The Knicks’ Jeremy Lin has spurred incredible highlights, sustained enthusiasm from the world’s toughest fans and created a cottage industry of awful puns of his last name.

But don’t pretend he’s the first to burst on a hoops scene like this. The second-year guard’s jaw-dropping five-game run is, instead, the perfect time to remember another unheralded guard’s flash of fame back in 2003. Read More »

When the NBA’s All-Star starters were announced last week, there was only one new face: Andrew Bynum as the West’s center, in his debut All-Star game. The other nine were the game’s biggest names, a list that included Bynum’s Laker teammate Kobe Bryant for a record-tying 14th consecutive year (The All-Star reserves will be revealed Thursday on TNT.).

Bynum may have bested Bryant when he entered the league as its youngest player ever, but he’ll have a hard time topping the Black Mamba’s bananas All-Star debut. Read More »

As you watch this over and over and over again today, know that it’s not the first time something like this has happened to Kendrick Perkins.

Let us take you back to what Dwyane Wade did to him last March: Read More »

I never called Nick Van Exel shy. Too many jumpers early in shot clocks proved he had no conscience. I never called him timid either. Too many arguments with Del Harris proved that. I also never called him faint-hearted. He had enough street cred to get name-dropped in a song by Jigga. I figured he had a little Cypress Hill in him when he shoved Ron Garretson into the scorer’s table. And busting out “the monkey” midgame, against the Jazz no less (I doubt anyone on that team had even heard of “the monkey”), should’ve been all the evidence needed to sum it up: Van Exel had himself some big ol’ Sam Cassell-sized balls. Read More »

If you haven’t heard, Rasheed Wallace wants back in the game. Let’s all forget that he was virtually useless during his final season with Boston. Let’s all forget that we can almost guarantee he’ll come back looking like a hibernated Shawn Kemp with a championship belt that even he can’t fit into anymore. Let’s all forget that the last time we saw him playing ball, he was a statue in the lane getting dunked on by everyone across the entire state of North Carolina in summer pro-ams. What I can’t forget though, is this dunk back in the day. So crazy. So slept on. Hit the jump. Read More »

This morning the Internet is buzzing about Dwight Howard‘s monstrous 45-point, 23-rebound annihilation of the Golden State Warriors. The last player to have at least 45 points and 23 rebounds in a game was Chris Webber back in 2001, when he racked up 51 points and 26 boards against the Pacers. Not to take anything away from Dwight – what he did last night was impressive – but he did miss almost 20 free throws, and he did it against the Warriors (they don’t exactly roll out Wilt and Bill Russell in the post).

What Webber did in ’01 was AMAZING. Read More »

Speaking of Laney High School, Monta Ellis was warming up last night in the Air Jordan V Retro “Laney High School” edition. This colorway – not one of the original four from 1990 – dropped in 2000, and has not been retroed since. Read More »

An era is finished. Peja Stojakovic, long one of the NBA’s greatest outside shooters, is calling it quits. The former All-Star in Sacramento is retiring on top after a championship last season with Dallas because of a string of back and neck problems. While I didn’t exactly rejoice in the Mavs finally getting over the hump, it was great to see a few of their more noteworthy vets get a ring. And yet, no one seems to be talking about Peja. Read More »

Why am I posting this when everyone in the world is talking about Chris Paul? Because Keyon Dooling and Ray Allen are now teammates. According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, the Celtics have acquired Dooling in exchange for a second-round pick. And for those of you that don’t remember, Dooling (Magic) and Allen (Sonics) got into an infamous fight during a game in 2006.

Read More »

As the editor of this video (nonplayerzealot4) says in the description: This is an attempt at creating the first definitive mixtape for Magic Johnson. How have we gone this long without one? Magic was the type of cat who probably has dozens of gems waiting to be revealed. He could’ve had the greatest pass ever seen in the middle of an East Coast swing in the dead of winter in a third quarter blowout against Cleveland, and yet no one might’ve seen it. Finally, some of those plays are coming to light. While I’m not a big fan of mixes solely sticking with the play-by-play audio, it’s completely necessary here. Chick Hearn was a beast during his day, and you can’t have Magic without him. Hit the jump to check the video out. Read More »