Did you see what “NBA-Insider” David Aldridge wrote about me and BlackFives.com in his column on NBA.com this week?

The New York Rens have been in the news a lot lately, so that might explain why these Nike retros are hot right now.

People often ask me (i.e., my kids) why I always wear Nike or Converse basketball sneakers, and I explain that it’s because I like to promote the Black Fives brand that those two great companies have represented so well through their licensed Black Fives products. But … those aren’t the only brands I’ve ever worn for basketball footwear.  I recall that during part of college, my favorite basketball kicks were tthe original Adidas Shelltoes. Here’s evidence, below, from my college yearbook.  This was a group photo of the Carnegie Mellon University Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, to which I belonged. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s another look at some early “basket ball” pants. These ones are “special.” I mentioned this style before in an earlier post that includes a photo of Howard University’s 1911 varsity basketball team wearing joints similar to these. Read the rest of this entry »

In George T. Hepbron’s “How To Play Basket Ball,” published in 1904 by the American Sports Publishing Co., then at 21 Warren Street in New York City, there’s a delightful segment about how one is to set up a “basket Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know that early basketballs had laces? They had to be unlaced, pumped up, tested, and re-laced repeatedly until the air pressure of the rubber bladder inside was just right. These balls evolved to include external air Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wonder where the basketball term “flush” came from? What if it came from these early bottomless basketball baskets?

After each made field goal, a referee had to stop Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the a portion of the front cover of the 1904 publication “How To Play Basket Ball,” distributed by Spalding Sporting Goods.

Pure gum bottom. E’rrybody got ‘em. In 1904, that is. That’s when A. G. Spalding Bros. was the Nike of its time. Whatever happened to Spalding? Maybe it was competition from the Converse Rubber Company, now Converse, which was formed in 1908. Or maybe it was because of the last line of this advertisement for Spalding’s basketball shoes, designed for expert use only:

We do not guarantee the soles of these shoes.

Well, then how could they guarantee the souls Read the rest of this entry »

Speaking of Schoolhouse Rock, from the other day, remember this ad?

The original version:

The past and the present and the future …