For the past four years, the Boost Mobile Elite 24 has been able to bring in two-dozen of the country’s best high school ballers – no matter the grade level – to its annual all-star event at Rucker Park in Harlem. But for its fifth installment this past August, the event’s promoters wanted to give it a little West Coast makeover; deciding instead to host the festivities at the legendary outdoor courts in Venice Beach, Calif. Read More »

This summer, you could find trainer Rob McClanaghan between two small Southern California high school gyms in Santa Monica and Hollywood (when he did make it out West). And despite battling above 90-degree heat at times outside and his players’ hectic off-court schedules, McClanaghan managed to have an incredibly productive offseason. We got up with him in L.A. for two separate workouts – one with Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and O.J. Mayo, and the other with Evans, JaVale McGee and Jarron Collins. This is what ensued.

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Even more than the Lakers, Celtics, Duke, and Bob Hurley Sr.‘s kids at St. Anthony’s High School in Jersey; we can’t think of a team that is more heavily scruitinized than USA Basketball’s senior national group. Only during a Team USA summer do you hear “unimpressive” and “22-point win” put next to each other, which was the case from a lot of critics following yesterday’s 99-77 win over Slovenia at the World Championship … Sure, there was stuff to gripe about: Derrick Rose guided an offense that committed 17 turnovers, and Slovenia shot 33 free throws, and Coach K had some questionable subbing patterns, yanking Kevin Durant at times when it seemed he was about to single-handedly blow the game wide open. Read More »

What a difference Kobe and LeBron make. It’s not like Team USA needed any Redeem Team reinforcements on the court during its World Championship opener against Croatia — they blasted ‘em 106-78, light work — but the lack of “star power” was noticeable in other ways. For starters, there was NOBODY in the stands; it looked like a mid-February Minnesota Timberwolves game. Second, well, here’s how Dime’s Austin Burton put it: “I called the nearest sports bar in Washington Heights (a legit place) to ask if they were showing the game. They had no idea what I was talking about. When I got there the bartender let me find ESPN Classic (on the smallest TV they had), and no one seemed interested but me. The re-run of yesterday’s Yankees game got more attention. One waiter said what I think a lot of people feel: ‘When all the big guys dropped out, I didn’t care anymore.’” … Read More »

Why the U.S. won: Talent. It sounds like over-simplifying, but the fact of the matter is that Team USA’s worst player was better than Croatia’s best player. More specifically, the U.S. was hitting their shots (55% FG, 40% 3PA), protecting the ball (7 turnovers), and taking advantage of their depth. Reserve Eric Gordon led the U.S. in scoring with 16 points, and backup Kevin Love had a team-high 10 rebounds. Read More »

Derek Fisher was the fill-in host on Jim Rome’s ESPN talk show yesterday. (This is why guys want to play in places like L.A. and New York. Sure, the network could’ve flown in a personality like Mo Williams or Aaron Brooks, but Fisher is right down the street.) Among the studio guests for 1-on-1 interviews with Fish were Brandon Jennings and Kobe Bryant. While Jennings used the spot as ad space for his new Under Armour kicks, Kobe talked about championships and legacies … Kind of funny to see Fisher all suited and booted while Kobe was rocking shorts and a track jacket. Read More »

In the history of professional sports, few athletes have had the kind of up-and-down season that Washington Nationals pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg is having right now.

When Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in the ’09 MLB Draft, made his big-league debut in June, he exceeded the hype surrounding his arrival by striking out 14 batters in seven innings while picking up a win. Strasburg was the talk of baseball throughout summer, but earlier today, the Nationals announced he needs Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and will likely miss the next year. Read More »

With all five of the cities completed from this summer’s Red Bull 2on2 Revolution tour, we figured that we’d continue to lace y’all up – even if you weren’t able to make it through. In each of the cities, we collaborated with a sneaker boutique for an exclusive players only t-shirt. And let me tell you, people have been fiending for them! Lastly, we’re giving away the Dime x MAJOR x Red Bull 2on2 Revolution t-shirt from Washington, D.C. Check it out in greater detail after the jump. Read More »

Ever since he first emerged on the basketball scene as a promising teenager, Derrick Favors has been, as they say in the industry, “an adidas guy.” Following in the footsteps of fellow Atlanta native and pro three-striper Dwight Howard, Favors was a staple at adidas camps during his time at South Atlanta High School, where he grew into one of the top prep players in the country. In fact, when Favors appeared on the cover of Dime #34 (Summer 2007), it was from a photo shoot alongside Tyreke Evans, Lance Stephenson, Jrue Holiday and Luke Babbitt at the inaugural adidas Nations elite summer program. Read More »

This summer, Damon Harge of Mountain House, Calif., attained the No. 1 ranking out of the 50 sixth, seventh and eighth graders that attended the adidas Junior Phenom Camp. In addition to scoring 50 points in a game in which his team scored 100 at the camp, the 11-year-old phenom who plays at the Modesto Christian School has been putting in work this summer. Check out the workout this kid is already doing. As Quincy Miller, arguably the top player in the Class of 2011, tweeted last night: “Everybody please watch this…best young basketball I EVER saw…crazy!!”

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