The gym was open for Miami basketball players this past weekend and we were lucky enough to be a part of it. We’ve posted stories about Converse Open Gym in this space in the past, but Saturday’s event was something new, something different for basketball players 16-24.

Converse took over the famed Jose Marti Rec Center in Little Havana for the day, and more than 500 players came through to play ball, compete for kicks, and hang out with and listen to Miami’s top radio personality, DJ Laz. Read More »

You know the weather and the environment are completely screwed up when you leave Baltimore to head down to Puerto Rico…and then find out it’s like 10-15 degrees hotter up in Maryland. It doesn’t make much sense.

But the love Carlos Arroyo and J.J. Barea were feeling this weekend during the Converse Open Gym Puerto Rico in San Juan was warming the place right up. Read More »

As part of the launch of Converse Open Gym in Puerto Rico this Saturday, P.R. natives and Team Converse athletes J.J. Barea and Carlos Arroyo we on hand to kick it with the over 1,000 kids that showed up. And when they weren’t on the court or speaking about how basketball has played a major role in their lives, J.J. and Carlos took a minute to sign the Puerto Rican colorway of the Converse Star Player EVO to giveaway to one lucky Dime fan. Check it out: Read More »

When ballplayers from the West Side of Chicago meet up against Southsiders, it’s always more than just a game. It doesn’t matter if it goes down on a playground in the Windy City or in all-star setting like it was the other night as part of the inaugural Chicago United Hoops Classic – it will be a collision of neighborhood pride marked by the smash-mouth style of ball that makes Chicago hoop a beast unlike any other in the world. Read More »

Just when you thought the high school basketball season was over, some of Chi-Town’s finest decided to hold a game. Tomorrow, the inaugural Chicago United Hoops Classic will feature premier prep school players from Chicago’s South and West Sides at the Sullivan Athletic Center on the campus of DePaul University. Here are the rosters: Read More »

If you’ve been reading DimeMag.com for a minute, then you know that Converse has been doing some great things down in Atlanta. Yesterday, unveiling two new basketball courts at historic Piedmont Park in midtown Atlanta, they added more to the list. The court donation with brand ambassador Julius “Dr. J” Erving, consisting of one full court and one half court, is part of Converse’s continued commitment to fostering community involvement through basketball in the city of Atlanta. Check it out: Read More »

This summer, we let you in on a little secret: The gym is open in Boston. And with 457 participants during Converse’s fifth Open Gym in the Boston market this past weekend, 456 of them were kids. The other? Celtics rookie Luke Harangody. Read More »

The Converse Open Gym program continues to create a buzz, events in Atlanta, Chicago, Philly and Boston have drawn up to 500 kids on the regular to play pickup ball. But this past weekend in Miami, an all-time Open Gym record was set when 1,031 ballplayers took over the courts at Miami Dade College. Between that and the Atlanta Open Gym on the same day drawing close to 500 participants, it was Converse’s most successful Open Gym weekend so far.

Hawks forward Mo Evans dropped by the Open Gym in Atlanta on his day off between games against the Jazz and Timberwolves. Read More »

By now, I’m sure you’re in the know about Converse Open Gym. With programs going strong in Atlanta, Chicago, Philly, Miami and Boston, around 500 kids in each city come out on any given Saturday. But this past weekend about 30 miles outside of Chi-Town at the Naval Station Great Lakes, one of Open Gym’s greatest events ever went down. Read More »

Over 500 Boston local youth showed up to the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Roxbury, Mass. on Saturday for the first ever Converse Open Gym event held in Boston. Converse, hosting the 100th Open Gym in its history, used the popular Boston venue as an opportunity for kids to play full-court pick-up basketball in a safe and structured environment. As always, the Open Gym event was free to the public. Read More »