A Hall of Fame wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys and one of the most animated NFL analysts on TV today, MICHAEL IRVIN was once a two-sport HS star whose love for hoops remains strong.
SLAM: Did you play basketball in high school?
MI: I played at St. Thomas Aquinas and I went down to the Beach Ball Classic, where guys like Kenny Anderson were playing, and took home MVP, broke rebounding records and was the leading scorer. I was physical—the way I played football was the way I played basketball. I almost went to Indiana to play football and basketball. Lorenzo White and I—he played for the Oilers—we went up to IU for a skills camp in high school. The camp went well and then we went and played basketball. I remember I came down and dunked on Uwe Blab, who was a center on the hoops team. I thought I was going to play both sports at Indiana. It was a tossup for a while.
You and Mitch Richmond know each other from way back, right?
When we were kids, we used to travel around all the time and challenge all the brothers in the hood. They were putting up beers, [and] we would put up our milk or something and we would beat them down! I would be talking trash and Mitch used to calm me down.
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The SUMMER THAT WASN'T
Playground entry fences chain locked. Rims removed. Leagues canceled. Summer basketball just stopped in 2020. And as its effects extended beyond the blacktop, we were reminded why it's so important.
METAMORPHOSIS
The sport of basketball speaks to so many people in so many ways. Dan Peterson, the founder of Project Backboard, has teamed up with artists to use the beauty of the sport to turn local courts into works of art that are accessible to all.
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S Fire
For former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton, the last three years have had their ups and downs. Now that he and the Phoenix Suns are back on the way up, DA wants everyone to know that's where they're planning to stay.
Now What?
As North Carolina rapper J. Cole transitioned from up-and-comer to full-blown vet, he came to a realization: staying sharp and fighting off complacency ain't easy. Inspired by his love for basketball and his desire to remain on top of the game, the 36-year-old has been treating music like a competitive sport while he readies his next project: The Off-Season.
ONE STEP AT A Time
NBA and G League vet Jeremy Lin and Loyola Marymount's Anthony Yu speak candidly about the ups and downs of being Asian American in the basketball world.
THE GARDEN Blooms
The Knicks are back. Deadass, they're back. A return to the tough, gritty, resilient style that made the teams of the past so dominant has allowed Saba Julius Randle and RJ Barrett and the Knicks an opportunity to compete for homecourt advantage in the 2021 playoffs. Facts.
CITIZEN OF THE World
Congolese native Yannick Nzosa played for professional teams in Italy and Spain before he turned 17. Now that his name is moving up the 2022 pre-draft boards, the former soccer player has one thing front and center in his mind—succeeding for his family back home.
STRONG Island
Mental fortitude and physical toughness are what's helped Long Island's Arella Guirantes make it all the way to the W.
KICK IN THE Door
The WNBA, now in its 25th season, is the longest-running women's sports league ever. SLAM sat down with four of the most influential players of all time Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Sue Bird to discuss their part in making the League the force it is today.
Can't YOU SEE
It ain't hard to tell that supernatural vision has established Nuggets star Nikola Jokic as a clear candidate for the 2021 MVP Award.
