evolution

Poise

Maturity

“Caught a glimpse of myself in the Barney’s shop window…kinda see my father’s features creepin’ in a little…”

Nas – War

There is a debate within the NBA and various media outlets that asks the question of who is the better, or best NBA player, Kobe Bryant, or LeBron James. Most recently with Bryant netting 61 points, and 3 assists last Monday in Madison Square Garden, and James following that up with 52 points, and a near triple-double in the same building…the discussion has escalated to a fever pitch. Last week LeBron was on the cover of GQ, and Sports Illustrated, and Gentlemen’s Quarterly outright claimed King James as the best while SI alluded to the fact that both he and Kobe are the best.

Boys II Men

The Eastern and Western NBA Conference players of January are KB and the King, as they have helped their respective teams to the best records in the league, as the questions of supremacy linger on. Nevertheless, I believe that there is no argument, because LeBron James, is essentially a younger Kobe Bryant, in terms of basketball…they are one in the same.

By 1998, Bryant had come into his own, no longer the rookie, as he was ready to carve out his niche and take what he felt was rightfully his. The only person in his way was Michael Jordan, so the talks of Kobe being the next Jordan, or better than MJ started, when Bryant was merely part of the youth movement, just as Michael was in 1984.

As Michael Jordan grew in statue and name…becoming Air Jordan, the “so-called” experts figured that he was the next Julius Erving, however all the great players evolved from the players before them. The good Dr. played a similar game to the high flying and scoring Elgin Baylor, so you see the torch is passed down from generation to generation. The mainstream media will mislead you to believe that some athletes are “better” than or possess more basketball prowess than the “other”, when in reality they are very similar, bringing their own idiosyncrasies and desire to their team, and ultimately their game.

A few years ago LeBron was at that same crossroads as Bryant before him, being compared instead of people appreciating him for being his own man. Do Kobe and LeBron want to be the best and win championships…yes…do they want to be compared to one another, Michael Jordan, or Magic Johnson, in the process…no. They are competitive so when James played in New York 2-days after Kobe, you need to understand that winning the game, and setting the new Madison Square Garden scoring record was a high priority. I knew that from the confident look on Jay-Z’s face, when I he gave me dap leaving the game on Monday, and that my friends is the beauty of basketball.

I do not believe in words like Jordanesque, therefore I choose not to use it in my lexicon. I don’t feel that there is one player better than all the others that have played the game, rather each era has it’s dominant player or players, and while LeBron James is the future of the League, the heir to the throne…the chosen one, we must remember that Kobe Bryant was also chosen, and until he retires, the great debate will unfortunately continue.

Photo: LeBron James - Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

By Any Means Necessary...

Honor Strength Class Allan Houston and AG. in South Philly

"Study to show thyself approved unto GOD..."

2 Timothy 2:15

Basketball is my favorite sport to play. Whereas baseball is the game that I prefer to watch on television...however if I had to pick one sport, then it would have to be basketball. Sports are such a metaphor for life and nothing speaks to my lifetime like basketball...the holy game.

GOD’S SON

During my junior year at Temple University, the Office of Student Activities had a trip to Madison Square Garden for a NBA preseason game. It was a day of shopping and exploring in New York City, with the Philadelphia 76ers against the New York Knicks in the nightcap.

I love the NBA. It’s the epitome of the game I love, so instead of being satisfied with my super affordable $10 ticket which included travel and admission to the game, I wanted more...I wanted a job with the New York Knicks.

I’ve never been complacent, I have always looked for opportunities that I could succeed and excel in. That said, I began studying the Knicks, and their organization. Upon further review I found a contact and I began to ask her questions about her job. She was both friendly and helpful, as it had never dawned on me that a position with an actual NBA team was something that was not only attainable, but it was also within my reach.

She and I agreed to meet upon my arrival to the game, so while my friends walked in and looked around for girls, hot dogs, and sodas, I was looking for the media press entrance on 33rd and 8th Avenue. I walked in, and I must have looked like a deer in headlights, because I was immediately greeted with “Hi, you must be Anthony. I’m Jeannette.”

That game, and that meeting with Jeannette, was the building block for my career in professional basketball. With her help, and my focus and desire, I enjoyed an internship with the New York Knicks and New York Liberty the following semester, beginning in May 2000, ending in September of the same year. What I learned, and who I met in that time, has shaped, and molded me into the journalist that I am today. The saying in New York City is, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, and I am proof of how true that really is.

Working for the Knickerbockers was a dream come true, as I have long been a fan of Allan Houston. Aside from his text-book jump shot, GQ fashion look and style off the court, he is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. I too am a member, so in this capacity he has become a brother, role model, and example of what a family man could and should be. When I started working, the team was in the midst of the NBA Playoffs, so not only is it an exciting time, here I was front and center for every home game. In the ensuing weeks, Allan Houston and I became friends, and while I patterned my game after his, and became extremely flattered anytime the girls would say that I looked like him, I always tried to fight my sheer emotions of joy whenever I was around him, because I didn’t want to look like a groupie or the like. I don’t think he would care, because he is a very genuine person, but where I’m from, that’s not cool, and would be considered bad behavior.

Over the summer I had heard that Houston was going to come out of retirement and give the NBA another go. Once I heard that, I’ve looked forward to last Friday’s pre season game, pitting the Philadelphia 76ers against the New York Knicks...I guess some things never change.

One of my good friends and fraternity brothers, Jeff Young covered the game with me. He too is a fan of Allan Houston, so it was only right that I introduced him. Coincidentally, Chris Broussard from ESPN, was there too, as he is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. It really is a small world, and in this case...membership has great privileges.

Jeff and I ventured into the visitor’s locker room. After the introductions and secret handshake, I asked Allan a few questions, while trying to remain as cool, calm, and collected as possible. I don’t know why, but he is one of 2 people that I’m always excited to see, and interview...anyone else, its just business, never personal.

Here is the score on our conversation:

Will you be with the organization in one way on the court, or in the front office in another?
“I mean, I really haven’t gotten to that point yet. Eventually when I finish playing, I think that is something I would love to think about or consider, but I’ve worked so hard to be on the court, so I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I think yeah, eventually down the line.”

Where did you play to get ready for the season?
“I played at [Nike] Pro City...a little bit of everywhere this summer, but it’s been a rough process, but it taught me a lot of patience, a lot of trust. Sometimes you want something bad enough and you think you are walking the way of where God wants you to be...you just gotta keep going. You can’t doubt it, you have to keep going, that’s all I’ve done, and I’m just looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen.”

Was it a matter of coming back to New York...could you have gone somewhere else?
“The reality is, I don’t even know? The way the conversation with Donnie Walsh and the organization went...it just made sense. You stay here, be home with family, and remain with the Knicks organization, that I’ve been identified with and it’s been so good to me...and it’s New York. I look at it like, the economy is going to turn around, so why not jump in when it’s on its on the way up? It’s the same thing with this organization; hopefully I can be here when it starts to climb back up. Everybody is excited about the direction.”

Talk about your time on ESPN as an analyst:
“It was a good experience for me. I learned a lot about the other side of the game in terms of analyzing and the presentation of the game. It was hard because I always looked at it from a player’s eye, and I think that’s what people wanted and respected, but it was hard for me to be really critical, because I’m still looking at it from a player’s perspective, I was still seeing myself as a player out there, which worked in some ways and some ways it might not have. All in all it was a great experience. I liked it, but I wasn’t sure if it was a long term passionate goal for me. Because when I do something, I go all out and I commit to it, and I was thinking if I could do this in 5 to10 years...and I couldn’t give myself a definitive yes to that. Sometimes you just know that your heart is in the locker room with the players, and being able to play, be around the game, whether it’s coaching or some other way, and that’s the way I felt.”

Tell me about you changing your number from 20 to 14 and how that speaks to the relationship with your father:
[Pauses] "Man, that’s a very good question, I’m glad you asked me that. My dad, our relationship has so many dynamics to it. He was my coach in college, I admired him as a role model growing up, I just looked up to him, and I wanted to be just like him. I saw how people respected him, how he treated people, how he worked, but the biggest thing the reason it means a lot to me is because of who he is as a man. As a person of character and integrity and that’s the one thing I’ve tried to carry in the legacy that he left me. As I look at the stage of career that I’m in now, it’s about legacy, it’s about what is it that I can pass on? Whatever he gave to me, that’s what I want to pass on. Whether it’s here or off the court, or my son, so to me it’s about legacy. So even on my website, www.allanhouston.com we talk about a father-son basketball retreat for a week. We talk about that importance of a man’s role in his house and we use basketball and sports to do it. So it was just really fitting, everything works together for the right time at the right reason and me being able to wear that number kind of capped it all off, everything that we had already been doing.”