NBA Roundtable: How Many Times Do You Play in the Same Shoe?

POSTED Mar 24, 2015 - 10 hours ago

NBA athletes enjoy quite a few luxuries that most people don’t. On top of the fact that they actually get paid to play basketball; they also have world class training facilities, get to travel the world, and, of course, access to a seemingly limitless supply of game shoes. But just because they can wear a new pair every game, doesn’t mean they actually want to. As you’ll see below, there’s a number of different factors involved. Check out what these NBA players had to say on the topic.
Player: Matt Barnes
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
“I probably go two games or three at the most. They start slipping. We kinda get spoiled. Growing up, you have to wear the same pair all season. Once you become a pro, they’re almost endless. Being around so long, you really kinda feel that you start loosing the grip after two or three games, and that’s when I change.”

Player: Norris Cole
Team: New Orleans Pelicans
“Maybe two games. I like the tight fit of a new shoe. I go through about 50 pairs in a season.”

Player: Justin Holiday
Team: Golden State Warriors
“It depends. I’m the type of person that can play in a new shoe every day, but it just depends on if we’re on the road for a while and how many we might have in stock. But I guess I go a week for sure. The shoe loosens up and gets too much space in it. I like my shoes tighter. When they’re new, they feel a little tighter. And my black ones get really scuffed in the toe too, so I don’t like how that looks. [laughs]”

Player: Isaiah Thomas
Team: Boston Celtics
“I play two or three games. My shoes always rip on the side. Maybe four at the most. But around two or three games, depending on how many minutes I play.”

Player: Jarrett Jack
Team: Brooklyn Nets
“Probably four or five, then I’ll sign them and maybe throw them in the crowd. I like the shoe to fit really, really snug on my foot. So, you know, after you’ve played in a couple games and did a number of cuts and ran up and down so many times, the shoe starts to loosen a little bit. And then they start to get some scuffs on them too. I’ve always gotta keep them fresh. You know how that goes.:
 Player: Klay Thompson
Team: Golden State Warriors
“I switch shoes about every 12 games. They just wear out.”

Player: C.J. Miles
Team: Indiana Pacers
“I actually play a few times. I like to feel like I can get a groove in them. Llike when I feel I really get them broken in. I play in them until they get soft. That’s my biggest thing. When they get soft is when I have to change. I play a few games in them. I don’t change every game because I hate the brand new and stiff feel. A lot of them just sit in my locker. Throughout the year there might be a kid that asks for a pair of shoes, and sometimes I’ll come back and get them.”

Player: Rodney Stuckey
Team: Indiana Pacers
“I probably play in my sneakers about 10 times and then I’ll switch them out. They get too loose and too stretchy, so it’s time to switch them out. About halfway through through those games [they feel] the best. I wish they could be that way all the time. And then I wouldn’t have to switch them out. I keep them for a while, then I’ll pass them out, or give them to some kids.”

Player: Anderson Varajao
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
“I play until they break out. I don’t change shoes like that. I could go 20 or 25 games. Maybe more if they don’t break. I don’t know if it’s because of the way I grew up, and had to wear the same pair for a long time. Sometimes I had to repair it. I don’t see why not wear the shoes for as long as they hold up. We saved a lot of the first Hyperdunk because I liked it. We didn’t do it right away, but like a year later we got in touch with Nike and tried to get as many as we could.”

Lotto Winner Blows Through $10.5M; Now She Rides the Bus to Work

Sharon Tirabassi is a generous soul. So generous that she gave away half of her $10.5 million Lotto Super 7 winnings and blew through the rest.

Today, the 35-year-old “penniless millionaire” rides the bus to work and struggles to make ends meet until her next paycheck.

Nine years ago, Tirabassi, of Hamilton, Ontario Canada, cashed in her winning Powerball ticket and collected $10,569,000.10.

At first Tirabassi and her then-boyfriend, Vinny, also 35, were ecstatic at their good fortune. They shared the wealth with family and close friends, lavishing their loved ones with gifts, cash, cars, and exotic trips. She gave her parents $1 million cash and divided another $1.75 million among her siblings.

She married Vinny in 2004, and they bought a dream home together for $515,000. They spent money recklessly, and at one point owned 4 cars — a bright yellow Hummer, a Mustang, a Dodge Charger and a $200,000-plus, customized Cadillac Escalade. Most of the $200,000 was spent on the Caddy’s elaborate sound system, which didn’t endear them to their neighbors.

Her personal license plate read: “BABIPHAT,” after Kimora Lee’s now-defunct clothing line.

Tirabassi said she didn’t like her neighbors. “They didn’t like young people,” she says.

Her available cash reserves seemed endless. Tirabassi said she would check her bank account from time to time, but there were so many zeroes she thought everything was fine.

“You don’t think it’ll go (at the time), right?” she says. Then one day she checked her bank account and the money was almost gone.

“And that was time for fun to stop and to just go back to life,” she says.

Her husband Vinny served 2 stints in prison and, eventually, she lost the house and all the cars (Vinny crashed the Mustang).

Even though she’s broke, she says she’s happier today than she was when she was a millionaire.

She’s employed as a personal support worker and she provides for her husband’s 3 kids and her 3 kids from a previous relationship.

What’s left of her jackpot is locked in a mandatory trust fund for the children, which they will receive when they turn 26.

Tirabassi says she’s happy that at least her children will be okay. Money is tight now, but she appreciates the little things in life.

“Money is the root of all evil,” she says, recalling all her “friends” who disappeared when the money ran out.

“Money doesn’t buy you happiness. It caused her a lot of headaches,” Vinny says.

“All of that other stuff was fun in the beginning,” says Tirabassi, “Now it’s like … back to life.

20th Anniversary of MJ's NBA Comeback

March 19, 1995 - Michael Jordan's first game after coming out of retirement was against Reggie Miller and the Pacers at Market Square Arena.

NBAE/Getty Images

Jordan's Return Created Unprecedented Spectacle

by Mark Montieth

The game was going to be big enough on its own. The Pacers were 39-24, gearing up for another run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Chicago was just 34-32, but still carried an aura from winning three consecutive NBA championships from 1991-93. NBC was in town to broadcast the game nationally on a Sunday afternoon from a sold-out Market Square Arena. 

Late Saturday morning, however, the phone rang in David Benner's office and all hell broke loose. 

Sam Smith, who covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune, was calling to tell him that Michael Jordan was returning to the NBA. And would make his debut the next day, March 19. Against the Pacers. Which meant that Benner would have one day, nearly to the hour, to prepare for what still stands as the most notable regular season game the Pacers have ever played, a game that would draw the highest Nielsen rating of any NBA regular season game in 20 years. 

"It was an interesting 24 hours,” Benner recalls. 

PHOTO GALLERY: Jordan's Comeback Game at Market Square Arena »

To understand the magnitude of the game, you have to understand the power of Michael Jordan's name at the time. He was the biggest name in sports, a three-time NBA Most Valuable Player who had been voted the MVP of all three of the Bulls' championships. He was clearly the best player in the world, and one of its most charismatic as well. He wasn't just the star of basketball games, he starred on magazine covers and in television commercials. Generations of children, some of whom are in the NBA today, wanted to be like Mike. 

He also had been missing. He had shocked the NBA late on Oct. 6 of 1993 by leaving the game. Burned out by his time in the hot flame of fame and grief-stricken by the murder of his father in July of that year, he needed a break from the media spotlight. Four months later, he announced he would attempt a career in baseball. He batted .202 for a Double-A team in Birmingham, Ala. and .252 for a Fall League team in Scottsdale, Ariz. But a Major League Baseball strike had delayed the start of spring training in 1995, however, stalling his baseball dream and leaving him idle. 

Refusing to cross the picket line and play with replacement players, he decided to return to the NBA. And he announced it as precisely as possible, with a slam-dunk of a two-word press release: “I'm back.” 

Suddenly, credential requests came pouring in from around the country, via phone calls and fax. One reporter called from Dayton, Ohio, where he was covering an NCAA tournament site, to request one. The telephone was then passed on to four or five other reporters, who made their requests. By the time Benner – who was in his first year as the Pacers' media relations director – left the office at 2:00 AM on Sunday, he had filled about 350 credential requests, although many of them would have to watch the game from the media dining area in MSA. Others, from smaller media outlets who had not covered the Pacers to that point, were denied. 

The Pacers barely had time to prepare for the game, much less the event. A hockey game was played at MSA on Saturday night, so details such as placing name cards on media seats couldn't be handled until early Sunday morning. It would be all hands on deck from that point. When Benner returned to the arena at 5:00 AM, after just a couple hours of sleep and a change of clothes, he saw Rick Fuson, the vice-president in charge of the arena, vacuuming the carpet that led from the Pacers' locker room between the end zone sections to the playing court. 

The NBA flew in someone to help prioritize the media seating and photographer placement, but it would be impossible to satisfy everyone. There were only so many seats available inside the arena for reporters, and only so many spaces available on the ends of the floor for photographers. The three newspapers that covered the Bulls each sent five or six reporters and a couple of photographers, and when a couple of Chicago photographers engaged Benner in a shouting match after learning they wouldn't have a place on the court during the game, he was assigned a security official for protection. 

“They didn't take kindly to being told no,” he said. 

Expanded measures were required for crowd control, too. Several of the Pacers' front office personnel were called in to help hold back fans on the east end, where Jordan would make his entrance. One of them, Mike Henn, recalls grasping a rope with one hand and trying to keep it taut while being shoved from behind by those wanting a closer look at Jordan. In his other hand, Henn carried a bullhorn to shout instructions and warnings to the more aggressive fans. 

Outside, according to media reports, tickets were being scalped for $1,000. Radio announcer Mark Boyle recalls seeing brokers lined up eight blocks from the arena, seeking the tickets that might as well have been printed on gold bars. The thought flashed through Boyle's mind to sell his comps, although not for long. His job was worth more than a couple thousand dollars. 

The fans lucky or rich enough to have tickets brought a playoff buzz to the arena. Some of them wore T-shirts issued by Nike that declared, “He's Back!” One CNN commentator, reporting from courtside, said it was a combination of Game 7 of the NBA Finals and a presidential inauguration. 

“I guess that makes sense, because the King is back,” he said.

NBC, meanwhile, played up the game for all it was worth, which was plenty. With dramatic music playing in the background and video of Jordan shooting in an empty arena earlier in the day, Bob Costas set the stage: 

“The best in the world is back. And in a sports world darkened by constant talk of money, strikes and lockouts, here's a shining reminder of why we're drawn to sports in the first place. The drama. The anticipation. The sheer beauty of the moment. Today, an artist returns to his true canvas: the hardwood courts of the NBA. Michael Jordan is back!”

Jordan, 32 years old at the time, wore No. 45 that day, and for the rest of the regular season, because his legendary No. 23 had been retired by the Bulls. He would go back to 23 in the posteason, but on this day he looked like an off-brand version of himself. Introduced last in the starting lineup and receiving a rousing ovation from the fans, he showed the rust of his 17-month layoff. He hit just 7-of-28 shots on his way to 19 points, and had six rebounds and six assists in 43 minutes. 

The Pacers jumped to a large early lead, as Jordan hit just 2-of-9 shots in the first half, and held on to win in overtime, 103-96, to maintain their half-game lead in the Central Division. Reggie Miller led them with 28 points and Dale Davis had 20 rebounds. 

“I don't know if it was a good game to come back,” a smiling Jordan told Ahmad Rashad on the court after the game. “Reggie seemed very energized.” 

Jordan added that he didn't think it would take him long to get his timing back, and he was right. He hit a game-winning 15-foot jumper at the buzzer in his fourth game back, in Atlanta, and followed with a legendary 55-point effort against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. 

The Bulls would go on to reach the second round of the playoffs, where they lost to Orlando. The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to Orlando in seven games. Twenty years later, the franchise can look back on many other memorable playoff games, but not a single regular season game as big as the one Jordan created in Market Square Arena.

Kevin Hart vs. Lil Wayne Freestyle Battle!!!

Debut of New Ray Allen AJ13

There's Another Ray Allen Air Jordan 13

Images via mache275

The Ray Allen Air Jordan 13 marked one of those rare times when a player exclusive sneaker eventually ends up at retail.
Ensuring that he's still got exclusives for the shoe is this pair made by Mache Customs specifically for Ray Allen. The sneaker is much more gaudy than his white/green Celtics version, and wears stats, logos, and milestones from all points in Ray's career. As Mache reiterates in his Instagram post, this is not an official Jordan Brand product.
The black/gold look on this Air Jordan 13 doesn't feel connected to a particular team, which makes sense given that Ray Allen is a free agent at the moment.

10 Air Jordan 'Samples' Sneakerheads Buy That Are Probably Fake

POSTED Mar 18, 2015 - 

As the quality of counterfeit Air Jordans continues to improve, it's becoming increasingly difficult to pick out legit pairs from the pack. Buyers are spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on shoes that are often not authentic, including pairs designated as rare samples. Fake manufacturers have even gone as far as producing tags and promo boxes to give their knockoffs the appearance of an exclusive.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is — particularly when scoring Jordan samples for fairly high, but not high enough, prices on eBay. Here's 10 pairs people are buying that are likely fake, since they've never actually been released.

Air Jordan 11 Ray Allen 'Ring Night' PE
Average eBay Price: $600
Allen knocked down arguably the biggest shot in NBA history and only received a few pairs for himself. Meanwhile, the plug has a full size run. It doesn't add up.

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Air Jordan 13 'Hornets' Sample

Average eBay Price: $432
These fakes started to hit the market shortly after Michael Jordan was spotted wearing a pair courtside last October. Manufacturers even went the extra mile and mocked up phony 2008 sample tags.

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Air Jordan 11 '45' Sample

Average eBay Price: $567
It's 2015 and sellers are still trying to convince you that mass produced, fresh out of the box #45 Air Jordan 11 samples exist.

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Air Jordan 11 'Usher'

Average eBay Price: $572
A friendship with Mark Smith has landed Usher some of the most talked about Air Jordan exclusives in recent years. None of these sellers are well-connected, diamond-selling pop superstars.

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Air Jordan 6 'OVO'

Average eBay Price: $416
Unlike most of the other pairs listed here, the 'OVO' 6 never existed to begin with. Sneaker Freaker's April Fool's Day joke may have been a little too good.

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Air Jordan 3 'OVO'

Average eBay Price: $279
Compared to the going rate for other shoes on the list, users seem to be aware that these aren't the real deal. Still, $280 isn't cheap for a pair of knockoffs.

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Air Jordan 11 Low 'Suede'

Average eBay Price: $500
This is the type of shoe that really opens up the discussion between counterfeit and 'unauthorized.' A lot of popular collectors have pairs in black and red posted on their Instagram feeds, but nobody in a position to do so has been willing to vouch for their authenticity.

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Air Jordan 4 College PEs

Average eBay Price: $3,500
There are authentic pairs of this one, but the number of unauthorized and fake pairs greatly outnumber the real. For $3,500, it's best to be sure. In particular, the Cal/Marquette colorway is way overproduced - probably because the lack of a midsole pattern makes it easier to replicate.

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Air Jordan 6 'Macklemore'

Average eBay Price: $387
The best thing about these fakes is that they were produced before manufacturers realized Macklmore has his own Shark Gang logo on the heel. They've probably figured it out by now, but it makes this first run easy to spot.

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Air Jordan 6 'Pantone'

Average eBay Price: $798
There's a very limited run of sample pairs that were made for display purposes. Then there's the blue-soled fakes that even Fabolous got burned on. Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-damn.

VH1's 'Black Ink Crew' Visits Harlem Sneaker Pawnshop. Take a look...

Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Harlem Teen Raises $30,000 Without Investors to Start a Business the World Has Never Seen

If you watched VH1's 'Black Ink Crew' last night, then you got a glimpse of a local Harlem business that is notable for being the pioneer of sneaker pawning. Here is a look inside...




What do you do during your spare time if you’re a 16-year-old high school sophomore? Video games? Partying with friends? If you’re Chase Reed, you’re taking your passion for shoes and starting the world’s first sneaker pawn shop.

“Young kids don’t have jewelry. They don’t have cars,” said Troy Reed (Chase Reed’s Father) to the New York Post. “But what they do have is the thousands of dollars worth of sneakers in their house.” The idea for the business came up one night when Chase asked to borrow $50 from his dad after he’d already given him money to spend on a new pair of shoes. His dad refused and said he could only have the money if he let him hold his shoes until after he returns the borrowed $50. It then dawned on them both that this could be a good business idea.

From there, most young entrepreneurs would try and go raise seed funding from friends and family or maybe even outright try and pitch angel investors. But not Chase. In order to get his first initial seed money, he took a huge gamble and sold his whole sneaker collection, raking in a grand total of $30,000. Since then, the company has been open for a little over a month and they’ve already been featured on Bloomberg, HYPEBEAST, Metro and more.

The way the business works is that pawners who need quick cash will go into the store and get his/her shoes evaluated for a price. Once a value is agreed upon, the pawner exchanges his shoes for the cash. If he/she wants them back, he’ll need to pay back what was given to him, plus $20 in storage fees. If however, there is a buyer for the shoes, the pawner is then notified as they have the right of first refusal. If the sneakers sell for more than the original value, then the pawner keeps 80% of the profits and the rest goes to the store We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Chase Reed over the phone. Here we talk about how he balances school and his business, whether he wants to go to college, and the most important business lesson he’s learned from his dad.

It’s said that you’re balancing school and running this business at the same time. How do you manage to balance both?

“Well, it’s more of like a go to school first and then business comes after type of thing. So like today, I went to school and then after I went to the store, so that’s how it works. So when I get home, I do my homework and then after that I can go work on sneakers and everything else. It’s like a redundant schedule. It’s just the way I setup my schedule that I just have to make time for both, cause school is important and sneakers are something that I love.”

What’s more important to your father? Would he rather see you finish high school or take this business to the next level?

“Well school, no question. It’s like you have to finish school. School matters more than the business right now and that’s how it’s always going to be. However, of course he wants to see me do well in both. He wants me to do well in school and take the business to the next level, but school definitely comes first.”

What has your dad taught you about building a business so far? 

“So far, he’s taught me more about negotiating, how to attract people to your brand, branding yourself, and how to make what you love into something big. So I think that’s probably the biggest lessons he’s taught me so far in business.”



What about just on life in general? What’s the hardest lesson your dad has taught you?

 “Probably ‘the work you put in, is what you get as an outcome.’ I think that’s probably the biggest lesson all around. It contributes to everything, whether it’s a relationship with your family or business type of relationship. Like what you put in is what you get, so I think if you put in a certain amount of hours into Sneakers, that’s the outcome you’re going to get. If you don’t put any effort in school, then you’re not going to get anything out of school. You’re making your job harder for yourself.”

You say school is currently your number one priority. Say after your graduate high school, your business is ultra successful. Is college something you’re planning on going to no matter what happens?

“It’s the same thing with high school and college. School still comes first. Maybe after I get my Bachelor’s degree, then we can sort of arrange something, but I’m going to at least finish my first four years of college and get a degree.”

It’s pretty cool that you’re so firm on that belief because more and more people nowadays are saying that you don’t need College if you’re going to try to be an entrepreneur.

“I don’t think that’s true. Like, say your business doesn’t work out for you at all, say after a while, this is not something that you love or you get tired of it. You’re going to need something to fall back on. If you don’t have a degree, then where are you going go? Today, you can’t really go anywhere without a degree.”

Do you have any ideas of what you want to major in when you go to College?

“I’m not sure ‘cause I’m not heading to college yet, but I’d probably say Business Management, Design, or Photography. Those are the main ones for right now that I’m really interested in.“

Obviously you own a ton of shoes right now, is there a pair of shoes that you don’t currently own but like wished you did?

“It’s probably a pair of Airmax. Some people call them “Back to the Futures,” the original name is
the Nike Airmax. So I think those are probably the biggest ones. They’re like a charity type of shoe so they were auctioned off and everything. So I think probably that’s the main one. I’m also a size fourteen and that’s probably the hardest shoe to find a size. I think they cost around $7000.”

What’s your long term plan for you and your company right now?

“My long term plan at this moment is probably to just finish high school and then after that, expand the business to California, Atlanta, like the main cities in America. Like just expand everywhere so we can be more of a worldwide thing… if other business decisions come up later on, that would be something that I would look in to. Also I’d like to start a clothing line of my own."

Since you’re in school during the day, you can’t exactly work on your business full-time for now. Because of that, you’re dad runs it for you when you’re not around. What’s the dynamic like between you and him? How much power does he give you when it comes to company direction?

 “Well, today is my last day in school so I have the whole summer to go, to be in the store and take a part of everything. But I think with our decisions based on the business right now it’s more  of a fifty-fifty kind of thing. So, any decision he makes he comes to me first and then we’ll discuss it and make the decision from there. That’s how we handle it.”