May/June 2020 (#227)

SLAM Philippines

All Hoop. All Day. For Love of the Game

SLAM Philippines2 min read
All Ball
THERE’S NO BASKETBALL. It’s strange, almost unreal. Never in my life has there been no basketball - especially as someone living in the Philippines. It’s always been a constant: a reliable friend, distraction, obsession or theater, depending on the o
SLAM Philippines1 min read
Off The Bench
Los Angeles native Samir Hernandez is no stranger to hoops. Before he joined SLAM as VP of Special Projects, Hernandez spent time at Nike where he led pro athlete integration efforts. Back in the day, he partnered with Tyson Chandler playing for the
SLAM Philippines1 min read
SLAM Philippines
PUBLISHER Dennis Tan EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nikko Ramos MANAGING DIRECTOR Raoul Reinoso ONLINE EDITOR Polo Bustamante ONLINE CONTRIBUTORS Alex Estoesta, Karlo Lovenia, Ceej Tantengco, Colin Salao, Kirby Jalandoni, Joaquin Santos, Vinz Miguel Alcid, David Ga
SLAM Philippines2 min read
Trash Talk
Eduardo Pardo via YouTube We’ll see what this crew can do. It’s tough to put them against the 76ers and the Raps…this Celts team is comparatively small. But, small ball is the thing now’a’days right? Also Vic O. coming back into the fold should proba
SLAM Philippines2 min read
The Opening Tip
ARE YOU BUMMED OUT by the current NBA season? Do you think there’s too much calculated sitting of star players by coaches who believe the only thing that matters is having your studs rested and injury-free for the postseason? Do you think this season
SLAM Philippines2 min read
Glow Up
“THIS CAN become the coolest club in the world,” says Sylvain Francisco, the 22-year-old point guard for Paris Basketball. Led by David Kahn, the former President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Paris Basketball was founded i
SLAM Philippines2 min read
Where I’m From
POLO G IS ALL ABOUT showing love tho those who have next. Born Taurus Bartlett, the 21-year-old Windy City native created the Chicago Grizzlies, a travel AAU program, to make a positive impact through hoops in the community. We recently linked with h
SLAM Philippines2 min read
Elissa Cunane
WHEN ELISSA CUNANE scores, she smiles. When she grabs a rebound, she grins. When she blocks a shot, she beams. The 6-5 sophomore center for NC State plays with so much uncontainable joy that TV analyst Debbie Antonelli dubbed her, “Big Smile.” “I jus
SLAM Philippines1 min read
A Kid From Coney Island
ONE LOOK AROUND THE ROOM and the impact is crystal clear. Stephon Marbury makes the rounds, embracing family, dapping up old friends, talking with reporters and posing on the red carpet. In an hour, he’ll be seated in the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s
SLAM Philippines3 min read
Must-see TV
THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS have won 36 percent of their games at press time. Something very strange and cataclysmic would have to happen for them to make the playoffs, like the Magic getting stuck on Space Mountain for the month of April. Even then, Orla
SLAM Philippines1 min read
Slamadamonth
FEBRUARY 15, 2020 UNITED CENTER CHICAGO, IL There is a story from Michael Jordan’s early career that goes something like this. In a 1987 game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, Jordan dunked on John Stockton, drawing the ire of a fan seated cou
SLAM Philippines7 min read
Sum 2 Prove
IT’S A RAINY MONDAY in Memphis, and for once, the NBA is at rest. One evening earlier, the All-Star Game finished with such a flourish that it actually made the players sweat, and now everyone is enjoying a few days off before things kick in for the
SLAM Philippines7 min read
Nonstop
THERE IS classical music blasting through the hallway that runs parallel to the baseline at the OVO Athletic Centre in Toronto. A whole lot of it. On this brisk and snowy weekday morning in late February, the Raptors players are scattered throughout
SLAM Philippines7 min read
The Blueprint
“I CAN REMEMBER when he was a little boy—this is how obsessed he was,” recalls Brandy Cole, the mother of Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum. “I asked him, What do you want to be when you grow up? His first answer in life was, ‘Kobe.’” Brandy tried to exp
SLAM Philippines4 min read
Passion Play
THIS STORY isn’t about Malcolm Brogdon the NBA player, though it very well could be. In his first season with the Indiana Pacers, the versatile guard is averaging career-highs in points (16.3), assists (7.1) and rebounds (4.7) per game. This story, h
SLAM Philippines5 min read
First Step
Excerpted from Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports by Yaron Weitzman. Copyright © 2020 by the author and reprinted with permission from Grand Central Publishing. All rights r
SLAM Philippines7 min read
Big Night At The Beerhouse: How San Miguel Flirted With History And Took Her Home
“I want to give credit to the Alaska team. Both teams deserved to win. It’s just that si Lord, well, mas mabait siya sa amin.” Leo Austria said this as soon as he was handed the microphone after his San Miguel Beermen accomplished the previously impo
SLAM Philippines1 min read
Smooth Moves
NIKKO RAMOS: BEST UNDERCOVER GULANG IN THE HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL? KIEFER RAVENA: CHRIS TIU NIKKO RAMOS: THE ONE, THE ONLY CHRIS TIU. KIEFER RAVENA: OH MY GOD. HE POPPED MY CHIN BEFORE. (POINTS TO CHIN) NIKKO RAMOS: HOW? KIEFER RAVENA: I HA
SLAM Philippines5 min read
For The Love Of The Game
A SYMPHONY OF colliding metals echoes through the hallways of the Al Oerter Recreation Center. Such is the recurring soundscape on Tuesday nights in Flushing Meadows, Queens, when the Brooklyn Nets wheelchair basketball squad convenes for practice. I
SLAM Philippines3 min readBasketball
In The Fast Lane
HE PROBABLY wouldn’t describe himself this way, but Caleb Love is a bit of a history buff. It’s just that his areas of expertise are pretty specific. He knows the proud athletic history of Christian Brothers College HS, aka CBC, where the Cadets main
SLAM Philippines3 min readBasketball
Family Ties
THE CURRY FAMILY’S athletic DNA has been on display at the highest level of basketball for more than three decades now, from Dell’s 16-year NBA career in the ’80s and ’90s to Stephen and Seth’s current runs in the L. But the talent and competitivenes
SLAM Philippines5 min read
Bout It, Bout It
WHEN PERCY Miller tells you that “my kids are soldiers,” he’s not saying anything that any other proud father of hard-working hoopers wouldn’t say about sons with skill, an intense work ethic and on-court toughness to spare. But when Miller uses that
SLAM Philippines1 min read
Coach Yeng Being Coach Yeng
So we’re already filling down, we walk into the locker room. Coach Yeng comes in, you could tell he’s upset. Didn’t have much of a voice, pulls his pen out and starts writing on the board. Everybody was like “What’s going on?” All of a sudden he turn
SLAM Philippines2 min read
Arts & Crafts
HIS COLLABORATIONS with Nike and with Jordan Brand have proven that his unique design language is revered by the masses. Whether a kid grew up in the ’90s or is growing up now, everyone has tried to get their hands on a pair of Virgil Abloh’s kicks w
SLAM Philippines1 min readDesign
The Past is Present
“DREAMING IS the most important thing a kid can do,” Kyle Kuzma said in front of a bunch of young basketball fans. He was posted up at the LeagueFits Lounge, a space SLAM built out during All-Star Weekend in Chicago, in partnership with PUMA. Kuz had
SLAM Philippines2 min read
@slamarchive
AS A KID, I had a basketball sticker album, and working on it, in ’94-95 got me connected to the NBA. I learned every team and all the players, the rookies and the superstars, the championship contenders and the teams who would rarely make the playof