When I arrived at Mohegan Sun at 3:30 p.m. for the Basketball Hall of Fame ring ceremony, Dennis Rodman was standing in the lobby surrounded by his entourage. The journalist in me wanted to drop my bags and fire questions at him, but my polite and respectful human side held me back. So there I was, waiting for the elevator and shooting awkward glances at Rodman, somehow thinking that maybe he’d walk over to where I was and strike up a conversation with me. Of course this would lead to an impromptu gambling session where he would bankroll me in Blackjack, followed by endless hours of drunken debauchery and the greatest night of my life. Then the elevator sound came, I snapped back into reality and Rodman caught me looking at him. But I was frozen, so I kind of just kept staring. After a brief moment, he gave the “Yep, it’s me” look. Maybe not as good as I had hoped for, but good enough. Read More »

While most of the Dime crew was in D.C. and Boston for the Red Bull King of the Rock qualifiers, I had the chance to go to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ring ceremony at Mohegan Sun. Former greats such as Rick Barry, Moses Malone, Calvin Murphy, George Gervin and Dr. J all came out to honor the newest members of the Hall and possibly hit up the Dennis Rodman after party. It’s a surreal feeling, being surrounded by greatness. Just the way these men carried themselves, you could tell. They weren’t obnoxious, self-satisfied or gratified. It was honorable and graceful. The way you’d teach your children to handle hundreds of star-struck on-lookers and swarming media. And then Dennis Rodman walked in. Read More »

Few things can match the power of a Darryl Dawkins dunk — that is, except for Dawkins’s personality. Known during his playing days for his backboard-shattering slams, Chocolate Thunder could most recently be found charming basketball fans across the country as an ambassador for NBA Nation on its eight-city summer tour which ended in Washington D.C. this June.

In addition to meeting with fans, Dawkins’ responsibilities on the tour included serving as a judge for the 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown, an amateur dunk contest. Chocolate Thunder’s credentials more than qualify him for the job. Dawkins earned the title of the NBA’s original power dunker during the 1979-80 season when he broke two backboards in less than a month. Read More »

With the Western Conference Finals starting tonight, the NBA has graced us with their third commercial spot for the 2011 NBA Finals. Watch as the official basketball of the NBA (this time voiced by Roy Firestone) sits down with Julius Erving to discuss his gravity-defying reverse layup in the 1980 Finals.

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 »

With the 35th anniversary of Black History Month coming to an official close on Monday, Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse are taking the opportunity to recognize the basketball pioneers that they have been honoring all month with the launch of a three-part video series titled, “Ever Higher.” In the series, they discuss the greatness of their three pioneers – Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant – with a handful of sports and cultural influencers including Bun B, Mick Boogie, Julius Erving III, Freddie Gibbs… and me! Check ‘em out:

Read More »

Upon leaving New York City for All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, we knew there was a very good possibility that either the Knicks or Nets would pull off a deal, most likely involving Carmelo Anthony. But what transpired last week for both New York teams (yes, the Nets will soon be in Brooklyn) has been nothing short of astounding. Read More »

As I said earlier, from games to parties to appearances, there wasn’t a free second to be had during NBA All-Star Weekend. So for those of you that weren’t able to make the trip, I wanted to give you an inside-look into everything that was going on. With that, check out the entire weekend in pictures (and be sure to click on the next day at the end of the post). Read More »

While Sunday night’s All-Star Game is the centerpiece of the NBA’s biggest party weekend, Saturday is almost always the most fun. Especially this year. Between TNT’s broadcast, the foolishness happening on Twitter, and Blake Griffin, there’s no way today’s game will top last night’s circus … When he wasn’t zoned out and leaving his mic on at inappropriate times, Dwight Howard assumed the task of delivering Magic Johnson‘s signature line: “The dunk contest is back!” If last night’s slamming finale wasn’t one of the best all-around dunk contests in recent memory, it was definitely one of the most entertaining. Read More »

In celebration of the 35th anniversary of Black History Month, Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse are releasing a limited edition Black History Month Collection inspired by their most iconic and pioneering athletes – Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Julius Erving. Trust me, you want to check these shoes out. Read More »