Jared Ebanks

2 weeks ago | slamonline.com | Jared Ebanks

Darius Acuff Jr. doesn’t have too many vivid memories from when he was really young—we’re talking 2 or 3 years old. But he does remember running around the ACC’s gym that sat just down the street from his childhood home in Detroit while his older cousin’s team tried to practice. All of his memories with the game began in that gym with striped royal blue walls. Since 2003, the father of Darius’ uncle Rashad has taken care of that very gym.

1 month ago | slamonline.com | Jared Ebanks

Remember when you got that pair of kicks to play in? You know, the ones you were begging for. Hoping for. Praying for. And then that anxious, exhilarating feeling that led up to that first time lacing ’em up? Then you’ve probably got something in common with our guy Edson, one of the characters from the new sneaker-themed animated film, SNEAKS.

1 month ago | slamonline.com | Jared Ebanks

There’s a saying about the past…Forget that. We’re not here to focus on what was. And at this moment, neither is Cade Cunningham, as he leads a renaissance in Detroit. Yes, the first few years in the League for the Pistons prodigy were tumultuous. Those losses have been well documented: 192 over three years while tying the NBA’s all-time losing streak last season with 28 straight. But in 2025, Cunningham has the city of Detroit envisioning hoops through late April for the first time in six years.

1 month ago | slamonline.com | Jared Ebanks

At first glance from the corner of Rivington and Columbia, the Masaryk Community Gym looks like it’s hidden behind a giant white brick wall. That’s kind of because it is. Home to the collaborative project of Aimé Leon Dore and New Balance, the building juts out onto the sidewalk as a beacon for the Lower East Side’s hoops community. The colorless bricks that face the pavement are illuminated by a painted mural that depicts the action taking place on the second floor.

1 month ago | leadertimes.com | Jared Ebanks

Alright, let’s take a collective moment and rummage through the memories. Think of the greatest game you’ve ever seen. Michael Jordan’s “last shot” over the Utah Jazz for the 1998 Finals? Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals? How about Syracuse and UConn’s six-overtime bout in 2009? The question is honestly subjective. These are all fair responses, but if we’re talking star power and buzzer-beaters, it’s got to be the 1992 Elite Eight matchup between Duke and Kentucky.