The Dish aka The Assist. It’s my favorite part of the game because it’s the most philanthropic. While most casual observers appreciate the dudes that can get buckets, my informal education as a New York City playground point guard stipulated that I acknowledge, comprehend and cherish the brilliance of the pass that led to the basket, as well as players with an innate ability to make others better.
And few players running the point will ever, in my eyes, match the understated brilliance of Maurice Edward Cheeks. Read More »
Basketball, broken down to its simplest compound, is about scoring more buckets than the team you’re playing against. The Semi-Automatic refers to players who leave bodies in their wake with their innate ability to get buckets. And there is no greater young prospect in the game today with the combo of length, desire, work ethic and an insatiable appetite for greatness – all of which marinate along with a smooth, devastating offensive weaponry – than the 21-year-old Kevin Wayne Durant. Read More »
The Dunk! The Ram! The Slam! The Bong! Whatever you want to call it, it’s an art form, birthed on the playground, that has revolutionized the way the game is played. And no two teams, as collective units, were more responsible for furthering the evolution of the aerial game than Texas’ Tallest Fraternity and Louisville’s descendants of Dr. Dunkenstein.
It seems only fitting that they’d meet in the ‘83 Final Four, in a game that was so scintillating in its elevation that it prompted a courtside sportswriter to pass a note down press row that read, “Welcome to the 21st Century!”Read More »
Growing up, Dwyane Wade evolved his game on the asphalt and in the dimly lit Richards High School gym in Robbins, Illinois, playing for hours in the stifling Midwestern summertime heat. His tireless determination and undying persistence helped him overcome academic issues at Marquette University, leading the Golden Eagles to the Final Four in ’03. DWade’s success has continued at the game’s highest level, where his tedious practice habits, unmatched skill set and poised leadership have merited five NBA All-Star Game appearances and the coveted NBA Finals MVP Award in 2006. In 2008-09, Wade has put on the bookbag, decimating would-be defenders with an assortment of chopped goodies and watery range that’s got Floridians proclaiming “WADE County” once again. Read More »
March Madness is unequivocally my favorite time of year. For the next few weeks, we’ll examine some of the greatest performers who used the NCAA Tournament as their own personal playground.
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony, though most often associated with his hometown of West Baltimore, Maryland, was introduced to the game on the asphalt of New York City. His father, Carmelo Iriate, was a playground baller who, before moving to the Big Apple, grew up on the west coast of Puerto Rico. Melo was born in 1984 and, for the first eight years of his life, lived in Brooklyn’s Red Hook Projects. 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 »
