We are officially Jalen Brunson days into 2026 (that’s 11, to be clear), and we are HYPED to talk our favorite off-the-court stories from around the Association!

Today’s Lineup

🏈 Miami vs. Indiana… but make it hoops.

After last night’s College Football Playoff semifinals, the championship matchup is set: Indiana vs. Miami. And since Fernando Mendoza seems like the type of guy who would vibe with the message of Enjoy Basketball, we’re thinking of what this matchup would look like not on turf, but on the hardwood. 🤔  

If we’re going all-time lineup of alumni, Indiana has one of the best rosters out there…

Running the show is Isiah Thomas, one of the greatest point guards the league has ever seen. Next to him, Victor Oladipo brings two-way explosiveness at shooting guard. Remember how good prime VO was?!  

On the wing, they have one of the best pure bucket getters out there: Eric Gordon. At the four, OG Anunoby anchors the lineup defensively with elite versatility. And rounding out the starting five is Walt Bellamy, a guy history forgets but is a Hall of Famer!!  

Also, we need to share with you that in researching this segment, we discovered Bellamy was drafted #1 in 1961 to a team called the Chicago Packers. Safe to say after last night’s game, the Packers don’t want anything to do with Chicago.

Now to Miami, who... is fighting an uphill battle. At the 1, we have Lonnie Walker IV back when he still had all that hair. At shooting guard, we have Bruce Brown, the human Swiss Army knife. We’ll toss in 13-year pro John Salmons at the three.  

Then there’s the headliner: Rick Barry, a Hall of Famer and proud owner of the granny free throw. Lastly, we’re going small ball with James Jones, who, for the record, is a THREE-TIME CHAMP! Following LeBron is a rewarding career! 🙏  

🐴 Best Year of the Horse Basketball Shoes

Chinese New Year begins on February 2nd, and it is a really big deal for Nikola Jokic. It’s the Year of the Horse! 🐴 

Jordan, Nike, and Adidas have all released shoes to celebrate the horsiest of all years, so let’s take a look: 👀 

We’re really vibing with the equestrian seal on one of the tongues alongside the Doncic logo on the other one for these Jordan Luka 5s! 🔥 

Though it looks like Ja Morant may get traded soon, his shoe game is staying consistent as ever. The dude added another fire design to the Nike Ja 3, one of the best hoop shoes in the past few years. 🥶 

Lastly, we have the Adidas AE 2 “Year of the Horse.” Knowing Anthony Edwards’ confidence, we assume he’d say he could be a professional horse rider in the Kentucky Derby. And we’re not gonna put it past him 🤷‍♂️

We wanted to take a second to highlight these NBA players going out of their busy schedule to make a child’s day! 🙏 

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics visited Boston Children’s Hospital 2 weeks ago to spend time with the kids going through so much. If you scroll through the photos, you’ll see the players chatting with the children and putting smiles on their faces. ❤️

The OKC Thunder played the Grizzlies in Memphis this week and, instead of heading to the hotel or boarding the team plane to the next city, went to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. 💙 

Athletes are like superheroes to kids, and we love that our league’s guys chose to spread some positivity with those going through so much. 💪 

Signing Off

Thanks for reading through! Time is our most valuable asset, so we appreciate you spending yours with us. Until next time! ✌️

Conor Geelan