Professional basketball player Marvin Barnes, once refused to board a plane from Louisville to St. Louis. Because the flight was scheduled to arrive (Central Time) before its departure time (Eastern Time), Barnes famously said, "I ain't getting in no damn time machine." He rented a car instead en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar…
Today I learned about NBA star Brian Williams, a polymath who following the end of his basketball career changed his name to Bison Dele, traveled the world having adventures (bazookas were involved). After learning to sail he bought a catamaran and set sail from Hawaii toward Tahiti. He was never seen again. criminallyintrigued.com/b…
Basketball Hall of Famer George Raveling volunteered as security during MLK's famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Immediately after the speech he asked MLK for the original typewritten manuscript, which he gave him. He still has it and has refused offers of more than $3,000,000 for it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_H…
Many of the sports/ basketball phrases we use every day - "Slam Dunk", "Air Ball", "No Harm, No Foul", "Throw A Brick", "Garbage Time" etc, were coined by one man - Lakers announcer Chick Hearn en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi…
Longtime Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson once confronted notorious D.C. drug lord Rayful Edmond III, who had become friendly with several players. When Edmond initially refused to stop contact with said players, the 6'10 Thompson stood up and yelled at Edmond, who then oblidged. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joh…
The infamous Shirts against the Blouses basketball game in Chappelle’s Show actually happened and Prince was as good as Charlie Murphy says he was. Prince also had blueberry pancakes served after the game. esquire.com/entertainment…
At the request of Vanessa Bryant, the Staples Center cataloged all the items at the makeshift memorial fans made for Kobe and Gianna. Among the items were 1,353 basketballs, 14 banners, 25,000 candles, 5,000 letters, 500 stuffed animals. All the flowers were reused as mulch. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/…
In 2015 a basketball player was found dead in her bed, the cause of death was ruled to be falling asleep with gum in her mouth and breathing it into her lungs nypost.com/2015/01/20/bas…
Today I learned there is a horse riding game that is a mixture between polo, rugby and Basketball called horse ball. It started not with a ball but with a live duck. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hor…
Today I learned about Pato, Argentina's national sport. A game played on horseback, combining elements from polo and basketball, where (originally) a live duck was used instead of a ball, hence the name of the sport. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat…
The top basketball teams in the Philippines are named after their sponsors, having team names like the 'Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs' or the 'Kia Sorentos'. theatlantic.com/business/…
Today I learned of the USS Carl Vinson, on which the very first College Basketball game on an aircraft carrier took place on November 11, 2011. The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Michigan State Spartans 67-55. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS…
Michael Jordan had a clause in his contract called “For the Love of the Game” that allowed him to play basketball anytime, anywhere, for any reason. si.com/nba/2015/08/25/nba…
The year 1972 marks the United States’ first Olympic loss in basketball to the Soviets, by 51-50. Despite the ruling, the American basketball team felt "robbed" and subsequently boycotted the medal ceremony, refusing to accept their silver medals to this day. latimes.com/archives/la-x…
North Korea has their own basketball rules: slam dunks are worth three points, field goals in the final three minutes of the game are worth eight points, three-pointers are worth four if the ball doesn't touch the rim, and a point is deducted for missed free throws. heraldsun.com.au/sport/ba…
Maya Moore, the best women’s basketball player in the world, retired early to fight for criminal justice reform. She helped overturn a wrongly convicted man who served 22 years of a 50-year sentence. His name is Jonathan Irons. time.com/5770359/wnba-may…
Bud Sailors, 6'5", would tease his younger brother, Kenny Sailors, 5'7", playing basketball, "Kenny, this isn't the game for you. It's for big men. Tall men." So Kenny invented what is known today as the Jump Shot. wbur.org/onlyagame/2016/0…
How the 1992 USA Men's basketball 'Dream Team' Olympic win was the highlight of the players' careers except Michael Jordan who said that the biggest benefit for him was that he learned more about his teammates' weaknesses. He later defeated Barkley, Malone, and Stockton in three NBA finals. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/199…
Today I learned of the disappearance of Gary Mathias, who after attending a college basketball game w/ 4 friends, was never seen again. His 4 friends were found decaying in/around a remote cabin 20mi. away from their car having died from starvation&hypothermia, despite an ample supply of food/heating materials. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yub…
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Lithuania could not afford to send its men's basketball team to the 1992 Olympics, so the Grateful Dead sent the team colorful, free-flowing tie-dye warm-up jerseys with a flying, dunking skeleton, and the team took the bronze medal. thesmartset.com/article03…
Today I learned about the 1965–66 Texas Western Miners men's basketball team. The first basketball team with an all-black starting lineup to win the National Championship. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/196…
The basketball term "Alley Oop" actually comes from football, which in turn took it from a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All…
Edwin Hubble played basketball in college, leading the University of Chicago's basketball team to its first conference title in 1907. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edw…
In 1944 the goaltending rule was adopted in basketball making it illegal for a defensive player to touch the ball on its downward flight. This was in reaction to Bob Kurland & George Mikan standing in front of the basket and swatting practically every opponent shot attempt. hooptactics.net/premium/b…
In 1977, a plane carrying the Evansville University men's basketball team crashed on takeoff, killing all on board. One player on the team did not make the trip due to a season-ending injury. He was killed two weeks later in a car accident. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air…
In 1992, Nike made a Super Bowl commercial where an animated Bugs Bunny played basketball with a real-live Michael Jordan. The commercial was so successful that Warner Brothers decided to turn it into a whole movie (Space Jam). highsnobiety.com/2015/07/…
Air Bud, about a dog who plays basketball, has 13 sequels. In the last one, 'Super Buddies', Bud's 5 puppies acquire magic rings that grant them superpowers and use them to defeat the warlord Commander Drex from the planet Inspiron en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air…
The guy who holds the world record for most consecutive made free throws didn't even make the “A” basketball team in high school. He attributes his skill to the concentration he learned as a dairy farmer. vault.si.com/vault/1991/0…
Trey, famous for his 'basketball game tomorrow' on Vine, did not only win the match, but also beat cancer after being diagnosed at just 11 abcnews4.com/sports/prep-…
In the entire 120+ year history of Kansas University's basketball team there has been only one coach with a losing record. His name is James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kan…
Spain won basketball gold at the 2000 Paralympics but most of the team wasn't disabled. The coach asked the team to slow their scoring because they were playing too well. When journalists became suspicious, they were encouraged to grow beards and wear hats so as not to be recognisable. telegraph.co.uk/sport/299…
Today I learned about 6-on-6 high school girls basketball that was extremely popular in Iowa. The teams had 3 guards that only played defense and 3 forwards that only played offense; these players had to stay on one side of the court. thegazette.com/subject/sp…
At a radiology conference in 1974, Lee Rogers, a physician who had mistakenly swallowed a soda can tab during a basketball game, addressed the hazard to the medical community, which lead to a redesign of a non-removable tab that reduced untold amounts of litter and injury to humans and wildlife. slate.com/human-interest/…
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Lithuanian basketball team couldn't afford to participate in the 1992 Olympics, so the Grateful Dead funded the team's expenses, and the team wore tie-dye uniforms. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gra…
The YMCA gave Dr Naismith 2 weeks to invent what would become basketball in 1891 in order to have an indoor "athletic distraction" to keep rowdy youth busy in the cold New England winter months en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMC…
In the 2000 paralympics, the Spanish team in basketball-ID consisted of fully functional semi-pros. They won gold by a landslide but where discovered because one of the players was an undercover journalist investigating fraud comitted by the president of the Spanish Disabled Sports Federation. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che…
Dribbling was already a thing in Japan in 1913-1915... And you could do it with your foot or while carrying a baby on your back. That's not something you see everyday in basketball's NBA. youtu.be/MQAmZ_kR8S8
Michael Jordan inherited his habit of sticking his tongue out through his teeth while playing basketball from his father James Jordan who would stick his tongue out while repairing the family car. orlandosentinel.com/news/…
Prior to the 92 Olympics several members of Australia’s Olympic basketball team threatened to boycott out of fears of contracting HIV from Magic Johnson. Australia basketball’s medical director Dr. Brian Sando recommended the Australians don’t play. latimes.com/archives/la-x…
In 1948, the Harlem Globetrotters defeated the all-white Minneapolis Lakers, a result that challenged people's views at the time that black athletes could not competently play basketball. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/194…
Today I learned of Latrell Sprewell, a basketball player whose career ended when he refused a $21-million 3-year contract, implying that he felt it wasn’t enough money to feed his children. He was never offered another contract by an NBA team, and has since experienced financial troubles. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lat…
Please note that this site uses cookies to personalise content and adverts, to provide social media features, and to analyse web traffic. Click here for more information.
