ALL BALL NERVE CENTER — One of my favorite descriptions of all time came a few years ago, back when NBA TV’s Steve Smith was calling Hawks games on Atlanta-area TV. The Hawks were playing the Chicago Bulls, and Bulls center Joakim Noah got fouled and sent to the free throw line.

Noah stepped to the stripe, took a deep breath and then … well, he didn’t shoot the ball so much as he kind of launched it, with both hands, with sideways spin, toward the rim. The Hawks’ announcers were taken aback, and then Smitty said Noah shot like he had a charley horse in his chest.

The thing is, Smitty was correct. Noah shoots the ball in such a way that if you displayed similar form at basketball camp, they would promptly refund your money and send you home. But it works for Noah, and he’s managed to be effective enough with it that no coach has seen the need to fundamentally change it.

Noah, however, is not the only NBA player with nontraditional form. Shawn Marion immediately comes to mind — I once asked Marion where he developed his strange release, and he said it was because he jumped so high that he was basically shooting down at the rim.

My main man Kevin Lincoln over at Buzzfeed.com compiled a list of the 9 Ugliest Shooting Motions in the NBA, and he makes a compelling argument for a lot of these guys. Check it out, and let us know who gets your vote for the worst shooting motion.

(gif via BuzzFeed)

-

-
ALL BALL NERVE CENTER –One of the first NBA games I remember attending was in Charlotte, N.C., in 1989, during the Charlotte Hornets’ inaugural season. I was an Atlantan and a Hawks fan, but we were on a family vacation, driving somewhere or another on a route that took us through North Carolina. My Dad, a huge NBA fan, planned ahead and ordered Hornets tickets. We rolled into town on March 27, 1989, just in time to see the Hornets host the New York Knicks.

The Hornets weren’t particularly good — they were an expansion team, after all — but the fans there in Charlotte loved basketball and loved the Hornets. I convinced my Dad to buy me a Hornets caricature t-shirt featuring Muggsy Bogues, Robert Reid, Kurt Rambis, and several other players.

I settled in to root for the home team, and all these years later, I remember exactly two things about that game:

1. Every time Hornets center Tim Kempton caught the ball, the man behind me would yell, “STONE HANDS” at the top of his his lungs. I guess he wasn’t a Kempton fan.

2. Patrick Ewing destroyed the Hornets that night, finishing with 45 points.

The Hornets eventually got pretty good, drafting Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning. They drafted Kobe Bryant!  … but then they then immediately traded Kobe to the Lakers. Eventually, then-owner George Shinn moved the team to New Orleans. The NBA added the Charlotte Bobcats to the league to fill the void. The Hornets were sold, the Bobcats were sold. Last season, the Hornets announced they would change their name to the New Orleans Pelicans. Not missing a beat, new Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan recently announced that his franchise will be changing its name to the Hornets.

This has spurred a torrent of Hornets-related nostalgia. Kobe himself took to Twitter and reminded us all of those few minutes when he was a Hornet…

In honor of the name change #13thpick #nbadraft #96 #freshface instagram.com/p/Zl7QeYRNrz/—
Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) May 21, 2013

BuzzFeed went long on the team’s history, reporting that their popular mascot, Hugo the Hornet, was actually designed by Jim Henson‘s daughter, Cheryl.

And then there were the uniforms. The colors and logo were unique enough to make them different, special even. WCNC in Charlotte dug up some old video from the reveal of the Hornets uniforms, featuring designer Alexander Julian and original Hornets star Kelly Tripucka. It’s especially worth noting the shorts, which are not only incredibly short by today’s standards, but also, as I recall, featured pleats.

It’s too early to tell which way the new Charlotte Hornets will go with their logo and uniform — they won’t be changing until 2014 — but as they’ve shown with the buzz they’ve garnered from the name change, it would be hard to go wrong by looking to their past.

(via SI.com)

ALL BALL NERVE CENTER — A few weeks ago we checked in with Conan O’Brien, who gave us his skewed take on NBA Style and postseason news conferences. This week, Conan went back to the NBA to talk about NBA mascots that should never attempt to dunk. I’m not sure which team “Guy Trapped In A Folding Bed” is the mascot for — the Kings, since they play in Sleep Train Arena? — but these are pretty terrific…
-

by Tracy Weissenberg

There is something special about the way music, basketball and fashion intersect. While artists and actors have long been affiliated with different fashion houses and ever-changing looks, athletes are starting to consciously build and shape their brands. The tunnel from the locker room to the court functions more and more like a runway; off the court, players are exploring different avenues to showcase their personalities and style. Rajon Rondo has interned at GQ, Dwyane Wade has taken in top fashion shows from the front row, and LeBron James has graced the cover of Vogue, just to mention a few.

NBA.com recently caught up with Monica and Shannon Brown, a couple that perfectly represents the fusion of high fashion with entertainment and sports.

NBA.com: Fashion, music, and sports seem to intersect constantly in both personal and professional realms. Monica, can you talk about the role of fashion in music, and Shannon, can you talk about the role of fashion throughout your NBA career?

Monica: In music, fashion is almost just as important as the music because the imagery is something that people look at, sometimes more than they do the actual music or talent part of it. Sometimes, it makes it more complicated because as an artist, when we’re in a specific zone, you’re not thinking about the clothing and the hair and the makeup. But they all work hand-in-hand.

Shannon: Throughout my career, now looking back, the players could wear whatever they wanted to. Guys would come in with jeans, t-shirts, sweat suits, jerseys, whatever was fashionable from whatever part of the world or country or city, wherever you were from. Now, everybody is trying to keep their fashion game up. You see guys on the runways, overseas, when they are showing the new styles and the new clothes, and what’s trending and stuff like that. So you see guys in suits, you see guys with the tight clothes, you see guys with the loose clothes. Me personally, I like something that fits. I don’t really like the tight couture look, I need some wiggle room…I just like anything that looks good and feels good to me and on me.

NBA.com: Monica, as a musician and actress, you are always ‘on’ even when you are not on camera. Can you talk about that aspect of being an entertainer and do you think that is now extending to more industries, as we see the players representing their own brands off the court and participating in high fashion?

Monica: I think it’s pretty cool to see the players represent high fashion and the things that they love off the court, because you get to know them as individuals. When they’re on the court, they’re in one uniform, they’re in sync, the goal is to play as a team. But when you get a chance to learn these guys separately, I think it’s pretty interesting because they’re all completely different as far as athletes go. With us in music, I think that it speaks for us when we can’t really speak. When we’re performing, you have on the clothes, you have all these different things you put together, but that’s what says the most about you outside of the performance in itself. I think the fashion speaks for the individuality of the artist and the athlete, because that’s the only time we get to show how different we may be from the other.

NBA.com: The tunnels of NBA arenas seem more and more like runways. What have you both noticed about how fashion has been embraced by the players?

Monica: I think they’re unafraid. I like the fact that the players now are unafraid. They really don’t care what’s said or what’s thought as long as it fits them and what they’re comfortable in. I like the fact that they don’t feel like they have to look one particular way. My husband, for instance, he’s tall, he’s muscular and he also has a 15 shoe size. It’s not as easy to find the fashions, but that’s something that a lot of [players] experience. So, when you see what it really takes for them to find clothing and shoes that are high fashion, things that are European that are usually more slim cut–they go through quite a bit to make sure that the things that they love, they find in their sizes, custom making things, special ordering a lot of stuff. I have a great respect for it because now I see what it actually takes.

Shannon: It’s getting better and better every year. Some of the looks I don’t agree with, I wouldn’t wear personally, but I like the way guys are showing how they are multifaceted.

NBA.com: Many NBA players employ stylists. How does Shannon build his wardrobe? Does he use a stylist or shop around and get items custom made?

Monica: He does both, actually. When we travel and we do different things, he enjoys shopping and looking at different things. And I love to wear the things that he likes and vice versa, so we pick out a lot of stuff for each other. But he also has a stylist named Shun Melson from Creative Solutionz, and she’ll ship him large boxes of things already put together from head to toe. And if there’s some things that he may not like, he may just interchange pieces. But she’s the one that takes on the task of really finding him the difficult pieces. He loves exotic sneakers, so she takes on that task of finding and placing custom orders and getting those things to him, because his schedule during the season just doesn’t allow for him to do that.

NBA.com: You were a style correspondent for TNT and NBA TV during All-Star Weekend. You saw all the effort guys put into their looks. Who really impressed you then, and during the postseason this year?

Monica: Without question, my husband. I would have to say when I see some of the things that he was wearing over the weekend, I was pretty excited. As far as the other guys go, I really enjoy Kobe Bryant’s style. He’s well traveled and [the Bryants] being friends of ours, I know that a lot of times the places they go, whether it’s Spain or the different places they love, those are places he shops as well. Carmelo Anthony’s fashion was very much on point throughout the NBA All-Star weekend. I know how hard it is because of size. When I see them in some of the latest leathers and finding different things in the sizes that they need, I know how hard it is, so my respect was instantly there. I also loved [Russell] Westbrook’s style. I think that it’s often misunderstood, but I think that it’s loved by him, and that’s who your own personal sense of fashion should be first pleasing to: Yourself! I think too many people spend too much time with the hope of getting a specific thing said about them the next day, whether it’s on the blogs or in papers or magazines. He really has a sense of style where he’s not as concerned what other people think, so he really stood out to me as well.

NBA.com: This postseason, I have noticed players wearing a lot of denim, prints, bright colors, and hats. My personal favorite is the breaking up of the three-piece suit and mixing and matching the vests with other items in their wardrobes. Which have been your favorite menswear trends this year?

Monica: I love the vests. Leaving the suit jacket at home, but still having a nice, sleek conservative look, where you still have on the slacks, the vest, the tie. I love the pins. My husband, for the Billboard Awards, wore a Vivienne Westwood pin on his suit jacket, but he still had on a crew neck white shirt underneath which didn’t require a tie. I think just mixing up the looks, but still having a very distinguished look, is just a very sexy thing they’re doing now.

Shannon: Personally, I went from hip hop, with the Louboutin [shoes], baggy jeans, a nice jacket, or a vest with a long sleeve thermal shirt, nice belt. And then, I also like the three-piece suit without the jacket, with just the vest and then the sleeves rolled up with the pants and matching a nice, what I call, “church shoe.” Those two different looks — anything in between is what I shopped for this year.

NBA.com: Besides wearing the clothes, players are interning at magazines like GQ and sitting in the front row of fashion shows. Do you think this is only the beginning of the connection between both industries?

Monica: I do, because I think they feel that sense of freedom. For almost 9-10 months a year, they’re in sneakers and shorts. So I think it’s intriguing to them, the different things that they’re venturing into. They’re in sneakers most of the year, so it has to be pretty intriguing to go to fashion shows…I think this is just the beginning. I think they will be even more involved. You’ll see a lot more athletes actually representing some of the clothing lines. I believe the time will come where you’ll see the actual print ads and commercials on television–I think they’re going to play a major part in it.

Shannon: Hands down, especially after the rule was put into place where clothing has to be business casual. I’m sure there are guys that want to be dressed the best in a sense. Everything you want to do, you want to be the best at. There’s definitely guys out there competing for who looks the best on any given game night.

NBA.com: Speaking of shoes, sneakers are fashion in itself. How into sneakers is Shannon and how many pairs would you estimate he owns?

Monica: If I could give a count of the amount of sneakers! I don’t know, maybe 2,000 pairs.

NBA.com: And yours too…

Monica: Counting mine too? Maybe 4,000! My husband has a Nike contract, but more so outside of the contract, he is very, very serious about comfort. One thing I can say about him [regarding designer shoes], he does not care who makes it, who designed it, how fashionable it is. If it’s not comfortable, he is not wearing it!

NBA.com: Let’s take a break from fashion for a second. You’ve been one of the most respected singers in the industry for so long. What can we expect from your next project?

Monica: I like to keep the music honest. I’ve always been very honest about my life and the things I’ve experienced, whether it be love, heartbreak, self growth. Finding that self-love, just as a woman, I’ve shared so many different things throughout the music. As I started this project, and found out that we were being blessed with another child, I felt like I needed to incorporate all of that. All of the things that it took for me to get to this point will be in the music. I worked with different people that I’ve never worked with before. But I’ve also called up the people that have been a part of my career the entire 20 years like Missy Elliott, Polow Da Don, and Rico Love has been working on a lot of stuff for me. It’s just been a journey that I don’t want to leave any parts of out. Sometimes, as an artist, you can get stuck in only what you’re experiencing, but I wanted to reflect everything that I’ve been through and not just the moments that I live in right now per se. It’s been really interesting. It’s been fun just recording in different places, and finding studios and things of that nature in odd places where the family and I can kind of transition and stay there. You draw different inspiration when you change your scenery, so that’s what I’ve been doing this particular album to get it together.

photo courtesy Freddy O

NBA.com: When can fans expect the new album?

Monica: Over here, family always comes first. I have to see how I’m feeling after September and I’m thinking, realistically, that the top of next year is when I would release singles and get back into the swing of things. I want to spend some time with my children, and it’s really good to be able to travel with them, which is what I’ve been doing.

NBA.com: Shannon, have you noticed a huge difference between style in Los Angeles and Phoenix?

Shannon: Of course [laughs]. L.A. is the bright lights. Every night, you’re on TV, you’ve got cameras everywhere you go, from stepping off the bus, to the arena…it’s not the same at all [in Phoenix], but guys still are fashionable. They don’t do it just for the cameras, they do it for themselves. It’s just to look good, feel good, and go out there and want to play good.

NBA.com: The Suns just got the fifth pick in the Draft lottery, and while there will likely be some changes before opening night, what are you looking forward to for next season?

Shannon: Personally, I just want to get out there and consistently play and compete for a chance to get to the playoffs and win a championship. That’s what I’m looking for. Whatever changes are made and whatever the case is, I’m just looking forward to a great season next year.

The Chicago Report

I’m back in Long Island, NY, where I’m training for the Draft, after spending almost five days in Chicago for the NBA Pre-Draft Camp. I’m writing this blog in between workouts, so I’ll tell you about as much as I can before I get back on the court.

Reggie Bullock (Jeffrey A. Camarati, UNC)

I had never been to Chicago before last week. It is a great city, and I look forward to getting back there soon to see more of it. I did have a chance to grab some meals and check out some of the shops on Michigan Avenue, but when we had extra time, I was mostly in my room relaxing. Those were tiring days! Luckily, I was able to watch the NBA playoffs at night.

Speaking of the NBA playoffs, my prediction is that the Spurs win the series against Memphis in seven games. In the East, I like watching Paul George match up against LeBron. I know some people may not agree with me on this, but I think the Pacers are going to beat Miami.

Back to Chicago. On the first day of Camp, everybody was pretty nervous, but then we settled into our games and started feeling more comfortable. The same went for me — once we were on the court doing drills, I started to calm down.

I am happy to report that I felt pretty good about my performance at Camp. I was told I had one of the better shooting percentages of the group, which is my strongest skill. I was also happy that I measured well (I’m 6’7” by the way!) and excelled in the athletic testing, which includes bench press, agility test, vertical leap and sprints. Another part of the process was interviewing with NBA general managers and some of their staff. I had never done an interview like that before, but since I had three years of experience doing media interviews back at University of North Carolina, I felt pretty confident about it. My agent also helped prepare me for it. I was nervous for the first interview, but then I started feeling really energized and comfortable. Overall, it went really well!

It was a blessing just to have been in the position to compete against the top players in the country and meet a lot of different NBA team executives. I went into it feeling very prepared, with a positive and focused attitude. I try not to listen to what people say about which round I’ll be drafted or where I’m ranked. I’m just playing my game, and I hope that a team picking in the first round will think I’m a great fit for their franchise.

The Stack Connection

NBA player Jerry Stackhouse has been in my life since I was in 6^th grade, and he has been like a big brother or father figure ever since. He and I grew up in the same town in North Carolina (Kinston), and went to the same high school (Kinston High School) and college (UNC). We even signed with the same agency. Stack has obviously been ahead of me with all of these things. As a younger player from his hometown, he really took me under his wing.

We talk almost every day, and I can call him anytime I need advice or want to talk about something. With the Draft coming up, he has been helping me out a lot. Aside from telling me he believes in me, Stack encourages me and continues to emphasize the importance of showing great character, keeping good company, staying focused, performing at a high level and just playing my game.

I really admire and respect Stack for the player and person that he is. Not only can he play well at multiple positions, but he always carries himself with professionalism off the court. I’m so grateful for my relationship with him!

I’m working hard so that I’m conditioned and prepared for my team workouts. I am feeling confident!

Okay, time to get back to my workout. Thanks for reading and I’ll check back as we get closer to the Draft!

Follow me on Twitter @DaBully35! For more on my journey to the NBA Draft, visit www.draftdreams.com.

Indiana Pacers F Paul George had an amazing season, making his first All-Star team and being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Last night in Miami, George put the Pacers on his back in the second half and overtime, sinking a huge three to tie the game, and then draining three free throws in OT to seal the game…or so it seemed.

But PG also seems to realize that if you want to be a star in the NBA, it’s not just about on the court. Last night, George arrived to the game wearing several shades of green, including a paisley print shirt and slim-cut mint slacks. It’s quite a look, maybe just enough to cement George’s spot in the upper echelon of NBA stars.

As Paul George showed us, sometimes how you arrive is just as important as when you arrive.

Chris Paul entered the NBA in 2005 as a 20-year-old out of Wake Forest University, and immediately established himself as a force to be reckoned with on and off the court. On the floor, CP3 won the Rookie of the Year award and spent his first few seasons almost single-handedly carrying the Hornets to multiple Playoff appearances. Following a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011, Paul helped create Lob City, leading the Clips to 56 wins this season.

Off the court, Paul’s style has matured along with his game, as he’s gone from baggy casual wear to fitted suits, as we see in this photo gallery below. What’s your favorite CP3 look of all-time? Let us know in the comments section, and don’t forget to continue the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #NBAStyle…
-

ALL BALL NERVE CENTER – I have been on the job here at the All Ball Blog since the playoffs started, and somehow we have not had a true Horry Scale-worthy shot in the postseason. There have been a few close calls, sure, but no true buzzer-beating game-winners. That is, until last night, when LeBron James scored a bucket at the buzzer to give the Miami Heat a 103-102 OT win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
-

-
For those of you who are new around these parts, like myself, The Horry Scale examines a game-winning buzzer-beater (GWBB) in the categories of difficulty, game situation (was the team tied or behind at the time?), importance (playoff game or garden-variety Kings-Pistons game?) and celebration (was it over the top or too chill? Just the right panache or did it need more sauce?). Then we give it an overall grade on a scale of 1-5 Robert Horrys, the patron saint of last-second daggers.

How does King James rate? Break down!

Difficulty

Actually, the shot itself wasn’t all that difficult. It was a layup. Lefty, sure, but still, it was a layup. And basically a wide-open layup, at that. Could the shot have been more difficult? For sure. (For instance, it could have been a jumper, open or contested.) But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t difficulty involved in the play, because the real difficulty was drawing up a play to get LeBron so wide open. Watching the play again, Erik Spoelstra initially used LeBron as a decoy, pretending to a set a screen for a cutting Ray Allen, and then ‘Bron spun and flashed to the ball, received the pass, turned and basically just sprinted right by his defender, Paul George. All that early movement had the Heat players running to corners, leaving the middle of the floor wide open, not only of Heat players but also Indiana defenders.

This brings up another way that this play could have been more difficult: If big Roy Hibbert had been in the game guarding the paint for the Pacers. Hibbert averaged 2.6 blocks this season for Indiana, and he had two Wednesday. Indiana coach Frank Vogel removed Hibbert on defense a few times down the stretch, because he didn’t want Hibbert to get stuck on a switch against a smaller player, or have to go out and guard Chris Bosh on the perimeter. And maybe this is just me, but if it were up to me, I’d rather lose on a long jumper from Bosh than a layup by LeBron.

What do you think, Roy, want to second-guess what would have happened if you’d been out there on the play?

Game Situation

The stakes were pretty high, as far as the Heat were concerned: Overtime. Dwyane Wade? Fouled out. Timeouts remaining? None. Heat? Down one. Two-point-two seconds on the clock. Doesn’t get much more tense than that.

Importance

It wasn’t the NBA Finals, but being in the playoffs, in the Conference finals, it was as close as you can get without actually getting there. And it wasn’t an elimination game, but other than all that, it doesn’t get much more important.

Celebration

Whoever was directing this game for TNT did one of my favorite things, where as soon as the shot dropped, they switched to a camera way up at the top of the stadium so we could see the arena explode as the home team stole the win at the buzzer. It’s hard to see in the video above, but LeBron basically did the “stoic” celebration — staying calm, like he’s been in that situation before. My favorite celebration might have been the one from Dwyane Wade on the bench, who jumped about four feet into the air. Sore knee? Who me?

Grade

4 Horrys. I may be more lenient than previous teachers you guys have had here, but for me, LeBron’s game-winner ticked all the boxes. The only thing keeping it from being a Five Horry shot for me was that it was a layup. But then, that was due as much to LeBron’s insane athletic ability as it was to anything else. Also, I can’t come right out of the gate awarding Five Horrys to people. So there are still heights waiting to be reached.

What do you think?

(Hibbert gif via @CJZero)

ALL BALL NERVE CENTER – A report in the June 10 issue of Forbes magazine says LeBron James isn’t just the NBA’s MVP on the court — he’s also the MVP when it comes to moving shoes.

According to Forbes, who culled this information from the research firm SportsOneSource, while several NBA players have signature shoes that sold tens of millions of dollars worth in 2012, nobody’s kicks came close to LeBron, whose signature LeBron X made about six times as much in U.S. sales as his closest finisher (in this case, Kobe Bryant). On the come-up: Derrick Rose, who moved into the top five even though he missed the entire 2012-13 season.

There are a lot of variables involved, which you can read about in the Forbes story, but here is how the top five shook out for U.S. sales in 2012, according to SportsOneSource:

1. LeBron James (Nike): $300 million
2. Kobe Bryant (Nike): $50 million
3. Carmelo Anthony (Jordan): $40 million
4. Kevin Durant (Nike): $35 million
5. Derrick Rose (Adidas): $25 million

Also worth noting from the story: Even though he retired in 2003, Michael Jordan‘s Jordan Brand did $2 billion in sales in 2012.

ALL BALL NERVE CENTER — One of the enduring mysteries of Round One of the postseason was Who Was Screaming Spurs Lady? We covered that story when it happened. As the story became viral, it turned out there were only too many people willing to take credit for being the Screaming Lady. After her one appearance she was never heard from again — some might suggest that this is a good thing — and to my knowledge we never got a straight answer on who Screaming Spurs Lady actually was.

But last night in San Antonio, a new anonymous voice emerged onto our radar. Moments after the Spurs defeated the Grizzlies in overtime to take a 2-0 lead in the series, the ESPN cameras gave us shots of the players on the court — happy, sad, exhausted, joyful. And over the pastiche of images, a man’s screaming voice commanded the airwaves:

WHOOOO! WE DID IT! WE DID IT!

It was the only clearly audible thing on the broadcast, so it was quite obvious, and Twitter did its Twitter theme and immediately started developing it into a meme. A worthy one, at that…
-

Who was this man? He has not yet stepped forward.

Perhaps we will never know his identity. But whoever he is, he did it.