“The Paradox” plays basketball today. And “The Enjoyer” gets to read the best off-the-court basketball stories of the moment today.

Today’s Lineup

The Best College-Inspired Colorways

It’s conference tournament season in college basketball! Selection Sunday is exactly one week away, so we wanted to center today’s fashion segment on college programs. Specifically, we’re taking a look at how players with signature sneakers have recently honored their alma maters through custom colorways. 🔥 

De’Aaron Fox signed with Under Armour’s Curry Brand a few years back and recently got his own signature shoe! This colorway is called “Lexington” in honor of the college town of the University of Kentucky, where ball is a way of life. They dropped in stores two days ago, so go grab a pair if you want to guarantee yourself becoming a dynamite NBA draft pick! (especially if you’re a guard) 🧨 

It’s no secret James Harden loves to party. Perhaps reflecting on his days at one of America’s best party schools, The Beard recently rocked a pair of Harden Vol. 9s featuring its maroon and yellow color scheme and the distinctive pitchfork logo on the tongue. 😈 

Kevin Durant had arguably the best one-and-done season ever when he suited up for Texas in 2006-07, averaging nearly 26 points and 11 rebounds per game. He recently returned to UT to get some shots up while wearing his KD17’s with the iconic burnt orange color and Longhorns logo on the tongue. 🐮 

We’re about to enter a stream of nonstop quality college basketball as the NBA season enters its final quarter. That means 4-monitor setups, trying to conceal reactions when watching in class, and a new cinderella to enshrine itself in history. We can’t wait!

When the Pope Praised Basketball

International headlines are focusing on the health of Pope Francis, who is battling some serious health issues. As we hope for his recovery, we wanted to share the Pontiff’s positive interactions with basketball.

In 2020, Pope Francis invited five members of the NBA Players Union to visit the Vatican City and tell him about their activities. Marco Belinelli, Sterling Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver hopped on a plane across the pond to discuss the role of athletes—specifically, basketball players—as catalysts for social and economic change.

The selection was not random. Belinelli, a sharpshooter from Italy, was able to communicate with Pope Francis in Italian. Isaac is an ordained Christian minister. Sterling Brown had recently settled a civil rights lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department for violating his constitutional rights at a parking stop, and discussed the Bucks’ protests of the police’s killing of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.

Tolliver said Pope Francis joked about how he used to love watching the Harlem Globetrotters. Yes, Catholicism’s holiest leader on Earth has watched the Globetrotters flatten the Washington Generals just like you and I.

This wasn’t the only interaction Francis has had with the NBA. In January 2021, the Atlanta Hawks sent a customized version of their MLK jersey to Pope Francis in celebration of Martin Luther King Day. 🐐 

Later that year in May, the Pope addressed the Italian Basketball Federation for the 100^th anniversary of its creation and stressed the two pillars of sports that are most beneficial for humanity: teamwork and discipline. Read the whole thing here if you want to bear witness to the Pope’s ball knowledge. This is why we play! 🙏 

This January, Wendell Carter Jr. won the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for his promotion of flight school pathways for underprivileged and underrepresented youth!

Oftentimes, the winner of the award—a prize that recognizes a players’ positive impact off the court and comes with a $10,000 donation to a player’s charity—celebrates a player hosting basketball camps, giving out meals, or providing school supplies.

But Carter has been an avid enthusiast of aviation since he was a kid, and his Flight 34 program provides students from Orange County and Oak Ridge public schools with an introduction to aviation through STEM games, flight simulations, aircraft classes, and even flight with real pilots! ✈️

In addition to the award, the NBA will donate $10,000 to A Platform² Foundation, an institution that provides kids and families with educational programs that elevate their quality of life.

Signing Off

We’ve gotta say goodbye right now, but we’ll check the ball up top for tomorrow. Back in your inbox at 7AM on Monday!

Conor Geelan