Chris Baldwin

2 weeks ago | papercitymag.com | Chris Baldwin

To University of Houston president Renu Khator, it’s simple. Kelvin Sampson is one of the best coaches in America — one of the top leaders overall she’s been around in her estimation — so UH needs to make sure that’s reflected in his compensation. The basketball coach’s new reworked and extended contract — one that will pay Sampson more than $6 million per season on average over its four years, sources tell PaperCity — is designed to do just.

2 weeks ago | papercitymag.com | Chris Baldwin

The next level in Houston’s sky-high, lock-and-leave living, which still has a ways to go to catch up to cities such as New York, Miami and Chicago, doesn’t involve going higher. Only a phleb or a Russian oligarch worries about how much higher they can go up at some point. Instead, the natural evolution centers around how much more plush things can be, how the tower or complex one chooses can set itself completely apart from the crowd.

3 weeks ago | papercitymag.com | Chris Baldwin

This is a big week for Milos Uzan, a life changing one. One way or the other. Milos and his dad Mike Uzan are in Chicago for the NBA Draft Combine, seven days of drills, skill tests, scrimmages, measurements and interviews with teams that started on Sunday. Many have assumed that Milos Uzan isn’t coming back to play point guard at the University of Houston, that he’s committed to chasing his NBA dream this upcoming season almost no matter what.

1 month ago | papercitymag.com | Chris Baldwin

Amen Thompson flying up and down the court, attacking the rim, giving Steph Curry all the space of a New York subway at rush hour, will be the enduring Houston Rockets’ image of this lost Golden State Warriors playoff series. Thompson is so good, he gets the clasp-on-the-shoulder anointing talk from Curry after Game 7, a true rite of NBA stardom passage. Thompson as The Next is a given, but the Rocket decision makers also remain bullish on a more unlikely candidate.

1 month ago | papercitymag.com | Chris Baldwin

Tari Eason is feeling the moment, pumped to be part of this Houston Rockets team that refuses to roll over or back down. As the third-year forward leaves the locker room and heads down the long corridor back to the court, he spots a group of about 15 Rockets fans waiting and hoping for autographs or a moment. So Eason loops over and signs for every one of them, takes selfies with everyone who asks, even breaks down the game a little. This 23-year-old will happily talk hoops with almost anyone.