At one point early in the first half of Saturday night’s Jordan Brand Classic, the crowd at Barclays Center suddenly and incongruously erupted into a thunderous ovation during a dead ball. Only one person’s arrival could have elicited such a reaction.

Nope, not him. It was Drake. Read More »

Jabari Parker, as focused a prep player as any in recent memory, seemed to break character just a bit last Monday, casting somewhat more than a glance in the direction of press row after sinking a late-game fadeaway jumper. Was this his subdued version of a Jordan shrug? Read More »

A grin spread across Andrew Wiggins’ face when asked about his visit to the Basketball Hall of Fame and a playful rivalry with his fellow Canada native, St. Benedict’s Syracuse-bound Tyler Ennis, who predicted a 20-point game if he were to play against Huntington Prep. Read More »

Midnight Madness is over, and with it went the smoke machines, dunk contests and laser shows that kick off the season. College basketball begins now, and while the excitement still remains it’s time to peel the hype back and see who the nation’s best truly are. That’s why Dime has you covered with individual previews of the nation’s top 15 teams and a few others just outside, all over the course of the next few weeks. Today, UCLA. Read More »

Midnight Madness is over, and with it went the smoke machines, dunk contests and laser shows that kick off the season. College basketball begins now, and while the excitement still remains it’s time to peel the hype back and see who the nation’s best truly are. That’s why Dime has you covered with individual previews of the nation’s top 15 teams and a few others just outside, all over the course of the next few weeks. Today, Duke. Read More »

In the new issue of Dime Magazine, we took a look at the best – and worst – the game has offered since the turn of the century. From the players to jerseys to sneakers to teams to even trends, you can relive the past 12 years by scooping up the new issue currently on newsstands nationwide. In those pages, you’ll find the following feature… Read More »

In the new issue of Dime Magazine, we took a look at the best – and worst – the game has offered since the turn of the century. From the players to jerseys to sneakers to teams to even trends, you can relive the past 12 years by scooping up the new issue currently on newsstands nationwide. In those pages, you’ll find the following feature… Read More »

This piece was originally published in Dime #70. Check national newsstands now for the issue to see the feature in its entirety…

Somehow in the span of one year, Dion Waiters went from a Sixth Man at Syracuse to the No. 4 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, becoming one of the fastest-rising future stars in the game. But if you knew anything about him, you’d know the Philadelphia product believed in himself all along. Read More »

As Dion Waiters and his crew hung out at a South Philly diner back in April, the topic of conversation eventually swung to what type of player Dion would resemble in the pros. I was there writing a profile for Dime; when asked my opinion, I offered up Latrell Sprewell, which I meant as a compliment. Like Spree, Dion is a tough defender, a good shooter, intense on the court and explosive to the rim.

Dion’s brow furrowed as he considered that for a minute.

Then somebody brought up Dwyane Wade, and Dion’s eyes immediately lit up. Read More »

No sport markets its stars like basketball, and growing up in the mid-90’s, I developed a taste for studying ad campaigns. How could I not? There was Barkley fighting Godzilla, Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood, Lil’ Penny’s pool party – and of course, more incredible Michael Jordan ads than I could count.

As such, almost as much as wanting to see LeBron James play in the NBA, I couldn’t wait to see how Nike and Wieden+Kennedy would market him. With so much to work with, they’ve delivered some real gems, most notably the Witness-era coolness of “The Chalk” and the powerful post-Decision recovery effort “Rise.” (There’s also the bizarre Nicole Scherzinger ad, which defies description.) Read More »