The Los Angeles Lakers played inspired basketball on the night of Kobe Bryant’s jerseys (plural) retirement. Chris Carlson/AP

2003 NBA Draft Class member Jarvis Hayes checks in with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Scoop B Radio and talks NBA Draft classes, Kobe and more. Press Play Below To Listen! 

Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers retired Kobe Bryant’s #8 and #24 jersey during a halftime ceremony at Staples Center. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bryant is a 5-time NBA champion, 18-time NBA All Star, holds a regular season MVP award, a NBA Slam Dunk Champion and became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points.

Slam Magazine’s ’96 Draft cover. Photo Credit: Ball Is Life

Bryant also holds the distinction of being drafted in the 1996 NBA Draft, an exclusive club.

Add Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Marcus Camby, Jermaine O’Neal, Antoine Walker, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Peja Stojakovic to that list.

“Kobe was the last one to finish, but you’re starting to see most of the guys finish with Hall of Fame careers,” Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a member of that class told me on Scoop B Radio

The 2003 NBA Draft class was also impressive. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh headlined it.

So who’s draft class is better?

“I think it’s really difficult sometimes to rank eras,” said Abdur-Rahim. “But I guess because I was in the 1996 draft, I rank it the best.”

Jarvis Hayes was drafted tenth by the Washington Wizards in the 2003 NBA Draft. He shares similar sentiments. “Well the book is still being written on my class,” Hayes said on Scoop B Radio.

“So you have to put it up there. But that 1996 draft class was loaded. I think my class is up there, but right now I would give a slight nod to the ’96 class until the rest of the guys from my class finish up their careers.”

The 1984 NBA Draft class was loaded with studs: Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon and John Stockton.

Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Photo Credit: SI

While none of those guys are currently playing, they left impact on the NBA. Charles Barkley is running the TV world Thursday nights on TNT and MJ is majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets.

MJ also still has kids waiting out in the winter cold for Air Jordan sneaker releases.

No doubt ’84 impacted Kobe, Wade, ‘Melo and others.

But hey, Kobe does have a one up! Not even MJ who wore three numbers while a member of the Chicago Bulls ( 12, 23 and 45) has multiple numbers hanging in the rafters at the United Center.

But Bryant does at Staples Center!

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The post Scoop B: With Kobe’s jerseys now retired, can we debate ’96 NBA Draft class vs. 2003 NBA Draft class? appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James will meet on Christmas Day. Photo Credit: Sports Illustratedoo

Today the NBA will launch a new “I’m Why” spot entitled “The Gift of Basketball” that highlights unforgettable NBA moments that get fans in the holiday spirit and bring us all together for the excitement of five marquee games on Christmas Day.

Part of the league’s global “This Is Why We Play” campaign, the spot’s vibrant holiday-themed graphics and jaw-dropping game footage are set to a classic version of “Jingle Bells,” and reminds fans why these exciting match ups make it feel like Christmas morning 5 times in one day.

 “The Gift of Basketball” spot will make its debut on Thurs (12/14) during the TNT primetime games between Los Angeles Lakers vs Cleveland Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors.

This year, the NBA has made an effort not to have star players resting during nationally televised games so expect to see your favorites on the court. As noted on this page at MyTopSportsbooks, staying on top of the line-up is crucial if you’re planning on placing any bets on the games.

Last year the spotlight was on a healthy LeBron which lead to the Cavs defeating the Warriors 109 – 108. Keep an eye out for the line to move leading up to the big day here.

Christmas Day schedule: 

• Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks at 12:00p ET on ESPN
• Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors at 3:00p ET on ABC
• Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics at 5:30p ETon ABC
• Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City at 8:00p ET on ABC
• Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30p ET on TNT

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The post Scoop B: NBA launches “I’m Why” Christmas Campaign with Curry’s Warriors’ and LeBron’s Cavs as headliners appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Sports and entertainment journalist Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Photo Credit: Eric Salvary/Get Fit Radio

RESPECT Magazine columnist Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson chatted about the NBA on the Bud and The Manchild Show on Syracuse, New York’s The Score 1260 AM. Press Play Below To Listen!

Happy early-Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for during the early parts of the NBA season.

Despite losing Gordon Heyward to a season ending injury, the Boston Celtics are living their best life under the scoring machine of the masked man, Kyrie Irving.

Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics ditched his protective mask in the second half and led his team to a win over the Golden State Warriors. Credit Maddie Meyer/Getty Imageshe Boston Celtics living their best life under the scoring machine that is Kyrie Irving and winning 15 straight games.

The Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are playing inspired basketball in the NBA’s Western Conference.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers are going through growing pains in their respective conferences.

They’re all just  trusting the process!

Check Out Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson disuss the Philadelphia 76ers on CNN.

Did you know that LeBron James is the King of New York?

You’re welcome.. ?of NY #myfavoriteplayground #striveforgreatness?

A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Nov 14, 2017 at 7:26am PST

For those tardy to the party, LeBron James and the Cavaliers’ train ride coupled with James’ declaration was inspired by a scene in the King of New York movie.

Hip hop artists have often used this movie as a muse in their music videos. Add Fat Joe’s “So Much More” and Fabolous “Lituation”to that list.

While on the show the crew and I also discussed Carmelo Anthony and the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as his former New York Knicks team.

Check out the recap of the chat from Inside The Loudhouse’s Paul A. Esden. 

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The post Scoop B: Kyrie’s Celtics & the Cavs’ LeBron James being the King of NY has given us a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

LeBron James and Steph Curry. Photo Credit: NBA

With the NBA Finals prolongoing to a game 5 after the heroics of the Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving’s 40 points and LeBron James’ triple double in game 4, the NBA Finals shifts back to Oakland, where the Warriors won the first two games of the series.

The Cleveland Cavaliers avoided a sweep in the NBA Finals Friday night, beating the Golden State Warriors 137 -116. The Cavs handed the Golden State Warriors their first loss of the postseason and the Warriors still hold a 3-1 lead in the series.

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant and sports journalist Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Photo Credit: Angie Vasquez

Earlier this week, I checked in with Christian Heimall, my buddy from Hofstra University, on the debut episode of the “Press Row” Podcast.

We discussed The NBA Finals, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and more.

Check out Christian Heimall & RESPECT Magazine’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on the “Press Row” Podcast.

The NBA Finals resume Monday with Game 5 in Oakland.

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The post Scoop B: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, NBA Finals & More With Christian Heimall & “Press Row” Podcast appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The meeting between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers last Thursday marked the end of a historic rivalry. Much has changed since these two superstars first met in early 2004. Today the Lakers and Kobe Bryant are out of playoff contention while LeBron James’ Cleveland team is one of the favorites to win the championship. The Black Mamba and King James have played 22 exhibition games against each other and LeBron holds the winning record of 16-6. I know I can’t be the only fan upset at the fact that we will never be able to watch these legends play against each other again. Fortunately the finale lived up to all the hype. Kobe plays the shooting guard position and LeBron is usually posted at the small forward position but somehow they defended each other for most of the night! Even though they play two totally different positions, everyone feels their game is close enough to compare. When doing their individual comparisons most people look directly at the most important stat; Championships. Black Mamba has 5 but LeBron only has only managed to grab 2 so far!  In their last meeting there was plenty of highlights, as expected. Kobe led his team in scoring with 26 points and staples center erupted every time he scored a bucket! King James only accounted for 24 of Cleveland’s 120 points but that’s all he needed to secure another win. This game was not important as far as the playoff picture but March 10^th, 2016 is a date that will be marked in NBA history. After 20 amazing years, Kobe finally realized the NBA game moves very fast so no matter who you are your age will eventually catch up to you. After admitting that his basketball career is over Kobe Bryant has decided to retire after the 2016 season and will be missed very dearly.

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The post Kobe Bryant Vs. Lebron James: The Finale appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Budden is currently prepping his Loose Quarter mixtape, due out next week, but he took some time to invite us all into his closets. Nice Kicks‘ latest installment of “sneak peek” shows Budden’s collection of Jordans, Lebrons, and plenty of custom joints. For all the sneaker heads out there, consider this shoe porn.

The post Video: Joe Budden Shows off His Sneaker Collection appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

King James was finally able to silence his critics last night in game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in convincing fashion, 121-106. In honor of their win, we relive Hov and Bron Bron’s on-stage moment at the Apollo Theater a few years back.

Below, you can check out a shot of LeBron with the Larry O’Brien trophy.

The post Photo of the Day: Lebron and Jay-Z appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.