Niko Carino vividly remembers growing up in a relatively unbeknownst suburb in the east side of Toronto named Scarborough in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. At the time, basketball was just a niche sport in Canada. Yet, in the Carino household, basketball was everything.  A first-generation Canadian whose parents migrated from the Philippines, Niko grew up around hoops ever since he could remember. “Filipinos in general, we love basketball. That’s what I was exposed to very young. I got okay at playing. I played in the OBA—it’s almost like AAU but a Canadian version. I played for an organiz ..read more

Gleaming grills, bedazzled basketball accessories and format fits. The 2024 WNBA Draft was a night to remember, and the orange carpet is the new runway. Headlined by No. 1 pick and SLAM 249 cover star Caitlin Clark, as well as No. 2 pick Cameron Brink and more, this year’s draft welcomed the arrival of the League’s new, and stylish, rookies. Let’s take a look back at yesterday’s draft night fits: Breaking records and making history isn’t anything new for Caitlin Clark. She reportedly is the first athlete, ever, to be dressed by Prada on draft day. Cameron Brink was runway ready. Look, @ig ..read more

Shot on location at ZZ’s Club, Miami Jimmy Butler is everywhere these days. There he is at the US Open, serving as an honorary ball boy for an exhibition match between Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe. There he is in the new music video for Fall Out Boy’s “So Much (For) Stardust,” sporting his now-legendary “Emo Jimmy” look. There he is in ads for Hulu, Alo, State Farm and Hotels.com. There he is sampling products for BIGFACE, his budding coffee brand, and at the first-ever Reserve Cup, a padel competition that he helped bring to Miami. There he is at the Kaseya Center, soaring for lobs and k ..read more

We were all moving kinda slowly. There were some friends of friends who’d heard we were bringing Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo to this gym in Connecticut. A small group of people popped up asking for photos and for autographs. The guys were cool about it. They smiled, they listened, they signed. There was no real sense of urgency, which was fine with us. Comfortability is a big key to what we do. We like when players are feeling free. It was Donte who first made the move to switch into his uniform. He broke from the group of people to ask about a bathroom. All of a sudden, Jale ..read more

Undefeated. Undisputed. Uncommon favor. The Gamecocks had posted back-to-back undefeated seasons going into the well-anticipated national championship matchup against Iowa. Led by Dawn Staley, their passion, drive, and motivation had been evident all year—their dominant roster includes standout freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley, and WNBA draft Kamilla Cardoso to name a few. As for their head coach, well, her resume speaks for itself: four-time Naismith Coach of the Year and, up until this point, had led the Gamecocks to two ‘chips. The showdown between Iowa and South Carolina lived up to the hype. In ..read more

All she needed was four dribbles.  In South Carolina’s season opener against Notre Dame, MiLaysia Fulwiley made headlines after she blew by a swarm of green jerseys with an elite behind-the-back move, finishing with flair. The Gamecocks would go on to dominate the Fighting Irish, 100-71, in their season opener held in Paris, France. Fulwiley finished the game with 17 points, six assists and six steals in her collegiate debut. And it didn’t take long for her compelling stat line and highlight clips to flood timelines. Word traveled 4,000 miles back to the United States: a star was on the ..read more

To celebrate SLAM’s 30th anniversary, we’re spotlighting the 30 most influential men’s college teams from our past 30 years. Stats, records and chips aren’t the main factor here, it’s all about their contribution to the game’s cultural fabric. For the next 30 days—Monday through Friday— we’ll be unveiling the full list here. We’ve also got an exclusive retro collegiate collection, out now, that pays homage to each squad’s threads. Shop here. “Swagger” may be an overused term, but there isn’t a more perfect way to describe the style of play that encapsulated the 2018-19 Murray State R ..read more

To celebrate SLAM’s 30th anniversary, we’re spotlighting the 30 most influential men’s college teams from our past 30 years. Stats, records and chips aren’t the main factor here, it’s all about their contribution to the game’s cultural fabric. For the next 30 days—Monday through Friday— we’ll be unveiling the full list here. We’ve also got an exclusive retro collegiate collection, out now, that pays homage to each squad’s threads. Shop here. With the hardwood as their canvas, the 2019 Duke Blue Devils painted a masterpiece that will be remembered for generations to come.  Legendary h ..read more

To celebrate SLAM’s 30th anniversary, we’re spotlighting the 30 most influential men’s college teams from our past 30 years. Stats, records and chips aren’t the main factor here, it’s all about their contribution to the game’s cultural fabric. For the next 30 days—Monday through Friday— we’ll be unveiling the full list here. We’ve also got an exclusive retro collegiate collection, out now, that pays homage to each squad’s threads. Shop here. The Villanova Wildcats entered the 2017-18 season as that team. They’d just won the National Championship the season prior in historic fashion w ..read more

To celebrate SLAM’s 30th anniversary, we’re spotlighting the 30 most influential men’s college teams from our past 30 years. Stats, records and chips aren’t the main factor here, it’s all about their contribution to the game’s cultural fabric. For the next 30 days—Monday through Friday— we’ll be unveiling the full list here. We’ve also got an exclusive retro collegiate collection, out now, that pays homage to each squad’s threads. Shop here. Despite being a youthful roster filled with talented stars, the 2017 Wildcats would be questioned at every corner. De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Bam ..read more