Requiem

"My story...self explanatory..."

Jadakiss - Money, Power, & Respect

The Lakers were off on Thursday after their 118-96 victory over Indiana...and while their stay in Philadelphia may sound routine...for one player its far from mundane.

Carpe Diem

Upon touching down at Philadelphia International airport yesterday...the Lake Show ventured to 9th and Passyunk Avenue for a taste of that cheesesteak goodness from Geno's, before calling it a night at the team hotel.

This a special place for Kobe Bryant...its the city where his father, sisters, cousins, and uncle cemented their athletic prowess against the opposition. If New York is the mecca of basketball, then Philly is heaven on Earth...birthing and nurturing the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Walt Hazzard, Wali Jones, Paul Arizin, Tom Gola, Earl Monroe, Dawn Staley, Hank Gathers, Pooh Richardson, Jerome Allen, Aaron McKie, Cuttino Mobley, Rasheed Wallace, Mardy Collins, Kyle Lowry, and thousands of others.

I always knew that basketball in the city of brotherly love was a big deal, however it wasn't until January 22, 2006 when Bryant scored 81-points against Toronto that made me think on a higher plane about this town. I'll never forget that night as I was writing a story...I sat with my back to the television...and with an official news bulletin, ESPN announced that they were going to a live feed, as Kobe had 70+ points in the 4th quarter. I was beside myself...and immediately looked at the time remaining to see if he could score 100.

It was one of those moments when you walk into the history book, witnessing one of the best performances in the spectrum of the game. After making 2 free-throws for 80 and 81, he took a seat on the bench...it was then when I thought about how the two highest individual scoring binges in the NBA were set by Wilt and Kobe...from West Philadelphia.

Basketball is an intricate game, teaching those who coach and play, facets of life on the court and off. For Kobe Bean, a lot of his great performances are behind him, however I trust that he will continue to show and prove...as the best is yet to happen.

Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Triumph over Tragedy

Respect

"Ignorant and mad young...wanted to be the one..."

Raekwon - Can It Be All So Simple

I covered the Sixers/Celtics game last week for an interview with Kevin Garnett, and two things dawned on me...KG is one of the best players in the league, and Rasheed Wallace is back wearing number 30 again.

Back to the Basics

Watching 'Sheed play for the C's was interesting. The main reason why is because I'm not a Boston fan, however I had a feeling of joy watching him play. Wallace has been one of my favorite players since his days at Simon Gratz H.S.

His passion, intelligence, and dexterity make him a tough opponent. He has worn #30 for years, and it wasn't until a trade from Portland to Atlanta that he switched up, and then again while a member of the Detroit Pistons. The more things change the more they stay the same, and seeing that number in a Celtics jersey made me think of Len Bias.

Bias was drafted by Boston in 1986, and a few days later he died from drug use. He was one of the best players in college basketball history and had he suited up and played, 30 would have been his jersey of choice.

After the game I caught up with Head Coach Doc Rivers, and Rasheed Wallace...here is the final score on our conversation:

AG: Len Bias would have worn the number 30 had he played with the Celtics, your thoughts coach?

Doc Rivers: I didn't know that...with Rasheed picking that same number...I don't think that was intended, but it is interesting, and its great, and we're all for that.

AG: Talk about 'Sheed and what he brings to the team:

Doc Rivers: He's great for our team...you can see that. He gives us fight, he gives us energy, he's been terrific!

AG: Talk about Len Bias:

Wallace: He would have worn 30, and I remember watching him play down in the ACC with Maryland...smashing Carolina, smashing [Georgia] Tech...you know its unfortunate what happened to him. I think he would have been, definitely a trend setter as far as power forwards go in this league, you know he would have set that bar, and its unfortunate what happened.

AG: Talk about the number:

Wallace: Definitely it's cool to share the number, but I don't think about it like that...I think about it more from my point of view, wearing it in high school, where it all started at.

Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Northside

Inspiration

Family

Respect

Strength

Legendary

"The Bulldogs, Roxbury, and Boston is what I represent..."

Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs - I Got To Have It

Things have changed drastically this offseason as teams and players alike are making moves as if there is no tomorrow.

Detroit Red

The Boston Celtics sat patiently during the recent free agent circus...that is until last week when they made waves throughout the league by signing veteran forward Rasheed A. Wallace. The versatile, and oft times misunderstood big man is exactly what the C's need as they prepare to win title number 2 in the last 3 years. Wallace is the perfect counterattack to the Ron Artest move the Lakers made.

I see it like this, and please don't get me wrong...Anthony Gilbert does not make predictions, however it's like the 1980's all over again. The team of that decade was clearly the Lakers with championships in '80, '82, '85, '87, and '88, but they had some company as Boston won it all in '81, '84, and '86. The point I'm making here is that you can expect these two teams to win a few more rings in the next couple of years. The rivalry is back and will be in full bloom once the season begins.

With 'Sheed...say what you will, but the man is a winner. I recall watching him when he played here in Philly at Simon Gratz H.S. As an ambidextrous 6-foot, 11-inch power forward, there is nothing he cannot do on the basketball court.

Now I could be wrong, but I have a strong feeling about this one...

Photos: AXG, Philadelphia Daily News

Will Power

40

39

Teammates

"You have to show them that you're really not scared..."

Michael Jackson - Beat It

When the Rockets took the Lakers to the brink of elimination, two things happened...the so called experts said it was over for LA, and the team clicked, and destroyed Houston in the 7th and deciding game.

Savvy

The well rested Denver Nuggets flew to the City of Angels to matchup against the Lake Show. Carmelo & company played extremely great from the outset...they played well enough to win, however there were a few things that led to a 107-105 Denver loss. 

It seemed as if everyone including the Lakers were watching Melo play, instead of assisting/defending him, as he was able to do whatever he wanted to the tune of 39 points. The Lakers need to make someone else beat them, and people like J.R. Smith need to get more involved. 

The home team should have lost Game 1, but I honestly believe it was the inexperience of the upstart Nuggets that led to their demise. The Lakers didn't win the game...the Nuggets just lost it. For example the Kenyon Martin foul on Kobe Bryant with 30 seconds remaining...sending him to the line, where Bryant sank 2-free throws for a 101-99 lead...then Trevor Ariza stole the ensuing in-bounds pass that allowed LA to wind the clock down to 10 seconds, before Kobe was fouled again for a 103-99 lead that sealed the victory.

Experience is the best teacher, and between the lessons the Lakers learned last year, and the painful learning curve the Nuggets had last night...the door is wide open for anyone to win Game 2. 

As Rasheed Wallace would say..."both teams played hard", but it was the squad that executed the best down the stretch that won the game...well that, and Bryant's 40 points didn't hurt either.

Native Son

People's Champ

Wisdom from Chamberlain and Sonny Hill

Desire

'Sheed and AG. in North Philadelphia

Iconic

"You ain't ballin', you pump fakin'..."

Beanie Sigel - One Shot Deal (Feat. Redman)

Last night while driving home from my workout, I turned on 610AM WIP...the Philadelphia all-sports talk radio station. Ike at Night was on and the topic was the players only meeting called by Donovan McNabb. After a good 20 minutes, Ike changed gears to the NBA, and how Rasheed Wallace although slightly off center, is one of the best basketball talents the league has seen. I thought it was sort of a backhanded comment, so I think I'll tune in tonight and call in.

The talk of 'Sheed, and the upcoming NBA season, made me think back to when I started taking journalism seriously, and my first interview with Wallace. I attended his free basketball camp back in '02, and not only was I accepted as a member of the family, I learned a lot about the oft misunderstood gentle giant.

The following story never ran as I wrote it to sharpen my journalistic knives:

Like him or dislike him, Rasheed Wallace is a man on a mission. The two-time NBA All-Star (2000, 2001), whom enjoyed a stellar career at the University of North Carolina, and was a High School All-America (National Player of the Year 1993) he often stands misunderstood. However Rasheed Wallace is all about his family, basketball, and the community, which he best serves through the Rasheed A. Wallace Foundation. With the foundation he is able to provide the community with a positive outlet, basketball, knowledge, and an example of a hard worker, and devoted family man.

Philadelphia, PA, Simon Gratz H.S., 17th & Hunting Park Avenue – Summer time in North Philadelphia means a lot of things, but to Rasheed Wallace it means giving back to the community. During the week of July 2 – July 6 (excluding July 4th) Rasheed Wallace presented his annual free basketball camp to the masses that was North Philly. “Giving back to the community is very important. I see it as a reaction, a necessity if you will to give back to the community. Everybody isn’t going to make it to the NBA, so I try to provide various speakers at my camp. For instance my cousin is a police officer, and he came to speak to the campers. I also bring in lawyers, coaches, players, and people from all professions.” Says Wallace as people of ages cling to him like the sweat drenched camp T-shirt on the backs of everyone present. Jacqueline Wallace thinks the world of her son, as she takes a break from camp director/camp mother to reflect upon him. “I think that it’s fantastic that he is community oriented. The camp was his idea and it is funded for and sponsored by various outlets including him. He is a good guy, I love him and being an NBA player with the funds that he has, he has not changed. He is the same person that he has always been. I like the camaraderie that he has with his brothers (Muhammed Wallace, Malcolm Wallace, Ryan Tabb, and Michael Tabb) and he is a genuine family man.” You can take the man out of the ‘hood but you can’t take the ‘hood out of the man. Not to say that is a bad thing but Rasheed Wallace is as real as any NBA superstar can get. People drive by and beep the horn as he waves back while sitting on the steps of his former high school, signing autographs as he once did as an adolescent. Surrounded by family, former coaches (Bill Ellerbee, and Roland Wharton), friends and the neighborhood that he dearly loves, he stands tall at 6’11” 225 lbs, he stands taller as one of Philadelphia’s favorite sons. The Rasheed A. Wallace Foundation was established in 1997 to promote programs that enhance the quality of life for everyone, and helps to assist in the recreational and educational development of youth in Philadelphia, PA, Portland, OR, Durham, NC, and other selected communities where he has resided.

When asked about the benefits of the basketball camp Rasheed replied, “I try to give the campers the knowledge that they can be successful in other things than basketball. If I can reach out to one person then I can reach out to others. Besides that I want to teach basketball and give people the opportunity to become better players.” Former high school teammate and Temple University standout, Lynard Stewart came by for a fun filled week of basketball and life skills as he exclaimed, “We played high school basketball together. I figured that I should get involved it’s like a family thing. Besides I live up the street so I wanted to get involved and work with the kids.”

Friday, July 5, 2002 - last day of the camp, and the campers were delighted to be entertained by a camp counselor game versus various wanabees. The campers, parents, and fans alike were privy not only to the game in which Rasheed Wallace’s team won, but a post-game slam-dunk contest. Rasheed Wallace was forced to bring out the best dunks as he was challenged ferociously by 20 year-old Mike Keys, 1999 graduate of De La Salle H.S., also in Philadelphia, PA. “It was just for fun. Basketball is everything. It is my life, and it comes before mostly everything”, says Keys as the crowd cheered him on as if it was the slam-dunk contest sponsored by the NBA.

Saturday, July 6, 2002 - brought an end to the festivities for the week as the campers and their family members were invited to a barbeque in near by Hunting Park with Rasheed Wallace and his family. Everything was free of charge of course, as Rasheed would not have it any other way. “I try to give an uplifting spirit to the community. I have a few business ventures and I want to provide for the people of North Philadelphia”, Wallace expressed and when asked about his future and the community he spoke very candidly and said, “Preferably good things are in store for the future. I’m the type of person to live day by day. I may want to put up a few buildings or create jobs in North Philly. When people think of North Philly they think of burned down buildings and drugs, but if we build it up then we can make things better for living.” This is Rasheed’s mission and he is ready and set like North Philadelphia is depending on him. Rasheed Wallace has not let Philadelphia down in anything that he has done and at this rate he never will.

Watch these videos for more on Rasheed Wallace:

By Any Means Necessary...

The calm before the storm

Rip and AG. in Coatesville, PA

"Rejoice O young man in thy youth..."

Ecclesiastes

Thirteen years ago I was really concerned about Nike Air Force 1 sneakers and the various colors I could acquire via my shopping downtown Brooklyn. I focused on basketball...both playing and watching the game that I fell in love with around the same time I was infatuated with Hip Hop music.

From boys to men

Its remarkable how I have matured, yet remained the kid at heart, as I have incorporated my love of sports and sneakers into a one of a kind journalism career. NEVER in a million years would I have imagined that those days and nights spent playing on courts until the lights went out would pay off in the way of my becoming a respected member of the media. The thing that my mind’s eye couldn’t see was the professional career of Kobe Bryant and Richard Hamilton.

Growing up in Philadelphia it was obvious that Rasheed Wallace was going to play in the NBA. He starred at the legendary Simon Gratz H.S. and had a promising future at the University of North Carolina. Besides he is from North Philadelphia and as my uncle always says, if you can grow up here, then you can live anywhere. I didn’t know Wallace, or Hamilton, but I did know Kobe and his family, and yes while he was born in Philly, he moved overseas, and when he came back, he resided in the outskirts of the city. Needless to say, when it comes to Southeastern Pennsylvania the only thing that mattered in basketball, was what is known as “the PUB”, which is the Philadelphia Public League. Two people shattered that line of thinking and it was the two most feared guards in the entire state, Richard “Rip” Hamilton, and Kobe Bean Bryant.

I didn’t meet Rip until 2001 at the NBA Store in New York City. I was on my lunch break as I would tend to venture into the NBA themed store to window shop. One day Hamilton was there and he was with a mutual friend. After an introduction, we talked about “home”...his Coatesville, to my Philly. I have not only admired him for his all around versatile game, but also his ability to put his hometown on the map and represent where he is from, when most would turn their back on a town of 11,000.

Fast forward to the present day and the more things change the more they stay the same, as I recently had an opportunity to catch up with Rip Hamilton at his annual Rip City event in the little industrial town of Coatesville, PA.

Here is the score on our courtside conversation:

You love your hometown so much. Can you explain what that is all about?

"This is where I'm from and the kids come out [to my annual event] they all have a good time...the community helps me out...with security, all the security is pretty much home grown, and everybody just helps everybody and its a good thing. When I think of Coatesville...I think of family...I mean my whole family is here. My mom, my dad, my grandmom, my grandpop, all my aunts, uncles, friends, everything. Coatesville is loyalty, and hard work. That's what inspires me to keep on going on the basketball court. I know where I come from, I know what it means to struggle, and when you know that...you try everything possible to never get back to that situation, but to keep rising to the occasion. I love my town and I love my city. I have it tattooed on my stomach and on my arm. Its more than basketball for me. I'm the one that made it out, but I want to be the stepping stone for everybody else. I want everybody else to look at me and say if Rip did it, I can do it. I hung out at the same places that they hung out, so me coming around all the time, lets them know that I'm just like them."

Talk about your friendship and rivalry with Kobe Bryant:

"We played on the same AAU team...we've been roommates on AAU trips, roommates at the McDonald's game, and Magic Johnson Roundball Classic. We played against each other since the 10th grade...we were the number one, and number two best players in the state, so we have always had that rivalry. I remember this article in the Daily Local and it said, if you don't come and watch these two kids play now...the next time you will see them play you'll be paying $100 a ticket! And that's crazy, because as a kid you're like...what do they see? I'm just trying to get to college, and they were right. And then I had the opportunity to play against him in the Finals, and to win, it felt good to me...because he beat me [in high school]. When I was in college I told him, I was about to come to the league and stuff like that, and I just won a national championship...and I was like man you can have that high school championship, that don't mean nothing...I have a college [championship]. And he was like 'you know what Rip...by the end of this year I'm going to have me a championship. I'm like 'yeah right, but I'm up on you...so when he was winning those championships he was like 'yeah, now what, now what, so when we had an opportunity to play him in the Finals...it was the best thing ever because now I got a chance to throw one in his face and actually to beat him at that high level...it was the best thing about it."

When you played for the Washington Wizards, you met Senator Obama:

"Actually my uncle Wes knew him. So when I was out there playing, he said that the Senator would come over the house and eat, and hang out after a game. So he came over and we talked, and watched TV, talked about basketball...and Wes was like 'that's going to be the first black President...and I was like 'for real? So then I was like okay...and then I was watching TV when he was running, and I was like 'he looks familiar but it didn't register yet, and then one of my guys Henry he was like remember when he came to the house...he is going to be the next President."

You played for UCONN and as of last season your team has the most players in the league:

"We still have the most guys! We're a fraternity, we have the best group of guys!"