Watch the Throne an inspiration to be more

Game of Thrones

I can’t remember exactly when, but there was a point on Tuesday night while watching Jay-Z and Kanye West perform in Baltimore when I turned to my fiancée and said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt as cool as I do right now.” This despite wearing a Mets jacket.

This is what Jay-Z and Kanye elicit with their “luxury rap”: You don’t do the same things they do, you don’t have their money, you can’t really relate to the majority of how they describe their lives.

But you still can’t help but feel cool, and somewhat inspired, by association.

Continue Reading

When worlds collide: Jordan Bordeauxs and the Jam video

I’ve started doing some writing for Dime Magazine — it’s really sort of a full-circle kind of thing, since they were the first publication that ever let me write anything way back almost a decade ago. I lost touch with them for a while while I pursued some other things, but I always enjoyed checking in to see how they were evolving, and I’m excited to have recently gotten back in touch.

The post below is the second piece I wrote for Dime; this one was the first. (I don’t plan to write about Michael Jordan in every post, it’s just how it’s worked out so far.) Check out their web site, they have great content every single day. And I’m excited, as always, to broaden my horizons a bit.

Incredible

The thing people don’t get about sneaker collectors is that it’s often not about the sneakers themselves, but rather the stories behind them. You always remember your first pair of Jordans in eighth grade, or the sneakers you started college in, or the pair you got to celebrate getting a job you really wanted.

Continue Reading

Mail call: Keep the 9 on me, a la Iguodala

Merry Kicksmas

One thing I’ve learned after about a year of using Twitter is that it’s a refuge for people with way too much knowledge about stuff that nobody else cares very much about. As such, I’ve felt right at home sharing my views on St. Patrick high school basketball and Yelawolf mixtapes with a perfectly non-captive audience.

But every once in a while, the nonsense I know pays off — like a little while back, when I ended up somewhat randomly with an autographed jersey of Andre Iguodala.

Continue Reading

Look Closer: Images from the House that Jay-Z built

Press Box

I never used to understood why Jay-Z was always in “best rapper alive” conversations, since I didn’t think his skills were on that level. I thought that maybe it was like Lil’ Wayne, where he said it so much himself over the years that people eventually just assumed it was true.

Then on Monday, after all these years, I saw him live for the first time at Yankee Stadium, the show he co-headlined with Eminem, which I had the opportunity to write about for my day job.

To paraphrase Yuri Foreman two days before he fought there, Yankee Stadium is really big.

But Jay-Z has made himself even bigger.

Continue Reading

Air of hypocrisy: Jordan’s typical shots at LeBron ring hollow

Vintage

On an April night back in 2003 at the MCI Center, I sat courtside to watch a baton passed unwillingly from the former king to the future King.

An 18-year-old LeBron James used an array of circus shots and sensational dunks en route to 34 points at the Jordan Capital Classic.

And up in a skybox, wearing a garish jersey from his clothing line and flanked by Warren Sapp and Patrick Ewing, a shadowy figure glared down at the teenager set to inherit his crown.

Continue Reading

Rearview mirror: LeBron-mania reaches its zenith in Trenton

(Note: I originally wrote this during the fall in conjunction with the release of “More than a Game,” but while writing about the Primetime Shootout this weekend, I grew nostalgic for the greatest high school performance I had ever seen at the 2003 Shootout. I usually don’t re-up posts, but indulge me here. Stuff’s about to get crazy with LeBron as July 1, 2010 approaches, but I contend that this game in Trenton was a snapshot in time that will never be duplicated.)

Like a comet streaking across the sky There’s a movie that came out in theaters this weekend that I can’t wait to see. It has extra meaning to me and I find it particularly inspirational. I’d go as far as to go on record and say it’s the feel-good movie of the season.

Obviously, I’m talking about Zombieland, with the great Woody Harrelson.

Woody Harrelson: The man never makes a bad movie, word to Natural Born Killers Okay, I admit, I’m just kidding. Though I do plan to see Zombieland, I’m referring more to More than a Game, the documentary chronicling St. Vincent-St. Mary’s, the high school team that featured a young man named LeBron James. Considering my personal experience with that era of his life, the movie holds extra meaning to me.

As you may have noticed, this site has covered LeBron pretty closely – from his impending cataclysmic free agency, to his relationship with rappers, to his complete dominance of the media. Well, that’s not new. Long before SportsAngle’s hiatus, when LeBron was still technically in high school, we decided to follow him every step of the way.

Continue Reading

We the living

8/9/09, Nike outlet in Jackson, NJ -- The day after I turned 30
If you’ve been coming here for a while, you already know that the only holiday I truly love is Halloween. But New Year’s, I’ve always at the very least liked. I realize it’s technically just another day, but it represents to me a time to reflect and measure growth.

A clean start. A fresh slate. Another chance to turn it all around. (Word to Vanilla Sky)

Continue Reading