Eleven NBA championships, five league MVP’s, two NCAA championships, one Olympic gold medal, a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. And yet, at 77 years old, Bill Russell received his highest honor yet when he was presented with a Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier today. Russell is one of an obviously select group of athletes to receive the honor, joining the likes of John Wooden, Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens, Richard Petty and 2011 recipient Stan Musial, among others. Russell is the first person with NBA ties to receive the Medal of Freedom.
Before the NBA All-Star Game’s hottest debate turned into a LaMarcus Aldridge celebration — I think the people of Portland are vying to get LMA awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom as we speak — the big argument was over Yao Ming being voted in as an All-Star starter despite playing only five games this season.
In high school basketball, a similar situation has surfaced with today’s unveiling of the Jordan Brand Classic rosters. The annual prep all-star game, played April 16 at the Charlotte Bobcats’ arena, is one of the most popular postseason showcases where college fans get their first look at next year’s freshmen. Read More »
A few weeks ago, we showed you the top 10 finalists in the Reebok ZigTech Slash design contest, where John Wall would pick his favorite from the group to wear in the Rookie Challenge. Today, Wall made his decision, and designer Dylan Stratton will be flying out to L.A. with a friend to see him in action. Check ‘em out: Read More »
The greatest trick an NBA franchise ever pulled was convincing its fan base that younger is better. For every sub-.500, Lottery-bound team in the League, there is somebody behind the scenes promoting a youth movement — one of the few kernels of hope available to paying customers being asked to keep buying those season tickets, because better days are sure to come.
Young teams don’t win championships. The question for fans of those young, constantly-rebuilding franchises is this: When is the future going to turn into the present, when these youngsters become seasoned vets? Read More »
As SI.com’s Hot Clicks noted this morning, “It’s impossible to keep up with all the videos dedicated to BYU guard Jimmer Fredette.” But there’s none that even compare to this. Watch as Scott Winn and Stephen Jones of The Known Network mashup The Jimmer with the man from “Bed Intruder” fame, Antoine Dodson, in “Court Intruder.” And yes, there is plenty of Auto-Tune.
Los Angeles, with its inhabiting hoop masses engulfed in all things Lakers and Blake Griffin, may not be the ideal fan surroundings for a die-hard Portland Trail Blazers supporter. But when you’re making the sort of moves – both on and off the court – that 33-year-old actor and basketball junkie Joel David Moore is making, L.A. is not so bad. Read More »
When I was out in L.A. two weeks ago for Nike’s All-Star Pre-Heat event, I got to check out firsthand the kicks that Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant will be wearing this weekend. Unfortunately, they were under embargo until now. Inspired by the visual effects of today’s Hollywood blockbuster, Nike Basketball designers took cues from the movie industry when creating the following special colorways of the Nike Zoom Kobe VI, Nike LeBron 8 V/2 and Nike Zoom KD III for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. Check ‘em out: Read More »
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