Slim's Sneaker History

It's been a while since I've written about kicks, as nothing new has really caught my eye enough to inspire a post. So I've decided to take a moment to let you in on how my sneaker obsession began. I'm sure you're just dying to know. I trace the obsession back to my days in the first grade, when my good friend Ryan, of Half Court Heave fame, moved in next door to the Mayfields on good ole Shuman Lane in Finneytown.

Up until this point, I had never owned a pair of Nike Airs and it wasn't until I saw Ryan and his older brother rocking them that I began to covet them more than anything else in the world. My desire to own a pair grew so strong that one time, while eating at a restaurant with my family, I noticed a waitress wearing some and loudly exclaimed, "She's wearing Nike Airs!"

One morning after a sleepover at Ryan's house, I noticed a pair of black and white Nike Air trainers sitting in the basement. They were an old pair of Ryan's brother's shoes and they fit me perfectly. I asked if I could buy them, despite being pretty worn in, and before long a deal was struck for $5-10. It should also be noted that after Alonzo Mourning was traded to Miami, I bought my second Starter jacket from his brother which was a Miami Heat pullover.

I remember walking around in my used kicks and looking at the Nike Air logo on the back of my heel to soak in the glory of wearing a true pair of Nike Airs. Yeah, I was a dweeb. From this point on, an obsession was born. The obsession wouldn't be fully realized until after graduating college, but the seed had been planted nonetheless.

If I still have your attention, take a moment to marvel at some of the freshest sneakers I rocked during my formative years.

Thursday Throwback Posterization: Kemp embarrasses Alston Lister

It has taken me all week to sift through the thousands of e-mails from Dank Game readers expressing their shock and disgust that I forgot to post a Thursday Throwback Posterization last week. Look guys, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen, and now I'm back on it. So let's just forget that it ever happened and move on.

For this week's classic posterization, I give you the "Reign Man" Shawn Kemp dunking on Alston Lister. After reading 'Stache's recent post claiming that the Supersonics would be forgotten in a matter of two years, I felt obligated to remind everyone just how sweet the Sonics were during the Kemp and Gary Payton heydays. Although I was a loyal Heat fan during my preteen years, the Sonics were my team in the West. I even had one of the ugly mid-90s forest green and maroon Kemp jerseys. I was glued to the television during the Sonics' run to the Finals, which of course ended in disappointment as they fell to MJ and the Bulls.

Now onto that dunk. As Chris Mullin indecisively attempted to man the paint and keep his defensive cover in sight, Kemp took advantage as he drove past one defender to create the open lane. As Kemp approached him, Mullin decided to get out of his way in hopes that one of his fellow Warriors had his back with the help defense. Alston Lister did try to help by attempting to draw a charge, but well... I think you can figure out the rest. I love the way Kemp cradles the ball as he drives to the hoop, and the finish with the legs spread makes it one of the most memorable posterizations of all time. Of course, the post-dunk "you just got dunked on!" taunt has helped seal this slam's legacy, but even without that I still think this one would've been remembered. In my opinion, this is the best taunt in NBA history. It's just so comical. Unfortunately, David Stern won't allow that nowadays. What a lame.

To make up for missing out on last week's Thursday Throwback Posterization, here's Kemp's Top 10 Dunks. There's just some absolutely ridiculous dunks on here including one of the best oops of all time courtesy of Gary Payton.

Mr. Big Shot

Chauncey Billups is a dog, man. He hit 9 of 13 three pointers on his way to 39 points as the Nuggets trumped the Lakers 126-113 last night. I think Chauncey is one guy who Phil Jackson does not want to see again in the playoffs. Chauncey learned from the best, Larry Brown. The 2004 NBA Champion Pistons beat arguably the most stacked Lakers team, with Shaq, Kobe, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone. No one gave the Pistons a chance, yet Larry Brown got the best out of Chauncey and Rasheed Wallace. That series was where he earned his nickname, Mr. Big Shot, as he won the Finals MVP. I'd love to see another Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference finals. It would be an old rematch of sorts for Kenyon Martin too; he was on the Nets team that lost to the Lakers in 2002. I'm interested to see if George Karl could get them to the finals. I mean he couldn't do it last year, but I think Chauncey is figuring out how to lead this team better. A lot of people have been saying that the Nuggets are the team with the best chance to beat the Lakers. I'm not so sure about that though because of the beast in the east, Lebron James--You got to know I'm a say that.