Sports

Tyreke Evans – ROY or MVP?

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Seeing that title, you’re either thinking I’m crazy, or you completely understand the thought because you’re obviously a Kings fan. Rookie of the year seems like an obvious to me. Yeah, Brandon Jennings has been playing incredible for the Bucks, but I don’t know if he’s brought to Milwaukee, what Tyreke Evans has brought to … Read more

And 1 Tai Chi – More Than an Icon

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And 1 Tai Chi More Than an Icon

After talking about Jason Williams and Vince Carter the other day, I couldn’t help but obsess (see “My Support Group”) over the return of the Tai Chi from And 1. Everyone recognizes the significance of the of the iconic Jumpman logo, it’s an undeniable key to the direction of where footwear and basketball have gone. Even to the point of Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus, refusing to wear nothing but that logo on his shoes. Though the Jumpman changed the game, another logo may have accomplished a bigger feet feat.

And 1 jumped into the sneaker game in the mid 90’s, and in a shorter amount of time than any other startup footwear brand, became a legitimate contender. The iconic logo was plastered on t-shirts with a slew of trash talk slogans that were all but forgettable. The brand landed Stephon Marbury, who at the time had one of the quickest first steps in the game. And 1 gained a following with ads in publications like Slam magazine, but more importantly, gained the respect of the streetball community. The faceless logo became not only synonymous with the company, but with basketball as a whole. All the while inking it’s way into basketball history and ballers skin along the way.

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Jason Williams Returns to the NBA, Excitement Returns to Sacramento

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Jason Williams and The Sacramento Kings, The Greatest Show on CourtBeing a Kings fan since they moved to Sacramento in 1985 (yes, back when they played in what is now a small office complex) has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. While heading down hill on the roller coaster may be a lot more fun then the slow climb upwards, it’s not the same for a basketball fan. The Kings down slide has been steady, and heart wrenching since 2001, finally hitting rock bottom last year with the worst record in the league. On top of that, a little salt in the wound was applied by missing out on the number one draft pick, which we had the best (1 in 4) shot at winning. I’ll be the first to admit I was disappointed to say the least, as visions of Rubio dishes danced in my head. Nevertheless, seeing that Geoff Petrie has taken more control of the personnel on the team in recent months, renewed hope in the off-season moves, more hope than I’ve had in 7 or 8 years.

The highlight as a fan for me came with Jason Williams running the show, albeit wildly sometimes, run n’ gun, it was and is my favorite style of basketball to watch. I couldn’t help but feel a little reminiscent of “White Chocolate” over the past month or so, due to his return to the NBA. The combination of he and Vince Carter on the Magic is one of the greatest highlight reel duos in the history of the NBA…if it had happened in 1999. Back when Vince Carter was rocking the Tai Chi from And 1, and J-Will was, aside from appearing on AND 1 Mixtapes, inventing some new no-look pass, that no one had ever seen, during every game. Yeah Williams may have taken some ill-advised shots, and committed a few turnovers, but what do you remember more, a basic bounce pass, or no look dish by your favorite player? I thought so.

Aside from J-Will being traded for Bibby (don’t get me started on Bibby, Miller, or Artest), those were the best days as a Kings fan. In fact, I was lucky enough to be at THE high point in Sacramento Kings basketball, the 2002 Game 5 Western Conference Finals against the Lakers in Sacramento. Series tied 2-2, and never have I been to a louder indoor sporting event in my life, and I’ve been blessed to attend quite a few (it ranks up there with being there for Barry Bonds 756th home run). The crowd was going crazy an hour before game time, culminating with the burning of a Lakers jersey in the middle of the court as the team was being introduced. (The league banned this part of the “warm-up” ritual shortly after.) My voice was gone by the end of the 1st quarter, and my throat hurt for another couple days after the Kings won that game to go up 3-2. Unfortunately, the Kings, although possibly due to some biased officiating, lost the next two games. They haven’t made it back to that excitement level since. Fast forward to 2009…and back comes Jason Williams…

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Free Kicks for Sneakerheads on Twitter?

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Ray Allen Air Jordans Left for a Lucky Fan
Ray Allen Air Jordans Left for a Lucky Fan

From musical references to most recently being the subject of MTV’s coverage of the Video Music Awards (VMA), Twitter has changed what “news” is. Everything is real-time, what people are buzzing about now, but from a sneaker addict perspective, the sneaker culture has seen some of the greatest benefits from “tweeting.” Personally, I had a great experience thanks to Adidas’ use of Twitter, but beyond that, there is so much more for sneaker lovers on Twitter.

The hype around upcoming releases is what fuels sales numbers, and also helps determine what shoes actually make it from a sample pair, into a production model. Twitter has taken that to a whole new level. Celebrity sneakerheads seem to enjoy showing off their latest pick-up as much as the rest of us. Although many, like Wale, seem to have the hottest upcoming release months in advance, a few others have been jumping in on the action lately in even more creative ways.

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