daily_quote-12-26-12 [1]

NBA [2]

“I don’t know where in America you can (yank) somebody’s pants off, or shorts off. I don’t know what the hell was going on.”

Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics after a brief incident with Gerald Wallace of Brooklyn after Wallace held onto Garnett’s shorts a little long after bracing himself from falling.

daily_stat-12-26-12 [3]

NBA [2]

Consecutive wins for the Los Angeles Clippers — a franchise record — after their win over Denver on Christmas Day. The win gives the Clippers the best record in the NBA at 22-6.

The Nicest Athletes In Sports [4]

These players are good on the field and off

With the holiday season upon us, we started thinking: If Santa can make a list, why can’t Athlon? So we asked dozens of athletes, agents, coaches, journalists and other experts to identify the nicest athletes in sports today. Here’s our roster:

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Athlon's Essential 11 Links of the Day [15]

College Football [5]
NFL [6]
NBA [2]
MLB [16]
Golf [17]

Rounding up the web's best sports links so you don't have to.

This is your daily link roundup of our favorite sports posts on the web for December 21.

• If you're reading this, the world didn't end. To celebrate, here's a gift from Athlon Sports to you, our readers: NFL cheerleaders in Christmas costumes [18]. Merry Christmas.

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Athlon's Essential 11 Links of the Day [19]

Rounding up the web's best sports links so you don't have to.

This is your daily link roundup of our favorite sports posts on the web for December 13.

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10 Young NBA Players Who Will Be Hall of Famers [21]

NBA [2]

Athlon pinpoints the best young athletes in every major sport.

From 1980 to 1989, the average NBA rookie class produced two Hall of Famers per year. In fact, 14 future Hall of Famers entered the NBA over a four-year period (1984-87) in the mid-80s.

To suggest that any player in any sport after just a few seasons is a lock to make the Hall of Fame is ridiculous. But it is always fun to look at athletes who have had instant success and try to extrapolate long-term potential. Limiting the scope to the last three rookie classes, here are the most likely future NBA Hall of Famers:

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10 Greatest Basketball Advertising Campaigns of All-Time [22]

Submitted by Braden Gall on Thu, 2012-12-13 05:00

NBA [2]
Overtime [23]

Previous Next

10. Nike: Air Jordan I

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This might be less of a campaign and more of an ad, but the original Air Jordan Nike commercial was brilliant. The campaign was simple, direct and to the point — which was that Nike’s new shoe centered around Jordan was going to change the game. And the NBA added to its mystic by banning the footwear roughly one month after it was released.
9. Adidas: Fast Don't Lie

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I may be the only one who loves this campaign, but anytime Ken Jeong is on screen, I am paying attention. One of the hilarious stars of "The Hangover" stars in Adidas Fast Don’t Lie campaign adorned in glamourous clothing, jewelry and, of course, shoes. He sings with Dwight Howard and tries to hoop with Derrick Rose. What makes him fast? “He’s freaky. Freaky like my lady pyramid!” Hilarious.
8. Nike: Mars Blackmon

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Spike Lee created the character Mars Blackmon in his 1986 film "She’s Gotta Have It" (played by himself). As Michael Jordan rose to prominence in the late '80s and early '90s, Nike made Mars Blackmon a lead pitchman for Air Jordans. “It’s gotta be the shoes, right Money?”
7. Converse: Larry "Grandmama" Johnson

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Few things are TV gold. Animals doing people things, bad dancing or singing and old people doing crazy things are a few. Well, Converse capitalized on Larry Johnson’s famous nickname by dressing him up as an old lady and allowing him to dominate on the basketball court.
6. Nike: Most Valuable Puppets

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In a spin off of Lil Penny, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant saw their likenesses portrayed by trouble-making and often hilarious puppets. The two M.V. Puppets play a friendly game of one-on-one [24], LeBron goes nuts with some chalk [25] or Kobe teaches LeBron about his unstoppable-ness [24]. They also babysit the neighbor Lil Dez [26]. “Hey, Lebron, you got over 20 triple-doubles, can I have one?” With more than a dozen hilarious puppets commercials, the MVPs lands on the top ten easily. And if it weren’t for Lil Penny being first, this campaign might be higher.
5. ESPN: NBA Roadtrip RV

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Much like College Gameday or This is Sportscenter campaigns, this is more of an internal market device than true ad campaign. But brilliant writing, big names stars and a road trip motif took the creativity of the Sportscenter campaign to specifically promote the NBA coverage on the four-letter network. The most recent of which (shown here) is one of the funniest.
4. Nike: Lil' Penny

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“You guys remind me of my closet. I got one Penny and a bunch of loafers.” Chris Rock was brilliant as the voice of Lil’ Penny, a puppet lookalike of NIKE hoops star Penny Hardaway. In the locker room before games, on the couch with his boys, floating in the pool, dreaming about Tyra Banks or hosting his celebrity golf tournament (The Lil’ Penny Classic) with Michael Jordan are just a few situations L.P. finds himself.
3. Gatorade: Be Like Mike

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Right after the Bulls and Michael Jordan won the 1991 NBA title, Gatorade launched an ad campaign with one of the most famous taglines in ad history. “Be Like Mike” became household and playground lingo instantly and has lasted well after the specific campaign expired.
2. McDonald's: H.O.R.S.E.

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Larry Bird is standing on an empty court in an empty gym dribbling a basketball when Michael Jordan walks in with a bag of McDonald’s. The two super stars then proceed to play horse — in dozens of ads and locations — for the Big Mac. The campaign debuted in 1993 and the original was remade in 2010.
1. Nike: Freestyle Hoops

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One the coolest concepts in sports advertising history, the artistic, creative, street-savvy campaign featured upbeat music mixed with trick ball-handling skills and big name hoops stars. This collection of dance-basketball-hip-hop ads is one of the best all-around ideas Nike has ever had. How many kids on the playground tried bouncing a ball into their shirt and around their backs after this video? (I know I did.)
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Other Slideshows You Might Like

Louisville Cardinals Cheerleaders [27]

Boise State Cheerleaders [28]

LSU Tigers Cheerleaders [29]

Florida Gators Cheerleaders [30]

Michigan Wolverines Cheerleaders [31]

Florida State Seminoles Cheerleaders [32]

Oklahoma State Cowboys Cheerleaders [33]

Oklahoma Sooners Cheerleaders [34]

Texas Longhorns Cheerleaders [35]

10 Greatest Basketball Advertising Campaigns of All-Time

12 Best Athletes To Wear No. 12 [36]

NFL [6]
NBA [2]
News [37]

Celebrating 12/12/12 by looking at the players who made 12 awesome

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10 Best Owners in Sports History [38]

Robert Kraft saved the Patriots from leaving New England before winning three Super Bowls.

The players and coaches may hog the spotlight, but success in sports usually starts from the top. Those owners who sign the checks and make the right hires have the ability to not only change the fate of their respective teams, but to significantly improve their sport and, in some cases, impact the course of history. These are 10 of the best examples of the greatest owners in sports history.

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Athlon's Essential 11 Links of the Day [48]

College Football [5]
College Basketball [20]
NFL [6]
NBA [2]
Golf [17]

Rounding up the web's best sports links so you don't have to.

This is your daily link roundup of our favorite sports posts on the web for November 30.

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NBA

daily_quote-12-26-12 [1]

COMMENTS

daily_stat-12-26-12 [3]

COMMENTS

The Nicest Athletes In Sports [4]

COMMENTS

Athlon's Essential 11 Links of the Day [15]

COMMENTS

Athlon's Essential 11 Links of the Day [19]

COMMENTS

10 Young NBA Players Who Will Be Hall of Famers [21]

COMMENTS

10 Greatest Basketball Advertising Campaigns of All-Time [22]

10. Nike: Air Jordan I

9. Adidas: Fast Don't Lie

8. Nike: Mars Blackmon

7. Converse: Larry "Grandmama" Johnson

6. Nike: Most Valuable Puppets

5. ESPN: NBA Roadtrip RV

4. Nike: Lil' Penny

3. Gatorade: Be Like Mike

2. McDonald's: H.O.R.S.E.

1. Nike: Freestyle Hoops

Other Slideshows You Might Like

Louisville Cardinals Cheerleaders [27]

Boise State Cheerleaders [28]

LSU Tigers Cheerleaders [29]

Florida Gators Cheerleaders [30]

Michigan Wolverines Cheerleaders [31]

Florida State Seminoles Cheerleaders [32]

Oklahoma State Cowboys Cheerleaders [33]

Oklahoma Sooners Cheerleaders [34]

Texas Longhorns Cheerleaders [35]

COMMENTS

12 Best Athletes To Wear No. 12 [36]

COMMENTS

10 Best Owners in Sports History [38]

COMMENTS

Athlon's Essential 11 Links of the Day [48]

COMMENTS