SLAM Magazine

"At first, I gained an appreciation for the history of the game. You want to emulate stuff that players do." Three…two…one…the shot goes up from the top of the key and all the noise gets stolen from the room. Stolen, stolen, stolen… Yeah, all that crowd noise is gone. Only the held breath of the young shooter can be heard, waiting, waiting and waiting. The rest of the noise taken by the suspense of whether the attempt will go in or fall off.

It's so hard to describe, but you could just feel it... the love and magic that happens in this place Spring isn’t all that far away from now. It won’t be long—maybe the middle of May—until the lilacs bloom in Spokane, WA. Oh, those lilacs, native to lands from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia. So far from the Pacific Northwest. When the seasons change in a few weeks, their purple petals will ride the wind to gently drift down into the rushing waters of Spokane Falls.

"To have our names [in the banners] with all those other legends doesn’t feel real. I still get goosebumps when I look at it." An extraordinary sun warms up this early October afternoon in Brooklyn. The temperature should be way lower at this time of the year, but it’s almost like the sun is favoring us. Actually, to keep it a buck, not even all of us. Today, it’s more like the sun is shining a singular spotlight on Azzi Fudd.

"When I first got here, it didn't feel real because you look outside and there are mountains everywhere. It's just a beautiful place to be." On a calm and quiet Saturday morning in Provo, UT, AJ Dybantsa is cleverly sneaking in some jumpers on the hardwood in between photo breaks at his cover shoot. The Marriott Center, which serves as the home arena of the BYU basketball program, is completely desolated on this mid-August morning.

By MARK LONG, AP Sports Writer GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida has formally restored basketball great Vernon Maxwell’s final two years of college statistics, a move that once again makes him the program’s all-time leading scorer. Athletic director Scott Stricklin urged the Gators to reinstate Maxwell’s numbers four decades after “Mad Max” first stepped on campus, and it became official this week.

By The Associated Press COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Aliyah Boston made the go-ahead basket with 7.4 seconds left, Lexie Hull stole the ensuing inbounds pass and the Indiana Fever beat the No. 3-seeded Atlanta Dream 87-85 on Thursday night to advance to the WNBA semifinals. Despite missing Caitlin Clark among its injured players, Indiana closed on a 7-0 run to win a playoff series for the first time since 2015.

By ERIC OLSON, AP Sports Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton announced a $300 million facilities project Thursday that will encompass 11 new or upgraded buildings and outdoor spaces covering 12 blocks on the east side of campus. The donor-funded Fly Together initiative received a $100 million lead gift from the Heider Family Foundation, the largest in university history.

By DOUG FEINBERG, AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — It’s fitting that many of the opening round playoff series are going the distance after the balanced regular season the WNBA had. There will be three decisive Game 3s over the next two days. That’s the first time that’s happened since 2015. Last season all four opening round series were sweeps.

By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Sports Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Natalie Nakase won over Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob with her fire in a matter of two hours when they sat down last year for a formal interview. Now, the entire WNBA understands why. Nakase was voted WNBA Coach of the Year on Wednesday after leading her team to the playoffs, making league history as the only first-year franchise to reach the postseason.

"The first time I thought that I was going to play in the NBA for a long time was probably the 40-ball in Game 5 of the Finals" The sun cuts across the desert sky like a painter’s last brushstroke, bleeding orange and pink into the horizon. Gilbert, AZ, is buzzing in a quiet way, a suburban thrum wrapped in dry heat and open skies. At Perry High School, the doors are unlocked, and the basketball gym is brimming with echoes of excellence.