ATLANTA – The McDonald’s All-American Game is annually the most prestigious postseason game that a high school basketball player can take part in. Held at Philips Arena this year, our staff was on hand court side to document the event both through pictures and social media.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

Both games were down to the wire. One of the city’s dopest young photographers, Larry Rhinehart of Parallels Media came through with incredible footage for us to use afterwards on social media. Take a look at some of our posts:

Q U A V O. W A S. R E A D Y. I. W A S. N O T. {📷: @shotbylarry of @parallels} #AnyGymIsHome🍑 —————————————— •👕 & 🎒: @off___white c/o @virgilabloh •👖: @asos •👟: @nike x #offwhite ___________________________________________

A post shared by Brandon Clay ™ (@brandonclaypsb) on Mar 30, 2018 at 7:33pm PDT

Before Christyn Williams was the 2018 McDonald’s All-American Game MVP 🏆🍟🍔, she shined for the Arkansas Banshees at our events.

Who has next?

#PSBPower48 🍑
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JOIN US: https://t.co/Jow0Z53ZU3

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{📷: @larrywrhinehart} pic.twitter.com/clSpf7LmZ3

— Brandon Clay (@BrandonClayPSB) March 29, 2018

H U N C H O

A post shared by larry rhinehart (@shotbylarry) on Mar 29, 2018 at 1:41pm PDT

It’s gonna be fun to see these guys together next year

A post shared by larry rhinehart (@shotbylarry) on Mar 31, 2018 at 12:16pm PDT

Wildcat on Wildcat

A post shared by larry rhinehart (@shotbylarry) on Mar 31, 2018 at 7:20am PDT

Watching Movies

A post shared by larry rhinehart (@shotbylarry) on Mar 30, 2018 at 9:42am PDT

McDonald’s All American Game Recap

RJ Barrett showed Duke fans exactly what they have to look forward to in 2018-19 finishing with 26 points on the night.

Quavo was paying close attention to the action as well.

{📸: @larrywrhinehart of @ParallelsMedia_} pic.twitter.com/bS11UyZa24

— Brandon Clay (@BrandonClayPSB) March 29, 2018

@mcdaag was lit 😈

A post shared by larry rhinehart (@shotbylarry) on Mar 29, 2018 at 7:37am PDT

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

I was fortunate to train Andraya Carter twice a week in a small gym with no air conditioning starting 13 years ago. Right away, there was a unique ability from a talented sixth-grader to lock in despite the warm conditions. Since then, Carter has always shown the skill to be three things at whatever she sets her mind to at the time: articulate, focused and passionate. After finishing her playing career at the University of Tennessee in 2016, Carter is now using all three of those traits to pursue a career in sports broadcasting. In just her second season, she has been selected to call the NCAA Regional Rounds this weekend in College Station, Texas for ESPN.

“We don’t act like rookies- must be something about our last name” 🙌🏽🙌🏽 Loved interviewing @chennedycarter15 after the freshman SHOWED OUT yet again- 26 points, 11 assists, 6 steals, 5 rebounds… #TEAMCARTER

A post shared by Andraya N. Carter (@andraya.carter) on Mar 16, 2018 at 3:14pm PDT

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

Women’s basketball is receiving more television time than ever. In addition, the premier analysts are also getting game assignments on the men’s side as well. Debbie Antonelli, Doris Burke and Kara Lawson are all calling NCAA Division One Men’s or NBA games on a consistent basis during the 2017-18 season. Burke (ESPN) and Lawson (Washington Wizards) are almost exclusively working with the NBA making a full-time living off of broadcasting the game they played at a high level themselves. With her wealth of knowledge and ability to talk about the nuances of the game on the fly, don’t be surprised to see Carter’s name amongst the best in the game sooner than later. Away from the microphone, she is locked in as an elite skill development trainer as well working with both the CoachHemi.com and Elite Basketball Academy showcase series.

Rocked my Nana’s favorite color on my first TV game as an analyst today. I know she’d be so proud 💜 Thank you @secnetwork for the opportunity and THANK YOU @sportney_lyle for being so incredible to work with on such a big day (and for being a great photographer lol). #AlllllTheSmiles

A post shared by Andraya N. Carter (@andraya.carter) on Dec 3, 2017 at 4:28pm PST

“You’re gonna stumble over your words sometimes, Draya. Forget that stuff. The only time you should ever be upset with yourself is if you know you didn’t prepare.” – @lives2inspire 🙌🏽

A post shared by Andraya N. Carter (@andraya.carter) on Jan 27, 2018 at 11:55am PST

I always get asked what it was like to have basketball “taken” away from me… But it was never taken from me- just given to me in a new way so I could have a more positive impact than ever before ❤️🏀

A post shared by Andraya N. Carter (@andraya.carter) on Mar 11, 2018 at 5:29pm PDT

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kevin Love is the latest NBA superstar to step up to the plate and address the weight of mental health…

READ THE EXCERPT BELOW:

On November 5th, right after halftime against the Hawks, I had a panic attack.

It came out of nowhere. I’d never had one before. I didn’t even know if they were real. But it was real — as real as a broken hand or a sprained ankle. Since that day, almost everything about the way I think about my mental health has changed.

I’ve never been comfortable sharing much about myself. I turned 29 in September and for pretty much 29 years of my life I have been protective about anything and everything in my inner life. I was comfortable talking about basketball — but that came natural. It was much harder to share personal stuff, and looking back now I know I could have really benefited from having someone to talk to over the years. But I didn’t share — not to my family, not to my best friends, not in public. Today, I’ve realized I need to change that. I want to share some of my thoughts about my panic attack and what’s happened since. If you’re suffering silently like I was, then you know how it can feel like nobody really gets it. Partly, I want to do it for me, but mostly, I want to do it because people don’t talk about mental health enough. And men and boys are probably the farthest behind.

"It made me feel, you know, pretty damn good, honestly. So it's cool to be able to help somebody." – @DeMar_DeRozan on Kevin Love's Players' Tribune article pic.twitter.com/wyvmoSOuAB

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 7, 2018

“We’ve got over a few thousand emails of people responding wth their stories. I’ve gotta thank @DeMar_DeRozan, who just opened the door for other athletes to speak out about this topic. We need to beat down that stigma about mental health. Mental health doesn’t discriminate.” pic.twitter.com/H00c9zwE4R

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 7, 2018

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/kevin-love-everyone-is-going-through-something/

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

Last year, Isaiah Thomas averaged 29.8 points per game en route to leading Boston to the best record in the Eastern Conference. Fast forward nine months and Thomas has struggled to make his new home in Cleveland a good fit. A lingering hip injury, dip in field goal percentage after his return and recent comments about the Cavs coaching staff all resulted in the seven-year veteran being sent to Los Angeles in a trade with the primary guard swapped is Jordan Clarkson.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

How bad has Thomas value plummeted in the past six months? Clarkson is actually averaging less points per game this year than Thomas is even after missing all but 15 games so far. Longtime Laker fans Norris Grant and Sean “Sticks” Smith were upset in a group message I’m in about the Thomas addition to the roster after the trade broke earlier this afternoon. For an impending free agent, Thomas is in arguably the most unique situation in league history for a guy coming off of the season he had in 2016-17. Once again, Boston GM Danny Ainge is sitting behind his desk as a winner with Kyrie Irving wearing Celtic green and Thomas being traded yet again.

This sums up Isaiah Thomas time in Cleveland perfectly. pic.twitter.com/1CctLCBuut

— Brandon Clay (@BrandonClayPSB) February 8, 2018

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

It’s safe to say that NFL megastar Tom Brady has established himself as arguably the game’s greatest quarterback. There’s room to argue about his career against a legend like Joe Montana.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

As far as current NFL quarterbacks go, Brady is in a company all by himself. He’s 40 years old and still performing at a level good enough to be named the league’s Most Valuable Player on an annual basis. Despite a loss in this year’s Super Bowl, Brady finished with 505 yards passing in the game breaking the all-time Super Bowl record. He’s best known for his day-to-day training routine and meticulous nature preparing for opponents.

Take a look at the trailer for his upcoming documentary, Tom Vs. Time:

All that is left to do is execute. Episode 5 now on Facebook Watch. Link in bio. Tom vs Time

A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady) on Feb 4, 2018 at 10:38am PST

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

I’ve been following Rich Paul‘s story since reading an article on ESPN in 2012. Paul is best known these days as LeBron James agent. Back then he was still creating waves with that announcement as very few players in league history have been in a position to empower those around them business wise the way that James has.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

To Paul’s credit, he’s taken full advantage most notably inking a deal with Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons two years ago. With the James assist, Paul is one of the NBA’s most powerful off-court players and appears to be positioned that way for years to come. One of James investment partners, Beats, did a feature on Paul this week that I enjoyed reading.

FULL ARTICLE: Corner Office – Rich Paul

THE 2012 ESPN ARTICLE: 2012 – The Story of Rich Paul’s Come Up

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

It’s hard to mention future first ballot NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant‘s name without mentioning Michael Jordan and these days LeBron James in the same sentence. Like most of the greats, Bryant made a living off of out preparing his competition. Add that to his superior skill set and it’s easy to see why Kobe dropped a cool 60 in his last NBA game 18 months ago.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

I ran across an ESPN True Hoop article on Bryant during his final season in the league. He talks in great detail about the recovery it takes for him to play at a high level 20 years in. I immediately thought about the same principles for a player in the infant stages of their career such as a Ben Simmons or Jayson Tatum in this year’s rookie class and what Bryant’s regimen could do for their game.

FULL ARTICLE:

KOBE BRYANT ALL DAY PROCESS

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

Since high school, Chris Paul was destined to be a star in the NBA. The former McDonald’s All-American has won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, an NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, two Olympic gold medals, and led the NBA in assists four times and steals six times. He has also been selected to nine NBA All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams. The one thing Paul lacks from his resume is an NBA championship.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCultureBC

THE BREAKDOWN:

ESPN collaborated with Paul to give us a three-part series on his decision to leave the Los Angeles Clippers during free agency last summer for the Houston Rockets. This is another example of players taking their business models into their own hands. For a guy who doesn’t possess the pop culture following of a Steph Curry, LeBron James or Russell Westbrook, Paul has crafted himself a nice niche amongst the league’s elite discussion as he enters the backside of his playing career.

My favorite part of the documentary was his conversation with rap and business mogul, Jay-Z. As usual, Jay dropped a MEAN jewel on Paul early in the series regarding his decision to leave saying “if you aren’t going to be happy playing basketball, I don’t care how much money they give you. 150 million, 200 million that’s essentially that same payout. You’ll take the same (private) planes, wear the same sneakers.”

WATCH:

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony has been on one this offseason. From his late night training to sparking a trend while wearing a hoodie during his shooting workouts, Anthony has been the league’s most visible figure since the season came to a close. He might have pulled off the most expensive pickup run in recent memory bringing in Kevin Durant and LeBron James this week. Both took private jet trips costing five figures a piece for the action at the Lifetime Fitness that has served as Anthony’s workout hub this summer.

My group message was buzzing this morning about the run. After seeing a clip of Anthony get by LeBron off of the dribble drive, Donte Grant and Jermale Wilkerson both chimed in with, “Melo can still score that basketball.”

The NBA should let Anthony rock the hoodie all season. He might post all-time career high numbers.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

WATCH CLIPS:

Meek Mill posted this video of Carmelo Anthony working out with @Cbrickley603 over "1942 Flows" pic.twitter.com/oNv9tlmBky

— Rob Lopez (@R0BaTO) July 30, 2017

"Positive Energy Always Create Elevation"
M7 #AcademyBasketball BLACK OPS Session PT.1 #STAYME7O
PT.2 Coming soon pic.twitter.com/ZvU9zGCl62

— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) August 15, 2017

PT.2
M7 #AcademyBasketball BLACK OPS Session #STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/pxnaYJTH6P

— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) August 16, 2017

PT.3
M7 #AcademyBasketball BLACK OPS Session #STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/sPb5sDT5oV

— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) August 16, 2017

Pt.4
M7 #AcademyBasketball BLACK OPS Session #STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/iuRveKPjjs

— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) August 16, 2017

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

Devin Booker has proven himself as the face of a struggling Phoenix Suns franchise looking to get back to being an annual contender like they were when Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire led the way. Just finishing his NBA second season, Booker has established himself as a capable scorer even hanging a 70-point barrage late in the season against the Boston Celtics. At just 20 years old, Booker is the youngest player in NBA history to score 60 or more in a game.

Devin Booker is the youngest player to score at least 60 points in a game (age 20)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 25, 2017

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

The Breakdown:

Coming out of Kentucky, Booker was known as a shooting specialist but had multiple question marks from draft pundits and general managers alike about his skill level to be consistent in other areas.

BrandonClayScouting.com Director of Domestic Scouting, Jonathan Hemingway said this about Booker as a high school prospect, “Booker is a silky smooth guard who projects to an impact wing next year at Kentucky. This evening, in front of his future coach John Calipari, he put up 40 points vs. Ballard HS. He did it in an array of ways by hitting the long range 3, getting to the rim to finish and tallied a number of points at the free throw line. He showed his athleticism on a tremendous tip-dunk where he had to hang in the air to control the ball & then brought the ball up to dunk it. His slender frame may be cause for worry, since he is not ready for the physicality of college ball at this moment. After a year of consistent training in a weight program, that concern will be alleviated.”

Booker’s NBA stats backup Hemingway’s claim that Booker can score the basketball with the best of them while displaying the athleticism needed to be an elite perimeter option in the league for years to come.

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.