In the words of Mars Blackmon circa 1990, “It’s gotta be the shoes!”
That must be the reason Michael Jordan was able to torment defenders, right? During the 1991 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Dee Brown stopped and took the time to pump up his Reebok Pumps before successfully reversing a pass to himself. Moments like these were monumental for sneaker culture. Sports fans — both athletes and non-athletes — wanted to be like NBA superstars. Buying jerseys wasn’t enough. People wanted the shoe that Jordan was wearing when he knocked down the game-winner over Craig Ehlo.
Here’s a look at some current NBA superstars’ “career kicks” — shoes these players wore during signature moments of their careers. Don’t forget to let us know your favorite kicks in the comments below or on Twitter using the hashtag #NBAStyle…
• LeBron James — Career high 56 points vs. TOR on 3/20/2005: Nike Zoom LeBron II, released November 2004, a fan favorite!
ALL BALL NERVE CENTER – New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson‘s goatee doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Perfectly trimmed, densely populated, nearly symmetric, Mike Woodson’s goatee might be the NBA’s most wholly realized facial hair. And in order to fully explore Coach Woodson’s facial hair, the Knicks recently sent their “Kid Reporters” Ryan and Jaylah out to interview several Knicks players, to try and get to the bottom of the existential riddle that is Coach Woodson’s goatee.
Is Woodson’s goatee, as Carmelo Anthony suggests, completely detachable?
Does Coach Woodson dye it, Steve Novak wonders?
Is Mike Woodson actually 70 years old, as JR Smith asks?
While a basketball game can be won and lost based on the details, many players bring those same intricacies to their wardrobes. And when the tunnel becomes a runway, and the press conference podium becomes a stage, suddenly NBA players are the ones starting trends.
Here are some well-coordinated recent looks from around the League. As we continue to keep tabs on Playoff fashion and the new trends that arise during the NBA’s second season, use #NBAStyle on Twitter to communicate your thoughts.
• Russell Westbrook always chooses bold accessories, sporting clear frames and a gold medallion necklace on Sunday after OKC’s Game 1 win against the Rockets…
Steve Nash and Carmelo Anthony both play in NBA — and fashion — capitals. Which player’s style has transformed the most over the years? Drop a vote down below, or tweet us with hashtag #nbastyle.
The Knicks are rolling, and when one of the best scorers this league has ever seen has it going, effects can be contagious. When the Bucks visited Gotham City to take on Carmelo Anthony and the league’s hottest team, the fever pitch came in the third quarter.
After seeing the 1972-73 Knicks championship team honored at halftime, the Knicks came out firing. They scored 42 points, ‘Melo had 18 of them and Jason Kidd capped things off with this beauty to send the crowd nuts:
As for the Syracuse alumnus, he poured in a measly 41 points (third straight game of 40 or more) and pulled down 14 rebounds in the Knicks’ 11th straight victory.
Healthy debate going around the office today as to which of these two Foot Locker spots is better.
First up, Russell Westbrook and James Harden illustrate the many uses of tearaway clothing:
Next, Carmelo Anthony finds a way to enjoy all his sneakers at the same time:
Side note — Can you imagine how many Joe Johnsons Joe Johnson would have to hire to wear all his shoes?
So which is your favorite? I’m leaning towards the Westbrook/Harden joint myself (Harden’s deadpan look kills me every time), but I can still be swayed by opposing arguments.
How do you know you’ve made it in New York? Is it headlining a show on Broadway? Having a sandwich named after you at Carnegie Deli? One benchmark is certainly having a wax figure of yourself put on display at Madame Tussaud‘s, which is what happened to Carmelo Anthony on Tuesday:
I love, love, love, that ‘Melo took the opportunity to mess with people visiting his exhibit at the museum. Hand to god, if I ever had a wax statue made of myself on display anywhere, I would do this to people ALL THE TIME. I wouldn’t just do it at the opening, I’d do it when things were slow at work or if an appointment were in the neighborhood, or you know, whenever I had a free minute, and I would never, ever get tired of it.
As everyone knows by now, the compressed NBA schedule will force every team to play three games in three nights at least one this season (42 times in total). With only 66 games to stake a claim to a playoff spot or seed, how teams perform during these killer slates could have a large impact on how their seasons turn out.
With that in mind, we’re going to keep track of each of the 42 three-plays to see which teams take advantage and which teams fall apart. Up next, the New Jersey Nets, who played three straight from Feb. 18-20.
This hasn’t been the best season for the Nets. In a season full of injuries, they’ve been perhaps the most afflicted, suiting up the minimum eight healthy bodies for several games. They put up only 2 points in their first three for all challenge, and that is mainly because they got to play one of the only teams worse than they are. Playing this threeplay would be just leading lambs to the slaughter, right?
Game 1: Nets 97, Bulls 85 - Say what? Yeah that’s right. The Nets, behind 29 points from Deron Williams and a huge 24 and 18 rebounds from the guy you love to hate, Kris Humphries, came into the United Center and put it on the Bulls, jumping out to a 34-19 lead after one and never looking back. The Bulls were without Derrick Rose, but still — they’d only lost one home game all season before this spanking. Didn’t see this one coming. 3 points (1 for win, 1 for road, 1 for +10 margin)
Game 2: Bucks 92, Nets 85 - Naturally, after the road win in Chicago, the Nets returned to New Jersey and promptly lost to the Bucks, despite the season debut for center Brook Lopez (nine points and two rebounds in 12 minutes) Game ball goes to Bucks F Ersan Ilyasova, who had perhaps the most surprising stat line of the season with 29 points and 25 rebounds — and fouled out as well! -1 point
Game 3: Nets 100, Knicks 92 - Oh sure, the Nets go right into Madison Square Garden, overcome Linsanity and the return of Carmelo Anthony to drop the Knicks, who had only won eight of their last nine coming in. Makes perfect sense. I gotta say, people were dogging on D-Will for getting an All-Star nod, but let’s not forget how freakin’ talented this dude is. A career-high eight 3-pointers and a season-best 38 points stole the show in this one. 6 points (5 for win, 1 for road)
No question about it, this is the surprise result of the season in the three for all. 8 points for the Nets, impressive regardless but especially so considering who they beat. Tip o’ the cap.
Up next: The New Orleans Hornets play three straight Feb. 20-22.
As everyone knows by now, the compressed NBA schedule will force every team to play three games in three nights at least one this season (42 times in total). With only 66 games to stake a claim to a playoff spot or seed, how teams perform during these killer slates could have a large impact on how their seasons turn out.
With that in mind, we’re going to keep track of each of the 42 three-plays to see which teams take advantage and which teams fall apart. Up next, the Denver Nuggets, who for the second time this season played three straight, this time from Feb. 2-4.
The Nuggets are the first team this season to take on the three for all challenge twice (12 teams will do it more than once this season). The first time around they put up six points, due in large part to winning the last two games of the challenge, and were a Danilo Gallinari bunny away from sweeping the thing altogether. We’re a month longer into the season, and the Nuggets have played pretty well overall. Could they do even better this time around? Let’s take a look.
Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 91 - A terrific start, getting a win at Staples Center against the up and coming Clippers. Denver’s rep this season is as one of the deepest teams in the league (thanks in part as we all know to the Carmelo Anthony trade, which they seem to have gotten the better of so far and by a longshot), and they used that depth against LAC, putting five players in double figures, led by Gallinari’s 21, and three more chipped in with eight. 3 points (1 for the win, 1 for +10 margin, 1 for road)
Game 2: Lakers 93, Nuggets 89 - In a weird schedule quirk, the Lakers comprised 50% of the Nuggets’ three for all challenges — Denver played them twice the first time around and once in this edition. Once again it came down to the wire, but Al Harrington missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds and the Lakers held on. -1 point
Game 3: Blazers 117, Nuggets 97 - The Blazers have been nearly unbeatable at the Rose Garden this season, and with Denver gasping for air in the last night of the challenge it’s no real surprise how this one turned out. Nicolas Batum hit nine 3s on his way to a career-best 33 points for Portland. 0 points
So we see almost a perfect negative of the Nuggets first threeplay — a win followed by two losses instead of a loss followed by two wins. 2 total points for Denver, and thankfully no more back-to-back-to-backs for the rest of the regular season.
Up next: The Utah Jazz and Miami Heat both play three straight Feb. 12-14.
As everyone knows by now, the compressed NBA schedule will force every team to play three games in three nights at least one this season (42 times in total). With only 66 games to stake a claim to a playoff spot or seed, how teams perform during these killer slates could have a large impact on how their seasons turn out.
With that in mind, we’re going to keep track of each of the 42 three-plays to see which teams take advantage and which teams fall apart. Up next, the New York Knicks, who played three straight from Feb. 2-4.
The Knicks have been in a season-long funk, unable to live up to the increased expectations that came with trading for Carmelo Anthony and adding Tyson Chandler. Would three games in three nights be a rallying cry for the squad, a bonding experience that could turn the season around and put them back on a playoff track? Or would it be just another 72 hours of disappointment in a season so far full of them? Let’s find out.
Game 1: Bulls 105, Knicks 102 - Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire combined for 60 points, but the Knicks defense could not contain Derrick Rose, who torched them for 32 points and 13 assists as the Bulls escape MSG with the road win.-2 points
Game 2: Celtics 91, Knicks 89 - It seems to me if you go through all the trouble to sign Amar’e to a giant contract, then trade half your roster to get ‘Melo, you might want to get one of them a shot in the closing seconds of a tight game. Instead the Knicks got two bad shots from Landry Fields and (making sure I’m reading this correctly) Steve Novak in the final seconds, and there’s your L. -1 points
Game 3: Knicks 99, Nets 92 - Much like the Pistons, the Knicks faced the prospect of going oh-fer in their three play with the final game coming against the lowly Nets. Fortunately for New York they found some resolve, and by resolve I mean backup guard Jeremy Lin, who set new career highs in (gathers breath) points, field goals made and attempted, 3-pointers, free throws made and attempted, rebounds, assists, and minutes played in helping the Knicks salvage a win. 5 points
2 total points for the Knickerbockers, which given the way their season has gone so far seems fairly appropriate.
Up next: The Denver Nuggets also played three straight Feb. 2-4, with games against the Clippers, Lakers, and Blazers.
Catch up on every single game-winning buzzer beater during the season and see how it rates on the Horry Scale.
