photo: flickr.com

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 in game 4 of the Western Conference playoff battle between the Houston Rockets and Pheonix Suns on May 5th, 1994, Kevin Maurice Johnson threw down one of the illest yokes of all-time. Read More »

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: si.com

At the conclusion of the greatest opening round playoff series the NBA has ever seen, folks couldn’t help but marvel at the exploits of Ben “Madison Square” Gordon, Ray “Jesus Shuttlesworth” Allen, Rajon “Better Call Us The Big 4″ Rondo, Paul “The Truth” Pierce and the dramatic unfolding of a spectacle that Hollywood script writers would have had trouble fathoming.

But the one element that surpassed all others was the placement of a once in a generation talent, a 20-year-old point guard who earned Rookie of the Year honors, in the epicenter of the hoops universe. And although the Bulls succumbed to the Celtics in the series finale, the play of Derrick Martell Rose – which was consistently succulent throughout the entire year – made even the most exacting aficianado nod in sincere appreciation. Read More »

photo: procorbis.com

In March of ‘81, Isiah Thomas became a college basketball legend. He was the one indispensable member of coach Bob Knight’s Indiana Hoosier squad that captured the Big 10 Championship en route to March Madness.

The team leader in scoring, steals and assists was not only the best pure guard in the country, he was the best the college game had seen since North Carolina’s amazing Phil Ford. Read More »

photo: photobucket.com

Whenever the discussion about the greatest point guards in the history of the game comes up, the usual suspects always get their due – Magic, Isiah, Tiny and the incomparable Mr. Oscar Robertson. But one man, “The Glove”, is often undeservedly forgotten. Read More »

photo: 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.

Isiah Lord Thomas III, aka Zeke, aka The Baby Faced Assassin, was among the game’s greatest little men ever, sharing that exclusive, luxurious penthouse suite with non other than Tiny Archibald. 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: 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.

She rose out of North Philly’s notorious Raymond Rosen housing projects – where she used to put in during pick runs with the likes of Hank Gathers and other legends – to become the greatest point guard ever in the history of the women’s game. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, the skills of lead men extraordinaire Isiah Thomas and Kenny Anderson had nothing on Dawn Staley. Read More »