It’s safe to say that the sneaker game has changed. Just as NBA players want to play in big markets, guys are bucking the trend and joining up-and-coming sneaker companies in order to make a name for themselves. First we saw this with the influx of Chinese brands such as Li-Ning, PEAK and ANTA, and have recently seen it from the likes of Under Armour and Above The Rim. Now, getting back in the game, is Spalding. Read More »

In the January issue of Esquire, Scottie Pippen is interviewed as part of their “Meaning of Life Issue.” For the first time, Esquire highlights the indispensable supporting players who are often really so much more interesting than the leading guys. The magazine gathered 15 of the greatest co-stars, and let them tell their side of the story. Let’s just say you can learn a lot about Scottie Pippen. Actually, that’s not even how you really spell his name. Read More »

What is going on in the NBA right now? Stars everywhere trying to direct themselves to bigger markets. Everyone who doesn’t have the perfect situation wants out to lock themselves into another one. It’s a carousel of truces and pacts, of friendships and partnerships. But everyone loves to say Kobe Bryant isn’t in to all that stuff. He’s the lone wolf out to set everybody straight. But from reports on the inside right now, Bryant is heated at the Lakers’ front office and the direction they’re taking. As we wrote in Smack, some think he could eventually demand a trade. Read More »

If I still had the text messages, I would turn them into a full post. Absolutely ridiculous stuff. Knick fans are so over-the-top they make the Kardashians sound sane, and my boy is one of the biggest ones out there. He’s famous in our circle for talking up every new New York player (Mardy Collins, Nate Robinson, Jordan Hill, etc.) as the future of the league. Still, I can’t help but say the Knicks are definitely back. They might have the best frontcourt in the league: Tyson Chandler, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. Can you name one better? The only one that I think compares is Memphis. Read More »

The top tier NBA free agents are signed, sealed and delivered, but there are still a handful of guys that can help impact teams this year. And with the season starting in nine days, it’s time to pull the trigger to get them into camp as soon as possible. With that, here are the Top 5 NBA Free Agents Available. Remember, spend your money wisely. Read More »

Lost amidst all the trade talk, conspiracies and player movement of the past few weeks, Shaquille O’Neal is still joining the best basketball show on television and is still going to make TNT’s “Inside the NBA” an even more entertaining program. Watching basketball on Thursday nights is great, but we all know how much better TNT makes it. Yesterday, I got my first listen into what a show with O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson will be like. TNT held a media conference call and nearly three quarters of the way through, the three analysts got into a pretty big argument over what Orlando should do with Dwight Howard. Read More »

By now you need no introduction to Shabazz Muhammad. And as you’d expect, the nation’s best high school player right now dominated the 2011 summer circuit. The following mixtape features highlights from nearly everywhere he played this summer, and after watching, you’ll realize why we’re all witnessing a high school legend in the making. Read More »

These are strange times in the NBA. Strange times, indeed. We want to believe this whole fiasco revolving around the Chris Paul-to-the-L.A. Clippers trade is over. But we know, and y’all know, it isn’t. That’s what happens when a league is forced to trade one of its most visible and valuable assets. That’s what happens when there are accusations someone screwed around with the amnesty waiver process to make sure Chauncey Billups ended up a Clipper. That’s what happens when reporters ask a GM from Houston who thought he had a trade done last week, to comment on what exactly happened and the man backs off saying he isn’t allowed to speak on it. Read More »

By now you’ve seen Chris Paul‘s latest signature shoe, the Jordan CP3.V. But we guarantee you’ve never seen it like this. Introducing the “Christmas” edition, made exclusively for CP3′s game against the Warriors on Christmas Day. Check it out: Read More »

It didn’t make ESPN BottomLine when former Western Kentucky standout Sergio Kerusch signed a three-year deal to play professionally for Aris Thessaloniki in Greece this August. But this dunk should have made SportsCenter. If you’re wondering who got destroyed, that’s former UNC Greensboro star Kyle Hines playing for Olympiacos. Ouch. Read More »