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 »
Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was drawn to basketball by watching his older brother Weldon. Initially, the sport was not welcomed in the Tisdale household as his father, the accomplished Reverand L.L. Tisdale, preferred football. But Wayman’s mother Deborah would not allow her sons to strap on helmets and shoulder pads, regardless of the fanaticism surrounding the game in their home state of Oklahoma.
Wayman, and his older brother William, began playing in their backyard, using a garbage can as their first hoop. Eventually, they outgrew tossing a ball into the trash can, migrating a few blocks away to the asphalt courts at the Immaculate Conception Church schoolyard. Read More »
Christopher Paul Mullin was a simple, neighborhood guy from Troy Avenue in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn. The love affair with hoops was a multi-generational thing that began in the driveway of the family’s small row house. Read More »
“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 »
Mo with Rice Varsity and JV during Pre-Season Conditioning
From Harlem New York’s Young World Summer League Tournament to Rice High School excellence, Maurice “Mo” Hicks steams the talent and serves it hot for the New York City area. For more than 30 years, Hicks has treaded the asphalt and wood of the City with dignity and skill as a player, coach, and summer league tournament director. He learned the game from Coach Mike Mcllwain at Harlem’s Stone Gym and then went on to join a phenomenal Riverside Church team that featured future pro’s Ed Pickney and Chris Mullin. He’s one of the most respected high school coaches in America and is highly regarded for his dedication to the playground game. I interviewed Mo briefly to get his playground highlights.
Bounce: Who taught you how to play and respect the game? Read More »
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 »
