Nike Basketball News

Los Angeles: All Together Now

TheLetterJ — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:45:11 GMT

Individually they are stars in their own right.

Kobe burns brightest, a collection of accolades that add up to having been part of the "best player alive" conversation for more than a decade. To arguments involving the "greatest of all time" tag line.

You know what's coming. You just can't stop it. On either end of the floor.

But Pau Gasol remade the Lakers into a complete, annual title contender. Consider that par for his career course: Rookie of the Year, All-Star, championship centerpiece.

A clinic in form and function. Footwork and technique of a man half his size.

And Lamar Odom morphs frontline size with backcourt skills, transforming between spots on the floor as easily as he transitions between the starting lineup and supersub.

The "Candyman" can. He makes the game taste good from every angle.

It's a point guard's duty to share; it's a leader's duty to come up big with the game on the line. Taking charges leads to bruised body parts. Dagger threes add up to Derek Fisher's championship rings.

Forgetting about the numbers. Caring only about the bottom line.

Shannon Brown's ability to mold his game to fit the unique adaptations of the Lakers' vaunted triangle - while turning all that athleticism into highlight reel defense - translates directly into his key rotational role.

Throwing it down. It more than rhymes with his game.

Together they are defending their crown.

Right-click and save the "All Together Now" wallpaper below.

The Collection 3.0: Hyperize Derek Fisher

TheLetterJ — Sun, 02 May 2010 09:19:26 GMT

Derek Fisher has played in 182 playoff games in his career. Since 1946, only 10 players have played in more, including six members of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Take a look at this Zoom Hyperize designed for Derek.

The Moment: The Free Throw

TheLetterJ — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:46:37 GMT

Free throws. Their very name is a study in toeing the line.

On one side, it is a "free" shot. No one's guarding you. It's just you, the ball and the rim - plus your personalized pre-shot ritual.

On the other, it's hardly "free" at all. This attempt to score without a defender mugging you still comes with a physical price: the actual foul that sent you to the line. And while no defender guards the 15 feet between you and the goal, the line itself becomes your momentary prison.

One with 20,000 or so wardens tracking every move you make.

Free throws are the one shot in basketball that even a novice fan knows you should make almost all of the time. More frequently if you're a superstar. Particularly in the 4th quarter. Always: when the game is close.

Repeatedly. If the statistics show you have a history of doing so.

Kobe found himself in that exact situation yesterday afternoon. Derek Fisher did, too.

Rivalry showdown. Sunday showcase. Down a single point. Clang. Clang. Clang. Make.

On the other end, Portland converted. Three consecutive makes proved to be the difference in the game.

Look closer: the Lakers missed 5 total freebies as a team; the Blazers only 2.

Overall, the box score counts 13 makes for Portland versus 9 for L.A. - a four-point difference in a three-point game.

But this isn't just about the moment - the moments - in, around and in between the three free throws missed for one team and made for another in the end-of-game seconds of an end-of-regular-season game.

It's about every single second. Every single miss. Every single make. And how each of those measurements - every second, every miss and every make - is magnified exponentially when championship moments are at stake.

The Collection 3.0: Nike Zoom Kobe V iD KidHollywood

TheLetterJ — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 19:55:10 GMT

No purchase required. Enter. Win. With thousands of designs in between. Legal US residents 13 or older had from 12:01 AM on March 2 to 11:59 PM on March 9 to submit their customized Nike Zoom Kobe V iD. One lucky winner would take home an autographed pair of the winning shoes, receive a ticket to the Lakers vs. Trail Blazers game on April 11, round trip airfare and hotel accommodations. Kobe picked the winner. This is his story.

Jason Hamilton (twitter.com/kidhollywood) is 28 years old. Like most twenty-somethings born and raised in the Los Angeles area, he's just old enough to remember the "Showtime" Lakers.

"I want to say it was 1987 or 1988. I started following sports, really getting into them. And as a little kid growing up in LA, I just tried to watch the Lakers every time they were on TV."

For young Jason, the Lakers became appointment viewing.

"I absolutely fell in love with their tempo. It was run and gun - and they won."

Kobe

"I actually started following Kobe in high school. I was just starting high school myself, had friends that played basketball and just enjoyed following the other good players all around the country. Seeing Kobe's highlights on TV, I liked his game even then."

But Jason was hooked on more than highlight-reel dunks.

"His tenacity - even back then - he was really brining it. It seemed like all he wanted to do was win."

Kobe to LA

"There are some players that just come in (to the league) and sparkle. And Kobe seemed to have that aura about him from the first time I saw him in a Lakers uniform. With Kobe it was even more special - because back then, high school kids being drafted was still kind of new."

It's safe to say Jason believed Kobe would one day become a superstar.

"Even when he struggled early, it showed. But the first moment I remember thinking of him like that came in the playoffs against the Spurs in 1999. He wanted to take over and be the leader. He showed that he could take over in spurts."

Kobe's tenacity continued to make a mark on Jason.

"Just his will to win. Growing up in LA when I did, the Lakers were always really good throughout the 'Showtime' era. So you have to have that will to win - and Kobe obviously did."

The Contest

"Once I learned there was a NIKEiD contest to design a shoe that Kobe would actually wear in a game, I had to be a part of it. I'd designed iD shoes before - the Zoom Kobe IV. And of course, I had to put 'Showtime' on the back of those."

Nike

"I've been a Nike fan since I was a little kid. The first shoes I can even remember wearing were Nikes."

The reason?

"Style. Pure style. I like a little bit of flash - and Nike just never seemed to make anything that was bland."

His Design

"I wanted to get some information - when Kobe was going to be wearing them, who they were playing against, what jerseys they were going to be wearing. I thought a lot about the style side of it: it just had to match. It's easy to go off and create some crazy shoe with crazy colors."

Jason's ultimate design barometer?

"The fact that they were going to be playing on Sunday, at home - that means the white-on-whites."

The second design guideline was more subtle.

"It also needed to match Kobe's personality - how he shines on the court. That's why I picked the Metallic Silver: I wanted this shoe to be an extension of the way he plays."

The final detail?

"The 'ice' sole represents the ice in Kobe's veins that allows him to hit big shots when his team needs it the most."

An Autographed Pair

"That's just surreal. The people that I've told about it are even more excited than I am! But I'm super excited. A hero of mine is wearing shoes that I designed and on top of that, he's going to sign them!"

And that makes them a borderline family heirloom.

"There's no way I'm ever giving these up. It's something from my heart that I'll pass down to my children one day."

The Game

"This will be my sixth Lakers game this season. And so far, I've seen five victories."

It's special for another reason, too.

"It's my sister's birthday. So she's probably even more excited than I am."

What's next?

"I can't believe that I get to design another pair - I didn't know that I'd also have the opportunity to design my own. But I've already got another pair of shoes coming that I designed a few weeks ago - so I'll just get my own pair of the design I made for Kobe."

All that's left is getting a handle on all that excitement.

"It's really unbelievable. Out of all the people who entered the contest, I actually won. I'm ecstatic! It's actually very cool for my family - everyone's able to tell their friends, 'my brother or my son designed these shoes so you have to watch the game!' - so they've been having a really good time with it."

"It's really an honor. Kobe's one of the greatest players of all-time. It's all about the shoes, it's not about me."

In addition to the Black Mamba, look for many of the Lakers to wear the Nike Zoom Kobe V iD KidHollywood, including Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, Josh Powell and Luke Walton.

If you want to pick up a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe V iD KidHollywood for yourself, or customize a pair of your own, check out NIKEiD.com now.

The Collection 3.0: Hyperize Derek Fisher

TheLetterJ — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:04:43 GMT

In 1996, the Charlotte Hornets used a first round pick to draft a guard. The Los Angeles Lakers, drafting 24th, followed the same strategy. Both of those players went on to win four championship rings as members of the Lakers. The Hornets, of course, drafted Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers drafted Derek Fisher, a stand-out from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Derek and the Lakers are in Oklahoma City tonight, taking on the Thunder in a match-up of two Western Conference playoff teams. Take a look at the shoes Derek has been wearing this year.

Congratulations Lakers

GoodN81 — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:14:10 GMT

It was during the 2nd quarter when a 16-0 run turned a 9 point deficit in to a 12 point lead for the Lakers that you could tell they had no intention of letting that lead go—and they didn’t. Each player wearing the purple and gold stepped their game up as they sought their franchises 15th NBA Championship Trophy.

Clutch 3-pointers by Trevor Ariza (15 pts) and Lamar Odom (17 pts), all over rebounding by Pau Gasol (14 pts, 15 rbd) in the paint, excellent defense by Derek Fisher (13 pts) and of course Kobe's (30 pts, 5 ast, 4 blks, 2 stl, 6 rbds) team leadership and unstoppable drive to win combined to secure the 2009 NBA Title for the Lakers Sunday night in Orlando as the beat the Magic, 99-86.

The road to the championship trophy was not easy for Los Angeles. Although they entered each round of the Playoffs as the favorites they were challenged each step of the way. But as winning teams do when faced with adversity they stepped their game up to overcome each obstacle. And as a result of their perseverance and dedication to one goal they are the 2009 NBA Champions.

The Finals: Game 4 Recap

GoodN81 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:15:16 GMT

The Lakers 99-91 Game 4 victory last night over the Orlando Magic marked the first time since 1984 that two NBA Finals games went into overtime.

And needless to say, this game did not disappoint.

Starting out just as powerfully as they had ended Game 3, it was obvious that the Magic came out of the gates with a fierce determination to keep up that game's incredible shooting percentages and tie up the series.

But then came halftime.

Down by 12, the Lakers launched into an unstoppable 3rd quarter counter-attack, resulting in numerous Orlando turnovers that Kobe and company gladly capitalized upon. As regulation minutes were winding down in the 4th, the two teams jostled for the lead. Trevor Ariza kept the Lakers involved with keydefensive rebounds that limited Orlando's second chance attempts. And with the Lakers down by three and only about 6 seconds remaining Derek Fisher knocked down what would be one of two clutch 3-pointers to send the game in to overtime. During the extra minutes the Magic fought to take back control, but the combined Laker effort and another key Fisher 3-pointer with :31 seconds left on the clock helpd the Lakers clinch the Game 5 victory.

Ending the game with 32 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, Kobe and the Lakers are one game away from capturing the NBA Championship title that eluded them just a year ago. For the Magic, the threat of seeing their incredible season come to an end is looming as they return to Los Angeles. With so much to play for on both sides, expect nothing but great basketball on Sunday night when Game 5 tips off.