In this issue

FIRE AND DESIRE - Do not confuse Devin Booker’s baby face with a lack of killer instinct. This young shooter had arguably the best rookie season this side of the Twin Cities and he has every intention of getting much better.

FOR THE LAND - LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers really did it. And we were there every step of the way

DOME SHOTS - You guys like “basketball Instagram,” no? Our Year in Photos is like the best version of that, only in print form

RAPID RISE - There’s a reason you may not have heard of Marquese Chriss until Adam Silver called his name early on Draft night.

NO BASIC - Baylor’s powerhouse women’s program has another standout in super-solid forward Nina Davis.

MINORITY REPORT - Ever wonder how white players in the NBA view racial issues? We did our best to find out.

#NEVERFORGET - The amateur, underaged 1972 US Men’s Olympic Team was the victim of politically based officiating that has never been properly accounted for.

The Opening Tip

The New Us Versus the New Them

2 mins

Josh Richardson

Yaron is the Heat beat writer for SLAM…We’re about to find out how mean Figman really is…Will Adam, when seeing Darren Rovell at a participatory industry event, hope that a shoe, ball, weight or something else falls on his head? Hopefully yes…Steph Curry’s horrible fourth-quarter around-the-back pass attempt to Klay Thompson would have looked awful in a SLAM run. And we play at Washed Arena…Lock #1: Chauncey Billups will be an awesome head coach…Lock #2: The increased adidas x Kanye partnership will be a MASSIVE success…

5 mins

Cultural Exchange

LeBron, forever and ever and ever. We told everyone he would do what he’s done. And we’re still amazed…Ads on jerseys get a pretty big shrug from us. Y’all have seen a soccer game before, haven’t you?…Where does Steven Adams go from here?…Shout out to Steve. And Barry. And shoes and gear that were literally too cheap to survive… Stephon is still our guy, though…The Baseball Hall of Fame should hire Ice to run their coverage of Junior’s induction…

3 mins

Kristi Toliver

Why didn’t Simmons just call his new site The Money Pit? Launching a talk show with a guy we hear too much of to begin with shows his “genius”…In case you didn’t know, just ask Pete—Susan is always on her GRIND. And that includes copious notes of calls that include gems such as “the police aren’t proceeding with the case of the video equipment theft due to various reasons,” “the donuts are behind ruth’s desk” and “we’re working like chocolate and peanut butter, peanut butter and chocolate”...Whatever that means…

2 mins

Nigel Hayes

A plateau with meandering rivers nestled in the midst of the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, Madhya Pradesh, the land of royals and gods, morphs into a mystical melange of the aesthetic and spiritual.

2 mins

Witnesses

For LeBron James and the city of Cleveland, this Championship means more than most of us can even imagine. 

3 mins

For the Land

Down 3-1 to the defending champion Warriors, no one gave the Cavaliers a shot. But behind all-time great performances from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, the Cavs made history and finally brought a Championship to the long-suffering city of Cleveland in what will go down as an epic 7-game Finals rematch.

2 mins

The World is His

Harlem’s MOHAMED BAMBA is a top-3 prospect in the Class of 2017, and though he’ll likely sign with a traditional powerhouse, he hasn’t ruled out Harvard. We caught up with our new high school diarist at his home court, the Kingdome, to find out what makes him so unique.

3 mins

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