Basketball Hall of Fame

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today announced the list of Hall of Fame players and coaches who will serve as presenters for the Enshrinement Ceremony of the Class of 2009, to be staged this Friday, September 11, 2009 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

* Presenting Coach C. Vivian Stringer will be Hall of Fame Coach John Chaney

* Presenting Coach Jerry Sloan will be Hall of Fame player Charles Barkley

* Presenting John Stockton will be Hall of Fame player Isiah Thomas

* Presenting David Robinson will be Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown and Hall of Fame player George Gervin

* Presenting Michael Jordan will be Hall of Fame player David Thompson

As tradition suggests, the incoming class for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony was asked to select a previous inductee to accompany and present the new member of the Basketball Hall of Fame to his or her peers. The choice is solely the decision of the incoming Hall of Famer. The enshrinement ceremony for the Basketball Hall of Fame will be celebrated this Friday, September 11, 2009 at the Springfield Symphony Hall with coverage beginning at 6:30pm (ET) on ESPN. (Check local listings).

World B Free Streetball

K1X had a chance to interview one of the greatest streetball and NBA legends of all-time, World B. Free. 

I know that you used to announce that you would draw a foul before you actually did it, then went to the basket and somehow got the whistle from the ref. You have to teach me that one!

(laughs) Well first of all you need a 44 inch vertical leap. And then you have to have that streetball game. So before I went to the basket I would give my defender a series of fakes and hesitation moves. If he was staying away from me I would shoot it right in his face. If he would bite on the fakes I would blow right by him. That‘s where my in between game would kick in. I could protect the basketball with my body while I was in the air.

Your Brownsville streetball roots must have helped you as well.

Right. When we played out in Brooklyn there was a pole on our basket. And you had to know how to avoid that pole. I ran into it a couple of times and I realized that up to this day that pole did not move. You had to learn how to control your body while you were in the air and when you were landing. That was definitely helpful for me.

Can you take us back to Brownsville and tell us how you grew up there and how that made you the person that you are today?

Brownsville is a world of its own, as you know. You‘ve been out there, too. It‘s a place that either made you or broke you. So either you were going to be someone or you wasn‘t.

I always followed a couple of guys that were older than me. And they didn‘t let me play basketball until I was in 11th or 12th grade. A lot of the guys who got out there were a lot younger than I was. I didn‘t have that great skills at that time but I had great elevation with my jumpshot. So the older guys would always teach me more about the game, beat me up, pound me on the court. They would treat me like a rookie and I would learn from that. And as I got better and better I started to teach that to the younger kids.

In Brownsville you had just one basket and the ball had no rills, it was bald as my head right now. And I was just in there, I just loved the game. It was great. You had to come out in the snow and rain and we did that. That‘s what it was all about.

What was the New York streetball scene in general like back then?

Back then, when you lost a basketball game that was it. It was all over. You might not play again until ten at night. The court was so crowded and everybody wanted to show their stuff. There were people coming from all over. We were in Brooklyn, so people from the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Staton Island came to Browsville, to a court that we called Sixty-Six Park back then, because that‘s where legends were made. And everyone wanted to go to that park to be somebody. They had the Rucker Pros up in Harlem but we had Sixty-Six Park.

Tell us who played in that park.

We had guys like Jim McMillan, Doc played there, too. We also had guys like Connie Hawkins, Nate “Tiny“ Archibald. We had some of the best players to ever play this game.

What other tournaments were there in the city besides Rucker and Sixty Six Park?

There was a tournament at St. Johns Recreation Centre that was big. But you could basically go to every basketball court in Brooklyn at that time and find that the court was full. It‘s not the same anymore. When you drive by the parks you won‘t see that many kids out there anymore.

What is your take on the whole commercialization of streetball? All the interest that the sport gathers from sponsors and the media these days.

The NBA and streetball are two totally different games. The players on the streetball courts have their own unique set of talents. But the level of attention they receive now helps some of them to get into the league. And that‘s a good thing.

What about your own quote “passes don‘t get paid“.

Uhh, I got that from Fred Carter. When I was a rookie he came to me ‘Rook, let me tell you something. In this league, passes don‘t get paid. Passes do not get paid.‘ And that stuck with me as soon as I stepped on the basketball court. It wasn‘t my own theory though. I got it from a veteran. There could be five guys open and he would still not pass it to you. (laughs)

How confident were you as a player?

As a player? Very confident. I knew that I could get my shot over anybody on the basketball court because of my jumping ability and I had ballhandling skills. I could go either left hand or right hand. I was very confident in my offensive game.

STATS: World B. Free

Position: Guard

Height: 6-2 Weight: 185 lbs.

Born: December 9, 1953 in Atlanta, Georgia

High School: Canarsie in Brooklyn, New York

College: Guilford College

Drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2nd round (5th pick, 23rd overall) of the 1975 NBA draft.

Career Average: 30,4 Minutes, 20,3 Points, 3,7 Assists

Best Season (1979-80): 30,2 Points, 4,2 Assists, 3,5 Rebounds, 47,4 % FG

All Star: 1979/80

2nd in the NBA in Scoring: 1978/79; 1979/80

Teams: Philadelphia 76ers (1975-78; 1986-87), San Diego Clippers (1978-80) Golden State Warriors (1980-82), Cleveland Cavaliers (1982-1986), Houston Rockets (1987-88)

Lebron VI New York Sneakers

To celebrate the one year anniversary of Lebron James droppin 50 points on the NBA’s New York Knicks, Nike and FootLockerUnlocked.com present the Lebron James VI NY sneakers.

Many basketball analysts and fans speculate that Lebron James will be headed to the New York Knicks in 2010.  No doubt, the NBA would like that to happen.  Can you say a New York Knicks vs Los Angeles Lakers 2010 final?

NBA 09 The Inside

Gamers and ballers alike prefer NBA 2k over NBA Live any day of the week.  Now, a third basketball video game enters the market in the game called, NBA 09 The Inside, only available on the Sony platform.
For the first time on PS3, NBA 09 The Inside includes “The Life“, providing fans with a completely unique and inside experience of life in the league. This year The life starts fresh, allowing players to control the paths of three different characters while guiding them through all-new challenges and storylines in the quest to go from development league to the NBA. In addition to The Life, NBA 09 The Inside delivers a full featured Franchise Mode, allowing players to experience every facet of running their own NBA team.  NBA 09 The Inside releases on October 7, 2008 along with NBA 2K9 and NBA Live 09.

NBA 09 The Inside once again showcases its progression system, where players earn skill and experience rewards used to thoroughly customize player appearance and play styles. This year, players will be able to customize up to five different players to take through the progression update. Also for this year, in game lighting has been revamped along with updated character animations and skin textures to provide a higher level of detail and realism. Adding to the atmosphere, NBA 09 The Inside utilizes a true T.V. broadcast presentation with highlights, a broadcast-style camera, and a comprehensive and in-depth audio commentary with top broadcast talent. With new modes, revamped character models and environments, and a robust online system with player profiles and quick play options, NBA 09 The Inside is set to push the envelope for NBA action and bring an unparalleled basketball experience to PLAYSTATION3.

NBA 09 The Inside Screenshots

Ricky Rubio

Ricky Rubio will be 18 years old on October 20, 2008.  He is a lock to be a lottery pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and has been playing in the ACB since he was 15 years old.  By now, many people know that the ACB is the second best professional basketball league in the world and has been for many years.

During the 2008 Beijing Olympic games Spain won the Silver medal and gave Team USA a run for its money in the basketball final.  Besides being in the hearts and minds of every teenage girl in Spain, Ricky Rubio is now known throughout the world as the next big International baller to be a superstar in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant High School Mixtape

Kobe is the best player in the NBA.  He was the best player in the High School basketball class of 1996 and Streetball.com has proof.  Check out the best Kobe Bryant High School basketball video ever made.

Find more Kobe Bryant videos like this on Streetball

Chicago Bulls No Longer Want Ben Gordon

The Chicago Bulls are known to not pay a premium after a basketball player proves himself on and off the court.  Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon won’t sign the club’s one year qualifying offer of $6.4 million, setting the stage for a possible departure from the team, The Chicago Tribune reported Saturday.

It was no surprise that Ben Gordon turned down a five-year, $50 extension last summer.  Gordon is believed to be seeking about $72 million, which would put the club into luxury tax range.

That sounds like a lot of money for a player to make, but let’s be honest, he is one of the best NBA guards in the league.  You can also comfortably say that the global interest and corporate sponsorship in the NBA is at an all time high, which means market conditions could not be better for Ben Gordon.

So where will Ben Gordon play next year?  Maybe Josh Childress and Brandon Jennings are in his fave 5, or maybe he’s following the NBA slogan, “Basketball without Borders” as he explores the European basketball lifestyle, or maybe he stays close to home.

One thing is for sure, Ben Gordon deserves to be paid fair market value for his services.

Kobe Bryant Leads NBA Jersey Sales in China

For the second consecutive season, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers had the top selling NBA jersey in China. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, members of the 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics, moved into the top five on this year’s list.

KG had the most popular NBA jersey in the U.S. this season, moved up to second this year in China. The Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady ranked third for the second consecutive season. Pierce, The 2008 NBA Finals MVP, whose jersey was not in the top 10 last season moved up to fourth. The Denver Nuggets’ Allen Iverson dropped from second on last year’s list to fifth to round out the top five. China’s Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets, ranked 10th on the list, down from six last year.

The rankings are based on sales from retail stores throughout China for the 2007-08 season. adidas is the official on-court uniform and apparel provider of the NBA.

NBA China merchandise is available in over 30,000 retail locations throughout Greater China, and revenue this year is expected to increase by more than 60 percent. The NBA and adidas have opened 29 branded basketball shops in China since March 2007. The league is now offering NBA broadcasts on 51 television stations and games and programming has surpassed one billion viewers for the second consecutive season.

2007-08 Top Selling Jerseys in China	2006-07 Top Selling Jerseys in China
1.  Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers	1.  Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2.  Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics	2.  Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets
3.  Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets	3.  Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
4.  Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics	4.  Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
5.  Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets	5.  LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
6.  Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards	6.  Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
7.  LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers	7.  Kevin Garnett, Minnesota T-Wolves
8.  Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat	8.  Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
9.  Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic	9.  Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
10.  Yao Ming, Houston Rockets	10.  Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards

Josh Childress Playing for Olympiacos

Josh Childress aka JChill signed a 20 Million dollar contract to play pro basketball for Olympiacos next season.  Childress is by far the most well paid basketball player in Europe and his transaction considered to be one of the biggest in European basketball history.

The NBA superstar was in Greece during the last three days in order to speak with Aggelopoulos family as well as with coach Giannakis who make him feel very comfortable and secure about his future in Greece.

Josh Childress will be a great addition to Olympiacos.  He has already found his new house in Athens, near Peace and Friendship Stadium and hw will travel back to the States in order to fix the last details for his new life in Greece.

The former Stanford Cardinal and Atlanta Hawks baller asked for three Euroleague balls to practice by himself and try to get used to the differences with the basketballs that are being used in the NBA. Josh will be back at the end of August for the beginning of Olympiakos preparation for the next season.

Brandon Jennings aka Young Money

Brandon Jennings has decided to play professional basketball in Europe and is no longer an Arizona Wildcat. Jennings will sign with a European-based agent as early as Monday, get an American-based marketing director for sneaker company deals and secure a contract with a European or Israeli team within the next two weeks.

In an unprecedented move, Brandon Jennings will forgo playing in college and instead pursue a professional career in Europe next season before likely entering the 2009 NBA draft.  He would have been a NBA Lottery Pick in the 2008 NBA Draft but was prohibited from earning a living due to NBA rules.

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