Tim Thomas (left) and actor Denzel Washington (right) in downtown Paterson, NJ. Photo Credit: Tim Thomas/Scoop B Radio

Tim Thomas drops by episode # 74 of Scoop B Radio and chats with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson about the love of his hometown of Paterson New Jersey, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and the time actor Denzel Washington got him out of class. Press Play Below to Listen!

Tim Thomas is a pretty good story teller.

The retired NBA vet has given you his recount of his feud with Kenyon Martin during the 2004 NBA Playoffs, which subsequently found its way to the nightclub.

He and Martin have finally moved on from that, praise the Lord!

Thomas has  also given you the low-down on Charles Oakley’s GM abilities. While sitting with Scottie Pippen at Michael Jordan’s card game party  Oak informed Thomas that the Chicago Bulls would waive him. And yup, it happened!

Thomas’ stories don’t end there! Apparently, Thomas also has clout with Oscar award winning actor, Denzel Washington.

According to Thomas, Denzel once got him out of basketball practice early, while he was a high school junior at Paterson Catholic High School in Paterson, NJ.

Appearing on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Thomas says that a police officer dressed in a suit interrupted practice and approached the team’s coach. “The first thing we’re thinking is that somebody got in trouble,” Thomas joked.

“I’m thinking it’s a detective or something like that, not knowing that it was Denzel Washington that was downtown shooting a movie called “The Preacher’s Wife,” at that time and he actually called for me.”

“The Preacher’s Wife” was a pretty big deal in 1996, by the way; particularly in church circles! Directed by Penny Marshall, the film starred the late, Whitney Houston and Courtney Vance. The movie had a decent soundtrack, too.

Washington’s request to meet Thomas would change Thomas’ life. 

“So we ride downtown and we’re actually behind City Hall and he was going through his scene. We talked for a bit in his trailer and he was a good dude and dropped a lot of jewels on me about managing money and the stuff that I was about to come into as far as fame.”

The advice would pay off. Thomas was drafted 7th in the 1997 NBA Draft by the then-New Jersey Nets. He’d later be shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers in a draft day deal for the ’97 Draft’s 2nd overall pick, Keith Van Horn.

Thomas said the most important thing that came from the meeting was Washington introducing Thomas to boxer, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter.

For those tardy to the party, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter was a middleweight boxer who was wrongfully convicted of murder and later released following a petition of habeas corpus after spending almost 20 years in prison.

Washington would later play the role of Carter in the 1999 film, “The Hurricane.”

In 1966, police arrested both Carter and friend John Artis for a triple-homicide committed in the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey. Police stopped Carter’s car and brought him and Artis, also in the car, to the scene of the crime. Upon the search,  police found ammunition that fit the description of weapons used in the murder. Here’s the kicker: Paterson, NJ Police took no fingerprints at the crime scene and lacked the facilities to conduct a paraffin test for gunshot residue. Carter and Artis were tried and convicted twice (1967 and 1976) for the murders, and both served time in Rahway State Prison. After the second conviction was overturned in 1985, prosecutors choose not to try the case for a third time.

“I knew nothing about Hurricane Carter,” said Thomas.

“I wasn’t even born at the time that the stuff involving him was going on. So it was great for him to connect us and for me to have the opportunity to meet a man that couldn’t come back to our hometown and went through so much in his life as far as sitting in prison for 20 years and it was beneficial for me to get the information that he gave me about our hometown and the politicians and what people do there with so –called famous people and celebrities from that town.”

While on Scoop B Radio, Thomas detailed his conversations with Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. Thomas also detailed his documentary, I Am Tim Thomas while will release next year.

Check out our Q & A below:

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter (right) and Denzel Washington. Photo Credit: Tim Thomas/Scoop B Radio

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: What specifically did Hurricane tell you?

Tim Thomas: He told me to watch out pretty much for how our city moves. Our city is small so once you make it there’s a lot of people that’s going to come around mainly politicians and try to benefit off of your stature and financial situation and that was pretty much it because of things that he went through it just opened my eyes to a lot of the corrupt stuff that city officials actually were doing at that time and with him being a lot older he knew of what was going on and who was in position at that time and truth be told he was right because there were a lot of things going on with different mayors who ended up getting into trouble and he told me if I was ever going to do anything in the city for the youth to do it on my own and try to find loopholes where I didn’t have to give money to the city itself because the money would disappear. It was great advice because there were mayors who got in trouble back then and are still getting into trouble now. I had a cousin who was actually mayor when we had Hurricane Sandy, Jeffrey Jones but it was great advice that I got from the champ.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: What did you do with that advice as you progressed in the NBA and even now that you’ve retired?

Tim Thomas: I took it to heart even though I was in a position to give back and I definitely did that for numerous things I’m probably the only guy who has put a million dollars into my city for the youth, so I took the advice for what it was but I still made sure I did things for the community and youth in various ways, for 10 plus years I took care of full tuitions at my high school, started a Pop Warner football team with Marcel Shipp and flew the team out to LA to play against Snoop, started an AAU program we had 23 pros who came out of the program, I got two girls basketball programs that I started, donating money to Kennedy and Eastside High School just different things man there’s nothing in Paterson pertaining to youth that I haven’t touched and the people that are around me know what I have done. As far as the real information that he gave me pertaining to politicians I have helped a lot of people get into office with my celebrity but I haven’t really crossed the line with using my name to go towards the actually city itself. There was one building that I actually wanted but the city wouldn’t help me financially with taxes and different things. It was called the armory, an older building that could have been used for different sporting events it could actually could have been rebuilt into a new stadium for the high school teams that are there, concerts, basketball games but they had armory trucks and stuff in there. When I was younger my grammar school was right next to that actual building it was just sitting there for forever and that was the one building I actually wanted to get but the city wouldn’t  back me on that but other than that I’ve been doing numerous things for the community, especially the youth.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: When Denzel reached out to have that conversation and wanted to get to know you did he make a call to someone in Paterson how did you know about you?

Tim Thomas: I don’t know that’s a great question. But Denzel is a sports junkie so he probably knew that he was in my town so he sent for me like in American Gangster because literally I was in the middle of practice. I lived like two blocks from the high school so I had to asked the guys hey can you shoot me over to my house to crib so I can change because I wanted to look right but in the picture I don’t even think my jeans were ironed or anything I just threw them on and took off, but pretty much that’s what happened he sent for me and that was it and once I got there it was cool because on my 33rd birthday I got to meet Obama when I was with the Chicago Bulls and that was a great weekend for me  and that’s also going to be in the documentary in 2018 but it was similar to that with all the security and everything being blocked off, but Denzel is one of those type of people that he is a major figure anywhere and if you can get around him he’s a great guy with a lot of information and a lot of jewels he can drop on you.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Your mom must have been jealous that you got to meet Denzel.

Tim Thomas: Sort of. It was kind of weird because when people are in town shooting movies nobody announces it unless it’s in New York or LA nobody is going to say or put in the paper that Denzel is in town shooting a movie, you just won’t get that kind of information so when it happens it’s all a shock to everyone, especially me. When we actually met after we introduced ourselves I couldn’t even talk because I couldn’t believe I was sitting there with Denzel Washington, I was in high school and it’s awkward but he was so cool that he made me relax and be myself so it was a good thing and the other thing was that he was giving me so much information about my town that I didn’t even know, I had no clue about it. We were right behind City Hall and the old police station was right there the same police station that they held Mr. Carter in during his days so with his powers he took me in there to see that old prison and that’s something to this day even with me being who I am from my hometown couldn’t get the okay to go see that old jail cell so that just goes to show you the power that he has.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Tell me more about the I Am Tim Thomas documentary that you’re dropping next year.

Tim Thomas: The doc is pretty much about my life as far as what I have seen and been through good and bad from an early age up until now. I had so many different stories, playing in the 90’s which most people consider the golden era of the NBA so during that time there were a lot of things going on but we didn’t have social media or camera phones and people weren’t walking around with cameras in their pockets or anything like that. This documentary gave me an opportunity to tell my story and give you an inside look on my life the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m putting it out there especially for the younger generation because I have an AAU program based out of Jersey and 23 pros have come out of that program and a lot of kids know of me but they don’t know the story, they don’t know that I’m the player to the players and that I was such a bad dude that I had Kobe and Vince Carter playing with me which was a good thing because we went out there and we were like rock stars so I’m trying to change the way that the AAU manifest is being ran now and days as far as not having these super teams with the AAU programs.

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Retired NBA players Charles Oakley and TIm Thomas. Photo Credit: Scoop B Radio

Tim Thomas tells Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson that Charles Oakley let him know the Chicago Bulls were going to buy him out of his contract at Michael Jordan’s party back in 2006. Press Play Below To Listen!

Retired NBA vet Tim Thomas is actually a good story teller. 

In the past, Thomas has shared classic stories like the feuds with fellow retired hooper, Kenyon Martin while both on the court and even in nightclub.

We’ve moved past that, though! 

Why, you ask? 

‘Cuz Tim Thomas has funny Charles Oakley stories, too! And apparently Charles Oakley has Ms. Cleo future telling genes.

Appearing on the Scoop B Radio podcast, Tim Thomas recounts attending a card game party hosted by both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago 2006 that Charles Oakley was also present for.

At the time, Thomas had one season left on his deal that would have paid him nearly $6.5 million. Oakley let him know he would soon be leaving Chi-city!

Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley. Photo Credit: Pinterest

“MJ was hosting a card game so I went over there and all of the guys just told me: ‘hey man you’re not going to play here,’” Thomas recounted.

“Pippen was there, Jordan was there and Oak was really the one who told me.”

The Chicago Bulls were sculpting their rebuilding project that would see them draft Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah over the next couple of years and have both Vinny Del Negro and Tom Thibodeau guide the team as their head coach.

Thomas wanted to genuinely really leave a good impression with the Bulls, but no such luck. “I was about to be a free agent, so I wanted to showcase myself to get another contract,” he said.

“They got me just so that they could get me off of the books at the end of the year.”

Don’t feel too bad for Timmy.

Thomas got the buyout that Oakley predicted with the Bulls and he signed with the Phoenix Suns. While in Phoenix, he’d joined forces with Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and then-Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni.

Thomas would arrive in Phoenix shooting a career 44-percent. He came in averaging 11.9 points per game and in the 2006 NBA Playoffs, he’d make the shot of his career in game 6 of the 2006 Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

With 8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Thomas hit a game-tying three to tie the game at the end of regulation. In overtime of that game, he hit an important three-pointer late in the game to seal the Suns’ win. The Suns would go on to win game 7 and overcome a 3-1 series deficit.

The Suns would lose to the Dallas Mavericks in the next round. But it was Oakley’s honesty month’s prior at Michael Jordan’s party in Chicago that is the catalyst for making this story ultra-interesting.

“Everything worked out,” said Thomas.

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Former Orlando Magic guard Darrell Armstrong talks about playing career, Tracy McGrady and Penny Hardaway on Scoop B Radio. Photo Credit: Outside The Hype

Click Here To Check Out Darrell Armstrong, the NBA’s 6th Man of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year With the Orlando Magic Who Checked in With Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson & Scoop B Radio.

Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Darrell Armstrong has one of the diverse and impressive basketball portfolios out there.

Winning a ring as an assistant coach with the  2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks, Armstrong’s accolades as a professional from 1991-2008 as a player were surely something to write home about.

Going undrafted out of Fayetteville State in 1991, Armstrong got his first gnaw at the NBA during the 1994–95 season where he played the last 3 games of the regular season for the Orlando Magic. While he manned the court as a floor general, Armstrong wowed the crowd and Magic management with his scoring ability.

As a member of the Magic, Armstrong simultaneously won the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Award and the league’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1999. “After being in the league for three years, still on waiting on the opportunity and the chance,” Armstrong told me on Scoop B Radio.

“Putting in so much work, you know; to not only be a better player,  not only shooting the basketball, but also getting stronger in the weight room, helping me to be quicker and faster and stronger all those things adds up to one.”

 

 

Darrell Armstrong during Orlando Magic days. Photo Credit: Alchetron

Armstrong would end up sticking with the Magic through the 2003 season.

I first interviewed Armstrong when I was a Nets kid reporter and he was a member of the Orlando Magic during the 1997-98 NBA season.

Then and now, a few things stood out to me about him:

a). At 6 feet tall, he probably had the most hops imaginable for someone his size.

b). He’s a huge gospel music fan, with Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin at the top of his list of his faves.

c). During his tenure with the Orlando Magic, Armstrong has had the distinction of being teammates with two of the most transcendent guards in the NBA not named Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Armstrong teammed with both Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and Tracy McGrady.

With McGrady being inducted into Springfield, Massachusetts’ Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, one can’t help but think about the excitement that was T-Mac, the scoring machine in the city that Walt Disney built.

Armstrong and T-Mac were on a team that included Grant Hill and coached by Doc Rivers and were supposed to make noise in the NBA’s Eastern Conference in the early 2000s. Grant Hill was starting at the point guard, Armstrong slid to the two-guard with McGrady staring at the 3 alongside Drew Gooden and John Amaechi at the 4 and 5, respectively.

That squad was loaded! Heck, Mike Miller came off the bench!

Man that team was potent, but Grant Hill couldn’t stay healthy. That is when Tracy McGrady took over with his scoring galore! “Tracy was very special,” said Armstrong. I’m fortunate enough to have that opportunity to wear that jersey; the Magic jersey alongside him and Penny. You know, I’m fortunate to be their teammate because, I mean every night you got the chance to see some type of greatness, some type of unbelievable scoring from both of them.”

Tracy McGrady. Photo Credit: NBA.com

Added Armstrong:

“With T-Mac, a lot of people don’t know or would know that T-Mac was a decent player when he left Toronto and he got the opportunity with that one playoff game where they played New York and Vince was being covered so much by all the guys on New York that T Mac started to get off. And people started to see T-Mac’s talent during the playoffs that year. That is when we went and got him and that is when he came to the Magic that next year and what he did from there was just amazing because that is what he was suppose to be doing when he got to Toronto. But it didn’t happen like that for his first two years and then people started to say: ‘okay this is what they were talking about.’ And he put in the work and he dedicated himself everyday when he got into the game that he was going to be one of the top players in the league and he did it. It was fun to see him and Kobe Bryant go at each other, Michael Jordan go at each other.  I was just amazed by it, the things that he could do. But he was something special.”

In 938 games, McGrady averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. In 704 games, Penny Hardaway posted 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5 assists.

So who was the better player? Tracy McGrady or Penny Hardaway? “Both of them could play defense and both of them could score,” said Armstrong.

“Definitely Penny was the better passer because  Penny was a point guard. Mac could still pass the ball as well, that is hard to say Scoop. They both did it in their own way and in their own style; the only thing I will say, that Penny was better than T-Mac was passing the basketball. Like I said, they both could shoot the basketball, they both could score the basketball, that is a tough one to say. Penny went deeper in the playoffs,farther than T-Mac has ever been; besides being with T-Mac with Spurs, but he didn’t play. But when he played, you know Penny and he in the playoffs, Penny, you know Penny lost in the championship as a starter. So I mean it is hard to say if there is any edge the edge I give to Penny over T-Mac is that he was a better passer than he was.”

Fair enough.

Darrell Armstrong is one of the Dallas Mavericks’ assistant coaches. Photo Credit: Dallas Mavericks

Armstrong is an assistant coach of the Dallas Mavericks. In a game of shoulda-coulda-woulda, if he were currently an NBA head coach, who would he pick to start his team in today’s NBA? “Damn Scoop, once again you give me another tough one,” said Armstrong.

“I say: oh man you can’t go wrong with either one of them. Penny played a one and T-Mac played a two. So that is why I say it is so different. S**t Scoop, I would probably take Penny because the reason I say I take Penny is because Penny would be ready to run the offense as a point guard, knows how to play the point, but also you can just knock the ball with two points. Mac wasn’t a point guard. T-Mac never ran the point guard, so T Mac was more of the two/three player. I would probably have to say Penny I have a bigger guard that would cause a problem at the point guard position because he would be different.”

In addition to talking about T-Mac and Penny Hardaway, Armstrong also chatted about his time playing at a historically black college in Fayetteville State. “I was playing because of the tradition of so many people knowing and so many athletes from the Charles Oakley to Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe to Rick Mahorn,” he said. “And you know now, even Stephen A [Smith] played  for Winston Salem State. Ben Wallace and myself, so it was amazing with the athletes and the fans always love to hear the Black National Anthem [Lift Every Voice And Sing] whenever they sang it”

Armstrong even weighed in on the notion Tim Duncan would join he, T-Mac, and Grant Hill in Orlando via free agency, summer 2000.

Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady signed with the Orlando Magic during free agency in 2000. Photo Credit: Orlando Magic

According to Armstrong, the probabilities of Duncan coming to Orlando were zilch, zip, zero, stingy with the dinero. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich thought it was for real though! “It was a nerve-wrecking time,” Popovich admitted in an interview. (H/T CBS Sports’ Matt Moore)

Added Popovich:

“It was hell. You get close to a player and you don’t want to see him leave. I never let myself believe he was going to stay. I was just getting myself prepared, for sanity reasons. It’s no fun.”

“It also seems like it takes forever to resolve. That’s the worst part of it. We made our pitch to him and let him be, let him make up his own mind.”

Darrell Armstrong tells a different story on Scoop B Radio: “Tim wasn’t going nowhere,” he said.

“I mean where Tim played at and finished at, that was where Tim was going to be. Tim wasn’t going to go nowhere. We all love to entertain and see who is going to be out there. I don’t even believe he even thought about leaving San Antonio especially after winning some Championships. So I mean, no he wasn’t going anywhere. Sometimes you call the guys when free agency starts and you call them and talk to guys and they wanted me to call and I was sitting there like I am not you shouldn’t even call this guy he isn’t leaving.”

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The post Former Orlando Magic 6th Man of The Year Darrell Armstrong Says He’d Pick Penny Hardaway Over Tracy McGrady If He Were Starting An NBA Team   appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Charles Barkley discusses his relationship with Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley on Scoop B Radio Overtime.  Photo Credit: CBS Sports

As a person who grew up watching the NBA as a kid, covered it as a kid and still covers it as an adult, I have a bone to pick: I don’t like the fact that Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley are not friends anymore.

It’s just not right. Do you know what it feels like? Remember when you found out that your parents were really Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy and The Easter Bunny?

How heart broken were you?

Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were the 90s. Think NBA on NBC montages with Bob Costas voiceovers, think the original Dream Team when Charles Barkley wasn’t afraid of Angola. How bout the Phoenix Suns/Chicago Bulls NBA Finals?

Some things are stoic, sacred and shouldn’t be messed with! 

Apparently Barkley and Jordan’s feud began when Barkley was critical of Jordan on TNT’s Inside The NBA. Barkley criticized how Jordan was running the then-Charlotte Bobcats. The team is now the Charlotte Hornets.

Jordan didn’t like it and the two have gone radio silent.

Additionally, during Barkley’s playing days, he and New York Knicks legend and fellow power forward Charles Oakley weren’t the best of friends. “We got along, he just hates me and I don’t know why,” Barkley told me on Scoop B Radio Overtime.

“But it is what it is, no big deal we don’t live together but he was a good player, but he hates me and I think it was unfortunate what happened with him and the Knicks because it made the Knicks look bad, it made Charles Oakley look bad, but more importantly it made the NBA look bad.”

From all accounts, Barkley and Oakley’s feud began when the two threw punches at each other in a preseason NBA game in 1996. 

Is there a snowball’s chance in hell that we could get Barkley, Oakley and Michael Jordan in the same room? Sir Charles held court: “Aye listen, I love Michael Jordan like a brother,” said Barkley.

“I got nothing against Charles Oakley he hates me that’s on him.”

Old beefs die hard and something tells me that this won’t be the last we hear about these legends. It’s unfortunate that these gentlemen who had significant impacts in the lives of 90s kids are no longer friendly.

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The post Charles Barkley: “I love Michael Jordan like a brother, I got nothing against Charles Oakley he hates me, that’s on him” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The Knicks’ 90s glory days are long-gone. The club has just three winning seasons in the past 16 years. At 27-42, the Knicks stand at 12th in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. After the loss to the Nets last night at MSG, they officially clinched their fourth consecutive losing season. Man oh man, the ’90s Knicks were a team that New York City still holds in high regard and misses. John Starks, Charles Oakley, the late Anthony Mason, Doc Rivers and of course, Patrick Ewing.

Ewing played 17 years in the NBA, 15 of those as a Knick before he was traded to the Seattle Supersonics for Vin Baker. Ewing finished his career averaging 21 points and a shade under 10 rebounds per game. Ewing and the Knicks had some memorable moment. Lets see, there was the time in 1990 when the Hoya Destroya scored 51 points on Kevin McHale, Kevin McHale and Larry Bird at The Garden.  ​

Hey, remember Game 5 of the ’94 Finals when he pummeled Olajuwon, scored 25 points, 12 rebounds, and eight blocks on the Olajuwon-led Rockets. There was also that 22 points, 22 rebounds and 7 assist outing in game 7 of the 1994 NBA Playoff Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. That game sealed the deal and propelled the Knicks to the ’94 Finals against the Houston Rockets.

Simply put, Ewing was the man in N-Y-C.

Rapper, Pusha T thinks so too, apparently. Appearing on today’s episode of Scoop B Radio Overtime, the rapper who reps both NYC and Virginia to the fullest chatted about some of his all-time favorite sports uniforms. He likes the old Washington Bullets uniforms from the days of Wes Unseld. The Bullets, of course are now the Washington Wizards. The Wizards even retro’ed thos unifors a time or two when Michael Jordan made a brief cameo on that team. The team has even incorporated a similar design to their current uni’s to make it whole. Someone get Mitchell & Ness on the line! We need that Jordan Throwback.

But I digress.

The meat and potatoes of the interview with King Push was his admiration for that Knicks squad that were both hustle and muscle and the nostalgia of even Spike Lee donning the orange and blue fabric. “Definetly the Knicks, of course,” Pusha T told me.

“You gotta remember. For example, like, the Knicks, if I was messing with the Knicks, it was like there was a Ewing component to it. Or a Spike Lee Component to it. They were so culturally relevant at the time. They were champions of the team and they were like to me, cool guys! So I was like oh man, this is fresh. Anyrhing they put on was fresh. They were definetly representing the Knicks organization at that time.”

Spike Lee, like Jack Nicholson is probably the original super fan; the orginiator. His engagement with players is what stands out. Who can forget his classic duels with Reggie Miller?

The new Knicks are nothing worth watching, but the nostalgia of the old Knicks, still lives on.

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The post Pusha T on Patrick Ewing, Spike Lee & 90s Knicks: “They were so culturally relevant at the time” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

SALT LAKE CITY – JUNE 14: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the game-winning jumpshot against Utah Jazz during Game Seven of the1998 NBA Finals on June 14, 1998 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Bulls defeated the Jazz 87-86. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1998 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

Remember that game winning shot that Michael Jordan hit in game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals against Byron Russell and the Utah Jazz? Apparently, Chicago rapper, The Boy Illinois has been channeling his Inner Michael Jeffrey Jordan 19 years later!

If you’re tardy to the party, here ya go!

The Chi-Town lyricist dropped his latest installment, “Koto Freestyle.” Produced by Shake & Bake, he silences his competition comparing the trendy rappers that once were on the scene as “missing persons.” The Boy Illinois is grounded and here to stay, he’s HOME.

He could be Derrick Rose, Toni Kukoc, Scottie Pippen.

Heck, even Charles Oakley! Why does The Boy Illinois feel like Jordan in game 6? “Ain’t nobody f***ing with me when it comes down to it,” The Boy Illinois told me by phone this evening.

“No need for game 7!”

Illi spits a mind full of thoughts that demonstrates that he’s coming for the crown. 2017 has been gracious to the brotha’ in the Midwest. He’s garnered press in the Chicago media. WGN Radio, WGCI (Clear Channel) and Chicago Reader have been gracious in giving him his just due. proves he has earned his spot as one of the new top emcees emerging in the industry.

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The post Scoop B: The Boy Illinois Channels Inner Game 6, Michael Jordan In “Koto Freestyle” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

There’s been a lot of New York Knicks talk after the Charles Oakley debacle at Madison Square Garden last week. Yesterday at MSG, Latrell Sprewell made a cameo at The World’s Most Famous Arena and sat next to a beloved Knick, Larry Johnson.

Johnson, now a Knicks employee, is beloved by all in NYC for the legendary 4- point play that he completed against the Indiana Pacers, which gave the Knicks a 2-1 lead in the series.

Johnson took one dribble left, absorbed contact from Antonio Davis and launched a three-pointer. The whistle blew and the shot went in; tying the game at 91 apiece.

“This is New York, man and everywhere I go here, it’s like I’m a legend,” Johnson told me on Scoop B Radio.

Johnson reflected on how that changed his life in the Big City. “ I done took the nickname Larry Legend,” he said.

“I didn’t think I was that old, really. But that’s what cats have been calling me simply because I believe, the four point play. It’s just one play. It’s the greatest play, I’ve had. I’ve had some pretty good moments in this game: winning a championship in college, being the number one, but making a four point play against one of our arch rivals at Madison Square Garden, that was the craziest.”

For Those Too Young Or Just Tardy To The Party, Check It Out

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The post Larry Johnson On 4 Point Play At Madison Square Garden: ‘That was the craziest” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.