Lance Stephenson Born Ready: Issue 42 On Sale Now
Lance Stephenson on Dime #42In case you missed it on Friday, we just unveiled the cover of Dime #42…
With the summer upon us, the basketball world’s thoughts turn to the future. Whether it’s the NBA Draft or the high school AAU/camp circuit, the summer is when everyone looks for the next superstar on every level. So for the first summer ‘08 issue of Dime, we decided to give the biggest star in the high school game his first solo cover.
Anyone who reads Dime or has been on DimeMag.com over the last few years at least knows the name Lance Stephenson. We first profiled Lance as a “Player 2 Watch” back when he was in the 8th grade, and he was on the cover of Dime #34 last summer as part of a quintet shot with high school stars Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Derrick Favors and Luke Babbitt. And although that first P2W seems like it was just yesterday, now Lance is heading into his senior year at Lincoln H.S. (Brooklyn) as the best player in the Class of ‘09, with his pick of colleges and a lot of people saying he could be an impact player in the NBA right now. Ever since he first burst onto the scene as a 14-year-old, stories have come in from the playgrounds of NYC of Lance giving legit pros and ex-pros the business, everyone from Jamal Crawford to Joe Forte.
For this issue, Associate Editor Austin Burton went out to Coney Island to get up with Lance and his people for an amazing cover feature to go along with an equally sick photo shoot. Everything you ever needed to know about the country’s best prep ballplayer is right here.
Across the board, we pretty much killed it with this issue: We’ve got the newest installment of our Summer Players 2 Watch, featuring the guys who will be making the most noise in the hoop world over the coming months, names like LeBron, Josh Smith, Greg Oden, ‘Melo, O.J. and Yao. Editorial Assistant Andrew Katz penned two hot features on soon-to-be first-round picks Jerryd Bayless and Chris Douglas-Roberts. We got one of Nike’s top trainers to walk you through the phenomena that is SPARQ Training. Plus we’ve got stories on the best summer pickup run on the planet (regulars include Kevin Garnett and Baron Davis), college basketball’s most deadly scorer, perhaps the top high school freshman in the country, and our usual fashion and Buyer’s Guide pages are stacked with everything you need for the summer.
If you haven’t seen Dime #42 on your local newsstand yet, it should be popping up any day now.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
JOB33 says:
Didn’t CDR drop outta the draft? Maybe I read it wrong.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Chris says:
“This 17-year-old would be a star in the NBA right now”
Did you mean the D-League? Please. Mentally not there yet.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Matt says:
That cover is SICK! Great job guys. Can’t wait to read the issue.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Ocka says:
way to inflate his ego and head size even more…….he’s good but he’s nowhere near say, LeBron at the same age. Star right now, I highly doubt it.
Love the cover otherwise though.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
jules says:
Great cover
June 20th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Ashlov says:
Lance Stephenson is insane!!! Check this crazy shit out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU
June 20th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Dagomar says:
Dominating against highschool kids is a LITTLE bit different from dominating against, say, Kobe and Lebron. Or even Durant, for that matter. Kid’s good, no doubt, but let’s wait and see what happens first.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
doc says:
Thats why New York ballers aint been living up to the hype.You say he’ll be a star right now,they believe it,and go on to stink up the world for the rest of they career.You would think yall learned from Felipe or Sebastion.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
doc says:
Hot cover though.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
MoxWestCoastRep says:
just got my copy in the mail…Made it in the mag 2 months in a row…holla!
Love the articles on Bayless and the “D-Train” workouts.
Keep it up yall
June 20th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Wikipedia says:
I don’t get how people can say Sebastian Telfair is a total bust. So what he isn’t an all-star and what ever else. He made it to the NBA, proved he can play there and averaged about a decent 10 and 5. He’s a millionaire, to me that is a success story.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:28 am
TalenTed says:
Man I hope he aint got a stank attitude like I’ve heard, he could be nice
June 21st, 2008 at 4:15 am
courtlegend says:
hahaha rick roll
June 21st, 2008 at 6:56 am
Money J says:
@ post 13 – LOL
June 21st, 2008 at 11:11 am
DJ Stylz and shit says:
I been knowin Lance since he was a kid and shit, he’s like my lil bro. You heard it hear first, boy’s going to Kentucky.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Austin Burton says:
FYI, that wasn’t anyone on this staff saying Lance was better than T-Mac, Wade, etc. — it was a reader who commented on a post about Lance.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Austin Burton says:
P.S. — Lance is better than Willie Warren. Unless your last name is Warren, you know that.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Da Man says:
Hot cover, either way. I wonder if dudes saying Lance ain’t that good has even watched him play. You know the haters are out there…….
June 21st, 2008 at 2:44 pm
John says:
To DIME:
Matter of fact I have seem him play. In my opinion you (Austin) and the rest of the DIME crew have been hyping him up so much that even you guys have completely bought into the hype. Nothing I say or do could possibly dissuade you guys from thinking otherwise…which is cool. But seriously, what makes you think a 6′5″ kid with with slightly better than average athleticism, average handles (NOT superb by any means), who has been labeled by many has being egotistical (trust me YOU guys aren’t helping) while ALWAYS lookin’ for “his own” is a basketball “anomaly” in the class of Kobe, LeBron, and Tracy. The kid has talent, but he is NOWHERE NEAR as good as DIME makes him out to be. You guys are saying the kid has the ability to play in the league at this very moment. B*llsh*t. If you look at the most successful SGs to make the jump from HS to the NBA, they all boast decent size (certainly taller and longer than Mr. Stephenson), freak-of-nature, jaw-dropping type athleticism, great ball-handling skills, and good court vision to boot allowing them to play the 1-2-3 and sometimes even the 4 (LBJ and Tracy) position when need be. You are going to sit there and tell me Lance Stephenson can do that? Absolute nonsense. I’ve been reading DIME since you guys shared a spot on FOXsports and I used to enjoy the witty basketball commentary and first-hand analysis that was a nice change of pace from the boring old-timers of ESPN, FOXsports (think Charley Rosen), SI who would essentially jump on the hype bandwagon to sell a story. You guys are losing yall’s touch….
Oh and btw…heard Lance and his AAU crew kinda ran into some unforeseen troubles to a “no-named” NJ crew…maybe you guys are looking in the wrong place for future b-ball talent….
June 21st, 2008 at 2:44 pm
John says:
P.S. from Willie Warren to DIME MAGAZINE with love:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5a_wW6Zf0Qk
June 21st, 2008 at 3:05 pm
John says:
John Wall would have made a more believable story…
June 21st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
haha says:
haha..Ive seen this kid play and even if he makes it in the nba he’s not going to be an all star. What are you guys gona say 5 years from now when he becomes a bust. That all the hype you gave him he deserved at the time!?
June 21st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Da Man says:
Oh OK, Willie Warren is better cause of one dunk. You killed your whole argument dawg. I ain’t no high school expert but from all I hear Lance is the truth and is AT LEAST good enough to go pro in 2009 if Stern didn’t change the rules. Appreciate the hot DIME cover and start Willie’s fan club later. And who da F*** is Jon Wall?
June 21st, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Wikipedia says:
You guys are not serious with the John Wall or Willie Warren being better than Lance Stephenson comments are you? I think both Wall and Warren are very good ball players but they wouldn’t even tell you that they are better than Lance. Lance is a talent, some of the top ball players in the country have said out of their own mouths that Lance is a tough match up. I’m not saying he is going to be an all-star in the L for years and he should be there right now and all that, but at this point in time he is the MAN in HS basketball. I’ve seen him give grown men and Division 1 ball players the business. And those guys were trying very hard to stop him.
For the record. That was Lance’s first game with that AAU team and so what they lost, does that take away from his personal game?
MAN, PEOPLE GOT ALOT OF HATE IN THEY BLOOD. WHY YA’LL HATIN’ ON A 17 YEAR OLD. WHAT HE DO TO YA’LL? YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HIM.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:02 am
John says:
Da Man…you can’t be serious….you don’t know who the f*ck John Wall is? OBVIOUSLY, you don’t know HS ball. Get your little ESPN, DIME hype machine ass outta this thread. All you probably know is the stuff that major headline news be spittin’ out hence making you simply the regular “casual fan” whose knowledge extends only to what the major news stations are posting. You want more highlights on Warren…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FZoyabbt9Jw
State Championship game
As for JOHN WALL, he is THE TOP-RATED HS player in the nation as rated by Rivals. Who the f*ck is John Wall…who the F*CK are YOU? I know DIME has a little NY biased thing going…but thats ok. But seriously “Da Man”, you are a fool….
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 am
John says:
Oh, and just in case you (Da Man) are going to give me that…oh its only one site nonsense, John Wall also happens to be the TOP-RATED prospect at Scout as well. You better believe DIME is serving that NY biased “kool-aid” and you (DA MAN) are downing that sh*t as you so-claimed, “I ain’t no high school expert but from all I hear Lance is the truth “. Key word, you be “HEARIN’” and why don’t take LOOK with your OWN EYES instead of just basing you knowledge on simple things you read because you are the type of person that would probably buy just about any story you’re told. A remember a few years back, this magazine was trying to sell Sebastian Telfair and his “GODLY” talents…Yeah…he’s MARBURY’S cousin, but guess where he’s from…LINCOLN HS in NY, where Lance is coming from. DIME loves their NY preps and I believe its blinding them from the “BIGGER PICTURE”. I’m not saying Lance doesn’t have talent, but he is NOWHERE near as good as DIME is making him out to be. There are better talents out there and JOHN WALL is simply ONE of them.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:38 am
Da Man says:
@John — Why you hating so hard on Lance? You been in this thread writing books on how he’s overhyped any all that … Yo, if Willie Warren was THAT nice he wouldn’t be going to OKLAHOMA. He’d be going to UNC, Kansas, Memphis, etc. And Wall might be great but that don’t mean he’s more pro-ready than Lance, who’s got closer to a pro body. If DIME puts Willie Warren or John Wall on a cover will you be happy?
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:58 am
Austin Burton says:
Everyone has their opinions, and everyone thinks their opinion is closest to fact. I could bring up website rankings too, like how Rivals ranked Kyle Singler ahead of Kevin Love, J.J. Hickson ahead of Jerryd Bayless, and Stanley Robinson ahead of Mike Conley AND Darrell Arthur. I could bring up the Scout ranked Derrick Rose #5 in the Class of ‘07, or ranked Josh McRoberts ahead of Monta Ellis in 2005.
My point is that scouting services are not the ultimate judge of talent, Dime isn’t the ultimate judge of talent, and neither are you (John) the ultimate judge of talent. We’re all just a bunch of fans with our opinions. I’m sorry if ours have made you so upset.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:23 am
Wikipedia says:
Well put Austin. John Wall is not ranked #1 by scout, stop lying.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 am
yallallreadyknow says:
how come you can NEVER find a dime magazine on a newsstand?
it don’t make sense. i can NEVER EVER find dime on any newsstand. do you only sell them downstairs from your office?
all of us aint in ny ya know.
get ur sh*t together and get dime on MORE news/magazine stands!!
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Will Tate says:
Da Man…what the hell is wrong with Oklahoma? In case you haven’t noticed, the landscape of the NCAA is changing. There is a new top-dog every year. If I’m not mistaken, Oklahoma has a legitimate shot at the Final Four next year. It must be that you don’t college ball as well. DIME is based in NY, i can understand DIME given some love to Lance, but it sure don’t mean Willie or Wall ain’t legit because Dime don’t talk about it. Obviously, scouting reports aren’t the be all and end all to judging talent, but they do a thorough job of analyzing talent at the current stage of their respective career. Also, we all know that being great in HS doesn’t necessarily translate to being great in the NBA, just look at Ndudi Ebi…so I’m also kinda weary that Dime is hyping up the kid so much that he is DUE for a BIG FALL if he doesn’t succeed. Lance has talent, but lets not carried away just yet. But as for MR. WIKIPEDIA…the dude was right… JOHN WALL IS #1 at SCOUT.COM:
http://hsgeorgia.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=4&yr=2009&cfg=bb
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Will Tate says:
Da Man…what the hell is wrong with Oklahoma? In case you haven’t noticed, the landscape of the NCAA is changing. There is a new top-dog every year. If I’m not mistaken, Oklahoma has a legitimate shot at the Final Four next year. It must be that you don’t college ball as well. DIME is based in NY, i can understand DIME given some love to Lance, but it sure don’t mean Willie or Wall ain’t legit because Dime don’t talk about it. Obviously, scouting reports aren’t the be all and end all to judging talent, but they do a thorough job of analyzing talent at the current stage of their respective careers. Also, we all know that being great in HS doesn’t necessarily translate to being great in the NBA, just look at Ndudi Ebi…so I’m also kinda weary that Dime is hyping up the kid so much that he is DUE for a BIG FALL if he doesn’t succeed. Lance has talent, but lets not carried away just yet.
But as for MR. WIKIPEDIA…the dude was right… JOHN WALL IS #1 at SCOUT.COM:
http://hsgeorgia.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=4&yr=2009&cfg=bb
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Myrie says:
BREAKING NEWS!!
SHAQ RAP DISS FOR KOBE BRYANT IN NEW YORK LAST NIGHT
http://www.tmz.com/tmz_main_video?titleid=1626146951
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Wikipedia says:
@ Will Tate and John,
If you look closely that link is the ranking of positions. Not the overall ranking of the class. Check this link out:
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=4&pid=88&cfg=bb&yr=2009
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 pm
makedr says:
WOW. he is a humor guy,many friends like to chat with him online on tall dating site ___Tallmingle.com___,He often told us some funny jokes. Seems he is famous on that site,especially some hot models talk with him positively.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:01 am
Will Tate says:
Well Mr. Wikipeida, regardless…someone CAN be serious about John Wall being “better” than Lance, even on the link you posted he’s STILL ranked higher. Scout, Rivals…doesn’t matter…he’s still ranked higher…so to answer your question,
“You guys are not serious with the John Wall or Willie Warren being better than Lance Stephenson comments are you?”
The answer is YES…unless of course you didn’t know or haven’t seen him (John Wall) play, the kid can definitely play as well. But hey, your opinion is cool, I agree Lance has got some talent too, its just that DIME should be a bit more cautious about throwing such a young kid to the wolves (media, world). It’s ok to be judging talent at this stage, but lets not take this to ridiculous highs. The kid is NO LeBron and the reader or poster that said the kid had more game than Agent Zero, McGrady, Wade AT THIS VERY MOMENT…YOU MY FRIEND need to get yourself checked, that is just ABSURD.
Oh and one last thing for “Da Man”…turns out Oklahoma is also pursuing Mr. Wall…guess that schools not so “crap-tacular” after all is it?
July 1st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
mjb says:
Its hard to tell who translates well into the pros. Tyler Hansbrough has started 4 years at North Carolina and could very well be out of the league in 3 years. I think Stephenson has a better chance of being successful than John Wall does right now. Point Guards are less likely to be giants coming straight from college because they need to handle the ball, guard the fastest people on the floor and be offensive juggernauts. 2-guards translate much better (i.e. Kobe Bryant, DeShawn Stevenson, etc.)
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Oklahoma. Michael Beasley went to Kansas State. Oklahoma already has Blake Griffin so Warren will have a great complement.