When Kyrie Irving was chosen No. 1 in the 2011 NBA Draft, he knew his rookie year would be impacted by the league’s lockout. He just didn’t know how great that impact would be. After his close brush with unemployment, the Rookie of the Year front-runner can now resume the business of proving he belongs here. Read More »

This is just awesome. Watch as former Duke starters Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith and Lance Thomas join the Cameron Crazies.

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While all the NBA exhibition and charity games during the lockout have been great, there’s been one element missing: school pride. So if guys can put on for their city or their team, the next logical step for them was clearly to put on for their alma mater. And it only makes sense that one of the most heated and storied rivalries in sports kick things off. Read More »

We wouldn’t exactly call it airing dirty laundry, but Shaquille O’Neal is definitely getting a few things off his chest now that he’s retired. We aren’t hearing anything new. It’s just that O’Neal is making no mistake about anything: he had some serious problems with Kobe, he left Pat Riley on really bad terms, and that he’s not into Dwight Howard‘s whole Superman routine and thinks Orlando’s big man needs to be his own man. In Shaq’s new book (Shaq Uncut: My Story), Superman takes a couple shots at Superman 2.0, telling Howard to “be his own man.” Shaq and Howard have never really gotten along, so this news comes without any surprise. Shaq has always been someone who spoke his mind, and in his new book, he holds nothing back. Read More »

Back in the day, real summer battles meant two players going back and forth, D-ing each other up and playing for respect. To be honest, it’s felt like those battles have gotten lost over the years. Thankfully all that’s changed. First Brandon Jennings and Josh Selby brought it back; then Kevin Durant and LeBron James followed suit. Now, check out college basketball’s two best players in the game last season, Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker, going head-to-head in Utah, as well as full highlights from the game.

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Prayer For A Perfect Season, HBO’s excellent documentary about last year’s St. Patrick team, was a reminder that a highly successful basketball program doesn’t necessarily insure parochial schools against financial hardship – especially with the economy currently the way it is.

In North Jersey alone, Paterson Catholic shut its doors last year, while 2011 national champion St. Anthony is constantly on the bubble – even with the legendary Bob Hurley working on its behalf. St. Patrick, founded in 1863, is dealing with some of the same difficulties, while attempting to launch a whole new era after longtime coach Kevin Boyle took a new opportunity at Montverde Academy in Florida. Read More »

The Portland Trail Blazers have a considerable dose of fantasy appeal. They boast five players who can feasibly be taken in the first half of most standard-sized drafts, which is an impressive feat. Armed with a new, able point guard, the Blazers should be a darling for fantasy owners whenever the league resumes. And if the knees of its hometown hero and hometown bust hold up during a shortened season — wait, let’s not get too greedy. Read More »

Nolan Smith is one of the greatest players to ever come out of the DMV. And with the NBA lockout raging, the incoming rookie needed to somehow satiate his hoops jones this summer. The following mixtape features highlights from the Greater NC Pro-Am and Nike Pro City in D.C., and after watching, you’ll realize that he’s just getting started.

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Of all the incoming NBA rookies, I might be most excited to see Kenneth Faried play this season. And with most of the Nuggets out of the country, he should have a chance to play right away in Denver. So if you want to jump on the bandwagon now, I suggest you pickup one of these. Read More »

We’ve been showing you highlights all summer from Nike Pro City in NYC, but have you seen any of the action taking place in The District? The nation’s best ballers from D.C. took their talents to Georgetown’s McDonough Memorial Gymnasium this summer, including NBA players Jeff Green, Greg Monroe, Greivis Vasquez, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Nolan Smith and Josh Selby. See what went down…

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