Bob Bajek is an award-winning investigative journalist and TBW staff writer who has extensive experience in news and sportswriting for various outlets including Bleacher Report, The Chicago Tribune and Pro Football Weekly. He firmly believes Drake spread the Gospel of Steph before his official coming... and fans need to forgive the Warriors after providing free tacos for four NBA Finals.
The basketball world rightly associates No. 23 with Michael Jordan. No. 45 also played a short role during his 1994-95 comeback season as well—as detailed recently on ESPN’s The Last Dance. But do you know The Goat once donned No. 12 on Valentine’s Day 1990? The Orlando Magic hosted the up-and-coming Bulls that evening. Both teams…
When I started watching basketball back in 1995, the season kicked off by celebrating the NBA’s 50th anniversary in style. This era brought graphic designers to the forefront, making uniforms pop with engaging images in time for the organization’s golden season festivities. Count me among the legions of kids who became obsessed with NBA jerseys. Cool…
The 1995-98 Chicago Bulls projected Invinci-Bull-ity to me growing up. As their great collection of talent produced championship after championship, my 7- to 10-year-old-self believed my heroes were Unbeata-Bull. Their success somehow became my success, quickly fostering my love for basketball and the NBA. The Bulls’ sheer dominance was just a matter of fact. NBA…
The NBA’s rapid evolution into a positionless game within the past five years has changed basketball forever. This development offers a more open floor and skillful game that showcases players’ otherworldly athleticism through off-the-ball movement, teamwide defensive switching concepts and by stretching defenses horizontally with long-range shooting way past the arc. Even with such positive…
COVID-19 unexpectedly forced the NBA season to a screeching halt. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive, and the league and other sports leagues immediately shut down to protect players, coaches, employees and their fans’ health. The coronavirus’ specter continues its spread nationally and abroad, stressing hospitals, economies and communities to the brink. Without basketball,…
When Kawhi Leonard bid au revoir to Canada for Southern California last July, fans and media members thought the Toronto Raptors did the same to their chances of repeating as NBA champions. The math seems pretty simple: NBA superstars are essentially required to winning the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy. This prevailing thought led both Los…
The torrid start to Kendrick Nunn’s NBA career continues opening eyes. Despite their offcourt reasons for initial hesitation, front offices are likely now kicking themselves for not taking a chance on the undrafted Miami Heat shooting guard who’s showed out against the league’s top young talent. What he’s done all year, he also did during…
The NBA All-Star Game is returning to Chicago for the first time in 32 years. And while the Chicago Bulls probably won’t send any representatives this year, its franchise’s greatest player once used this venue to start changing his career’s narrative. Eventually, the United Center would become “The House that Jordan Built”, but he first…
Dwight Howard’s career was crashing more dramatically to Earth than a victim of his facial dunks. Ever since abruptly leaving the Orlando Magic in 2012, injuries, team in-fighting and the modern game passing him by systematically sapped powers from the wunderkind once known as Superman. No longer more powerful than a locomotive and leaping over…
Memphis freshman center James Wiseman torched the competition during his Nov. 5 college debut. He racked up 28 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in a 97-64 home shellacking of South Carolina State. Wiseman should’ve celebrated his stellar showing, but the NCAA had other plans by ruling the ESPN 2019 No. 1 recruit ineligible due to “receiving…
