• Jimmy Butler is ‘only here to win’ with Golden State Warriors

    As Jimmy Butler was about to start his introductory press conference with the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 7, he heard his new teammates outside the room hyping themselves up before running on to the floor for a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers. With a smile, the six-time NBA All-Star said, “Those are

  • On D’Wayne Wiggins and the power of friendship and music

    “I don’t wish you no bad luck, baby. I don’t wish you no strain” – D’Wayne Wiggins, “Whatever You Want” It was a summer afternoon in 2019 when an R&B music icon, myself and some other homies were playing dominoes with actual leather “bones,” eating dim sum and enjoying a nice bottle of wine at

  • Even as Rhyne Howard plays in Unrivaled, Florida Gators still feel WNBA star’s impact

    When Atlanta Dream player Rhyne Howard was a sophomore at Bradley Central High School in Tennessee, girl’s basketball coach Jason Reuter once confronted Howard over poor play. Afterward, Howard’s mother, Rhvonja Avery, told Reuter he wasn’t hard enough on her daughter and threatened to withdraw her from the program. “She said it with a chuckle,

  • Joe Freshgoods made history with New Balance, but what’s his next act?

    From pop culture to pandemics to politics, it goes without saying that a lot has happened in the five years since Chicago, Illinois native Joe Freshgoods dropped his sold-out debut New Balance collaboration, the “No Emotions Are Emotions” 992, in February 2020 during NBA All-Star Weekend. The launch was a nostalgic and foreshadowing event. The

  • As the 2025 MEAC and SWAC tournaments begin, here are teams and players to watch

    March is the best month of the year for college basketball fans. For historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), this week’s conference tournaments mean several teams will be vying for automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) tournament will kick off Tuesday at the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta, while the

  • Leonard Hamilton leaving Florida State, college basketball with sense of purpose

    As Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton enters the final stretch of a coaching career that spans six decades, he recalls how that lengthy career almost never happened. Hamilton remembered the start of his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Austin Peay in 1971, quickly transitioning into an assistant coach’s spot in a matter of

  • Jordan Poole believes the ceiling is high with Washington Wizards

    For better or worse, everything was under a spotlight when Jordan Poole played for the Golden State Warriors. There was the high of winning the 2022 NBA championship. There was the low of his infamous practice fight with Draymond Green. And there were global eyes that came from playing with the NBA’s greatest shooter and

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