6/21/09
6/20/09
Dunk X Change Miami Today
Dunk X Change Miami is today...
LIKE MIKE CLOTHING will be in the building.
Come check out all the new LIKE MIKE shirts that will be for sale at the LIKE MIKE table.
Time: 1pm to 6pm
All Ages.
Venue: 90 Degrees
90 NE 11th St
Miami, FL 33132
Downtown Miami
More Info: www.DunkXChange.com
LIKE MIKE CLOTHING will be in the building.
Come check out all the new LIKE MIKE shirts that will be for sale at the LIKE MIKE table.
Time: 1pm to 6pm
All Ages.
Venue: 90 Degrees
90 NE 11th St
Miami, FL 33132
Downtown Miami
More Info: www.DunkXChange.com
6/15/09
Congrats L.A.
Congratulations to Phil, Kobe & the rest of the 2009 Championship Los Angeles Lakers.
Well deserved.
Well deserved.
6/14/09
6/13/09
The Artistry of Michael Jordan Part 2 Trailer
Hoopsencyclopedia's thoughts on these clips:
-Opening Ad: I found this commercial hilarious with the opening line narration. The highlights were aplenty from Day One.
-0:51: Raw athleticism, talent and control. Cannot be taught nor bought.
-1:00: Big, swooping reverse from his 59pts against Detroit. MJ runs up court as soon as he launches knowing the shot is in from the start. He barely peeks afterwards just to confirm it's a swish. The hang-reverse was just another one of his go-to shots in the clutch.
-1:15: Perfect, efficient footwork at age 35. No need to blow by them when you can outwit. MJ improvises as only he can under help defender Keith Van Horn afterwards.
-1:31: Within the Master of Fades mini-montage, MJ pulls here the turn/leaner - yet another one of his mastered shots.
-1:34: The hanging, forward fade. An early, favorite during the 80s.
-1:34: The super-juke fade. Houston is not alone on the victims list.
-1:39: Beautiful baiting of the double only to turn away on a dime.
-1:50: After defying the laws of physics with his palming advantage, MJ drains the shot there.
-1:55: The big scoop. Another early crowd-pleaser.
-2:06: The one-handed, hanging jumper is probably my favorite shot since it's impossible to even attempt without, as Charles Barkley said, "having his Frying Pan Hands."
-2:12: I believe this one of his greatest dunks.
-2:34: At the flash, one lucky cameraman gets it right at the moment with MJ's head a few inches above the rim.
-2:37: Pass went to Pippen after the one-handed, super-hanger for the assist.
-2:40: Picture perfect fade in the lefty-direction. Is there anything more aesthetically pleasing? This is art. No need to show that the shot went in of course, since you knew anyway.
Thank Hoopsencyclopedia for the video.
www.Hoopsencyclopedia.blogspot.com
Looking forward to the whole video.
Mike thinks New York needs LeBron more than LeBron needs New York.
LeBron James remains on the mind of every Knick fan hoping this season's MVP becomes a free agent in 2010 and packs his bags for New York.
But Michael Jordan, the ultimate Knick killer, threw a wrinkle in the die-hards' wishful thinking Friday afternoon, essentially saying don't hold your breath - or think James can make the Knicks instant contenders.
"He's made his mark in Cleveland. I know New York fans would love to have him, but you need a lot more components than just one player," Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, L.I., leading up to next week's U.S. Open there. "He's done a heck of a job in Cleveland and they deserve to have him there. He's from that area.
"In terms of the game itself, small markets can benefit from it a lot more than the big markets can. That's not a discredit to New York at all."
Jordan, of course, still went out of his way to tweak Knicks fans.
"You're asking me to talk about the Knicks and I own the Bobcats," he said. "I want to beat you guys every day."
Jordan finished with a 16-over-par 86 to take second in the four-player tournament. It will air June 21 at noon and lead into the final round of the Open on NBC.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won with an 81, while singer Justin Timberlake (88) and Larry Giebelhausen (101) - a police lieutenant from Arizona who won a contest to play alongside the celebrities - both trailed Jordan, who admitted to being out of his element.
Here's a quick clip of Mike & Justin on the green.
"The doubt creeps in there a lot more than it did on the basketball court. On the basketball court I never thought about it," he said. "When you step outside of your field, it's a whole different atmosphere; you become human, you become normal, and you deal with the expectations and effects of being normal. And I was nervous."
He also said he was surprised by the ovations James and Kobe Bryant received at the Garden over the winter, attributing their historic performances to "no defense, no defense."
On Feb. 2, Bryant scored 61 points and set the Garden's single-game scoring record. Two days later, James had 52 points and what appeared to be a triple-double until a rebound was later taken away after a league review. Both were serenaded with chants of "MVP!" and given standing ovations.
"It had a lot to do with what they were seeing. New York fans are very respectful for the game," Jordan said. "They recognize talent, but ... back when I played, anytime I'd go in the paint I'd have scratches and the possibility of some stitches. I'm not criticizing the game, but in essence it's not the same Knick team that it was when I played. They recognized good basketball. They're very respectful of the game, but I don't think you can compare the two."
Thank HoopedUpOnline & NY Daily News for the story.
But Michael Jordan, the ultimate Knick killer, threw a wrinkle in the die-hards' wishful thinking Friday afternoon, essentially saying don't hold your breath - or think James can make the Knicks instant contenders.
"He's made his mark in Cleveland. I know New York fans would love to have him, but you need a lot more components than just one player," Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, L.I., leading up to next week's U.S. Open there. "He's done a heck of a job in Cleveland and they deserve to have him there. He's from that area.
"In terms of the game itself, small markets can benefit from it a lot more than the big markets can. That's not a discredit to New York at all."
Jordan, of course, still went out of his way to tweak Knicks fans.
"You're asking me to talk about the Knicks and I own the Bobcats," he said. "I want to beat you guys every day."
Jordan finished with a 16-over-par 86 to take second in the four-player tournament. It will air June 21 at noon and lead into the final round of the Open on NBC.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won with an 81, while singer Justin Timberlake (88) and Larry Giebelhausen (101) - a police lieutenant from Arizona who won a contest to play alongside the celebrities - both trailed Jordan, who admitted to being out of his element.
Here's a quick clip of Mike & Justin on the green.
"The doubt creeps in there a lot more than it did on the basketball court. On the basketball court I never thought about it," he said. "When you step outside of your field, it's a whole different atmosphere; you become human, you become normal, and you deal with the expectations and effects of being normal. And I was nervous."
He also said he was surprised by the ovations James and Kobe Bryant received at the Garden over the winter, attributing their historic performances to "no defense, no defense."
On Feb. 2, Bryant scored 61 points and set the Garden's single-game scoring record. Two days later, James had 52 points and what appeared to be a triple-double until a rebound was later taken away after a league review. Both were serenaded with chants of "MVP!" and given standing ovations.
"It had a lot to do with what they were seeing. New York fans are very respectful for the game," Jordan said. "They recognize talent, but ... back when I played, anytime I'd go in the paint I'd have scratches and the possibility of some stitches. I'm not criticizing the game, but in essence it's not the same Knick team that it was when I played. They recognized good basketball. They're very respectful of the game, but I don't think you can compare the two."
Thank HoopedUpOnline & NY Daily News for the story.
6/12/09
6/11/09
Reebok Tells Gortat Jordan Tattoo Won’t ‘Fly’
For the most part, tattoos are with you for life; however, shoe deals are far from permanent. That said, Orlando Magic forward/center Marcin Gortat is now in the middle of a dilemma. Gortat, a Reebok brand member (but obviously a Michael Jordan fan) has been asked to cover up his Jordan Jumpman tattoo.
In detail, Gortat was asked, by Reebok representatives, to cover the tattoo up or wear long socks. The tattoo, located on Gortat’s right leg, is a red Jumpman logo overlapped by the silhouette of a basketball.
This subject raises a lot of eyebrows. Why would Reebok ask him to cover it up now when he’s had this tattoo for some time now?
Thank George Kiel of NiceKicks.com for the story.
Commercial Culture
Here is a very intresting write up in yesterdays Bleacher Report by senior writer Andrew Nuschler, he talks about Michael Jordan's famous Gatorade "BE LIKE MIKE" commerical and its "counterproductive social element".
Basically he thinks the sucsess of that commerical opened the doors for alot of the negavitiy in sports today. The idea is a little bit of a stretch for me, but it's still worth the 5 minutes it takes to read his article.
Start off by watching the orginal "BE LIKE MIKE" commercial below and then read Andrew's article.
Enjoy-
We all know the iconic Gatorade commercial that launched Michael Jordan's fame into the next stratosphere, a launch on which the NBA rode shotgun. Accompanied by the other big guns from the 1980s—Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, etc.—His Airness played arguably the lead role in taking the NBA's popularity to new heights.
The addictive ad and larger campaign that blossomed from it played no small part.
Sure, Air Jordans were already a must-have for basketball fans of all ages around the country as early as 1985. Additionally, M.J. was a pseudo-celebrity the moment he put Nike rubber to Association hardwood the same year. I still challenge you to find a more famous commercial than the one Gatorade debuted on August 8, 1991.
I'm talking commercial, period. Not just one featuring a sports star or athletic product.
Oh yeah, the fact Jordan won his first NBA Championship in June of '91 didn't hurt the man's popularity either.
Again, the commercial took Michael Jordan, basketball god in the eyes of NBA fans, and made him Michael Jordan, basketball god in the eyes of America (eventually the world).
Unfortunately, as much as I love Jordan and despite the fact he can do no permanent wrong in my eyes (short of going OJ on us), I can't help but think his stardom had a counterproductive social element to it—one capable of causing cumulative damage only now being appreciated.
His transformation came at a price, and all of us who follow or are involved in the major professional sports are now feeling the pinch.
That campaign was the first to actually succeed in reaching an enormous and diverse audience while really hammering home a potentially irresponsible message—one that's been taken too literally by fans and used too liberally by subsequent marketing gurus.
Even worse, the wolf-message was in sheep's clothing—a catchy tune, shots of the attractive/personable Jordan, and a lot of kids.
Be like Mike—not play like Mike, not practice like Mike, not compete like Mike. Be like him: wear what he wears, drink what he drinks, eat what he eats, and on an on.
Be is a synonym for live.
Somewhere between there and here, the line that separates playing like a professional athlete and living like a one was obliterated.
It is very reasonable to argue the profound success of "Be Like Mike" gave us "MTV Cribs," those dumb features with Deion Sanders, Twitter updates, and all the rest of the unnecessary looks into the personal lives of athletes.
Hey, if everyone wants to be like Jordan, they'll want to be like the lesser stars, too. What if we make every minute of their lives look glamorous and then tell the masses this is the goal?
Over and over. And over.
Once America was convinced we should be living like these people, it was only a matter of time before their problems became our problems. If you want to live like someone, it's safe to assume you admire him or her. If you admire the individual, you're more likely to forgive little sins.
And once you've forgiven a small sin, it's easier to forgive a larger one.
Eventually, you have guys ordering hits on their wives and organizing dog-fighting kennels and shooting steroids until their foreheads are legitimate ad spaces. You have players marauding into the stands and fans marauding onto the field/court. You have owners insulting mothers and players doing the same (sometimes to their own mama).
In short, you have general chaos.
If a good portion of America didn't look up to these guys as role models and men to emulate—both on the playing surface and off it—their nefarious habits would be a confined problem. There would only be minimal concern about a leak into college and/or high school since the fight between negative stigma and the benefits of sound judgment would've been much fairer from day one.
Arguably, something like performance-enhancers never could've sunk their claws as deeply into the flesh of pro sports had the ever-expanding cult of hero-worship been snuffed in its infancy.
And the cult's infancy was the Gatorade commercial, which is a significant part of Michael Jordan's legacy.
Don't get me wrong—I'm not saying the creators of the ad, or Gatorade, or Mike himself deserve any sort of blame or finger-wagging.
They simply created a bad-ass commercial that worked too freakin' well.
I don't believe for a second they should have been aware of the eventual consequences. It took a general public and media too deficient in proper perspective to deliver us at our current tipping point. That sort of thing is hardly foreseeable or even their concern.
They were making a television ad for a sports drink, for Pete's sake. These were not leaders of government or shapers of social policy.
Furthermore, it is not as if the combination were the only formula capable of generating this sort of response. It was just the first for which the stars aligned—had the world never been gifted MJ, someone else would've come along and probably achieved the same results.
Especially with the invention of the Internet and ubiquity of sports programming available to the modern fan.
Nevertheless, you cannot separate Albert Einstein from the Enola Gay simply because discovery and use of the atomic bomb looks inevitable in hindsight. Nor can you separate Michael Jordan from the athlete-infatuated world of today.
Like I said, I love Jordan—he will always be the greatest athlete of all time to me. Even if a stallion like LeBron James becomes everything we expect and more, he'll never pass His Airness in these eyes.
Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of people agree with me.
Michael Jordan really is like a god to us.
And that's part of the problem.
-Andrew Nuschler for the Bleacher Report.
After reading this article I couldn't help but think about Barkley's famous "I AM NOT A ROLE MODEL" commercial for Nike.
Maybe Andrew should write another story from Barkley's perspective.
Basically he thinks the sucsess of that commerical opened the doors for alot of the negavitiy in sports today. The idea is a little bit of a stretch for me, but it's still worth the 5 minutes it takes to read his article.
Start off by watching the orginal "BE LIKE MIKE" commercial below and then read Andrew's article.
Enjoy-
We all know the iconic Gatorade commercial that launched Michael Jordan's fame into the next stratosphere, a launch on which the NBA rode shotgun. Accompanied by the other big guns from the 1980s—Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, etc.—His Airness played arguably the lead role in taking the NBA's popularity to new heights.
The addictive ad and larger campaign that blossomed from it played no small part.
Sure, Air Jordans were already a must-have for basketball fans of all ages around the country as early as 1985. Additionally, M.J. was a pseudo-celebrity the moment he put Nike rubber to Association hardwood the same year. I still challenge you to find a more famous commercial than the one Gatorade debuted on August 8, 1991.
I'm talking commercial, period. Not just one featuring a sports star or athletic product.
Oh yeah, the fact Jordan won his first NBA Championship in June of '91 didn't hurt the man's popularity either.
Again, the commercial took Michael Jordan, basketball god in the eyes of NBA fans, and made him Michael Jordan, basketball god in the eyes of America (eventually the world).
Unfortunately, as much as I love Jordan and despite the fact he can do no permanent wrong in my eyes (short of going OJ on us), I can't help but think his stardom had a counterproductive social element to it—one capable of causing cumulative damage only now being appreciated.
His transformation came at a price, and all of us who follow or are involved in the major professional sports are now feeling the pinch.
That campaign was the first to actually succeed in reaching an enormous and diverse audience while really hammering home a potentially irresponsible message—one that's been taken too literally by fans and used too liberally by subsequent marketing gurus.
Even worse, the wolf-message was in sheep's clothing—a catchy tune, shots of the attractive/personable Jordan, and a lot of kids.
Be like Mike—not play like Mike, not practice like Mike, not compete like Mike. Be like him: wear what he wears, drink what he drinks, eat what he eats, and on an on.
Be is a synonym for live.
Somewhere between there and here, the line that separates playing like a professional athlete and living like a one was obliterated.
It is very reasonable to argue the profound success of "Be Like Mike" gave us "MTV Cribs," those dumb features with Deion Sanders, Twitter updates, and all the rest of the unnecessary looks into the personal lives of athletes.
Hey, if everyone wants to be like Jordan, they'll want to be like the lesser stars, too. What if we make every minute of their lives look glamorous and then tell the masses this is the goal?
Over and over. And over.
Once America was convinced we should be living like these people, it was only a matter of time before their problems became our problems. If you want to live like someone, it's safe to assume you admire him or her. If you admire the individual, you're more likely to forgive little sins.
And once you've forgiven a small sin, it's easier to forgive a larger one.
Eventually, you have guys ordering hits on their wives and organizing dog-fighting kennels and shooting steroids until their foreheads are legitimate ad spaces. You have players marauding into the stands and fans marauding onto the field/court. You have owners insulting mothers and players doing the same (sometimes to their own mama).
In short, you have general chaos.
If a good portion of America didn't look up to these guys as role models and men to emulate—both on the playing surface and off it—their nefarious habits would be a confined problem. There would only be minimal concern about a leak into college and/or high school since the fight between negative stigma and the benefits of sound judgment would've been much fairer from day one.
Arguably, something like performance-enhancers never could've sunk their claws as deeply into the flesh of pro sports had the ever-expanding cult of hero-worship been snuffed in its infancy.
And the cult's infancy was the Gatorade commercial, which is a significant part of Michael Jordan's legacy.
Don't get me wrong—I'm not saying the creators of the ad, or Gatorade, or Mike himself deserve any sort of blame or finger-wagging.
They simply created a bad-ass commercial that worked too freakin' well.
I don't believe for a second they should have been aware of the eventual consequences. It took a general public and media too deficient in proper perspective to deliver us at our current tipping point. That sort of thing is hardly foreseeable or even their concern.
They were making a television ad for a sports drink, for Pete's sake. These were not leaders of government or shapers of social policy.
Furthermore, it is not as if the combination were the only formula capable of generating this sort of response. It was just the first for which the stars aligned—had the world never been gifted MJ, someone else would've come along and probably achieved the same results.
Especially with the invention of the Internet and ubiquity of sports programming available to the modern fan.
Nevertheless, you cannot separate Albert Einstein from the Enola Gay simply because discovery and use of the atomic bomb looks inevitable in hindsight. Nor can you separate Michael Jordan from the athlete-infatuated world of today.
Like I said, I love Jordan—he will always be the greatest athlete of all time to me. Even if a stallion like LeBron James becomes everything we expect and more, he'll never pass His Airness in these eyes.
Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of people agree with me.
Michael Jordan really is like a god to us.
And that's part of the problem.
-Andrew Nuschler for the Bleacher Report.
After reading this article I couldn't help but think about Barkley's famous "I AM NOT A ROLE MODEL" commercial for Nike.
Maybe Andrew should write another story from Barkley's perspective.
6/10/09
Aqua Nike Air Hoop Structures
Leaders 1345 in Chi-Town released these images of the Nike Air Hoop Structure. A Hi-Top version of the popular Air Triax 91’s.
It’s no secret where these pair of kicks got their inspiration from.
No specific date was posted on when the shoe will release but you can expect to see these drop within the year.
Thank TheEvilCollector.com for the info.
It’s no secret where these pair of kicks got their inspiration from.
No specific date was posted on when the shoe will release but you can expect to see these drop within the year.
Thank TheEvilCollector.com for the info.
6/9/09
Air Jordan V Sample White/Black/Red "Fighter Plane"
Check out these pictures of an unreleased Air Jordan V Sample "Fighter Plane"
I don't have any solid info on this sneaker but it would've been a nice to see
Jordan Brand add this to the AJ V collection.
My favorite part of this sneaker is the mid-sole...
Nice!
Thank "NIKETALK" member "Zach13g" for the info.
I don't have any solid info on this sneaker but it would've been a nice to see
Jordan Brand add this to the AJ V collection.
My favorite part of this sneaker is the mid-sole...
Nice!
Thank "NIKETALK" member "Zach13g" for the info.
66 Inch Vert
Adrian Wilson is a 6′3″ 230 pound All-Pro strong safety for the Arizona Cardinals and if he’s looking for another job, the NBA could be an option. Why? Well being able to jump 66 inches over anything with just a few steps and being build like a Greyhound bus always comes in handy on an NBA roster.
Holy vertical leap Batman!
Thank HoopedUpOnline.com for the story.
6/8/09
Clipse & Cool Kids: Behind the Scenes @ Sneaker Pimps MIA
Snagged this video from the Premium Plus Blog, a little behind the scenes look at The Clipse & The Cool Kids chilling backstage at Sneaker Pimps Miami.
Enjoy-
Enjoy-
Phil Jackson on Michael Jordan
The video is a little late...
But its always nice to hear Phil Jackson talk about Mike, here is a clip of an interview about Mike's induction to the NBA Hall of Fame.
Enjoy-
But its always nice to hear Phil Jackson talk about Mike, here is a clip of an interview about Mike's induction to the NBA Hall of Fame.
Enjoy-
Vintage Michael Jordan Chevrolet Commercials
I swear I have seen every Michael Jordan highlight film and vintage commercial but I still keep finding classics that I've never seen before...
Here are a 2 vintage Chevy commercials Mike did during the late 80's and early 90's that I have never seen before today.
Enjoy-
Thank ISS member "MJO23DAN" for the links.
Here are a 2 vintage Chevy commercials Mike did during the late 80's and early 90's that I have never seen before today.
Enjoy-
Thank ISS member "MJO23DAN" for the links.
6/7/09
Michael Jordan’s Gibson Guitar on Ebay
Any Chicago Bulls or Michael Jordan collectors out there? Well if so, you won’t want to miss getting a bid in on Michael Jordan’s own, one of a kind, Gibson Les Paul guitar for sale on eBay.
Apparently Gibson decided to make these Chicago Bulls signature guitars for each of the Chicago Bulls players. But what makes MJ’s guitar a one of a kind then? It’s his jersey number being used as a serial number (CHI 23) + his airness signed the front during the short time he owned it.
For some reason Bill Wennington is the only Bulls player I can picture actually rocking out with these guitars on a regular basis.
Oh there is just one catch fans, bids are starting at $10,000 with a deadline of May 21st….
Thank TheHoopDoctors.com for the story.
Apparently Gibson decided to make these Chicago Bulls signature guitars for each of the Chicago Bulls players. But what makes MJ’s guitar a one of a kind then? It’s his jersey number being used as a serial number (CHI 23) + his airness signed the front during the short time he owned it.
For some reason Bill Wennington is the only Bulls player I can picture actually rocking out with these guitars on a regular basis.
Oh there is just one catch fans, bids are starting at $10,000 with a deadline of May 21st….
Thank TheHoopDoctors.com for the story.
6/6/09
6/3/09
Sneaker Pimps Photo Gallery on The305.com
Check out the photo gallery from the Miami Sneaker Pimps on www.The305.com, thank Dro from THE305.com for the flicks.
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