Speaking of Schoolhouse Rock, from the other day, remember this ad? httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvqwsiVn3W0 The original version: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11N-BD1aBo0 The past and the present and the future …
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My talk at the Basketball Hall of Fame last week was a thrill. I was there as part of the Champions of Character Education Series that I previously described. The auditorium was filled to capacity with 300 students and their teachers, representing middle schools and high schools from Springfield, Hartford, and Albany. The attendees were… Read more »
Next week is the 36th annual Black Invitational Basketball Tournament in Halifax, Nova Scotia, starting May 14. By far, this is the most amazing basketball tournament you’ve ever never heard of. Yet. It’s run by the Provincial Black Basketball Association — the most amazing basketball organization you’ve never heard of … yet. How do I… Read more »
In the headlines of the Sports Business Journal (SBJ) yesterday was this piece about how sluggish the U.S. athletic footwear industry is right now: Nike bucks trend of ‘uninspired’ U.S. market Here’s a quote from the article: “Nike still captures the high ground as far as authenticity and brand integrity,” said Claude Johnson, a former… Read more »
Black Fives gets some burn on FOX Business News, as part of a clip about Converse’s 100th anniversary that aired yesterday. The Rens 1933 All Star, part of the Converse Century Pack. Check this out: That’s my man Scott Patt, my friend and former colleague from our way back days at Nike, who’s now Global… Read more »
Congratulations to Hakeem Olajuwon for being named to the Class of 2008 for enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame yesterday. This reminds me of this one time in the summer of 1995 when I escorted Hakeem around a trade show in Munich, Germany. It was the ISPO Show, the annual mega-fair for sports… Read more »
A video clip and some pics from the House of Hoops grand opening in Harlem
I’ll be at the grand opening of “House of Hoops” today, a new basketball-only store on 125th Street in Harlem. The store is a collaboration between Nike and Footlocker, which Nike says will be a “hub for all things basketball.” I like the idea for more than one reason. When I lived in Harlem in… 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 ![]()
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#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