right tools and resources they need so they can focus on school and basketball…’ This is a business now for these inner city kids are taking care of their families through these sports and especially through basketball.”

Since the news dropped of his new gig, much of the media attention, and headlines, have been focused entirely P, but what he makes especially clear is that the program and players are the priority. And there’s no limit to what he has envisioned for the Privateers.

“I want people to know it’s bigger than me…It’s about having the right players, because the players [are] going to determine how good you do in the season. I feel like a lot of players are going to want to play for me, because it’s about them. It’s not about me.”

The post Inside Master P’s Vision as President of Basketball Ops at the University of New Orleans appeared first on SLAM.

The USC Trojans are set to play the UCLA Bruins on Saturday for a battle over the crown—and the Big 10 title— in Los Angeles.

The last time these two squads competed, the No. 4 Trojans took home the dub thanks to a dominate 38-point performance by Juju Watkins. The Watts-native has been leading a renaissance in women’s college basketball ever since her SLAM 248 cover dropped last year, but she isn’t competing for a national title alone: both senior guard McKenzie Forbes and junior Rayah Marshall are second and third in scoring, respectively. If the Trojans win tonight, they’ll be in a position to earn the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

On the other side of town is the No. 2 ranked Bruins, who until that matchup against USC not too long ago had been undefeated. Led by a double-double machine of Lauren Betts and a smooth, shifty guard in Kiki Rice, UCLA has been destroying opponents by upwards of 30-plus points. To defeat USC, they’ll need to remain poised and execute, especially in the paint and from the three-point line—back in February, their shooting woes gave them trouble against the Trojans.

We’ll see what happens next, but until then, get the popcorn ready…

The post The Battle for LA Continues With USC-UCLA Rematch appeared first on SLAM.

Their answers might surprise you. For Nyanin, it’s a soulful jam: “Rise Up” by Andra Day. “It’s a spiritual experience when I hear that song,” she says. “I think there’s something to be said about embracing the unknown and just rising. We talk about the Valkyries ascending, and I think a synonym of ascending is rising. So, I think that the Valkyries will rise to the occasion and I can’t wait for everybody else to see what we’ve got going on.” 

Nakase’s pick is just as soulful, but with a little more swagger.

“My number one go-to when I walk into the gym, what I want to hear is Rihanna. I need to hear…I’m going to say it [and] y’all can bleep it: ‘B-tch Better Have My Money.’ Let me emphasize: ‘B-tch Better Have My Money.’ Let’s get paid, ladies.”

You can sense the energy and excitement in their eyes, knowing that they have the chance to form an entirely new identity and a team that will only continue to grow the WNBA and women’s sports. But we had a couple more questions for them, too, specifically about what we can expect from the Valkyries now that they’ve selected 11 players for their roster (the team did not select anyone from Seattle), as well as the women who will be leading a franchise for the very first time in their careers (Nyanin was an assistant GM on the Liberty prior to joining Golden State). 

It’s a bit of unchartered territory for everyone; the last time the W expanded was in ’08 with the Atlanta Dream. When the League announced on October 5, 2023, that it was expanding to Golden State (since then, it also unveiled plans to expand to Toronto, welcoming the Tempo as its 14th franchise), it came with the chance to set a precedent and to build an entire organization from the ground up. From hiring Nakase, who spent three seasons as an assistant coach on the Las Vegas Aces and 10 seasons with the L.A. Clippers prior to that, to the entire front office, which has worked endlessly to create an entire identity, culture, logo and—finally—a roster that includes seven international players, four former champions and a handful of exciting names, Golden State has placed itself in a prime position to enter the W ready to go on Day 1. And keep in mind, there’s still free agency and the 2025 WNBA Draft, where the Valkyries have the fifth, 17th and 30th picks. 

But how exactly do Nakase and Co. plan on leading this team and making it a competitive championship contender? After all, that’s always the goal, isn’t it?

It starts with the three non-negotiables Nakase has for each player, as she tells us: “Ultra-competitive, high character and have a never-satisfied mindset. By that I mean, when you play, you gotta play like your life depends on it. Win or die, basically. That’s what we’re looking for.” 

Immediately after her introductory press conference in October, Nakase got to work assembling the team’s roster. As a former video coordinator and a mentee of Becky Hammon (whom she says has the biggest heart) and Tyronn Lue (a “savant of basketball” with an “IQ [that] is off the roof”), Nakase loves diving into film and breaking the game down. That’s exactly what she, Nyanin and Vanja Cernivec, the team’s Vice President, Basketball Operations, did when deciding who to draft.

“My starting point with building this team really was to go back and reflect on all the players
I had a feeling we’re going to be possibly on the list for expansion,” says Nakase. “Right after my
press conference, we got together and I’m like, OK, show me the list. I want your list, my list, I want Ohemaa’s and Vanja’s. We collaborated, we discussed and got down to one or two players that we actually agreed on [and then] it was like, OK, go watch more film. And we just kept doing that over and over, and then from there it was like, Let’s settle in. But then, I might throw in a wrench and be like, I like this idea, I like this player. There were a lot of, we like to say ‘passionate conversations’ that went on during this draft process, but also honest collaboration is how we’d word it. It was really great…and at the end of the day, we have 11 competitive players that fit our culture.”

Nakase emphasizes that she’s looking for a team that can hold its own defensively, play fast and “space the floor, play the right way, work on execution and focus on the little details of the game.” And as a coach, she wants to bring a sense of honesty and openness to her players, too.  “I’m a truth teller…My dad was a straight shooter. If I was messing up, he would let me know, but he also coached with love and passion, too. If I struggled, he was there, and I got to lean on him. It’s a combination of both. I’m a truth teller, and I’m also going to open my heart and let my players pour into me, but at the end of the day, I’m going to get the best out of them every single day.” 

When we sat down with Ohemaa, we learned that the vision for the franchise is centered around player empowerment. “We want to make sure we continue to elevate them and their platforms of just being who they are. They love being a part of different communities,” she says. “They’ve had the opportunity to play in all these different countries, play in the United States or maybe not. The diverse nature of their experiences will make for a really impactful experience for Valkyries fans and for each other.”

And, as Nakase explains below, each player is special in their own way, too. Golden State fans, allow us to introduce your Valkyries. 

Iliana Rupert (via the Atlanta Dream): She’s a positive light, she has a great spirit about her. What’s great about Ili is she wants to learn as much as she can. My first year with her, she was like, Coach, whatever it takes, whatever you need from me I’ll do. I’m like, Can you space the floor and shoot threes and then just lock up defensively whether it’s a 2, 3, 4, 5?And she’s like, Coach, I got you.

Maria Conde (via the Chicago Sky): Ooh, this girl! Watching her on film was a pleasure because she plays with so much energy and so much passion. She’s going to play hard on both ends of the court. She can space the floor, and what’s really great about Maria, too, is she knows how to play with the ball and she knows how to play without the ball.

Veronica Burton (from the Connecticut Sun): We know she’s a hard worker, she seems to play the game with joy and wants to be good at it. Those are the things we want in our players. —Ohemaa via Swish Appeal 

Carla Leite (via the Dallas Wings): Twenty years old but does not play like a 20-year-old. She’s a point guard, she’s poised, she can space the floor with that three and she can shoot off the dribble and off the catch. With all that already, she’s only 20 but she has so much potential to grow and become a really dominant player in the W.

Temi Fagbenle (via the Indiana Fever): Temi killed us when I was with the Las Vegas Aces. Down the floor, she’s one of the most electrifying athletes that I’ve ever seen before. I had to have a special defense for Temi. Defensively, she’s a rim protector, she’s a rebounder and I would not want to go against her in the paint. 

Kate Martin (via the Las Vegas Aces): Kate “Money” Martin is a culture-changer. When she walks into the building, you can feel her energy, you can hear her energy because she’s going to be talking; [she’s] just a great human being. She can defend, she can space and shoot the three. But people are always going to feel Kate every day when they walk into the building. I just can’t wait to reunite with Kate.

Stephanie Talbot (via the Los Angeles Sparks): She is a veteran that just knows how to play basketball. She has a high IQ, and she’s a player that’s [like], I’m willing to do anything, Coach. She can post and make decisions…her competitive fierceness is something I’m really looking forward to.

Cecilia Zandalasini (via the Minnesota Lynx): I can’t wait. She’s a sharpshooter. What’s special about Cecilia is she can sprint to run routes. We’re looking for her to catch and shoot threes, off the dribble, her length, defense and versatility is going to be unbelievable and more importantly, she has playoff experience.

Kayla Thornton (from the New York Liberty): “My champion. I can’t wait to coach her, she stepped up in big minutes—those are vital minutes that you can’t replace, so I can’t wait for her to defend, lock up, offensively she can space the floor, she can handle it and make quick decisions. She’s going to be such a crucial part of the Golden State Valkyries and I can’t wait to see it.”

Monique Billings (via the Phoenix Mercury): High, high energy. Fierce competitor. She boards like crazy, but more importantly, with the skill I saw she was able to rebound, push it, run and finish with either hand. I’m excited. I talk about pushing pace, she’s going to make us even faster and faster and her personality is contagious. She’s funny, hilarious. 

Julie Vanloo (via the Washington Mystics): Competitor. Ultra, ultra competitor. She fits the three non-negotiables: ultra-competitor, high character and she definitely has a never-satisfied mindset. She said, I can’t wait to come and more importantly, you’re not going to be disappointed. That’s a player that I can’t wait to see.

The post Meet the Golden State Valkyries: Natalie Nakase and Ohemaa Nyanin Talk Roster and Mentality 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.

After taking the basketball world by storm during her time at Iowa, Caitlin Clark recently had her No. 22 jersey retired at her alma mater on Sunday.

Held in Iowa City to a sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Clark received praise from fans, former teammates, and coaches at the ceremony this past Sunday. 

“People always ask Lisa and myself ‘Did you think she was gonna be that good?’ We thought she would be all American, take us to the final four, but did we think she would become the most recognizable athlete on the planet? Probably not at that point” stated Jan Jensen, now head coach of the Hawkeyes. 

In the 2023-24 season, Clark became Iowa’s all time leading scorer, the NCAA’s all time leading scorer, and led Iowa to an NCAA championship appearance, which was the most watched women’s college game in history. 

Former head coach Lisa Bluder added: “Through it all, you’ve stayed true to yourself. You’ve shown why it’s wise to invest in women’s sports, why it’s wise to invest in women.”

Clark was the first pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, selected by the Indiana Fever.

“To all the people who’ve poured into me over the course of my career—from the people that don’t get any recognition, our media team to our managers—all of you who have given so much of yourselves to allow me to be who I am, thank you,” Clark continued.

The post Iowa Retires Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 Jersey appeared first on SLAM.

Since the news was reported by Shams Charania of ESPN, it’s been confirmed by the Lakers:

And now Doncic, who wrote on X, “Grateful for this amazing opportunity. Basketball means everything to me, and no matter where I play the game, I’ll do so with the same joy, passion and goal – to win championships.”

The Don also posted a goodbye letter to Dallas fans:

Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison cited a “new chapter” for Dallas (per The Athletic) and feeling as thought they “got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, [Doncic] being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract,” Harrison told The Dallas Morning News.

He also revealed in a press conference that head coach Jason Kidd wasn’t made aware of the trade before the deal was finalized.

The news definitely has everyone around the L reacting, including Tyrese and Bam, who asked if Shams was hacked.

The Mavericks, who are currently ninth in the West, lost to the Cavaliers today. Meanwhile, the Lakers are ranked No. 5 and beat the Knicks.

The post Luka Doncic to the Lakers, Anthony Davis to the Mavericks: Full Trade Details appeared first on SLAM.

Amen Thompson catches the ball off of an inbound pass from Fred VanVleet.

Two seconds left.

He drives to the basket, slices past Jaylen Brown with a shifty euro and then hits a floater….

.7 seconds left.

Swish.

For the first time in his career, the Rockets guard dropped a career-high 33 points in their 114-112 win against the Boston Celtics on Monday night. In a game that went down to the buzzer (literally), Thompson combined with Dillon Books, who also had career high numbers with 36 points, including 10 threes (which tie a franchise record), for a menacing 69 points.

“That was my first game-winner,” Thompson in awe with a smile after the game while standing alongside Brooks. “I feel like Kobe.”

“I knew that mother—ker was going in,” Brooks said smiling back.

Despite efforts from Jaylen Brown, who had 28 points, and big man Luke Kornet, who finished with 18 points and had a crazy dunk, the Rockets executed in the final two possessions of the game, which included an in-bound pass to Alperen Sengun, who flew past Kornet for a dunk and Thompson’s game-winner.

Head coach Joe Mazulla told the media after the game that it was his error:

“Those last two plays were on me. Those are my fault,” he said per CLNS Media. “I didn’t put us in the best matchups. I saw the play that they were trying to run and I tried to change the matchups and I put our guys in a tough spot. That’s a tough one because I thought our guys did everything to win the game and they put us in position to win it and I didn’t help them at the end. So, both those plays 100% on me.”

As for the Rockets, their dominance, which includes back-to-back wins against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings, the Cavaliers and now the Celtics, isn’t anything new. With one of the best defense in the League, and a roster full of versatility and grittiness, head coach Ime Udoka made it clear that Houston is just on a different level. It’s time for everyone else to catch up.

“We’re over halfway through now and our record is what it is, so it’s not just a fluke or anything,” Udoka said. “People watch film and see the physicality and the way that we play, it’s a little different than the rest of the league, maybe that catches people off guard initially, but I wouldn’t say we’re sneaking up on anybody anymore at this point in the season.”

The Rockets play the Hawks on Tuesday, followed by the Celtics taking on the Bulls on Wednesday.

The post Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks Display Pure Dominance Against Boston appeared first on SLAM.

In a blockbuster three-team trade that was originally reported by Chicago Sun-Times’ Annie Costabile, with additional reporting by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Seattle Storm are reportedly trading six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Sparks.

The news, per Costabile, is just the beginning of WNBA free agency, where “until this domino falls, others won’t.”

The deal won’t be official until February 1, due to a sign-and-trade for Plum, per ESPN.

Details of the trades, which includes draft picks, are below:

STORM: Get the No.2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Li Yueru and Vegas’ 2026 first-round pick.

ACES: Jewell Loyd and the No. 13 pick.

SPARKS: Kelsey Plum and No. 9 pick, plus the 2026 second-round pick from Seattle. 

The post Seattle Storm Reportedly Trade Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces, Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks + Draft Picks appeared first on SLAM.

Always an innovator in all things sports and culture, DraftKings is capturing the spirit of the game with an entire Artist Series collection: collaborating with four renowned artists, the collection contains hoops-inspired pieces that showcase the energy and character of the cities they’re from, all while incorporating the DraftKings signature crown.

The Artist Series Collection spotlights Louis De Guzman from the Chi, whose work tells the story of the immigrant journey and his experience as a second generation Filipino American; Philly’s own King Saladeen, who blends his city’s gritty landscape with his experiences on and off the court within his art; Sue Tsai, an artist from NYC whose work is as bold and edgy as the Mecca and, finally, Timmy Sneaks, who is from Boston and capture’s the city’s aura with bright colors with iconic pop characters.

Together, these creatives and DraftKings have intertwined artistry and style with exclusive, basketball-inspired merch that displays their art, all while telling the story of four unique cities, home to some of the most historic sports franchises. The launch of the Artist Series Collection comes at a perfect time as the NBA celebrates premiere matchups with Rivals Week, which includes Celtics-Lakers, Nuggets-Timberwolves and more.

As one of the game’s most respected visionaries, Set Free Richardson helped bring the Artist Series Collection to life. “Being able to work and partner with DraftKings and being a curator for the project, we wanted to make sure that we picked artists that represent the city the right way, has ties to basketball and sports and understands the world of DraftKings and basketball,” Richardson tells us. “[Their] graphics represent a great collaboration with authenticity, organic artwork that [resonates] for the fans of sports, betting and basketball culture.”

When deciding which artist to partner with, it was important to them that each individual reflected their community in their work. What they found were four artists that are fully intertwined in sports culture: Saladeen once rang the bell at the 76ers game, Tsai partnered with the League for their 75th anniversary, Timmy Sneaks has murals around The Town and De Guzman has worked with the Bulls for NBA All-Star in 2020.

“It was important to make sure that the artists love the sport,” Richardson says. “All these artists bet on themselves. Being an artist is not an easy way to live and…being a part of sports and connecting that with DraftKings, it made sense. All of them are big fans of basketball, [too].”

Amidst an exciting and entertaining NBA season—”Steph[en] Curry is still doing it. Damian Lillard is one of the sharp shooters, Trae Young is incredible,” Richardson adds when asked about his thoughts on what’s happening across the League—DraftKings’ Artist Series Collection is putting the essence of artistic expression at the forefront, from the canvas to 94 feet and beyond.

The post DraftKings Collabs with Four Renowned Artists to Capture the Spirit of the Game With an Exclusive Artist Series Collection 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 Kansas Jayhawks will face the Cincinnati Bearcats today, starting at 2 pm ET, and it’s the matchup everyone has been waiting for. The last time KU and Cincy faced off the Bearcats took home a 20-point dub against the Jayhawks in the conference tournament. But this season, the tables have slightly turned for the them in the Big 12, as they’re currently 0-3 in conference play and looking to bounce back from their losing streak.

Meanwhile, KU is currently 2-1 in the Big 12—good for fourth in the conference—and hold the No. 11 ranking in the country. This will be the first time the two programs will go head to head in Cincy since ’64.

If there’s one thing you need to know about both squads, it’s that they don’t play when it comes to defense, especially the Bearcats, who can snag offensive boards with ease.

“Our half-court, man-to-man defense has been the most reliable thing we’ve had going all year long,” said head coach Wes Miller after the loss to Baylor. “I even felt tonight that when we locked in on all five, we felt there would be a breakthrough. Give them credit—they got a handful of baskets in transition and our defense had a lack of effort to get back.”

They’ll need to bring that same energy and more against KU, as the Jayhawks’ defense is so elite, they’ve been locking down opponents. Add in the fact that they’ve also got the 24th most efficient offense according to KenPom, and you’re looking at a seriously dominant team that can show out on both ends of the floor.

“We were great defensively,” head coach Bill Self told the media after defeating Arizona State. “Who would have thought we shot the ball worse the second half from 2? We shot it worse from 3 and basically held them to 11, then they get the layup there at the right at the very end. But that was exceptional.”

It’s going to be a showdown. To get you hyped for the game, we’ve got an exclusive college collection for Kansas and Cincinnati gear. Lock in.

The post Kansas vs Cincinnati Game Preview: Defensive Showdown appeared first on SLAM.

The Mavericks roster was put on notice and the players pulled up with the best pieces from their closets—PJ Washington even rocked a vintage leather jacket that was curated by LeagueFits—in the tunnel. Everyone was included, though: fans that arrived to the game made the Chime Lane their own personal tunnel, getting plenty of love from the LeagueFits photographers on-site. An array of gear, new and vintage, made up one of the most stylish game day audiences this season.

Here’s a photo recap of the night’s best looks:

The post The Best Looks From the First-Ever LeagueFits Night Presented by Chime appeared first on SLAM.

Sabally, who was drafted by the Wings in 2020, revealed that, “I’ve already communicated with Dallas how grateful I am because they’ve made this a home for me for the past years, and I’m working with them together in finding a next home for me, because … I’ve already played my last game in Dallas,” according to Roberta Rodrigues.

Sabally, who averaged 17.9 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and 5 assists last season and has suited up for the Wings for the past five seasons, will be a big name to watch during free agency.

As for if she’d have any interest in playing with her sister, Nyara, who won a championship with the New York Liberty last season, Sabally said, “Of course, in the future, I would love that.”

Photo via Getty Images.

Stay tuned for more WNBA updates and be sure to follow @wslam.

The post Satou Sabally Reveals She’s Leaving the Dallas Wings: ‘Played My Last Game in Dallas’ 👀 appeared first on SLAM.

It’s the Elite Eight rematch everyone will be tuning in to. The last time these teams went head to head, UConn defeated USC, 83-70, led by an epic double-double performance by PB, who was the Most Outstanding Player in the Portland 3 Regional. While the Huskies got the dub, USC’s Watkins also had a double-double of her own and has brought that same energy into this season with 30 and 40-point performances. Both SLAM cover stars are certified rockstars, too: PB has had her Huskies teammates rockin’ her Nike PEs recently while your favorite rappers have been pullin’ up to see Juju hoop since her high school days.

Don’t get it twisted though, the Huskies and Trojans aren’t just one-woman teams. They’ve got an entire squad of shooters and bucket-getters: UConn is equipped with SLAM co-cover star Azzi Fudd, sophomore Ashlynn Shade and freshman Sarah Strong, who is currently second on the team in scoring, to name a few. As for USC, transfer Kiki Iriafen is a true standout averaging close to 30 points per game, and with Kennedy Smith and Rayah Marshall are elite components of their core while averaging 25 points per game.

As for what will go down tomorrow, only time will tell. Until then, we’ve got you covered exclusive merch to cop as you cheer on your favs.

The post USC vs UCONN: The Elite Matchup the World Has Been Waiting For appeared first on SLAM.

But parks are meant to be a place of refuge and safety. It once was according to Patrick Engelbrecht, the Director of Global Scouting for the Toronto Raptors.

“It kind of became a place where people would kind of come to prove themselves and play on these courts,” says Engelbrecht. “It was like a real mixing point where you could play against anybody, that was here..It was a place where anything could happen.”

Together, Giants of Africa, SLAM and JDS Sports’ Play with Purpose initiative set out to turn that warning sign into an invitation for the community to feel empowered. We recently unveiled the newly revitalized double courts at Donald Mackay Park.

Here, you can dive into the history of Johannesburg and see firsthand what it took to bring this monumental moment to life.

The courts’ design is inspired by the city’s vibrant and diverse community. The shades of purple pay homage to the Jacaranda trees that line the neighborhood, while the GOA logo at center court represents the growth of the game and its ability to inspire positive change. There’s beauty is in the details, too: a series of triangles positioned in a circle symbolize the rising sun, which is a beacon of hope and aspiration, while the base of the court features an index finger pointing upwards.

The imagery holds a dual meaning: visually, it’s the act of spinning a ball on a finger, but it’s also a nod to the country’s “unspoken language”—the hand sign is used to let taxi drivers know that you want to go to Johannesburg.

The city itself has a meaningful history and a deep connection with the game. There courts are next to the iconic Ponte Tower, a 567.6 foot-tall skyscraper in the Berea district, which was once the tallest residential skyscraper for almost 50 years.

Just a few blocks away is the legendary Ellis Park Stadium, which hosted the Rugby World Cup back in ’95 and the very first NBA game played on the continent of Africa in 2015.

Now, with a new court decked out in the hue of royalty, current and future generations can lace up their kicks, climb to new heights and find success both on and off the court.

“To some a park is just a place to play, but to us, it means much more,” says Yolanda Ndlovu, a resident of Ponte City, in a powerful speech held at the court’s unveiling. “The re-opening of the park, to some, a park is just a place to play, but to us it means much more. This park is a sign that we are not forgotten…For way too long we’ve been overlooked, but this park says we deserve beauty, we deserve safe spaces and places to play sports like basketball, soccer, as well as to dream. For children, this park is a place to love, to run and just enjoy being kids. For teenagers like me, it’s place to come together, to share our talent and start believing in ourselves.”

And with that, a new sanctuary awaits.

The post Giants of Africa, SLAM and JDS Sports Bring Basketball Sanctuary to Johannesburg with Renovated Court at Donald Mackay Park appeared first on SLAM.

The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup is back and this time, it’s between two dominant and hella fun squads: the No. 1 OKC Thunder will face off against the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks. With a new schedule format and money on the line, momentum is building for this year’s tournament.

Ahead of tonight’s matchup, here’s everything you need to know about both teams.

OKC THUNDER:

With a 20-5 record and the top spot in the West, OKC is undoubtedly one of the most electric, and cool, teams in the L right now. Look no further than the artistry of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is on track to average nearly career-high numbers, and is currently third in the NBA in scoring.

“He’s elite in his preparation,” says Isaiah Hartenstein, per The Oklahoman. “You see it on a day-to-day basis, how he approaches his craft. The way he works, the way he communicates…He’s a bucket regardless, but then he gets trapped (and) he doesn’t force it. He makes the right play.”

The entire team is standing on business, too. Against Houston, we saw spin-moves and dunks from Williams (who is No. 4 in steals, btw), dives on the hardwood and deep-threes from Dort and so much more. Wallace let everybody know what was up, too after going at it with Alperen Sengun:

“We’re not gonna get punked or shot down by anybody,” he said. Periodt.

As for what to expect ahead of the Cup Final, only time will tell. Until then, here’s some mandatory reading straight from the comment section of SGA’s IG posts. Shaispere.

And fit pics of course:

FITCHECK: OKC THUNDER

Details on details

DO YOU SEE THIS COAT?

LF superteam?

Blazers and denim.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS:

For the best scorer in the League right now, the mission is clear:

“Forty-eight f—ing minutes. Keep one another accountable. Somebody missed a shot, pick him up. Make him feel good about himself, so he can make the next one.”

Those are the words from an intense Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been channeling an unmatched level of vocal leadership amidst an MVP-level performance this season. Despite the Bucks rough start to the season, they’ve risen the standings and, especially Giannis, have kept that same energy:

“I would be texting with Giannis, and we’d be talking at practice or whatever, his mind was never shut off,” Lillard said per ESPN. “He was never discouraged. He was never overly concerned. It was always, fight. Our conversations had always been, like, we’re going to turn it around. We’re going to figure it out. We’re going to lead. We’ve got to keep going. We’ve got to dominate.”

Perhaps he’s channeling his inner Big Ticket, who according to the Greek Freak stopped by their practice in Vegas recently:

Now with Middleton finally back (and better since recovering from ankle surgery), the Bucks are looking ahead as they get ready for the NBA Cup Final.

Thunder and Bucks fans, this is for you (and yours). Cop our NBA threads ahead of the game:

The post NBA CUP PREVIEW: Bucks vs Thunder (and Fits) appeared first on SLAM.

Do you know the first basketball players ever to win five Olympic Gold medals? Here’s a hint: they’re former college teammates, NCAA champions, best friends and, at one point during their careers, were super competitive rivals. But when they suited up alongside each other in the red, white and blue, they were magic. Did you figure out who it is yet? Nah, they’re not men. Think again.

“Sue joined the national team at the 2002 World Championship, and I joined in 2004. We were the young kids in Athens,” Diana Taurasi told USA Basketball. “It’s very special to have gone through it together, because we went through the same experiences at the same time.”

While Sue Bird retired from the game just two years ago, DT is still out there dropping buckets and taking names against any and every opponent in the WNBA as the League’s all-time leading scorer. She’s been hailed as the GOAT, a moniker that not only encompasses her career thus far on the Phoenix Mercury, but on the international stage, too: throughout the past 23 years she’s spent suiting up for USA Basketball, aside from Bird, she has the largest collection of Gold hardware, including five Olympic Golds, three FIBA World Cup Golds and a FIBA World Cup Bronze medal. It’s an honor she doesn’t take lightly, and in her own words, representing USA Basketball is a commitment that she holds to the highest regard.

“I just think we take this really seriously,” Taurasi told The Athletic. “We don’t look at it as a four-year thing. We look at it as a career.”

Taurasi is part of a illustrious legacy that the USA Basketball Women’s National Team has always embodied. Dating all the way back to 1984, when the women’s team won their first-ever Olympic Gold medal, they’ve consistently put together the most dominant and successful squads ever assembled. Look no further than the past seven consecutive Olympic Gold medals they’ve won, or the fact that the United States is already the favorite in Paris, currently ranked No. 1 in the 5×5 tournament and No. 2 going into the 3×3 tournament.

This year’s roster is full of champions, MVPs, All-Stars, Rookies of the Year and legends. DT will suit up alongside fellow Olympic teammates and Gold medalists, including Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, as well as Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young (both of whom won Gold in the 3×3 tournament in 2021). The roster also includes a handful of standouts who will be making their Olympic debut: Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and Sabrina Ionescu. Led by a coaching staff that features some of the most brilliant minds in the game—head coach Cheryl Reeve, assistant coaches Kara Lawson, Joni Taylor, Mike Thibault, scouts Curt Miller and Tanisha Wright—the 2024 USA Women’s National Team is locked in and ready to run it back. Three years ago in Tokyo, the U.S. cooked the competition and defeated Japan, 90-75, to win Gold. DT was on that squad, as were Loyd, BG, Chelsea, Stewie and A’ja. Now, add Alyssa, Kahleah and Sab in the mix. That’s a whole lot of bucket-getters on one team.

How did all of these stars come together? The obvious answer is a multi-year selection process that includes training camps and games. But, in the words of Taurasi, there’s more to the roster than just names on a list. It’s about chemistry, problem solving and bringing together a group of competitors who can, and will, execute.

“Once you get to the second training camp, you kind of can see the Olympics from afar,” DT said in an episode of USA Basketball’s “The National Team” series, which is accurately titled, How the Sauce Gets Made. “At least, training camp has become that much more important. Trying to find groups that play well together, that figure out problems pretty quickly together. I think the one thing from all these Olympics that I’ve learned is it’s the best combination of players who can get to a certain place pretty quickly.”

Players are competing for a spot on the 12-person roster, which means setting aside egos and simply showing that you’ve got what it takes.

Taurasi elaborated: “You have to put your best foot forward, that’s the only way you can make an impact—by being here and by buying into what we’re trying to do as a team. Every person who’s put that jersey on so far has made that commitment, and I think that means a lot to the selection committee, to the coaches.”

The selection process is ultra competitive, and while there’s an abundance of talent in the WNBA, Taurasi is spot on. As selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti told the Associated Press in April: “We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It’s got to be a combination of an entire body of work.”

The final roster is the epitome of just that. Aside from DT, Griner is one of the most experienced Olympians on the team. A two-time Olympic Gold medalist, BG’s USA Basketball résumé also includes being named 2018 World Cup Gold medal game Player of the Game and named a 2014 FIBA World Cup All-Tournament Team honoree. A powerhouse in the paint and a shot blocker, BG’s presence on the team will also bring a sense of resiliency and strength that extends well beyond the hardwood. Then there’s Gray, who was drafted into the WNBA just a year after Griner, and has been a vocal leader. The three-time WNBA champion is the go-to voice on the Las Vegas Aces, even over head coach Becky Hammon. “I’m her assistant,” Hammon once told the media. “I tell them [the Aces] all the time, if Chelsea calls something and I call something, you listen to Chelsea.”

As for her game, Gray brings an unmatched versatility: she’s a scorer who can hit clutch shots, a playmaker with crazy court vision and a savant with a high basketball IQ who can make reads and set her teammates up. Oh, and she knows how to perform under pressure, as the world saw when the Aces went back-to-back and won another WNBA championship last year. What’s even scarier is that Gray will be suiting up alongside the very teammates she just won the ’chip with, including two-time MVP Wilson and All-Stars Young and Plum. If you think the Aces have slowed down at all since they dominated in 2023, think again. Wilson’s star power has only continued to ascend to another level this season and, as we went to press, she set a WNBA record against the Dallas Wings as the first player, ever, to have at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals. Which, might we add, is her 10th career game with at least 30/10. She’s also the first to post at least 35 points and 5 steals in multiple games. Wilson is competitive, fearless and true to herself and what she’s about, on and off the court. Hammon said it best. Wilson is “the best in the world.” As for KP and Young, both are lethal guards who know what it takes to hold their own on the international stage. Back in 2021, they both won Gold in the U.S. Olympic 3×3 Women’s tournament. So, yeah, good luck to other countries that gotta go up against part of the Aces’ core.

The other most experienced Olympian is the reigning WNBA MVP. Stewie is a certified winner, so much so that she’s just one of the 11 players, ever, to have won an Olympic Gold medal, FIBA World Cup Gold medal, WNBA title and NCAA title in her career thus far (Griner and DT are also part of that list). Stewie’s been showing out for USA Basketball since high school—in 2011, she was the youngest member and only high school athlete to compete in the Pan American Games, where she started all four games and led the team in scoring (15.3 ppg), rebounds (11.3) and blocks (1.1). Poised and primed for greatness since the beginning, Stewart is coming off a WNBA career-high scoring average last season (23.0 ppg) and the momentum of helping lead the New York Liberty to the WNBA Finals for the first time since ’02. With her suiting up alongside the same players she faced in the Finals, the U.S. team has got to be a scary sight for opponents this summer.

The rest of the roster is stacked with scorers and playmakers. Napheesa Collier was part of that 2020 Olympic Gold medal-winning team, and since then has only leveled up her game. Phee is currently dominating on the Lynx and averaging a double-double (a second-career best 20.0 points and a career-high 10.2 rebounds). Then there’s Loyd, who led the League in scoring last season with a career-high 24.7 points and is an Olympic and three-time FIBA World Cup/3×3 Gold medalist. Another member of that 2022 FIBA World Cup squad is Thomas, a consistent and crazy efficient walking triple-double who will be making her Olympic debut. She’s also the first former Maryland Terrapin to play on the U.S. Women’s National Team since Vicky Bullett, who won Gold in ’88 and Bronze in ’92.

AT brings a decade of WNBA experience and veteran leadership, and she’ll fit right in with her USA Olympic teammates. Then there’s Kahleah Copper, who brings a dynamic scoring prowess and tough Philly mentality that makes her certified. After winning a ’chip with the Chicago Sky in 2021, she elevated her game, too. The three-time WNBA All-Star, who has been dropping 30-plus point games on any given night this season, will bring that same energy on the international stage in her first-ever Olympics, too.

Last, but certainly never least, is Sabrina Ionescu. It doesn’t matter whether she’s going up against opponents in the W or the greatest shooter of all time, Sab, with one furrow of her brow and space at the three-point line, is guaranteed to shoot the lights out of the gym, no matter what gym it is. Oh, and she’s also averaging a career-high this year, her fourth season with the New York Liberty. Experience is one thing, but game always speaks for itself.

And there you have it. If they win it all, the 2024 USA Women’s National Team will make history by bringing the eighth consecutive Gold medal, and lucky No. 10 overall, back to the States. Legends of the past instilled greatness, but this squad has what it takes to carry that legacy and more.

SLAM PRESENTS USA BASKETBALL IS AVAILABLE NOW

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Olympic Dominance: Previewing the 2024 USA Women’s National Team appeared first on SLAM.

But even amidst all of that success, the hometown standout couldn’t shake the perception that the fire that she exudes on the hardwood—the physicality, the celly’s after big-time plays, the hair flips—are intentionally petty acts by a “dirty player.” When the Tigers faced off against South Carolina during the 2017-18 season, fans booed her any time she got the rock. And then, in the second quarter, a scuffle ensued at the top of the key between the Gamecocks and the Tigers, causing a surge of backlash surrounding the Tigers, and Cunningham specifically. 

“For me, I don’t listen to all that noise,” she tells us over Zoom in June. “I got that stuff in college, too. We beat South Carolina multiple years in a row and all of a sudden I’m the dirty player and it’s like, Nah, I’m just out working. I’m working y’all’s ass, you know what I mean?

But I can’t really say that. I’ve been used to it but I just know that I have a very tight circle. I lean on them quite a bit…For me, I just want to be the best teammate, I wanna be the best competitor [and] I wanna do whatever it takes for my team to win and all that other noise can just be squashed.” 

That was six years ago, but throughout her career in the WNBA, Cunningham has still had to deal with the noise that this is who she is, even off the court. There’s been many, many instances of that happening throughout her career, the most famous of which being what went down between her and then-Sky star Kahleah Copper during Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals. Everyone was talking (and tweeting) about the controversial moment. 

But back in 2022, Copper assured us moments like that are all part of what happens when competitive athletes go at it. Some even assumed they had beef, which Kah squashed. “They expect us to be all good and happy and shit, like, that’s not how it goes,” she told us for the cover of SLAM 236. “We are the best at what we do. We are super competitive.” 

When we asked Cunningham recently about how she’s dealt with these narratives about her, she echoed that same sentiment. “Thank you for asking that question because I think that people see me and it’s so funny that any time I get a new teammate that maybe, like, they’re competitive, we kind of go at it. They’re like, Oh, you’re actually like, really nice and fun to be around. I’m like, duh. Why can’t I be competitive on the court and why can’t we all hang out after? I want to change that narrative for females that it’s OK to compete, it’s OK to play physical. It’s ok to go out there, work hard and sweat and then still be a nice human and a different person off the court, too. Like, we’re not going against high school[ers] or anything like that. These are the best people in the world, so you gotta bring it right.

I think for me when Kah came in, I didn’t think two things of it. I was just so happy that we were getting another badass player on our team that’s gonna help us win a championship here soon. For me, I don’t listen to all that noise.” 

It’s what Cunningham brings to the team that’s allowed her to solidify her role on the Mercury, whether she’s been starting, or as is the case this season, mainly coming off the bench. It has earned her praise from legends like teammate Diana Taurasi, who once described Cunningham to the New York Times as someone who likes to “muck it up.” 

“Whenever Sophie plays, the level of the game goes up. And you know, she’s done that consistently every year she’s been on our team. And that’s why she’s so important to what we do,” DT said, per The Next in 2022. Years prior, she gave Cunningham advice about remaining true to herself, too. “You’ve been playing this game ever since you were a kid,” Cunningham once recalled Taurasi telling her. “You know how to play. I have seen you. You know how to play, so just go out there and have fun.”

During the 2022 season, Cunningham dropped a career-high 23 points against the Liberty as a starter in July, and then a few days later, followed it up with a 36-point performance against the Lynx, along with seven boards and five steals, a historic stat line that made her only the second player in WNBA history to do so. The other? Cynthia Cooper in ‘97. Whether she’s dropping buckets, knocking down shots, or dishing out dimes—like she did in her win against the Storm— her ability to adapt to whatever the team needs makes her a key component. 

And as the WNBA continues to grow, and new fans tune in to watch not just the Mercury, but across the League, there’s a sentiment that moments of competitiveness are personal, or that vets are targeting and/or jealous of the rookies. Cunningham kept it real about all of this, and in an exclusive interview, we chopped it up with the star about conversations surrounding Caitlin Clark, her own career thus far, and her interests off the court as an analyst for the Suns, showing out in the tunnel and more. 

WSLAM: Hey Sophie! How do you feel like the season is going so far? What was your mindset going into it?

Sophie Cunningham: You know, since I’ve been in Phoenix, I’ve been here going on my sixth year, it has been a roller coaster. I’m someone who’s gonna shoot it straight that, like, it has not been the most fun years. I didn’t know if I was gonna go to a different team a couple of those years just because it’s just like so much drama was just going on. And so, when we got this new ownership, we got a whole new front office, we got a whole new coaching staff who are absolutely just phenomenal people and they do things the right way and they’re all about making sure us women have the same things as our brothers on the Suns do.

I just love their approach to everything and when I saw, the roster that we got, I was like, All right, we’re gonna be legit this year. With that sometimes people’s egos get hit a little bit—I have been starting the past two or three years, but I knew that I’m gonna have four or five Olympians on our team. So I’m like, you know what, I’m here to win, I’m here to compete. I’m hopeful to be an Olympian one day, maybe the 3×3 team. So, why would I not want to surround myself with people who have been where I wanna go? So, for me, my role does look a little different. I’m coming off the bench this year, but when I tell you, it is just so much fun to be on this team.

It has been like the best experience and everyone’s just genuinely, really good people.

WSLAM: What’s the vibe and energy of the team?

SC: Oh my God, we have so much energy. We have a lot of personalities [and] everyone’s just goofy. I know that we play basketball, but when I say that we laugh 24/7, [it] probably sounds like too much sometimes because like, hey, I’ll need to like dial it in a little bit. It’s fun though because we do compete at such a high level, but right when the ball stops, we’re all just like goofing around having a good time.

WSLAM: From your perspective, how has your game evolved over the years and what have you learned? 

SC: I think there’s a lot of talk about our League right now, which I absolutely love…I think we have a lot of eyes and attention on our League, and I’m just happy to be a part of it during this time. I think the high school, college jump is massive, but the college to the pros is even 20 times more that. So, I think the first couple of years, you kind of have to find your feet. There’s some people who can go into the League and they have the green light right away and the balls in their hand 24/7. You see them kind of take off a lot sooner, whereas [for me], I was DT’s sub for the majority of my career. I finally worked my way into the starting lineup about two or three years ago, so [I] definitely was very persistent, was a lot of ups and downs. It was a mind game at some points. 

For me, I just had to make sure I stayed ready and honestly, I learned that from DT. She’s the ultimate pro, she’s the GOAT of our game. Just the way that she goes about her everyday activity to become better each day and sometimes that’s not doing anything and it’s a mental day. I think I’ve really truly have learned from the very best. And, for me, I’m seeing [in] my career that the more I stack the days the better I become.

WSLAM: You’re a player that people have talked about for a while in terms of being super physical. For new fans, there’s a misconception that that style of play is very specific and targeting one person. What’s your perspective on that?

SC: You kind of hit it on the head because to be honest, I think that there are a lot of new eyes, but with that, there’s a lot of people who are uneducated about our League.

You see a lot of people in the public eye on the men’s side kind of having Caitlin Clark’s back, too, which is kind of surprising just because they know how physical our game has always been. But when I tell you that the narrative that we’re all against Caitlin or the vets against the rookies that needs to be squashed because it’s not like that. I promise you, it’s not like that. I’ve had my jaw broken, I’ve broken a finger, I’ve broken my nose. Everyone has stories of how physical this League really is and I think that is the main jump that people don’t understand.

It’s like, her skill level will come, everything else will come; the rookies in general. But it’s the physicality that people really have to get used to. And so for me, I don’t think anyone’s being targeted. If anything, I think we need to give her a little bit of grace sometimes because she has a lot on her plate and a lot of eyes on her. But with that, I think this is gonna be really good for her. She’s gonna be great. I think the rookie class is gonna be phenomenal for our League once they get that physicality thing kind of worked out. It takes a little bit of time [but] they’re gonna be just fine. 

For me, I’ve always been a physical player. Coming into the League, I was actually a little bit surprised of how physical it was because I thought I was physical. But when I tell you, it doesn’t matter how big, how tall you are, everyone is strong and physical in this League and you better bring it otherwise it’s gonna look maybe bad.

WSLAM: Speaking of physicality, what has it been like teaming up with someone as competitive as Kah? Is this the first time that you guys have really been around each other?

SC: Yeah, it’s definitely like the first time that we’ve been around [each other]. We’ve always competed and I think that any time you put people who compete at that level and kind of have that dog and that, that kind of like shit about him a little bit that it’s gonna be kind of interesting to see how they actually team up.

But when I say it’s me, Kah, DT. You have [Natasha] Cloud. All four of us, we have a little bit of something to us and so to actually put all of us on the same team, it’s been so fun because now we just hype each other up. I feel bad for teams like they haven’t even seen the best of us yet. Kah’s been killing it. She has absolutely been killing it. She’s a dog and I’m just happy that she’s on my team to be honest.

WSLAM: You’re just as outspoken off the court, too. But you’ve also been showing out in the tunnel this year. Can you talk about your sense of style?

SC: You know what? To be honest, I do love fashion but I kind of want to keep it simple, too. The fashion fashion, it’s not my vibe. I think I just wouldn’t look good in it. I think the reason why we’re bringing the tunnel fits this year—it’s been a work in the process. I also think the more money you get, the more you’re able to do what you want, too—[but it] being Year 6 and just last year, they were getting better.

But this year I wanted them to be really good because – the amount of eyes. I’m telling you, the marketing, it is the best time to be in the W right now. And so why would you not kind of show out a little bit in those fashion fits?

WSLAM: We’re here for it! You’re also really into broadcasting as well. Can you talk more about how you got into that and what it’s like showcasing your personality and interests outside of the game?

SC: I have a lot of passions and a lot of loves outside of basketball. I think that’s how I’m able to enjoy basketball still because I have that balance. I don’t go overseas, I make it up in marketing money through endorsements. And then, I was just blessed with a great opportunity that the Suns needed a broadcaster. I’ve never really done it in my life. I’ve always been on the other side of the camera, but I’m like, I could talk to all for 10 hours. This can’t be that hard. And so, I actually ended up doing it two years ago and that was more just in-studio, pre, half and post game, interviewing some of the guys and I really loved it. It’s a lot harder than it looks, too. When I watch games now I’m listening to the broadcaster.

I’m trying to learn this year [and] I got to do in-studio and color commentating and I just fell in love with it. To watch these guys perform at the level they do [and] to see the game kind of break down and be simplified, but also so complicated at the same time. It was just fascinating to me.

I got to kind of become really close with our owner and our CFO and so I’ve gotten to actually learn the business side of sport, too. I’m turning into a nerd. I’ve never been a nerd…but I’ve really found it fascinating this past year.

I would love to get into broadcasting [when] I’m done. But then again, I would love to be an island girl somehow and get paid for that. I don’t even know what I want to do with my life [laughs]. So, we’ll see.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham Keeps it Real About Narratives, Competitiveness and Caitlin Clark appeared first on SLAM.

The game has always been a part of Strong’s life—she even suited up for the same club team as mom—but it wasn’t until she moved to the United States in fifth grade that she started taking her game to the next level given the level of competition.

“The talent level and skill level is a lot different here, so definitely it’s a little harder. I started getting results out of it, so I was like, OK, let me lock in,” she says. Off the court, Strong also had to deal with the transition that comes with moving from a different country, whether it was cultural adjustments—in Spain, she would watch a lot of American movies and was nervous about having to deal with bullies in school like what she saw in the films—or the language barrier. Strong, who speaks Spanish, initially struggled with reading comprehension in English.

She’s come a long way since then. A five-star recruit and the No. 1 ranked player in the ESPNW 100 for the class of 2024, Strong is an undeniable talent with an all-around game—at 6-2, she uses her strength and size to her advantage, whether it’s holding her own on the post, using her silky smooth handles to drive to the rim or relying on her acute court vision to dish out dimes to her teammates. The 2023-24 Gatorade North Carolina Girls Basketball Player of the Year averaged a double-double at Grace Christian School (NC) while also maintaining a 3.68 GPA.

Strong, who would watch highlights of Maya Moore—her favorite player—and Breanna Stewart, had always dreamt of going to UConn. And yet, when it came time to make her final decision, the final factor had nothing to do with location, she says, but rather, what she felt within. “It’s always been a dream school,” she says. “I just kind of felt it in my heart, and I talked to my family. I prayed about it.”

At UConn, Strong wants to elevate her game and get “accustomed to the college pace” and the level of physicality—from getting in shape to becoming more efficient and a consistent shooter. She’s set to join a Huskies squad that just lost standout Aaliyah Edwards to the 2024 WNBA Draft but will see the return of one of the most elite floor generals in college hoops, Paige Bueckers. The pairing already has fans in Storrs excited for the future. Strong is ready to bring that same energy.

“We’re just trying to win,” she says. “They haven’t won a championship in a while, so that’s the plan for the next four years. I’m just very excited to play with everybody and be coached by the coaching staff.”

Portraits by Luke Schlaifer.

The post From Spain to the States, No. 1 Ranked Senior Sarah Strong is Ready to Continue Her Journey at UCONN appeared first on SLAM.

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.

“I think that is a lot of where I found a love for the game,” Taylor tells us. “Just seeing them compete and get after it every night–as I got older, [it was] Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray. [I was] able to see women be really successful in their profession.”

For Taylor, the reality that she’s playing in the same League as those she’s always admired is surreal. The former 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year–who averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 assists after transferring to Ohio State for her fifth year–knows she has a lot to learn if she wants to elevate her game at the next level. “The first thing that comes to mind is just how crazy it is, and how crazy it will be to see people that you saw playing when you were little right in front of you. To either be playing next to them or against them, I mean, it’s just really exciting and cool, honestly.”

When asked if she’s ready to hold her own, Taylor doesn’t hesitate. “I am.”

Photos via Getty Images. Portrait by Evan Bernstein.

The post From New York to Indiana, Fever Rookie Celeste Taylor Talks Adjusting to the WNBA and Playing Against the Stars She’s Always Admired appeared first on SLAM.

Sarah. Joyce. Kate. Kiyomi. Jaloni.

VJ. Cooper. Isaiah. Dylan. Tre.

The post The 2024 SLAM HS All-Americans Have ARRIVED appeared first on SLAM.

Weatherspoon’s return to the W, this time as a coach, is historic: she was one of the original members of the New York Liberty when the W began play in ’97 and watched the League, and the game, grow and evolve throughout her storied career, which included five All-Star appearances and winning the first-ever Defensive Player of the Year award. To call her simply a basketball great wouldn’t do her career justice—Weatherspoon is a pioneer, an inspiration, a legend. 

“First of all, it’s full circle,” she says of now coaching in the W. “I had the opportunity to play in New York and, as a player, to start something in a professional [women’s basketball] league in America. But then to come back and coach in this League really means a lot to me because it’s still helping the League to grow. I’ve had an opportunity to do some incredible things in between to just have myself very well prepared for any situation or circumstances that might come up. You equip yourself along the way.” 

Those “things in between” that Weatherspoon is referring to are all the coaching jobs she’s had over the past decade—at nearly every level of the game—including as a head coach at her alma mater, Louisiana Tech, and then in the NBA, where she served as a player development coach before moving up to assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans. For her, the decision to join the Sky was simple: they knew she was the perfect person for the job. Period. “They believed in me. They fought for me. They trusted me to lead this organization. For me, that was enough.” 

Weatherspoon has been tasked with bringing the Sky back to glory. After winning its first-ever WNBA championship in 2021, the franchise has not made it past the semifinals in the past two seasons. While 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper is now in Phoenix, they have exciting new additions including Diamond DeShields and Chennedy Carter. But one thing their new head coach has made pretty clear is to not call this upcoming season a rebuilding year. That’s not the framework in which Weatherspoon operates. She has other plans. Big plans.

SLAM: As you get ready for the upcoming season, what do you think the transition will be like, going from coaching in the NBA to taking over as a head coach in the W? What’s your approach?

Teresa Weatherspoon: It’s [about] being aware of who you’re coaching [and] being aware of your personnel. I think when you’re playing the game period, they always tell you to know your personnel. That’s what it is for me. Yes, it is basketball. Yes, I recognize you’re male and you’re female. But at the end of the day, it’s all about knowing your personnel and what fits your personnel—what is best for your personnel for them to be the best versions of themselves.

SLAM: It’s been a few years since the Sky won a chip. What do you think it will take to bring the team back to that level? 

TW: Well, first of all, they did a heck of a job pushing to get into the playoffs, right? That says a lot about who they are, the fight that’s in them, the determination that’s in them. They have goals and they want it…It’s just a matter of me now coming in and putting my stamp on things of how I see things with them and then sustaining the success. We don’t want to be successful for [just] a year, we want to sustain the success, and that’s going to be our attitude. That’s going to be our approach…They have the ability, they have the talent, they have all of that. And it’s a matter of putting together pieces to the puzzle and making it work.

SLAM: When you first got the head coaching gig, did you connect with the players right away?  

TW: As a matter of fact, I sent them a message this morning just to say, Hey, wishing you a great day, because I want them to know that [they’re being] thought of. I’m not just a coach that’s just going to coach you and then forget about you, no. I want to know how you’re doing. I want to know how your family’s doing. I’m different. I approach things differently because I was once a player and I knew what was important to me as a player. So, I want to bring that same thing to them because I want to be a coach that’s open, honest and transparent. 

SLAM: Would you describe yourself as a people person? 

TW: I’ve always wanted to be. Not to be known, but to show that I care. And in that care, especially being a head coach, I’m going to push buttons that you never thought could be pushed. I’m going to push them because as a coach, if I ruffle your feathers, I’m doing my job.  

SLAM: Having coached at every level and now at the highest level—the NBA and, soon, the WNBA—what advice would you give to aspiring coaches who want to get to where you are?

TW: This is crazy [because] I just gave this message in a speaking engagement that I had and I talked about the table. When you talk about the table, it’s your table…It’s a self-constructed table, and every experience that you have is at your table…I want people to break bread with me at my table because I’ve had to experience a lot of things to equip me to get to where I am right now. And it’s my duty—whether it’s hard, whether it’s tough, whether it’s painful—it’s my duty to go through it to make sure that every seat at my table is available for everyone to find solutions. Because at the end of the day, that’s going to be the most important thing: What is your life doing to impact another life? 

SLAM: When did you come to that realization—that you are the player, and it’s your duty to be of service to others?

TW: As you’re growing, you know you have to bring something to the table—you know that you gotta bring something so someone can trust you and know that you’re of value. Especially when you’re playing the game, people have to know, What’s your best skill? What do you bring to this team? And why would you help this team be successful?…That question [has] happened to me all my life, so it has built my table…Now, this table has to help someone else…There’s no way that I should go through something, and at the table there’s no solution for what I went through. It’s just sitting there. It doesn’t sit, you gotta keep moving to find the solution…And that’s all I’ve ever wanted. If there’s something that you don’t like or you don’t see that’s coming from me and it’s what you want, tell me. I’m gonna find the solution. I’m gonna fight my butt off to find the solution, because I always want to be able to help the next person.

SLAM: You had such a storied playing career. As you enter this new chapter, how would you define your legacy up to this point? 

TW: I believe that is still being written. I believe as long as you continue to strive, to thrive, that it’s going to continue to be written, because there’s a lot more, I believe, to come from me. There’s a lot more that God has for me. So, I have to continue to move in that way, knowing that things aren’t over. There are many more things to come. 

Photos via Getty Images.

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The distinguished honor, which was announced on Thursday, was presented to her by two-time WNBA All-Star and Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally, who surprised her in Camden HS’s gym alongside her parents, teammates and her coach, Natalie Funderburk, who won Gatorade South Carolina Girls Basketball Player of the Year in ’92.

“I’m just honored and grateful just to be in a position,” Edwards told WSLAM’s Madison Firle. “I mean, even to be considered for this title is an achievement in itself. But for Gatorade to consider me the best girls basketball player in my class is it’s just crazy. I have no words for it. I’m just happy that other people see the work that I’ve put into the game.”

Edwards is a standout forward who can knock down shots and put up big time numbers. As she gets ready for the next level, stars like Sabally already can tell her future is bright:

“She’s gonna make an impact on women’s basketball, inspiring the next generation and really, you know, giving young women [something to look up to],” Sabally says, later adding: “We always look at stats, but South Carolina obviously has a winning culture. And, you know, adding an asset like [Joyce] will drive that winning culture forward. I mean, Dawn Staley doesn’t recruit lightly. And she will definitely select players that are worth of the legacy that they’re building. So I’m just super excited about that.”

All images can be credited to: Gatorade Player of the Year / Joe Greer

The post Joyce Edwards Named 2023-24 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player appeared first on SLAM.

But for Edwards, this is just the beginning. 

“When I go to South Carolina, my main goal is to just get on the floor, be a defensive player—because you can’t get on the floor without defense—and then sculpting my offense to be what the team needs,” she says. “I’m not coming in looking to be, like, the star player and none of that. I’m just trying to come in and do what the team needs and fit into my role.” 

She’s set to join a program that’s synonymous with winning. By the time we go to press, South Carolina has just posted back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, won its second SEC Tournament championship in a row, and is gearing up for March Madness as the No. 1 seed. It’s that prestige—as well as the legacy of Dawn Staley, now in her 16th season since taking over the program in ’08—that led Edwards to commit to the Gamecocks in the first place. After narrowing down her top three schools to SC, LSU and Clemson, Edwards was contemplating signing later in the signing period, and it was Dawn who she felt truly respected her decision.

“The way Dawn responded was completely different from everybody else. She was like, OK, why do you feel this way? I feel like it was really just the coaching. What Dawn said just hit me a little bit different than every other coach.” 

Over the years, Dawn has molded future WNBA legends, from the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston to A’ja Wilson, a two-time WNBA champion and the 2023 Finals MVP, whom Edwards had a chance to meet when South Carolina beat Maryland this past November. Wilson even gave her some advice.

“[She] was talking about how when she came into South Carolina, and they had her starting,” Edwards recalls of their conversation, “and she came out the next game and did whatever she had to do. I feel like her transition from being more of a role player at SC to her having to be that more dominant player in the paint and take them to the national championship. Just the whole process and her mentality throughout and the progression she had through that, that’s one of the biggest things that I took away from it.” 

Edwards sees similarities in their games, too, and says her dad often compares her to Wilson. “Obviously, she’s left-handed, but she has the middy in the bag. She can drive, she can face up, she posts up. All those things that she does—obviously, I’m not doing it [at] as high a level as her—but I’m doing a lot of similar things at my age.” 

As she wraps up her senior year at Camden—Edwards also plays soccer, which she says has helped with her conditioning and footwork on the court—she’s already looking forward to the opportunities that await just 40 minutes away in Columbia. 

“I feel like for some players, it could definitely be intimidating,” she says. “But then I just remember that I play my best when I’m going against and playing with great players in practice and stuff like that. I feel like at South Carolina, with the competition I’ll be playing against in practice, like, these are WNBA legends. These people are about to go to the League and do great things. Going up against them in practice will just make me better, and hopefully when I show up in a game, I think I’ll be really prepared.”  

Deyscha Smith is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow her on Instagram and X, @deyschasmith.

Portraits by Kai McNeil. Follow him on Instagram, @thekaimac.

The post No. 2 Ranked Senior Joyce Edwards Talks All-Around Game, Dawn Staley and Her Future at South Carolina appeared first on SLAM.

“It didn’t take but a second, maybe a minute,” Jensen told the Associated Press. “That little step-back sassy three, this little seventh-, eighth-grader. Yeah, she’s diff. You could just tell. They’re easy to identify but really hard to get. Everybody can see the true, true ones. The trick is to get them.”

Jensen played a major part over the years in recruiting Clark, who was intrigued by Iowa’s playing style and what head coach Lisa Bluder had done with the program and the point guard position, specifically. At Iowa, she could play freely. Fast. And, with senior Kathleen Doyle leaving for the WNBA Draft, she would be next in line to not only orchestrate the offense, but make an impact.

Years later, Jensen admitted that they talked to Clark about what she could do at the collegiate level. How she could take them to the Final Four and beyond. It matched perfectly with Clark’s own vision for herself: “I have goals for a Final Four,” she told Sports Illustrated back in 2020. “I have big hopes and dreams, which I think any person should if you’re playing basketball with them. Who wouldn’t want to win and be the best?”

It’s one thing to dream; it’s another to do it, and then a lot more. Could Clark, or anyone who knew her during those early days, have ever imagined that she’d become the greatest college basketball player Iowa has ever seen? Or, arguably, the greatest in the college game today, man or woman? What about the way she’s transcended the sport—not just women’s basketball, but the game entirely. The NCAA all-time scoring record. The logo shots. The Nike commercials. Selling out arenas like a rock star, having rappers like Travis Scott and WNBA legends like Maya Moore pull up to watch her play, the constant crowds of people wanting her autograph after games. What did Beyoncé say again? You know you’re that [girl] when you cause all this conversation. What was it Drake said, too? You know it’s real when you are who you think you are.

SLAM 249 featuring Caitlin Clark is available now. Shop.

Caitlin Clark is bigger than basketball, bigger than any box score, viral clip or logo shot. She’s more than the list of awards she’s won so far during her four-year career at Iowa, too. An exceptional person, woman, human, at the forefront of a very specific moment in history we’re all living in right now. A basketball Renaissance, a new era for women’s basketball. She’s not just doing it alone—there are so many stars who are changing the college basketball landscape right now, and Clark has an entire squad dominating alongside her, too.

To fully appreciate what’s happening in women’s hoops right now, we first have to acknowledge the past and the many, many women who helped paved the way before them: the legends who held the records Clark has now broken—no, not just Pistol Pete, but Lynette Woodard and Kelsey Plum. Then there’s the program Lisa Bluder has built at Iowa over the past two decades, before Clark even arrived. And what about all the Iowan women who competed in 6-on-6 basketball, including Jensen and her grandmother, long before women were even allowed to play fives.

And to even fathom what that young girl, now a woman, from West Des Moines has done, you have to go back. Here is where our story really begins…

***

If you’re new to women’s hoops, this history lesson is for you. While basketball was technically invented by a man we all know of in Springfield, MA, just down I-91 N, it was a woman by the name of Senda Berenson Abbott who first introduced the game to women at Smith College in 1892. This was 80 years before Title IX was passed, but girlie was on to something. Ditching Dr. James Naismith’s peach baskets for wastebaskets, the Smithies dropped buckets (literally) in a version of the game that divided the court into three sections. While ideologies about women—their delicacy, physical activity impacting their ability to reproduce—definitely existed back then (to keep it real, even Berenson once said that “desire to win…will make our women do sadly unwomanly things”), that was truly the catalyst.

The game only grew from there, from the east to the west, eventually reaching rural Iowa in the 1900s. There, women were already used to working on farms alongside their brothers and fathers, bailing hay and sweating, so the idea of them playing basketball wasn’t too scandalous. Rural high schools were really the first in the nation to allow girls to play 6-on-6, a version of the game that split the court in half, involved three forwards and three guards and had rules like players only being allowed to dribble twice.

It’s no coincidence that one of the most electric women’s college basketball players of today was born in the Hawkeye State. The throughlines in Clark’s story really start here.

By 1920, the first state tournament was held in her hometown of Des Moines at Drake University. The following year, Audubon beat Ottumwa in the championship thanks to an 18-point performance by the MVP, Dorcas Anderson, who just so happens to be the grandmother of Clark’s associate head coach, Jan Jensen.

More than half a century later, Jensen, too, would star on that very same court her grandmother did. By 1990, Jensen was averaging 29.6 ppgs as a senior at Drake, where she was coached by none other than newly-hired Bluder, who also played 6-on-6 basketball in high school at Linn-Mar in Marion, IA. After 10 seasons at Drake, Bluder took over at Iowa and eventually hired Jensen, first as an assistant.

“She was just tremendous. She was really just a player’s coach and intense but knew how to make it fun. Obviously, it benefited me,” Jensen told The Athletic.

Bluder’s coaching résumé at Iowa speaks for itself: with an 850-391 overall record, she’s the program’s all-time winningest coach and currently ranks 14th in NCAA DI women’s basketball history. She’s led the Hawkeyes to 21 postseason appearances, including their first-ever national championship appearance just last season. Over the years, she’s coached three Big Ten Player of the Year standouts, including Clark, who’s won it in back-to-back years, as well as Megan Gustafson and Kathleen Doyle. Her success is as much a testament to her brilliant basketball mind as it is her ability to connect with her players; as Clark told The Athletic, Bluder can strike a balance between “serious” and “fiery,” but also “fun” and “goofy.”

The program Bluder has built is now a powerhouse. This year’s squad can run opponents into the ground, shoot the ball in your face, and then stuff you on the defensive end. Not only is the team equipped with Clark but a whole roster of certified bucket getters. Look no further than Kate Martin, a 6-0 graduate student and guard who joined the program ahead of the 2019-20 season, is currently averaging double digits, including a career-high 12.9 points as well as 6.5 boards. Having grown up in a family of Hawkeye fans—Jensen is her aunt—Martin has known that she wanted to suit up in the black and gold since she was 5. Flash forward to today, and she’s emerged as a versatile standout who can do it all: block shots, finish at the rim and knock down threes from beyond the arc. But her impact on the program, and this Hawkeyes team, can’t be measured in just individual stats or accolades. Often referred to as “The Glue,” in the media, she is undoubtedly Iowa’s heartbeat and their tenacious leader.

Then there’s Gabbie Marshall, another sharpshooter with a crazy step-back game who is also Iowa’s defensive ace. Marshall is the first Iowa women’s basketball player to record 200 threes and 200 steals in a career and has been key in matchups against teams like Nebraska this season. Who could forget those final 31 seconds of the Big Ten Championship thriller when she displayed pure grit and blocked an attempted three by Nebraska’s Logan Nissley in overtime. “[Marshall is] one of the best shooters, but I don’t think she gets enough credit for her defense,” Clark said of Marshall, in The Daily Iowan. “She takes the challenge of guarding the best player every single game.”

Sophomore Hannah Stuelke was also key in Iowa’s Big 10 championship win, combining with Clark for 59 points to help bring the Hawkeyes their sixth conference title. The matchup, which averaged over 3 million viewers on CBS, is now the most-watched women’s basketball game on the network since UConn-Tennessee in ’99. Stuelke’s been putting up big numbers all season long, including 47 points against Penn State in February, which is the second-most points ever scored in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. And what’s even tougher is that she did it without attempting a single three. Scary.

All of the hype and media attention we’re seeing around the program now is just part of the cultural fabric of Iowa’s renowned hoops history. Not just the program, but the entire state, which has been supporting women’s basketball since before anyone on Bluder’s current roster was even born. Girls’ basketball drew sold-out crowds of 15,000 people. People bought their tickets way in advance. Sound familiar? We’re not talking about just today, but back in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. When the Hawkeyes defeated South Carolina in the Final Four last year, Bluder was just as surprised to hear that Iowa legend Molly Bolin, who also played 6-on-6 and dropped 83 points as a senior at Moravia High School in the ’70s, was in attendance.

Now, imagine if Clark, or Martin, or Marshall or any star college basketball player today was playing back then. The last year 6-on-6 basketball was played was ’93, but stories about that time have been passed down through generations. Even Clark knows what type of time these women were on. “I used to joke with her and be like, Man, Caitlin, you would have been so good at 6-on-6, or, you could have just played offense,” her high school coach Kristin Meyer tells us. “[She] would have averaged over a hundred points a game, but she would have hated it because she would have had to wait on her half and she can’t go get the ball.”

Now picture this: what if those very same Iowan legends—like Denise Long (the first woman drafted by an NBA team, the San Francisco Warriors) and Deb Coates, to name a few—had what Caitlin now benefits from: social media, NIL deals, a magazine cover like this one. Clark isn’t just rewriting women’s basketball history; she’s authoring the next chapter. And she knows her history, too. “When I hear from a lot of people that played basketball, whether it was 6-on-6 however many years ago, I think they’re blown away at where women’s basketball is now and the platform we get to play on,” Clark said in USA Today. “That doesn’t come if it’s not for the people who came before us.”

For those who study and teach women’s sports history, including Jennifer Sterling, a lecturer in the American Studies department at the University of Iowa, Clark’s place in history is monumental. “It’s important history taking place right now,” Sterling says. “What she’s done on the court and off the court, what the team has done, and the coaching and how athletics has supported this moment, I think is all really exceptional.”

And so, our story continues…

***

The “Caitlin Clark Effect” didn’t just happen when she arrived at Iowa. It’s always been something innately within her. Before she’d ever even picked up a basketball, Clark’s parents would hear from her daycare that their 2-year-old had “exceptional motor skills and coordination,” as they told HawkCentral. She was always competitive by nature, too, whether she was playing Candyland on their living room floor or hooping against her brothers. At the age of 5, her grandfather, Bob Nizzi, recalled in HawkFanatic a time when she stood up to a bullyish boy on the court and “put on the best downfield block that I have ever seen and rolled this kid out of bounds and stood over him.”

Always a gifted athlete, her father, Brent, soon noticed Clark could hit shots from 15 feet on a six-foot hoop, and when he was unable to find a girls youth basketball program for her, he put her in a boys league in second grade. They ended up winning the tournament, and as the story goes, someone’s mom was so pressed that Brent remembers them saying that “a girl shouldn’t be allowed to play in a boys tournament.”

But Clark’s always been unafraid and unapologetically herself. She’s always pushed boundaries, too. Today, we’ve seen her hit the MJ shoulder shrug after a deep three and wave off opponents like a G, things she’s been both celebrated and criticized for. “Everybody wants to critique her, everybody wants her to be nicer. They want her to be more ladylike. They want her to be less arrogant. They want her to pass. That kid loves it. She’s an entertainer. She is passionate,” Jensen told the Hawk Central in 2023.

She remembers Clark like that in high school, too. Energetic, even in the classroom. So much so that, as a junior, Meyer remembers one of Clark’s history teachers telling her that on exam days, Clark would finish her tests so quickly that they started having to send her to Meyer’s office, just to keep her preoccupied. “She always took school very seriously, but she needs to be entertained,” Meyer says.

The same goes for on the court. When they’d have conversations about her shot selection, there would be times when Meyer would say to her, Caitlin, we’re not going to do that. But did she listen? “I never really gave her the green light,” Meyer says. “She just always took it to be honest.” As a junior at Dowling, Clark averaged 32.6 ppg and dropped 60 points against Mason City HS, one off the state record. Now she’s doing the same at the collegiate level; as we head to press—and she heads to the NCAA Tournament, Caitlin’s currently averaging a career-high 31.9 ppg, has had multiple 40-plus point performances and is still setting records.

“Her game [now] is very similar to what it was when she was a freshman in high school,” Meyer says. “Her attacking the basket, her court vision and her ability [to make] just incredibly difficult passes look easy. Her range—she didn’t shoot from half court or from the logo necessarily in high school—but she was testing the boundaries a little bit as far as definitely shooting behind the high school three-point line.”

And that is exactly what makes her exceptional: natural talent and work ethic aside, Clark has always been just wired different. “Caitlin, she’s just fearless and she is confident and she is bold and she is brave and courageous,” Meyer says. “It took those natural skills, with the work ethic [she’s built], and to have the courage to just play big.”

***

As for the rest of Caitlin Clark’s story, that is still being written. By the time you’re reading this, Iowa is a No. 1 seed going into the NCAA Tournament. We don’t know yet how this college chapter will end and if she’ll end up winning her first, and the program’s first, NCAA title. Or, how the next one, her arrival to the WNBA, will begin. Will she be able hold her own in the WNBA as the Indiana Fever’s projected No. 1 pick? Regardless of what happens, her impact won’t be tainted in the slightest. Longtime college basketball fans, new fans, young fans, are all enamored by her. At Dowling, Meyer’s current players hear stories about her 60-point game, her competitiveness and her approach to practice and commitment to making her teammates better.

“Whenever she’s stopped by [the school], the girls are just nervous around her. They almost feel like she’s famous, which to me is so weird because she’s just Caitlin,” Meyer says.

Some call Clark the “female Stephen Curry,” while others haven’t stopped comparing her to Pete Maravich since she broke his all-time NCAA scoring record this year. But Clark made it clear to the media after she broke the record that she doesn’t want to be remembered for just her accolades, but rather, “for the way I played with a smile on my face, my competitive fire.”

And that is her legacy. That is what we’ll be talking about in the years to come—Caitlin’s passion, her talent, what she’s done for women’s basketball. When we asked Sterling about Clark’s impact—and whether we can expect a chapter about her in seminar syllabuses one day (the answer is yes)—our theory was proven correct: the legend of Caitlin Clark is just beginning. It’s all part of a larger history.

“Hopefully this is the beginning of more amazing things to come,” Sterling says. “And the culmination of the many changes in women’s sport that have happened along the way.”

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson.

The post The Legend of Caitlin Clark: How the Superstar is Writing the Next Chapter in Iowa Women’s Basketball History appeared first on SLAM.

It’s crazy to think there was almost a moment when five-star recruit Aaliyah Chavez didn’t play basketball. Growing up in Texas, Chavez admits that when she was younger, she’d mostly sit at home and watch television on the couch, or she would see other kids playing basketball in the park. That’s when she got an idea. “I was like, Oh, that looks fun to play.” 

The way her dad and trainer, Sonny, remembers it, the Monterey High School star wasn’t exactly the athletic type when she was little. “She couldn’t ride a bike, couldn’t ride a skateboard, you know, all the things that I grew up [doing] as a kid,” he says over the phone. Despite initially telling her no, young Aaliyah didn’t give up. “She just was pretty adamant about playing,” he adds. 

Sonny, who played football, decided he’d see just how badly Aaliyah, who was in third grade at the time, really wanted it. So, he started putting her through workouts that had nothing to do with basketball but tested her mental toughness. They’d work on plyometrics with boxes he had built. He’d have her jump and try to touch the door frame or work on ballhandling in the driveway with tennis balls. “[I was] just trying to push her to quit and to realize that sports was not for her. [But] she did everything I asked, so I ended up signing her up.” 

A few days before tryouts, Sonny taught her how to block a shot, but that was really the extent of her basketball training before she played her first game. Back then, Aaliyah couldn’t score a layup, but her grit was on full display. She’d go out there and snatch the ball from the other little girls, and block shots, too, just like her dad had taught her. In fourth grade, she tried out for a local AAU squad with older players but was told during practice that she wasn’t good enough. That was a defining moment for her. “I think that was really [when I was] like, Oh, I’m gonna prove you wrong.”

That’s not the only hate Aaliyah has had to deal with throughout her journey. From doubters to jealous parents complaining about her minutes to people telling her father that “she’s not gonna
be that good because she’s Hispanic,” and that he was pushing her too hard. It’s safe to say that Chavez has proved everyone wrong. Today, she’s the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 and has narrowed down her college list to 10 top Division I programs: Texas Tech, Arizona, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, USC, Tennessee, Texas and UCLA.

And both she and her family have done it all on their own terms: rather than go to an elite prep school halfway across the country, she’s chosen to stay at home and play for Monterey. 

When we caught up with Chavez for her SLAM HS Basketball Diary (read here), she had just scored her 3,000th point and claimed she would’ve dropped 50 had her coach not sat her out.

That’s the type of confidence Chavez carries herself with every time she steps on the floor: “I’d describe my game as an all-around player,” she tells us. “I can shoot, I can get to the bucket, I can defend, I’m a playmaker at the same time. If you’re open, I’m gonna find you, and some of the passes I’ve been making are crazy. I think I just make crazy passes because I’m not afraid to try them.” 

Portraits by Zach Tijerina.

The post No. 1 Ranked ’25 Monterey Star Aaliyah Chavez is Taking Over Women’s Hoops On Her Own Terms appeared first on SLAM.

At this exact moment in time, there are “a million things” running through his head. He can’t really focus, so instead, he dials in on the game ahead. Having just come off an injury that cost him 10 games, he goes out and drops 26 in a 1-point loss. When his on-court obligations are done and he has a moment to himself, he thinks back to what he heard hours prior. He’s an All-Star. 

“I had to kind of take a step back after the game and really breathe and sit in the moment and really appreciate how far I’ve come. [It was] definitely a special moment for me and my family,” he tells SLAM over the phone.

SLAM Presents All-Star Vol 4: Tyrese Haliburton is available now!

For an Oshkosh, WI, kid who was a three-star recruit in high school to become an NBA All-Star seems otherworldly. But this is Tyrese Haliburton we’re talking about. His game has always been deemed unconventional. His Midwest charm has him come off as more of a homie than a celebrity—not just to fans, but to the media, too. When you combine exceptional talent with an unmatched work ethic and an ever-present smile, it’s no surprise that good things come his way. Really, really good things, even when, at times, things have seemed out of his control, like the midseason trade that sent him to Indiana in the first place, or even injuries. Today, he’s a walking double-double machine, one of the most fun players to watch in the L and beloved in the Hoosier State and beyond. 

I think the city of Indianapolis has been yearning for a guy that they can relate to and help lead the organization.

– Tyrese Haliburton

For Haliburton, Indiana isn’t just where he plays—it’s home. He’s embracing the city and the people and often takes old teammates or friends who are in town to his go-to spot, Savor, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in Carmel. “I think people see me as, like, one of them,” he says. “I think that people can see that I can relate to the way that they grew up and the weather they grew up in and all that stuff. And then I think, like, [people say] ‘Midwest nice’ is a real thing and who I am as a person.”

And just as he’s shown Indy love, the city has shown him love right back. When we talked to Caitlin Cooper, an Indiana native and one of the brightest basketball minds in the game, who also runs a blog called “Basketball, She Wrote,” she admitted that Hoosiers haven’t always been the most excited to cheer on their hometown team…until now. 

“I can only speak to my experience, but basketball means a lot to Indiana,” she told us last summer. “But I wouldn’t say that NBA basketball has always meant a lot to Indiana. When I was growing up—I grew up watching the NBA because that’s what my dad watched—you would always say that’s where the best basketball players in the world play. That’s where I want to learn from. So that’s what we watched. [But] I didn’t know any other Pacer fans. And now I can tell you that you’re starting to sense a shift—I’ve talked to people who would have never talked to me about the Pacers before, and they’re like, I gotta get on the ground floor [of] this. They’re building something special and that Tyrese Haliburton is a really entertaining guy to watch.”

Haliburton feels it, too.

“I think the city of Indianapolis has been yearning for a guy that they can relate to and help lead the organization,” he says. “So I think that’s just been a really natural fit for me, [it’s] why I fit so well.”

Haliburton is playing even better than he was last season; he’s currently averaging 21.8 points and 11.7 assists per game, both career highs. His goal, as he emphasized in the cover story of SLAM 245, has always been to win, especially now. Accolades aside, he’s playing for something bigger than himself: “I think that for me, individually, I’ve accomplished what most people want to in their careers. I’ve gotten a big contract. I’ve been an All Star. I’ve done a lot for myself individually—more than I ever thought was possible. And so, now it’s about team success and wanting to win.”

And yet, the awards keep piling on. At press time, his name is sitting at the top of the All-Star voting returns for guards in the East, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect as Indianapolis hosts the All-Star Game for the first time since 1985. The city is hyped, and so is its franchise star, who will be suiting up in the game yet again.  

“I think you always hear people say, It’s not just basketball in Indiana. Like, it’s really a lifestyle, you know?” Haliburton says. “I think that’s what people are excited about: you see the court in the airport, how cool that is? That’s just a microcosm of how excited the city is. The cool part is that I think people who aren’t from Indy or [have] never been to Indy don’t understand how capable Indiana is of running large events. 

“Indiana has hosted Super Bowls, Final Fours. It’s more than capable. So, that’s the exciting part, too. I’m excited to see the city have success and people get out a little bit more in the city than they’re used to.” He also adds: “I’m really excited for the younger generation here, I think that’ll be cool for them to see.” 

When we put Tyrese on the cover of SLAM 245, the cover read “No Ceilings,” and now, looking back, it seems almost like a prophecy. Here he is, a star player reaching new heights yet again, putting on for a city that’s about to host the biggest weekend in basketball. We can only imagine how much he’ll be smiling come All-Star Sunday, when he hears his name called yet again. 

COP YOUR ALL-STAR VOL. 4 COVER TEES

Photos via Getty Images. Portrait by Marcus Stevens.

The post Tyrese Haliburton Reflects on NBA All-Star and What the Game Truly Means to Indy appeared first on SLAM.

Rooks starts off hot. But then she forgets to pace herself. The final result? She comes in second to last in the race.

I’m never doing this again, she says to herself as she goes up to her parents, who are anticipating an emotional Rooks to be very upset after the loss. Failing at the 400 isn’t what necessarily led her to pursue a career in sports media, but the lessons she did learn growing up and running track, as well as volleyball, soccer and tennis, did help guide her in that direction.

“I knew I was not going to be like Serena,” she says on hoop(ish), a new show by SLAM and LeagueFits. “I was like, I either want to be the greatest to ever play or I’m not gonna do this. And I knew I wasn’t going to be the best.”

Today, Rooks is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant interviewers and media personalities. Not only does she know the game but she really knows the athletes, too, so much so that she’s gotten players like DeMar DeRozan to open up like never before. Her ability to resonate with her subjects also stems from her upbringing and being raised in a sports family: her dad was a running back at the University of Illinois, her late-uncle, Lou Brock, was a Hall of Famer with the Cardinals and her other uncle, Marv Woodson played for the Steelers and the Saints. She was also raised by “one of the biggest sports fans you will ever meet,” she says of her mother, who got her into playing fantasy football and watching the games alongside her dad.

It’s their influence, as well as her own experiences, that have shaped the way she holds her own in the industry.

“I think that knowing so personally how difficult it is to be an athlete, kind of makes me not be like the kind of person that thinks I know more about playing the sport than them,” she tells hosts Ian and Sway, later adding: “My style is: I know what I’m talking about. I watch the game, I know the personnel, I know the players. I understand the things that make them tick, what they are interested in. And that is how I try to approach the way I discuss sports.”

And that’s what’s set her apart. In an age where everyone can have an opinion—and post about it all over social media—Rooks’ conversational nature and humanistic approach gives her subjects the space to open up, and be heard. She’s always been fascinated by people and the way they interact, and almost ended up minoring in sociology while studying at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“I’m very much so a people person,” she tells us. “I like to get to know others. I like to learn about them. I like having conversations. And I don’t know if people are always trying to genuinely get to know other people, but I enjoy that aspect of life. I think that bleeds into the work, too.”

When she was little, Rooks loved to watch the news and was fascinated by how newscasters sounded and the cadence of their voices. She’d sit with her mother and watch news anchors like Monica Kaufman Pearson in awe, “enamored by how it was her job to tell everybody what happened.” Then there was pioneers like Oprah, who inspired her by not only how she captivated audiences, but “had a voice that held weight” amongst culture and society.

Young Taylor would set up her camcorder and interview herself, just like the women she saw on television. She’d pretend to be someone different every time, whether it be a singer, actor, or a tennis player and go back and forth asking “ridiculous questions.” When asked what her younger self would think of her now, seeing that she’s interviewing not only the biggest names in sports, but music legends like Lil Wayne and more, Rooks keeps it real:

“I say this very genuinely: I think that little Taylor would not be surprised. I have had an idea of what I want in my life to be for a really long time, and I have always tried to take the steps for my life to look like that. There was never a time that I thought I wouldn’t be able to accomplish all of the things that I set out to. So a lot of the time when I’m doing things, I’m saying this is what was supposed to happen because this is what I worked for.”

As her career continues to reach new heights, Rooks has also emerged into her own bonafide star in her own right. While others stick to the script, Rooks challenges the traditional notion that journalist are supposed to be just “flies on the wall” by being front and center: she can interview your favorite player or rapper, appear in commercials and cover the biggest events, including this year’s highly anticipated NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. She’s built an audience that cares just as much about breaking news as they do her on-air fits, hair care routine and what books she’s reading.

In an ever-changing industry, Rooks is showing aspiring creatives and Black women in sports that they, too, can create their own lane. All the while, she’s still solidifying herself as the best in the game.

“That’s really what I want to be known as,” she says. “I want to be the person that if you wanted to sit and have a real conversation about the game, about yourself, about your why, about your what [then] you say, okay, I want to sit down with Taylor. That is the kind of environment that I try to foster when I’m doing the interviews, and not just because I think that it is very true to myself, I also think it is more interesting.

I always say, of course I care about, like, why you missed the last shot or why you’re not making your free throws, or why you didn’t win the big game. But I’m really interested in what it was like feeling those feelings alone and at home and how you bounce back from those. And like that to me is is more interesting because anyone can sit and talk about the X’s and O’s, um, and what the coach did wrong and the bad defense on the play. But I don’t know if everyone can get the other person to discuss those things…I think that is a very specific specialty that isn’t always relevant or paramount in the space. I feel like it fills a need.”

Get to know Taylor in the first episode of hoop(ish). Stream here.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post How Taylor Rooks Perfected the Art of Interviewing and Created Her Own Lane in Sports appeared first on SLAM.

“We love you Jujuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!” 

Now all eyes really are on Watkins. She smiles and humbly laughs it off—later she admits that it could’ve been a teammate or something. “I don’t know what that was,” Watkins says, while sitting on the team’s practice court. “That might have been my teammate honestly just trolling me. Sometimes I get recognized, but not too often.”

Juju Watkins covers SLAM 248. Shop now.

Yeah, OK. While she might be humble about all the attention, there’s a reason everyone calls her “The Juju Show.” Watkins was so big time in high school, Chris Brown and 2 Chainz would pull up to her games at Sierra Canyon to watch her play. The No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023 has had legends like LeBron James, whose son Bronny is currently a freshman on the USC men’s team, and USC all-time great Cheryl Miller, as well as fellow California natives James Harden and Paul George, give her nothing but high praise. Step onto the USC campus, and you’ll see her No. 12 jersey in the school bookstore.

“I’ve always dreamt of playing for a college that I love and being able to have so much pride in where I go to college,” she tells us. “To finally be here and have made that decision and be confident [in it] is a dream come true.”

Right outside, there’s a newsstand with copies of the Daily Trojan, and the very first thing we notice is that the main photo in the sports section is Watkins dribbling down the court with the caption, “USC will need a big game from her to pull off the upset against the Bruins.”

She did that and more. A few days after her SLAM cover shoot, Juju dropped a double-double in a win against UCLA in front of a record-breaking 10,657 fans. Her 32 points and 10 boards earned her Associated Press National Player of the Week and the Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week. May we remind you: she’s only 18 years old, and yes, she’s already a bucket-getting-dime-dropping-silky-smooth guard with a game so fluid and pro-ready, it’s mesmerizing to watch.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves quite yet. Actually, nah, let’s. That’s what the sports world does with every promising young player, and to keep it real, no one ever hesitates to declare the dudes the next big things. After all, didn’t the world start calling LeBron “The Chosen One” back when he was in high school? Speaking of which, even he’s declared Juju is the future: “She’s the next greatest thing in women’s basketball,” he said in the Los Angeles Times.

As she leads a renaissance of L.A. hoops and a new era of freshman stars, Watkins also represents why women’s sports is not just important to support and invest in, but exciting and special. 

“I think women’s basketball is constantly evolving, so just to be a part of that and be in that mix is an honor.”

It was just three years ago when we were in the gym with a 15-year-old Juju and her pops, Robert, to film her “Day in the Life.” Growing up in the neighborhood of Watts, Watkins was dropping 30 pieces at just 6 years old and was already so dominant that in the middle of a game, a younger boy literally picked her up and tried to take her off the court because he couldn’t guard her. She’d play in the Westchester Park rec league, and according to Robert, would even get “upset” whenever they’d play one-on-one. 

“That’s when I knew she had it,” he told us. “When she started getting mad.” 

Today, Watkins plays with that same fire, but she’s learned to channel it into a competitiveness that’s lethal every time she steps on the floor. She transforms into a different person, she admits, who is drastically different from the laid-back, chill one she is off the court. “Honestly, I just think basketball brings out another side to me. [I’m] very mellow off the court,” she says. “Sometimes it’s too much. Screaming, all that, that’s not really me.” 

The world saw that side of her right from the jump in her college debut against Ohio State. Amid a 32-point performance, Watkins was clapping and screaming in excitement after finishing tough layups at the rim. When the win was secured, there she was again, chest-bumping her teammates. Her performance broke Lisa Leslie’s freshman debut scoring record (30). “I think coming into [my] freshman season, I didn’t really have too many expectations for myself,” Watkins says. “I think just getting my feet wet, I guess as people would say. But now that I’m finally in it, I’m setting more goals for myself and expect more for myself. But honestly, at the end of the day, [it’s] just having fun.”

She’d break another record held by Leslie just six games in, this time for most 30-point games by a USC freshman in program history. She also led the Trojans to a record of 6-0 and their highest AP Top 25 ranking (No. 6) in 29 years. Here’s another crazy stat for you: after a win against Cal Poly, Juju had posted 161 points, 45 rebounds, 19 assists, 14 steals and 8 blocks for the season. According to OptaSTATS, in the last 20 years, only one other NBA, WNBA or Division I men’s or women’s player has put up numbers like that over a six-game span. Guess who it was? LeBron Raymone James.

As of press time, Watkins is posting 26.1 ppg, ranked just below Caitlin Clark for highest average in the nation. For Juju, bringing a winning culture to USC has always been the goal.

“I think I just want to really instill a winning culture here at SC, I think that’s what’s most important—that when my teammates and I leave, SC is still thriving and doing really well,” she says. “[I want to] just make sure that L.A. women’s basketball is always on top and really represent the West Coast and where I’m from [in] Watts.”

Legacy is synonymous with the Watkins family: Watkins Memorial Park is named after her great-grandfather, a local civil rights leader who founded the Watts Labor Community Action Committee. Juju grew up playing either in her family’s backyard or at the Watts gym, which is also named after him. Both her father and mother, Sari, were athletes in high school and raised Juju to be the best at whatever she did. They also gave her the middle name Skies, fitting given that their daughter would one day play at the same institution as the Hall of Famer Miller, who once said that for Juju, “The sky’s the limit,” per the Associated Press.

“[My mom] loved Lisa and Cheryl, she grew up in that era,” says Watkins. Upon watching the Women of Troy documentary with her mom, she got to see just how “inspiring” players like Miller, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke and fellow L.A.-native Tina Thompson truly were, and still are. “It’s really a sisterhood here,” she says. “I love that I can call on them whenever and they’re there for me. I appreciate that.”

Miller and Cooper-Dyke both helped bring the two—and only—basketball championships the Trojans program has ever won (1983, 1984). Those banners are hanging just above the practice court, in clear view from where Watkins is sitting right now. When we ask her about what kind of legacy she wants to leave at USC, Watkins emphasizes bringing USC women’s basketball back to the top. But she’s also thinking bigger. Dreaming bigger. It’s not just about her, but about the next generation.

“I owe a lot of my success to my family and my city, and I’m just planning on doing as much as I can for kids growing up in the same city as me and all around L.A.,” she says, “showing [them] that or being a testament to what can happen when you just work hard and follow your dreams.” 

JUJU WATKINS SLAM 248 COVER TEES AVAILABLE NOW!

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson. Action photo via Getty Images.

The post Queen of LA: Juju Watkins is Leading a Renaissance of Women’s College Basketball appeared first on SLAM.

“Hey man, you can at least tag me in the post,” Maxey told Embiid. “Like, you got a million followers.”

According to Maxey, Embiid went to the media, presumably sometime around when the Sixers beat the Celtics at home on January 14, and allegedly asked them to “Find me a picture of me and Ty so I can post it.” After the game, he posted another flick on the gram, without telling Tyrese. The caption? “#0>>> THE FRANCHISE @tyresemaxey.” 

SLAM 248 featuring Tyrese Maxey is available now.

The Process has seen something in Maxey since the beginning. Maxey remembers during the Sixers matchup against the Nuggets on January 9 his rookie year, which was the first game he started, when Joel asked him if he could get 40 that night. “I’m like, Me? Me, get 40? I rarely play,” he tells us, looking back. “I had, like, 39 and I’m like, dang, he said that and I knew I could probably do it, but at the time, like, Man, That’s gonna be tough.” It was the most points scored by a Sixers rookie since Allen Iverson in 1997. 

This season, Embiid was the one who pushed him again when the Sixers played the Pacers on November 12. By the fourth, Maxey looked up at the scoreboard and saw that he already had 45 points. That’s when Embiid let him know. “Joel [is like], You gotta get 50, you gotta get 50. I’m not really trying to press it, but he grabs the ball, like, Here, you need to shoot again.

“I always say this, man. Joel is probably one of the first people that believed in me here,” Maxey adds. “He really believed in me from day one.”

Mad Max has come a long way since his rookie year. From coming off the bench to starting full-time, he’s played an instrumental role in the team’s success this season—they’re the No. 3 team in the East at press time. An hour or two before his first-ever SLAM cover shoot, the All-Star voting results dropped and his name was listed alongside some of the best in the L. 

By the time the cameras start rolling and we’ve got No. 0 with us, he instantly commands the room, and the camera, all while having fun with it. In between takes, he’s dancing and rapping along to Lil Wayne’s “A Milli.” With a big smile on his face, he sings the chorus. “I’m ILL!” 

The moment is giving major main character vibes. And just like Weezy at the end of that video, what’s so fire about Tyrese Maxey’s rise to stardom is that it’s to be continued…

Let’s go back.

Maxey’s basketball career, starting from college, has been unconventional. And yet, he’s somehow been able to handle the chaos—including the Covid pandemic which cut his lone season at Kentucky short. Even after being selected No. 21 in the 2020 NBA Draft, Maxey ended up having to report to training camp late due to a positive test, which left him wondering how that would look to his new teammates, especially the vets. He wondered to himself, How are the vets gonna look at me? Are they gonna say anything to me? Are they gonna mess with me or is this gonna mess up my playing time?

That season, he started six games in January but mostly came off the bench, with the exception of two games in May. After the Sixers lost to the Hawks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, news reports and criticism circulated about his teammate Ben Simmons. By February of the ’21-22 season, Simmons was traded to Brooklyn for James Harden. The new addition put Maxey back to shooting guard. He worked through it and went from averaging just 8 points as a rookie to 17.5 points that year. 

But then, in the 2023 offseason, Harden requested a trade. “Now I gotta be back on the ball,” he explains of the sudden positional change. “Then James leaves and I gotta go back on the ball. It’s been a lot but, you know, it’s an ever- changing, adapting environment that we live in.”

Maxey has talked before about how he picked up some things when playing alongside Harden, even shouting him out on NBA TV for the “little James Harden stepback” move he’s added to his bag. Still, he admits that it was tough for him last year when he would start some games but then come off the bench. “That’s difficult,” he admits. “Especially when you wanna win, you wanna do whatever is best for the team, but you also wanna play well for you [and] to help your brothers win. It’s a hard job.”

After all the narratives that have surrounded the Sixers over the years, mostly filled with drama and negativity from the media and fans, Maxey has developed a desire to speak up for athletes and create his own narrative on his podcast, “Maxey on the Mic.” “I just kinda wanna be a voice for some athletes, because athletes go through a lot, as far as just social media, what people say about them. A lot of people don’t know it’s hard. [There’s] pressure out there.”

He also leans on prayer and his family to help him emotionally during those hard moments. He confides in his uncle, Brandon, and his parents, both of whom he watched work extremely hard within their own careers growing up. Before retiring, his father Tyrone coached for 20 years and would be tough on Maxey when he was younger: “If I passed the ball and somebody dropped it, he would yell at me first.” Meanwhile his mother Denyse worked at Blue Cross Blue Shield and started from “the bottom,” he says, and then worked her way up at the company. Denyse, he describes, is also a “tough, tough, tough mother,” but would always tell him, Control what you can control and everything is in God’s hands.

It’s helped him whenever he’s had to deal with major change, including adjusting from former head coach Doc Rivers, whom he says “tried to challenge me early” by having him sit and watch the veteran players, to Nick Nurse. “Coach Nurse, his personality is a lot different,” Maxey says. “He’s a great dude. I love him, and the way he coaches is special. The way he does things, the way he adjusts on the fly has been great.”

His ability to adapt to whatever situation he’s in is just one of his many super powers. Maxey, a huge Marvel fan, told us before he got drafted that if he was an actual superhero, he’d call himself Maximus and would want to have the ability to max out all of his strengths. Now, four years later, he has a few things to add, super speed being one of them. “I’m like, well, I could be faster, you know what I mean?” he says. He’d also max out his vertical. “I just think it’s cool when people jump up and dunk and block shots and stuff. I see so many people like Rayjon Tucker, that’s somebody that comes to mind…Ja Morant, of course. They do cool things when they’re up in the air like that. I feel like I have some type of vertical ability, but not like them, jumping off two feet. It looks so crazy sometimes.”

Athletes are often called otherworldly, and while Maxey is undeniably talented, very, very fast and has a hot hand like he’s Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet, he’s also human. He sees a bigger picture in the type of impact he’d want to have. “I would wanna max out me being positive, like, me having a positive effect on people, because the world is just so [much] better…That’s just something I try to bring, not just [to] this organization, not just this team, [but] my life and [the] people who I’ve impacted in general.

“We’re blessed to be here, we’re blessed to be living, we’re blessed to be walking around in 2024. You know, some people can’t say the same…I get to play the game that I love every single day and I have fun while doing it with a smile on my face. And while I’m doing that, I’m on TV, kids are watching and I’m trying to inspire them to make their dreams come true—not just basketball dreams, but life dreams. I tell everybody that you can do whatever you put your mind to. Don’t let anybody tell you you can’t, as long as you get one percent better at it, you know what I mean?”

Life can be unexpected, but at the end of the day, it’s about controlling what you can control. That’s been Maxey’s true power, and it’s why in Year 4, he isn’t at all surprised by his success so far. 

“I just put a lot of work in. It’s like, every shot that I’ve shot this season, I’ve done it before a million times in the gym. Reps over reps. I don’t have to think, you know what I’m saying?…I’m just confident. I wanna help us win, and I’m in a position now that I can have the ball in my hands [where] I feel like I have control over helping us win games.” 

SLAM 248 IS OUT NOW!

Photos via Getty Images. Portraits by Alex Subers.

The post Tyrese Maxey Talks Rise to Stardom, Joel Embiid and Finding Control Through the Chaos 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.

When A’ja Wilson appeared alongside then-Las Vegas Aces teammate Liz Cambage on the cover of SLAM 223, they became the third and fourth women to ever do so. That was back in July 2019. Wilson was in her second year in the W after being selected as the No. 1 pick in 2018, and had already added WNBA Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie First Team honors to her professional basketball résumé. But A’ja had yet to emerge into her full MVP form. The Gamecocks had yet to name the statue in her honor. The WNBA had yet to make her the face of the League. 

As for us, well, not to brag or anything, but we always knew that the Columbia, SC, native was it. Way back in 2014, Ryan Jones interviewed her over the phone for a piece that ran in PUNKS (our high school section, now called The Come Up). At the time, Wilson hadn’t yet graduated from Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, and she admitted in her interview that she was “nervous” leading up to the USA Basketball U18 national team tryouts. The interview, which is featured in the SLAM Digital Archive (go subscribe via slamgoods.com!) is a must-read for any and all basketball fans because it shows, in its truest form, the story of a star before even she knew she’d become one. 

“I can say definitely the two things that stick out from the interview are just her poise and her confidence,” Jones told me. “You’ve interviewed enough of the HS kids so you know how it is—some of them really come off like the kids they still are, but a relative few have this maturity that gets your attention. A’ja definitely had that. And the confidence, too—she wasn’t cocky, but just very self-assured. Especially now as a parent of teens myself, I’m always so impressed when anyone has that sort of confidence at 17 or 18.”

Wilson’s decision to attend South Carolina was then a bold move for a top recruit, but Dawn Staley’s program, in A’ja’s own words, was “on the rise,” and Wilson, like her teammates, had the goal of winning a national championship. She’d do that and a lot more during her college career. First, SEC Freshman of the Year. She’d become an NCAA champion and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 2017, plus the consensus National Player of the Year and the Lisa Leslie Award winner the season after. Oh, and she was a First Team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year from 2016-18, and the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 and 2018. That’s all before she made it to the League and graced the cover of SLAM not once, but on three different occasions—including the WNBA champs issue two years in a row—and last year’s third issue of WSLAM. 

When I sat down with Wilson and her Aces teammates at the WSLAM 3 cover shoot, she exuded poise. She was unapologetically herself both in front of the camera and off it. It’s that confidence that’s driven her to take over the League and become a two-time MVP and two-time champion. 

Our 2023 Champs cover of Wilson rocking black Air Force 1s and standing so valiantly is the epitome of what makes women’s basketball so exciting and so damn fun. She’s the face of the League, of WSLAM, of where the game is heading in the years to come. And just as we’ve shown her love over the years, she’s shown it right back, from attending our 2023 WNBA All-Star party which celebrated the WSLAM 3 cover release to consistently reposting our content. Relationships like these are bigger than magazine covers and interviews, but we’re so grateful that we get to do what we do with stars like her. 

“Watching her in the [almost] decade since [the PUNKS interview], she’s definitely one of those players I look back on with a little bit of pride, not that I predicted HOF-caliber greatness, but just that from talking to her at that age, I expected her to be really, really good,” Jones says. “It’s been very cool to see her basically be the whole package, as far as one of the handful of players with both the game and personality to basically carry the W into the next generation.” 

Photo via Getty Images.

The post THE 30 PLAYERS WHO DEFINED SLAM’S 30 YEARS: A’ja Wilson appeared first on SLAM.

Rather than debate about the X’s and O’s or bore you with hot takes, hoop(ish), presented by SLAM and LeagueFits is a pod dedicated entirely to the culture of the game. Hosted by the cool kids at SLAM—LeagueFits visionary Ian Pierno and SLAM editor Deyscha “Sway” Smith—every week, they’ll keep it real about basketball fashion, pop culture, the internet and hoops (duh). Ian and Sway will also bring on special guests, from stylists to hoopers, influencers, creatives and more.

Nothing is off limits, either. 

In the debut episode, which launched Wednesday, get to know Ian and Sway. They share their ins and outs of the week, keep it real about how the NBA Awards Show could be wayyyy more lit and so much more.

Check it out below.

Want to listen instead of watch? hoop(ish) is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to follow @hoopishpod on Instagram, as well as Ian (@ianpierno) and Sway (@deyschasmith).

The post hoop(ish) is the Basketball Culture Podcast You Should Be Listening to Right Now appeared first on SLAM.

The Wolverines, who finished with a 23-10 record last year, lost three starters after their second-round exit in the NCAA tournament, including All-Big 10 standout Leigha Brown, who was drafted in the second round of the 2023 WNBA Draft, two-year starter Maddie Nolan, who transferred to Colorado, and Emily Kiser, who is now hooping overseas in Greece. For Barnes Arico, different is now the Wolverines’ reality. “This is really, really different,” Barnes Arico said in the Detroit Free Press. “We’re the type of program, we build it, you pay your dues, you come in [as a] freshman and work hard then leave as an all-conference player…that’s kind of been the history of our program, you come in, you work and reap the benefits later. With three players graduating, we needed to fill those holes with experience…that was the direction we had to go in this year.”

Barnes Arico and her coaching staff got right to work during the offseason by taking advantage of the transfer portal and bringing in three graduate students to help lead this Wolverine squad. There’s former Missouri starter Lauren Hansen, who averaged 12.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game last season and excels off the court, too—the 5-8 guard graduated from Missouri with a degree in communications.

Australian standout guard Elissa Brett made a name for herself at Bowling Green, where she is ranked No. 7 all-time in threes made and 15th all-time with 1,358 points. Meanwhile, Michigan native Taylor Williams is a 6-2 forward who led Western Michigan in rebounds for three years and topped the 1,000-point mark for her career in her final game with the Broncos. According to Barnes Arico, the Wolverines needed a point guard, someone to hold it down on the post and rebound, and a sharpshooter “who can bang down threes.” 

Michigan also has some returning bucket-getters, including junior Laila Phelia, who spent time with Team USA and, while there, focused primarily on her defense. According to the Detroit Free Press, the 6-0 guard says she’ll be “emphasizing that defense and being able to bring that ability to the team along with leadership, because we did lose some of the best,” which is exactly the kind of energy the Wolverines will need in a stacked Big 10 conference that includes powerhouses like Iowa and Ohio State.

With a remaining roster that includes seniors Cameron Williams, Whitney Sollom and Elise Stuck, a solid junior class that features guards Greta Kampschroeder and Jordan Hobbs (both of whom had multiple starts last season), sophomores Chyra Evans and Alyssa Crockett and freshmen Taylor Woodson and Macy Brown, the Wolverines might be deemed “inexperienced” by some, but not us. Don’t sleep on ’em. Suiting up in maize and blue comes with high expectations.  

“When you’re at the University of Michigan, the expectation every year is that you win championships,” Barnes Arico told the Detroit Free Press. “Even though this is going to be a year with some inexperience, I think because we are back to a little bit of an underdog, a little bit
of a chip on our shoulder, our players have something to prove.” 

The post The 2023 Jumpman Invitational: Michigan Wolverines Women’s Team are Ready to Prove They Belong appeared first on SLAM.

With a standout freshman already logging big-time minutes and a roster that’s equipped with five juniors and five seniors, plus French graduate student Kenza Salgues, who played at Miami and made her Gators debut earlier this season, it’s looking like this team will be holding its own in the SEC this year. 

After finishing 19-15 last season and making the NCAA tournament in 2021-22, the Gators will look to improve upon a first-round exit to UCF. If they do, they’ll make history: the last time the Gators made it to the second round was in 2014, and they’ve yet to advance past the Elite Eight. Things are already looking up, though. With head coach Kelly Rae Finley at the helm, the Gators had their first 20-win season since 2015-16 under Finley’s guidance, going 21-11 in 2021-22.

They’ve also got SEC legend—and former SLAM cover star—Rhyne Howard on staff as an assistant coach and director of player personnel this year. The Atlanta Dream star also comes from Gator royalty. Her mom, Rhvonja, played for the team from 1987-91 (captain in ’90-91) and still holds multiple program records, including top-10 in career steals. 

“I always knew at some point that I would have the connection back with this school, and just to be here and to be loved and to feel how much of a family it is already just confirmed all that,” Howard said in an official school press release. 

The Gators are already off to a fantastic start; as we went to press, they were 6-2, their only losses coming from a combined 7 point differential. Their spark, as Kyle said after the team’s season opener, largely comes from sixth-year senior guard Zippy Broughton, who is back after being out for the past 20 months due to a shoulder injury. The former Rutgers transfer persevered through the rehab process and has returned as not only a pivotal scorer, but a leader. 

“She brings a different kind of spark to our team,” said Kyle, via an article on FloridaGators.com.

Adds Coach Finley: “Her ability to fight through adversity when a lot of people might choose to hang it up…I’m just excited and happy she’s chosen our team to chase her dreams. She’s doing so fearlessly every day. It means a lot to our program that she is willing to have great determination to get back on the court.”

That spark is exactly what the Gators will need this season to take them on what could be a potentially deep postseason run.  

The post The 2023 Jumpman Invitational: The 2023-24 Florida Gators Women’s Basketball Team is Ready to Make some Noise appeared first on SLAM.

“I think we’re lucky that that’s been the foundation, that it’s just the next people up,” she told The Oklahoman in November. 

“We’re the gatekeepers of this program. So that’s what we look at less than how we need to replace people.”

Baranczyk’s squad will have to play without the injured 6-2 redshirt senior Liz Scott, who averaged a career-high 8.6 points and 6.3 rebounds last season, but as Baranczyk told the press, her “leadership” will be expected as she steps into a new role. Kelbie Washington, who redshirted last season after starting 16 games in 2021-22, will also not be suiting up this year. 

So, what can Sooner fans expect? 

A roster full of versatility and ranging skill sets. Oklahoma native Lexy Keys transferred to Oklahoma after three impressive seasons at Oklahoma State, where she started 71 games and dropped buckets on her current squad, including two 14-point performances as a junior and a 20-point gem as a sophomore. From her shooting to her off-ball movement and ability to hold it down on the defensive end, Baranczyk describes her in The Oklahoman as “just somebody that you have to have in your program.”

The Sooners also have two former five-star products suiting up this year, including 5-10 freshman forward Sahara Williams and junior Payton Verhulst, who transferred in from Louisville. Williams averaged a double-double as a senior at Waterloo West High School, was a McDonald’s All-American and won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2022 3×3 FIBA World Cup. Meanwhile, Verhulst was ranked No. 12 in the country by ESPN during her time at Bishop Miege HS and played a pivotal role as a freshman during the Cardinals’ Final Four run. With expectations on Williams to grow into a star and Verhulst’s elite court vision, the Sooners have two valuable pieces. 

“Take the star out, I don’t care if she’s two-star, you’re going to love her,” Baranczyk said of Williams in The Oklahoman. “But you can see why she is [a five-star]. She’ll develop her skill set. She’ll have days where, you know…‘Oh my God, she’s only a freshman,’ then other times you’re like, ‘OK, yeah, she’s a freshman.’”

Williams isn’t the only freshman who posted a double-double in high school—6-3 center Landry Allen averaged 20.6 points and 10.3 rebounds as a junior en-route to leading Tuttle High School (OK) to its first state championship; and as a senior, Allen was ranked the No. 10 center in the Class of 2023. Sophomore Beatrice Culliton’s family is state royalty—her grandmother dropped 58 in a high school game, shattering the Oklahoma scoring record at the time. As for Culliton, she was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team last season and appeared in every game, so best believe this isn’t her first rodeo on the big stage. 

Go up and down the roster and you’ll see a solid squad that can drop buckets and hold its own on the court. Don’t just listen to us; tune in this season and see for yourself. 

The post The 2023 Jumpman Invitational: Oklahoma Women’s Team Look to Bring Glory Back to the Sooner State appeared first on SLAM.

The sign, according to CBS 17, was created by the players. It’s not only a reminder of the task at hand—to make it all the way to the Final Four for the first time since ’07—but the type of time they’re on before they even step foot in the locker room. It’s a sentiment UNC head coach Courtney Banghart embraces. 

“If that’s what you want, this, this, this and this aren’t good enough. But I also don’t want to squash their dreams. You shouldn’t come to the University of North Carolina if you’re afraid to try to win a national championship,” Banghart told CBS 17. 

The Tar Heels are led by four returning seniors who know what it’s like to play on the brightest stage: Deja Kelly, Alyssa Ustby, Anya Poole and Alexandra Zelaya were all part of the squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2022. The Tar Heels held their own against the eventual champs (South Carolina), as Kelly led the way with a smooth 23 points. Despite the 69-61 loss, it was the first time the Tar Heels had made it that far in the postseason since 2015. 

After falling to Ohio State in the second round of the 2023 NCAA tournament, UNC is back. It’s still early, but their standout seniors Ustby and Kelly were named to the John R. Wooden Award
Watch List; Kelly was also named to the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List. The Texas native, who led the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game as a junior, had quite the offseason. When Kelly wasn’t training and working on her game, she was hosting her very own show with WSLAM, The 411 with Deja Kelly, where she interviewed some of the biggest names in the game, including Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas and Liberty standout Betnijah Laney right in the SLAM HQ studio in NYC. She also attended WNBA All-Star Weekend and was deemed one of the “NCAA stars ready to lead the WNBA’s next generation” by Just Women’s Sports.

So, yeah, she’s been booked and busy. The standout guard returned to Chapel Hill for her final season poised and ready to embrace her role as one of the team’s vital pieces, and leaders, on the Tar Heels. “I’m the oldest on the team now by age. I don’t think it’s hit me yet. But yes, we’re starting to feel it a little bit, but I don’t think it’s fully hit us yet, until, like, Senior Night comes around. But I think we’re carrying that veteran role now,” she told CBS 17.

As of this writing, UNC is 5-3. Don’t sleep, though, they’ve got a talented squad that can hold its own on both ends of the floor. From Kelly knocking down midrange jumpers and dishing out dimes and Ustby snagging boards in the paint to the addition of transfer Lexi Donarski, who was the 2022 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at Iowa State, where she spent the past three seasons, there’s no end to the skill on this squad. 

Whether the Tar Heels will achieve their mission is yet to be determined, but best believe, they have every intention of making it all the way.

Final Four team loading… 

The post The 2023 Jumpman Invitational: UNC Tar Heels Women’s Squad is Ready to Emerge as a Title Contender appeared first on SLAM.

The phone rings. Geno Auriemma’s name pops up on the caller ID. It’s October, and the UConn head coach is surprisingly upbeat and pretty chatty given the business-first demeanor he typically exudes on the court, and most definitely to the media during press conferences. He’s a legend, the Leonardo da Vinci responsible for igniting a renaissance in Storrs—and, really, all of women’s hoops—by creating the formula for the most successful program of all time in NCAA women’s basketball. No one has more championships or Final Four appearances than the Huskies. No one.

How’d he do it? Here, Auriemma reflects on his career, his legacy, and if he thinks anyone else will ever be able to do it like he has…

SLAM: Coach, it’s an honor. How are you?
GENO AURIEMMA: Things have been going pretty well. We just started official practices, so we haven’t been going for very long. Those have gone pretty well. We’ll see what happens in the next week or so, but so far, so good.

SLAM: How do you approach the start of every season?
GA: Each year brings its share of similarities. There are certain things that you want to do, [but] there’s also the unknown. What kind of team are we going to have? What do we have to do different[ly] to accommodate this particular team? So it’s similar in some ways, it’s different depending on the personnel that you have. But always the excitement is there, the challenges are there every summer, they’re just different. It’s refreshing to get back on the court because that’s what we like to do. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and I think we have a pretty good routine that we follow and we go from there.

SLAM: How does year 38 feel?
GA: It’s 38, 39, I don’t even know how many it is. It’s got the feel of other seasons that you’re excited and anxious about. You’re curious to find out how it fits together. You get someone like Paige Bueckers back, there’s a real excitement in the building. There’s a real excitement on our team. Aaliyah Edwards played a lot of basketball last year and a lot of minutes, Nika Mühl, the two of them. Aubrey [Griffin] played a ton of minutes. They picked up valuable experience. For me personally, there’s a lot of excitement of wanting to see what this team could be. I feel like it’s my job to make sure they get all the resources and guidance that they need from me and my staff to make it work for them.

SLAM: Let’s transition into the early days. Do you remember where you were when you heard the news that you got the job?

GA: No, I was here. I got a chance to meet with everybody I needed to meet with. I thought it went really well. Then the next day, our Athletic Director at the time, John Toner, who was also the President of the NCAA that helped implement Title IX took me aside. We got in his car and drove down to a Dunkin Donuts. We walked in and sat in those swirling stools that they had at the counter back in those days when they had counters at Dunkin Donuts. We had coffee and he looked me in the eye and he asked me if I wanted to be the coach of the University of Connecticut. He told me that I had to do this the right way and everything had to be done the right way. He put his hand down and shook my hand and that was it. I was the coach at the University of Connecticut just like that. I got back to campus and we went into the office and he handed me a one-page piece of paper. It said I was going to be the coach at the University of Connecticut for five years and I was going to get paid this and had to sign here. I signed it, and that was it. There was no agent involved. There was no negotiating a salary. It was just a handshake. Here’s your contract, $29,000. Take it or leave it. 

SLAM: During the ups and downs of the early years, what kept you going?
GA: What happens in these situations is, who you have on your team, in your program, on your staff or whatever, that’s the sources of your motivation. Those three years that it was a struggle, we kept our fingers crossed and just kept working. Even though it was difficult, and there were doubts, we never expressed those doubts to anybody—those were internal. On the outside, everybody thought everything was great and we’re pushing and we’re committed and we’re going to be great. The reality was, this was really, really difficult, and we knew it was going to be difficult, but we didn’t know it was going to be this hard. And like I said, it wasn’t until 1988, and 1989 when we won the regular season and tournament, that there was some validation. When we did win, it was now, How far can this group go? It turned out we were able to get to the Final Four. Then we were able to get Rebecca Lobo to come to UConn. We had a terrific group of people with her and right behind her that made it [feel like], Yeah, I really don’t want to be anywhere else. I want to be right here with this group of people.

SLAM: You’re known for cultivating future WNBA stars. Do you see who your players can become before it even happens?
GA: When we see a player in high school, we have an impression and we say, Hey, I see similarities between this kid and so and so. They get to campus, and as you start coaching them, you start to feel this like, Yes, this kid’s really got something, or, Man I really missed on this one. Or, you didn’t expect much, and you go, Wow, this kid is way better than I thought. You coach all of them from the beginning like they don’t know anything, and that’s the way we’ve always done it. Whether we get a kid who didn’t make first-team All-State, or we get a kid who was Player of the Year out of high school, we coach them the same. We start at the beginning and we try to make them better players. We’re not going to go in there and think that because they’re this talented or because they were all this, that they are ready to go. No, we treat them like they don’t know anything. Over a period of time, we keep hammering away at that stuff, they turn out to be pretty good basketball players. And then yeah, it gets defined by that—this is the Rebecca Lobo era, ’95’s National Championship. Our first All-American was Kerry Bascom, and that era [we] went from finishing last in the Big East before we got here to going to the Final Four. Then on Rebecca’s team, we had Jennifer Rizzotti, National Player of the Year. We had Kara Wolters, National Player of the Year. We had Nykesha Sales, who ended up being a two-time All American here and a WNBA superstar. The Diana Taurasi era had four Olympians and multiple All-Americans and National Players of the Year. The Maya Moore era with Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery and just amazing All-Americans and great players. The Stewie [Breanna Stewart], Stefanie [Dolson], [Morgan] Tuck and Moriah Jefferson [era].

All those eras involve so many good players. Each one of those players was treated the exact same way. They were all coached the exact same way, and maybe that’s why we had similar successes with every one of them, because we rarely changed the formula. I don’t care if you came in with the ability of Maya or Stewie, or you came in with limited ability like some of our other players, it didn’t matter. We were going to coach you the exact same way and we were going to get the same results. Looking back, that consistency of how we’ve done it is something we’re proud of.

SLAM: Do you think the formula and consistency are what’s contributed to the program’s success?
GA: For sure. The response that we get a lot of times is, You have the best players. And I would think, well, we have some of the best players, but we don’t have all the best players. If we’re able to get two of the best players in the country every year, that’s only two out of, say, 24 in the All-American Game. So, the other 22 went someplace [else]. So you can’t just say we won because we get the best players. But I think the consistency and the kind of players that we get, that to me is the differentiator between us and other programs. It doesn’t mean that what we do is better than anybody else. It’s just a little different. Again, we don’t win every year. This is the part that’s funny: We’ve gone to 22 Final Fours and those 22 Final Fours have all come since 1991. So that’s in 33 years. That’s pretty amazing. Twenty-two Final Fours in 33 years. That’s fantasy land, OK? In 22 Final Fours, we won 11 national championships and we’ve lost 11 times in the Final Four. We don’t win all the time. I think our goal is to just put ourselves in position to win all the time; it doesn’t mean we’re going to. And that’s not the easiest thing in the world to do. In today’s internet world, you’re either the best in the country or you’re the worst in the country. Nobody ever says, Yeah, they’re pretty good! Which is sad because there are a lot of pretty good teams. But now you’re either top or you’re the worst. There’s no in-between. That’s not the real world. If you’re a team or a coach or a player, you start to feel the pressure of those expectations. If you’re not careful and you get caught up in that, it doesn’t matter how many good players you have, you’re going to have a hard time winning.

SLAM: What has been the biggest factor that’s made the program click?
GA: We’ve heard all the time that the UConn era or the dynasty is in demise, you know, that it’s—it goes back to what I said: there’s this perception that if you’re not winning national championships, you’re not very good. I just think that, what makes it click, especially in today’s world, is that you don’t allow yourself to be caught up in all that stuff as a player. You don’t become [caught up in the] internet and what people are saying about you. You keep recruiting players that are more selfless than they are selfish.

[Players] that are willing to give up a little bit of themselves in order to win a championship and to play with other terrific players. There’s a lot of players that want to go to a school where they’re going to be the center of attention and it’s going to be all about them. What makes it click for us, and why people would talk about us the way they do is because we do find players that want to sacrifice some of their own goals for the big goal, the team goal. That’s a little bit rarer today than it was when I started.

SLAM: Have you thought of your legacy?
GA: I’ve thought about it during those times, when, maybe at the end of the season, you just finished a very difficult season. Maybe you’re celebrating a championship or you’re disappointed in how the season ended, and you wonder, Do I have it in me to keep doing this? How much is taken out of you to accomplish all these things. And you look back and you see the things that have happened here—I don’t know that I think of it in terms of who’s coming after me or what am I leaving behind, but I think some of the things that we’re going to leave behind are probably undoable in the future. I don’t think anybody can sit here and say, OK, pick out a coach that you think is going to win 11 national championships that’s coaching today. You’d be hard-pressed. Pick a team that won 111 in a row. Pick one that won 90 in a row, three times…Name a program that’s going to go to 14 straight Final Fours. Things that we’ve done legacy-wise are going to be undoable now. That’s probably not a bad thing because that means that the game has grown so much that it’s going to be more difficult to accomplish any of those things. Players are going to more schools than ever before, different schools. Coaches are doing a phenomenal job of not just recruiting, but of coaching. The legacy that’s going to be left here by those people that have worked here and played here, some things—we’re going to be in the record books for eternity. That’s something to be proud of, from myself to be proud of, which I am, all the coaches that have ever coached with me and every single player that put on a uniform here at UConn over those 39 years. It’s their legacy, too.

SLAM Presents UConn is available now. Shop gold metal editions and more.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Geno Auriemma Talks Legacy, the Early Years and Creating the Blueprint for UConn’s Dominance appeared first on SLAM.

After a whirlwind matchup between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty that went down to the wire, Vegas are the reigning champs yet again.

Considering the game just ended, here’s a quick recap:

Nah, but in all seriousness, what a game. The final score? 70-69. With a title on the line, the entire Aces roster delivered: from their point gawd Chelsea Gray leading from the sidelines to A’ja Wilson’s pure dominance to the People’s Champ, Sydney Colson with the crazyyyy behind-the-back pass AND delivering the greatest post-game speech.

We won’t say we told you so, but…

Congrats to the M’VPeriodt A’ja Wilson, the Point Gawd Chelsea Gray, Sydney Colson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, Kiah Stokes, Alysha Clark, Cayla George, Kierstan Bell, Alaina Coates, Candace Parker and head coach Becky Hammon and the entire Aces staff on a historic win. Champs.

Go follow @wslam to keep up with all of the postgame celebrations and more.

The post BACK TO BACK: The Las Vegas Aces are the 2023 WNBA Champions Yet Again appeared first on SLAM.

The question is a rhetorical one. Many people—the media, casual basketball fans, diehard Pacers/Thunder/Clippers fans—know of him as just an NBA superstar.

He’s an eight-time All-Star, won Most Improved in 2013 and has made All-NBA, All-Defensive and All-Rookie Teams throughout his 13 years in the League so far. Long before that, he was known for being the highest draft pick in Fresno State history when he was selected in the first round back in 2010. Then, in 2014, he decided to switch things up by changing his jersey number from No. 24 to No. 13, which also inspired a new nickname: PG-13. He bought all his old jerseys and donated them to his high school. 

“The whole thing behind PG-13 is just coming into my own,” he told Vigilant Sports back then. “I feel like I’m at that stage where I’m ready to embrace everything that comes with being one of the young stars in this League. Everyone knows PG-13 is related to television, so the whole thing is being able to enjoy the show and being fun to watch.”

In Indiana, PG turned heads. By his third season, he’d emerged as the Pacers’ go-to option, and helped lead them to the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons from 2012-14. After seven years in Indy and multiple occasions where he battled through injury—including a compound fracture in his leg, which he suffered during the offseason in 2014 that caused him to miss a majority of the upcoming regular season—he was traded to the OKC Thunder in 2017. He tried to redefine himself again, this time as “Playoff P,” a nickname which he gave himself that season, right before the Thunder played the Jazz in the first round. When asked about guarding then-rookie Donovan Mitchell, he clarified to ESPN that “Playoff P” is “a fun guy to watch. It’s an out-of-body person where I just lock in and put myself in a different zone.” 

Then, in 2020, Game 7 against the Nuggets happened. Playoff P only scored 10 points on 25 percent shooting and went scoreless in the fourth. The internet ruthlessly decided “Pandemic P” was a more fitting title for the star’s performance at the time. Since then, George has missed extensive time due to injury, including the end of the 2022-23 regular season because of a knee injury.

But that was then, and this is now. At 33 years old, George has seen the highs and the lows of being a professional athlete—the injuries, the losses and the wins. While the opinions of others can help shift and shape narratives, what matters most is how athletes view themselves. And that’s what we went out to California in late-August to find out: Who exactly is Paul George? 

“I think I’m a pretty funny person, but I’m also a very introverted person,” George tells us. “I kind of keep to myself and I think that’s why people don’t, or haven’t learned much about me through my time through the NBA. But I’m actually a pretty fun, outgoing person. Love to laugh, love to joke. And, I mean, I’m not sure if that will surprise many people but for the people that don’t really know me, it can be surprising. At least that’s what it seems when we read comments [saying], He’s actually funny. He’s actually a good dude. So, I think the more I just show [my] personality and show who I am, [the] more people have just gravitated toward it.”

Paul George Covers SLAM 246. Get your copy now.

The man himself is sitting in a well-lit lounge at the Proactive Sports Performance, wearing his L.A. Clippers uniform. He was just training and working out in the weight room moments prior—the lounge that we’re in right now is on the second floor and looks out onto the training facility and court. Down below, we’ve got an entire photo shoot set up, which is where we’ll shoot George for his third SLAM cover. 

But first, interview time. Initially, PG’s demeanor is more low-key as the cameras start rolling. He’s not overly energetic or giving monotone answers, with “honestly” being one of the first words he uses when asked how his summer has been going. It’s a good sign that, hopefully, he’ll keep it real for the rest of the conversation. After all, he’s done countless interviews and magazine covers, including with us, before, and has been asked plenty of questions about his career, getting to that championship-level, playing alongside Kawhi Leonard…

If you listen—really, actually listen—to what he has to say, you’ll start to understand that there’s a lot more to Paul George. He’s introverted, yes, but he has also been discovering another side of himself. He’s creative, and pretty introspective and honest: while the next generation of standouts—Brandon Miller, Kiyan Anthony—consider him their GOAT, his own measurement of success comes down to one tangible thing: winning a championship.

When he mentioned on his Twitch livestream recently that he fully intends to be on his “bully shit” this upcoming season, that wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.

Here, Paul George elaborates more on what we can expect from him this season, his approach to his offseason training and how he’s discovered his voice—and himself—on the court, in the podcast studio and everywhere in between.

SLAM: How are you doing? How has the summer been and what have you been up to aside from training?

PAUL GEORGE: Good. Honestly, [it’s] summertime, being a father, it’s mostly family time. When the season’s done, kids are out of school. [It’s a] great opportunity to kind of just be at home with the family, be with my wife, my kids. But that’s about it. Apart from that I’m training and, you know, I’m taking my usual summer trips to Europe and vacation. But outside of that, [I’m] putting one foot forward and getting ready for the next season.

SLAM: Where in Europe did you visit?

PG: I was out in Serbia, where my wife is from. I was in Montenegro and Greece.

SLAM: What’s it like to be home and able to fully focus on the fam? Can you describe how you go about transitioning from the season into summer?

PG: It’s great having the kids home full-time, keeping them active [and] being able to take them to their camps, take them to their practices, their hobbies. It’s just great to be a little bit more hands-on and you really find what their interests are once you’re with them for longer periods. 

So it’s been fun—it’s been fun since the season has been done to rekindle that. You get so riled up and caught up with how the season is going that you tend to lose out on stuff, just being on the road and traveling so much. So that’s really the great part about having those summers.

SLAM: You’ve mentioned they’re pretty creative—were you the same way as a kid  growing up?

PG: Yeah, I was. I think that’s why the bond between my oldest and myself is so strong, because I was the same way. My imagination was very strong. I can draw, create, color—you name it. If I can think of it, I could draw it. So I was pretty good. I wasn’t the greatest at drawing, not a portraits person, but I could draw pretty good as a kid. I see a lot of me [in] her.

SLAM: That’s fire. In terms of your offseason workouts and training, did you start getting into it immediately after the season ended? 

PG: I took, like, two weeks off just because I was rehabbing. When the season ended, [I had] a nasty leg injury. And when the season was over, there was no point obviously for me to be in the best shape possible. So I took two weeks off to kind of get away from basketball, get away from the facility, get away from training. I thought that just helped me approach when I went back to training a lot better. It helped my mental, it helped my focus and that’s about the norm for me at this point in my career—take about two weeks away, go travel, just get out, get away and then I’ll come back and go hit it hard again.

SLAM: Has that been your approach in the past? To take time away? 

PG: Yeah, I would say probably the last couple years. Before then I used to, when the season was done, I [would] be right back in the gym the next day. But now as I’ve gotten older, I kind of enjoy splitting the two—being in season-mode and then being in offseason-mode. The younger me didn’t have a family or kids, so the older me kind of knows to separate that, enjoy family time and get after it when I’m ready.

SLAM: Looking back, how would you describe your younger self, especially when you first came into the League.

PG: My younger self was just hungry. He was passionate, he had just the warrior mentality. And fearless. I still have some of those qualities, but it’s definitely stronger as a youngin’ coming into the League. Now I would say my older self is a little bit more focused, knowing what I want and how to approach it, how to get there. Now it’s just [about] trying to stay healthy. That’s the biggest key. 

But yeah, that’s the separation between myself—where I’m at now and the younger me. I just had that passion to want to be the best and destroy any and everything in front of me.

SLAM: What have you been focusing on specifically this offseason in your training? What are your goals going into next season?

PG: Just focusing on the mentality. For me, it’s just the mentality. I work extremely hard on improving and getting better, but for me, it’s just the mentality—going back to having that 22, 23-year-old mentality at 33 of, every time I’m on the floor, I’m there to dominate and just be the best player on the floor at all times. So that’s the mentality I’m going into it [with]. That’s how I’m approaching this summer. At the end of the day, I love where I’ll finish because if I have that mentality, I know I’m giving it everything I have, and I can live with those results.

SLAM: Is that what you meant when you said on that Twitch livestream that you’re going to be on your “bully shit” this season?

PG: One hundred percent. One hundred percent. That’s exactly what I meant. I gotta hold myself accountable to that… Every night I’m on the floor, I’m there to dominate. Whether it’s [being] more physical, or going right at whoever I gotta go at, you’re gonna feel me. I’m having that approach of every time I’m on the floor, I’m there to dominate and destroy you.

SLAM: When you said that on your livestream, what pushed you to that point? Did you feel like it was something that needed to be said? Was that something that was going through your head already?

PG: Yeah, I mean, it was just a lot of unnecessary talk going around the League of, you know, guys feeling themselves and directing comments toward me that haven’t done anything as well. You know, this is the last couple years of my career, so it’s all about legacy for me as well. And that’s just my approach—I got to finish strong and go back to loving the game and loving to dominate. And again, that’s just how I got to approach it. [If] I come up short, that’s on me. But that’s how I gotta approach it.

SLAM: You used the words “go back to loving the game and loving to dominate.” Was there a time when you didn’t necessarily feel that way?

PG: Just through injuries, you doubt yourself. At times, you doubt what you’re able to do. But at this point—I had a fluke injury to end the rest of my season last year—but up until that point, I was starting to get stronger, I was starting to feel better, problems that I was having midseason were starting to go away. And that was the best I was feeling. And so, I was coming into my stride, ready to get back into that. But for a stretch, I didn’t feel [like] myself just because injuries and stuff was aching and popping up. But I feel like I’ve been starting to address that every summer, little by little, to where I’m in a great place right now.

SLAM: What does Paul George being on his “bully shit” look like?

PG: Honestly [laughs]…I can’t tell you what that looks like. I’ve been a pretty consistent scorer, been a high-level player for many years. But for me, it’s just getting to a level of consistency. And, again, not backing down and destroying whatever I have to [to] get to where I need to get to. So I think it’ll be noticeable by the way I play this year.

SLAM: Do you feel like there was a time or I guess a defining moment during your career where you really felt like you were really on your “bully shit”? 

PG: I had that approach of guarding everyone tough, of trying to be the number one option and score on the best player every night while shutting the best player down every night. You know, I just had a mean mentality when I was younger. And that was just how I approached the game. I think I fell away a little bit from that mentality. And so again, all of it is just trying to be back, centered [and] to where I was when I came into this League.

SLAM: When you were referring to guys in the League, or in general, having things to say about you, what was running through your head? 

PG: I mean, everybody has their right to say what they want to say. Everyone at this point in time has an opinion. That doesn’t bother me, but the way you go about it, and the way you approach it, I’m gonna have to have something to say about the way things are handled at some point. And that’s just where it’s gotten, so, you know, it’s just about having—I don’t go off of what I’ve done, who I’ve been in the League. To me, I view it as: if I’ve won or if I haven’t won. And I haven’t won. People tell me all the time, Don’t doubt yourself, don’t this, don’t that. I don’t. I know what I’ve accomplished. I know what I’ve done in this League. I know whose ass I’ve busted in this League, who I’ve put what numbers on in this League. That don’t mean nothing if I haven’t won a championship. Yeah, it’d be a great résumé when it’s all said and done. That’s cool. But for me, I measure myself in the success I’ve had in the League—if I get a championship, that’s what it’s all about. So, yeah, the regular stats are cool and all, but I got a bigger goal of winning [and] establishing myself as a champion.  

SLAM: Have you always had that standard of success? 

PG: Yeah, I mean, coming into the League, early on, the first couple of years [it was about] establishing myself and just getting better and wanting to be an All-Star, wanting to be on that superstar level, wanting to carry a team and wanting to be the best defender on the floor. That was kind of [my] individual goals. But once you make it to that point, take it a step further, now that has to mean something. Being the best player, being the best defender, being on a good team—like that all has to start to equate to something. Now I’m at a point where every year I’m training, and that’s the goal—to get a championship. And so if I come up short, like, nothing else matters that year. At this point, I failed the year, I failed the season, if I didn’t win a championship. 

SLAM: Let’s get into your podcast. To start, do you feel like this is one of the first times you’ve really been outspoken in terms of sharing your own opinion, talking to other athletes and analysts? 

PG: Yeah, I think so. Because, you know, for the longest [time], as a young guy, you want to say the right stuff, you want to protect the organization, you want to protect teammates, you want to protect yourself, image, brand, all of that good stuff, right? But you lose sight of like, Am I really answering this the way I want to answer it? Am I really getting off the thought or the idea that I really want to say? And sometimes after interviews, I’m like, you know, Fuck, I should have said what I really wanted to say. Or, I should have told them what really happened or how it really went. Or, how I really felt.  Now, with my podcast, I can do that. And I think that’s just the beauty in it. 

SLAM: On that note, what’s it like doing the interviewing after having been interviewed so many times? Do you feel like you have a different perspective of what goes into it? 

PG: Yeah, what I found doing it is [that it’s] very therapeutic, because a lot of stories that I’ve told, or a lot of stories that we’ve talked about, were things I held on to and haven’t really [gotten] that out. Whether it’s been good moments, bad moments, fun times, bad times, it’s just been therapeutic to express certain stories. For example, the conversation with DeMar [DeRozan] that we had about playing each other in high school, I have always felt how I felt leading up to that moment playing him in high school, but it was great to hear how he felt leading up to that moment playing me in high school. So conversations like that were great to kind of reflect back on and share that moment and share that story with somebody that I’m pretty good friends with, but we’ve never talked about that. And so it was just great to go back [down] memory lane and pick up on things that we’ve been through and experiences. Because otherwise, you hold on to certain stuff and [are] weirded out by how to share or reflect on some things.

SLAM: What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself, now that you’ve gotten into podcasting? 

PG: That I’m not just good at basketball. [laughs]. Nah, I mean, I knew whatever I put my time into I can be successful in. That’s what kind of person I am: if I lock in on something, I work extremely hard to be good at it. And being in the podcast space is another notch to reassure that. It’s just been fun. It’s honestly been fun. I never in a million years would have thought that I would be interviewing other players, talking about stories, being in front of a camera as much as I am, especially at this point in my career. So, you know, it’s just been a great roller coaster. And I’m just enjoying the ride at this point.

SLAM: Did you always feel that way—that you’re really only viewed as Paul George the basketball player?

PG: Not necessarily, but I do think people didn’t know much about me. I felt I was—everyone thought a certain way, based off of moments I’ve had in basketball, moments on the court, off the court. And that’s the only thing that they can pinpoint on me. But actually watching me in a podcast setting, getting to talk, getting to laugh, making jokes. I think people see me in a different light. And that’s what I appreciate, that they can separate [it, like], Oh he’s totally different. I thought he was way different. I had this perspective of him, [but] he’s actually a cool dude. He’s actually funny. He’s actually this, that. Which I am. I’m just as normal as anybody else. 

There’s definitely an appreciation there for fans for allowing [themselves] to re-introduce themselves to who Paul George is.

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Deyscha “Sway” Smith is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow her on Instagram/X, @deyschasmith and Tik Tok @deyscha.

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson. Action photos via Getty Images.

The post Paul George Unfiltered: Clippers Star Talks Training, Perception Around the NBA and Destroying the Competition appeared first on SLAM.

“EVERYBODY ON MUTE!” 

Jonquel Jones, the charismatic New York Liberty star, belts out the lyrics to Beyoncé’s “Energy,” a song off her Renaissance album. It’s August, and we’re all inside a workroom-turned-glam room at the Nets practice facility, where Jones, Breanna Stewart, Betnijah Laney, Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot—the Liberty’s starting five—have spent the past hour or so getting their hair and makeup done before the big moment: their first-ever SLAM cover shoot together as a newly-formed squad. The energy inside the room is a bit hectic, as videographers and producers shuffle in and out, checking to see if our cover stars are ready. 

Almost. But for the first of many times today, we’ve got Beyoncé lyrics to sing. After JJ, who is sitting right next to Sab and near Betnijah, cues everyone to go silent (an iykyk trend tied to Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour), the music continues. 

“Look around, it’s me and my crew. Big energy…”

In one of the salon chairs, a hair stylist is finishing curling Breanna Stewart’s long, brunette locks. Sitting nearby, Courtney Vandersloot is getting eyelash extensions and smiling to herself as she covers one eye, noticing the difference. Sab is the first one ready for photos, and we follow the All-Star guard across the hall to the practice court, which has been turned into a set with a white seamless backdrop and tons of studio lights. 

Off to the side, there’s a table full of vintage goodies—old-school digital cameras, an actual flip camera and a polaroid camera—which Sab immediately gravitates to once she’s done posing for flicks. It’s then that we learn how much of a girl’s girl she is, which is internet-speak for someone who respects and values their female friendships. One minute Sab is hyping her teammates up, the next she’s posing Sloot for her own photo-op moment with a glass of champagne that someone brought on set.

This is the same Sabrina we once crowned the “Next Queen of New York” on the cover of SLAM 231, but who said a queen has to rule alone? Sab came into the W as the NCAA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 and, undoubtedly, one of the most popular young players in the League. Then the team signed Betnijah Laney ahead of the 2021 season, and since then, excitement has been steadily building in Brooklyn. Now, with Sab, Laney, JJ, Stewie and Sloot leading the way, the New York Liberty are the No. 1 team in the East at 32-8—the franchise’s best regular-season record ever.

While the media pushes the narrative that the WNBA has entered a “superteam era,” history shows that superteams ain’t new in the W. The Houston Comets won the first four championships in the League’s existence between ’97-2000, and then the L.A. Sparks won back-to-back ’chips in ’01 and ’02. The following year, the Detroit Shock won their first title and then another one in ’06. The Minnesota Lynx won four titles in seven years between 2011-2017. 

To call this Liberty squad a superteam makes it sound like they’re a machine that’s been programmed to dominate, rather than a group of women who have come together and decided—both individually and collectively—that they want to be the best. 

“I think we’re just super humans,” Sab says when asked about the superteam label. “I just feel like we all have a story to tell, and we’re all at such different parts in our careers, but when we all come together, that’s really the joy in being part of a team.”

Biggest show in Brooklyn. SLAM 246 featuring the New York Liberty is out now.

The story of how this squad joined forces didn’t start with Stewie—JJ was technically the first to join the Libs when she was traded back in January—but Stewie’s free agency announcement did shock the world. It was one thing for the Liberty to have a new superstar in JJ, but when Stewart started posting those emoji-filled tweets, everyone, including Kevin Durant, was hyped. Another star teaming up with JJ?! “They cookin’,” KD said on his podcast, The ETCs. “They bringing the best talent to New York.” 

Then, on February 1, Stewie pulled a move reminiscent of when Yoncé dropped Lemonade: she posted only a Statue of Liberty emoji and a video of her switching into a teal-colored long sleeve warm-up shirt. Just a day later, Courtney Vandersloot pulled her own WNBA insider moment by tweeting that she’d also signed with the Libs. To put in perspective just how crazy elite a trio of Stewie, JJ and Sloot is, we’re talking three WNBA titles, 14 All-Star appearances, seven First Team All-WNBA selections and three All-Defensive First Team selections, plus Stewie’s two Finals MVPs, regular season MVP and Rookie of the Year title, Jonquel’s Sixth Woman of the Year award and Courtney Vandersloot’s place in the record books (she’s ranked second all-time in assists). They’re all undoubtedly future Hall of Famers. 

Still, it’s crazy to think that there was a time when Stewie’s decision almost didn’t happen. “I was back and forth a lot, really,” Stewie tells us. “It was between Seattle and New York.

“The three of us [Sloot and JJ] were talking a lot during free agency,” she continues. “But also knowing who was on the Liberty before us and that’s Sab and B making sure that we want to come here to win.” 

Now that she’s in Brooklyn, Stewie has continued to solidify her rightful place as one of the most versatile players to ever play the game. She was out here setting records on day one, literally—in her Barclays Center debut against the Indiana Fever, Stewie scored a franchise-record 45 points. She’s currently averaging a career-high 23.3 points per game (second in the W) and once again being mentioned in the MVP conversation.

On set, Stewie is poised and exudes a cool and collected type of confidence; she’s even rocking her own signature sneaker, the Stewie 2s, in all the photos. For the next 10 minutes, the 6-4 star is just as involved in the creative as she is in being the main subject. She poses with the camcorder and asks if we’ve got a pair of sunglasses she can throw on, too. The lights end up causing too much glare on the silver shades, but with only a few minutes left to get the perfect shot, she shines the brightest. At one point Stewie turns and stares directly into the lens with her blue eyes, giving us that look. Lights flash as our photographer snaps away. Pop! Stewie tilts her chin down, this time holding her gaze. Pop!

Throughout her seven years in the W, Stewie has done it all: won championships and MVPs, been the face of the Storm alongside the legendary Sue Bird. At this point, what fuels her to keep playing at such a high level?

“Mine is probably perspective,” the former UConn Husky says when asked about her source of motivation. “Obviously loving to win and loving to compete, but also realizing that these moments don’t last forever, and having a glimpse of that through an injury. Some of us have been through injuries where we’ve had to be out for seasons and stuff like that. So, never taking anything for granted, but also knowing that I have Ruby at home, looking up to me [and] watching every single move that I do, and making sure that I’m continuing to help make this team and this League better for her if she wants to play, but also the next generation.”

Stewart and JJ entered the WNBA in the same year, 2016, as the No. 1 and No. 6 picks, respectively, and have played together overseas on UMMC Ekaterinburg. For JJ, her move to New York happened after a trade request prior to the start of the 2023 season. “I didn’t know who was joining me yet,” Jones says. “When I looked at it, I was like, regardless of who joins me, I feel really solid with that decision.” 

Now that she’s found her groove with the Liberty, JJ has reached another level: she’s had 11 double-double performances so far and just dominated in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship in August with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks, all while shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field. She shines on set, too, cracking jokes and flashing her ever-present smile in most of the photos we take. The team’s PR person asks if we want pictures of her with her Commissioner’s Cup MVP trophy, and as the 6-6 forward holds her latest achievement, that smile gets even wider.

“I’m very happy to be in New York and be playing with these ladies,” she says. 

Sloot also had to trust in the vision when it came to whether she’d leave Chicago, where she spent over a decade with the Sky and set numerous records, or take her talents east. At first, she admits she was hesitant. “To be frank, I was trying to find a reason not to [leave] because the move to New York was just, like, never in the cards for me,” she says. “The more it went on, the more conversations I had of course with these ladies here, the ownership and coaching staff and everything, it was just like, this is an opportunity that I can’t pass up on. This is what I work for. This is what I dreamed [of].” 

As one of the smoothest, coldest floor generals in the W over the past decade, Sloot’s led the League in assists per game every year since 2017, with the exception of last season. When we caught up with her for this cover, she had just passed Ticha Penicheiro for second all-time in assists. 

This is what I work for. This is what I dreamed [of].”

– Courtney Vandersloot

It was during the playoffs last season that Sloot saw what she was in for—the energy and atmosphere in Barclays, the fans and, most notably, what kind of squad the organization was building. “We were the away team, of course, and everybody’s cheering against us, but I still [remember] just this energy and I was just like, Wow, this is awesome. They’re really building something here…You could tell they were in a really good place, they were on an upward…”

“…trajectory,” JJ chimes in. 

“Thank you, JJ,” Sloot continues. “I just wanted to be a part of it, and I remember that it was such a fresh feeling for me when I was in the free agency talks.” 

That trajectory wouldn’t have been possible without Betnijah and Sabrina helping set the foundation. B, who is in her eighth year in the W, needs no introduction, and she certainly didn’t need to make one to her new teammates. Drafted in 2015, just a year before Stewie and JJ, she played with Stewie for USA Basketball and attended various camps when they were younger. She was a rookie on the Sky when Sloot was in her fifth season and suited up alongside JJ in Connecticut in 2018.

“For me, the chemistry and everything, it just kind of came naturally,” she says. 

JJ felt it, too. While she admits that she “didn’t know Sabrina that well” initially, she did reach out to her before deciding to come to New York. Since joining forces, JJ’s been impressed with how well they’ve gotten along. “I’ve been so amazed with just how well our personalities mesh on the team,” she says. “That’s really like my little sister, like we’re always goofing off together, always doing silly stuff.”

Sabrina, averaged 17 points, 5.6 boards and 5.4 dimes for the season, has dropped 30-pieces on numerous occasions and nearly broke the internet with her near-perfect performance during the All-Star Three-Point Contest in July. Go back and watch the highlights. Notice her approach, her form, her confidence. When she gets to the right corner, Sab smirks. It’s clear she’s having fun. The crowd goes insane and the camera pans to Sloot, who is equally as hyped. We all just witnessed, in real-time, one of the League’s brightest young stars go 25 of 27 from three and break the contest record for both the WNBA and NBA. That’s pure star power right there. 

She wasn’t done breaking records either. In the Liberty’s 96-89 win over the Sparks on September 7, marking the team’s eighth straight victory, Sab broke the WNBA single season record for total threes (121), which was set by the GOAT Diana Taurasi in ’06. 

“I’m really proud to just watch the way that [Sab] has grown in this League,” JJ says. “Just the level that she has been playing at this season has been amazing.” 

Then there’s Betnijah, who exemplifies what it means to stay confident and true to who you are, both on and off the court. After having a breakout season in 2020 while on the Atlanta Dream—including winning Most Improved Player and being named to the All-Defensive First Team—Laney has elevated her game on both ends of the floor since signing with the Liberty in 2021. Look beyond the box score and simply watch the way she moves from the moment she gets the ball, pulling off behind-the-backs and spin moves reminiscent of a 6-0 dancer (Laney took ballet, tap and jazz classes when she was a child).

With her physicality and quick instincts on defense, Laney’s typically tasked with guarding the other team’s best player, too. Her role, as head coach Sandy Brondello told WNBA.com, is to be the “engine that gets everyone going.”

Adds Stewie: “I’ve known B for a really long time, and the way she is as a two-way player, making things really difficult, taking advantage of whatever matchup she has offensively but also [being a] defensive stopper. Hard-nosed player, never stops, does [the] dirty work, does whatever the team needs.”

Betnijah also has a way of commanding any room she’s in. On set, it’s B’s show when she poses in front of the camera—without needing any direction from our photographer, she effortlessly switches angles and stares deeply into the lens. To quote one of her favorite artists, Beyoncé, Betnijah’s giving I’m that girl energy with each hair flip. Having spent the past three years in Brooklyn, B knows what the city is about, from the food scene (she’s got a whole list of the best food spots) to the way New Yorkers carry themselves. “Brooklyn people just show up,” she says. “That New York atmosphere, that gritty, [it’s] loud, [they’re] into it, they’re backing us. They’ve shown up and showed out, and so it’s kind of a give and take. We’re giving them a show [and] they’re fueling us.”

Together, Laney and Sab have been at the forefront of what the Liberty have been building toward. With a new team dynamic and roster changes, it could’ve been easy for egos to get in the way of the Libs’ success this season, but it’s actually been quite the opposite. “It’s really hard to put a team with this much star power together and for it to succeed,” Sabrina says. “But I think when you have players that aren’t only playing for themselves but playing for one another, and from the beginning, we’ve all committed to playing for one another and wanting to see each other succeed in whatever it is that that individual wants.

“And we’ve really been bought into that because I think to our core, that’s just who we are as individuals, and I think that’s why we’re playing the way we are and we’ve been having the season that we have been having in such a short amount of time [despite] not really knowing each other and playing with each other for so long, ’cause it’s just who we are. And we’ve really stayed true to that.”

As much as this story is about them, our cover stars aren’t the type of people to make things all about themselves. Ask Betnijah about her “why” and what motivates her and she brings up her niece, JJ (who she calls “Little JJ” when she’s around Jones), and how she wants to continue to “inspire [and] be role models.” Big JJ wants to win, but she also wants to succeed for her family and all the people “who have sacrificed” to help her get to where she is today. Sab brings up the process, and how they’re able to “look back” and see how much the organization has grown. 

They’re all playing for something bigger than themselves. As they look to bring a championship to Brooklyn, they all recognize that this team represents the new era of the W. An era of player empowerment, of women making power moves. “I have obviously been in the League for a long time, and for so long there wasn’t a lot of player movement and there wasn’t a lot of this,” Sloot says. “Stewie touched on it, our ability to kind of control our careers and do what we want, create this buzz. Women’s basketball is at an all-time high right now, so why not take advantage of that? Take control of our careers, do what we want, be where we want. And for all of us, that was here.”

For Stewie, it’s simple. “Everyone,” she says, “is chasing greatness.”

SLAM 246 COVER TEES AVAILABLE NOW

Welcome to The Stars Align Tour. Consider this New York Liberty SLAM 246 Cover Tee as our official “tour merch” as the Libs continue dominating the WNBA.

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Cover Story: Deyscha “Sway” Smith

Photographer: Marcus Stevens

Cover Design: Lester Padilla

Cover Shoot Producers: Sway, Sole Ortiz Ruiz, Arvind Pitchai

Video:  Eli Selva

Intern: Haben Fessehazion

Graphics: Erica Davis, Abdel Kyle Traore

SLAM Social: Arvind Pitchai

WSLAM Social: Sole Ortiz Ruiz, Mya Peterson

The post The New York Liberty are Chasing Greatness appeared first on SLAM.

The NBA All-Star is keeping that same energy when it comes to supporting the current crop of NBA rookies. Brown, who has his own brand, 7uice, is now venturing into art collecting and wants to educate players coming into the League on the value of investing through art. 

Working alongside creative legend Set Free Richardson, they’ve set out to gift rookies with art pieces that, in time, will appreciate in value. The two met up with Portland Trail Blazers guard and fellow Marietta native Scoot Henderson during NBA Summer League in Vegas and presented him a hand-signed print by award-winning painter and one of Brown’s favorite artists Rafa Macarrón at the Rookie 1 Party. The piece, which is worth over 20k, was acquired from Lio Malca’s Gallery 60 White. 

“A good amount of our players are current art collectors,” Brown tells SLAM. “I’m currently growing my art collection and looking forward to learning more about art and all its capacities. As I learn and grow, I plan on sharing that learning process with the world, as well as my NBA counterparts.” 

Macarrón, a self-taught artist from Madrid, Spain, has a personal style that’s inspired by dreams and childhood. The piece gifted to Henderson is both eclectic and interesting as it is playful, and features pastel colors and uniquely drawn figures. It perfectly connects with Henderson’s own creativity, too, as the SLAM 244 cover star is also interested in art and fashion. 

Now, thanks to Brown and Richardson, he has his own very limited-edition piece to take with him to his new home in Portland. Scoot is just the first of many rookies Brown and Richardson plan on gifting art pieces to, including Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller.

“Hopefully in time the piece will grow in value and art collecting will become a great hobby that [they] will learn to love and appreciate,” Brown adds.  

Photos courtesy of Set Free Richardson.

The post Jaylen Brown and Set Free Richardson Want to Educate NBA Rookies on the Value of  Investing Through Art  appeared first on SLAM.

Cambridge was visiting New York City when we filmed her announcement video at SLAM HQ in Queens; she was there to take part in a Jr. NBA program held around the NBA Draft, where she and other top high school prospects were mentored by notable figures around the League. As she posed for flicks in her Montverde jersey, it was apparent that Cambridge was still getting used to it all—the cameras, the attention—but she remained just as poised under the bright lights.

That’s the same energy she’ll bring to the Eagles next season: a player who can not only handle the moment but stay true to herself along the way.

For Cambridge, the decision to transfer had everything to do with opportunity, the chance to play in front of larger crowds and wanting to elevate her family’s legacy. 

“Coming from the school that I was at, it was a really good program,” she says. “I had really good teammates and a really great coach. I just wanted a different opportunity for a bigger stage. Coming from my basketball family, I just wanted to continue that legacy of putting our name out there. Montverde has been the Geico National champions for the past two years, and we’re looking to run it back this year.”

The Cambridges are a basketball powerhouse of their own. Jaloni’s older brother, Jalon, played at Pope John Paul II High School in Nashville, where he set an all-time scoring record before going on to play at Fisk University. Her brother Desmond Jr won Ivy League Rookie of the Year at Brown, where he also broke the school’s freshman scoring record with 468 points, before transferring to Nevada and then Arizona State. Big sister Jordyn attended Ensworth and was ranked No. 23 overall (the No. 4 guard) in 2018 by ESPN before heading to Vanderbilt. Then there’s Devan, who transferred to Hillcrest Prep in Arizona and was ranked No. 8—he played at Auburn before joining big bro Desmond Jr at Arizona State. Jaloni played alongside sister Deayonna, who goes by Kennedy, and was a four-star recruit, at Ensworth. After a season at Kentucky, Kennedy entered the transfer portal and just recently committed to Ohio State. Then there’s her brother Jasiah, who has grown up around plenty of role models to look up to inside the Cambridge household.

Their father, Desmond, was an NCAA legend during his time at Alabama A&M. To this day, he still holds the Division I men’s single-season steals record of 160, which he set during the 2001-02 season.

“I mean, it’s always competitive,” Jaloni, the youngest of the Cambridges, says about her household. “[There’s always] someone that’s coming after you, but someone that’s also willing to help you get to the next level. For my siblings, they’re already there [playing DI] and they’re still going, but they’re pushing me while also helping me so I can do what they’re doing but [also] do better than them.”

Having watched her siblings go through the entire recruitment process and play at the collegiate level, Cambridge knows exactly what to expect as she narrows down her top seven schools, which include LSU, Baylor, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida, Louisville and South Carolina. The Cambridge family is incredibly tight, too—they play UNO every Sunday and remain by Jaloni’s side throughout her journey. Cambridge’s mom was even on FaceTime with her daughter throughout our entire shoot—there to support and hype her up. 

“With recruiting and everything, because [Kennedy and I] are the youngest, Jordan would help us,” Jaloni says. “She told us that any time we needed anything, specifically about recruiting, we could come to her about it. And even if we didn’t have to ask anything, she would just tell us what to expect, what not to expect. 

And then with Kennedy, we literally talk every day. So, if there’s something that she sees that she thinks could help me, then she’s gonna tell me that. If she thinks that I could do better at something, like recruiting-wise or just anything in life, she’s gonna tell me that because she wants what’s best for me.”

Cambridge describes her game as “different from a lot of people” because of her speed. “I don’t think that everyone has the ability to use that speed and then get to their spots as quickly as I can. And then over the past two years, I’ve developed this jumper…that’s what I take advantage of.”

When asked what she’s looking for in a Division I program, Cambridge says that she wants to go to a school that will embrace her skill set and also provide a family environment. 

“Someone who’s gonna take me in and accept me as their own because I’m gonna be [me],” she says. “I want it to be a home away from home.”

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post No. 1 Ranked Point Guard Jaloni Cambridge is Ready to Elevate Her Elite Game at Montverde Academy appeared first on SLAM.

At just 20 years old, Madison Ledyard has emerged as one of the most exciting stylists in the game and the visionary behind some of the biggest fashion moments in women’s basketball. When we first caught up with the Cleveland native for an episode of “WSLAM Styling,” she had just worked with Sparks’ rookie Zia Cooke for her 2023 WNBA Draft look. Cooke pulled up wearing an elegant mermaid cutout dress with exquisite gemstones and detailing. The look caught everyone’s attention, especially on WNBA Twitter.

“I just thought it was so crazy that [Cooke] wanted me for such a special moment,” Ledyard, who has known Cooke for years, told us back in April. “We wanted to do something completely different. We wanted her to step out of her comfort zone a little, because a lot of people aren’t used to seeing Zia in gowns, hair up, you get what I’m saying? We wanted to do something very, very different for this so that we could always remember it.”  

Ledyard got into styling when she was 18, exploring her creativity on TikTok where she’d make videos of different outfits she had put together, posting “Style With Me” clips. Influencers started reaching out to her for help with putting together looks for different collabs they were doing. Pretty soon, more opportunities started rolling in: Maddie attended New York Fashion Week and even styled Coco Blake. 

That was just the beginning. After tweeting that she wanted to work with LSU star Angel Reese—to which the Bayou Barbie responded with “*eyeball emoji* let’s workkkkk”—Ledyard became the go-to stylist for some of Reese’s biggest appearances this year. Her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue release party look? That was Maddie. The ESPN Upfront event? Maddie styled that, too. 

“If you told me a few months ago that I would be working with Angel, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Ledyard says. “Back in March, I was eating at a restaurant in Miami and I got the opportunity to watch Angel’s championship game, and I thought in my head, I’m gonna find my way to her. I don’t know how but I am.”

And she did. Maddie also styled Reese for “Put It On Da Floor Again,” Latto’s new music video featuring Cardi B. In the video, the Bayou Barbie is rockin’ a baby blue hoodie, camo mini skirt and a pair of Y2K-esque sunglasses as she rips Latto out of a display covered in Saran Wrap. In another scene, she’s pushing Latto around in a shopping cart at a supermarket while singing along to the song.

When Cardi B raps the line, “I been ballin’ so damn hard, could’ve went to LSU,” the camera zooms in on Reese, who stares back through her shades.

With only a few days’ notice that the shoot was going to have a Y2K theme, Ledyard sourced most of the pieces from different thrift stores. As for Angel’s boots, well, that was all Maddie—she made them out of a pair of rain boots that she thrifted and a piece of fur material. 

“When it comes to my clients, I am very dedicated, and I will do anything to find an outfit for an occasion,” she says. “When it comes down to it, I don’t mind getting crafty for my clients.”

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As for her own personal style, Maddie describes it as being very “streetwear, chill and laid back,” but she can tap into her “classy side” when she wants to. She also loves sweats, a denim-look and graphic tees. Her clients don’t just trust her taste but also her vision. As she continues to take over the styling game, Maddie is just as focused on supporting the next generation of creatives. 

“I personally feel like I am just beginning. I am nowhere [near] where I wanna be. But I’m so thankful for these recent opportunities,” she says. “And I have so much in store for the rest of the year, and I’m so excited for you guys to see. I genuinely want to use this success and platform to help younger creators make it, because I know how hard it is to make it where I’m from. I would love to create more opportunities for young aspiring creative stylists.”

Photos by OneChanceFlims and Getty Images, courtesy of Maddie.

The post Madison Ledyard is the Innovative Stylist Behind Your Favorite Women’s Basketball Looks This Year—from Zia Cooke to Angel Reese appeared first on SLAM.

Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby is on set, marveling at the photos that were just taken for a Jordan Brand campaign. It’s June, and Hamby is with us at the Jordan Brand Flagship store in downtown L.A. She’s rockin’ a pair of Jordan IIIs along with a custom mini skirt paired with a Jordan sports bra peeking through a netted top. As she peers over her white shades and takes flicks of the photos that were just shot, it’s clear that she’s hyped about how everything is turning out…including her outfit. Not only is the look Instagram-worthy, but it’s something that she wishes she could wear in the tunnel right now. 

The fashion visionary behind Hamby’s one-of-one look, as well as the entire editorial campaign, is none other than Sydney Bordonaro. The Pittsburgh native popped off with every look and did so by herself, without even one PA or assistant. One minute Bordonaro is in the locker-room-turned-glam-room, a pair of office scissors in hand, cutting Hamby’s top, which was originally a dress; the next she’s handing Chicago Sky guard Dana Evans a white leather purse and black shades to wear when it’s her turn in front of the camera. When Evans sees the photos, her reaction is nearly identical to Hamby’s—she, too, asks for the photos to be sent to her ASAP.

That’s the pure magic that is Bordonaro. She has a way of getting her clients to trust her, all while putting together looks that compliment them both as women and athletes. Look no further than the fits she’s put together with superstars like our co-cover star Kelsey Plum, who is always rockin’ something crazy in the tunnel before games and is consistently featured on LeagueFits. Bordonaro is big on attention to detail; having styled Hamby before, she had the skirt custom made to fit her perfectly. 

“My favorite part of what I do is my relationships with each of my clients. I cherish it,” she says. “There’s a very friendship-type bond between us. I love it. I’m always cognitive to never get too comfortable, though. They’re paying me for a service. They’re trusting me with their image.”

It’s not hard to trust her vision either. Bordonaro’s own sense of style is fire. Scroll through her Instagram feed and you’ll notice her bold, bright and colorful fits, long acrylic nails and lashes. It makes sense why she’s so tapped into the game—Bordonaro can hoop, too. She committed to Pepperdine as a sophomore in high school, and after graduating in three years, she did her grad year at Long Beach State. Word in the SLAM office was that she dropped buckets on Duke back in the day, which we later confirmed—as a freshman, she scored 23 points and hit seven three-pointers in that game.

“It just recently came to my attention that people who’ve met me from styling didn’t know I was a hooper! It blows my mind because I feel like I still associate myself [with] being a basketball player. I still feel like that’s me!” she says. 

Bordonaro started playing basketball when she was just 4 years old and wore a different Allen Iverson jersey to school every day in second grade. Basketball has remained “the center of [her] life since then,” but styling wasn’t necessarily something she thought she would do. Bordonaro majored in sports management and had her sights set on becoming an NBA agent. It wasn’t until after she finished school, and she didn’t “have to focus on ball as much,” that she started really tapping into her creativity.

“I love fashion, because in the craziest way, it’s just like basketball,” she says. “I love that you can portray who you are based on the way you dress. It’s a form of expression. You can catch someone’s vibe as soon as they walk into the room based on the way they’re dressed.” 

As one of the leading stylists truly elevating the WNBA fashion game, Syd is pretty booked and busy these days, but her vision has started becoming clearer and clearer as more opportunities come her way. “Recently, I decided I want a showroom, a fly creative space. I think I’m going to do that in Vegas by the end of the year,” she says. “I also see myself working beside athletes, agencies and brands more and more. I want to build a team around me. I want to bridge the gap [because] I see a disconnect here.

“Great things take time,” she adds. “I’m really enjoying the process of building this thing up.”

The post Meet Sydney Bordonaro: the Visionary and Stylist Who is Elevating the WNBA Fashion Game appeared first on SLAM.

Let’s take it back to ‘06. Long before he became a six-time NBA All-Star, Jimmy Butler was dropping buckets as a senior at Tomball High School in Texas, where he averaged 19.9 points and served as team captain. Still, he was considered a two-star recruit, and went on to play at Tyler Community College before catching the attention of Marquette. 

The story goes that the same young player who once was overlooked emerged into a college standout, and is now one of the most dominant players in the League. Butler wears that on his sleeve through his gritty playing style and his unwavering confidence, and quite literally: the Miami Heat superstar has rocked personal and custom-made high school and college varsity jackets inside arena tunnels throughout the season. 

While the apparel is personal to Butler—his Tomball varsity jacket even features a captain patch as well as the year 2007 and his jersey number—he’s teamed up with TOP DRWR, an innovative platform that’s the premier destination for all things high end fashion, to bring a unique experience to NBA fans and style icons.

TOP DRWR, which was co-founded by one of the illest artists in the game, French Montana, is now offering their first unveiling which includes an auction of ten items from Butler’s personal closet, including both varsity jackets, a pair of Jordans and more.

Done in partnership with The Shop Miami, all of the items have been curated by longtime stylists Calyann Barnett and Khalilah Beavers. Barnett, who has worked with everyone around the game including Dwyane Wade, is one of the most innovative visionaries in the NBA fashion world. Then there’s Khalilah Beavers, who has styled everyone from Butler to Carmelo Anthony to Jimmy Butler, and has redefined the style across the League through her work. 

The first auction is available at www.topdrwr.io and will close on Thursday, August 31, 2023. A portion of the proceeds from TOP DRWR’s initial auctions will be donated to the Social Change Fund United to support important issues impacting the Black community. 

To get a better sense of what kind of heat TOP DRWR offers, look no further than their vast collection of apparel, sneakers and luxury accessories from designers including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, Versace, Fear of God, Off White, and Rolex. You don’t have to be a 6-7 NBA All-Star to show out like you’re in the tunnel or on LeagueFits—but thanks to TOP DRWR, you can look like one. 

Don’t just cop clothes, cop pieces. Sign up here. 

The post Inside Jimmy Butler’s Closet: TOP DRWR is Auctioning the Superstar’s Varsity Jackets, Sneakers and More appeared first on SLAM.

“I’m not missing this game,” he says. “If it happens, it happens.”

What happened next broke the internet. Insider tweets, push notifications and jersey swap graphics flooded social media. Another superteam shaking things up and with it came the inevitable question: Can the Suns’ new Big Three of Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker win a championship?

When Beal first heard that the deal was in play, he had his own questions. “I was like, Why are they trading Book? Like there’s no way that this is happening,” Beal says. “Like, this can’t be, this isn’t right. But fast forward, he’s here, I’m here and Kevin’s here and DA [Deandre Ayton]’s here. It’s surreal and crazy to think about how the deal even came to fruition, but it’s done and I’m in an awesome situation where I can compete every single night for a chance to win.”

Bradley Beal has arrived. SLAM 245 is out now, shop here.

The future can be exciting, but with it comes letting go of the past. For Beal, that meant saying goodbye to the city he and his family have lived in for the past decade and to the organization that drafted him as the third overall pick in 2012.

The kid from St. Louis is now leaving as a 30-year-old man, a father and the second-ranked player on the Wizards’ all time scoring list. “It definitely was an emotional time for sure throughout the whole transition of the trade,” he admits. “I’ve been in DC for 11 years and that, that is, uh, a long time, and I’ve established a lot of great bonds and relationships with people in the organization and in the city itself. It was definitely a lot of emotional ties [and] a tough decision to be able to walk away from it, but it was one that was necessary. It’s a new chapter, you know. So I’m excited for it, for both parties, for us, for me moving forward, and for Washington and them moving forward. It’s bittersweet, but I’m happy that I get to move forward into another opportunity.”

Beal turned up for his birthday in DC and then flew to Phoenix the next day for his introductory
press conference with his new team while his family stayed behind to pack and move all of their
belongings out of their home. He had just landed that morning when we met up with him at the Footprint Center for his first-ever SLAM cover shoot. There are screens all over the arena, including on the jumbotron and in the lounge where we’re set up, with a picture of his face and the words, “WELCOME BRADLEY BEAL.”

“It feels like I got drafted all over again,” he says, wearing his Suns uniform for the first time. “I got drafted on my birthday at the age of 19 in 2012. And then here you go, fast forward 11 years later, the age of 30. I’m with a new team. It is definitely coming full circle. Feels surreal in some ways, but I’m definitely excited for this new journey.”

There’s a misconception about adulthood that by the time you’re 30, you’re supposed to have it all figured it out. NBA superstars aren’t the exception to that—they, too, have to deal with big life changes, career moves and saying goodbye to people they’ve spent time with. For Beal, that meant his teammates, coaches and the Wizards ownership group. “It was tough to have those conversations [and say] goodbye, but it was also encouraging. Everybody gets a chance to continue to move forward—some guys get bigger opportunities and bigger roles in DC, which [will] be great for them. And now I have a bigger and better opportunity in front of me, too.”

He can’t help but smile when he talks about how excited he is for what’s next. The respect is already there between Beal and his new teammates: he knows what KD and D. Book are about on the court, having competed against them both over the years. But there are still a lot of questions lingering around how the Suns’ Big Three can work together.

Beal has some thoughts on that, as well as where he wants to take his game next season.

SLAM: Let’s get right into it. A lot of people are wondering how so many offensive superstars can coexist. What’s your perspective on that?

Bradley Beal: In terms of our balance, we’ve talked subtly about how this thing can work. We know it won’t be easy. It’ll be a challenge, but the biggest thing is understanding [that our] one goal at the end of the day is winning. You know, we’re all gonna have our own individual goals, but I think the beauty about our group is that we’re so unselfish. And sometimes we might have to, like, yell at each other to shoot the ball or yell at each other to be aggressive because we have that mentality of deferring to the next man.

So I think it’s gonna be very fun. It won’t be easy. It’ll be a work in progress, I think. You know, it’s very hard to win in our League. I think a lot of people kind of think—they see a team, Oh, they’re gonna win. But, you know, we still have to figure it out. We still have to be blessed and be healthy throughout the year and make it work. But we’ll be a challenge. I think we have a great group that’s ready to fill their roles and accept it.

SLAM: Have you had a chance to connect with your new teammates?

BB: Yeah, my new teammates have been awesome. K [Kevin Durant], Book, D. Ayton, Cam [Cameron Payne], everybody’s been unreal in this whole transition. This is all new for me, but I’m embracing it, and these guys have all embraced me. It’s like, I’m ready to get to work, you know? This is definitely an awesome group of guys to be a part of. We’re still building on our team, but it’s been a joy so far.

SLAM: Do you guys have a group chat already?

BB: Yes, we do have a group chat already that has [been] assembled. That started ASAP.

SLAM: What have the first texts been like?

BB: It’s nothing wild. I think the first thing honestly was Book saying, like, Yo, let’s go work out. That’s what I would love to be a part of, man. I’m just super excited to be around like-minded guys who wanna push each other each and every day…To have that first text be, Let’s get in the gym. I think that’s a great message [for] the season.

SLAM: You and KD go way, way back, and you and Booker play the same position. Having competed against both of them for years, what were your first impressions?

BB: That they’re very humble, and that’s something I take [pride in]. I try to carry myself the same way, with humility at all times. We’re given so much, we’re looked at as role models and we’re blessed. To be able to just be so down to earth like these guys and be selfless, that’s what I wanna be around. That’s what I wanna surround myself with. And like-minded guys on the floor who just want to go win. Whatever that looks like, whatever it takes, that’s what they want to do.

SLAM: After averaging 23.2 points last season, what are your personal goals for the upcoming season?

BB: Oh man, it’s tough. I haven’t really thought about my own goals yet, but I would say the biggest individual piece is getting back to being one of the best two-way players in the League. Showing that I can really compete at a high level and play a meaningful game. You know, playing in the playoffs, winning in the playoffs, advancing past rounds.

Granted, I wanna get back to my All-Star level of play. I really believe that that’s who I am: All-NBA guy, All-Star guy. And I have a good group that can push me to be that every single day. So I’m excited about that opportunity. I get to be around like-minded guys and guys who will push me to make sure that I’m the best version of myself every day.

SLAM: Have you had a chance to talk to head coach Frank Vogel yet?

BB: Yes, Coach Vogel is awesome. I’ve had several instances of speaking with him. A brilliant mind in the game of basketball, NBA champion, defensive-minded coach. You know, I’m definitely excited to be able to see where he’ll take us, our team and where he’ll push us to. I’m definitely ecstatic with his knowledge of the game and his presence as a head coach.

SLAM: Looking back at your time in DC, do you have a favorite memory or defining moment that you’ll carry with you into this next chapter?

BB: I had so many great memories and so many great moments in DC. It’s really hard to pinpoint one. I think I’m just grateful for all the bonds and the relationships I’ve built. I think that’s what I’ll propel into my next chapter of life. I want this chapter to be more or less open and me not trying to control everything.

I think we, as humans, sometimes try to control our lives a little too much. I want to just let this wave kind of take me where it wants to go and let God lead the way and enjoy it every step of the way.

SLAM: What’s the legacy you hope to leave after your 11 seasons in DC?

BB: My biggest thing when it comes to legacy is always the impact I leave on people. You know, whether it’s teammates, the community, my coaches, the organization as a whole, the people that you encounter on a day to day [basis].

I just want, you know, my encounters to be great. I want you to remember me as just a great human being. I can be good at basketball. We’re all good at basketball, but, you know, what kind of person was I? I don’t want to be somebody who puts themselves above everybody else. So, I always try to say my interactions and my moments with people are always my biggest legacy. I want to leave lasting memories with them.

SLAM: With all the hype and attention on the Suns right now, what can we expect from the team next season? What type of time are y’all on?

BB: Expect a very fun team to be playing in Arizona this year. The Phoenix Suns will be hungry. We’ll be very aggressive, but it’ll be a very fun style of play that every fan will love—love to tune in to watch. So, we can’t wait. We’re excited. We have a lot of very talented guys, so we’re excited about it.

SLAM 245 Gold Metal Edition + Cover Tee are available now!

Portraits by Erik Isakson.

The post Bradley Beal’s Next Chapter: Phoenix’s New Star Opens Up About Getting Traded, His Legacy and Returning to His All-Star Form appeared first on SLAM.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SLAM 245 GOLD MEDAL EDITIONS + COVER TEES OUT NOW!

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

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

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

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

Boston will promote destination through local and national campaigns.

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

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

Featured Image via Getty Images.

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

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

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

And the Aces aren’t just any team.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“KP always circles back,” Wilson adds. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We’re tuned in, are you? 

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

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson.

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

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

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

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

Scoot Henderson covers SLAM 244. Get your copy here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Scoot Henderson on His Future

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The future has never looked brighter. 

Portraits: Diwang Valdez

Styling: Ian Pierno // Assistant: Kai Mac 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo via Noah Graham for SC30 Inc.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SMITH: I probably would’ve chose golf.

SLAM: Wow. Why?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SLAM: Do you miss hooping at all? 

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

Portraits Atiba Jefferson, Action Photo Getty Images.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post Meet Matas Buzelis: the Sunrise Christian Academy Senior Who’s Primed to be the Next G League Ignite Star appeared first on SLAM.

The song choice is almost too good for this moment. Clarkson, who, per our sources, actually styles himself, is a rock star in his own way, from popping out at New York Fashion Week in the fall to arriving this season ready to really turn things up and average new career-highs. As he poses for his first-ever SLAM cover wearing his Utah Jazz City Edition jersey and rockin’ a black gel manicure, his All-Star teammate, Lauri Markkanen, asks for his thoughts on how he should style his jersey. 

“Gotta have it untucked,” Clarkson says. 

SLAM 243 featuring Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson is out now. Shop here.

While Clarkson and Markkanen might seem different—Markkanen was born and raised in Finland and turns 26 in May, while Clarkson is from down South, raised in Texas, and a few years older (he turns 31 in June)—they actually have a lot in common. They’re both fathers and both born under the Gemini sign, which is Latin for “twins,” for the two stars that make up its constellation. This season, the Jazz’s two leading scorers are shining brighter than ever: Markkanen is averaging a career-high 25.7 ppg and was just named an All-Star for the first time, while Clarkson has significantly improved as a playmaker and is putting up a career-high 20.8 points and 4.4 assists per contest. They’ve gone from being parts of trades—Clarkson was sent to the Jazz in 2019 after stints in L.A. and Cleveland, while Markkanen was a part of a blockbuster trade this past summer after four years in Chicago and a year in The Land—to becoming two key pieces of a franchise on the rebuild.

“Confidence is everything in this League,” Markkanen says. “In life, in general. It makes everything so much easier when you believe in yourself—what you’re doing—but it goes to your teammates as well. On the court, for example, going [into] every shot, knowing that my teammates believe that I’m going to knock it down. I think it’s just everything in this building. We all believe in each other, and I think that’s really helping us build something bigger than ourselves.”

While JC and Markkanen describe themselves as chill—as Clarkson takes photos, Markkanen chats about taking his family bowling for the first time and wanting to make time for them in between traveling—they’re equally as perceptive when it comes to the future of the organization. They know it’s not just on them, or about them. They’ve got an entire squad behind them, too.

“Everybody is hungry,” Clarkson later adds. “We’ve got a bunch of young guys who are willing to prove themselves, coming in here to work. That’s like a foundation point of anything.” 

Just a few days after our shoot, the Jazz went out and showed how promising their future can be with a big win against Boston, in which Markkanen scored 28. Even as he and JC sat out against Sacramento, the rest of the team held it down, with Kelly Olynyk notching his second straight double-double and rookies Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji, who impressed with a 27-piece, shining. 

“We’ve got big goals for ourselves. Obviously it is a process, but we’re not trying to fast forward a little bit as well [in] trying to build a winning culture,” he says. “…For everybody, the end goal is to win a championship. While we’re having a good time as a team, I don’t think that’s why we’re here. I don’t think we’re here just to have a good time. We’re trying to win games and play meaningful games. That’s what we’re working toward.” 

There are guys who have been exactly where the Jazz are working to get to. Even Juan Toscano-Anderson, who just joined the team after a trade sent him to Utah in February, won a championship with the Warriors just last year. JC has been to the playoffs four times throughout his career. What he’s learned from playing with LeBron and Kobe is that in those moments, good or bad, you have to just keep it pushing. 

“It goes with the territory,” Clarkson later adds. “The biggest thing is that you wake up and the sun comes out the next day. You put your shoes back on, tie ’em up and figure it out. All of this is a part of the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs. The roller coaster ain’t no fun unless it makes loops.”

Back in 2018, JC was a 25-year-old with a low-top cut, learning those lessons firsthand in Cleveland. He made his first playoff appearance, and at the time, everything was “eye-opening.” The play calls. The level of communication. The Cavs went seven games against Indiana, swept Toronto and then went seven more against Boston to get to the Finals. Clarkson was trying to get up to speed as quickly as he could, but admits now that he didn’t feel as prepared as he thought he needed to be. 

The Cavs ended up losing to the Warriors in four games in the Finals. Clarkson didn’t hit the floor in either of the last two matchups. 

“Trying to get up to speed in a time where I’d never been in that situation was pretty crazy,” Clarkson says. “I kind of take it as a learning experience for me and just kept pushing and pushing, and now we’re in a position [where I’ve] played in the playoffs the last three, four years, have produced and we’ve won games—not where we wanted to be in the end goal but, I think I’ve made progress in that sense and being in a position now where we’re winning games and we’re trying to lead guys as well.”

As someone who prefers to live in the present, Clarkson has been able to dial in and prove the narrative wrong that his game is one-dimensional and he’s limited to just scoring wrong. He’s emerged as a playmaker who can dish no-look passes to Markkanen and orchestrate an offense. “The biggest thing is calm down. Not try to do too much and let plays happen,” he explains. “A lot of times, aggressiveness turns into bad things, so just being able to find yourself in those moments and being able to reel yourself in with a snowball effect…Knowing that I am an older guy now, I’ve been in the League for a while, [so], just trying to knock those moments down and just help the team. 

Is that what he’d tell his younger self? 

“Oh yeah, for sure. I’m probably talking to myself right now,” Clarkson says.

Both literally and figuratively, JC has really been climbing his way throughout his career, and since he arrived in Utah, he’s also been exploring what the city has to offer. He’s hiked the Living Room Trail, visited the hot springs and traveled even further south to see the canyons. “I just kind of get lost up there,” he says. “I know a few times, we’ve been up there when it was dark—figured out that’s not our cup of tea.” 

Utah has been a turning point for Markkanen, too. While he hasn’t had much time to really see Salt Lake City like that—he was playing for Finland in the EuroBasket this summer when the trade went down—he felt a “mental shift” from the minute he touched down in the city for training camp. 

“Getting traded, first of all, and then arriving here, I think just kind of flipped the switch in my mindset,” he says. “I thought I did everything I was asked to a year ago, and then to see the business side of basketball and still get traded. I kind of go out there and try to play my best every night. That really motivated me as well.” 

When asked how he’s managed to make such a massive leap within just a year, Markkanen admits that he’s always had the individual goal of wanting to become an All-Star. But to actually make that happen, he gives credit to his support system. “Coach [Will] Hardy has been doing a great job in just empowering the whole team and trying to play everybody [to] their strengths,” Markkanen explains. “And so, we’re all working toward a bigger goal, and it’s been a big part of why I’ve been able to do that—just getting the help and watching film, and again, back to that teammate thing, I’m not doing it by myself. A lot of my scoring, for example, is assisted baskets. They’re coming off my teammate’s passes, so they’ve been finding me, giving me good looks, and then I just gotta be able to knock them down. So I always give the biggest credit to my teammates and coaches.”

Clarkson is quick to show him love right back. “This year, as a player, seeing what the defenses are throwing at him and how he’s adjusting has been amazing,” he says, when asked about Markkanen’s growth. “It’s one of those things [where]—I’ve been around stars, major stars. Bron, Kobe. Seeing Don [Donovan Mitchell] last year as a young star. Seeing [Lauri] come into his own as a star, it’s been amazing.” 

Regardless of what the outcome of this season is, there’s power in Clarkson, Markkanen and the whole team keeping everything in perspective. To move up in the Western Conference standings, and solidify themselves as playoff contenders, they’ll have to keep that same energy, and keep it pushing. 

“I know it sounds crazy, but stick with the process,” Clarkson tells Markkanen. “The biggest thing you can always say: it’s never a failure, it’s just a learning experience. Next time, I know how you are, how you get to work. You ’gon figure it out. Next time that happens, he’s ’gon be prepared for it.”

SLAM 243 is also available in this exclusive Gold Metal Edition and Cover Tee.

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson are Ready to take the Utah Jazz to New Heights appeared first on SLAM.

Seeing is believing, and artist Troy Murray, who goes by the name TYP, has created just that and more: his latest work, titled “Rhetorical Question” depicts a realistic portrait of the NBA legend and even features sculpted Reebok Questions that were molded and casted from the actual kicks. 

When the Detroit-native pulls up to our office in Long Island City, he reveals that his artwork represents his early childhood memories of watching Iverson, who was his favorite player growing up, and begging his parents to buy him his own pair of kicks. He also got a subscription to SLAM when he was 12, and would keep issues on his bedside table. 

“Everybody has this memory of that AI cover,” TYP says. “Anybody that loves basketball has a memory. I was able to tell my version of the memory through that piece.” 

TYP says it takes him about two weeks to create each piece. He begins by sketching the portrait on Procreate to get an idea of the color scheme and textures he wants to incorporate. When it’s time to build the sculpture, he starts by creating the shape of the piece using foam and wood, and then sprays a light layer of concrete on top. To give it that rocky, aged-look, he casts and molds different elements of the piece, like the sneakers, out of a clay that hardens into a proxy, and then sands it down.

Shop Allen Iverson SLAM Cover Tees here.

His journey into developing his own distinct style started with a different pair of kicks, the Jordan 1s. After focusing primarily on drawing portraits, he wanted to explore an entirely new medium when he picked up a sneaker box one day. “I just saw how [the Jordan 1s] were sitting in there, and I just thought that if I just pattern those in the right way they could make a pretty relatively even painting surface for me. So I tried it and it worked.”

He would take pairs of kicks and quite literally cut them in half to use in his artwork. Yes, you read that right. “That original one, we were like, this is kind of crazy. We were just cutting these sneakers in half, but once we did it once [and] we cut one sneaker and started to actually piece it together and pattern it we were like, this is so dope. This is gonna work.” 

Eventually though, TYP’s friend Anthony let him know that instead of cutting them up, he could just mold them and replicate as many pairs as he wanted. Learning the entire molding and casting process, put things into perspective that he could now create his art on an even larger scale. 

By turning a real SLAM cover into a real-life sculpture, TYP has captured the very epitome of how art, basketball, history and human connection all intersect. .“I wanted to play off of the question and the answer here. I always thought that was so cool as a kid that he had a sneaker. That was the Question, the nickname was The Answer. And so the name of the piece was a Rhetorical Question. And the whole narrative was based around this, he’s always been the answer.”

Photos by Marcus Stevens.

The post Artist TYP Reimagines Iconic SLAM Allen Iverson Cover with ‘Rhetorical Question’ Sculpture appeared first on SLAM.

When the Knicks point guard pulls up to our office in Long Island City for his SLAM cover shoot, it’s clear that the man himself hasn’t changed since the last time we saw him. Brunson is still as focused as he was in Dallas—even sharper now. He’s figured out a way to not only elevate his own game, but help lead an entire franchise to new heights. Is this what he meant last year when he said that he didn’t think about how well he was doing…because he knew he could be doing even better? 

“You had to bring out the receipts, huh?” Brunson says when we bring it up on set. “I definitely have improved. I think it’s a mixture of work ethic, opportunity, fit and a little bit of luck, too. I mean, it’s a mixture of everything, but I’m honored to have the opportunity to go out there and play every other night and do what I can to help the team win. I just feel like whenever I step on the court, I have to be the best player I can be. And then we go back and watch [film] and [it’s like], how can I improve? And that’s just been my mindset since I can remember.” 

SLAM 243 featuring Jalen Brunson is available now. Shop now.

We’ve told this story before: how his mother, Sandra, taught him early on how to set goals and envision what he wanted out of life, while his father, Rick, who had a nine-year yourneyman career in the League and played on the Knicks inin the ’90s, pushed him and showed what staying true to the grind really means.

The too-small-kid out of Stevenson High School became the best point guard in the country and then a champion at Villanova. When his opponents were bigger, faster and stronger in college, he’d think to himself, How can I be creative? How can I get my opponents off balance? 

Now, at 26 years old and in his fifth year in the L, Brunson is writing a new chapter. He’s become that much more dangerous, especially when he’s beating dudes off the dribble and hitting them with the dream shake. “How can I use my smarts versus their athleticism?” Brunson says. “I’ve always been that way and it’s worked. It’s gotten me here.”

“Here” is the mecca of basketball. New York City has produced point guards so undeniably smooth with the rock they’ve become cultural icons, from God Shammgod to the Jelly Fam. Brunson, who grew up in Cherry Hill (NJ) back when Rick was suiting up in blue and orange, isn’t super flashy or hitting three-to-the-dome celebrations in Madison Square Garden like Melo, but he’s been exactly what the Knicks have needed to bring them back to the playoffs this season. 

“Being the point guard of the Knicks is special. It’s like a dream come true. You’re playing for a legendary organization, a legendary city,” he says. “And you just have to go out there and perform and just be yourself. And I think all year that’s what I’ve done. I’ve gone out there. I’ve been myself. Obviously you don’t play great for 82 games, but I give effort every time on the court. If I play with effort, just be genuine, be myself, not really care about anything going on but keep winning as my most important thought. The city of New York can praise you, but just gotta go out there and just be you.” 

Everyone is going to have an opinion, and when Brunson signed with the team during free agency, there were plenty of things said about him, including that he was overpaid and overhyped. “A lot of people [that] are saying the things that they’re saying, whether you’re playing basketball or doing whatever, they probably can’t do it to a level that you could do it. You don’t really worry about it—you just focus on yourself, focus on what you can control. And that’s my mindset. This is how I’ve always been and this is how I’m going to be for the rest of my career.”

People also thought that the Knicks weren’t going to amount to much. But as we go to printers, they’re fifth in the East and legitimate playoff contenders. 

Wait, run that back. The Knicks are…what?

This is the same franchise that’s been building and working to get to this point. Every win was a step forward. And sure, missing the playoffs last year and losing in the first round the year prior seemed like two giant leaps backward, but you can’t deny that they’ve been making major strides this season. They’ve shown that they can hold their own against teams like Philly, Denver and Boston. They’ve had not one, but two serious winning streaks—eight games in December and a nine-game streak in February. Who’s laughing now?

Brunson is having an even better season than he did last year, and averaging new career-highs across the stat sheet: 23.8 points and 6.1 assists per game, shooting 41.4 percent from behind the arc. The duo of JB and Julius Randle, who was named an All-Star this past February, is just pure magic. 

“He’s been special since I got here,” Brunson says of Randle. “Just to see how hard he works, how careful he is with his craft and how bad he wants to win, and we share that. Obviously, we’re both lefties—including RJ [Barrett] we’re all lefties. But we all want to win.” 

When the Knicks are winning, the entire city is buzzing with an energy that can be felt across all five boroughs and beyond. In Midtown, there’s a sign outside of Marathon Coffee that lists things the establishment is grateful for. The first is Jalen Brunson. All the way past the Bronx in Yonkers, a man is pulling up to a laundromat proudly wearing a pair of Patrick Ewing 33s, a pair of Knicks basketball shorts and a snapback. The Knicks are New York’s team, and right now, everyone is hyped about this year’s squad. Barrett just scored more than 25 points for three straight games and has been solid while Brunson has been out with an ankle injury. When Immanuel Quickley dropped 38 against the Celtics in a double-overtime win, Brunson was on Twitter faster than an NBA insider, calling him everything from HIMBO FISHER to HIMMY FALLON. Then there’s Josh Hart, who just arrived in the city after being traded from Portland in February and is already being embraced. 

Brunson and Hart go way back—they were college roommates at Villanova when Brunson was a sophomore and Hart was a senior. “Josh is my brother,” Brunson says. “That’s just a bond that can never be broken when you do something as big as win a national championship. That’s special. And the fact that we kind of get to keep that flame burning in the NBA and play together. It’s been an honor, it’s been special. He brings a different element to our team and I think you’ve seen it. Since he’s played it’s been amazing. What he does on the court is so evident, so special. It may not show up in a stat sheet—some of the things that he does—but he’s a killer.”

The Knicks already had leaders in Randle and veterans like Derrick Rose, but what they now have with the addition of Brunson is someone just as dedicated to the grind and in a constant pursuit of consistency. Brunson has told us before that his confidence comes from his work ethic, but there’s a reason why he always brings it up—he just can’t stop thinking about it. “The one thing I obsess over is just my work ethic,” he says. “If I’m always working, I’m always getting prepared, I will never have to just get ready. Don’t need to get ready when you stay ready.” 

What’s been key to the Knicks’ resurgence this season, as well as their growing confidence, is how they’ve been able to stay connected. They’re balanced on both ends of the court, and harmonious off of it: cracking jokes with (and about) each other on Twitter, telling the media who would and wouldn’t survive a zombie apocalypse. When they beat the Heat, it was Brunson who hugged Randle in the middle of his postgame interview, while the big man explained how much love they have for one another. This year’s squad has nicknames for each other, too: JB calls Randle “Sergeant” (but says that Randle has to be the one to tell us why) and Rose is “OG.” 

“The best advice that Derrick has given me is probably, he just tells me to lead every day,” says Brunson “Every single day. There are days where obviously you just kind of want to get your work and you want to get out of there and clear your head, but a leader leads every single day. And he reminds me to do it every single day, and it’s just special to have him. I think his presence alone kind of makes me just have to lead because I look at him, he looks at me and it’s kind of an unspoken thing that we know what we got to do.” 

As for Brunson’s own leadership style: “At first, I like to lead by example, to kind of show everybody what I’m about, what my agenda is, and [let them] know what’s most important to me,” he explains. “And then once everyone starts to see that, you can start to be more vocal and kind of say how you feel, say what you want. But I love to get to know my audience—know my teammates, how they react to certain things, how they can take criticism or whatever. I wouldn’t say anything to my teammates that I wouldn’t do myself. And so it’s special. It’s unique. But I think for me, it works just because I’m genuine. I am who I am. And I’m unapologetic. But at the same time, I want to win. And that’s just first and foremost on my mind.”

When asked if he’s taken a moment to look at how far he’s come, Brunson brings things into perspective and admits that it doesn’t feel like he’s accomplished much of anything yet. “No, I haven’t had a moment yet,” he says, “because I haven’t done anything.” 

Really? Nothing? 

“I want to win as much as I can,” he adds. “I want to be a person that’s special. I want to win a championship in this League. That’s just my goal. And I just think that if you have a championship, you can talk about whatever you want. But I mean, individual stuff is great and all that stuff, but everyone strives to win. And that’s what drives me.”

That mentality is why Brunson fits right in. He knows the formula that it takes to achieve those goals, to become everything he’s always wanted and more. Brunson isn’t quick to call this a new era for the Knicks just yet; but as always, he’s ready to put in the work to get there. “I would just say that we’re growing. We’re getting better every single day,” he says. “I wouldn’t say this is an era because there’s a lot of history with this organization. And we have to do a lot more for it to be an era and can’t be just complacent with where we are now. [We’ve] got a lot more to prove.”

SLAM 243 is also available in this exclusive gold metal edition. Shop now.

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks are Proving Everyone Wrong appeared first on SLAM.

“You gotta think: somebody that can keep a dribble, show the ref that you’re holding them off balance but keep themselves on balance to finish or practice being unbalanced and finishing, they’ve mastered it,” Shumpert tells us on set. “You watch so many different players that come out of college polished [and] able to do things that we weren’t working on cause the college game wasn’t half that stuff wasn’t even allowed. The game is evolving and there’s becoming a universal understanding of what you can do.”

To put on performances like what we’ve seen so far this NBA season—from 71-point nights to 100-plus game totals—is as much testament to the level of talent as it is passion. “This young group, they’re so talented and in love with [the game],” Shumpert continues. “You know what I’m saying? They sleep with basketballs [and] their game shoes on. I love that. They be in pressure situations and they’ll still windmill it. Like, they don’t care and they are so locked in and so in love and trusting of their bodies. Me being somebody that had all them surgeries, I’m like, I wish I could trust my body on game 55, [and] I’m just doing a windmill on a breakaway in traffic. 

I remember being that young and just dribbling to a place and just being like, f*** it, let’s try it. I’ve never done it from this angle, turn this way contorted, but let’s do it. It’s like, those kids that were like five and they were trying those grown moves and you like, bruh, your ‘lil self can’t do that, like calm down. But they kept doing it and kept doing it and now they look at a grown up like, you ain’t even worked on the stuff I worked on. I mastered it.” 

Shumpert, who suited up for the Knicks and won a championship with the Cavaliers in 2016, has both played alongside and against NBA superstars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Now, he’s witnessing firsthand how the next generation of standouts not only look up to the older players, but are taking their game even further. “Now, they look at a grown up like you ain’t even work on all the stuff I worked on. I mastered your game in my mind at eight. I start working on Steph Curry game, too, then I added a ‘lil Melo game ‘cause I had to learn how to play in the post. Now I got Kyrie Irving all up in my head so you can’t stop me. It’s crazy. It’s so cool to talk to a kid now that’s playing in the pros and they be like, yeah I been watching Kyrie my whole life and I be like, dang bro that’s crazy. I’m old. Me and Kyrie are old? Wow. Kyrie [is] younger than me so I’m like, Kyrie is who you look up to? We’re watching a new generation of just killas. It’s cool.”

As for the level of competitiveness in the League, Shumpert’s next take sparks a conversation amongst the Starting Five: “They wanna win but I meant the competitive nature of I’m gonna score on this end and you can’t score on the other end. I think the grittiness of that has left—part of it is them adjusting to officiating, the hand checking is gone, the ability to rough somebody up sorta got taken away completely but I just felt like that’s what [is lacking] when I watch it…I know what it’s like to be in the League and it’s like Iman you got four fouls, stop and I’m like, dog who’s letting somebody lay a ball up? Like why y’all mad at me, bro? I didn’t even foul ‘em, like that was a tic-tac call. But it’s like you don’t just get layups, you don’t just get open shots, you have to do it under duress or I don’t believe it. 

I’m one of those guys. I don’t believe he’s that good [if] he can’t do it under duress,” he adds. “…That’s what I end up watching but like I said that’s my personal [opinion]. I want y’all to play how I want y’all to play and it’s like nah, they worried about scoring 150 points and they’re doing it very well.”

As for what SetFree, Kiss and Danielle think? Watch the DraftKings’ Starting Five series here.

Photos via The Compound and DraftKings.  

The post Iman Shumpert Shares His Take on the Competitiveness of the NBA on DraftKings’ Starting Five  appeared first on SLAM.

“In reality, looking back now [and] having hindsight, I wasn’t prepared,” Plum tells SLAM over Zoom when asked about her transition from college to the pros. “I wasn’t prepared mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, for the next level.” 

The Washington Husky suddenly found herself having to balance her training with all of the other responsibilities that come with now being a professional athlete, like signing with an agent and getting an endorsement deal. “Not to mention, the WNBA itself is like a different sport,” Plum adds. “The wake up call that I had was so brutal.”

The culmination of all of this, specifically the “lack of information and resources” provided to her that could have given Plum, and really any college student-athlete, valuable insight on what to expect at the pro level, played a toll on her mental health. She says it took her “four or five years” to feel more comfortable in the WNBA, and it’s that experience that inspired her to want to empower and support the next generation of women’s college basketball players.

“That’s one of the big reasons why Under Armour and I just meshed,” she says. “I was like, listen this is really important to me. I want to make an impact. I want to be able to leave the game better than I left it. And I felt like this is missing in the women’s game. In the NBA, there’s a lot of help transitioning. From the agency side, from the combine side. These guys are prepped from teenagers all the way to becoming NBA players. And I felt like, you know what? We don’t have that on the women’s side, and why not take a swing at it?”

Plum and UA are launching a first-of-its-kind mentorship program, the Dawg Class, that will give nine women’s basketball players, all personally selected by Plum, the opportunity to participate in a three-day experience and learn directly from the Las Vegas Aces star and WNBA champion. The camp will feature on-court drills meant to help refine their skills, as well as sessions on training and recovery. 

Plum knows firsthand how important it is to be physically ready for the WNBA: “We kind of lifted weights in college, but I didn’t know,” she recalls. “Then you get into the League and Sylvia Fowles just gives it a little love tap and you go four feet. And I’m like, Wow, these are grown women. My body is not prepared for this.”

Players will also have the chance to learn more about media training, mental health, finance, nutrition and how to express their personal style. The program is meant to truly prepare them for what’s ahead while giving them all the tools needed to navigate that transition. 

“I feel like if we can catch some of these women a little bit earlier, like junior going into senior year or sophomore or freshman, and [give them] a better, full understanding of the process. [Like], what it’s gonna be like, how is Draft night gonna be, how [to] pick your agent or if you already have, what should you be looking for? 

[There’s also] a lot of different things mentally. If in college when you miss some shots and you’re not performing at your best, a lot of times you’re the best option that they have. And they’re gonna keep letting you try. Whereas in the pros, there’s an All-American sitting on the bench waiting for you to mess up so they can go in and play great. This is a whole new reality that mentally, a lot of people aren’t prepared for. So a lot of these different things we’re gonna try to attack at camp and just give them a better idea of how a pro trains and how a pro approaches the game.” 

The very name of the program is a reflection of what’s important to Plum, from having a dawg-mentality to creating a community that continues to empower female athletes, even after the camp concludes. “I kind of started with this idea of the Dawg Class and the dawg-mentality is really a mentality that anyone can have. It’s a lot bigger than sport, but in particular, just the way you approach life. A lot of times we’re given tough tasks and there’s a lot of hard things to overcome, but having that mentality is showing up every day, consistently ready to attack the day and just not taking no for an answer. And I think that dawg-mentality kind of resonates within me and kind of how I was raised.

I think that there’s a lot of people, particularly women, that share that. And so I’m proud to partner with Under Armour to bring this to the forefront and give other people the opportunity that I didn’t have.”

When asked what advice she’d give the next generation of standouts when it comes to navigating the college landscape today—from the NIL era to social media—Plum harps on that idea of community and building more connection between college players and professional athletes. “It’s kind of hard to sum up in like one little answer, but what I would say is seek advice. I think just because you’re in college right now, if you do have aspirations, you want to play professionally, especially in the WNBA, find someone in the WNBA that you resonate with and seek them out. I had a relationship with Sue Bird, but I should have been a little bit more like, ‘Hey Sue, help me.’ Whether [you are] a little bit timid or you don’t really know if that’s appropriate, I would just say have no fear because they’re gonna be able to tell you the best advice that you need.” 

Learn more about the Under Armour Dawg Class here.

Photos via Under Armour.

The post Kelsey Plum and Under Armour are Empowering Women’s College Hoopers through the Dawg Class Mentorship Program appeared first on SLAM.

“That’s the beauty of style and fashion,” says Barnett, now a creative consultant for the Utah Jazz, over Zoom. “You can really create your own narrative, and you can drive the story. You can have people focus on certain things.”

Wade went on to average a career-high 30.2 points and make his fifth consecutive All-Star appearance that year, and Barnett, who started working with him in ’07, has remained the visionary behind his ever-evolving style. It’s her innovative thinking, as well as her keen attention to detail—the Miami native was studying to be an accountant for the FBI before getting into fashion and attending FIT—that makes Barnett perfect for her new role as creative consultant for the Utah Jazz. As creative director of their private label apparel brand, Counterpoint, she’s been monumental in how the team approaches being more “fashion forward” as well as how they are reimagining fan apparel.

As excitement continues to build around the Jazz, which has one of the most stylish players in the NBA, Jordan Clarkson, on its roster, and has Wade as a co-owner, Barnett is ready to help bring Utah to the forefront. There will even be a pop-up event at this year’s All-Star Weekend featuring some pretty big-name brands. “I think that once people see it, they’re going to be like, Oh, you know what? I don’t need to go to New York, I don’t need to go to L.A. I need to go to Utah, where there isn’t much in terms of fashion but people are hungry [and] they’re ready for the stores to come to them.” 

The post How Calyann Barnett Went from Being an NBA Stylist working with Dwyane Wade to the Creative Consultant for the Utah Jazz  appeared first on SLAM.

“After one of the natural disasters they had over there, I saw a picture where it’s flooded and kids are still playing basketball with the hoop still standing,” he said to NBA.com. “Just showing love for the game over there and how pivotal basketball is, how far it stretches. It’s crazy then just seeing the support I have from the Philippines.”

Clarkson, whose mother is of Filipino descent, recently told the Philippines media that it was important to him to represent the country at this year’s All-Star event in Salt Lake City. “I know in the West they’ve got a lot of talented guards,” he said to ESPN. “But I feel like I can represent Utah, the Philippines at the All-Star Game, if it happens. It would be exciting if that happens.”

Whether he’s selected or not, Clarkson has been having quite the year so far, from putting up career-high numbers—21.1 points and 4.3 assists—to embracing his role as an experienced guard. Having played with and learned from the likes of King James, the Black Mamba and Lou Williams, JC knows firsthand what stepping up as a leader looks like, too, telling NBA.com: “Being around Kobe and Bron, there’s been [lots] of vets I’ve been around in the NBA, you know. Lou Williams, guys like that. It’s kinda pushing me to a leadership role in my ninth year in the League. Just seeing how they handled it and kinda doing the same.” 

After getting traded to the Jazz from Cleveland, Clarkson has found all the support he needs to thrive. “The trade was definitely a lot to take in. I didn’t know what to expect,” Clarkson told The Athletic back in 2021. “But when I got here, the team, the coaching staff, the city and the fans, they welcomed me with open arms. The Jazz showed they invested with me and made me feel comfortable. I feel free here.” 

It’s that freedom that has allowed Clarkson to remain true to himself. As head coach Will Hardy recently emphasized to Andscape, Clarkson is “a very creative player, and he sees the game in a unique way sometimes. And I have to give him the latitude to be himself out there because when he plays freely, he plays with his instincts, he’s at his best. He’s a guy that I definitely don’t want to put in too narrow of a lane because of his ability to impact the game in a lot of ways. Off the court, he is as fun-loving and easy going, engaging a person as I’ve been around in the NBA.”

Clarkson is undeniably one of the most unique and stylish players in the League, from his painted nails and his appearances at Paris Fashion Week to his eternal presence on @LeagueFits. Regardless of what other people might think, Clarkson has always remained true to himself. “Everybody around the League knows who I am and respects it,” he told Marc J. Spears.

What many have also come to respect is Clarkson’s commitment to the grind. The 46th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft has come a long way from playing on the then-Los Angeles D-Fenders in the NBA Development League his rookie year. And he was just coming off the bench a year ago. He’s now a solidified starter, second on the team in scoring, and, as Hardy pointed out after the Jazz’s win against the Cavaliers, can make “some big plays.”

Even when Donovan Mitchell made his well-awaited return to the Beehive State on January 10, it was Clarkson who stole the show. But anyone who saw his tunnel fit that night already knew what type of time he was on. Clarkson pulled up wearing a black graphic tee from his brand, Shop Sixx, that has a printed skull in the middle and icy blue lettering spelling out his name. 

Many fans will recognize Clarkson’s sartorial side; he once told @LeagueFits, “When I take a night off from dressing, I think I go 0-20 and it ain’t a good look.” Well, that night against Spida and the Cavaliers, he went 11-19 from the field and erupted for 32 points in the win. 

Clearly, Clarkson isn’t taking any time off soon.

And as the Jazz look to continue their climb up the NBA standings—as we go to press, they’re
No. 8 in the West—they’ll look to Clarkson for his leadership, energy and the unwavering passion he brings to everything he does on and off the court. 

“His ability to kind of reform himself, reshape himself around that idea is leadership in itself,” said teammate Mike Conley, according to KSL.com. “And he’s been awesome.”  

He’s also got a dedicated fan base rooting for him, one that extends 7,400+ miles from Utah to the Philippines. Clarkson has said he plans on suiting up for the Gilas Pilipinas in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup next summer, too. 

But until then, he has business to handle at home. 

Photos via Getty Images

The post Jordan Clarkson Has Brought His Game, and Tunnel Fits, to Another Level in Utah appeared first on SLAM.

That adoration never wavered, and flash forward to today, the award-winning creative has collaborated with SLAM to reimagine the SLAM 242 cover of Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown for their Artist Series.

“I think my brothers kind of taught me all of the contemporary culture and different kinds of Black identity [that surround the game],” Poppy says over Zoom. “…And because they played it and consumed so much media around it was very easy for me to fall in love with the game even faster because I kind of grew up so organically with it all around.”

Get your copy of this exclusive SLAM Artist Series cover designed by Karabo Poppy.

When it comes to creating art that will be showcased in a different country, Poppy approaches her work with intention by paying homage to her home country of South Africa. Having grown up in a small town, Poppy eventually moved to a bigger city and draws inspiration from that environment, specifically all of the movement of people and the public transportation.

That’s reflected within her rendition of the Jaylen Brown SLAM 242 Artist Series cover, where she captures the dynamic movements in Brown’s elite game while also incorporating African patterns and symbolism—specifically the meaning of the sun and fire.

“I think a symbol that runs through the entire African continent, which is a pretty difficult thing to do to find—golden threads throughout such a diverse continent—but the sun being seen as something positive and something that is going to bring growth [and] brings life. I wanted to show basketball in the same sense as something positive and growing, moving forward and looking towards new things as well.” 

Poppy’s storytelling perfectly encapsulates the energy and impact of the Celtics All-Star, from his elite playmaking and powerful dunks to the fire and drive he has in wanting to make a difference within the Boston community and beyond. 

The cover is a visual representation of what the SLAM 242 cover line—POWER MOVES—truly means to her. As Brown told SLAM in the exclusive cover story, he’s driven by his higher purpose, and so is Poppy: as she continues to make waves as a creative, she also wants to spotlight her South African identity and use her platform to empower others.

“My art speaks not only about just creating beautiful images but about identity, conversations around that, culture and looking at traditional African aesthetics versus contemporary African aesthetics. It speaks towards inspiring people who have grown up the say way and have heard the same kind of voices either from parents or people that they’re very close to. Art is something super important to me and I’ve also always wanted to travel the world—I didn’t get the opportunity to do that when I was much younger but as soon as I started working, art opened that door for me and that has only made it better.

I see it not just as my career [or] just my purpose, but also my responsibility to create art that is authentic and contemporary and still follows all of the things that I’ve learned about my traditions and culture and representing it in a way that hasn’t been seen before.”

Whether it’s through art or the game of basketball, wanting to inspire and representing African and Black culture is a major power move. The SLAM 242 Artist Series is available now.  

The post Award-Winning Artist Karabo Poppy Reimagines the Jaylen Brown SLAM 242 Cover appeared first on SLAM.

The symbolism is all there when it comes to Brown’s own ascension into becoming a certified NBA superstar. As our SLAM 242 cover story reveals, Brown is always one step ahead and making power moves both on and off the court. He’s focused on building a brighter future of the Boston community and bringing a championship title to the 617.

We went up to Boston to speak the NBA All-Star and we were blessed with some amazing words from the Atlanta native about his mindset after the Finals, what motivates him and what he wants to see for the city he now calls home.

Here’s an exclusive behind the scenes look of Jaylen Brown’s SLAM 242 cover shoot.

Boston, this one is for you. Go get your copy of SLAM 242, available now in Metal Editions and more.

The post WATCH: Go Behind the Scenes of Jaylen Brown’s SLAM 242 Cover Shoot appeared first on SLAM.

But the mind has ways of playing tricks on you. It starts to sense oxygen deprivation, triggering a response to the body’s nervous system. Feelings of fear and anxiety arise. But at that moment, as it started to feel like he was reaching a breaking point, what did the All-Star decide to do?

Brown chooses survival. Hurling the weights out of the pool, he accidentally tosses them in the direction of Hamilton’s wife, Gabby. “Almost drowning will for sure humble you,” Brown tells us while on set for his SLAM cover shoot. “Water is a great equalizer. You could have the most confidence in the world, [but] when you get in that water, it neutralizes [you]. It [doesn’t] care if you’re a billionaire or a normal person, that water treats everybody the same. It’s not forgiving, and if you don’t respect it, or think you’re above it, it’ll show you. You learn that you got to be humble. The humility will show in the water.”

Jaylen Brown is always a step ahead. Get your copy of SLAM 242 featuring the NBA All-Star.

The idea to do underwater training came to Brown this past summer, when he initially looked to hire a swim coach (at the time, he says, he wasn’t the greatest swimmer). Just a few months after losing to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, Brown shared a video on his Instagram account of one of the 20 sessions he did with Hamilton, doing everything from squat jumps to backflips. He learned how to stay calm and composed, even when his mind was telling him the opposite. 

“When you feel like you’re out of breath, that’s your mind sending alarms to the rest of your body saying you need air, but you probably still got 40-45 seconds left in reality before you actually run out of air,” Brown explains. “It just feels like that. [But] you don’t panic. You got time to set the weights down [and] compose yourself. Just swim back to the top.”

His words are almost prophetic for his own ascension. From averaging just 6.6 points as a rookie, to being on the bench, getting snubbed from the All-Star team last season and falling short in the NBA Finals to averaging the best numbers of his career this season: 26.9 points and 7.1 rebounds, as we went to press. Brown has been playing at a level so undeniably elite that by the time this magazine hits your hands, we expect him to be about to land in Salt Lake City for the All-Star Game. His name has even been mentioned in the MVP conversation (along with his teammate Jayson Tatum, of course). The symbolism is all there. 

And yet, Brown’s thinking goes way beyond just basketball. It’s bigger than that. “Everybody has those moments in life where adversity hits and you think, Why me? Adversity hits and you think, Oh, my life is over. Adversity hits and you think, This is the end. When, in reality, it’s just the beginning.” 

Jaylen Brown’s first introduction to Boston came during the 2016 NBA Draft. As a highly touted and gifted prospect out of the University of California- Berkeley, Brown took a master class in college, choosing not to be represented by an agent. One GM labeled him “too smart,” and the Celtics’ fan base made it clear how they felt about their No. 3 overall pick. 

“They booed me,” Brown recalls. “[Owner] Wyc [Grousbeck] was calling my name and he’s up there saying, Jaylen, he’s gonna be one of the best players the city has ever seen. He’s up there, like, defending the pitch. We’re sticking with it, y’all get over it. This is who we’re going with.” 

Any rookie might have felt some type of way, but Brown knew that there was a higher purpose for why he was selected by the Celtics. 

“Before I got drafted, honestly, I told God to put me where he needed me,” he says. “He chose me to be here, for whatever reason. I remember, distinctly, I didn’t care where I went, you know, I could have played basketball in Alaska. But I told him to put me where I needed to be and he placed me in Boston. So, instantly, I knew that it was bigger than my personal decisions. My personal happiness is about what you can do and how you can affect the community and how you’re going to use your platform. I really feel like that’s the only reason why I got talent. Our creator wanted me to do something with it. Bigger than just what I do on the court.”

There are signs everywhere. Brown, who is into astrology and believes in angel numbers, has a specific connection with the number 7, which symbolizes intuition and inner wisdom. He wears the No. 7 on his jersey and named his foundation 7uice. “Guardian angels showing me the right way to go,” Brown says. 

Now, in his seventh season, in the year 2023 (whose numbers, he points out, add up to seven), Brown has become just as revered for his impact within the Boston community as he has for his dominance on the court. Back in October, he surprised middle schoolers at the Helen Y. Davis Leadership Academy in Dorchester with free backpacks. He’s taken the time to get to know the city, too. One of Brown’s favorite restaurants is a Black-owned Caribbean-Asian-Latin fusion spot called ZaZ, located right in Cleary Square in Hyde Park. This summer, amid trade rumors reportedly involving Kevin Durant, Brown pulled up to Harambee Park, also known as Franklin Field, for the Dorchester vs Roxbury basketball game. He even wore a green t-shirt that referenced his now-famous tweet, “The Energy is About to Shift.” 

While the Celtics did manage to completely turn things around last year after being under .500 midway through, Brown was actually referring to himself when he tweeted that on January 31, 2022. 

“A lot of times when I tweet stuff, it’s like I’m talking to myself. Posting, like, reminders for me. Sometimes it’s not for the world, it’s for me,” Brown tells SLAM. “There was a lot going on, and you know at certain times of the year where you feel like things aren’t going in your direction, where it just seems like everything is going wrong. It could be like Murphy’s Law, could be a retrograde, whatever you attribute it to…At that moment, that’s what was going on for me, and it felt like that not only for me, but kind of for our team. I just tweeted [it] out as a reassurance to myself. Like, don’t worry, the energy is about to shift.”

It’s been almost a full year since then, but Brown admits that he’s been tested “on different levels physically, emotionally and mentally” lately, too, but won’t go into too much detail on the latter. 

The Celtics have also been tested, from battling injuries and trade rumors to a very public coaching change this offseason. For Brown, though, it’s about finding balance. “Experience has always been my best teacher,” he says. “At times when you’re feeling yourself get out of balance, just remember that I’ve been here before. I’ve seen this before. I feel like I’ve seen the highest of highs, being able to go to the Finals, but I’ve experienced the lows—losing the Finals, losing games, being on the bench, not playing, being injured…I’ve been trying to remove all self-limiting beliefs.”

After that 33-point blowout loss to the Thunder on January 3, Marcus Smart revealed to the media that it was JB who offered him words of encouragement. He also let Smart know that he was going to shift the energy in the next matchup against Dallas. “[Brown] came out and said, Listen, this is how I want to start. I’m going to pick up Luka [Doncic] early. I’m going to get the energy going, so you can get going.” 

Interim head coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown told him the same thing about guarding Doncic. Despite getting in early foul trouble, Brown showed a level of composure in the 124-95 win against the Mavs, and Doncic was held to his lowest point total since December, and his lowest assist total of the season. The Celtics went on a four-game winning streak soon after, cruising past the Spurs, Bulls and then, on the night after our shoot, the Pelicans. No one could stop Brown or Tatum. The Jays proved that they are the best scoring duo in the League and combined for 72 points. Brown put up a season-high 41 points while JT delivered a smooth 31-piece. 

Brown says he prepares for those big matchups by studying the rhythm of his opponent’s game. “Every player plays with a certain rhythm, a certain cadence, plays at a certain pace. Luka, Steph[en] Curry plays with a certain cadence. Kyrie. When I watch the game and film, I study their rhythm.”

He’s always been into music, too, and at one point made his own beats. When asked about the tempo of his own game, Brown breaks it down: “I can be, like, more uptempo,” he says while snapping his fingers. Snap. Snap. Snap. “I can play like I just got shot out of a cannon. It depends on the matchup, the mood, the energy of the game. I think part of my game is being able to be versatile, where I can slow it all the way down or I can be run and gun, running down in transition. Being versatile is key.” 

Just as Jayson Tatum described him after Game 2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Bucks, it’s clear that Brown sets the tone. “I could be smooth jazz, I could be hardcore rap. Gangsta rap at the same time, too,” Brown says. “When that’s coming out, there’s nothing you can do about it.” 

Inside the Celtics practice facility, Jaylen Brown is posing for this cover shoot but dialed in on playing a game of chess entirely with himself. He once called the game “comparable to life,” and it’s easy to see why he’s so into it—chess is all about strategy and requires winning and losing pawns and pieces in the process. Eventually, though, those wins and losses lead to even bigger moments. “Small victories,” Brown says of his goals for himself right now. “It’s a blessing to be considered one of the best in the game right now, [but] I don’t think I’ve reached my peak. I have a lot to still learn, a lot to look forward to in this game.”

The No. 6 patch on his Celtics jersey, in honor of the late Bill Russell, is another reminder of powering through adversity. Spiritually, the number also symbolizes high ideals. “To be able to have this six on [my] jersey means the world to me. At times when I get overwhelmed, where my spirit is just being aggravated, or I just feel weak, I just remind myself that I have one of the greatest examples, Bill Russell, [who was] able to deal with all the controversy that he dealt with when he was here,” he says. He later added, “Today, you would think the way people speak on his name was that he was welcomed and he was accepted during the time that he was standing up for what he believed in. That wasn’t the case. People trying to make it seem like it was, in Boston.

“Nah. Bill Russell, they was trying to run him out of town, terrorizing his family, his house, calling him all types of names, being disrespectful. And worse, right here in the city of Boston. Now he has a statue, and I think it should be twice as tall as what it is now. How things can change—sometimes you’re not always gonna be accepted for what you think or what you believe, but hopefully, if people know the essence of your heart and your intentions, with time it’ll equalize itself out.”

Brown doesn’t hesitate to keep it real about the Boston community. There are issues that still need to be addressed.

“There’s misconceptions in Boston. There’s a lot of Bostonians who have lived there, who are great people, into the community, who devoted their [lives] to some of the issues—incarceration and wealth disparity. Our education system. There’s a lot of families that have been there for a long time in Boston that represent excellence, [but] you wouldn’t hear that, or see that, if it wasn’t for the narrative that there is in Boston. But there’s also a part of Boston where the shoe fits—I’ve seen where, subliminally, there’s a lot of issues that go on in our society that gets covered up…Somebody’s got to say something.” 

Building a brighter future for Boston, and delivering the city its first NBA championship title since ’08, is a lot of weight and responsibility. 

But this is Jaylen Brown we’re talking about. Rather than panic, he’s too busy making moves on his way to the top.  

SLAM 242 is available now in an exclusive Gold Metal Edition and Cover Tee.

Deyscha Smith is the Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter, @deyschasmith

Portraits by Marcus Stevens is a Content Producer at SLAM. Follow him on IG, @Marcus.stv

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The 2023 LeagueFits All-Star Teams are here and we’ve got some newcomers and some savvy vets on this year’s squads. There are a lot of surprises and some notable names are left off the list. Meanwhile, the west backcourts are STACKED.

Tune in to the latest episode of ‘Survival of the Fitted’ to find out who was selected.

The post The Official 2023 LeagueFits All-Star Teams are Here appeared first on SLAM.

When we caught up from Smith in January (throwback to SLAM 143 when we photographed him on a course) to talk about his new golf podcast, Par 3, which he hosts alongside producer, actor and jewelry designer Ben Baller and Stephen Malbon, who co-founded Malbon Golf, he told SLAM that he got “hooked” on golf pretty quickly and soon developed a deep fascination with learning more about it and, specifically, how to improve his skillset. Back for SLAM 143, we even photographed Smith on a

“I tried to translate it to basketball,” Smith tells SLAM. “I really started learning how to work on certain skills as opposed to just trying to hit shots. I started working on my short game, started working on trying to work the ball left to right, right to left and different swings. [I started] watching a lot more videos looking at Tiger [Woods], watching Taylormade—those videos gave me a lesson here, lesson there, [but] everything else was pretty much self taught.”

Next thing Smith knew, he was all in: buying the gear, checking out different courses and thinking constantly about how to get better and better.

“At that point, I really realized I really had a problem,” he continues. “Because then I started going into different pro shops and started playing really, really good courses, or buying up all the gear—I got a closet right now that pretty much looks like a pro shop from different [stores] all over the country. And it’s just game that I really love…I feel like golf is a sport that you can always improve [in] and continuously get better. You never really have a cap.”

On the Par 3 podcast, not only will Smith, Ben Baller and Malbon dive into their personal journeys and how they’ve developed a love for the game, but they’ll also share hilarious commentary and dive deep into the culture of the golf from fashion and trends to some pretty wild stories, like Smith picking up a few pointers from the late, and great-Moses Malone. While there’s a lot of misconceptions surrounding golf, Par 3 is here to re-define what the “golf life” truly means by offering a unique perspective.

Check out the latest episode and be sure to subscribe here.

The post JR Smith is Hosting an Exciting New Golf Podcast, ‘Par 3,’ Alongside Ben Baller and Stephen Malbon 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.

When we sat down with Jadakiss and Set Free Richarson on set at The Compound, we knew we had to ask the two icons about their own journey. It’s one that’s always been interconnected—the two met way back in the late ‘90s when ‘Kiss was signed to Ruff Ryders, and Set Free even reached out about performing at halftime of the AND1 Mixtape Tour games. They’ve remained close friends ever since. Set Free has watched the Yonkers native make waves in the music industry as a member of the iconic rap trio, The Lox, and as a solo artist; while Jadakiss has witnessed first-hand how Set Free has emerged into a connoisseur of the culture, from founding the AND1 mixtapes to his DJing and artistic endeavors. “Besides any money or business, we’re like real family, like brothers,” says Jadakiss. 

But back to the original question: even throughout all of their individual success, when was that moment when they really bet on themselves?

“I think for me, the first time was [when] I was DJing,” begins Set Free. “I was signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1997. Prince Paul was one of my mentors, and there was a DJ battle that he couldn’t make in Zurich, Switzerland. I was young—.” 

“Ambitious,” chimes in Jadakiss, who is sitting right beside him. 

“This was before the record deal,” Richardson continues. “Prince Paul said, ‘Yo, do you want to go to Switzerland and do this battle?’ I was like, Yeah, I’ll do it. But he was like, ‘You gotta go by yourself.’ And I’ll never forget, you know, God bless my mom and pop, they didn’t want me to go. We lived in Philadelphia and they drove me. My mom cried the whole time to the airport, back and forth crying because I literally went to Zurich by myself with a bookbag of records and my little suitcase…But I knew that that moment in my life, to be able to DJ in another country, I was like, if music could take me this far around the world, it’s gonna take me to levels in places that I could never even imagine. That was a defining moment in my career, to be able to go to Zurich by myself.” 

As for Jadakiss’ defining moment: “I bet on myself when I could have gotten signed at like 16 or 17 with Ruff Ryders [but] my mom and pop was like, ‘Hell no, you going to college. I don’t know what y’all talking about. This is noise.’ And then at 18 I was able to sign on my own and tell them, I ain’t going to college. I ain’t working at that job doing this. I’m betting on myself. Just give me a year or two and I’ll come back with a house with a bow on it.”

“And the rest is history,” adds Set Free.  

For both Set Free and Jadakiss, their impact on not only music, but on the game, has been monumental. Set Free has done everything from founding the AND1 mixtapes to designing the social justice hoodies worn in the NBA bubble in 2020, meanwhile Jadakiss’ music has continued to be the soundtrack to basketball culture for decades—during filming of The Starting Five, his iconic Reebok Answer V commercial with Allen Iverson even gets brought up. As the two reveal to us, another pinnacle realization for them both was accepting that their hoop dreams weren’t going to happen. 

“Don C said it earlier, ‘Once I got asthma, the ball dream was over,’” recalls Set Free. “And I was like, you know, I still want to be in the NBA. I still want to be on the court. To be able to take pictures on the Knicks [court] now, not as a player, these are dreams [coming] true. So once the dream was over that I wasn’t making the League, I had to figure out a way to still connect to the League [and] be a part of the players, the teams, the fans, the fashion, the music. Still, to this day, I’m still a fan of the game. I’m still a kid. It never gets old. I want to be a part of the game in any way I can since I’m not a player.” 

“I played in high school, [but] once I knew that I wasn’t going DI, you got to figure it out,” says Kiss. “At that age in life, you running wild. You don’t know what you want to do. I did know that I’ve always enjoyed the game. I always enjoy watching and I always enjoy kicking it with the players. Then to see a lot of them, their interest in music, how they use music to work out [and during shootarounds…So, just to see that they need that music as much as we love watching the sport itself, it showed that I would always have that connection. And I [have] the games on in the studio, without the sound. I’m listening to the beat or the track or whatever I have to do in the stu, but the game gotta be on.” 

That deeply personal connection to the game shines through in every conversation Jadakiss, Set Free and the entire Starting Five, which includes streetwear designer Don C, gambling expert Danielle Alvari and NBA 2K insider Jamie “Dirk” Ruiz, have in the series. Whether they’re chopping it up with former NBA All-Star Baron Davis, going back and forth with JJ Redick about the NBA 2K gaming world in comparison to the real-life experience as a player, or getting insight from Ty Young on WNBA fashion (respect to Ty for mentioning LeagueFits on the episode), the Starting Five’s passion for the game is deeply ingrained in who each of them are today.

There’s Don C, who has been influential in not just the music industry, but in streetwear with his brand, Just Don. The Chicago-native and lifelong Bulls fan has also collaborated with brands like Nike to design his own Air Force 1 colorway, and just last February, he was named the Bulls’ Creative Strategy and Design Advisor. 

“The Bulls, honestly, to me, are the biggest brand in basketball, and the biggest brand of Chicago. So, it’s kind of like the brand I use as a vessel to represent where I’m from—where people can relate to it, everywhere…I’m trying to represent, in an authentic manner, certain trends we had locally [in Chicago]. I like to try to amplify it or put people on them. That’s why I started my brand [Just Don] with the buck fifty cap. [Just Don] was started off with snakeskin visors on the hats, and that was the trend of drug dealers and hustlers from Chicago. When I traveled the globe, I never saw it anywhere else. I was like, ‘Man, I think this is something I think people would appreciate, the storytelling. So, I’m always trying to bring things to the forefront that I think makes Chicago special, and relatable to other people.” 

Then there’s Alvari, who comes from a basketball family—her dad was a grad assistant coach at Gonzaga in the ‘80s while John Stockton was on the team. The Bay Area native grew up obsessed with box scores, and now emerged into an Emmy-nominated sports reporter and sports betting expert who can recall over/unders and team stats so effortlessly and accurately that she’d make any Basketball Reference nerd question how much they really know about the game. 

“My favorite thing about sports is how they bring people together,” Alvari tells us. “It does feel like a lot of areas [in] sports are, like, gatekept, or only certain people can work in this space and talk about this sport, and that’s changing a little bit everyday. So, what I love about what we’re doing with The Starting Five is that we’re taking all these different avenues to get to sports culture, and talking about all of them, and that’s what’s ultimately gonna include more people… I think I’m really excited about how it’s going to bring even more people to the game.”

As for Ruiz, whose nickname and gaming tag is inspired by his adoration of Dirk Nowitzki, he started playing NBA 2K10 and NBA Live when he was just 12 years old, and ended up going professional only a few years later in high school. After starting his own Youtube channel right after he graduated, and ultimately deciding not to go to college to invest more in his craft, his dedication and passion has certainly paid off. Now, Ruiz is the lead analyst and commentator for the NBA 2K League. 

“I wanted to do something different. There had never been a commentator turned professional player ever. It’s usually always professional, [then] they go down to a commentary role,” he says. “Even now, esports is becoming more regulated [and there’s] people [that are like,] ‘Oh, yeah, my kid plays this. He wants to be a professional. My kid wants to be a streamer.’ I think it’s being—I don’t want to say like a pioneer. I mean, ten years is a lot of time [and] esports has been around for even longer, but just to stick out and have a unique career that I can sit there and tell people about it and [they’re like], ‘Wow, you get paid to actually do this.’ That’s something that’s always motivated me.”

As they all continue to make waves within their respective fields, it’s evident that what fuels each member of the Starting Five is not only their love for the game, but their unwavering passion for every aspect of basketball culture. How would a Yonkers native become a hip-hop icon, a DJ become a visionary and Cannes Lion winner,  a former UCLA cheerleader become a renowned reporter, a designer become a streetwear mogul and a gamer become a professional analyst who is transcending esports? The answer is simple: by betting on themselves. 

Watch the DraftKings’ The Starting Five series here.

The post Jadakiss, Set Free Richardson, Don C, Danielle Alvari and Jamie “DirK” Ruiz are Celebrating Basketball Culture with DraftKings’ “The Starting Five” Series appeared first on SLAM.

Jayme didn’t come empty handed, though. She’d brought along a giant poster of an animation of Francis on draft day wearing his Houston Rockets jersey with the Vancouver Grizzlies logo in the background. The gesture was enough to impress the former No. 1 pick. 

“For somebody to come to Houston, Toyota Center, where my face is planted all throughout the [arena], knowing how people looked at me in Vancouver, at that point, I was surprised,” Francis says of meeting Jayme for the first time. He later adds: “I would have never thought about coming [to Vancouver] if I wouldn’t have [met] Kat, but, you know, people have different effects on people and the way that she came [to me] was very respectful. That’s what opened the door.” 

Jayme admits on the same Zoom call that she was nervous to even approach Francis in the first place. She had a script prepared, which she wrote down on her hands, and was pacing back and forth outside of the arena while practicing how she was going to introduce herself, let alone convince him to be a part of the film. “Steve is part of the Vancouver Grizzlies’ history. And so, that was kind of my pitch to him, like, You are a part of this story. I am making this film [and] I’d love for you to be a part of it because we need to talk about what happened. I would love for you to have your own voice in it because people are gonna be talking about you.”

The pitch, and Jayme’s sincerity, worked. Not just Francis, but also convincing former players, coaches and members of the Vancouver Grizzlies organization to be interviewed for the film. The result is a candid and captivating investigation into the long lost history of the team, and ultimately what led to the franchise leaving Vancouver. 

To learn more about what went into filming The Grizzlie Truth, and the impact the film has on retelling a piece of NBA history, SLAM caught up with Jayme and Francis while they were in Vancouver promoting the film. It was the first time Francis had been back there in over 20 years. 

SLAM: When did you, Kat, first start thinking about making this film? 

KAT JAYME: When I was in university, I went to film school, and I think, you know, I was so into 30 for 30s and I was just like, I have the perfect story—the story of the Vancouver Grizzlies. I think every filmmaker has that one story in their career that they want to tell and for me it was the story of Vancouver Grizzlies, mainly because I knew my personal connection to the team—I have photographs of me at games, I have footage, as you see in the film of me at games, I have childhood drawings of the team, I have all these, like, all the toys. Documentaries that I love are ones that have many layers, and I just knew with the archival that I had, that it was the right story for me to tell.

SLAM: That’s amazing, and for you, Steve, what was it like to have someone tell your story? Were you nervous at all?

STEVE FRANCIS: Uh, because the last image the Vancouver fans had of me was at the [NBA] Draft [and] the hostility every time I played here, it kind of felt a little relieving to be able to talk to somebody who wanted to hear my side of the story and did not just put me in a box [about] what was said about me in ‘99 until probably this film.  I still get people from Vancouver that’ll say, “What are you doing here? We don’t like you.” But, I’ve been through so much so that doesn’t mean anything to me.

KJ: I feel like that’s gonna change after people watch the film.

SLAM: Steve, how did you begin to process everything and the adversity you had to deal with and still go out there on the court every night?

SF: If you look at my NBA career and the way I played, it didn’t make a difference what was said about me. So, until I retired and Kat brought it back up, I never really thought about retouching on it. I [took] some shots here and there, I couldn’t take shots at the whole city, but they continuously do it every time my name is mentioned, but, you know, it’s full circle like I was explaining earlier.

SLAM: On that note, Kat, as a filmmaker did you feel a sense of responsibility in telling not only Steve’s story, but the entire history of the franchise? How do you think Vancouver Grizzlies fans will react to this film?

KJ: For the past four years, [I] have just been working on this film nonstop. And so, obviously, there’s the nervousness that comes with sharing your work, especially when it’s such a deeply personal story. We shared the film with a few die hard Grizzlie fans I know and the response, especially after they’d [watched] Steve’s story on screen, it’s been overwhelmingly positive, and everyone has just been like, Yeah, [I] can’t hate on Steve anymore, Kat. So, that’s been really great and I wanted to make sure that we did some test screenings with a few Grizzlies fans. 

I think it won’t take a lot for [people’s] tune to change. I think as soon as you watch the film, you see Steve in a different light and that light is just as a human being. And I think before in the ‘90s, we were just seeing him as an athlete. But of course, these athletes and these people who worked on these teams are people. They’re human, too, and I think that’s one of the things that I’d love for people to come away with after watching this film.

SLAM: We won’t spoil what happens in the film, but there’s definitely a pretty incredible moment of community and connection throughout. Kat, as a longtime Vancouver Grizzlies fan, are you rocking with this year’s Memphis squad at all? Or are you strictly loyal to Vancouver?

KJ: I’m grateful for the friendships that this film has brought about with Steve and with the fans that I met when I was in Memphis. The idea of cheering for Memphis before this film was just like a straight-up hard pass. Like, heck no. But now, you know, I’ve come to realize that the Grizzlies, they’re as much Memphis’ team as Vancouver’s team. They’ve been in Memphis for 20 years. That’s over double the time that we had them here in Vancouver. 

I think one of the messages that I hope that fans get after watching this film is that it’s not like an us versus them mentality. Antonio Braxton Jr. said it perfectly in the interview, Why can’t we share the team? Why does this need to be Memphis versus Vancouver? So, I think Vancouver fans should be proud that the Grizzlies are still alive today and they’re doing well in Memphis and we had a hand in that. We are a part of that history as well. 

The post Steve Francis and Kat Jayme on the ‘Grizzlie Truth’ and What Actually Happened to the Vancouver Grizzlies appeared first on SLAM.

The SLAM x SUPLMNT Water Bottle Collection is available now.

And yet, the very act of consuming it, or even having access to an insulated water bottle, isn’t the norm everywhere. In some parts of the world, water is a commodity. It’s that sentiment, specifically within communities of color, that Jairus Morris set out to change when he founded the brand SUPLMNT. Growing up in South Philly, and eventually Jersey for high school, he admits that drinking water wasn’t even reinforced in his own household, and as he’s grown older, he’s had to watch those around him get sick and deal with different health issues. That’s when it hit him. 

“I was like, Man I’m not trying to grow up and live like that,” he says over Zoom. “It’s like a term that you always hear, like, Oh, this runs in my family. And I realized that I mean, it’s, it’s really not true. It’s really the bad habits that we get passed down. Where we’re putting a bunch of sugar in your juice and drinking Kool Aid and never drinking water, or over salting your food and only eating fried stuff. Those different things are what get passed down. So from there, I really wanted to make a change.” 

Flash forward to 2018 when Morris decided he wanted to start his own business that was “vision-focused and could impact the culture.” That’s when he stumbled upon the highly-profitable market of selling insulated water bottles—except, there was one problem: he wasn’t seeing anyone at the time marketing towards a demographic that looked like him. “[People of color] are not marketed to because we’re not really seen as the people that do outdoorsy things. Water bottles were kind of created for being outdoors, being in the mountains. You need your stuff to stay cold or hot for a certain amount of time…. But in a way, we do go outside, we don’t [just] sit in the house. We commute, we go outside, play basketball, go to festivals, cookouts and different things.” 

That’s where SUPLMNT steps in. With a  mission to change the game in urban communities when it comes to hydration, the brand has created a product that’s more than just a water bottle. Inspired by Morris’ upbringing and love of sneaker culture, every aspect of a SUPLMNT water bottle reflects the brand’s ethos, Where Hydration Meets Culture. The rubber foot grip at the bottom of the bottle mimics the sole of a sneaker, while the loop is made from a shoestring. Then there’s the texture of the bottle—gritty and resilient, just like the community Morris grew up in—and the SUPLMNT logo, which symbolizes how hydration can not only bring the block together, but communities everywhere. 

SUPLMNT’s recent collaboration with SLAM is a merging of the elements—from basketball and sneaker culture to hydration, all while keeping that same mission at the top of mind. The SLAM x SUPLMNT water bottle is available now and comes in three different colorways, including an all-over print bottle with the SLAM logo, an all-black bottle with a vertical SLAM logo, and a laser-etched RESPECT THE GAME lockup. The 24 oz insulated bottles not only keeps drinks cold for 24 hours, and hot for 12 hours, but is meant to keep you looking even cooler with its sleek design and insulated functionality. Just like a pair of kicks, the SLAM x SUPLMNT collection can be rocked anywhere, and everywhere. 

“I feel as though we have the same audience,” Morris says of the collab with SLAM. “A lot of NBA players and basketball players kind of resonate with that same exact story that I [mentioned] earlier, with growing up in the same kind of environment [and] not having those resources or people telling them about health and wellness or even drinking water… SLAM is basketball and sneaker culture, and it just made sense [to collab]. It’s like the dots connecting. Us creating together and coming up with the design, everything just worked.” 

Looking ahead at the future, Morris envisions the brand evolving into the definitive water bottle for the culture. That includes raising awareness and spreading their message—Morris even mentions wanting to create a fund to give back, while also building hydration stations and hosting giveaways within urban communities.

Just as the game has the ability to unite, SUPLMNT is doing so, too, with health and hydration at the forefront. Now, that’s a mission for the culture. Respect. 

Shop the SLAM x SUPLMNT Water Bottle Collection here. 

The post SLAM Collabs with SUPLMNT on Exclusive Water Bottle Collection That’s For the Culture appeared first on SLAM.

The last time we caught up with the man behind the 7, the same one who founded the AND1 mixtapes, he was quarantining in Mexico and designing impactful social justice-inspired t-shirts that were worn by players around the NBA from inside the Bubble in Orlando. At the time, The Compound was located in the Bronx, but since its relocation to Kings County, it’s obvious that Set Free’s initial vision for the space has reached a different magnitude. He’s created a space entirely for artistic expression and curation, and nearly every square inch of the studio is, in his own words, a “living, breathing creative gallery,”—once you walk past the KG jersey, there’s even a custom Star Wars-inspired wallpaper of Luke Skywalker that reads, Meanwhile back at The Compound, the battle continues, and with Yoda saying, “Do or Do Not. There is No Try!”

As we walk throughout the studio, and past a room still in construction that Set Free reveals is going to become a recording studio—the space feels like a sneak peek into his mind, passions and interests, from the work of art to the sports memorabilia and vintage antiques. Hanging up on one wall are stunning, black-and-white portraits of the late-DMX and The Lox—Jadakiss has also been featured in a recent episode of DraftKings’ new The Starting Five series, which is filmed live in The Compound. In another corner of the room is a sophisticated-looking lounge area with microphones set up for podcasting, and a set of turntables on top of an antique, wooden chest—a nod to Set Free’s DJing days. Not too far away is an antique barber chair that looks like it’s from the early 1900s, down to the red leather and wood paneling. Wherever you turn, there’s something to marvel at. 

“A lot of art galleries, you can’t touch anything, you don’t feel like you are part of it,” Set Free later says while sitting inside his office. “I wanted The Compound to be this living, wall of art that you can be a part of and it inspires you to create.” 

The Starting Five series is filmed, specifically, in the living room-type area with plush, brown leather couches that are perfect for not only kicking back, but debating the game, music and culture. It’s here where Set Free has powerful conversations about basketball lifestyle with exclusive guests Jadakiss, former NBA star Baron Davis and streetball legend “Skip to My Lou.” In a recent episode where the Yonkers music artist discusses one of his most special albums, you might notice that sitting on a coffee table are an assortment of memorabilia—from magazines (including a copy of the SLAM Presents Warriors special issue) to action figures. 

When we stopped by The Compound in November, it appeared that Set Free had switched it up with works of art one could only imagine to see in person—from Kevin Durant’s KD10 signature kicks, which he wore when he won his first NBA championship in 2017 (a gift to Set Free from KD), to the AND1 mixtapes in their original yellow, blue, brown and fire-engine red cassette boxes. 

It’s one thing, though, to see the mixtapes in person, but it’s another to later hear from Set Free about how he thinks the game has evolved and is moving to its own beat. 

“I just love seeing the game evolve with the new generation of young stars. [With the griddy dance], I don’t think there was ever an NBA player that did a dance [like Ja Morant], [Stephen] Curry with the shimmy with the shoulders. It’s exciting, it’s like seeing two generations of the game being played. On one hand you got Ja Morant, Trae Young, Luka [Doncic], [Jayson] Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown and then you still have [James] Harden, [LeBron] James and Kawhi [Leonard]. Seeing these two worlds is incredible, and then with seeing the worlds you’re also seeing the connection. One of the things I say is, [when we were growing up], everybody in the NBA wore high top sneakers. Now all the guys are wearing these low cuts, and they look incredible. LeBron even took his sons to the Nike meeting to design a sneaker with him. So, you know, you’re seeing a generational culture clash that’s really exciting. I’m seeing Ja dunking over veterans and I’m like, Oh my goodness. But then I’m seeing LeBron dunking on kids, and it’s incredible. So, for me, just to see the older generation and the younger generation, with the music, fashion, with the style of play—it’s been one of the most exciting years I’ve seen in a while.”

When asked to describe the tempo of the game today, in relation to music, Set Free pauses and marvels at the thought. “Wow,” he whispers, later adding: “Creatively, intensely fast. It’s like some of the things I’m seeing, [I think when] Ja Morant went up [for a dunk], caught some contact in the air and changed it to a finger roll. … LeBron is still dunking like he’s in his twenties, Tatum is going crazy, Zion, when he’s playing, it’s very intense, creative and it’s fast.” 

Set Free isn’t just an admirer of how the game is being played, but the culture of the game as a whole. When asked who stands out to him style-wise in the tunnel, he doesn’t hesitate to name LeagueFits MVP Jordan Clarkson. “He’s a star. … He puts it together right. I don’t think it’s about the brands, he wears high end [brands] and pieces nobody knows. You don’t have to go to Paris anymore, just watch the beginning of Sportscenter.”

Other fashionable players around the League that he mentions include Jayson Tatum and James Harden, but when asked what he thinks about players walking the runway at New York and Paris Fashion Week, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Set Free explains: “What happened is, [there] was a transition, though, from players sitting front row in Paris, and shoutouts to Virgil [Abloh], he kind of brought a lot of NBA players to his shows. The NBA players were always the model type—they’re thin, slim, tall, the exact build of a model—so it was just a transition from them sitting in the front row to being on stage now. I always thought it was coming.”

Nearly every answer from Set Free, whether it’s about basketball, fashion, and hip-hop, is woven together through the lens of a passionate admirer of the culture. “For me, music is a beat that always never changes. No matter the artists, it always does something the same way. Basketball is the only thing with a genre of music connected. So, when you say basketball, you say hip-hop. If you say golf, you don’t see music. Tennis, there’s no music [there]. But it’s always been this way [with basketball]. At one point it was Public Enemy that drove that beat and then Nas and Mobb Deep, it’s still this same connection to me from Drake to Rick Ross at one point, Lil Wayne and Cash Money at [another] point. 

“I mean, for me with the AND1 mixtape, it started with Common and Mos Def and Busta Rhymes, but now it’s 2Chainz, Lil Baby, J Cole but it’s still the same feeling now and which I’m happy about. Super happy about all the collaborations, the [DJ Khaled] album, NBA Youngboy, Griselda is one of my favorites. Of course, the legends of the Jadakiss’s and Cam’rons, and all the “babys”—Lil Baby, DaBaby, I’m baby-ied out, in a good way…It’s an exciting time in music [and] I love how the players embrace it. You know, you’ve seen them [wearing] in ear [headphones], over-ears coming through the tunnel, pregame, shootaround. You see them [mentioned] in lyrics, and even with the griddy-thing…I don’t think music is going to leave the NBA, hip-hop is so connected [with it]. At one time it was movie stars like Jack Nicholson, Bill Murray, but now those [courtside] seats are filled by Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne.” 

Just as the game is changing, Set Free and The Compound are also constantly evolving, too. As a self-declared “artistic, cluttered minimalist,” Set Free admits that when he first arrived at the space and it was empty, he could look at every blank wall and know exactly how many frames would fit. 

“[When I walked in] and saw it empty, I literally [knew] every block where everything fits. I stood in the middle, and was like, five paintings fit there, three fit there, six on that wall. If you’ve noticed, every space is almost full. I’m going crazy because I’m waiting on tables for that space. For me, it’s just art and math. Like that gray wall, ten frames is going to fit perfectly on that.” 

Like every artist, Set Free is rarely ever satisfied with the way things look in The Compound, and he’s constantly been moving and changing the layout around. But like every visionary, he sees an opportunity to create something new and innovative. That’s the future of The Compound. 

“It’s always evolving. But I think that’s what keeps it fun. Like, usually [with] the last Compound [space No. 1], maybe twice a year, definitely maybe once, I would take all those 10 frames down, put them back in storage and go get new art and put it in that sport to keep [it] refreshing.”

With his blessing, Set Free wraps up the interview by encouraging us to wander freely around the space and take it all in. To get close enough to really see every intricate detail of the art, the jerseys, the mixtapes and the NBA championship kicks. After all, The Compound is meant to capture all of your wildest, most creative curiosities.  

The post Inside the Creative Mind of Set Free Richardson and the 3rd Version of his Famed Creative Space—The Compound appeared first on SLAM.

After going undrafted in 2021, the 6-0 guard out of Georgia Tech, who was splitting time between the Pels and their G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, kept telling himself that if he wasn’t going to play, just make sure that it felt like he was out there playing.

Do something that makes you impact the day, he’d say. Not just the game but the day. 

That meant learning how to be impactful in other ways, even if he wasn’t on the court. Not only would he watch the game, but he’d study it, thinking critically about ways he would attack the defense if he was out there. Teammates like Brandon Ingram took notice and would ask him for his perspective. 

“Brandon Ingram used to come to the side and be like, Yo, what you see out there? What do you think we should do with it?” Alvarado recalls over the phone, later adding: “I think little by little I grew more disciplined and it made me lock in more.”

Despite what many had said about him coming into the League—that he was too short, or not equipped to hold his own in the NBA—Alvarado’s emergence last season has made him beloved in NOLA and respected all across the League. He went from being an undrafted player making a little over $400K to securing a four-year, $6.5 million contract and solidifying his spot in the Pelicans’ rotation, all in a matter of just four months. 

The word “UNDERDAWG” isn’t just something Alvarado has written in his Instagram bio, it’s a reflection of who he is and what he’s about. Don’t sleep though, the bag has always been well-equipped with his elite style of play: that baseline sneak-attack move, the same one that earned him the GTA nickname in the first place? He’s been doing that since AAU. His lockdown defense? We’re talking about an ACC Defensive Player of the Year here. And yes, he can shoot, too.  

“Going through the whole pre-draft, even college and high school, they said I wasn’t ready for the ACC. I had a rough two years [in college], my junior and senior year I had a breakout. I won Defensive Player of the Year, we won an ACC championship. Then I come in and they say, The League is pushing it. I’m undrafted, come in on two-way, and six months later I’m playing in a playoff game and my guys want me out there to help win the game. That’s truly what I mean when I say I’m an underdog.”

It’s one thing, though, to surpass other people’s expectations, but as Drizzy once said: You know it’s real when you are who you think you are.

“I always have believed in myself, obviously, but for me to do what I did made me feel so much excitement and belief. It was like, Alright Jose, this ain’t no more if or what. This is you now. This is what it is now. It taught me that if I be me, everything else will take [care] of itself.”

All that waiting and studying and preparing paid off when he saw action on the court in January. The New York-native dropped 13 points against the Knicks during his Madison Square Garden debut (and homecoming) and didn’t back down when he went at it against Joel Embiid a few nights later, earning the respect of the five-time All-Star. By March, Alvarado was putting up 16 points, 10 assists and 6 steals in a win against Houston, followed by a career-high 23 points against the Spurs. 

Then came the playoffs.

During the biggest moment of his career, Alvarado held his own in the first-round series against the Suns. The team’s defensive ace averaged 1.2 steals in 19.5 minutes and understood the assignment when it came to competing against the point god himself, Chris Paul. This postseason performance prompted praise from none other than CJ McCollum: “He was agressive, fearless, showed that New York mentality.” 

Looking back, Alvarado says that there was one moment during the playoffs that might top, or at least match, the MSG performance as his best memory from his rookie season. He still remembers that night vividly, how all of Smoothie King Center—over 17,000 people—chanted his name while his family, including his mom, dad and brother, sat on the sidelines and smiled at him as he dribbled the ball up the court. 

“It was like a movie. I remember it like it was yesterday. I started tearing up, like, wow, and everyone was screaming, ‘Jose!’ It was one of those moments I’ll never forget, it’s one of the best memories I got in the NBA.” 

Alvarado even sat down with his friends and family to process the  journey, how everything he’d worked for was coming true, right before their eyes.

“I was like, I can’t believe everything worked out how we always said it would. How many times have people said, Yeah, we’re going to make it to the NBA or we’re gonna do this? A whole bunch of people and it never really happens for whatever reason. I definitely sat down and went, Wow, you’re living the dream and being more than you thought you could be. 

“I’ve been around a lot of people and this doesn’t come around often. Being able to put an NBA jersey on, being in a rotation, being someone in the lineup. I think I’m always going to embrace that,” he says. “No matter what happens to me later in life, I could always tell my kids or anybody like, Jose, you did something special in that one year. But I’m also looking forward to doing more special things.”

That includes representing Puerto Rico on the national team over the summer at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Alvarado says he hadn’t been to PR since he was around 12 years old, but it nonetheless felt like home as soon as he touched ground. 

“I told my parents that as soon as I got off the plane, it felt like home. I had people [on] the plane waiting for me and they recognized me right away. It was crazy, [I] was like a superstar. I called myself ‘Spanish LeBron.’ I’m glad I did it. Everybody was telling me about how Puerto Ricans are so proud about just being, you know, the love of the game of basketball. Going out there and experiencing that love and everyone showing me so much love just because I’m representing them at the highest level. I’ve been doing a lot but seeing them and putting a jersey on definitely is a memory I’ll never forget.”

The decision to step away from the national team wasn’t an easy one, but ultimately Alvarado felt that he wanted to make the Pelicans his priority this summer. 

“That was a tough decision. I am focusing on being Jose, at a higher level. Just learning. I want to polish my game and obviously make shots. I want to be a high-level shooter. I want to work on my confidence. Most importantly, I want to have guys—like, they respect me already and they love me but I also want to be able to hold the superstars accountable. Just more of being a leader. Just going out there and having fun. I think we’re really good [and] once we click, I think all the guys know that we could be something special.”

Back in May, Alvarado tweeted that he was going to win Defensive Player of the Year one day, and when asked about it, he makes it clear that he wasn’t just talking. To him, it’s not a matter of if, but when.

“When I tweeted it, I meant it,” he says. “Not necessarily to say [that] I will win it next year, but I will win it one year because of just how much I love defense and how much I wanna pride myself on it. This NBA thing is not gonna be an easy route for me, no matter what happens here. I had a really good year, but I’m always gonna have to fight and prove every year that I belong, no matter how long I’ve been in the NBA. So that’s my mindset on everything. And especially, this is where [I’m at]: I do the sneaky thing, which is unique, and I love it—everyone loves it—but I want to show that if you’re in front of me dribbling the ball, it will be a difficult time, too.”

He’s also ready to showcase that his talents aren’t just limited to one end of the floor. 

“I talk to [my agent] Ron [Shade] about this all the time, I don’t think everyone knows how good I am offensively, that’s why people get so shocked. I am good, I’ve shown it. It’s just about showing it on the highest level. But my focus is on being the best defender on the court. I’m not the tallest, I’m not the strongest, I’m not the most athletic, but I want it to be like, Where’s Jose at? or Lock in on him. 

“I want to affect the game, and I’m not gonna affect the game by scoring. I am going to affect the game with my energy and defense. The offense is a plus, I know I can make shots, I know I can get to my spots. So, if I do my thing on defense, the offense will become a little more easy for me.”

With the long-awaited return of Zion Williamson this season, Alvarado believes that the Pelicans are only going to add to what they did last season and could make an even deeper run in the playoffs. 

“We have an important piece coming back with Zion. We did pretty good without him, and adding him will be amazing,” Alvarado says. “The rest is about locking in on us. Not letting the outside distract us, the little noise that would make us not [be] together. I think everyone is so locked in on how good we could be. If we lock in how we are supposed to, and if we get along how we are supposed to, then we will have a memorable season that we could talk about for a very long time. I think the team is really locked in. 

“My mindset is obviously getting past the first round but also winning a ring eventually. This is a building process. If we don’t get a ring this year, we know we could definitely get one in the coming years.” 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post After a Breakout Rookie Season, Jose Alvarado Says He’s Ready to Take Everything Up to Another Level appeared first on SLAM.

“It meant a lot,” Mitchell said. “The guys in the locker room, when I saw RoLo get it last time, I was like, ‘Oh, this is pretty dope.’ For me, just to feel a part of the group. They’ve accepted me since day one. Just to go out there and continuously just find my way, whether it’s offensively, defensively. Then to get this, it’s awesome.”

Even before Mitchell arrived in the Land, it was becoming clear that the team was truly starting to buy into the underdog-mentality. Darius Garland, who averaged a career-high 21.7 points last season, once described the team as a “pest” on the hardwood, and that’s become apparent not only in their on-court play and defensive dominance, but in their demeanor. Lamar Stevens was the one who started the barking last year, and since then, the whole team has caught on to it.

“Lamar [Stevens] started it, but I kinda adopted it,” Jarrett Allen told SLAM. “I think it’s perfect for what the team is trying to achieve…. We’re a young team, but we have the talent to back up the scrap.”

The Junkyard Dog Chain perfectly encapsulates all of the energy and excitement building around the Cavs’ young squad—designed by The Foundry at Jared, the hardware is made up of 14k Yellow Gold and features the 216 Cleveland area code, JYD [Junkyard Dog] acronym and Cavalier logos from throughout franchise history on the piece. Past recipients to rock the Junkyard Dog Chain, which is given to a player after every team win, includes Stevens, Garland, Kevin Love, Dylan Windler, Isaac Okoro and 2021-22 Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley.

Last Saturday, Robin Lopez became the first recipient of this season’s Junkyard Dog Chain after putting up 12 points in his Cavs debut.

As the latest Cavalier to win the award, Mitchell is continuing to impress and is setting franchise records, including being the first in Cavs’ history to put up back-to-back 30-plus point games to start the season. With a new superstar at the helm and a stacked roster of hungry talent, this is only the beginning of the team’s continued ascension.

But then again, Darius Garland did warn us back in February that the Cavaliers are ready to earn their respect.

“I think we’re starting to put the League on notice that we’re not just any slouch anymore. Like, you just can’t come into Cleveland and roll over us. I think we definitely deserve our respect.” 

Photos via Cleveland Cavaliers.

The post How the Cleveland Cavaliers Have Bought into the Underdog Mentality this Season with the Junkyard Dog Chain 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.

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