Posts tagged basketball
Reebok Classic Brings Back The Question Mid “Green Fifteen” To Celebrate The Madness
Reebok Classic is giving college basketball fans one more thing to celebrate this March. Announcing a limited release of the green/white Question Mid, Reebok Classic is proud to bring back one of the most requested colorways of the iconic model that dominated the tourney years ago.
Available in adult and grade school sizing, these won’t last long. Head to Finish Line, VILLA, Shoe Palace, MR. ALANS, or Reebok.com on April 3rd and get yours for $140 ($95 for grade school).
Mar 26th
Kevin Love’s Secret Training Technique
Did you know that Kevin Love works out with a robot? Well you do now. Love joins a long-line of elite athletes that have worked with Chocolate Milk. Athletes including Apolo Ohno and Hines Ward have found out the benefits of chocolate milk. Now Kevin is the first NBA player to partner with the “BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK” campaign. Backed by more than 20 studies, chocolate milk has shown to be a great source of high-quality protein, and is becoming an increasingly popular post-workout drink of choice for athletes looking to build lean muscle and maximize recovery after a workout.
Watch his new workout routine with his new coach.
Mar 18th
Derrick Rose and Damian Lillard Give Basketball A Boost
On Sunday, adidas held an exclusive unveiling of the D Rose 5 Boost and Crazylight Boost basketball shoes at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Damian Lillard and Derrick Rose joined former NBA player and event emcee Greg Anthony to officially introduce adidas’ ground-breaking Boost technology to basketball. The industry-first innovation brings game-changing energy return, comfort and responsiveness to players when they need them most.
Following the unveil, media in attendance had the chance to test out the new kicks and hoop with adidas athletes including Joakim Noah, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Tim Hardaway Jr, Arron Afflalo and new adidas partner, rookie Marcus Smart.
Jul 28th
Take Back The Court With Reebok’s “Blacktop Battleground”
Originally built for the outdoor game, the Reebok Blacktop collection has become synonymous with the glory days of 90s street basketball. The most popular model – the Blacktop Battleground – was not only tough enough for the court, but had sky-high style to match.
On Friday, August 8th, Reebok Basketball will launch two additional colorways of the Reebok Basketball Blacktop collection.
The Blacktop Battleground black/white/red will be available in Adults ($125), Grade School ($90) and Toddler sizing ($50).
The Blacktop Battleground White/Black/Pink/Orange/Green/Gum will only be available in Adult sizing for $125.
Limited pairs of the two color ways of the Reebok Blacktop Battleground will be available at key retailers Jimmy Jazz, Eblens, Shoe City, Kicks USA, Shiekh, Reebok.com.
Jul 25th
Doug McDermott Has 99 Problems
With NBA Draft coming up, NCAA Player of the Year and noted sharpshooter Doug McDermott partnered with M&M’S Peanut to play an epic game of H-O-R-S-E … against 99 other people.
It’s Doug just dominating the field by doing epic trick shots – half court, no look, blindfolded at one point. Very cool moments – might make for a fun piece heading into Draft Week, especially as there’s tons of speculation where in the First Round Doug will go.
M&M’S Peanut cares about quality peanuts, and only 1 in 100 peanuts will become an M&M’S Peanut. So to help illustrate how quality matters when picking ingredients, M&M’s pitted 1 future pro basketball sharpshooter (Doug McDermott) against 99 regular folks in games of H-O-R-S-E. Naturally, Doug dominated the field with some wild trick shots – proving how important it is to choose the very best 1 in 100, like M&M’S does with its peanuts
Jun 19th
DO:MORE With Degree Men!
Most of us can’t wait for the madness to begin. We have finalized our brackets for the 100th time and we are ready to watch the underdogs take on the powerhouse teams. As guys we are always looking for some ways to get more done at once. So guys are ready to put more things on that to do list? No better time to start then now right?
There comes a time during every NCAA® March Madness® when the underdog comes face to face with the goliath. Every year, basketball fans are witness to amazing buzzer-beating moments and historical, dramatic upsets. So many great underdog moments have occurred it’s hard to pick the best one ever!
As Official Locker Room Products of NCAA® Championships, Degree Men® deodorant is creating “Clash of the Underdogs,” a series of brackets that place history’s favorite March Madness underdog victories against each other, and gives fans the chance to vote for the greatest of all time. Fans can visit DegreeBasketball.com and vote for their favorite NCAA March Madness “underdog moments,” and then register for the chance to win a trip to the 2015 NCAA Final Four® in Indianapolis.
Basketball superstar, Stephen Curry is someone who is very familiar with underdog and buzzer-beating moments. From leading his college team to two March Madness appearances in a row, to becoming one of the best guards in pro basketball, Curry constantly pushes himself to DO:MORE and IMPROVE. With help from Degree Men®, Curry is on a mission to inspire others to push themselves to DO:MORE and IMPROVE no matter their passion.
Fans can visit YouTube.com/DegreeMen to view an exciting short film series, directed by 9-time Grammy winner John Legend, showcasing how Stephen Curry pushes himself to DO:MORE off the court in order to IMPROVE on the court.
To push guys to DO:MORE during the hype of March Madness, Degree Men® deodorant has released a limited edition NCAA basketball-themed Sport Defense stick from its Adrenaline SeriesTM line featuring new and improved MOTIONSENSE™ Technology. Triggered by even the most sudden and slightest of body movements, Degree with patented MOTIONSENSE™ is the only antiperspirant/deodorant that releases extra microcapsules when you start to move – not just when you start to sweat – protecting you from sweat and odor for 48 hours and allowing you to DO:MORE. The more you move, the more it protects.
Mar 19th
Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright Talks March Madness
Villanova head coach Jay Wright hopes to see his team play for the NCAA National Championship for college basketball. This season for the Villanova Wildcats has been great so far. As fans of the tournament know anything goes in during March Madness.
As a coach of the team Wright needs to guide his players with poise and a sense of determination. As you will see in my interview with Jay it looks like he is putting his players in the right direction.
I was able to chat with Jay about this year’s team, Twitter, and the great work he is doing with Dove Men+Care. You will be able to see his commercials during March Madness.
Art Eddy: Let’s first talk about the Dove Men+Care campaign you are doing. Tell me a bit about this promotion?
Jay Wright: Dove Men+Care has a campaign going on during March Madness with the top decision makers in basketball. I get to be one of them. In my commercial I get to make an easy choice to choose Dove Men+Care for my skin care. I like it because it provides me with more moisture.
I am psyched about it. It is pretty funny. People can check it out on the Dove Men+Care website.
AE: You join a great group of guys in this campaign. Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, and Coach Tom Izzo have worked with Dove Men+Care. Did they give you any advice before you started filming the commercials?
JW: (Laughs.) Not before, but I did share it with Tom Izzo and Jay Bilas after. Then I saw theirs. Theirs were great. Those were great ads. I use the body wash and I am hoping that I look better than those two. (Both laugh.)
AE: What got you into coaching basketball?
JW: Probably like most coaches I was a player that thought I was going to play in the NBA. I went to Bucknell. I didn’t figure it out until the draft was over after my senior year. I didn’t get drafted. I said to myself that this might not be working out and I better find something to do.
If you remember the Unites States Football league I actually started in marketing my first year out. I loved it, but my friend, Pat Flannery got me an assistant job at the University of Rochester. I was on that job for one day and loved it. I 
knew that was what I wanted to do.
AE: Do you like the way the game of college basketball has evolved?
JW: I think it is a great time for the game Art. I really do. The way things are changing with the conferences is a little unsettling for us traditionalists. The talk about allowing the players to have some of the revenue, the new conferences, all the new TV outlets, the thought that the NBA will have these guys in college for two or three years are in the forefront, but the game right now is as good as it has ever been. Going into this tournament this year I think that there are 30 teams that can win the National Championship.
AE: As a coach how tough is it to get your guys focused after a huge win during March Madness?
JW: You know Art I would say that is our greatest challenge. It really is. It is keeping the guys focused on the next game. We use the term, ‘Be here now.’ Get over that game. When we win games we also use the term, ‘Stay hungry and humble.’
If we lose a game we refer to the word attitude. That is what we can control moving forward. It is a big part of tournament play. That is a good question because it is not just winning that one big game. It is how you handle it and are you ready to prepare for the next one.
AE: Some coaches recently bashed Twitter. You are on Twitter so I am guessing you like social media. Is that a fair statement?
JW: Yeah. I have come full circle with it. When Twitter first started my first experience with it was hearing one of my players tweet during a class. So I am thinking he is not supposed to be tweeting right now. He is supposed to be learning.
We started addressing it and talking about it. We started talking to the players saying that Twitter is your own branding. It is how you present yourself publicly and it is the same thing for me and our program. It is funny Art. It is like being a parent. You know where your guys are all the time. We are all on their Twitter accounts. We follow all of them. You know what they are thinking and what they are doing. It is like a homing device.
AE: (Laughs) Yeah. It is like GPS for your players. 
JW: Yeah.
AE: Do you look at the college rankings at all or is that just more of a media driven thing?
JW: Much like Twitter, I think that we are at an age where there is so much information available to these kids that you are not going to hide them from it. So it is not about ignoring it. It is about how you handle it. Do you use it as an advantage or a disadvantage?
With all the hype being in the top ten we use a reference where we say, ‘Perfume is okay if you sniff it, but if you swallow it, it is poison.’ It is the same thing. With all the media hype you can look at it, but if you are defining yourself by it and swallowing it, it will kill you. So we have to address it all the time.
Mar 17th
SOUL Helping You Take It To The Hole!
You think you know all there is to know about March Madness. Well MANjr and SOUL Electronics wants you to prove it. Enter the SOUL March Madness Bracket Promotion to see if you can talk the talk and walk the walk.
Simply follow these simple steps to enter:
- Follow @SOULElectronics on Instagram, repost the Challenge picture and tag #MarchMadness and #SOULMadness
- Visit www.soulelectronics.com/marchmadness and click ENTER NOW
- Return to the SOUL March Madness page to make your selections for the Second Round starting on March 17, 2014 and before each round to continue playing.
Mar 14th
adidas 2014 NBA All-Star Game Footwear Collection
Dwight Howard, John Wall, Damian Lillard and others will debut special NBA All-Star versions of the Howard 4, Crazy 8, Crazy 1 and the all-new Crazyquick 2 at the 63rd NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. Inspired by New Orleans’ rich culture and the atmosphere of NBA All-Star weekend, the footwear collection features bright Mardi Gras colors and exciting prints which will be rolled out Feb. 14 and 15.
The Crazy 8
The classic model, originally launched in 1997, features an aggressive design that follows the form and function of the foot. The NBA All-Star Crazy 8 will be worn by players during the Rookie game and NBA All-Star Saturday Night contests. Bright orange and blue colors and splatter paint print are inspired by The Crazy 8 ($110) will be available Feb. 14 at Foot Locker, Eastbay, Finish Line, Champs, Shoe Palace, DTLR, and adidas.com.
The Crazy 1
The classic model, originally launched in 2000 features a curved, aerodynamic upper inspired by luxury automobiles. The NBA All-Star Crazy 1 will be worn by players during the Rookie game and NBA All-Star Saturday Night contests. Double foam collar provides added ankle support while the torsion system improves stability and traction. Bright orange and blue colors and splatter paint print are inspired by the architectural and art of New Orleans and celebratory spirit of Mardi Gras and NBA All-Star weekend. The Crazy 1 ($125) will be available Feb. 14 at Foot Locker, Eastbay, Finish Line, Champs, Shoe Palace, DTLR and adidas.com.
DWIGHT HOWARD 4
The NBA All-Star version of the Howard 4 features a metallic “Blast Purple” colorway for one of the most elite centers in the league. A unique take on the traditional purple of Mardi Gras, the metallic “Blast Purple” stands out on the court and gives the superstar center a unique look for the big stage of the NBA All-Star Game. The SPRINTWEB and TECHFIT upper provides lightweight support and lockdown with maximum breathability. Crazyquick technology elements include an articulated forefoot with two-way flex zones for increased traction and court feel. The Howard 4 ($125) will be available Feb. 15 at Eastbay, Finish Line, and adidas.com.
CRAZYQUICK 2
The NBA All-Star version of the all-new Crazyquick 2 features a “Vivid Berry” and black upper with “Solar Slime” splatter paint print that pays homage to the celebratory spirit of Mardi Gras and NBA All-Star weekend. The NBA All-Star Crazyquick 2 will be worn on-court by Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers (West) and John Wall of the Washington Wizards (East).
QUICKWEB upper provides increased flexibility and superior fit in the all-new style. Signature Crazyquick outsole technology is once again featured in the Crazyquick 2 for increased traction and court feel. The Crazyquick 2 ($125) will be available in limited quantities at NBA All-Star Jam Session in New Orleans on Feb. 13.
Feb 4th
Dell Curry Interview
Dell Curry was one of the best shooters in the NBA during his time in the league. Curry would play either at the shooting guard position or at small forward. He played for five NBA teams, most notably for the Charlotte Hornets. In 1994 he won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. To this day he still holds some team records.
Now working for FOX Sports as a commentator on Charlotte Bobcats television he gets to still be around the game he loves. His son, Steph Curry currently plays in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors. Like father, like son, Steph has a sweet shot and is a force to be reckoned with on the court.
I was able to talk with Dell about his time in the NBA, his son’s career in the league, and how the game has evolved.
Art Eddy: Looking back at your career in the NBA what aspect of your time in the league do you cherish the most?
Dell Curry: Just the fact that I was able to sustain a career for 16 years and that I am still friends with all my teammates and have a relationship with them. It was great to spend time with my family and watch my kids grow up while I was in the league. I still just cherish the relationships I have with some of my teammates while still living here in Charlotte.
AE: I bet you are excited that Charlotte’s team name will be the Hornets once again right? 
DC: Absolutely. It was great to play for the Hornets back then. The town was ecstatic and electric and we are trying to get that back. I can’t wait until next year when I get to say the Charlotte Hornets.
AE: For you was there a team or player that got you more hyped up than other teams or players?
DC: You better get ready for every player, every game, and every night. (Both laugh). Obviously I think everyone enjoys going up against the best players in the world. They give you the best competition and gives you something to compare your game to.
The best player that I played against while I was in the league was Michael Jordan. Anytime you played against the Bulls, back when I played, were one of the best teams in the league. They had one of the great runs in the NBA. It was always special to go up against them because you know you were going up against the best.
AE: You have such a sweet shot. How many hours a week did you just stay in the gym shooting around?
DC: (Laughs). I tried to make 500 shots a day. We shoot in practice and it wasn’t really about how many you shot, but about how many you made. That is the bottom line. You want to make as many as you can. I always tried to set up a number and try and reach that goal.
It was steady practice and I was blessed with the ability to shoot a basketball. With that said that skill was honed in on by putting in work every day. So on average I would try and make about 500 shots per day.
AE: What did winning the Sixth Man of the Year award mean to you?
DC: Well one thing is it is about consistency. It is very hard to come off the bench and be consistent on a nightly basis. That was something that I prided myself on. Everybody would love to start. I did start a few games. To have a guy come off the bench and the coach can rely on you on a nightly basis and as well as your teammates was a good thing.
Just like the starters, your teammates needed and expected your input to help win the game each night. To win it that one year and finish second a couple of years showed the consistency that I tried to play with while I was in the league.
AE: It was cool to see you and your son Steph play a game of P.I.G. last year. You showed the people at your basketball camp that you still have it by wining that game. How cool is it to see your son excel in the league just like you did?
DC: It is a father’s dream. For me to reach the highest level in that sport and make a career out of it. Having my son grow up and watch me do that and reach that level as well. To know how hard it is to get there. To have the success there that he has had is a father’s dream come true.
Also for him to be a better player than you are is great. I can still shoot that basketball. I can hold my own there, but he is a much better all-around player then me. I am very happy for him and his team right now.
AE: How do you feel the game has changed since the time you played to now?
DC: I think it is the youth of the game. We have so many young players right now. The game has gotten smaller and quicker. The game is not as physical as when I played. It is more fan oriented now. Fans want to see players run up the floor, make shots, and dunk.
It is very entertaining. Don’t get me wrong. I love today’s game, but it is different because it is a little less physical, a little quicker, and the players are not as big as before.
AE: Would you like to see the hand-check come back?
DC: No. (Both laugh). I like where it is at right now. It gives the guards a bit more flexibility. With my son being in the league and not being one of the biggest and strongest, if the hand-check came back into the league it might hurt his game a little bit. He would get to the free throw line a bit more so there is give and take there.
AE: Does Steph ask you for advice after games at all? 
DC: No. We talk about basketball a little bit. I coached him when he was growing up. I tried to give him all my knowledge to make him play the right way. Now he has all the best coaches in the world. They have all the equipment, training facilities, and film. They have one of the best organizations in the world. He gets it enough from them.
If I see something that I feel that I need to point out that would help him I do. Mostly we talk about his team, their goals, and what they want to do. I try not to talk to him about it because it is always on his mind. We probably talk more about golf than anything.
AE: Who has the better golf game?
DC: He does.
AE: Really?
DC: Yeah, he does. We are both in single digits, but he is closer to the scratch than I am. We are very competitive. We are close, but I started him playing way earlier than I did as a kid.
Jan 13th
