How long will it take the Mavs to get the creaky joints moving again? The Western Conference Finals finally kick off in Dallas tonight at 9 p.m. ET and the Mavs need to be sharp after having more than a week off. One team is coming off a dragged out, never-ending, physical war while the other has been sipping on green tea and getting deep-tissue massages on all of their old limbs. Read More »

Nearly a month after Carmelo Anthony got his first billboard in NYC, teammate Amar’e Stoudemire and Sheets energy strips are taking over Times Square with the company’s first foray into the ad world – part of a $10 million marketing campaign. Read More »

I need to get something off my chest: I am obsessed with foam fingers. I don’t know what it is, but I think they’re awesome. In August, my friends at the Miami Heat sent me one of their three-player foam hands that had not one, not two, but three foam fingers to give love to Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James all at the same time. Now, with the NBA Finals just four wins away, UNDRCRWN has “flipped” the concept and has the perfect gift for Heat Nation. Read More »

Nearly trampled on by the bright lights of a Game 7 and the primetime coverage of the good versus bad tilt in Chicago, Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts took a courageous and huge step.

In a New York Times article, Welts revealed that he is gay. After 40 years spent in the sports business, and never feeling confident or comfortable enough to come out and say it, Welts finally did. Read More »

Rappers bringing NBA players on stage is nothing new. Last June, Drake brought out Kobe in L.A. after winning the ‘chip, Lil Wayne brought out Chris Paul and Steve Nash to get lap dances from Nicki Minaj, and now Wale is following suit with Derrick Rose. Watch the hometown MVP get some love at the University of Chicago.

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Not that Enstrumental or Sneaker Fiend needed a reason to collaborate and drop some new heat, but honoring the youngest MVP in league history is as good a time as any. Linking up with artist Hebru Brantley, the “4 Wings & A Crossover” tee is a must-have for any fan of No. 1 and South Side Chicago institution Harold’s Chicken. Check it out after the jump. Read More »

A few weeks ago, I listed Glen Davis as one of the top five pending unrestricted free agents in the NBA Playoffs. And even though he all but disappeared during the Celtics’ short postseason run – averaging an abysmal 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game – I’d still put him on this list. But as Big Baby enters the summer with no locker to hang his jersey, the reality begins to set in that he may be taking his talents elsewhere. Read More »

Mother of Lailaa; wife of Shelden; sister of Anthony. Candace Parker goes by many titles these days, but we all know her as arguably the best female athlete in the world. While she’s not in L.A. lighting it up for the Sparks, the 6-4 forward spends her offseason playing basketball overseas for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. In between her motherly duties and obligations to her Euroleage team, we were able to catch up with Candace to talk Sparks championship hopes, playing ball post-pregnancy and her idolization of Ron Harper. Read More »

What’s a drama without a story arc? The character development, the plot, the compelling scenes, when good becomes bad, when darkness succumbs to light. Transformation. You need it all. Ask Spielberg, Scott and Scorsese. Ask Hemingway, Faulkner and Shakespeare.

Zach Randolph turned his life around. Trouble doesn’t follow Zach Randolph anymore. Z-Bo became a better player. Z-Bo is that dude now. We heard it all during this playoff run. But is it really true? Read More »

“What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.” – John Wooden

There are many things in a child’s life that help to determine the path that he or she will follow. A series of events, achievements, successes, and failures all help to mold that particular child into the person whom he or she will one day become. Most importantly, though, it’s the people in a child’s life who ultimately have the greatest impact. Parents, siblings, relatives, teachers, friends, they all play an integral role in a child’s development. As time goes on, you begin to think back on your childhood and about all of those people who were a part of your life at one point or another. You think about all of the advice and morals they’ve instilled in you and how you’ve taken it all and benefitted from it. Some people stand out more than others, but for all of us, there are always those one or two people you can point to and say, “That was the person.” For me, one of those people came in the form of a basketball coach. Read More »