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 »

Audio of the Black Fives segment with Claude Johnson featured on the Tom Joyner Morning Show.

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 »

The Harlem Rens got a nice mention in the current issue of SPIN Magazine (August 2008).

A friend of mine at Converse told me about an article that’s on the last page, in 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:

We do not guarantee the soles of these shoes.

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

That’s what you’ll say after you revisit this old Converse ad:

But isn’t it great how the Celtics, Lakers, and Pistons are back?

Converse has put together an indie trio for a new tune called “My Drive Thru.”

The trio are Pharrell Williams (of N.E.R.D.), Julian Read the rest of this entry »

Black Fives, Inc. demands that Abdul-Jabbar stop using its logos without permission to promote his “On The Shoulders Of Giants” products.

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.

My focus was on: 1) some Read the rest of this entry »