Who else is going to cover the NBA Preview edition of SLAM Magazine? It's the Lakers' big new acquisition, Dwight Howard. Expect issue #163 on newsstands next week.
With the season just a couple weeks away, weigh in with your NBA Finals prediction! Do the Heat repeat? Do Dwight and the new-look Lakers take the crown this season? Comment below!
A few subtle additions have been made to the Lakers' Staples Center court, including stars around center court featuring the years of their 16 title victories over their franchise's long history. Plus, our first advent of Twitter onto the court as "@Lakers" makes its way on there as well. Take a look at the court in the slideshow above and if time-lapse videos are a thing for you like it is for me, then you'll want to take a click here.
Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat are currently overseas for 'The China Games' as they'll play a couple exhibitions versus the L.A. Clippers in... wait for it... China! Naturally, this is the perfect week for Wade to unveil his new signature shoe with Chinese brand Li-Ning. Above you can see the 'Way Of Wade' and below a close-up at the kicks. However, Wade says that "what you see in China will not be the final product," according to the Associated Press. That's good in that I hope they fix the laces and tongue aesthetics for the final product. Not really feelin' those.
What do you guys think of Wade's new shoe? Would you cop it?
Dubbed, “Chicago Fire” the bold and bright electricity-colored shoe is inspired by the Chicago Fire Department in Derrick’s hometown.
The upper is made of rubberized, heavy duty synthetic materials to resemble the strong, protective feel and function of a firefighter’s turnout coat. The three stripes on the back and outsole of the shoe are gray to represent the color of knee and elbow pads on turnout coats and coveralls. The stripes on the back are also reflective material similar to turnout gear, while the black SPRINTFRAME has a smooth, clean finish to signify rubber fire boots.
The inside of the left tongue features the universal cross symbol of firefighters with the D Rose logo in the middle, and the right shoe features a lasered Derrick Rose signature.
- adidas
With the Bulls preseason starting tonight, adidas picks a perfect day to release one of what I'm sure are more colorways to come of the D Rose 3. I love how they continue to draw inspiration from the hometown and the fire department is surely a motivational one. The kicks will be available tomorrow, October 10th. Would you rock them?
NBA sneakerhead news comes way tonight as Ricky Rubio has signed with #teamadidas on a long-term partnership, says their USPRGuy (love that Twitter handle). This is the second big-name NBA star signing a new sneaker deal this month, as Dwyane Wade recently left Jordan for LIN-ing (I feel like that should be the name of Jeremy Lin's shoe company). The question remains for Rubio and adidas: will we see a documentary for his return from a torn ACL? Jokes aside, I do look forward to seein' Rubio run the show on a fun T-Wolves squad this coming season.
Kobe Bryant reportedly put a window on his NBA career today, according to CBS Sports, with "The window, he is ready to acknowledge, is two years. Two more chances to catch Jordan." The news story continues,
"It's not about health necessarily," he said. "It's about, 'Do I want to do it? Do I have that hunger to continue to prepare at a high level?'"
So much so that the next question -- about whether Bryant would ever change his mind and hang on for an extra year or two as a role player averaging 15 points just to pad his championship resume -- needn't have been asked. "That's not gonna happen," Bryant said. "That's just not me."
Kobe fans, what do you think? While I don't see him as a 15 PPG role player at age 40, I think a lot can change between now and then. How long do you see Kobe playing?
Last month, I shared a story that said that Justin Timberlake was set to become a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies and today, the news is that he's not alone. Peyton Manning is set to join JT and Penny Hardawayin the minority owner role, which makes more sense if you know that Peyton went to the University of Tennessee and Penny went to college and grew up in Memphis. Looks like Brooklyn won't be the only new "it" place this season to catch a bball game, huh? Hopefully they all attend the same game and the three seemingly unreleated sports/music stars can make for one cool photo. More info via Ball Don't Lie.
Just watched this moving video above of Portland Trail Blazers rookie and former University of Illinois standout Meyers Leonard receiving an emotional surprise visit from his older brother, Bailey, who was serving overseas in Afghanistan for the Marine Corp. The brothers lost their father at a young age (Meyers was only 6) and so Bailey was a bit of a father figure for Meyers when growing up. At a game last year at the University of Illinois, a crew follows Bailey into Assembly Hall to surprise Meyers and watch his little brother play. Can't help but be affected by this gesture and family love seen above and I just wanted to share this heartwarming video to you today after seeing it amongst my Facebook statuses this afternoon. *tips hat* to my college homie Thek and Break.
