All Star Sneakend: Dallas 2/12/20x

This Friday it's going down in Dallas, Texas with the first All Star Sneakend taking place at the House of Blues from 3-6 PM.

So, if you're planning to head to Dallas for the NBA All Star Weekend, make sure you check out the All Star Sneakend and chop it up with some great folks.

Walk GOOD!

All Star Sneakend: Dallas 2/12/20x

White, Green & Mean

By now you've heard the news that Rasheed Wallace a/k/a/ Roscoe, signed with the Boston Celtics? His contract, a cool $5.8 million for the first year and then negotiable for years 2 and 3. Let's just say that Roscoe will not be hurting for money and he'll be setting up shop (read: house) in Waltham or West Roxbury.

But, let's cut to the chase and put our cards on the table, sneakerheads, and yours truly, already envisioned some White and Green Air Force 1 Highs with a Green Swoosh, Green outsole and Black Proprioceptus Belt (read: strap) dangling from the rear, as only 'Sheed can rock them.


Don't worry, when 'Sheed is spotted wearing a pair during pre-season, OSD will be sure to let the WORLD see them, until then Walk GOOD!

White, Green & Mean

Fakes: Baller Busted Selling Fakes

A Chicago man who played forward for the Boston Celtics during the 90s was arrested Friday on charges that he was selling counterfeit sneakers at his mall shop.Police said 500 pairs of knock-off Nike sneakers were seized from a store owned by former NBA player Nate Driggers. Driggers, 36, played 15 games for the Celtics during the 1996-97 season. Police also seized 10 pounds of marijuana from the store, worth an estimated $30,000.

-Source: WCVBTV Boston (An ABC affiliate.)

Fakes: Baller Busted Selling Fakes

Hey Tim, I want my $750!

So the NBA is rolling out the petty lawsuits towards ex-referee Tim Donaghy.

The NBA is suing Tim for $750 for the Nike sneakers he wore during the 3-years refereeing NBA games.

I guess David Stern is going 'All In' on that ass!

Read the rest of the story here.

Hey Tim, I want my $750!

Full Court Vision

I am sure that most of you at one point in your life (just like me) have experienced a "spike lee joint". Well get ready to see spikes vision brought to the NBA. On the day of April 13th, 2008 Spike Lee set out with 15+ cameras in tow to cover Kobe (oops I mean the Lakers) Vs. Spurs. Lee was given all access by head coach Phil Jackson. Lee is looking to do an all access day in the life type of documentary on Lakers star Kobe Bryant. So with Spike's unique movie vision and Kobe's (questionable) superior basketball prowess, I am sure that this documentary will be one for the record books. But isnt Lee doing a documentary on Michael Jordan as well????? I guess Kobe will never come out of the shadows of the greatest player to ever play the game (IMO).

Peace
Knowledge Is Power

Full Court Vision

OSD: Talk Show #34

Listen to the May 21st talk show or download it here.


In this show Dee and the OSD Crew discuss the following:

• Have you ever done anything financially irresponsible for the sake of buying kicks?

• Notorious BIG would have been 36-years old on this day.
• A special contest involving the Dockers television commercial and the song that is played in it.
  

Tune in next week, May 28th, for the OSD Talk Show, which begins at 9:30 PM EST.

As always, keep your laces tied tightly.......your tongue loose and Walk GOOD!

OSD: Talk Show #34

El Negrito

Airs on ESPN on March 16th at 9 pm EST.

El Negrito

Celeb Footwear

A few people from New Jersey emailed us at OSD and told us about Jay-Z, Beyonce and Kanye attending the Nets vs. Sonics game last night. Other than folks saying that the players and everyone in attendance was staring at the trio, the sneakerheads in the crowd paid attention to what Jay and Kanye had on their feet.

Check out the pictures and post a comment about what sneakers you think they're rockin'.

Celeb Footwear

The NBA: Like WHOA!

The NBA is dealing with the fall-out from the Tim Donaghy FBI investigation that he bet on games that he officiated and his possible ties to the Mafia. Yes, the Mafia and not the Brooklyn-based Junior Mafia. This has to be an interesting time for the League and Commissioner David Stern.

When Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns heard about the alleged betting and point-shaving, he made reference to game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the eventual Champions- San Antonio Spurs, and his Phoenix Suns. Take a look at the video on YouTube.com and tell me what you think.

The NBA: Like WHOA!

A Baller for real!

Just remember where you read about Bayete Gordon first. He will be in the League within the next 2 years!

Bayete Gordon video on NBA Development League website. Click here!



Kicks of the day:

A Baller for real!

One down.....

So I guess the sneaker battle is a wrap for Greg Oden because word is that he’s signed a deal with Nike and went as far to say, "I felt really good in my Lebron’s (sneakers) that I played in for college.” "When I was in Portland on my workout, us and Nike really wanted to get this thing settled and done with. It's like a weight off my shoulders, and to be a part of the Nike family with all the tradition, it's like a dream."

Although terms for the Nike deal haven’t been released yet, rest assured it’s not going to be the $90-million over seven years deal that LeBron James inked in 2003. Oden has already signed a $3-million deal with Topps Trading Card Company. This strikes me as odd that Topps was able to sign Oden, when it appeared that Upper Deck was pushing to sign the big man.

Does this signing now mean that we’re going to see a line of Greg Oden sneakers from Nike? I wouldn’t drive the lane so quickly professing this because Nike, and similar companies, have had a hard time marketing a big man who plays back-to-the-basket type basketball. Look at what happened with Shaq and Reebok. That was a pure tragedy.

The only successful marketing campaign that Nike has had with a big man was with David Robinson, of the San Antonio Spurs, who with his chiseled physique and holier-than-though image because he served in the Navy, no other big man has since been able to top Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood to sell sneakers in the ‘hood and in the ‘burbs.

I’d bet dimes to dollars that we’ll see Oden wearing a number of Nike sneakers for his rookie season while Nike figures out how to ‘market’ Oden and his 40-something looking mug to kids.

Time will only tell.

One down.....

VI Pride

If you’ve been reading Obsessive Sneaker Disorder for some time, you know that we here at OSD are very proud of our fellow Virgin Islander Tim Duncan. So, with Tim winning his 4th ring in the past 9 years, we were ecstatic when the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship on Thursday (14th).

We’ve read the comparisons of Tim to Shaquille O’Neal, wondering who the better player is. Well, Shaq is a true center while Tim is truly a forward who happens to also play the center position from time-to-time.

If I were a betting man, I’d take Tim over Shaq any day. Not solely because he’s from the VI, rather I see Tim as a more versatile player who knows how to find the open man and makes everyone around him better. Shaq, on the other hand, has an ego that doesn’t quit and a body that is deteriorating quickly. Let’s face it, Shaq is too heavy and needs to loose weight like most Americans. Maybe Shaq’s Big Challenge, which will air six-episodes on ABC, will do him and the kids some good, fitness wise.

Tim may not have the most sculpted body nor have the demeanor of an NBA superstar, but was he does possess is a humility and talents that transcend the game of basketball (the key word being transcend). He knows that playing basketball is his job, but he also knows that there is so much more to life, such as family, community and a belief in God.

So, if you have an opportunity to meet Mr. Duncan, don’t be afraid to, as we say in the Virgin Islands, “hail him up” and say, “Thank you” for being a positive role model and the epitome of a team player.

Peace & Walk Good!

VI Pride

Virgins do it better!

Virgin Islanders to be more specific...do it better. I know the title of this post may have grabbed your attention, but with Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs one game away from winning yet another odd-year NBA Championship, I had to post about my fellow Virgin Islander and Crucian (for those of you that don't know what a Crucian is, it's a person who hails from the island of St. Croix.).

While Tim was growing up on St. Croix, he was known as a gentle giant and excelled in the swimming pool. His sister, Tricia, was a member of the Virgin Islands Olympic swim team and encouraged Tim to swim.

When Hurricane Hugo hit the islands in 1989, it not only caused havoc to people's lives and property, it destroyed the Olympic pool where Tim and others swam. Word in the Islands was that Tim would have competed in the 1992 Olympics (Barcelona) and would have made a strong run for a spot on the United States Team. (Tim set a number of records in the 50, 100 and 400 meters freestyle.)

Hurricane Hugo hit St. Croix extremely hard and once Tim decided that he didn't want to swim in the ocean (Tim is extremely afraid of sharks), he turned his attention to basketball. But, that wasn't the only blow that Tim had to contend with. Tim had to deal with the death of his mother, Ione, who died on April 24, 1990, one day before his 14th birthday, due to breast cancer.

Coach Cuthbert George, Tim's high school basketball coach, knew he was special when Tim showed a high aptitude and a desire to learn the game. Tim serves as a role model for many Virgin Islanders.

"I feel so proud, and so happy to have one of my own playing in the NBA," George says. "We have a lot of kids looking up to him. And one thing, we have much more kids staying in school because of him."

So, when you watch game 4 of the NBA Finals on Thursday (6/14), keep in mind all that the San Antonio Spurs represent and what "The Big Fundamental" stands for....Excellence and Team Work in all things.

Virgins do it better!

Mason has skills

The song has been floating around the Crescent City for more than a hot minute and now you get a first-hand look and listen to the incomparable Desmond Mason. The man has skills!

I hope Diddy doesn't hear this because the next thing we'll hear about is him trying to sign Mason and treating him like Mase.

Watch the video.

Mason has skills

Air Bakin or Air Bigot?

You know what bothers me the most about human beings…..it’s their inability to be human.

I just heard Tim Hardaway’s comments on gays when asked about John Ameachi coming out and stating that he’s gay. Mr. Hardaway went on to say that, “"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States." To say that he should be commended for his honesty and his stupidity would be a back-handed slap in the face.

To think, that a 40-year-old man could be so callus and think in these terms in this day and age truly does surprise and confirm that many athletes don’t have the slightest clue about what's going on in the world around them. Many, just like Tim, live in a bubble and think they're better than other human beings because they've made some money playing basketball or a professional sport. It's a damned shame!

If you haven’t had an opportunity to read the Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Black Athlete by William C. Rhoden, then I strongly encourage you to run to your nearest bookstore and purchase it immediately. Not only is Rhoden’s writing dead-on, it addresses such issues as Michael Jordan being a powerful Black man and not standing for much or, matter-of-factly, nothing at all when it comes to the plight of Blacks in America. I have long criticized Jordan for not being political or speaking out when young Black males were killing one another for a pair of sneakers that carried the Jordan Jumpman silhouette.

Now, in 2007, Tim Hardaway has chosen to speak his mind and insert his Air Bakin sneakers right in his mouth. Hardaway always struck me as a stand-up-guy who knew who he was and played a 'big man's game' all-the-while measuring 5-foot-11. Tim, you've lost a fan for showing your ass in the name of true ignorance.

Good luck to Commissioner David Stern for having to clean up this mess right before NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. Maybe we'll see Tim serving up basketballs for the Slam Dunk Competition.....Hell NO!!

It might be the perfect time to take my pair of Air Bakin sneakers to the back yard and start a bond...........

Read Real Talk by Jason Whitlock.

Air Bakin or Air Bigot?

Kickstory!

A cultural icon to many in the Rap and Hip-Hop community, Nike Air Force 1 sneakers have become a staple for so many rappers and their followers that even if they didn’t like them, they’ve been gobbled up and worn to “look the part”. Most people know one or two of these types of people who don’t know jack about the culture nor can they tell you who inspires them other than the latest artist whose album is on heavy rotation on Hot 97, Jam’n 94.5 or Power 105 FM.

For those people in the know about the sneakerhead culture, you already know the direct connection that Air Force 1s (Uptowns) have with music, fashion, politics and, of course, race. There’s so much angst when it comes to Rap and Hip-Hop and the two are used interchangeably when they shouldn’t. Rap and Hip-Hop are two very different things that share some common threads.

Let me break it down for you. The culture of Hip-Hop has been the source of dozens of words and expressions in American English, of which Rap is one of the most familiar. The word is probably the development of rap meaning "to hit." It shows up in the early 1900s in the extended meaning "to express orally," as used by such notable figures such as Marcus Garvey and later by Winston Churchill in 1933.

Many decades after Garvey and Churchill used the word, others started using the term ‘rap’ and it began to take on the meaning of "to discuss or debate informally," a meaning that was well established in the Black community in the late 1960s. A decade later the word was applied to an evolving style of music characterized by, among other things, beat-driven rhymes that intrinsically called for improvisation. The slang that is integral to the lyrics of rap continue to be a source of borrowings in colloquial American English; recent examples include 'chill', meaning "to calm down," and 'dis', meaning "to show disrespect to." These are but the latest examples, in a long series of ‘borrowings’ from the Black English stretching back a century or more.

The Man-Child
It was a man-child by the name of Moses Malone that first wore the Nike Air Force 1s in 1982 and made people stand-up and pay attention to not only his behemoth frame but also his large feet (size 22). Moses, whose first name evokes images from the Bible, was able to make the jump from high school (Petersburg High School-Petersburg, VA) to the ABA and ultimately to the NBA in 1982, when he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on September 2, 1982.

Moses wore the traditional low-cut Nike Air Force 1 in a white and red color scheme that was so simple- a predominately white sneaker with a red outsole and red ‘Swoosh”. They mesmerized folks and it took awhile for people to realize what brand they were. You see, Nike didn’t have its current-day stronghold on the NBA players’ feet in the early ‘80s as they do today. As a matter of fact, the predominant choices of footwear, by players in the League, were Converse and Adidas.

Once fans began to realize what sneakers Moses was wearing, people started hunting for the sneakers to no avail. This is where the plot thickened.

It took three East coast retailers to convince Nike to bring back the Air Force 1 after they were phased out in 1984. Let’s suffice it to say, that it is these “Three Wise Men” whom we owe a huge ‘Thank You’ to for convincing Nike to continue to produce the sneakers that would eventually sell more than 10 million pairs per year, thus making it the No. 1 U.S. shoe on a unit sales basis.

If you’re not familiar with Downtown Locker Room (DTLR), Rudo’s and Cinderella’s, then you have to check-in with your favorite sneakerhead and ask the question about their significance to the sneaker world.

I’ll let that question hang out there for a bit because in the next coming days, I’ll post an interview that I conducted with a number of old school ‘heads that have so many stories to tell that many will leave you perplexed.

Kickstory!