Directed by my man Ian Pons Jewell and staring my cousin Sam, the video for Chemo’s “Tennis Season” is in a word, mental. Enjoy!

I’ve been in New York this week to attend various events related to the World Basketball Festival. Presented by Converse, Jordan, and Nike the festival celebrates basketball in all its glory. International teams are playing (in preparation for the FIBA worlds), local legends have helped highlight the importance of hoops in New York communities, and we’ve even seen Jay-Z.

The community pull has been the most important for me. I traveled to Atlanta earlier in the year, and was there privileged to check out Converse’s OPEN GYM. The program provides kids a safe and structured place to play… along with opportunities to engage with players and check out new shoes.

Similarly, the Jordan Breakfast Club works to engage youth in basketball – with a particular focus on dedication, training, and in true Jordan fashion “the love of the game.”

Yesterday, I watched as kids ran drills and took on Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and Mr. Wade…. and, oh yeah, Mr. Jordan showed up too.

The kids certainly weren’t star struck, but they were all ears and eyes as the players shared their experiences. It was really very lovely to see.

With that, I wanted to share a few images. I can’t take a photo worth a lick, so these are thanks to Nike.

In February of 2009, rapper Little Dee hit SBTV and claimed to be the best thing from Lewisham since Ian Wright. The South London area once boasted the largest supermarket in Europe, a Sainsbury’s outlet in Lewisham Shopping Centre. Apparently, Little Dee didn’t think it that grand.

He’d previously labeled himself “A Star in the Making,” releasing a song with that name and a rather poor video. A moment of self indulgence. A moment when a rapper failed to take stock of his peers and hyped a skill set which didn’t compete with other locals.

The best thing since Ian Wright might be Don Strapzy. Lyrically he fits the Dipset vein popular among some Grime artists – a cameo from Mayhem of SAS confirms these leanings – and an aggression that can only be formed over countless journeys on the night bus. He pretty much only wears blue anoraks and New Era Caps. I respect this sartorial decision a great deal.

I also respect that Strapzy reps his manor and has proved Lewisham worth more than the incompetent Little Dee. No rapper has ever name checked as many goal keepers either.

Strapzy, I should note, is represented by my friends at Dark n’ Cold.

“Oi, Oi!”

This year I said no.

I turned down tickets to the Big East Tournament. I declined a week of round ball magic.

For what? Well, mostly for the freedom of watching more basketball at home. I took a brief moment out to watch Arsenal whip Porto, but other than that it’s been all Championship Week. A week of fighting for Conference glory, for one last shot at the NCAAs, and for certain people to get totally shitfaced at Madison Square Garden (I’m taking to you, Providence College).

It’s my favorite time of the year. It’s the reason I have avoided proper office bound employment since I graduated. In my first job, I signed a contract that allowed me to take off one paid month… outside of allotted vacation… for “personal research.” I used the time to go to the NCAA tournament.

That year Wisconsin drew Arizona in Philadelphia. I arrived two hours before tip, was picked up at the airport and headed to the Wacovia Center. Ticketless.

Disheartened by scalpers I wandered aimlessly into will call. There I saw a beacon of hope – Barry Alvarez. “Hey, Barry! How about tickets for some alum?” A shot in the dark, sure, but worth it right? He replied, “I need to get my own kid.” He turned away.

I turned too. But, a moment later felt a tap on the shoulder. An Alvarez assistant handed over two seats.

I spent that afternoon chatting to an assistant coaches mother, and watching the Badgers get torn to pieces. She asked me which ‘Zona cheerleader I’d most like to bang. I pointed to a busty Asian. Had the older lady not been on oxygen she might have high fived me. Instead, she just smiled.

That evening I watched UCONN play Albany and sat next to Hilton Armstrong’s father. He told me some good stories and I told him that I was a little afraid of Denham Brown’s family.

Point being, basketball has been good to me.

Last year, UCONN played in Philly again. I had two extra tickets. I saw two young Husky fans looking lost. I gave the same way Mr. Alvarez once gave to me.

I may regret the missed opportunity of sitting in my favorite arena watching Greg Monroe battle ‘Cuse this afternoon. I will morn UCONN’s fall from Final Four to possibly not even cracking the NIT. I’ll wait patiently until next year (where it all starts in Maui). I’ll cheer against Duke. I will cheer for the underdog.

I will spend a few days wondering if it is worth to fly somewhere completely random and watch Cornell with some friends.

Mostly, I will happily celebrate 3 more weeks of tournament.

(Oh, and then I will probably go to the Jordan Brand Classic and a few other high school all-star games).

Regular readers of The Economist might have clocked a brief article on baseball in China in the February 13, 2010 Edition (p. 68). The piece hinges on the potential of China to yield a few strong armed pitchers and the efforts of Major League Baseball to find them. With only mild success after the Olympics (many of the purpose built stadiums having been razed), baseball struggles to find foothold in Asia’s most populous nation.

In contrast, basketball generates massive interest. With an estimated 300 million hoops fiends (suggested by The Economist) and a rabid fandom surrounding the NBA, basketball is the model baseball wishes to follow (again, noted in The Economist). China has produced stars of its own, and by all accounts China also champions the American hard court legend.

The NBA Star undoubtedly fuels Chinese interest in basketball. Because of this, I am consistently intrigued by emerging basketball brands from China and couldn’t resist the opportunity to travel to Portland last week for Li Ning’s grand US opening.

Founded in 1990, Li Ning offers a dizzying array of athletic apparel, equipment and footwear in the PRC. It’s namesake, Li Ning, has a firm grounding in athletic competition – as one of China’s most decorated Olympians, winning 3 golds during the 1984 Summer Games. He retired in 1988, focusing attention two years later to sporting goods. Since inception, Li Ning has grown into one of the most competitive brands in the domestic market. An international hold, however, has proved elusive.

I first heard about Li Ning when former Cavelier Damon Jones signed what seemed a bizarre footwear deal with the company. His sponsorship did little to introduce the brand to the USA, but it did mark a slowly progressing entry into the global basketball market.

Several years later, Li Ning returns to the US with a list of heavy hitters – Baron Davis and Shaq – along with the newly opened Portland flagship store.

On the surface, Li Ning has done the obvious. They’ve attracted aging stars with big personalities, just what one needs to generate a little buzz. Given the hold of the NBA in China, this move certainly has positive ramifications on the domestic market as well, however in Baron sights are now firmly set on the cradle of basketball.

Along side a strong line-up of footwear dedicated to the more obscure atheltic venture – badmenton and table tennis – the Baron Davis signature shoe (the “BD DOOM”), is a high performance court sneaker with a type of player specific branding that is unfortunately often avoided. The shoe has birthed the Beardman. A logo, a character, and everything that stands for Baron’s carefree off-court personality. The Beardman has become its own toy and adorns everything from t-shirts to very impressive varsity jackets.

Li Ning, in Baron Davis, might not have a match for Lebron and the swoosh, but they certainly trump the efforts of other PRC brands (like PEAK) to break the US. And, they might successfully rival Under Armor’s swoop of phenom Brandon Jennings.

Talking with Li Ning Marketing Lead Eric Tian, its obvious the brand’s excited about Baron. To think of him as a silver bullet, however, would be to treat the global basketball market with undeserved shallowness.

Falling behind the this summer’s World Cup, and the current Winter Olympic Games, the FIBA World Basketball Championship won’t get the full mainstream media attention in 2010 it should. Granted, the World Championship’s have only just gotten competitive. The tournament might still be a decade away from providing true gripping drama. Twenty years, perhaps, away from becoming the true second to football as a global game.

Yet, when you look at the fans filling the seats at NBA games, there’s a trend almost impossible to ignore – foreign languages fill the arena sound scape. The rise of the Argentinian and Spanish teams to world powers (both have beaten the US in recent major tournaments) hasn’t quite been ignored.

Li Ning understands this growth. Their sponsorship of the two Nations mentioned above (the worlds 2nd and 3rd best teams) is what impresses me most about their basketball efforts. While some brands would think short – as the affiliation with Baron Davis does – Li Ning has an impressive long term vision.

The NBA will always be the home of the basketball star. But, the international game is growing and its increasingly impressive.

For that, I’ve got a little more faith than some in Li Ning’s basketball future. After all, who can deride an athletic brand for truly understanding where the core of sports is going.

One thing I genuinely miss about drinking is the paraphernalia.

I’m an object guy, plain and simple. The items that allow (or promote) an activity are of tantamount importance. In my drinking days I collected flasks, shakers, black and tan spoons, assorted coozies. You name it. I had all sorts that facilitated boozing.

This collection extended to a baffling selection of glassware. Tulip pint glasses for imperial pints, Riedel wineglasses, etc, etc. Like most good drinkers, it didn’t really much matter what the sauce was poured from, but having the “correct” accoutrement made it a bit more fun.

After all, martini glasses seem to just make more sense than downing chilled vodka from a coffee mug.

It’s with that mindset that, almost four years on from my last drink, I appreciate the care taken by my friends at Denim Demon in how they carry their favored drink. Oskar tells me, “Galliano Hot Shot is the world’s greatest shot, so we wanted to celebrate that with the worlds first Galliano Hot Shot case. Custom made interior for everything you need in order to make four perfect Hot Shots. Excellent to bring along when your on the road visiting clients.”

A testament to the Denim Demon sense of fun and a dedication to doing things right.

Awesome promotional tool.

Ten years ago this month I was on site to film a video segment with Skinny Man, Nebula, and Chester P. Organized by my friends from Dark n’ Cold, we shot at the original Deal Real Shop. It was a really special moment in my life. Amazing how time flies, doesn’t feel that long ago. Deal Real has since perished, but Dark n’ Cold still operates from the same store front in Soho.

From Bury Crew EPs and recorded Mudlumz sessions, I’d come to discover Chester. These tapes were my link to the UK scene when home in the States. Mark B’s introduction to Task Force New Mic Order was something of a revelation too, an album I’ve written about at length elsewhere (and now can’t find the fucking link). Having just returned from London and spent time with the old crew, it felt right to share the experience.

I’m not sure how to adequately describe how it felt, an essentially private show from ones favorite MC doesn’t come often. Through all the MFTC releases, Louis Slippers 10 Pound Bags, EPs, collaborations with Phi Life Cypher, and more, Chester is probably the only rapper I’ve followed in full for the last decade. I celebrate his entire catalog.

Here’s the footage we shot.

A more recent Chester P freestyle below.

I’m in London for a bit, doing some British things (not as British as things I used to do, like teething mobile phones and that, just normal British things).

Most of my entries from here will be about pretty things and football. But, for tonight, here are some British rap videos/songs. Those who know me well, know that between ‘96 and 2000 I spent a lot of time in the UK rap scene. Over the years I got to meet some good blokes and have some serious laughs. Realizing this will not hit the musical taste of most selectism readers… here goes.