First that Fat boys break up...

All-Star Weekend Lineups Announced!!!

So everything is basically set barring injury here is who is going to spend All-Star weekend in the desert:

In the East:

Starters

• 

Allen Iverson (he will be in the all-star colors of the answer 12)

• Dwyane Wade
• LeBron James
• Kevin Garnett
• Dwight Howard

Reserves

• Danny Granger
  
• Chris Bosh
• Devin Harris
  
• Rashard Lewis
  
• Jameer Nelson
• Joe Johnson
• Paul Pierce

In the West:

• Chris Paul
  
• Kobe Bryant
• Amare Stoudemire
  
• Tim Duncan
• Yao Ming (Not exactly sure what Yao will rock for the game, but stay tuned...)
  

Reserves

• Shaquille O'Neal
  
• Tony Parker
  
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Pau Gasol
  
• Brandon Roy
• Chauncey Billups
  
• David West

Was hoping that Big Al (Jefferson) might get in...especially with how the T'wolves have been playing as of late...Also somewhat surprising is Steve Nash not making the West squad in his backyard? What's up with that? Even with guys Bruce Bowen(??!!?!?!?!) and YI Jianlian(!?!?!?!?!?!?!) just barely being edged out of the fan voting for starters & the snubs of guys like Jesus Shutlesworth(ifyadun-kno-asksumbahdee) Melo, Nash, RR; the system should stay the same. The game is about who the fans want to see, some tweaks could be made but by and large the fans tend to get it right.


The 2009 All-Star Game should be a pretty good game, the East has the the advantage on speed so if it is a uptempo game they are the favorites. The Rookie Vs. Sophmore game will be entertaining if not interesting...actually this migh be the game to see. The Sophs look like they have a BIG (literally) advantage over the 1st year guys; check the squads:

Da Rooks

Michael (B-Easy) Beasley from Miami
Rudy Fernandez from Portland
Marc Gasol from Memphis
Eric Gordon from L.A. Clippers
Brook Lopez from New Jersey
O.J. Mayo from Memphis
Greg Oden from Portland
Derrick Rose from Chicago
Russell Westbrook from Oklahoma City

Besides Beasely, Gasol, Lopez, & Oden no other player for the Rookies is over 6'5", while no one one the Sophs is under 6'5" except for Brooks (nothing against Brooks, but why not Conley?)

Sophs

Aaron Brooks from Houston
Wilson Chandler from New York
Kevin Durant from Oklahoma City
Jeff Green from Oklahoma City
Al Horford from Atlanta
Luis Scola from Houston
Al Thornton from L.A. Clippers
Rodney Stuckey from Detroit
Thaddeus Young from Philadelphia

It could get ugly...or really fun to watch!

Ai @ slamonline...

Happy New Year's All! (Yeah its crazy late in the year, but this being the 1st post of the year, it had to be done...)

The upcoming Answer 12s make an appearance in this 'making of' for the photo shoot for SLAM mag, also pickup the recent slam with your boy Ai gracing the cover.

Definitely some homage to the Soul on Ice cover:



check the vid:

Slam Ai photoshoot


Oh & the track playing is crack! Practice-DJ Jazzy Jeff w/J live on the mic.

JUST THE BEGINNING...

Calling all B-Ballers, Basketball Aficionados, Hoopers, Part-Time & Weekend Ball Players alike, what it do y'all! Its your boy aO, and this is where you can get a lil' bit of insider information as to what is going on from the inside of Reebok Basketball. Normally, Rashad Ahmad would be blessing this space with the inside stuff (pause!), however I'm kicking it off with a guest spot for the time being.

So how to start this off? No matter what your level, whether you compete in gyms with dusty floors or on pristine hardwood courts, from high schoolers trying to make the team to Pros trying to perform at the highest level and everything in between; Reebok basketball is trying to make the best product to meet those needs. The plan is to show sneak previews of what's to come as well as some commentary (& insights---from inspiration to performance attributes---into the products whenever possible!) from people inside of Reebok.


The ATR Talkin' Krazy is one of Reebok's new entries for this Basketball season, though the fact that you can "talk crazy" is one of the things that makes the shoe what it is; the goal was, as it always is, to make the best performing shoe possible & do it in a way that provides an alternative to what other brands are doing (click on the pic for the science). The Talkin' Krazy concept came by an observation made at the high school/grassroots level, when it was noticed that many players would customize the sneakers by writing inspirations, their numbers, shouts outs, and other sayings on their kicks before games; with marketing on board, both design & production teams set out to incorporate this aspect of customization into the product and the Talkin' Krazy was born...a sleek silohouette with an original & unique take on a basketball shoe.

For 2009 expect to see much more content to appear on the blog, Happy Holidays all!

Also check out Ai in a special makeup of the upcoming Answer 12's



Peace & Love!