#SoulFuel: AMBITION

They say if you want to change your altitude, you start with your attitude. Alter the way you think, who you're hanging around, and start making active progress. The internet is full of inspiration and I found my #soulfuel via Nate Robinson. His entire situation is incredible because he's fighting odds against him with his size and constant move each year. I recently discovered his YouTube Channel: "State of Nate". Check it out if you have time. Despite the funny dude that he is--he's just as family oriented, which is refreshing to see. But, when it's time to work, he does just that. 

Motivation is a funny thing. For me, It comes in various forms. From a child's laughter to remind me to let go and live a little. To reading an article on the come up in someone's career. It doesn't necessarily have to be MY GOAL. It's the fact that someone is PASSIONATE enough to make changes...to move mountains in their life. The goal is relative but, the hustle to achieve the goal will ALWAYS resonate. And, this clip below motivated me. Maybe it will do the same for you. 


For more of the "State of Nate" series, click here.

Who's Taking It Home?

[Tim Duncan. Kevin Garnett. Tracy Mcgrady. Chauncey Billups. Gilbert Arenas.]

...So my computer has tons of random pictures. This is one I found a few moments ago. And being that the NBA Playoffs are here, I thought this picture pretty much suited the ocassion.

Okay, I'm kidding. But, I think it's pretty cool that two of the five guys are currently in the running to win the ring, and take it home.

We shall see.

Lebron & Dwight McDonald's Commercial

I just saw this on Dwight's site. It features Lebron and Dwight competing for a Big Mac with trick shots...pretty dope!



...the original with MJ & Larry Bird, who is feat. in the re-make.



By the way did you see Tracy play the Thunder last night? 26 points in 32 minutes. Believe it!

Tracy Mcgrady Exits Houston Gracefully

If you have been following basketball at the least, you should know about Tracy's past situation. He came back to Houston from a big injury after a year of not playing. After limited play time, with 7 minutes at the most, it simply was not working out. So, this Thursday (Feb 16) he was traded to New York and all has been settled, at least we would like to believe.

I checked his site & he posted this blog. It's very well written, and I genuinely do believe he is sincere. I believe in this guy's capability, without a doubt. He is ready.

"Today, as I officially say good-bye to the Houston Rockets, one of my greatest regrets is that I was unable to bring Rocket fans a championship during my time here in Houston. This great city has been my home for over six years. Three of my kids were born here and this is where CleRenda and I will continue to raise our children. It is where we call home. Over the years, I have received so much support from the communities throughout the city, on a personal level and for my Foundation and Darfur School Programs. I have nothing but sincere gratitude for the city of Houston and the generous people who live in it.

I have tremendous respect for Leslie Alexander and have enjoyed playing for the Rockets over the last six years. It has definitely been the most profound part of my career. I’ve learned a lot about myself from various situations, both good and bad that have occurred here. It was my hope when I came to Houston that I wouldn’t leave, but I do understand this is the business side of basketball.

I wish the current Rockets team nothing but success this season. They are a great group of guys, tremendous teammates, and very talented on the court. One of the highlights of my career has been playing alongside Yao, a truly exceptional player and human being. I have great respect for him as an athlete and as a friend, and will remember fondly our time playing together.
As for me, I can’t wait to get back on the court to continue doing what I love to do. I am excited to be headed to New York and look forward to wearing a Knick uniform. I know that I can and will contribute to this organization. It’s a dream to play in New York and there is nothing that compares to playing in the Garden. Knick fans are some of the most knowledgeable and passionate fans in the league, and it will be an honor to play in front of them and to play for the great city of New York.

To all my fans who have backed me throughout all these years, I can promise you one thing, that my desire to play and to win has never been as strong as it is today. No amount of road blocks, injuries and critics could stop my need to play ball. It is who I am and what I do. I am on to the next chapter of my career and I thank you again for taking the ride with me."

Mac

T-mac.com

Nate Robinson + 41 Pts, No Biggie

This guy above moved me simply because up until Jan 1st he was being benched for 14 games over an incident that happened w/ his agent && trade rumours. But, when the Knicks played the Hawks (Jan 1st) all of a sudden he comes and plays his game and kills it! Alone, "In 38 minutes of run Robinson scored 41 points, dropped eight dimes, and grabbed six rebounds", leading his time in scoring to pull a 112-108 win over the Hawks.

Idk about you, but to say he was practically riding wood for a month, and he does this is AMAZING! In his interview after the game (which I caught on NBAtv), he told the reporters how he just kept staying focused & ready. In addition to thanking his family for believing in him, He spoke on how he kept running bleachers to stay fit, && that "down for what ever" mindset definitely did him well. [It's what the league expected Tracy Mcgrady to do but, that's another story for another blog.] You gotta stay ready man, && the opportunity will present it self. Nate is proof!

"I wanna thank God for this great game he knws I've been wait n! He answered my wishes ! Word aapp! " (Via's Nate's official twitter)

(Article source: Hoopsworld)

R4NS: NEW Adidias Commercial/T-Mac Update

Y'all are goin' to kill me with all these "R4NS" posts but, what can I say when the season tip-off is nearly 7 days from now! One week && I'll be kickin' it up watchin' Boston w/ KG && Rasheed vs. Lebron & Shaq! Talk about match-ups man!! But, that's neither here nor there again...

So, this is what I bring to your attention:

//NEW Adidas Commercial which features [T-Mac, KG, Dwight Howard, C. Billups, Tim Duncan 2 name a few]

* You know how I know this is NEW? Check out T-Mac's jersey. He's now rockin' the 3 to support his Darfur Project && look at Chauncy's facial hair, which I'm unsure about at this point but NEXT...

Speaking of Tracy, he has been workin' extremely hard 2 get back into better shape & condition.

//Tracy dunks during a pre-season practice [Too cute, he is indeed!]

Err uhm...EXCUSE me but, did he say Thanksgiving?? Is that how long we have 2 wait 4 him to play?!

&& while we're on Tracy right now. Remember this foolishness??

//Frustrated Tracy kicks basketball && get's thrown out of the game


7 DAYS BABY!

R4NS: KG/Boston Celtics Pre-Season

//KG recently at Training Camp [I love these guys!!!]

"I'm tryin to continue to be one of the best in this league, if not THE best" - KG

//Pics of the Celtics recently during Pre-season

...Oh yea, he's comin' back baby :)

R4NS: Kobe Bryant Commercial/'09 Training Camp

//Kobe Bryant & Derrick Rose argue why they are "awesome"

//Kobe && "The Face" [lmao]

//The Lakers training camp 09-10 season [w/ Kobe advising his teammates]

They may not be my team && he isn't my favorite player but, Kobe is THAT dude && very smart about the game, obviously!!

//Here are some pics from the Lakers Pre-season:

R4NS: Amare Stoudemire's Interview (Pre-season 2009)

The NBA clock is tickin'. We're sittin' at a cool 13 days & 18 hours till the season OFFICIALLY tips off! Man, I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT. School kinda' took my mind off of it. No Sportscenter. No Mike & Mike. No First Take w/ Skip Bayless. No Around the Horn. No PTI. No NOTHING, && boi do I miss it!!!

You know I got a lil' somethin' somethin'...

//Check out Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire in an interview after a win during this year's pre-season. [You gotta love the fact that he did the interview & ate his food at the same time. He ain't playin'!]


...You gotta love STAT's swag!!! :)

*R4NS= "Ready 4 NBA Season"

R4NS: Adidas Commercial/Lebron Speaks on Documentary

I love watchin' this clip. It features players C. Billups, KG, Dwight Howard, Tracy Mcgrady, Tim Duncan & more in a filmed commercial of them practicing in a gym together. I love the camaraderie! Of course all of them are Adidas athletes...

//"THE RUN" (Adidas commercial)

&& more recently...

//Lebron speaks on his documentary "More Than a Game"

*RN4S: Ready 4 NBA Season

R4NS: Chuck Hayes' Abnormal Free Throw Shot

According to NBA.com, the NBA season is 24 days within reach. Now, we gotta get prepped for this so, I decided to bring some more humor to the cause, as I've done before.

This guy might have the worst free throw shot ever....

//Just sad.


...and the best pump fake goes to Chuck Hayes. He can most definitely have that!!

*R4NS = Ready 4 NBA Season

You diggin' his free throw shot? Do you think someone else is worse than Hayes?
Leave your comment below...

R4NS: Phil Jackson in T-Mobile commercial

*R4NS: "Ready 4 NBA Season" ...that, I most definitely am :)

No, it's not really NBA related entirely but, Phil Jackson is still that dude!

KG: The Heart of 'The Game'

You gotta respect this man. KG bears the passion for this game like none other, and he is finally back in shape to prove it! I'm too excited already for this NBA season. Some great [of the BEST] trades went down this Summer, and I feel like Playoff season is gonna be really interesting.

Last year, I was disappointed in the Boston Celtics not advancing to the Finals. They really could've used KG for that extra push he never fails to bring to the court. Today was 'Media Day' for the Boston Celtics (as well as the entire NBA) and KG's media photos look vicious to say the least (BTW, that's not it above)! He's ready. Even if he's not where he used to be, KG will go on as if he's 110%. You know that, like I know that. Besides Rondo is good but, it's time for the big dawgs to run the court!!

[Celtics Training Camp Interview (Sept. 29) w/ KG]



"It went well today. I thought Doc was trying to kill me for a little bit, but first day of camp, being my 15th (year), it went well," Garnett said here.

...But seriously 15 years man!! Now, that's the definition of a TRUE veteran.

We missed you man. I know I did...

UPDATE: Here is one of KG's media pics for the 09'-10' season. (I forgot I saved it at 1st sight of seeing it.) Nice, right!?

Tracy Mcgrady - Recovery Part Two

This man is goin' HARD for his recovery. When I say HARD I mean that in every syllable, semantic meaning, && sound of the word [Every sense, in other words]. I already have a huge crush on Tracy as it is but, when I see him working like this to get better than he already was...whoo. Man, there are just NO words.

If your not up-to-date w/ Tracy & his past history, then let me explain: He had to get both knee [February] & shoulder [May] surgery causing him to sit out towards the end of the season [End of the season = NBA Playoffs/Finals <---which he couldn't play in]. && according to him he should have not played at all b/c of his injuries. But, now that surgery is all over w/ he is gettin' prepared [in Chi Town] to come back. His goal isn't just to come back into a Houston uniform but, to be BETTER than he was before. && by the looks of this video, w/ all of this conditioning, he is going in the right direction. [[Plus, he looks good while doin' it too!!]]



"It was a bad year last year...I should've sat my a-- down but, me tryin' to get out there...just backfired on me...Y'all stay tuned b/c I'm workin' hard & I will be right." - T-Mac

The last couple min. of this clip goes is what truly got me. I'm [BEYOND] ready for the season to c'mon man!!!

A Thousand Words: [Throwback] NBA Edition

Man, this picture had to be taken like mid 90's b/c everyone looks sooo young. It may not seem like much to tell from this picture but, when you point out each individual there's much to say.

For one, look at Kobe. He just won his 4th championship && is prob. the only one out of this whole picture that has done so. Him & Steve Nash [white guy on the right] are still w/ their original teams, which is amazing in the NBA [Tho, Nash did leave & come back to the Suns at one point.].

You gotta notice Ray Allen aka: Jesus Shuttlesworth. Ray still got game & I'm rooting for him & KG to take the Celtics to the TOP!

Then there's Stephon Marbury [Attention Whore] who has been all over the news w/ his Live streaming. He has been caught crying on tape, arguing w/ his sister, && dancing frolicking around his room! He looks like trouble in this picture.

[I wish I recognized more of the players but, I don't.]

What does this picture speak to you?

Good News From Tracy McGrady

Any fan of the NBA knows about Tracy Mcgrady [& his constant injuries]. I have to admit that I have a huge crush on him so, I was upset that he couldn't play in the end of the season, esp. when the Houston Rockets made it pass the 1st round. For a second, I started to wonder if he could really get back to his old self. It seemed like no one had faith in this guy. But, after I saw this recent video of Tracy, I feel it deep down, that he will be back. & he will be better than before. This video has made my whole week :)