We will have our annual tryouts June 9th, scouts, coaches and team captains will be on location recruiting the best standouts to join their roster.

The entrance to the gym is located on orange st across from the In n Out inside Hollywood High School

Come watch the future stars of the sport you LOVE >>> Also you never know who might show up each week >>  This is Hollywood after all

Blazers 6-0
VBL 5-1
New Image 5-1
Win By 20 5-2
Hoosier Daddy 5-2
Under Rated 5-2
No Limit 5-2
Street Kings 4-2
Fresno Griffins 4-2
Nationwide 4-2
Hoopstop.net 3-2
Umbutu 4-3
Overlooked 4-3
Legendary 4-3
Entertainers 4-3
Next Level 4-3
LaDera Allstars 4-3
Money Gang 3-4
Buzz Elite 3-4
Pasadena 2-4
Lights Out 2-4
Novastars 2-4
Green Up 2-5
Panthers 2-5
We Allstars 1-4
Three Tier Ent. 1-4
Posh Klipz 1-5
Basketball Stripes 1-6
Los Fearless 1-6

VBL >> Where the game never Stops >>>

We had a blast at Dodgers stadium with the whole crew. We landed over 3,000 dunks and $1,600

Thanks to Komen for allowing us to be part of history

KVBL 10-Noon

GAME 1 – 12:30 pm

Jump USA VS United Nationz

GAME 2 – 1:30pm

Beach Warriors VS APL

GAME 3 – 2:30pm

Sunblock VS Ladera Park All Stars

VBL Winter League Preseason

Last Saturday, January 26, 2013 the VBL kicked off its 2^nd annual Winter League at Oakwood Gym in Venice.  The gym was filled with old and new faces, highflyers and ball handlers, VBL youngsters and VBL legends.  By 10:00 am, the court was overtaken by the KVBL for drills, clinics and scrimmages.  The KVBL is open to all and will take place every Saturday starting at 10!

The first preseason game introduced two new teams to the VBL:

Jump Fitness USA vs. Ladera Park All-Stars

Jump Fitness USA, coached by Greg Gioiosa, is one of the top teams from the WCBL.  Their team is comprised of recent college graduates with impressive resumes in the basketball industry.  They were led by a solid performance from Derrick O’Neal (15 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk, 67%fg, 50%3pt).  For most of the game, Jump Fitness seemed to be in control thanks to their height and physical play.  However, Ladera Park made a comeback late in the 2^nd half and cut their deficit to just four points.  Coming out of a timeout in the 4^th quarter, the All-Stars began to play lockdown defense creating points off fast breaks and knocking down open 3-pointers, led by Anthony Davis (game high 6 3-pt made).  Jump Fitness was quick to respond and fought fire with fire, giving the All-Stars a taste of their own team defense.  Coach G’s team pulled away at the end and took the W in an 81-67 victory.  After their performance on Saturday, Jump Fitness USA looks to be an early season favorite.

The second preseason game of the day highlighted two long tenured VBL teams:

Venice Beach Warriors vs. United Nations

The Beach Warriors, defending Summer League Champions, are back to continue their reign over the VBL.  The team is made up of the best local street ballers that scouts have yet to find.  The Warriors are led by AJ Harris aka The Chosen 1, who just so happened to have his own version of the historical MJ ’92 season and LBJ aka The Chosen One ’12 season (minus the gold medals).  In 2012, AJ received the honors of Stand Out Player of the VBL Winter League, Summer League MVP, and Finals MVP.  This past Saturday, AJ struggled with his shot, but still managed to fill up the stat sheet and lead his team to victory.  He finished with 19 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast, 5 stls.  His teammate, the big lefty, Richard Nolan, gave a strong supporting performance with 14 pts and 10 reb on 88% shooting.  The game was back and forth with several lead changes.  United Nations, known for being the underdog team full of free agents, is capable of an upset on any given day.  UN’s efforts were led by several crucial 3-pointers late in the game along with their top performer, Donald Lee (16 pts, 15 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 73%fg).  UN fell short in the end, but their team chemistry will become stronger as the season progresses and they are sure to pick up a couple more stellar free agents.  The Beach Warriors had an uncharacteristic sloppy game.  The will look have a stronger game in Week 1 when they have their full roster in play.  Final score: BW – 88 over UN – 81

Sunblock vs. White Collars

Sunblock, led by Gil Llewellyn aka Crackers & Cheese and Ryan Pickering aka Cable Guy, showed up to the gym on Saturday with a newly constructed team.  First reaction to this team: They are way too small! To my surprise, their backcourt was beyond impressive and practically shutdown the gym.  Sunblock had three outstanding performances on the books coming from, Deshawn Patterson aka DPatt (33 pts, 7 reb, 3 stl), Shanes Aguilar who was one rebound short of a triple double (17 pts, 9 reb, 10 ast, 3 stl) and the top scorer of the day Brandon Pownes (41 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 63%fg, 57%3pt).  Sunblock was slow out of the gate and White Collars took full advantage.  White Collars, led by team captain Tyler Carr aka That 70’s Show (12 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl), also had a different look to their team with several new faces.  They had two guys who held it down, Jaquain Weary (24 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 65%fg, 67%3pt) and Jim Shepherd who was lights out from every on the court (29 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 67%fg, 45%3pt), but it was easy to see that this team lacked chemistry.  After a quick start with great shooting from Jim, the White Collars began cooling down and Sunblock’s guards quickly took over the game.  Sunblock ran White Collars out the gym and possibly the Winter League in a high scoring win, 116-98.

Weekly standout Players :

AJ Harris aka The Chosen 1  — Beach Warriors

Brandon Pownes  — Sunblock

Shanes Aguilar  — Sunblock

Donald Lee  — United Nations

Jim Shepherd  — United Nations

GET READY FOR AN OTHER EXPLOSIVE SEASON!

Saturday January 26th 2013

OPENING WEEK

SATURDAY the 26th GAMES

12.30pm Opener

Jump Fitness USA VS Ladera Park All Stars

1.30pm

United Nations VS Venice Beach Warriors

2.30 pm

Sunblock VS White Collars

After 18 long years Kobe returns to Venice Beach to talk to the fans and introduce the Kobe 8 system. For the ones who don’t know Kobe broke his wrist when he was 17 about to go to the NBA during Summer showdown tournaments and made a promise not to ever play there again.  NOW HE’S BACK. We gave him a warm welcome and gave him a good reason to come back, hopefully he will play with us next time

Checkout the photos and Video by Nick Ansom

Showcase, Entertain and Inspire Youth is what we are all about and doing fund raisers is what we love to do!

Make sure to join us this year for our Toy drive events. It always feels good to give to the less fortunate. Bless up!

Download APPLICATION HERE

Download CODE OF CONDUCT must Sign

Tournament RULES

1. Sportsmanship

Basketball is a competitive sport but it’s also a team sport. Therefore, good sportsmanship and respect for teammates, oppo-
nents, referees, and spectators will be expected from every singe participant. Team captains, coaches, and parents are
expected to aid in controlling the conduct of anyone associated with the team, and will be looked upon as a spokesman for the
team. Poor sportsmanship will NOT be tolerated and will result in a warning followed by ejection from the tournament deter-
mined by referees or tournament officials. Acts such as fighting, taunting, cursing, or verbally attacking any person are just
some examples of bad sportsmanship that will NOT be tolerated. Decisions made by tournament officials are final and are not
subject to review by any sources.

2. Fouls

All shooting fouls will result in one free throw for 2 or 3 points. No And 1 rule – If a player is fouled while shooting 2 or 3 points will be granted accordingly.
Fouls committed in the act of dribbling or passing will result in maintained possession for team that was fouled. Each team is allotted 8 team fouls per game, after the
tenth team foul, all fouls are considered “shooting fouls, after 8th fouls the player will shoot one shot for 2 points.
Offensive fouls result in a change of possession. Players that amass 5 personal fouls will foul out and have to sit the remainder of the game.

A. Technical and Flagrant Fouls

Technical or flagrant fouls will be determined by referees when a play or action is deemed unsportsmanlike or dangerous.
These fouls will result in one free throw and possession of the ball. Two technical/flagrant fouls by any team in one game will
result in a forfeit for that game.

3. Stalling

Stalling or the deliberate “slowing down” of the game in order to gain an unfair advantage is STRICTLY prohibited. The first
offense will result in a warning and the second offense will result in a technical foul against the offending team.
4. Length of Game (All Divisions)
-15 minute games
-Running clock periods except during free throws in the final minute of the game.
-If teams are tied after regulation, teams will play a sudden death overtime period in which case the first team to score a basket
wins the game. The first possession of the overtime period is determined by alternating possession.
-Each team will only be allotted one 30 second timeout per game. If teams are tied after regulation, teams will NOT receive an
additional timeout for the sudden death overtime period.
-Substitutions may be made only during a timeout or “dead ball situation.”

5. Checked Ball

The ball must be “checked” by an opposing player before it is put into play. The ball must then be passed to begin play.
6. Change of Possession
The ball will change possession after each scored basket and all made free throws with the exception of technical/flagrant foul
free throws. There will be no “winner’s” rule.

7. Taking the Ball Back

The ball must be “taken back” on each change of possession, regardless of whether or not a shot was attempted. “Taking it
back” means bringing your whole body and the ball behind the three point arc before attempting a shot to the basket. Every
time the ball goes out of bounds the team with possession must take the ball back behind the three point arc before they can
attempt a field goal. Failure to “take it back” will result in a loss of possession and a loss of any points scored during that
possession.

8. Held Ball/Jump Ball Situation

In a jump ball situation, the ball will first go to the team that lost the opening coin toss with alternating possession thereafter.

9. Tournament Format

The tournament format will be pool play followed by bracket style playoffs. For pool play, each team plays 3 games. The top 16
teams from each division advance to the playoff bracket. Teams are ranked by best record in pool play. Tie-Breaker will be
determined by average point differential of all three games (i.e. If Team A wins game one by 2 points, game two by 8 points,
and loses game three by 7 points, then Team A’s point differential for its three games averaged out is +1 differential).

10. Scoring

Each made basket is worth two points, unless the player is behind the three point arc in which case the basket is worth three
points. Each successful free throw is worth one point.

Big Mo, Young AJ, Stretch and Thunder Thunder (left to right) win the first annual 3 on 3 tournament.  Over 25 VBL teams participated for this amazing event. Shootout to BallisLife for producing a quality event!

The VBL is partnering up with BallIsLife to bring to you an event you don’t want to miss!

On November 10, 2012 we will bring you the very first 3 on 3 event of its kind. From multiple divisions for different age groups to the 8 foot adult division and dunk contest to the open 3-Point contest. This will be an event that you will NOT want to miss.
Not only will we have great basketball but everything will be indoors at the 242,000 square foot American Sports Center with 26 NBA size basketball courts.
So stop messing around and get your team signed up as soon as possible! Cash and Prizes will be given away throughout the day for participants of all divisions!

Event Description:

3 on 3 basketball is a time for basketball enthusiasts to take to the courts and compete. If you have been to any 3 on 3 event you would have witnessed the thousands that come out to play the game they love and get the opportunity to put their team and pride on the line against anyone else. At the same time it’s all about the experience of being apart of that event. Sponsor booths are set up, nba tickets are being given out, prizes are given out all day long, music artists show up and perform on stage and the heavily anticipated dunk contest happens mid day. All of this is packed into an awesome day of basketball and a great experience overall for the fan/enthusiast. This is what we want to create with our event but in our own way.

Our experience -

1. Our event will happen at the american sports complex in Anaheim, Ca. This facility has 27 full basketball courts with NBA level basketball hoops. Our experience will all happen under 1 single roof on indoor courts which is highly beneficial for the enthusiast who generally does not like to play outdoors.

2. Our event will feature an 8 foot hoop division for anyone under 6 foot. Why are we doing this you may ask? Growing up watching Michael Jordan, the only thing I ever wanted to do was dunk the basketball in a game. Being 5 foot 9 inches tall, I have my limitations. Adding the feature of an 8 foot goal for us men/women who can’t dunk on a 10 foot goal adds not only a cool factor but lets them live our their fantasy of being able to dunk in a game or dunk on their opponent!

3. 3-point Contest – We will have a 3-Point contest with a prize to be given to the top 3 scores. We will have a dedicated sponsored half court for contestants to put up their best scores throughout the day. The top 10 scores advance to the finals at 3pm to compete for cash and prizes in front of an audience.

4. 8 Foot goal Dunk Contest – Playing back to the fantasy of wanting to dunk in a game. How many people do you know that can do crazy dunks on an 8 foot goal but can’t quite do anything on a 10 foot goal? This is another part of our event in which the fan/enthusiast will be able to win cash/prizes while living out their fantasy of competing in a dunk competition in front of a large audience and the ballislife cameras!

5. 10 foot Dunk Contest – This contest will be Invite only. We are bringing out the best dunkers in the world. Kenny Dobbs, Guy Dupuy, Gary Smith, Myree Reemix Bowden, Josh Kioh etc. These guys will go head to head in a winner takes all contest. We will be flying guys in from all over the country to put on the BEST dunk contest so that we can make sure this event gets on espn sports nation. This event will be the most branded event of the day. La Live 3 on 3 dunk contests have received well over 1 million views on youtube in the past couple years alone and have been featured on espn every year.

6. We are offering a 3 game guarantee to every team that enters. Each team member will be given a goody bag with an event t-shirt, water bottle and lanyard.

7. Multiple divisions so that we can separate skill levels

Our goal with this event is to create a 3 on 3 event for Orange County that is not only fun but something people of all ages can look forward to happening each year. We want the fan/enthusiast to remember this event and what was apart of it but also to be competitive with it.

This event will take place on November 10, 2012 at the American Sports Complex.

See this powerful video of Kobe trying to make a change. Skid row Ambassadors are one of our affiliates. Every year since 2009 we go down to play at their legendary courts Glady’s park. Here is a little recap from our 2010 trip! Crushow is one of the SlamBall star and activist in making changes in his community.

Ain’t nothing like Venice Swag and their main characters! Explicit version

Checkout this really cool video that was just featured on TF6 #1 TV show!
Les Pidgeons de Paris VS  team Venice Ball.

From “Cauet Fait le Tour” sur TF6.

Cauet on Facebook :
https://www.facebook.com/cauetsurnrj

Cauet on Twitter :
https://www.twitter.com/cauetofficiel

Every Saturday of 2012 come and join the VeniceBall family at Oakwood Rec Center.

Our clinic is free for all the kids.

Beginners group is from 10.11.30 and advanced kids are 11.30 to 12.3opm. Kids are welcome to stay for both sessions.

Every week will invite new legendary VBL coaches like Mani Love, Gil and more inspiring athletes. In December will select the top hard working 10 kids to represent Venice on our travel ball team!

For more info feel free to call us.

In 1989, as the sneaker industry skyrocketed through the stratosphere due to the popularity of Air Jordans, New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing, was getting paid nearly $1 million a year by adidas. Despite the very handsome salary, PE left the brand. Under the guise of his agent, David Falk, Ewing became a pioneer of sorts launching the first signature sneaker brand that was majority owned by a professional athlete. By 1990, the company was grossing approximately $100 million that year and as Ewing’s popularity with the Knicks soared so did his company. Ewing Athletics released more than 20 models until 1996, before the company faced internal challenges that forced Ewing and his partners to shut down.

Last month, the former Knicks legendary center and NBA Hall of Famer, relaunched the cult-classic shoe company and released the 33 Hi Retro model to 33 stores nationwide. On the heels of the retro sneaker hitting the European market for the holiday season, Life +Times caught up with No. 33 himself, along with Falk and David Goldberg, the newly anointed President of Ewing Athletics, to discuss the brands reintroduction, the ‘90s original flavors and Knicks versus Nets.

Life + Times: The popularity of retro-sneakers is perhaps at an all-time high. How excited are you to reintroduce Ewing Athletics to the market place?
Patrick Ewing: It’s great! I can’t wait for it to hit the market. And hopefully we’ll do great. The way everybody shoe is coming out, being rereleased and doing well…I want to get my niche.

L+T: It’s been a long time coming. How were you able to get the brand up and running again?
Ewing: Well, it took them a while to convince me to bring it back. They finally were able to convince me and I teamed up with a group of people [David Goldberg and Mike Packer] in New York and we’re going to make it happen. They’ve been waiting a long time to do it– and it’s finally here!
David Goldberg: It was an opportunity that was kind of presented to me three years ago. It’s been a long time trying to convince Patrick and David Falk that it was the right time and we were the right people to do it with. As a kid, I grew up in New York, I was a huge Knicks fan, and this was one of my favorite brands. I’ve been a huge sneakerhead since the ‘80s. I actually bought Patrick all the old shoes to see when we were first meeting and he got a kick out of it, because he doesn’t have a single pair of the old sneakers. I don’t know what he did what it, but he gets a kick out of seeing them each time. It was a once and a lifetime type thing.

L+T: Is the plan to rerelease all 20 models of the sneaker?
PE: We’re not going to mass-produce and try to sell as many pairs as we can to start. We know that if we’re patient, we’ll do well for years to come.
David Falk: Once we gage the demand and interest then we will evaluate whether we should introduce new products. I think that that’s certainly an option, but we want to walk, before we run.

L+T: Mr. Falk, when did you decide to become involved in the reintroduction of the shoe?
Falk: Patrick and I have been friends for 27 years and he received a lot of expression of interest from people of who asked why wouldn’t he just bring the brand back, and so have I. But like anything, when you get to the level of someone like Patrick, you have to do your due diligence. As you know, there’s a very strong movement for retro products as and most of them go pretty fast. Brands do them for one season, and then have a blow out. That’s something that doesn’t interest me. I thought it only made sense to do it, if it had some legs and we reintroduce the brand and have it grow.

L+T: What was the reason for the company folding in the early ‘90s?
Falk: Most people don’t realize that Ewing Athletic was a phenomenally successful in the early ’90s. If you compare ’90s dollars with today’s dollars, it was probably more successful than the Kobe or LeBron’s or almost anybody else, except Michael [Jordan], done on an independent basis. At the height of its popularity, there were some internal problems within the company, entrenched and things, and it ended, which was disappointing. So, I’ve been interviewing groups who wanted to bring it back for the past five years. Essentially, that’s how long this has been going on. I’ve had hundreds of meetings, phone calls and submissions. And picked a group, led by Dave Goldberg, and we feel they have a really interesting marketing plan and they’re going to try and manage the growth so it doesn’t create a supernova and just go away overnight. Only time well tell. Patrick is a very intelligent man. He had a lot of questions and we took him to four or five meetings before he gave his approval. And the initial response has been phenomenal. We sold in 33 stores and it sold out instantaneously, we’re releasing in Europe, and my hope is that we can recreate the brand and have it last over the next five to ten years or longer.

L+T: How do you intend on marketing to the kids, who weren’t born while Patrick was playing? Who might not be familiar with the hall of fame center?
Falk: I think that a great product…if you look at basketball as an example and one of the greatest, for many, many years, pre-Jordan, standard-shoe was the Chuck Taylor Converse. If you asked the average person, including myself, who bought it, who Chuck Taylor was? No one has a clue. I mean most people don’t know who Ralph Lauren is. That just know it’s a great brand, a high quality brand, [like] Calvin Klein. You can go through a whole host of designers and most people have no idea who the person is. I tease Michael from time to time that there will come a time down the road that a kid will buy a pair of Air Jordans and he’ll have no idea that Michael played basketball. And so I think the connection with Patrick, as a player is really less important than the fact that this is a really well designed, good-looking shoe, with a tremendous underground following in New York. If people know that Patrick played, and that he was a great player, I think that’s a bonus. But I don’t think it’s necessary to make the product launch successful.
Goldberg: Over the years, there was a cult following surrounding the sneaker over the Internet. Fans were trying to find the old models and any information on it. There was almost no information on it that you could find. It sort of became like an urban legend with the Ewing’s and would it ever coming back. With the relaunch, everything we’re doing is original, we’re not trying to create patent leather, glow in the dark shoes. We’re sticking to the original that were out backed then and we are very detailed orientated to make sure it authentic to the original.

L+T: How important was it to relaunch the sneaker in New York?
Falk: It was very important. Patrick started in New York. He lives in New York. I think that the New York fans are the most sophisticated basketball fans in the world. It has been the whole epicenter of his basketball career. It’s also the fashion capital of America, if not the world. Some may argue that Paris is the fashion capital, but in America it’s New York. That was strategic.
Goldberg: We’ve been very happy with the response. It sold out in 33 stores. When we started we weren’t sure how the demand would be, because the brand had been out of the market for 20 years, but the demand was a little higher than we anticipated. The Knicks, in general, are popular right now and since it’s a retro shoe the timing worked out well. All stores sold out on the initial release day on September 29th, for the white and the red models of the 33 Hi Retro. The next release date of the black and blue colorway is set for November 10th.

L+T: Mr. Falk, you’ve been around Patrick since his college days. What was that initial meeting with him like?
Falk: It’s interesting. I was 34-years-old and we signed Michael Jordan the year before and the relationship with the University of North Carolina, I wrote about this in my book, my boss, Donald Dell, at the time had a very close relationship with the coaching staff and I would say I was not the reason that Michael signed with us, even though I managed his entire career basically by myself. My boss signed him to his first contract. I did everything else. When I met Patrick he was the first real superstar that I signed on my own. It was a breakthrough for me, if you will. I think in many ways Patrick was better known than Michael when he first came out of college. He went to three Final Fours and the two of them, ironically, were very close friends in college, and so it was tremendous. It was a tremendous accomplishment for me and Patrick is the most polite, gracious, person I’ve ever met and we’ve had a great friendship for over 27 years, and I’m sure it’s going to last for another 27 years. Our relationship today is way beyond being an agent to client. He’s like part of my family. Our represent his son, Patrick Jr., who’s playing in Germany. And because it was such a major accomplishment for me, I was really determined to break ground. We got Patrick when he was a rookie and he signed the highest deal in the history of the NBA. Not the highest rookie deal– the highest contract. He signed for 50 percent more money than any player ever made in the history of the league before he dribbled a ball. That was my way of saying thanks to him for the confidence he had in hiring me as a young person, even though I had ten years of experience before he came along, and I had represented Jordan, James Worthy, Phil Ford, some great players, but I felt it was a tremendous reward that he and coach John Thompson had the confidence that I could do the job. I’ve had the chance not only to work with great players, but also great people. I’ve built life-long friendships and I turned 60 a couple years ago and I had a huge blow out birthday party and everybody came back. It was rewarding for me. I lived my own dream. I’ve said this many times, there aren’t enough words to thank people like Patrick, like Michael, life Coach Thompson, for their friendship and support over a very long period time and sticking with me. It means the world to me and I’ve been blessed with loyalty. It’s been a dream.

L+T: Ewing Athletics was the first signature sneaker brand entirely owned by an athlete. Patrick was signed to adidas prior to that. Why the split from a global brand?
Falk: What happened was in the ‘80s, the company I was working for had a very close relationship with the head of adidas, his name was Horst Dassler, he was the son of the founder of adidas, and because I signed Michael to Nike, I felt that Patrick was just to big for them to sign with the same company. I would say in hindsight that that was probably a mistake. I think at that time that was my thinking was. When Horse died, adidas in America was in disarray and they just didn’t feel that they could manage a contract of that size. It was enormous. It was over a million dollars a year. And so they basically brought themselves out of the contract. The bad news was he needed to have a new affiliation. The good news was they hadn’t really marketed him very significantly in the first couple of years. It wasn’t like Jordan when they were calling Nike, Nike. It wasn’t a house whole brand like that. So I called up a gentleman named Roberto Muller, who had founded PONY and I asked him, ‘can you make me a shoe, that’s close to Patrick’s adidas shoe, as possible, with no visible markings, no logos, no color, nothing, just pure white?’ And he said, ‘David, all the shoes are made in the same factory in Taiwan, Pou Chen, I can do that in five minutes. Why do you want to do that?’ And I said, ‘cause I want to create a level of mystery. What’s Patrick Ewing wearing? What is it?’ He said, ‘God, that’s the best idea, you’ve had ever had!’ I said, ‘No, it isn’t [laughs], it’s not even close.’ So he went ahead and made the shoe and we had no deal. He wasn’t getting paid. I just wanted Patrick to have a supply of quality shoes and to try to tease the fans in New York, like ‘what’s Patrick wearing?’ And it worked. A tremendous underground swell and people wanted to know what he was wearing. Towards the end of the season Roberto came to me and said, ‘David this is great. Why don’t we go ahead and start selling these things?’ So we got together and formed a company called Ewing Athletic and they did a great job building up a following. It was selling quite well, as I said before it ran into some internal corporate problems, which is disappointing to me.

L+T: What was most disappointing about the brand dissolving?
Falk: It was really innovative. I read the stuff of today like Dwayne Wade –who I’m a great fan of– just signed with Li-Ning and how groundbreaking it is. We sat down with them a few years ago for Evan Turner. There are very few things that are breakthrough any more, but I think a player having his own company, I thought that it was a breakthrough thing in the late ‘80s. That was almost over 25-30 years ago. So I always had this certain kind of disappointment that we couldn’t make it last, like how Jordan has over the years. That’s what you’re looking for in this business– longevity. So now, we’re bringing it back and I’m very excited. I have my fingers crossed and I hope that it takes hold and lasts.

L+T: At that point when internal issues jeopardized the brand, was there a moment that you thought you could partner with another brand to save it?
Falk: No. The whole essence of the company was that it was independent. It was the soul of the company, if you will. We probably could have done that, but it was really a mess with the internal problems. It would have been possible, but difficult.

L+T: How involved is Patrick, now?
Goldberg: He’s involved the entire way. From conception to when we make samples, but everything must get his approval before we move ahead.
Falk: He’s totally involved. Obviously, my job is to do all the diligence and bring Patrick all the things after they’ve been distilled and analyzed, but he makes all the decisions. He’s very excited about it. Obviously, it has his name on it and he owns a very significant portion of the company, so it’s not an endorsement, where we pay someone a million dollars and give them a 3 percent royalty. So, he’s invested in making it work and whether he’s doing interviews and making appearances, he’s not doing it because he’s on contract. He’s doing it because he owns it.

L+T: Was there any ideas for expanding towards apparel?
Falk: We’re going to do apparel, for sure. We’re going to start doing what we did in the old days [laughs] with a certain level of apparel and as I said before, we’ll gage the market accepting us and making decision down the road.

L+T: Will Patrick Ewing, Jr. being hooping in the shoe overseas?
Falk: That’s the plan. He’s playing in Germany and we have distributor out there and we definitely hope that he can wear the shoe.

L+T: Further down the road, do you foresee the brand endorsing other athletes?
Falk: Yes, I think that’s a certainly a possibility. Those are all things that are on a bucket list, on a wish list. But our first hope is that the brand takes hold and that we get to a level that makes sense to hire another young athlete to wear the shoe. It would be fun to get somebody from Georgetown.

L+T: Roy Hibbert, maybe?
Falk: He’s also one of my clients. [Laughs]

L+T: Mr. Falk, what do you think about New York’s new subway series, between the Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets?
Falk: I think it’s great. There was a time in the late ‘80s that I was working with a friend of mine to try and purchase the Nets. I always thought that the Nets never really had a strong identity. I go way back to when they started in Long Island, they were the Long Island Nets to the New York Nets to the New Jersey Nets and they sort of had an identity conflict, if you will. And since Mikhail Prokhorov –I’ve never met him, I would like to– has brought the team and moved them to Brooklyn, it’s tremendous. As we all know when you cross the bridge, Brooklyn is the fourth largest city in America and its so close to Manhattan. I think it will be great for the game.

SOURCE

Jahmani “Mani Love” Swanson, this is my story:

My story is one that embodies the notion that deep within us all there is an amazing light. A light that shines courage, strength and the will to overcome our fears and reach our life potential. My name is Jahmani Swanson and I am 26 years old. I was born in Bronx, New York. My name Jahmani fittingly means the “son of God”. If I were to take a guess I would have to say that my mother gave me this name because she somehow knew it would best describe the kind of person I would become. Not to sound arrogant or a bit cocky, but what I have learned over the years to truly be a son of god, one has to be able to think on a higher plain and to do things at greater levels than most around you believe you can do. I have also learned you cannot measure a person’s heart and a person’s spirit cannot be denied.   This thinking has helped me overcome many of my childhood challenges. I have always been driven to deliver a message. That I or anyone can rise to every occasion as well as to think, act and dream big enough to make it! Being a little person in a great city like New York has definitely proven to be one of my greatest attributes.

Undoubtedly, New York City is the multicultural Mecca of the world filled with many rich experiences and diversity. However, in the Bronx where I am from, there is not alot of sympathy found. New York is one of them places where you got to develop thick skin quickly because it can get real rough. This is why Jay Z said, “if you can make it here (New York), you can make it anywhere”. So its either you play hard or you go home! And this has more or less been the attitude I have adopted since the first time I stepped on the court.

Playing basketball at high levels has been my dream since I was a little kid. If you ask my mother, she would tell you that while the rest of the young boys and girls were laying up with their teddy bears, I had a basketball tucked under my blanket. My mother use to catch me as a toddler wearing my uncle’s Jordan’s around the house dribbling the ball. It was just something about the game that electrified me at an early age. Especially after witnessing some of basketball greats like Michael Jordan who put on some of the most grand performances on the court. His drive, competitiveness and will to win fueled me to want to be “that dude”. So I would go to the parks and play every chance I got. However a lot of times my desire to play the game wasn’t always received well by my competitors. The world was not ready for a little person to play serious ball. Their stereotypes or ignorance regarding a person of my statue got in the way of accepting that I had skills. See the game of basketball is a sport where height is always a major plus. This is why most of the players in the NBA average over 6 feet tall.  Unfortunately I don’t fit that mold, I’m not even five foot. Surprisingly I stand only four feet tall! So you can now imagine all the “David and Goliath’ bouts I had to relive over and over again whenever I stepped on the basketball court to face these “basketball giants”. It hasn’t always been easy but I refuse to back away from any challenge.

Adding to my struggles, I didn’t have the friendliest peers in high school. There were many times where I would be referred to both on and off the court as a midget, dwarf, munchkin or a leprechaun. That’s right…even a “leprechaun”! But the ignorance of many would not stop my determination and will to play the game that I love. I played junior varsity (JV) my freshman year an varsity the next three years. The competition and level of talent on varsity was absolutely amazing in New York. I knew from watching these other teenagers that if I wanted to stay relevant on the court, I would have to train and work harder than the rest. And that I did. Thanks to my mother and her relentless efforts to see her “lil son” achieve greatness, I was able to master and finesse the game. My mother played many roles leading up to my current success. Not only was she my biggest fan and supporter come game time, but she was also my personal trainer and life coach when no one was around. She would make sure I was awake by 8am and arrived at practice and try outs on time. More importantly, my mother was the one who kept me calm and level headed when I found myself breaking down. As a little person herself, and having already been through the fiery furnace of ignorance and the difficulties of being disadvantaged, she knew how to keep me mentally and emotionally grounded. She set the tone on how to be confident about my size and to rely solely on my God given talents and abilities. So I have to give my mother all the praise for raising me up not think “little”.

My father was also a shining light of inspiration during those dark moments where I found myself wanting to give up. Although he was not around all the time due to his personal battles with drug addiction and prison terms, He nonetheless never stopped loving or believing in me. I remember the very day he was set free from prison, he swung by my school and picked me up to let me know just how much he missed me and loved me. My father has made a complete 360 degree turn around with his life. He stopped using drugs. He has pursued an education and is still doing so. He landed a job as drug counselor helping addicts to overcome their addictions. What my father has shown me through his life’s challenges is that we don’t have to accept things as the way they are. We can change our circumstances and my fathers strength to change inspired me to do more! I went from a little shy kid too embarrassed to ask for help whenever I could not reach the barbecue sauce on the top shelf of the grocery aisle; the kid who was too ashamed to hang out with other little people because I didn’t want to be labeled as one of them to a fearless man who willing to step on the court with six footers.   But I’m humble to play along the side of my fellow little people. I’m glad I have reconnected with little people because I now realize they are doctors, teachers, etc… This new knowledge inspires me that little people can live productive normal lives.

As of today, I am playing basketball for the New York Towers http://www.nytowersbasketball.com and in the VBL in summer time www.veniceball.com. My skill level has helped our team to win the national titles consecutively for 3 years. I can proudly say today that my courage to live out my dreams is helping the world change the views it has concerning little people. I also help raise awareness for little people by partaking in an “Above the Rim Tour”. The Above Rim Tour consists of LP’s (little people) teams and regular size teams playing against each other at local schools throughout the nation. Through media exposure and other public events, I have been able to show the world, both big and small, that handicaps, disabilities, hardships and other trying obstacles were not put in our way to hold us back rather help us maximize our inner strengths and potential. To add to my exciting world today I just recently found out I will be competing in the world games for LP (Little People) basketball helping us give even more awareness of little people.

Despite all my success on the basketball floor I still have haters; “ He Can’t play defense”, “he only plays scrubs” etc…. Well as always I’m here to send a clear message!

My message has remained the same since I was a kid, to little people and average size people you can either let your light shine on people or you can let people put out your light.

Me, my light shines bright on the court. Don’t take my word, seeing is believing so check out the video below.

For more info and Bookings:

VBL Management:

NickO

nick@veniceball.com

Follow Mani on Twitter:

@MANILOVE24

What if we could end this political fight in a game of 1 on 1? They have already spent billions on their campaign when they could be practicing their jumpshot.

Make sure to register and vote this year. Let you opinion be heard!

Obama +50 years old still got game and up for an other run @ it!

GET YOUR DVD ON EBAY FEATURING SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN STREETBALL AND ENTERTAINMENT!

CLICK THE LINK ABOVE > SHIPPING WORLDWIDE

These 2 teams are so stacked with many young gunners and veterans. LA is killing it right now. How can you not be a fan of both teams now with so much coolness and swag in our city of Angels.

My opinion is that Lakers are the best most experienced starting 5 in the NBA but Clippers have a deeper bench with more heart and chemistry. Clippers will be on ESPN sports Center every night. LA aka the highlight city.

The 5 new members: Grant Hill is smiling , Lamar Odom happy to be back with the Clippers, Jamal Crawford ,Ronny Turiaf , Matt Barnes are focused. Trey Tompkins sacrificed his jersey to the legend G-Money.    

CP3, Billups, Griffin, Butler, Jordan as starters and underrated Bletso off the bench. It’s going to be an explosive mix!!

CLIPPERS SWAGG CITY

Jamani Swanson has proven to be the best Little Person in the game after winning numerous MVP with NY Towers. He is an all around athlete and proven that he can play with the best at any height. “Don’t believe in the height, believe in the hype”! Follow Mani as he conquers the world

Follow us @veniceball for the next video and updated hoop news

These are from CP3 twitter as he received a fresh new arrival of the follow the greatest PG in the NBA @CP3

This commercial was inspired by our streetball lifestyle… Always taking it back to where the game originated. Shootout to VBL ballers “Air Deezy Dogg” and “Young Hollywood” for putting it to life!

Jordan always produces nice commercials! Here is the latest one..

Thunder Dunker’s video went viral on world star hip hop … The video buzzed so hard that Derrick Rose had to get him as his own stunt double for his latest commercial. Lookout for Gary Rodgers aka Thunder Dunker 2012 highlight Mix and his promising future!

Just in case you missed the one before that!!

DUNKS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS!

Nate Robinson was spotted Hoopin @ Venice Beach earlier this summer!

Find Nate Robinson online on Facebook @ http://facebook.com/naterobinson, on twitter @ http://twitter.com/nate_robinson, and on instagram: NateRobinson.

The Mean Ones were no match to the fully squaded  Beach Warriors led my Chosen One, Mute and Jett Blue who were dunking all over the place. Not only did they win by over 20 pts but they won with swag and class landing 18 dunks, the ball was moving and everyone did their thing. Thor completely shut the Beast and proved to be one of the most dominant big men in the VBL.

Special thanks to Ballin 4 Peace and the Godfather of streetball Ken Hicks for collaborating on this historical event

Our New host Sarah wrote about her experience in the VBL. We are so glad she joined the VBL family.

My Experience with the VBL

The Venice Basketball League playoffs were quite the experience. I attended the Semi-

finals in Hollywood, expecting to meet the people involved and watch some street basketball.

Upon my arrival, however, I was asked if I wanted to do some reporting. Feeling nervous, I

decided to get in front of the camera anyways and interview some of the athletes.

I was really impressed with the way the athletes treated me. Here I was, a new girl who

didn’t know any of their names or statistics, and not a whole lot of knowledge about basketball

for that matter. However despite all of that, I felt so welcomed and respected by everyone in the

league. These guys play ball with so much passion and athleticism. It was entertaining watching

these athletes play basketball simply because of their love for the game.

After an eventful evening in Hollywood, I decided to return to the VBL and report for the

championship game in Venice. The guys were all excited and had so much energy. They had

played hard all summer to get to this very game. Everyone was really positive and knew that

they’d have to play better than the other team to become the VBL Champions. The stands were

full of fans and it was a very exciting experience for me. Cliché or not, I felt special being a part

In the end, the Beach Warriors outplayed the Mean Ones, becoming the summer

2012 VBL Champions. 21 year old A.J., The Chosen One, was selected as the tournament’s

MVP. Following the game, former VBL athletes were inducted into the VBL Hall of Fame,

and fans were thoroughly impressed by Stretch, who won the jumping contest by reaching 12

feet. Overall, it was a great day at Venice Beach with hot weather, cool people, and of course,

awesome basketball. I had a lot of fun reporting for the league. I truly enjoyed interviewing the

athletes and working with everyone involved. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

-Sarah Valenti

Photos by Emarie follow her @Emariemaie

AJ Harris turned 21 on the final game and was elected MVP of the finals and regular season! The Beach warriors is a new franchise that claims they will repeat next year. They killed the playoffs averaging 15+ points win each round. “Let the new dynasty begin”

Picture courtesy of Matisse Gaillard

All and all a fantastic season to go down in the record books. We kept our composure as things came to a boil at Venice Beach for the final weekend of the Venice Basketball League’s 6th season. As resident DJ of Venice Ball I can’t let you miss a beat so here’s what went down as the sun went down on the last Sunday of VBL 2012.

Teaming up with Ballin for Peace, a non-profit who uses recreation & entertainment to positively impact the lives of individuals from at-risk backgrounds, the day was filled with entertainment & top hoopers coming out to show their support while having a ball without drugs or alcohol.

The first tip off began with the All-Star Women’s game followed by VBL’s Championship battle between Beach Warriors & Team MouthOffs. Beach Warriors claimed bragging rights and took the title as VBL 2012 World Champions.

An intense first half of the Celebrity All-Star game commenced & a ton of inductees were announced into the Venice Beach Hall of Fame including our very own Nick Ansom a.k.a Jungle Boy. KVBL was running amuck during half time proving to be the not-too-distant-future contenders for the world championship.

Following the Hall of Fame announcements 5 participants took to the court to see who had the highest vert. VBL’s MouthOffs teammate Kirpatrick McCauley a.k.a Stretch set an all time record, jumping to new heights above the backboard (13+ feet), claiming his spot at the top for future hoopers to beat.

Our weekends out at Venice are over until next summer but that doesn’t mean we’re done. VBL will be participating in tournaments, winter leagues, camps, fundraisers etc. until we resume play next summer for the 6th season of the VBL. Nothing would have been possible without our sponsors & supporters(Vita Coco, Kombucha, APL…) Stayed tuned, because at the VBL the game never stops!

<3 AK

Cali this is time to show your game mano y mano and and let everybody know who the best 1 on 1 player in the world is!

Sheldon aka Juggernaut came short in Venice but was able to get money in San Diego. CJ, Sessions and Giyoh are hungry for blood and will show that guards can show style and finesse and win ball games in OC this Saturday! Also Big Doc will try to join his buddy Shel on the Rock!

We are hoping for more VBL Players to make it to Alcatraz and bring home the crown. The first year it was 10 of us and Clutch did it for us!

The Red Bull King of the Rock Orange County Qualifier is coming to Fountain Valley Sports Park on Saturday, September 8. The top player at the one-on-one basketball tournament will earn a spot to compete in the Red Bull King of the Rock Finals being held on Alcatraz on September 22. There, he/she will compete against players from across the globe. Registration to compete opens at noon and is free. The event is also free to attend. For more info visit: http://www.redbullusa.com/kingoftherock

Fountain Valley Sports Park
16400 Brookhurst St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 839-8611

We have partnered with 3G’s Sports and the PBA to give players an other chance to get scouted to go on and play overseas!

The action will take place all day long at the Oakwood Rec Center basketball gym. If you are a player looking for some exposure email us at veniceball@gmail.com so we can place you on a team. Will be having 2 teams competing along with the 16 in attendance.

VBL Game never Stops!

Playoffs:

• Semi Finals August 30^th: 8-11pm Hollywood Rec Center “Cahuenga Dome”

• VBL FINALS: September 2^{nd: -}12pm -VENICE BEACH

WHERE:

Hollywood Rec Center
1122 Cole Avenue  Los Angeles, California 90038
(323) 467-6847

Who We Are:

The Venice Basketball league is celebrating it’s 5th season. We strive to showcase, entertain and inspire.

VBL A place where the game never stops as we take our competition from the beach to the most legendary courts in California. Founded by some of Los Angeles’ primary trendsetters, the VBL brings a cool combination of entertainment-style play from LA’s top players to a structured team agenda. Our league ranges from Professional D-Leaguers and NBA draft picks to solid entertainment players, top entertainers and celebrities to college/ high school MVP’s to street ball’s most skilled tricksters. The VBL has evolved from its humble beginnings in 2007 into a reputable roster compiled with the highest of standards in ethics and talent.
Over the years we have had the privilege of having Pro’s play like Rockets- Juaquin Hawkins, Lakers- Zack Andrews, Clippers- Keith Closs, NFL Donald Penn. Jordan Cameron, Terrel Owens scored 30 points once…
Streetball Legends join The VBL such as The Bone Collector, Sick Wit It, The Assassin, Springs, The Beast, Kenny Dobbs, Young Hollywood, J.Boogie, Hollywizzle, SpinMaster, Rashid Byrd…
Appearences and performances by Lakers- AC Green and Rick Fox, John Salley, Dirt Nasty, Pittsburg Slim…Directors like Martin GuiGui and Nick Goosen, Rappers Thurzday & Eastwood…

What We Do:

The Venice Basketball League consists of 10 selectively casted teams.  VBL hoops combined with the sounds of the best DJ’s bring a combination of entertainment-style play and most physical action with No free throws.  We follow a structured team agenda and evolved from its humble beginnings in 2007 into a “reputable roster compiled with the highest of standards in ethics and talent.”
VBL ranges from Professional D-Leaguers and NBA draft picks to solid entertainment players, top entertainers, and celebrities to college and high school MVP’s and even street ball’s most skilled tricksters
The event will be narrated by the Venice Beach League’s best announcers Mouthpiece & DB who catch every move, mistake and banter, providing a never before seen perspective for spectators and players alike
Every summer, the best basketball players, dancers, rappers, bands and DJ’s showcase their talent on the world famous courts of Venice, interacting with a diverse audience to create the liveliest, unscripted event ever. If you were to miss it, the VBL camera crew is here to capture it all, and highlights will soon be featured all over the web as well as on a local TV network… stay tuned!
In 2008 KVBL was created a FREE camp prior all VBL events, where kids could discover and pratice new ways of living. Known as The Natural Leaders camp, it continues to give our kids a strong foundation, not only in basketball skills, surfing and broadly based health and fitness, but also global awareness and responsibility.

Mission Statement:

Using basketball as a catalyst to create a safe environment for youth around the globe, promoting healthy diets, exercise, leadership and sustainable living. 

For more info about Venice Basketball League visit: www.veniceball.com or for The Kids Venice Basketball League go to: www.kvbl.org.

Early in the summer of 1979 Kenn I. Hicks and his family moved to California from New York. Being associated with organized sports all is life, enlisted the support of his friends Bill Strayhorn and Mark Price in organizing a group called “the New Social Workers” which sponsored several local holiday basketball tournaments. Although the local tournaments were successful, Hicks possessed a strong desire to expand these tournaments into those comprised of teams from all over the United States. Having been exposed to the Harlem Rucker Summer Basketball League in New York City, Hicks was impressed with the enthusiasm generated by talented players competing from many different cities and states. The Outdoor format always raises the level of competition due to the spectators, and the player’s friends/family seeking excitement. Outdoor basketball is where legends are born and carried by word of mouth everywhere. Each time a story is told it gets more exciting and interesting. Hicks went to high school with the legend, Earl “The Goat” Manigault at Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina.

The New Social Workers cited Venice Beach as an ideal location for the tournament. Venice Beach offers the perfect setting for such an event since it draws a large cross section of spectators who enjoy watching exciting basketball and who won’t settle for less than 100% from the players. Thus the National Outdoor Basketball Championship was born at Venice Beach in the summer of 1981. Over the years the tournament grew in many ways. Teams from all over the country participated in five adult divisions and seven youth divisions, with over fifteen hundred participants. You would always find many NBA players competing for the outdoor crown and pre-college players in the youth division building a reputation. It was a family affair with contests and games for the entire family.

Music during halftime, rappers, singers, dancers, celebrities, bathing suit contest, and the radio stations broadcasting live from the beach, made the National Outdoor 5 on 5 Basketball Championship (Summer Basketball Showdown) the most popular and competitive tournament of its kind in the country. At this time I would like to thank my family and friends who helped me keep my dream alive for over twenty years. I would also like to thank the players, coaches, referees, and sponsors who enjoyed participating in my dream.

Ken started organized basketball tournaments/leagues at Venice Beach in 1981 and ended in 2002. He had teams come from as far as New York City, and many professional basketball players participated because his tournament was so competitive with thousands of people watching. Please join us Labor Day Sunday to honor the players and coaches who helped make Venice Beach a historical basketball landmark which is now famous throughout the world.

He was the first to create:

• A 4,5,6, & 7 point shooting line in a basketball game
• Announcer walking up and down the court calling the play by play of a game
• Bathing Suit Contest (Crowning Ms Venice Beach) during half time
• Outdoor Wheel Chair Basketball Game
• To The Top Contest – Who can touch the top of the backboard
• Theme: Have a Ball Without Drugs, Alcohol and Gang Violence

SOURCE + MORE INFO

Checkout some of the highlights from the day. Photos by Nick Ansom and Jon Nash

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Photos by Jon Nash