Nike Basketball News

Play With Heart Moments: November 8, 2009

jechee — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:07:13 GMT

Over the weekend, two players - including one rookie - stepped up and Play With Heart.

In Sacramento, Tyreke Evans took his game to another level. With the team's leading scorer out for at least two months, Evans put up a a career-high 32 points in a 104-99 win in Utah on November 7. Evans was aggressive, getting to the line for 19 free throws, making 16 of them. He also got his teammates involved, dishing out 7 assists. The next day, he scored 18 of his 23 points in the second quarter to lead the Kings over Golden State, 120-107. Over the weekend, he totalled 55 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and most importantly, two wins. That's Playing With Heart.

Kevin Durant continues to lead Oklahoma City to victories, this time against Orlando. Durant had 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist in the 102-74 victory. He also contributed on the defensive end, with 3 steals, including one that led to a breakaway dunk in the second quarter.

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

Combat Players of the Week: October 27 to November 1

jechee — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:19:11 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. Less than one week into the 2009-2010 season, here are the players who started the year Prepared For Combat.

Guard: Rajon Rondo.
Known for his quickness, Rondo is attacking at both ends of the floor. Over his first 4 games, Rajon has grabbed 20 offensive boards. And on the defensive side, he’s second in the league (to Kobe) with 2.5 steals per game. |

Wing: Kevin Durant.
KD is attacking this season – getting to the line over 9 times/game, which is big when you are filling it up at nearly 80%. He’s playing with heart – grabbing over 9 boards a game, nearly 4 boards above his career averages.

Big: Chris Bosh.
Second in the League with 14.7 boards per game, including 4.0 on the offensive glass. And he is coming out the gate attacking -- leading the league with 15 trips to the line per game.

Who should be the Combat Player of the Week? Rondo, Durant, or Bosh?

Play With Heart Moments: October 28, 2009

jechee — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:25:59 GMT

Check out Play With Heart moments from Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, Steve Nash, and Al Horford.

Oklahoma City made a statement in its first game of the season, beating Sacramento 102-89. Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook had the pure drive to win. Durant had a double-double, with 25 points and 11 rebounds, two of which came on a baseline-to-baseline finish in the first quarter. Northwestern High School alumnus Jeff Green chipped in 24 points, going 4-5 from behind the arc, along with 8 rebounds. Russell Westbrook ran the offense to perfection, finishing with 14 points and a career-high 13 assists, including a pretty thread of the needle to Durant in the second quarter.

Steve Nash was clutch in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 24 points--including 7 straight Suns points--in the final stanza, as Phoenix beat the Clippers 109-107. With 5 seconds to go, Nash hit a circus layup in traffic, which would be the deciding points in the Suns victory.

Atlanta's Al Horford had 24 points, 16 rebounds to lead his team over Indiana 120-109, with two of those points coming on a follow-up dunk in the middle of the fourth quarter. But he also showed up in the box score with 4 assists, including two in the third quarter on consecutive possessions.

What was your favorite Play With Heart moment from Wednesday?

The Hyperizers - A Closer Look

GoodN81 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:25:35 GMT

• Andre Iguodala as CHIEF BLOCKA
• Mo Williams as FOG RAW
• Kevin Durant as VELVET HOOP
• Rashard Lewis as ICE-O

Yeah, these high-flying vocalists demanded the mic. But they also:

• Got their sweat on poolside
• Bombed the diving board to cool down
• Pushed the producers buttons, sometimes singing instead of rapping
• Literally pushed the buttons, running point on the mixing boards
• Showed up as themselves and ran fools ragged on the court
• Transformed into their alter egos after some Hollywood styling

And much, much more.

Check out the Nike Hyperize here and on NikeStore.com.

The Hyperizers - "Don't Criticize (Hyperize)"

GoodN81 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:18:55 GMT

• Andre Iguodala as CHIEF BLOCKA
• Mo Williams as FOG RAW
• Kevin Durant as VELVET HOOP
• Rashard Lewis as ICE-O

This collection of NBA All-Stars demanded the mic. The result? Crossover artists who bring the same flow poolside from the BBQ pit or high above the blacktop rims.

CHIEF BLOCKA encourages ya’ll to g’head and criticize. Scoring machines feed off the hate every time they play.

FOG RAW becomes the mayor of the lane with a six-fingered salute to assaulting the rim. This player hater always sees the girls a little later.

As the youngest in charge, VELVET HOOP makes every opposing defense stand still. Thermometer reads 80 degrees - but fools just freeze.

And ICE-O has hella fun on every run. His lyrics - like his sweet jumper - are always improvised. Often imitated. Never duplicated.

For those who criticize the unstoppable game? The answer: Hyperize.

Because this much style just can’t be controlled.

Check out the Nike Hyperize here and on NikeStore.com.

The Family: OKC's Finest

Hotnix — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:30:56 GMT

OKC isn’t going to the playoffs this season, but with an exciting young corps of talent, led by Durant and Westbrook, they will be a threat in years to come.

Kevin Durant has been practically unstoppable for most of the season, but 31 points in an upset win over one of the best in the west deserves some extra mention. The sophomore gunslinger connected on a variety of slashing moves and spot up jumpers against one of the league’s best defensive teams. Big D hit on 12 of 19 shots in the win, which put a big dent into the Alamo City’s hopes for a division title.

Pretty good week for KD—averaging 24.8 PPG over his last five games, counting the 31 in Texas. But that actually is a full point below his season average of 25.8, an indicator of how superb Durant has been.

Lots of those points came courtesy of OKC point guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook doubled his average for the season when it comes to assists on Tuesday night in San Antonio, putting up ten to go along with sixteen points. Not a bad night, especially one turned in against one of the league’s elite PGs. Durant and Westbrook combined to pull a 96-95 upset, in no small measure thanks to the rookie’s cool and proliferation of dimes.

Two nights earlier, Westbrook & Co. fell short of another big upset in Beantown, but the rook did his all to make it happen, filling it up for 23 points in a losing effort. In total, Russell is averaging 15.7 points and 5.1 assists per game in his initial season, not bad numbers for a newcomer at any position, much less the most demanding one on the floor.

Here’s a fact that should send shudders through the league—both Durant and Westbrook are just 20 years old. Imagine what they can do when they grow up…

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 Family: Versus

Hotnix — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:18:35 GMT

Although this year’s midseason classic is over, the stars are still shining bright heading into the second half of the season. Tuesday night promises some show stopping post-all-star action as the league’s youngest big guns face off against the game’s most unstoppable veterans.

O.J. Mayo's path to the league has paralleled that of his mentor, NBA superstar LeBron James. By the end of his senior year he was named Mr. Basketball of Ohio two straight times, Player of the Year twice and led his team to their third straight high school championship. Now, backed by high-flying forward Rudy Gay, the student will face the teacher at the pro level in a run and gun test of skills.

Later that night, the West lights up as the young star of this year’s all-star weekend Kevin Durant challenges the reigning league and All-star MVP Kobe Bryant in an all out offensive battle. After scoring 46 points in the Rookie Sophomore Challenge, breaking the record for most points ever scored during a midseason classic, he’ll have to bring his A-game and promising young rookie Russell Westbrook to come out on top.

This double-header starts Tuesday at 7:00pm ET.

NBA Regular Season

Monday, February 23

Atlanta vs. Utah @ 9:00pm ET

Tuesday, February 24

Memphis vs. Cleveland @ 7:00pm ET
L.A. Lakers vs. Oklahoma City @ 8:00pm ET

Wednesday, February 25

Orlando vs. New York @ 7:30pm ET

Friday, February 27

Cleveland vs. Boston @ 8:00pm ET

Sunday, March 1

San Antonio vs. Portland @ 8:00pm ET

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 »