If you are anything like me, you spent a substantial chunk of your childhood parked in front of the television watching VHS tapes of people doing dunks. I mean, you did other things, too — rode your bike, chucked rocks at stuff, got grounded for cussing, etc. — but, primarily, you wore out the tape on those videocassettes while eating cereal. There were a lot of these videos released in the early-to-mid ’90s, but the gold standard was the NBA Superstars series put together by Hardwood Classics.

NBA Superstars was collection of videos that contained 3-4 minute highlight packages set to popular music from the time, typically focused on an individual player, but occasionally based on a unifying theme. The first one was released in 1990, and contained montages dedicated to Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dominique Wilkins, Charles Barkley, Isiah Thomas, and Julius Erving, as well as one about players from years past. I love it like a child. So when I found all the clips on YouTube recently, I could not have been more excited, and I felt it was important to share them all with you. Put on your doofy sweaters and grab your synthesizers, people. We’re taking a trip in the Wayback Machine.

NOTE: Did you know there is no Wikipedia entry for the NBA Superstars series? This upsets me on a number of very deep, personal levels.

Read the rest of this entry »

With the table now set for the NBA Finals, as the Miami Heat will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder starting tomorrow night at 9 PM, I wanted to address a very important topic before we get all analytical on your asses. People have been talking and complaining about the rapidly-spreading fad of NBA players wearing “nerd glasses”, with the most notable attention directed at Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. For some reason, the fact that Wade even wore glasses without lenses has been something that should be talked about.

Fine. Let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about how this fad isn’t anything new. NBA players have always been notorious trendsetters, starting with their eyewear. It goes back to the very first days of the NBA, as star players like Joe Dribbleguy and Kevin Bouncepass were generating buzz with their own ridiculous glasses.

After the jump, I’ve put together a gallery of the NBA’s biggest legends all wearing their own unique eyewear, on and off the court. And if these players are guilty of anything, it’s wearing glasses that apparently don’t have arms. I mean, what’s up with that?

Read the rest of this entry »

The depressed “come on, man” really makes it. (via otb)

- Follow us on Twitter @withleather
- Follow me personally @MrBrandonStroud and Burnsy @MayorBurnsy
- Like us on Facebook.

Links

TV GIFs of the Week |Warming Glow|

‘What The F*** Is Michael Jordan Wearing?’ Calls The Fashion Police On His Airness |With Leather|

Important Falling Bear News: Falling Bear Has Been Hit By A Car, Is Dead |UPROXX|

Did you know they made a rom-com about Kate Hudson getting ass cancer? |Film Drunk|

Obits: Beastie Boys’ Adam “MCA” Yauch Dead At 47 |Smoking Section|

May The Fourth Be With You (Picture Gallery) |Gamma Squad|

Lena Dunham Gets Support From Louis C.K., Tells Colbert That She Has ‘Never Done The Sex’ |UPROXX|

Megan Fox Is The New ‘Face’ Of The Sharper Image |UPROXX|

New Spider-Man Trailer: Spider-Man as an A-holey New Yorker |Film Drunk|

UFC On Fox 3: Diaz Vs. Miller Live-Blog And Open Discussion Thread |With Leather|

Kanye West – “Lost In The World” Video |Smoking Section|

The Avengers Assemble At Gallery 1988 |Gamma Squad|

Corgi Friday: Zooey Deschanel Is Confused |Warming Glow|

37 Saddest Failed Kickstarters |Buzzfeed|

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s Star Wars |College Humor|

Who Wore It Better: ‘The Avengers’ Edition |HuffPost Comedy|

Preview the New Album From Killer Mike |Adult Swim|

What if the Game of Thrones characters had Dungeons & Dragons alignments? |Fark|

The 10 Most Anticipated Anti-Blockbuster Movies of the Summer Blockbuster Season |Pajiba|

Brooklyn To Ban The Hooters Restaurant Chain |Guy Speed|

25 Ways Jason Stathan Can Kill You |Unreality|

There’s a Horror Movie Based on a Guy Finding a Box of Smut |Brobible|

Two major points of interest here:

1. Whenever he’s within 200 feet of the Memphis city limits, Jerry “The King” Lawler becomes awesome. I don’t know what I like more, the fact that he’s piledriving a guy on a basketball court during a timeout or the fact that he’s got spandex King pants that match his Grizzlies jersey.

2. Charles Barkley just stuck up for WWE Superstar John Cena (a job usually reserved for women and little kids covered in wristbands) and threatened former UFC Heavyweight Champion and current WWE simulated arm-breaker Brock Lesnar, promising an ultimate team-up with Shaquille O’Neal if Brock doesn’t leave Cena alone. I’m sad he didn’t threaten to Five Buck Box him in the diverticulitis.

The boast seems like just another one of Sir Charles’ ridiculously spoken sentences, but you never know … Barkley does have connections in the wrestling business:

Read the rest of this entry »

Every few years, a TV network or a shoe company decides that sports guys should be super heroes. It happened with NFL Superpro, it happened with the Super Sluggers and now it’s happening to Kevin Durant. Or a Powerpuff Girl that sorta looks like Durant, I haven’t figured it out yet.

From the YouTube description:

The evil Dr. Deflation has escaped from Air Max security prison and is hellbent on stealing all of the world’s air. The Air Alliance made up of Charles Barkley, Ken Griffey Jr., Bo Jackson, Clay Matthews, Kevin Durant, Megan Rapinoe, and Allyson Felix, are on a mission to defeat him. Nike’s best Air products are available at Foot Locker including the Nike Air Max Griffey Fury, Nike Diamond Turf II, and the Nike Air Max NM.

If I’m making a Kevin Durant super hero named “Durantula” I’m gonna give him eight arms, or at least some sort of spider power more obvious than creating basketball Hadoukens.

Regardless, check out the preview video after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

The sports world is abuzz with the news that a Magic-Johnson fronted group broke the dang old bank in order to purchase the Dodgers for over $2 billion, which is a figure so absurd that it may as well be written like a comic strip character says cuss words.

“Yes  Mr. McCourt, and our counter-offer is #!%*& dollars.”

Anyway, it’s no secret by now that Magic Johnson, while not a billionaire himself, is a mega-entrepreneur and philanthropist. Already in 2012, he’s bought a baseball team and announced he’s launching a television network. What’s next, a chain of restaurants that are like Applebee’s, but with edible food? A series of Wal*Mart-style superstores? It’s almost like he’s some kind of business wizard. Almost like he’s … gathering spectacular assets.

Wait a minute. Wizard … gathering … Magic … I think we may be on to something here, ladies and gentlemen. In the spirit of Magic Johnson’s spectacular purchase, I am pleased to present the nerdiest sequence of jokes to ever appear on With Leather. It is my pleasure to present to you a very special type of card game: a collectible one.

Faithful readers, I proudly present Magic Johnson: The Gathering.
Read the rest of this entry »