I was in Manhattan last week for Converse’s celebration of the 35th anniversary of Rick Telander’s playground basketball classic, Heaven is a Playground.
For Christmas, I gave my mother-in-law Dreams from My Father, the best-selling book by president-elect Barack Obama. I had been meaning to get that book for myself, even more lately after the specific urging of my friend Alexander Wolff from Sports Illustrated. He explained there is a section in the book where Obama describes getting his first basketball, a Christmas gift from his Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
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:
My talk at the Basketball Hall of Fame last week was a thrill. I was there as part of the Champions of Character Education Series that I previously described. The auditorium was filled to capacity with 300 students and their teachers, representing middle schools and high schools from Springfield, Hartford, and Albany. The attendees were very attentive and asked great questions. The Hall of Fame itself was a great host, and the facility is awesome.
Alas poor vintage laced basketball, the game knew you well.