Links: SLAM 128 Cover Shoot Video
Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings are coming to America (well, maybe)…
You might remember the day in December when, apropos of nothing, I popped up in Barcelona to file game notes from the match between Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings? Well, as is often the case with SLAM, there was a little more going on than meets the eye. I was actually in Barcelona because we did a cover shoot the evening before with the two best point guards in the world who aren’t in the NBA: Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings.
The most amazing thing — by far — to me about this cover was that SLAM was the only media outlet not only at the game, but also the only outlet that cared enough about basketball to even ask about doing a photo shoot with Ricky and Brandon. We asked Ricky and Brandon if they’d give us the time, and surprisingly, they both agreed to, rather graciously. We obviously don’t have the limitless resources of SI or ESPN, but when this came together I hopped on a flight to Barcelona to be in the casa for it.
We shot this in a studio in the shadow of La Sagrada Familia, the perpetually under construction cathedral in Barcelona. Brandon was in town with Roma, and he showed up in a taxi. Ricky’s parents brought him (Ricky didn’t have his driver’s license yet but was taking lessons). They’d never met before, and Ricky’s English is good enough that they were able to talk and hang out. We were at the studio ntil after 11:00 p.m., doing the photos and the interviews. And Ricky’s parents are so nice — when they heard we hadn’t bought tickets to see Ricky and Brandon play yet on for the following night, they demanded we go with them and sit with them.
The point I tried to make in the story was that as basketball fans, we’re living in a totally new world. Because for the first time ever, if you wanted to see the two best NBA point guard prospects in the world, you couldn’t do it on ESPN or CBS. You needed YouTube and a Euroleague subscription and Google alerts. Brandon changed the game for US players, and Ricky’s changing it for European players.
Obviously, the cover line says Ricky and Brandon are ready to rock the NBA. And they both are. I can promise you that. I know whenever we mentioned either of them in a post, a lot of you guys start saying there’s no way these kids will make it, they’re not that good, etc. To which I say, you are wrong. I respect your right to have an opinion, but you’re not correct if you think Ricky and Brandon won’t be NBA stars.
We’ll find out soon enough. Brandon is definitely in the Draft this year. (When I asked him if he was going to enter the Draft, he not only said yes immediately but he also mentioned the date of the Draft off the top of his head.)
But is Ricky going to be in the Draft this year? Well, I don’t have a concrete answer for you. When I asked Ricky if he was going to be in the Draft, he said this:
SLAM: Do you want to play in the NBA next year, or I mean what’s your…?
RR: At the moment I only thinking Euro[pe]—
SLAM: Next year, yeah.
RR: ACB. So I don’t thinking NBA. Yeah, I think—
SLAM: Eventually—
RR: I watch NBA. I think NBA. But no, at the moment, no.
Since then, I’ve heard many rumors. I’ve heard that Ricky’s contract buyout is so big (the number I heard was about $10 million) that he might not be able to buy it out and would have to wait until the contract expires next summer. I’ve heard a rumor that his team in Spain, DKV Joventut, could use the cash and would be willing to take less to let Ricky out of his deal. And I’ve heard most recently that negotiations are underway as I type this to get Ricky out of his contract.
I don’t know where the truth resides in this equation, but I will say this: I would not be surprised to see Ricky and Brandon both in the NBA next season. In the meantime, if you want to see them or hear from them, pick up the new SLAM, on newsstands everywhere next week. Copies are on the way to the Rubios as I type this, and Brandon got his copy yesterday and sent me an email that said, “Thanks for writing a great story, for the new SLAM on Me and Ricky. The COVER is HOT.”
Agreed. Here’s a little video I shot at the shoot, and it includes a few clips of each guy doing his thing. You can see it on YouTube here.
And we don’t stop…
This story is filed under: College, High School, International, NBA, SLAMTV, The Links
Your story was covered ages ago by Mutoni and the Links, so eh.
The cover is actually f*king awesome. Rubio loves that over the shoulder pass though huh? *wink smiley face*
*- because you can’t do emoticons without moderation lol.
But those two kids look happy. Let them get married.
(50 Games) 41-9 (Best in New England)
Averages: 28 Points, 14 Rebounds, 5 Assist, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks 2002-2006 Hampton University (Virginia) (Division 1 MEAC) / Ferris State University (GLIAC) / Livingstone College (CIAA) Averages:
16.4 Points, 6.7 Rebounds, 3 Assist, 2 Steals, 1 Block 2006-2007 Lansing Capitals (IBL) / Holland Blast (IBL) (10 Games) Averages: 18 Points, 11 Rebounds, 6 Assist, 3 Steals,2 Blocks 2008 June Eurobasket Camp (ESL) Chicago Game 1:
39 Points, 10 Rebounds, 4 Assist, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks 2008 June Eurobasket Camp (ESL) Chicago Game 2:
37 Points, 10 Rebounds, 5 Assist, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks 2008 June Eurobasket Camp (ESL) Chicago Game 3:
32 Points, 10 Rebounds, 2 Assist, 1 Steal, 1 Block 2008 October Bahama All Show Pro (A.B.A.) (10 Games)Averages:
Points: 44 Points
Rebounds 11 Rebounds
Assist: 5 Assist
Blocks: 2 Blocks
Steals: 2 Steals December 2nd-16th 2008 Washington Generals VS Harlem Globetrotter Military Tour Averages:
Minutes: 20 Minutes
Points: 16.9 Points
Rebounds: 5.3 Rebounds
Assist: 2.1 Assist
Steals: 0.7 Steals
Blocks: 1.1 Blocks December 2nd 2008 Seoul, Korea:
20 Minutes, 11 Points, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assist, 2 Steals, 1-2 3’s, 5-7 Field Goals December 3rd 2008 Seoul, Korea:
20 mins, 13 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assist, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 1-3 3’s, 6-9 Field Goals December 5th 2008 Yokota, Japan:
20 mins, 28 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assist, 1 Block, 4-5 3’s, 12-15 Field Goals December 6th 2008 Astugi, Japan:
20 Minutes, 14 Points, 7 Rebounds, 2 Assist, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 2-3 3’s, 6-9 Field Goals December 7th 2008 Yokosuka, Japan:
20 Minutes, 15 Points, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assist, 1 Block, 3-6 3’s, 6-11 Field Goals December 8th 2008 Camp Zama, Japan:
20 Minutes, 14 Points, 7 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks, 2-4 3’s, 6-10 Field Goals December 12th 2008 Okinawa, Japan:
20 Minutes, 16 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assist, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks, 4-7 3’s, 6-11 Field Goals December 13th 2008 Okinawa, Japan:
20 Minutes, 19 Points, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assist, 1 Steal, 3-5 3’s, 7-11 Field Goals, 2-2 Free throws December 15th 2008 Guam:
20 Minutes 18 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assist, 1 Block, 2-4 3’s, 6-12 Field Goals December 16th 2008 Guam: 21 Points, 4 Rebs, 1 Assist, 1 Block, 3-3 3’s, 6-9 Field Goals 2008 June Eurobasket Camp (ESL) Chicago 1st Team All Tournament Team 2008 June Eurobasket Camp (ESL) Chicago leading scorer 36 points per game 2008 June Eurobasket Camp (ESL) Chicago Leading rebounder 10 rebounds per game 2005 Bobby Lutz All Tournament 1st Team 2002 USA Today Newspaper NCAA Hampton University Division I All-Name Team 2002 NCAA Tournament
#15 Hampton Vs #2 UCONN 2002 Hampton Beats UNC (Chapel Hill) 2000 Adidas Big Time Single Game History
Tournament High 37 Points (Las Vegas) 1999 Adidas Big Time Single Game Tournament History High 37 Points (Las Vegas) 1999 Adidas Big Time Scoring Leader Average
25.5 points Per game (102 Points / 4 games)
(Las Vegas) Career highs: Points: 72 Rebounds: 25 Assist: 16 Blocks: 7 Steals: 6
-He isn’t quick
-He isn’t strong
But as shown in the video he’s got handles and court-sense. I can’t wait to see Brandon Jennings play, I mean from what i hear he hasn’t been getting much PT in Italy but i promise you you cannot watch a Brandon Jennings highlight mix without dropping your jaw.
2 burgeoning young stars, hope to see them playing NBA ball soon
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