photo: weallbe.blogspot.com

For years, he contentedly stood in the shadows. Unlike his more celebrated teamates at the time, he didn’t walk through the b-ball corridors with a fancy nickname or a respected pedigree backed up by a blue blooded institution and some fawning media.

Far away from the bright lights, he morphed from a good high school player into an incredible college performer. And when the spotlight and eyes of the world finally cast their admiring gaze upon him in the pros, he’d completed his metamorphisis from role player to one of the finest all-around talents and greatest defensive players the world ever witnessed.

And through the entire journey from the hoops backwoods to the crescendo of the sport, he never stopped being “Boopie” to those who knew him way back when. Read More »

photo: jamd.com

It seems unfathomable that a point guard who led his team to three straight NCAA Championship games and two rings in four years would be underappreciated. But that is indeed the case with Robert Matthew Hurley, Jr. Read More »

photo: jamd.com

“Simple and plain, give me the lane, I’ll throw it down your throat like Barkley!” - Chuck D’s lyrics from the Public Enemy classic, Rebel Without A Pause.

To young fans, Charles Barkley is simply a former player. He’s better known as the affable television personality that always has something funny to say on the TNT show, Inside the NBA.

But for those who watched ball in the ’80s and ’90s, he was an awe inspiring, revolutionary talent that turned the establishment on its ear. He was an unstoppable, undersized, 6′4″ power forward who owned the low post, an explosive leaper and ferocious rebounder who could dribble, pass, score and pump gallons of fear through the hearts of even the most accomplished big men. Read More »

photo: viewimages.com

During this holiday season, I’ll be dipping into the archives to offer up some updated goodies in the form of some of the most delectable “The Playground Gave Us…” joints from ‘08.

Before he reached 5,000 points and 2,500 assists faster than anyone in NBA history except The Big O, the incomparable Mr. Oscar Robertson, and prior to the Nike commercials that raved about his “skeeels”, the playgrounds of the Windy City knew him as “Tim Bug.” Read More »

photo: nba.com

During this holiday season, I’ll be dipping into the archives to offer up some updated goodies in the form of some of the most delectable “The Playground Gave Us…” joints from ‘08.

You had to know that this one was coming!

Jacques Dominique Wilkins exemplified the playground in its purest essence. His above the rim pyrotechnics made folks fall out of their seats as they wondered if their eyes had the capacity to lie! Read More »

photo courtesy of si.com

During this holiday season, I’ll be dipping into the archives to offer up some updated goodies in the form of some of the most delectable “The Playground Gave Us…” joints from ‘08.

The Playground isn’t the problem. It’s the solution. That’s the Bounce motto.

Yet another concrete example that supports our mission is that of The Worm – The Greatest Defensive and Rebounding Forward Ever! The Worm could alter a game without ever taking a shot.

Dennis Rodman’s game was birthed and nourished by the project playgrounds in Dallas, Texas. Money didn’t play in high school, though his sisters were nice – college All-Americans to be exact. He wasn’t even 6-feet tall when he graduated. Read More »