I started this blog 6 months and 155 blog posts ago! Thank you for your encouragement and support!
The Black Fives Blog: 6 Month Anniversary!
This is something about how I got my Black Fives retro gear placed in a classic episode of Pimp My Ride, along with clips of Xzibit wearing it.
When 93-year-old James Henderson ran into soon-to-be 93-year-old John Isaacs last Friday in Falls Church, Virginia, the trash talking began instantly.
N.B.A. All Star Game M.V.P. LeBron James’ blog at LeBron on MSN has a nice mention of our website by former Vibe Magazine honcho Emil Wilbekin.
I did this interview and put it in the vault (Summer ’07) but it’s worth dusting off … [display_podcast] This is a thorough interview on a popular daily lunch time radio show called “The Beat” with Mike Wesson. It has a little bit on how Black Fives was created, and some more on how Washington,… Read more »
I was on the Afronerd Blog last week for an interview with the Afronerd. Please check it out by clicking below. He’s a very intelligent, passionate, conscious brother who publishes the Afronerd Blog. He’s also ridiculously funny but like most nerds he doesn’t realize it. His blog, the Afronerd Blog, calls itself a web sanctuary… Read more »
I was invited to be a panelist at the 2nd Annual Princeton University Sports Symposium last week (Friday, December 7). (Download agenda.) Terry Lefton (left), editor of the Sports Business Journal, moderating a panel discussion about Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. I wore my orange and black Jordan sweater vest and my black/orange Black Fives Nike… Read more »
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Black Fives
We inspire excellence in youth and communities by preserving, teaching, and honoring the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball.
For years, we have been building something truly remarkable.![]()
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Something deeper than what’s visible on the surface.![]()
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This piece, created by the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective from remnants of our Black Fives throwback jerseys, carries that idea.![]()
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On the front, you see something beautiful.![]()
On the back, you see the work.![]()
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Tens of thousands of stitches.![]()
Each one holding the whole together.![]()
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Like the earlier African American basketball pioneers whose names were forgotten, but whose work helped shape the game.![]()
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Like the countless people, often unseen, who did and are doing the work that holds our country together.![]()
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The surface only exists because of what’s behind it.![]()
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And it’s only as strong as the weakest stitch.![]()
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Do we really want to remove certain stitches?![]()
Are we OK with pieces falling apart?![]()
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Do we value the work we don’t see?![]()
Do we recognize it?![]()
Do we protect it?![]()
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That’s the real story.![]()
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A cultural archive. A sports heritage platform.![]()
Build with us.![]()
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Make History Now.![]()
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#culturalheritage ![]()
#intellectualproperty ![]()
#archives ![]()
#sportsbusiness ![]()
#blackhistory
For years, we have been building something truly remarkable.![]()
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A deep archive of early African American basketball.![]()
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The stories, the images, the history that shaped the game.![]()
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But this is more than an archive.![]()
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It’s a cultural IP and sports heritage platform.![]()
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Infrastructure of history, identity, and assets ready to build with.![]()
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For partners, institutions, and brands who want real cultural authenticity, not just performative optics.![]()
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Build with us.![]()
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blackfives.org/build![]()
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#blackhistory #culturalheritage #brandpartnerships #archives #intellectualproperty