NBA 2K19 | How Could They Have Known feat. 2 Chainz, Rapsody and Jurreau | PS4

NBA 2K19 is proud to present LeBron James as the cover athlete for the 20th Anniversary Edition of #NBA2K19.

NBA 2K19 | How Could They Have Known ft. 2 Chainz, Rapsody and Jurreau | PS4

Pippen talks LeBron, failed Melo pitch

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen doesn’t know what it’s like to lose in the NBA Finals, but he figures LeBron James learned a lesson in doing just that for a second time in four tries with the Miami Heat.

After judging the slam-dunk championship at the Nike Chi League all-star festivities Saturday, Pippen was asked if he was surprised James left for the Cleveland Cavaliers following Miami’s one-sided loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals.

“I kind of figured he’d go back [to Cleveland],” Pippen said at Whitney Young High School. “I don’t know if he could hold that team up. I think [Dwyane] Wade's physical ability had him thinking, like, ‘Hey, maybe this is not the place I need to be.’ It was a great run for them. They weren’t as successful as they thought they would be, but you went to the Finals four times, so you can’t hold your head down too much about that.”

Six rings in six tries gives Pippen room for such backhanded praise.

While the Bulls reportedly had a meeting with James’ agent during this summer’s free-agency period, they failed at landing their true big target: Carmelo Anthony.

Pippen, now a special advisor to Bulls president and chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf, was a major part of the pitch to Anthony.

After Pippen’s family pictures with Anthony from a Nike European summer tour elicited great hope in the Windy City, the Hall of Famer was part of the Bulls’ daylong Chicago presentation to Anthony on July 1.

But after all the wooing, Anthony stayed in New York and signed a $124 million deal to remain a Knick. The Bulls were reportedly his second choice. It's a familiar story for the Bulls, who haven't been able to land a major free agent in the post-Jordan-and-Pippen era.

“I’m not disappointed,” Pippen said. “Guys are going to make their decision at the end of the day, so you try to make a pitch, and hopefully it works. It hasn’t worked so far, but still, we did what we had to do as an organization to try and attract one of the best free agents out there.”

What was the pitch, given that Chicago couldn’t offer a max deal?

“'Look at the roster' -- that was pretty much it,” Pippen said. “We have a roster we think has a championship pedigree. We’ve been playing good basketball the last few years, even without our star player. Just adding some pieces was the pitch we were throwing at him. We felt that he was a big piece that we needed to get over the hump.”

As far as big pieces, Pippen said he likes the addition of 7-footer Pau Gasol, who had his introductory press conference Friday.

“We have size, and we got two big guys that can really pass the ball,” he said. “Pau gives us inside scoring that’s much needed. ... It’ll be great for our basketball team because we haven’t had a dominating low-post scorer in the block for a while.”

With James in Cleveland, Pippen said he thinks the Bulls have as good a chance as any team if Derrick Rose gets back to form.

“I think it’s wide open now, other than looking at San Antonio as the defending champion,” Pippen said. “I think a lot of teams have the opportunity to step up.”

By Jon Greenberg
ESPNChicago.com

New York Teenager Creates World’s First 'Sneaker Pawnshop’

By Rosa Prince/The Telegraph

Youngsters can pawn their valuable trainers to raise cash – if they pass smell test



A New York teenager has created the world’s first "sneaker pawnshop" where streetwise youngsters can hock their valuable trainers to raise cash.

Specialising in high-end designer models and “dead stock,” limited edition trainers no longer being made which can sell for many thousands of dollars, the store is the brainchild of Chase Reed, a 16-year-old from Harlem.

All shoes brought into Sneaker Pawn must pass a smell test before their owners receive a lump sum in cash.

They can redeem them later or allow them to be sold. Owners have first refusal on any sale and receive 80 per cent of any profit. Customers usually borrow around $100 (£60) per pair of lightly-worn trainers although one was lent thousands of dollars after bringing in a pair of Nike LeBron Crown Jewels and two pairs of Nike Air Jordans. They must repay the loan at a rate of 20 per cent.

Chase came up with the idea for Sneaker Pawn after asking his father, Troy, if he could borrow $50 (£29) only days after being bought a pair of expensive trainers.

Mr Reed told the New York Post: “I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ I’m holding these sneakers until I get my $50 back.” Chase raised the seed money to open Sneaker Pawn by selling off his own 200-strong collection of trainers.

A 10th grader at the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, he works in the shop after school and at weekends while his father mans the tills during school hours.

As well as passing the sniff test, Chase and his colleagues check that trainers brought in to be pawned have retained their colour and do not have excessive wear on the soles.

Mr Reed said: “Young kids don’t have jewellery. They don’t have cars. But what they do have is the thousands of dollars worth of sneakers in their house.

“After we evaluate it, we’ll give the kid, say, $100 for the sneakers. If he wants them back, he’ll pay the $100, plus $20 for storing the sneakers.”

Chase said: “It’s an idea that’s right in front of your face. It’s just about bringing the idea to life.

“I don’t look at it like a business. It’s what I do. It’s what I breathe.”

Among the shop’s customers have been a youngster who pawned his valuable trainers to pay for his brother’s funeral and two teenage girls who wanted cash to buy prom dresses.

The owner of the LeBron Crown Jewels used the cash to move to The Bronx from Brooklyn.

Sneakers have become big business in recent years, with youngsters frequently queuing all night outside shops such as Nike and Reebok to buy the latest releases, and swapping shoes at huge trainer conventions.

There is a lively trade on auction sites such as eBay, where limited-edition trainers can rise in value far above their original retail price, particularly if they have a celebrity endorsement.

Originally bought for $270 (£159), LeBron Crown Jewels, named after basketball star LeBron James of the Miami Heat, are now worth around $1,400 (£825).

Nike Air Yeezys, designed in collaboration with the singer Kanye West, cost $263 (£194) when they were released, and are currently on sale on eBay for between $1,700 (£1,256) and $15,000 (£8,841).

Earlier this year, Jonathan Rodriguez, an 18-year-old from Deer Park, New York, turned down an offer of $98,000 (£57,760) in cash for his Nike Air Yeezy 2 “Red October” sneakers, which had been signed by West onstage during a concert.

One of Sneaker Pawn’s employees, Rahsaan “Uncle Bless” Capers has been offered $17,000 (£12,560) for the three pairs of Yeezys he owns, but says he is not ready to sell.

NIKE LEBRON 11 2K14

Could LeBron James be the next leader in tech innovation when it comes to gaming?

Thanks to his latest partnership with Nike Basketball, it sure is looking that way. To honor Bron-Bron's current NBA 2K14 game cover, Nike Basketball created a limited edition “2K14” version of the LeBron 11 that could only be earned through gameplay.

Players unlocked the shoe by reaching several in-game milestones — like winning 60 games and creating a signature shoe in the Nike Innovation Kitchen. A few lucky winners of MyPlayer mode are currently waiting on shipping details of the surprise shoe — featuring a jungle cat print and deep red upper to symbolize the heart of a lion — which will arrive in the coming weeks.

WRITTEN BY: KEENAN HIGGINS