Nike Basketball News

The Collection: Deron Williams Away Player Edition Hyperfuse

tonyhellberg1 — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:19:19 GMT

Strong. Breathable. Lightweight.

So he can remain sturdy while bearing the brunt of abuse in the wake of another suffocating crossover into the paint.

Explosive on-court performance revolutionized by “fusing” the distinct layers of the shoe.

Just like Deron engineers the potent Utah offense, uniting traditional pick-and-roll precision with open-court demolitions.

This is the Deron Williams Away Player Edition Hyperfuse.

The Collection: Deron Williams Player Edition Hyperfuse

tonyhellberg1 — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 20:19:36 GMT

The rugged Utah offense is constructed for abuse. Pick. Roll. Screen. Move.

Stable and strong - with a subtle ballet of explosiveness built by the dribble.

Enter: Deron Williams.

Durable. Distinct. Abrupt in his deconstruction of opposing defenses.

Just like the Deron Williams Player Edition Hyperfuse.

WBF: Make your own Signature Move HESITATION DRIBBLE

tonyhellberg1 — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:16:53 GMT

HESITATION DRIBBLE

Contact.

Deron Williams seeks it - then destroys the defense by burrowing through.

But even big, strong guards know that a momentary delay can be just as effective as brute force.

Set it up. Isolate weakness. Cross it over. Pause for added effect.

Then power to the place you knew you were headed from the very beginning - holding nothing back on your path.

Deron Williams is the player. Rucker Park is the place. Friday, August 13th is the date.

HESITATION DRIBBLE is the move. Perform it. And posterize yourself.

The Moment: The Manifesto

TheLetterJ — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:02:25 GMT

8-seeds scrape and claw into the playoffs. Their reward? Somewhere between history-making upset potential and sacrificial lamb historical precedent.

1-seeds coast, spending the regular season's final weeks resting stars and setting up playoff rotations. Their challenge: the fine line between defending home-court and not crumbling beneath heightened expectations.

Regardless of seeding, each team gets there by hanging their hat on an identity.

Speed up. Slow down. Run and gun. Suffocating defense. Superstars. Role players. One-man shows. Blue-collar teams. It's an endless list, really.

Best part: after the teams involved and their respective seeds, no one really knows anything.

Kobe might pop off for 50 - in a game the Lakers lose. LeBron might find himself struggling through a 6-for-23 shooting night - but the Cavaliers still romp. Kevin Durant, Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams will battle for uberstar supremacy, never knowing which loose ball will cement their team's fate.

But moments aren't all about stars. In fact, opposing teams will do just about anything to make sure none of those guys even take the final shot.

Foul trouble will force the 10th man on the bench to play extended minutes. Foul shots will decide a game. And some guy who hasn't made a three all year will hit a 30-foot bank shot to beat the shot clock, swinging the momentum of an entire series.

He might even call "glass."

There are 20,160 seconds in a 7-game playoff series. With a season - and sometimes a career - crammed in to every moment.

Combat Players of the Week: December 7 to November 13

TheLetterJ — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:28:19 GMT

Basketball is combat. You have to attack your man on both ends of the floor. That means pushing the ball on offense, taking it to the hole, being willing to draw contact and then fight through it to finish. It means attacking on defense. Getting position and maintaining that position. Taking the ball away and altering shots. And owning the glass – being relentless on both the offensive and defensive side.

Every Monday, a guard, a wing, and a big will be nominated as the Combat Players of the Week. The team that exemplifies what Combat is all about will be recognized, as well. Here are the players who were Prepared For Combat last week.

Guard: Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
D Will dropped 21 points and 11 assists, leading the Jazz to a big win over the Lakers, ending their 11-game winning streak. And he has been leading the Jazz’s attack, getting to the line 25 times while dropping 26 assists over the past two games.

Wing: Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies)
Gay dropped a career high 41 points, hitting 15 of 28 from the field in a big win at Miami. On the season, he's pulling down 6.6 boards/game and locking down 1.7 steals/game – both well above his career averages.

Big: Kenyon Martin (Denver Nuggets)
Martin battled back from a dislocated left pinkie and his tough play led the Nuggets to a big win against Phoenix. His presence on both ends of the floor made the difference - with tough D in limiting the Suns’ pick-and-roll game, plus 12 points and 9 boards.

NBA Team: Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs won 3 tough games this week, Phoenix, Miami, and Charlotte – running their record to 17-7. On the season, Dallas is locking down the opposition, holding them to 44% shooting and 96.8 points per game, both among the league leaders.

NCAA Team: Kentucky Wildcats
In one week they've taken out North Carolina, Connecticut, and Indiana — the Hoosiers by 17 points on the road in a game they got to the line 21 times and more than doubled the Hoosiers on the glass (49-24). UK is now 10-0, riding a wave of momentum.

Who should be the Combat Player of the Week? Williams, Gay, or Martin?

The Collection 3.0: Zoom Sharkalaid Deron Williams

TheLetterJ — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:33:49 GMT

In his fifth season, Deron Williams is unquestionably one of Utah's leaders, and he hopes the team will make The Leap from playoff team to Western Conference Champion to NBA Champion.

After 12 games, Deron is second in the NBA in assists per game (9.8) and minutes played (39.8).

And during all those minutes, he's been getting an assist from the Zoom Sharkalaid.

Take a look at the wallpaper, and let us know what you think.

Play With Heart Moments: November 18, 2009

TheLetterJ — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:04:05 GMT

A near triple-double and a rookie stepping up highlight Wednesday night's Play With Heart Moments.

Rashard Lewis made his on-court season debut for the Orlando Magic, and was one assist away from his first triple-double in the NBA. The Magic beat the Thunder 108-94, as Lewis rang up 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists - without playing the fourth quarter.

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Eric Maynor chipped in 11 fourth-quarter points in a 104-91 Utah Jazz victory over the Toronto Raptors. With Ronnie Price inactive due to injury, Maynor logged 23 minutes, often as part of a backcourt with Deron Williams, with Maynor running the point, and Williams sliding to shooting guard. Maynor finished wih 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. Stepping up when your team needs you? That's Playing With Heart.

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Don't just play. Play With Heart. See what Playing With Heart means to LeBron James, and pledge your heart to the game.

Play With Heart Moments: November 5, 2009

TheLetterJ — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:04:40 GMT

Two stars in Utah scored 27 points each, as the Jazz beat the Spurs for the first time since April 2008, 113-99.

Along with his 27 points, Carlos Boozer had 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. One of those assists came on a pretty pass to rookie Wes Matthews in the second half. He also made two key hustle plays in the first quarter, causing two jump balls on the defensive end. That's Playing With Heart.

Deron Williams had 9 assists - with only two turnovers - and 7 rebounds to with his 27 points. His steady play running the offense led the Jazz to 53% shooting for the game.

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Don't just play. Play With Heart. Check out what Playing With Heart means to LeBron James, and pledge your heart to the game.

The Family: L.A. Silences the Jazz

Hotnix — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:53:11 GMT

No man can do it alone. That’s the lesson the Lakers have learned. And it’s a lesson they continued to put into practice as the entire squad stepped up to shut down the Jazz.

Last night was the night. Los Angeles was determined to end a series that perhaps they should’ve sweeped. And from the moment they hit the floor they smothered Utah on both offense and defense, pushing the lead to as much as 22 point.

The big story is Lamar Odom, who for most of the game led all scorers. His silky smooth 26 points were matched with 15 hard fought rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots.

And despite a reported ankle injury, Trevor Ariza looked 100% as he terrorized Utah with 2 monster blocked shots that translated to easy fast break points, seven rebounds, a steal and 12 solid points.

The L.A. big men dominated throughout the series, overpowering Utah’s undersized front court. Last night Pau Gasol continued his All-star worthy season with a 17 point, 11 rebound performance. And although Andrew Bynum is still finding his way back to health, his size and presence was felt early on.

But what’s the postseason without a little drama? After spending most of the game leading by as much as 22, the Lakers got a little too comfortable. And the Jazz made their move. Led By Deron Williams’ quick feet and the relentless offense and defense of Andrei Kirelinko, Ronnie Brewer and Matt Harpring, they were able to close the gap to 10.

Kobe wasn’t having it. He spent the night picking pockets, defying gravity and breaking tackles on his way to scoring by any means necessary. After a an impossible fadeaway jumper in the last seconds of the first half, and a third quarter fast break a collision with a ref, he racked up 31 points and five steals to close out the Jazz 107-96.

The Family: B-Roy Goes Big

Hotnix — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:16:32 GMT

The NBA has a long history of prolific point guards with ESP, magic hands, and unstoppable pickpocket skills. After his 42 point playoff performance, Portland’s Brandon Roy helping lead the renaissance of the floor general.

As veterans like Steve Nash begin to pass the torch to the next generation of point men, the big story of the past two seasons is worthy of a reality show like America’s Next Top Point Guard.

B-Roy stole the spotlight Tuesday night in Portland's face off against the Rockets. He took over the game from the jump, racking up ten points in the first 12 minutes alone. And after they traded hard earned baskets with Houston all night it was his 42 points that carried them to victory. But Brandon wasn’t alone in his attack.

The Blazer front court always has a way of controlling the paint. LaMarcus Aldridge showed his ever-expanding arsenal, contributing 27 points. Though he only put up four points, Greg Oden’s massive presence and shutdown defense kept the Rockets in check. Meanwhile, Rudy Fernandez continued to prove why he belongs in the league with dynamic dunks, two big steals and 11 crucial points. And with Brandon feeding them the rock, the dimes kept dropping, leading them to a 107-103 victory.

As we all know, people are quick to put Utah’s Deron Williams and New Orleans point man at the top of the point guard list. But based on last Tuesday’s performance and a season average of 22.6 points, 5.1 assists, 2.2 steals and 4.6 rebounds, Roy has led his team to a good postseason start and is keeping himself on the radar as the next big thing.

Brandon Roy and the Portland Trailblazers face the Houston Rockets for game three of their series Friday, April 24th at 7:00pm EST.

The Family: Playoff Preview

Hotnix — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:15:10 GMT

If a team has a true floor general at point guard, it has a chance in any game, any series, any season. Utah's Deron Williams is a straight balla at PG, so any team that takes them lightly in the postseason is headed for disappointment.

Deron Williams is the piston that fires all cylinders. The burly, sweet-shooting point guard is certainly in the conversation for best at his position in the league. Deron is cranking up his game down the stretch, with such gems as 34 points and 11 assists against Minnesota, 21 and 11 against New Orleans and that other point guard, and 18 and 12 against Dallas. His season averages are up to 19.8 points and 10.6 assists, killer numbers in both columns.

The recipients of many of those assists are Andrei Kirilenko slashing to the hoop and Ronnie Brewer popping from deep. AK-47 has been battling injuries, but the Russian swingman posted some of his best performances down the stretch, including 17 points and 6 rebounds against the Clippers and 16 and 7 against New Orleans. If Utah has any shot at some upsets, AK-47 needs to be at his shot-blocking, baseline-jumper-draining best.

Brewer is Utah’s best jump shooter, and when he’s open he’s deadly. His game plays off of Williams—when the D-Will is driving and creating, Brewer is often the beneficiary. If Brewer can make something happen off the dribble, Utah would really be tough to corral.

Utah has had more than its share of bumps and bruises this year, but Williams is capable of leading them into the second round and even beyond, if he is at his best and his mates bring their A games.

The Family: Westbrook's Triple-double

Hotnix — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:33:29 GMT

With all eyes on the #1, #2 and #3 2008-09 draft picks, a player like Russell Westbrook didn't get the attention he deserved as the #4 overall pick. But after last night's triple-double performance he's definitely at the top of the Rookie of the Year list.

There's a lot to be said about Westbrook who, like Canada's Steve Nash, has floated under the radar since high school. As a senior he lit up the L.A. area competition by averaging 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists. In four years he logged 57 three-pointers, 14 double-doubles, a career-high 51 points in a single game and scored 30 or more points eight different times. But like Nash, he still didn't attract a lot of attention from college recruiters. Not until L.A.'s blue and gold made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

In his two years of college he led his team to the national semi-finals twice. For his all-around game he was named the conference Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, earned Third Team All-conference honors and was named to the conference All-Defensive Team. And then he joined O.J. Mayo and a class of well known one-and-dones to make the leap.

History proves that not all dominant college players are successful when they go pro. But with only half a season under his belt, Westbrook is following in the footsteps of his teammate, mentor and last year's ROY Kevin Durant. After averaging 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists a game in the first half of the season he was invited to play against KD in the Rookie/Sophomore game during the 2009 midseason classic in Phoenix. Sadly, he and the rookies lost as KD put up an enormous 46 points.

Last night his leadership skills were put to the test as the young Oklahoma City Thunder faced the veteran Dallas Mavericks without the injured Durant. Westbrook showed off his ability to penetrate and create easy baskets for his teammates with 10 assists. He went head-to-head with the big men to grab 10 rebounds. And in the end, he rounded out the triple-double with 17 points, including a beautiful alley oop jam in the second quarter.

With the recent resurgence of power point guards in the league, he's being mentioned in the company of Nash, Deron Williams and Brandon Roy, players that see the entire game, break down defenses and can get the ball to any one of their teammates at will. And as the OKC Thunder look to get their footing and establish themselves in the Western conference it'll be Westbrook's work as floor general that will take them to the top.

The Collection: Blue Chip

Hotnix — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:25:58 GMT

Every season, a new crop of young athletes hit the league with big dreams and monster skills. But few recent graduates to the pros have made a greater impact on the game than Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay.

Like many young ballers, these four young guns had a dream that was greater than the league. They wanted to be the best. They all share a passion for basketball that inspires them to dedicate every waking moment to getting better.

For the holiday season, Nike and Foot Locker are releasing special edition versions of the Blue Chip sneaker, as worn by the hottest young players in the league. And to show the passion that went into making these athletes great, Foot Locker has created commercials for the shoe featuring KD, D-Will, B-Roy and Rudy. In each spot, the players share their stories about how nothing, not even their families, deep snow, swamp snakes or broken drawstrings could keep them from playing.

Keep a look out for the new commercials and stop by your nearest House of Hoops to get your hands on the all new Blue Chip special edition sneakers.

House of Hoops by Foot Locker
New York
268 West 125th Street
NY, NY 10027

House of Hoops by Foot Locker
Los Angleles
Beverly Center Mall - 6th Floor
8500 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

House of Hoops by Foot Locker
Chicago
North Riverside Park Mall
7501 W Cermak Rd
Riverside, IL 60546

Go behind the scenes with D-Will, B-Roy, KD and Rudy »

Blogging the Journey: Deron Williams

sanampetri — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:27:50 GMT

Igniting the Blaze: From Jason Kidd to Grandpa Williams, D-Will writes about how his childhood heroes have inspired his game.

Some people are born leaders, and I think I was one of them. I was always a point guard growing up and I just always wanted to take that responsibility. And there were a lot of people in my life who helped show me what that means.

When I was younger I watched the guys on Dream Team a lot. So when I went out and played, I would try to emulate them, you know. But as I got a little older, I started to really like bigger guards like myself, but fast guys who can also score and play great defense.

At home, my mom was always my hardest critic. After a game, when I was growing up, she would just let me have it. If I missed free-throws, if I didn't defend well, whatever it was. But it's to the point now where I like going and talking to my mom after a game. She's still just going to point out the bad, but at the same time it's helping me. She definitely always helped me and definitely made me a better player. She’ll be there in Beijing next month too, probably telling me everything I did wrong.

As for other motivators, I'm representing our country. That's the most important thing. It's not the name on your back – it's for the country. It's for the troops fighting for us overseas in Iraq. You know, they fight for us so we can be independent and survive, and this is our way of fighting and giving back to them. You know, doing our battle on the basketball court.

I’m very close to my grandfather, who served in World War II, and my uncle served in the Gulf War. So I know what it's like to have family over there and be worried about them, day in and day out. I know how people's families feel, just to want their loved ones back home safe. So we just appreciate everything they do for us and, like I said, that's our way to give back to them is by winning a gold medal. Because I know they're going to be watching, wherever they're at.

More on Deron
Follow Deron's Blog »
Read Deron's Bio »

More on Team USA
See all Team USA Bio's »
Check out the Olympic Histories »
Meet the Competition »

This Is Our Game: Commitment

Hotnix — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:50:05 GMT

This is our story. The story of us as a country, played on a court and erected on a podium. The journey of us told on the hallowed courts of the 1920’s New York and Boston, the 1930’s Chicago and Detroit. The tale of our pride echoed from the past, lifted off concrete, written on hardwood, and inscribed on the floors around the world. The travels of our dreams follow us: from Barcelona to London, Atlanta to Sydney. The journey of Team USA means more to us, because it’s the game America created, and it’s America’s job to show the world how we play it.

This is our game.

Their sweat is our sweat, their dreams are our dreams. Their pain is felt in the hearts of fans across this nation, the millions who support the passion, the pride, and the ferocity with which we will stake our claim.

This is our legacy.

We give remembrance to the teams of our past. We honor those who paved the way before us. Their stories lie at our feet. Because in the hearts of those players, our desires were born. Our dreams came from those who wore the uniform first. This is the legacy that will never end, given to us so that we can take it to a new level: a level unseen.

Together, we triumph.

This is all a part of the journey we take together. We recognize the difficulty of the road behind us and the opportunity of the journey in front of us. We will go higher. Above the rest. Beyond what anyone says is possible. Because the greatest moments in history still lie in our future.

As a planet, we offer the game as a gift for the world to enjoy.

But together, we will make sure the world knows this one vital, important fact about the United States of America: No one balls like we do.

More on Team USA
Meet the men on this year's Team USA »
Meet the women on this year's Team USA »