Category: Fashion and culture

SlamBall will return this summer, with Celtics big man Blake Griffin cited as key investor

SlamBall is set to return this July. Credit Blake Griffin with the financial assist.

Boston Celtics veteran Blake Griffin has always had an eccentric life away from the basketball court. He’s dabbled in acting, in philanthropy, and in stand-up comedy since joining the NBA in 2009. Helping bring back SlamBall, however, might be some of Griffin’s most exciting work.

According to Front Office Sports, Griffin is among the initial investors resurrecting SlamBall this summer. A form of high-impact basketball played on trampolines, professional SlamBall was a cult favorite in the early 2000s. Though it aired for just two seasons between 2002 and 2003, SlamBall was a captivating and dazzling spectacle. And thanks in part to Griffin, it’s back.

A strong social media campaign helped launch the reboot, according to league co-founder Mason Gordon. He told FOS fans’ collective excitement for bringing SlamBall back informed the new venture. “This is a true Cinderella story — only with helmets, pads, and trampolines.” Gordon said.

The Celtics winning so many games is keeping one Boston fan very busy

By now, only the most casual of Boston Celtics fans have not yet seen one of the fictional jerseys put together by cottage graphic design wizard Pete Rogers.

By now, only the most casual of Boston Celtics fans have not yet seen one of the fictional jerseys put together by cottage graphic design wizard Pete Rogers, who has been designing and sharing custom Celtics jerseys after each and every Boston win.

The folks over at the NBC Sports Boston official YouTube channel sat down with Rogers on the “Celtics Talk” podcast, with host Chris Forsberg getting into how Rogers started making the custom jerseys, how hard he has to work to come up with new ideas, and more (and if you have yet to see them for yourself, to see some of the more popular versions, click on this link).

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what the two had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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New Bill Russell documentary seeks the nuance of the Boston Celtics great’s life

Not just the NBA’s greatest winner or a lifelong activist, director Sam Pollard shared his goals in representing Russell’s life.

[lawrence-newsletter]There are a few versions of Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell that are not entirely true to life. The first version is the Bill Russell who won a record 11 titles as a player or player-coach, the shining icon of Boston sports, beloved by all.

The other is the tireless defender of human rights who despised the city he played basketball in for a living for the abuses which take place in it with regularity. And while there may be a grain of truth to both narratives, the reality of Bill Russell was far more nuanced in his greatness, a reality the director of his new Netflix documentary tried to capture.

“The one thing Bill Russell always said: he loved being a Boston Celtic,” shared “Bill Russell: Legend” director Sam Pollard in a recent interview with WEEI’s Meghan Ottolini.

How do Boston’s City Edition jerseys stack up against the rest of the NBA?

Which are the very best and which are the worst City Editions that have been created for the 2022-23 NBA season?

The Boston Celtics have created some infamous City Edition jerseys (think the Enya Irish pub one) and some truly amazing ones, such as what Hall of Fame Celtics center Bill Russell helped design for this season. There are now 30 such designs on the market.

But which are the very best? And which are the worst City Editions that have been created for the 2022-23 NBA season? More importantly, where does Boston’s City Edition jersey rank against its peers?

The folks over at the Clutch Points YouTube channel recently put together a short video ranking every City Edition jersey in the NBA for 2022-23 (including the Celtics, of course).

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Netflix releases trailer for new documentary of Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell

Fans of Boston Celtics Hall of Fame big man Bill Russell need to circle Feb. 8, 2023, on their calendar for the official release of the eponymous new Netflix documentary “Bill Russell: Legend”.

Fans of Boston Celtics Hall of Fame big man Bill Russell need to circle Feb. 8, 2023, on their calendar for the official release of the eponymous new Netflix documentary “Bill Russell: Legend” set to be released by the online streaming giant on that date. Tapping Russell’s personal archives, the documentary was produced in collaboration with the Celtics icon before his passing this past summer.

On Wednesday morning, Netflix released a trailer for the film featuring a number of his contemporaries and stars of today’s and yesterday’s NBA commenting on the immeasurable impact of the renowned civil rights activist including Larry Bird, Stephen Curry, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Chris Paul, Jayson Tatum, and Jerry West.

Russell, who risked his NBA stardom to advance human rights at a time when there was barely acceptance of Black players in the league at all, made NBA history for his excellence on the court on the way to earning a record 11 championships.

But it was his work as a mentor and humanitarian fighting for the rights of others that truly made the man a legend. Check out the trailer for yourself courtesy of the tweet from the “Celtics Lab” podcast embedded above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Jayson Tatum among top-selling NBA jerseys so far this season

The NBA just released its 10 top-selling jerseys for the season. Where did Jayson Tatum land on the list?

The NBA released the latest sales data for jerseys and merchandise sales thus far for the 2022-23 season, and Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are evidently quite popular among fans. The St. Louis native landed No. 6 among top-selling jerseys, while the Celtics as an organization have sold the third most total merchandise.

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry once again has the No. 1 jersey in the league, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant, and Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant. This is Morant’s first time at the top of the list of jersey sales.

Sixth place is nothing to sneeze at for Tatum, who is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the NBA. That said, Tatum’s jersey was ranked No. 5 last season. And it ranked No. 4 as recently as January of 2020.

Jayson Tatum reveals playing through hand injury, leaked shoe image fake

The Celtics star was in a revelatory mood after helping dispatch Brooklyn Thursday.

For star Boston Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum, his postgame media availability after Boston’s win over the Nets on Thursday was dually revelatory. On the more serious side of things, the Duke alum shared that on top of his chronic wrist issues, he has also been playing through what sounds like a minor if nagging hand injury as well.

Referencing his wrist, Tatum shared via CLNS Media that he has had “issues with my thumb and recently my ring finger” he has been taping up to help ease the discomfort. The St. Louis native also spoke about the leaked images purporting to be of his new signature shoe, which Tatum suggested were not the finished product that will hit the stores soon.

“Truthfully, that’s not the real picture,” he explained. “I’ve seen the not-real version that came out today.”

“The kid in me wanted to post the real picture, but I’m excited I’ll be wearing them very soon,” he added. “But that’s not exactly how they look.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics legend Kevin Garnett on his new role in NBA 2K23

It is one thing to be into a video game as a huge fan of it. It is another thing entirely to be IN a game you are also a big fan of.

It is one thing to be into a video game as a huge fan of it. It is another thing entirely to be IN a game you are also a big fan of, and the latter is the case for Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Kevin Garnett. the 2008 NBA title winner with Boston was recently featured on an episode of NBA 2K TV to talk about his recent inclusion in a new iteration of the classic basketball simulation game he also happens to be a fan of.

The Big Ticket got into his experience with motion capture technology as the folks behind NBA 2K use to create the realistic play of the game as well as his fandom of eSports that is also catching on around the world, how he watches competitive gaming, and more.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to get up to speed on Garnett’s new career feature in the NBA gaming series for yourself.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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What are the ugliest City Edition jerseys in the NBA?

And where do the Boston Celtics’ City Editions rank among them, if at all?

While this year’s NBA City Edition jerseys are a special sort given their touches by Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell, the Celtics have put out some of the uglier City Edition jerseys in recent league memory.

The Enya-esque Celtics Pub City Editions in particular stand out as especially heinous iterations of the Association-wide jersey line of alternates the traditionalists among us despise, even if they have in many cases become quite popular. But where, compared to the most garish of City Edition jerseys, do the Celtics stack up, if at all? What are the ugliest City Edition jerseys in the NBA?

This is what the folks over at the “Buckets” podcast have been trying to answer, and they made a stab at it on a recent episode of their pod.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to see if you agree with which NBA team’s City Editions are the ugliest ones we can buy (warning — some explicit language).

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics alum Kemba Walker waived by Mavs, Jayson Tatum takes note; is a reunion brewing?

Do the St. Louis native’s social media musings hint at moves to come from Boston’s front office?

The Dallas Mavericks have officially waived former Boston Celtics veteran point guard Kemba Walker, prompting an interesting tweet from former teammate Jayson Tatum that is replete with the requisite googly eyes and shamrocks which are sure to stir up interest in the NBA media sphere.

Do the St. Louis native’s social media musings hint at moves to come from Boston’s front office? Coupled with the recent move to open up a roster spot by dealing Noah Vonleh to the San Antonio Spurs, it is not entirely implausible these events are tied together with Tatum tipping his hand at inside knowledge.

But the current structure of the Celtics’ roster has former first-round pick Payton Pritchard relegated to an as-needed role off the bench — and thus far this season interim head coach Joe Mazzulla has not needed much of Pritchard.

So while a Kemba-Celtics reunion might not make sense save for an additional coach off the bench (which is dubious given how much Walker loves to play), additional moves might make a crack-glass-in-case-of-emergency role more suited to the former UConn standout given he and Pritchard’s relative places in their career arcs.

For now, however, we wait to see how these issues unfold and are related — or are not.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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