adidas encourages you to practice safe sport and wrap up before attempting any high-octane hoopin’ maneuvers with the introduction of their new Speedwrap Ankle Brace. The brace, worn by Derrick Rose, Marcus Jordan, and others features a TPU stability shell and elastic strap for maximum side-to-side support no matter the size of your foot.

The adidas Speedwrap ankle brace is available in black/black/silver, black/black, white/white and white/silver white now at: adidas’ Online Shop.

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A couple weeks ago, our friends over at Dime told you about their trip to Lynn (MA) English High School, where Team Flight Brothers helped kick off the season with an aerial display in support of Reebok’s Above the Rim footwear collection. The ATR collection will be worn by some of the top players in the NBA this upcoming season, along with TFB in all their performances. The kicks designed for high flyers, will be launching exclusively at Sears this week.

Adidas and Eastbay have linked up to host an online video chat with reigning rookie of the year, Derrick Rose, tonight at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST.

Fans will have the opportunity to drop DRose a line and hear his responses at Eastbay.com/adidas.

The conversation merges with the release of adidas’ TS Cut Creator Mid and TechFit apparel, Derrick’s go-to gear for the upcoming season.

Verbals: Corey Grooms

The careers of many young athletes begin when they are old enough to walk,often under pressure from parents and coaches. Millions of kids reach for the dream of super-stardom, but few achieve it. Most children know how expensive college can be and many parents find it nearly impossible to pay for tuition, fees, room and board without a scholarship. Striking a balance between competitive sports and having funis hard for children because their future livelihood depends on how well they do in the game of basketball.

The road from urban-America to a college basketball scholarship is full of many obstacles. The biggest challenge for an athlete is coping with the fact that their chances of getting the athletic scholarship are very slim. For example, according to NCAA statistics, only 10 percent (one in 10) of all African-American male students in Division 1 universities are athletes. In other words, most college-age African-Americans do not receive an athletic scholarship which indicates that 90 percent (nine out of 10) of them used their academic preparation in order to get into college. However, the image in the minds of many people is that African-American males use their physical abilities to go to college. This mis-perception is grounded in the skin color profiles that people observe when they watch big-time revenue producing college sports on television. Read More »

Shortly after graduating from the University of Oregon, Marshall Cho journeyed to New York City on a Teach for America assignment. And it was here, in the Basketball Mecca, where Cho (a former varsity hoops captain in high school) had a roundball revelation. While coaching 8th grade kids at his appointed middle school in the Bronx that winter, he discovered that the game was more than mere Xs-and-Os — it was a vehicle for forging relationships and creating wholesome connections with ballplayers whose backgrounds starkly contrast your own.

Marshall eventually followed his wife to Africa, who was there completing some philanthropic work. To sate his hoops addiction, he erected a hoop in his backyard and kids from his ‘hood visited in droves, galvanized by the pebbled ball’s pitter-patter on the dirt court. Many showed up daily, eager to learn, most of them playing without shoes. This prompted Cho into action, and well, he didn’t stop. Over the next three years, he worked collaboratively with Hoops4Hope, Basketball Without Borders, and constructed courts in Xai Xai and Maputo, Mozambique.

Hit the jump to learn more about Marshall’s philanthropic efforts in Africa. Read More »

Check out our new poll question:

Which former Elite 24 participant will have the biggest year?

Just go to the bar on the right and scroll down below our guest bloggers’ panel to vote!

Our last poll question was:

What sneakers are you balling in this summer?

The winning answer with 61 out of 511 votes was: Nike Hyperdunk

Second place answer with 53 votes: Jordans

Older poll results: Read More »

This blooper tape comes courtesy of Team Flight Brothers whilst down in Florida promoting K1X during the summer of ‘08. Elevator and Special FX acted a fool all week. Beat is hot too!