Mantofa Articles Directory

The pro basketball history in the US can be traced to a game played at the YMCA in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1896. This was the fallout of a dispute between members of the YMCA team and a YMCA official. The angry players formed a professional team and played for money. Two years later a group of New Jersey newspaper sports editors founded the National Basketball League (NBL). The stars of this league were Ed Wachter and Barney Sedran.

The first two successful professional teams of the twentieth century were the Buffalo Germans and the Original Celtics, and the first major national professional league was the American Basketball League. The New York Renaissance, also known as the Rens, and the Harlem Globetrotters were the most successful teams of the 30s. Both incidentally were all-black teams. The top women players of this era were Babe Didrikson, Alline Banks Sprouse, and Nera White.

The late 1940s and early 1950s saw the domination of the Minneapolis Lakers. The Lakers led by George Mikan and coached by John Kundla won five NBA championship titles (1949, 1950, 1952-1954). The star players of the 50s were guard Bob Cousy and forward Bob Pettit. Cousy guided the Boston Celtics to six NBA titles (1957, 1959-1963).

But it was the Celtics who dominated the NBA from 1957 to 1969. During this period, the team won 11 NBA titles including 8 in a row. Bill Russell was the star player of the Celtics. Another dominant center of the time was Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia Warriors.

The period 1963 to 1975 belonged to the University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA won ten national championships, including seven in a row. Some of the great players of this UCLA team were center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, center Bill Walton, guard Gail Goodrich, forward Jamaal Wilkes, and forward Marques Johnson. Abdul-Jabbar played 20 seasons in the NBA and retired as the league’s leading career scorer, with 38,387 points.

NBA got a rival in 1967 in the form of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The ABA came to be known for its flashy style and for its red, white, and blue basketballs. The best player in the ABA was guard and forward Julius Erving. The ABA broke up in 1976, and most of its teams joined the NBA.

In 1979, Larry Bird of Indiana State University and Magic Johnson of Michigan State University revived NBA fortunes. In the late 1980s the Detroit Pistons emerged as the powerhouse with star players like Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman.

The women’s event underwent major changes in the1960s. In 1966 dribbling became fully legal, and in 1969 the five-player full-court format was introduced. This format became the official format in 1971. In 1985, the Basketball Hall of Fame began inducting woman coaches, players, and contributors. Some of the first players to get this recognition were Ann Meyers, Carol Blazejowski, Cheryl Miller; Anne Donovan and Nancy Lieberman-Cline.

The 1990s belonged to Michael Jordan. He led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships. The other great players of the 1990s were Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Shaquille O’Neal. The women stars of this period were Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, and Jennifer Azzi.

William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. Download a 100% FREE $89 value SEO eBook and discover all the joys and secrets of Basketball at http://www.basketballholygrail.com

Whether you’re a serious baller or just practicing your jumper in the driveway, most good stores have got the shoes for you. You should be able to browse through a wide selection of styles and colors to match your game, while giving you the support and comfort you need. So whether you are looking for a little more lift to perfect that alley-oop shot or just working on dribbling the ball down the court, most good stores have what you need to get moving today.

The NBA basketball shoes are more than mere footwear. They are actually a fashion statement. You can be sure that a basketball shoe promoted by the game’s stars will be the most worn shoe that season. Basketball fans wait for shoe giants like Adidas, Nike and Reebok to announce their product line before the NBA season.

Each shoe launch is accompanied by a high voltage campaign. This campaign is run not only on newspaper pages but also on television screens and is plastered on hoardings across the nation. The race is to catch the star of the season, and make him endorse the shoe.

What is interesting is that the basketball players select a shoe according to the position in which they play. The most popular are high-cut shoes because they provide strong ankle support. However, power players who play inside prefer sturdy shoes because of the heavy pounding that their feet take. The perimeter players go for shoes that are light since light shoes help them to move and cut. These fine differences are unlikely to be noticed by fans because NBA rules require that all team players wear shoes that are of the same color.

The basketball shoes of some NBA players get written about because they have their names or numbers stitched on their shoes. Some even write messages on their shoes with markers. But the most unique case is that of Mark Jackson, an ex-Denver Nuggets player. He used to tie his wedding ring into the shoelaces to remind him of his wife and family!

Shoe giants initially used to name shoes after superstars like Michael Jordan. But now Reebok has entered into an agreement with NBA to market a line of NBA-Reebok shoes.
This arrangement, which came into effect in 2002, provides for the manufacture and marketing of two shoes — NBA Master Link and NBA Denial. Both these shoes carry the NBA logo on the tongue, sole, heel and sock liner.

William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. Download a 100% FREE $89 value SEO eBook and discover all the joys and secrets of Basketball at http://www.basketballholygrail.com

College basketball and merchandise is among the most popular today as anytime in the past history of the sport and growing each year in leaps and bounds. College basketball
In-fact is one of the most popular sports today.

Be it memorabilia, apparel or footwear, the demand for college basketball merchandise continues to grow. More and more Americans are turning nostalgic and buying basketball jerseys of their college or autographed caps. Their demand is matched by today’s generation that lives on fashion styles launched by basketball stars.

The demand peaks during March when the NCAA tourney starts. Suddenly, there is a great rush for college jerseys, caps, shorts, logos, headbands, writs bands, and any other knickknack associated with the game.

Basketball shoes are especially in great demand. Everyone wants to wear a shoe named after a basketball star. Part of this demand is fuelled by footwear companies like Nike, Adidas and Reebok, which have launched basketball shoes after the names of basketball stars. The high voltage advertising accompanying basketball games adds to the basketball fever.

The arrival of the Internet has made the basketball merchandise even more accessible. Buyers can purchase anything form college flags, banners, hats, helmets, jackets, to
shoes, shorts, watches, jewelry, display cases etc. Today, it is possible to buy memorabilia like watches worn by revered coaches or jerseys of famous stars. Even photographs of historic matches played in the past are available on the net.

Most of the sites sell the merchandise college-wise. This makes life easier for basketball fans that are looking to buy basketball products associated with their college. There are some sites that supply custom-made basketball uniforms. The buyer has to enter his requirements to get jerseys, shorts or jackets of his size and choice.

Some innovative marketers even sell tailgate and folding chairs painted in college colors.
Stainless Steel and Pewter Travel Mug, Snack Helmet, Stainless Steel Thermos,
College Neon Signs are some of the other products that are today being hawked as basketball merchandise. The tech-savvy has even started selling optical mouse in college colors!

Auction sites are another great source to buy basketball merchandise. Hundreds of fans put up basketball memorabilia on the auction sites, and wait for the best bid. Of course, one has to be careful while bidding on these sites. It is quite possible that the memorabilia may turn out to be fake. The bidder must always look at the return policy offered by the seller and his testimonials before ordering the memorabilia.

William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. Download a 100% FREE $89 value SEO eBook and discover all the joys and secrets of Basketball at http://www.basketballholygrail.com

It is the mission of most camps to provide the best programs and staff to fully meet the various basketball and fitness needs of their participants. Most camps provide maximum exposure to college and prep school scouts. Most organizations provide young basketball players with the highest level of coaching, elite competition, and allow each athlete to develop a sense of pride and accomplishment. The idea is determined to create an unmatched basketball atmosphere.

The passion for basketball has led to the development of a small industry around the game. Stores market basketball merchandise like shoes, jerseys, logos and other knickknacks while colleges run basketball camps for beginners. They rope in former basketball players and coaches to run the college basketball camp.

These camps are not limited to college students. Anyone can apply and get admission to the basketball camps. Several colleges organize residential basketball camps while others encourage students to come during daytime only.

However, there is little doubt about the popularity of these camps. There are a large number of wannabe basketball stars that want to learn basketball from ex-NBA players and coaches. Colleges advertise these camps liberally in newspapers and on websites.

The fees of these camps depend upon the duration and the coach. Star coaches can help the colleges set a high fee. Normally, the fee for a one-week residential camp is around $300 while that of a day camp is around $100 to 150.

Most of these camps are held during summers or vacation time so that students can join them without disturbing their academic routine. The camp dates are announced in advance so that students can enroll in time.

Almost all colleges take these camps very seriously. The students are put through the grind. The idea is to make the students learn as much as possible at these camps. The colleges are also concerned that if they don’t put pressure then the future camps will not attract students.

However, the success of the camp rests solely on the coach. Colleges can expect great response if they have been able to get a big name. The response for unknown coaches is rarely satisfactory.

The camps are a good source of revenue for the colleges because their investment is limited to the fees paid to the coach. They don’t have to invest in a basketball court or on lodgings. Al these are already present in most colleges. What’s more these camps become a useful revenue source during the lean months.

William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. Download a 100% FREE $89 value SEO eBook and discover all t joys and secrets of Basketball at http://www.basketballholygrail.com

The man Adidas basketball shoes are quite a rage both on and off the court. On court, they give the players an extra bounce and protection. Off court, they are a fashion symbol.

Adidas too realizes the value of its basketball shoes and continues to come up with innovative models. Currently, Adidas uses two different technologies to make the shoes. The first is the Torsion technology. This technology allows the forefoot and heel to move independently, and also provide lightweight support to midfoot.

Shoes made with a3 system technology use special cushioning that absorbs the shock of landing. They also provide increased stability. This technology has been used to make the a3 Superstar Structure series, which is priced at $100 a pair.

According to Adidas, a3 puts more pop in every step. They promote this shoe on their site saying, “The unstoppable performance of its full-length a3 midsole gives all players the ability to break the game open from anywhere on the court.”

The other notable features of these men’s shoes are an adiPRENE plus insert in the forefoot that maintains propulsion and efficiency, molded EVA midsole that provides lightweight cushioning and a non-marking rubber outsole.

Adidas also makes an elite range of a3 Pro Team shoes that cost $ 80. These shoes, according to Adidas, offer superior cushioning and motion control thanks to their a3 heel unit. They also use the Torsion technology for flexible, adaptable midfoot integrity.

The smartest of Adidas men’s shoes are the T-MAC 5, which cost $125. These shoes have a supportive strap and real hardwood in the heel and forefoot. Adidas is so proud of these shoes that it calls these kicks “as anything but expected”. These shoes have GeoFIT pods for comfort, lightweight, synthetic leather upper with anatomical fit, die-cut EVA midsole for lightweight comfort and TPU heel chassis for stability.

Adidas also sells a Superstar series. These are versatile basketball shoes that can be used both on the court and in the streets. The popular Superstar series models include Superstar 2G, Superstar 2G Perf, Superstar 2G Steel and Superstar 2G Ultra. All these shoes cost $70.

Each of these shoes has its unique selling proposition. The Superstar 2G has a high-traction outsole and excellent midfoot support, the Superstar 2G Perf has a midfoot cushioning that allows natural rotation between the rear foot and forefoot, the Superstar 2G Steel has lightweight cushioning that gives players speed while Superstar 2G Ultra has a clean, ultra-modern look and board-crashing performance.

Two other Adidas men’s shoes are Supercush, priced at $60, and BTB Low that costs $55. All these shoes provide a range of possibilities to basketball players.

William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. Download a 100% FREE $89 value SEO eBook and discover all the joys and secrets of Basketball at http://www.basketballholygrail.com