Today, over 30 states have legalized online sports betting, all with college sports teams, and thousands of college-age students are allowed to bet online. Not all states allow college betting; some have complete restrictions, while others, like Pennsylvania allow it on all NCAA events while prohibiting betting on markets directly associated with individual players, so-called player props. Still, the problem is prevalent enough for the NCAA to forbid student-athletes, coaches or athletic staff members from wagering or providing information to others that may impact the outcome of a game. Vi ..read more

Believe it or not, the 21st century isn’t that young anymore. We’re nearly a quarter of the way through the century, so now feels like a good time to start looking at the first part of the century in a historical context. We’ve seen multiple instances of what could be considered a dynasty in the NBA. However, everything always seems to come back to the Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers Dominant Throughout History Along with the Celtics and perhaps the 76ers, the Lakers were the preeminent franchise in the NBA during the 20th century. Before the year 2000, the Lakers won 11 NBA titles, which is m ..read more

How does a player who spent 14 seasons in the NBA with only two all-star selections still end up in the Hall of Fame? He also missed 60% of his games due to injury. If you add up all the games he actually played, it only adds up to 5.5 years of basketball in a 14-year career. That means that he got paid for 8.5 years’ worth of games that he did not even play in. This is the story of Bill Walton’s feet.  If it had not been for his feet, then players like Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Steph Curry, or Kawhi Leonard may have had their careers cut short due ..read more

I love the history of sports team nicknames. Today I am sharing some of the stories behind the nicknames of five NBA teams. Some of these stories are complicated as about half the league has had at least one relocation and/or name change. Other teams are very straightforward and simple. But we are going to do it division by division. You see, there really isn’t a good way that we can fit all 30 teams into a single episode. So, going division by division seemed the best way to give each team adequate time. Today’s story is actually five stories on how more NBA teams got their nicknames. With ..read more

There’s the famous saying that every dog has its day. Without wanting to disrespect the mighty and historic New York Knicks, this could well be the story of not just their day but their whole NBA season.   That’s because something has definitely happened to jolt the Madison Square Garden residents into action with some predicting their first NBA Championship win in over five decades. But it’s the question of what exactly has come about to see this surge in form and which has them riding high in the NBA Finals oddswhich, at the start of May, held them as fourth  ..read more

I love the history of sports team nicknames. Today I am sharing some of the stories behind the nicknames of five NBA teams. Some of these stories are complicated as about half the league has had at least one relocation and/or name change. Other teams are very straightforward and simple. But we are going to do it division by division. You see, there really isn’t a good way that we can fit all 30 teams into a single episode. So, going division by division seemed the best way to give each team adequate time. In today’s episode, we are going to cover the Pacific Division. We will return to this ..read more

Imagine that you are one of the most skilled people in the world at a particular craft. You even have a sense of humility about it, but you know that you have a gift that makes you better at this thing than nearly everyone else in the world. Now, let us also imagine that you have virtually nowhere in which to pursue this craft. And then, very suddenly, your ability to do this thing is taken away. That is what happened to Cheryl Miller, arguably the greatest women’s basketball player ever. The sad end to her playing career came at the age of 24 when she suffered a career-ending knee injury a ..read more

The very first women’s game recorded happened only one year after the game was invented. The game spread very quickly in popularity. Dr. James Naismith invented the game in late 1891. But, the following year in 1892 the first women’s game was organized and played. The game really did gain a very fast following on the east coast of the United States. Senda Berenson: Pioneer Senda Berenson organized the first game between students at all-women’s Smith College, located in Northampton, Massachusetts. Smith College is only 19 miles away from the YMCA where the game was invented in Springfield ..read more

The journey from college courts to the dazzling arenas of the NBA is a path trodden by the college basketball elite. This transition is not just a leap in terms of career but also a testament to the profound influence college basketball holds over NBA draft picks. The developmental arc provided by college basketball, the spotlight on raw talent, and the grit and grace under pressure are pivotal in shaping the careers of countless athletes. Let’s dive into how college basketball molds players into prospective NBA stars. Photo sourced via Unsplash (Credit - Logan Weaver | @LGNWVR) of a baske ..read more

The following is an excerpt from Glass Backboards: A Coast to Coast Anthology of American Basketball by Dr. Charles Ripp. To learn more, you can head to the Glass Backboards website. Basketball is competitive fun, athleticism, and staying-in-shape and enhances all faculties of living (sleep, education, interpersonal relationships, dealing with defeat and team socialization). Playing basketball has a strong statistical association with stronger marriages, finances, and overall life satisfaction indices. There are issues at all levels of basketball. The biggest hurdle is only 5 players on the ..read more