Love. That’s the only word to describe what happened when J.J. Barea hit the Foot Locker in Puerto Rico’s Plaza Las Americas mall this past weekend.

I’ve attended dozens of NBA player store appearances, and I’ve never seen so much love. Not for Kobe, LeBron, KD, Wade or CP3. This was different. Read More »

One of the biggest storylines in college basketball this season is the Florida Gators’ backcourt. People are saying it is the deepest and most talented backcourt in the country, and comparing their lineup to the four-guard lineup Villanova employed in the mid-2000s with Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Kyle Lowry, and Mike Nardi that helped Nova reach the Elite Eight in 2005. People see the Florida backcourt and they see a fourth-year starter in Erving Walker, a third-year starter in Kenny Boynton, a 16-point per game scorer from the Big East in Mike Rosario, and a top-five recruit in Bradley Beal. However, what people don’t see when talking about that backcourt, or just choose to overlook, is Scottie Wilbekin. Read More »

Say what you will about LeBron James, but I was always a fan of the chalk toss. I mean, one of Nike Basketball’s greatest commercials spawned from it. And after a year in Miami which was relatively chalk free, I had assumed it was dead. Apparently football players didn’t get the memo. Read More »

In just his first two years in Lexington, John Calipari has had six former Wildcat players get selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. All but one fell under the one-and-done generation of players.

His career has benefitted greatly from the “one year removed” policy. After each season, Calipari sees talented players head to the NBA, while he welcomes in another crop of blue-chip prospects. But through it all he’s missed one thing: an NCAA Championship. Read More »

Rajon Rondo has established himself as the King of the Alley-Oop during this extended offseason. First it was the backwards pass to Kenneth Faried that got the world going crazy. Then in his own charity game in Boston this weekend, Rondo served up an oop from his forehead to Rudy Gay.

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As you know, all eyes in the hoops world this weekend were on Drew Gooden’s Charity Game in the Bay Area. Couldn’t make it? We got you. Here are highlights from Gooden’s 117-92 loss. Check out the Top 10 plays below.

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Is it UNC’s fault they are just too good? We see them beat Mississippi Valley State 101-75, and all the critics want to do is point out their terrible outside shooting (5-19) and bad numbers from the free-throw line (16-31). Someone like Brent Arrington drops 33 on them (in 18 shots), and we’re complaining, saying they really aren’t that good. The fact is they did what they had to, and they also still have some pretty good talent. John Henson went for 18 and 14 while Harrison Barnes added 18 of his own … Read More »

Dirk Nowitzki wants back in. He’s had his vacation, his time off. He wants to ball again. Without the NBA, there are only a few options left for him. He admits he’s not in the greatest shape, but expects he’ll be ready to go within a few weeks. Now it’s just a matter of where. The NBA probably isn’t coming back anytime soon. He’s heard the rumors about Real Madrid’s interest, and says he would play there. There’s also their rival Barcelona who could be a good fit. And finally, there’s his hometown league, the German Bundesliga, which holds weight. It’s the best way to promote this game in the area he grew up, as well as a nice finishing touch. That’s where he started his career. It would be great to go back at some point … Read More »

What we got on Friday night in MSG was a tale of two oddly similar yet completely different teams. Arizona has the hype, and the high ranking. They came in at 4-0 but still playing a little bit over their heads, a good team that appeared to be playing better than they actually were. On the other side was Mississippi State with enough talent that most experts see them as one of the most dangerous unranked teams in the country. Despite that, they started the year somewhat unassumingly. So if you told us pregame that the Bulldogs would finish with a flurry and take over the game late to win by 10, grabbing the 2K Sports Classic, we wouldn’t have been surprised. Read More »

And you thought I forgot about it huh? November 18th is a national holiday in my household. Back in the day, it would mean playing The Diplomats “Who I Am” on repeat, spinning a ball on my fingertips while reading Tom Friend’s ESPN features on the man who tattooed WHIT EBOY on his fingers.

The retired Jason Williams turned 36 years old today, and if the end of an era wasn’t already dying, it’s officially gone now. Being retired assures us of that. Read More »