Kendall Gill had a 15-year career in the NBA. Gill averaged 13 points, four rebounds and a shade under 2 steals while suiting up for the Seattle Sonics, Charlotte Hornets, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Honestly, Gill’s best career came in the 1999 season where he was the NBA’s steals leader, averaging 2.68 per game. In that season, he locked down all types of players from Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Grant Hill, Allen Iverson, Alan Houston and Larry Johnson.

Gill was a man on a mission that year, for real. He took joy in guarding players from positions 1-3 and he sometimes even guarded tweeners like now retired power forward, Kevin Garnett, who later was his teammate with the T-Wolves.

”If I asked Kendall to play power forward, he would do it,” former Nets coach John Calipari once said about Gill after practice. ”Look at him. He is still at it.”

Gill relished in playing against a young Kobe Bryant. “Kobe didn’t reinvent the wheel,” Gill told me in a recent interview. “He studied a lot of what Michael did and put a little bit of his own spin in it and became one of the greatest players that played the game. You can’t argue with that. Then when he leaves the game with 61, I mean who does that? He really put a stamp on his legacy when he did that.”

Gill’s name surfaced recently when former NBA coach George Karl released his book, Furious George: My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection.

The book garnered much attention presumably because of the excerpts detailing his relationship with his former players, J.R. Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and retired NBA player Kenyon Martin. Karl also included Gill. Karl said that Gill was a bad teammate. Gill played for him in Seattle from 1993-95.  “I was always a good teammate,” Gill told CBS Sports Radio’s Tiki and Tierney. “Always, always played within my team. As a matter of fact, George Karl himself said I was too unselfish to become a superstar. He told me that. And now, what you’re telling me – that he said I was a bad teammate – I take that personally. You can ask anybody that I’ve ever played with. Was I selfish? I was never any of those things. For him to come out and say that about me is simply wrong.”

As a member of the press, I’ve always had good dealings with Kendall Gill. Retrospectively my Scoop B Radio series chronicles some of my best interviews done from past and present. Kendall Gill made the cut. He always talked reverently about Muhammad Ali and Walter Payton being his role models growing up and enjoying reading Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations with God book.

On a slow news Monday, take a listen.

Check out Kendall Gill and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Scoop B Radio

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Orlando artist Kim drew praises from the likes of T.I. and Trae Tha Truth back in the summer when he released a song called “Ali” which paid homage to late great boxer, Muhammad Ali. Those praises were also mixed with praises for Kim for honoring the Orlando nightclub shooting victims. Kim has a vocal ability like no other; in his new release “Let Me Pray” his range is mixed with melodic singing while he quickly flips the script with rapid-fire raps in between. Equally showing that the artist definitely has what it takes to take the industry and world by storm.

Kim has a great love for his craft as indicated in his statement below.

“Anyone can tell you about my loyalty and the awareness I look to bring with what I do and what I seek, it’s not for money, or fame. It’s for knowledge, that’s the real power. The more you know, the more aware, the more empowered one is to help the next individual.”

If T.I. and Trae Tha Truth approve, we’re sure you’ll feel the same way once you hear Kim’s lyrical masterpiece in “Let Me Pray.” Check it out below and let us know what you think. You can follow Kim on Twitter here and you can get an ear full of other music he’s released on soundcloud here. Kim’s Seeking Forever LP is set to be released in early 2017.

https://soundcloud.com/stephons_son/let-me-pray

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Many are still sadden by the lost of Muhammad Ali, who passed late Friday. Nipsey Hussle, someone with the same confidence, brings a similar message. He sets the bar with his newest single “Down As Great” featuring Houston rapper, Kirko Bangz.  The single is another gem in his #MarathonMonday campaign.

The single follows last month’s series of releases including “Thug Life,“ “Basic Instinct,” “Ocean Views,” “The Field,” “I Do This,” “Status Symbol 2 “ and  the “FDT”collaboration with YG.

Over the weekend, Nip also teamed up with YG to perform their collaboration at Powerhouse. He also attended Trindad James’s 2^nd Annual Camp James Celebrity Basketball Game and Football Camp at Crenshaw High School. Nip has always been an avid supporter for his community which fuels his movement.

The latest single gives words of empowerment and direction for his listeners:

“It ain’t no force in this world like a focused drive/You gotta focus on yourself like an only child/You make your dream realer and you make your team better/You wake your game up, and you make your scheme better”

The g-funk-like synth sets a platform for a possible placement on his highly-anticipated studio album, Victory Lap.  As we await the album, we can tell you that Nip is tenacious and on a mission to deliver something for the fan that is invaluable to the next generation of leaders and creators.

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The post #MarathonMonday Continues w/ “Down as a Great” Ft. Kirko Bangz appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

It is with sad news that we announce that Muhammad Ali, “The Greatest of All Time,” has passed away at the age of 74. Ali was an amazing professional boxer from age of 22 up until his late 30s. He started training at the age of 12.

Ali passed away at a Phoenix hospital after he was hospitalized the past few days for respiratory complications. According to NBC News, Ali suffered with Parkinson’s disease for the last three decades and the disease really affected his physical and mental abilities.

Laila Ali, his daughter, posted the photo below 7 hours ago:

Laila along with the rest of the family were standing by Ali’s side while he was trying to get better at the hospital. Unfortunately, Ali couldn’t overcome the illness. But he went out with a fight as he always did during his lifetime.

BREAKING: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, ‘the greatest of all time,’ has died at 74https://t.co/tA6SGOWREz pic.twitter.com/wrHYu3wnOn

— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 4, 2016

Ali retired from boxing with a 56-5 record, and achieved 37 knockouts during his career.

Check out some of Ali’s memorable moments:

Ali is survived by his two sons, Asaad Amin and Muhammad Jr., his sevens daughters, Laila, Rasheda, Hana, Maryum, Jamillah, Khaliah, and Miya and his wife, Yolanda “Lonnie” Williams.

Rest in Peace Muhammad Ali.

The post Muhammad Ali Has Passed Away at the Age of 74 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

From 1962 to 1972, George Lois changed the face of magazine design with his ninety-two covers for Esquire magazine. He stripped the cover down to a graphically concise yet conceptually potent image that ventured beyond the mere illustration of a feature article. Lois exploited the communicative power of the mass-circulated front page to stimulate and provoke the public into debate, pressing Americans to confront controversial issues like racism, feminism, and the Vietnam War. Viewed as a collection, the covers serve as a visual timeline and a window onto the turbulent events of the 1960s. Initially received as jarring and prescient statements of their time, the covers have since become essential to the iconography of American culture.

Tonight, Lois speaks with Wired Creative Director, Scott Dadich at the closing of the exhibition, which has been running since last April.

(vi@ SPD)

After the jump, Lois cusses like a Yahoo CEO while sharing the stories of his seminal covers, like the above of Muhammad Ali, Ali’s nemesis Sonny Liston dressed as Santa Claus, Andy Warhol drowning in can of Campbell’s tomato soup and more.

RELATED: Breakfast with Mr. Lois:  Part 1 | Part 2 |Part 3

The post “The Esquire Covers” | George Lois x SPD@FIT at MoMA appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.