Allen Iverson

allen iverson

It has been to long since I’ve blogged but I decided to write about Allen Iverson in leu of his documentary on NBA TV premiering tonight.

Allen was a dominant force on the court and off the court. The way he carried himself made you want to stop and look at him and see what he was about.

Coming from a troubled upbringing, Allen challenged himself to be more than the average person.

His destiny started after a unforgettable bowling alley brawl that although he wasn’t involved directly it caused him to spend some months in prison for it. Once released his life changed for the better.

Allen attended Georgetown University for a year before declaring for the NBA Draft. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76rs and was later known as “The Answer”.

The tenacity and drive he had possessed made him deadly on the court, one crossover dribble and he was to the rim. He amazed the crowd and fans by how he pretty much sacrificed his body for his team and to show them he will do anything to win.

One of my favorite Iverson memories was the 2001 finals against the Lakers, this would be the only time we would see him in the finals but he showed why he deserved to be there. ย He put on a scoring clinic, although the Sixers didn’t win a title he would never be forgotten. I can only imagine if Allen would have had the proper pieces around him while in Philly could they have won a title. We will never know but Allen changed the way players after him dressed, played, and brought the spark to the NBA.

You wanted to watch Allen play, he made you stop what you were doing and watch because he was that good.

Allen’s personality in regards to the ย NBA actually made them changed ย implement a dress code only because the commissioner wanted a more business type appeal to the company.

Iverson’s impact and legacy will always be one to remember when you speak of great players and legends of the game. I’m glad I got to experience him growing up and watch his games live now all we have are the memories.

If you are an Iverson fan or were fond of him please tune in to his NBA TV documentary/interview tonight at 8 on NBA TV.

Thanks for reading!

*Pictures/Videos Courtesy of Google Images*

NBA Hall of Fame 2016

On Monday April 4, 2016 , the NBA announced its incoming hall of fame class for 2016.

The honorees will be Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Yao Ming. I feel like all three of these honorees should have been in the hall of fame before now but patience is key in some regard.

Basketball has always been the cornerstone for my life and I remember growing up watching Allen, Shaq, and Yao dominate the basketball court but also impact the world from their philanthropy and community service.

I am so proud of them for their accomplishments and although the only outside of this group has 4 championships, they all have left a little bit of themselves on the court even after retirement.

Allen Iverson for example changed the way you could express yourself. The way he showed up for games in baggy jeans, chains, jerseys took away from the business like image the NBA was trying to portray. Because of this, the NBA implemented a dress code. Allen also made the future players after him to mimic him and study how he ran the floor.

Shaq and Yao were big men and dominated the floor and changed the way players guarded them. During their prime they were unable to defend at times. I often found it interesting to just watch them play.

Congratulations Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, Yao Ming!! ๐Ÿ™‚

What are some of your favorite moments from these players?

Share your thoughts on these honorees! Tweet me @bballmypassion or drop comments below.

*Pictures and Videos courtesy of Google Images*

 

History in the making: Golden State

The Golden State Warriors are chasing history .

To be defending champs, the warriors are number 1 in the west and their record at this point is 60-6. They are on pace to break the 1995-1996 Bulls record of 76-6.

It has been amazing to watch them succeed and each game, Steph has amazed me beyond words.

From the long distance threes to blowing teams out by 30+ points, the Warriors are the team to beat.

Of course they have naysayers and doubters who believe they won’t repeat but they are on pace to do so. Once the playoffs start we will see how they react and play.

I’m eager to see what their final record will be.

What do think their regular season record will be? Will they break the record? I sure think so!.. Stay tuned to the rest of the season ๐Ÿ™‚ The Warriors will surprise you.

Thanks for reading!!

*Pictures and Videos courtesy of google*

 

 

NBA All-Star 16 Recap

2016-nba-all-star-weekend-logo

This Year’s NBA All-Star weekend was held for the first time outside of the United States. It was held February 12-14, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario.

Many events and networking opportunities are held during this weekend.

Some of the events include:

  • The Hall of Fame announcement for the class of 2016.
  • The celebrity game which featured Kevin Hart and Drake as coaches.
  • World and International game on Friday night
  • All-star Saturday Night which includes : Skills Challenge, 3 point challenge, and Dunk Contest.

The Dunk Contest this year was amazing. There were 2 players that brought the excitement back!. Zach Levine and Aaron Gordon.

Check out photos below:

Zach Levine ended up winning the dunk contest but I am sure there will be a rematch year. ๐Ÿ™‚

Kobe Bryant was also honored during this weekend as this was his last all-star game. It was fun to see him being honored as well as play during the game.

The west defeated the east 196-174.

Russell Westbrook was named the All-Star game MVP. ๐Ÿ™‚

What were your favorite All-Star moments?

Comment below or tweet me @bballmypassion!

Will you be at next year’s All-Star Festivities? Next Year’s fun weekend will be in Charlotte, NC Feb. 2017. I look forward to sharing my experience with you! ๐Ÿ™‚

Thanks for reading!!

*Photos/Videos courtesy of Google Images*

Hey Hey :)

Hey Basketball Fans,

I have not forgotten about you!!

Happy New Year first off ๐Ÿ™‚

How about the Golden State Warriors and their explosive start. It is amazing to watch them do something no other NBA Team has done as far as now with a 35 game win streak. I’m sure this season will be a lot of breaking records and setting new ones. They make the NBA exciting to watch.

We all know Kobe is retiring and it is fun to see him on his farewell tour and all the other teams around the league letting him know how much they appreciate him.

The Eastern Conference is constantly changing with who is on top and dominating but the top 3 teams I really see doing very well is Miami, Orlando, and of course Cleveland Washington on the other hand has its up and down moments but they will be able to bounce back and make the playoffs.

I’m excited to see how the second half of the season goes once the All-Star ย Break concludes. Also have you voted yet? If not you can on all social media by tweeting the players first and last name #NBAVote for it to count. Voting will end Monday Jan.18,2016 at 11:59pm. I will then post another blog revealing who I think the starting lineups will be and reserves before they are officially announced on Jan.21 on TNT.

Stay Tuned for that!!

Thanks for reading ,if you would like me to feature someone or write about a topic please feel free to comment on this post or tweet me @bballmypassion. I’m glad to be back!! Let’s have some fun

Thanks @kobebryant

As you may know by now Kobe Bryant has announced he will retire at the end of this NBA year.

I knew it was coming but I am still sad that he won’t be playing anymore.

I have many Kobe moments from throughout his career, I shared those in my post called Kobe Bryant.

This post will be more of a thank you to Kobe.

Kobe!

Thank you for choosing the NBA as your career path.

Thank you for your competitive drive.

Thank you for your smile. You often smile when you are really happy or laugh.

Thank you for your heart. You leave everything you have on the court but also are a big help in the community.

Thank you for showing emotion and letting us into your world.

Thank you for the 5 championships. Each one being special.

Thank you for just being you. Without you I would not have fell in love with the purple and gold. Without you I would not have grown to love the assassin that was the black mamba. Without you I would not have been able to appreciate your athleticism.

I hope we get to meet but if not, just know I appreciate you dearly.

I know your family is just as proud of you as I am.

I wish you all the best in the next chapter of your career.

xoxo-Mariah B.

*Thanks for reading*

*Pictures/Videos courtesy of google*

 

 

 

 

 

NBA is back!!!

westbrook

Hey Hey the NBA season is officially underway!

I am beyond excited for this season and I hope you are too.

I’m sure it will be intense, exciting, heartbreaking, fun and just amazing to watch!

I wanted to take a minute to say welcome back Craig Sager! so glad you are doing well as well as my thoughts and prayers are with the Saunders Family. As you know Flip Saunders passed away from cancer this past Sunday. He was 60 and a phenomenal coach. He will surely be missed!

For full updates on all 30 teams and videos and stories be sure to check out NBA.com.

I look forward to blogging more as the season progresses! If you would like for me to blog on something specific please feel free to tweet me @bballmypassion or email me ryry_3001@hotmail.com

Enjoy the season!

*Pictures/Videos courtesy of Google Images*

Lamar Odom

As we all know by now Lamar Odom is in the hospital.

This post will be short but I wanted to say my thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and most importantly his children.

Lamar was best known for his smile and on court play. He is a champion of the Lakers (2009, 2010).

We should remember the good things about him and not so much the negative.

The happiest Lamar was when he was married to Khloe Kardashian.

I am pulling for Lamar to recover and overcome this difficult battle.

Addiction isn’t easy but I know he can pull through and if he doesn’t I hope he knew Jesus Christ.

My prayers are with him and I hope and pray when he gets through this he will seek the help or treatment he needs.

An update on Lamar Odom:

He is out of the Las Vegas hospital he was in and was transported to a Los Angeles hospital where he is recovering. I’m glad that he is alive and hopefully this will get his life back on track

-Mariah-

*Thanks for reading..Please keep comments positive*

*Pictures courtesy of Google Images*

Update!!-I’m back ;)

mariah brooks headshotbball

Hey Guys,

I know it has been awhile since I blogged but I am back in school now and finally have chance to update and let you know what is coming up. ๐Ÿ™‚

This blog will be very short lol.

School has me busier than usual with classes and extracurricular activities but I do want to get into blogging weekly.

With NBA Training Camp starting soon I will be writing about that soon.

I will also provide a NBA Schedule and blog about the season as it progresses and highlighting players.

So if you have anything you would like me to write about or highlight please let me know. You can comment or tweet me @bballmypassion. I want this blog to be more interactive, so including videos and possible trivia questions just to get you guys involved with me.;)

Look forward to an awesome training camp and phenomenal NBA Season.

-Riah (ryah)

USA Basketball

usa basketball

 

It has been a minute since I blogged but I wanted to at least have a couple posts for the month of August.:)

This week USA Basketball held its annual mini training camp in Las Vegas, Nevada where 34 of the NBA’s elite met up to work on their game but also get a feel for what it is to come next summer.

Some of these players include: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Chris Paul and the list goes on. All of these talented men are vying for a spot for the men’s national team to compete for gold in Brazil next summer.

NBA TV aired Real Training Camp which took a live look at the practice and the players coming together.

Last Night USAB held its annual exhibition game for the fans and coaches just to give everyone a feel of a potential team to compete in Rio. It will be very exciting to see who will be selected as no spot on this team is guaranteed.

We should have an idea of who will be on the official roster July 2016. I can’t wait and believe its about to be an Olympic year yet again.

Who do you have on your USAB roster? You can only choose 12 out of the 34… Hard I know lol

Stay tuned as NBA season is just around the corner and most of these men pictured above will be monitored all season long to hopefully secure their spot on this coveted team.

Go USA !!!!

This was a short post, I will have a longer post next week ๐Ÿ™‚ I appreciate you all reading!!

Be sure to follow me on twitter:@bballmypassion and let me know what you would like to see next

*Pictures/Videos courtesy of google images*