November 20, 2024

What's The 411 took part in The Art of Luxury Series, hosted by the expected NBA #1 Draft Pick for 2013, Nerlens Noel and International Model Carissa Rosario. In the ambiance of opulence at the Walt "Clyde" Frazier Wine and Dine, a fun-filled afternoon of luxury items targeted to men was had by all. Exclusively outfitted and geared toward Men, the Art of Luxury Series sets a benchmark as the ONLY annual male-oriented event during NBA DRAFT WEEK highlighting accouterments targeted toward men. Sporting enthusiasts and athletes came out to celebrate in a sea of watches with major bling to a private trainer that can reduce body fat at the speed of light. As I moved from one luxury station to another, I saw a good number of items an NBA ball player would need. The NBA Draft Players need to take heed - a little bling on your wrist or a no-nonsense trainer can take you a long way!

On the Court, that is Clyde Frazier's media room . . . Basketball player Corey "Hurricane" Booker came through and spoke of his "first job" playing in Brazil. He indicated that it's much easier to play throughout the world due to the fact that we are a global society. He also gave a shout out to the Harlem Globetrotters and the "pick-up games" . . . the legacy that remains.

Barbara Bullard MasonPlumlee resized 250x333NBA Draft pick, Mason Plumlee, now selected by the Brooklyn Nets, made himself available for photo ops and gave thanks to Duke University's Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Standing next to him, was a daunting moment. He's 7 feet tall.

Actor, Sean Ringgold, of the soap opera One Life to Live hung out with us in the media room. Behind the plexiglass with designs replicating a miniature basketball court, all you can see were cameras flashing and a smile that can be seen for miles. During his interview, he sped off upcoming commercial projects including that One Life to Live is being bought by Oprah's OWN, cable network. That made many fans happy.

And, back to the Bling . . . LaCole Broadus, Personal Trainer, demonstrated various ways to tone and build muscle mass.

"I went from a size 16 to a size 6 in six weeks", said LaCole Broadus.

With an elite clientele from entertainment to government, Ms. Broadus and her husband created Fitness Compulsion six years ago. The amazing duo originates from an extensive background of 20 years in fitness and 10 years in the fashion industry.

"I went from 50 percent body fat to 8 percent body fat when I compete," Ms. Broadus continued.PhilipBloch LaColeBroadus resized medium 342x335

And, she's a Mom of three children! Who can compete with that?

Jeffrey P. Jacques, representative of the clothing brand Parrish Nation (PN) shared with us the PN line of florals and stars and stripes in tribute to the fourth of July. Parrish Nation originated in 2006 with a graphic tee line. What better way to celebrate the holiday but with a bold and bad t-shirt, dashing with color and design.

Eyevision, started by a team of college students, who are presently entering their sophomore year, is a tee shirt line with a logo of an Egyptian symbol that stands for peace, power, and wealth.

"We've got what people want. We've got a hot design" said one of the team members.

With an aggressive and positive attitude the skies the limit for the young entrepreneurs making it happen.

Trukfit, based on Lil Wayne's brand was in the house.

"It's for those who find inspiration in the street and for people living on the edge. The fun summer fashion line is on display because "Lil Wayne loves basketball," explained Trukfit's volunteer for the day.

This activewear was created to be appealing for skateboarders to basketball players and enthusiasts.

And of course, we must have sweets in support of this masculine ambiance. Sweet Love Company displayed an awesome custom made assortment with the NBA insignia right dab in the center. For the basketball players that dropped by her table, the response was, "I shouldn't do it. It's messing up my diet". But of course, they take a sample. Wink.. wink! As the owner puts it, "they deserve to be sweet loved too".

And last but not least, for the upscale jet-setters, The Secret Lounge was on hand specializing in men's and women's accessories, jewels, furs, costume design, all in an amazing space with a caterer. This Montclair, New Jersey husband and wife team had so much BLING displayed that my eyes blinked twice when entering Clyde Frazier's spot. Wow!!!

The Art and Luxury Series was presented by Tene Nicole Marketing and Public Relations, High Flyers Club, 3P Media, Black Enterprise Magazine and Vodkila.

Excitement and anticipation were in the air when the Harlem Globetrotters came to Brooklyn and entertained thousands at the Barclays Center as part of the 2014 "Fans Rule" World Tour. The event was sponsored by Hojo, the official hotel partner of the Harlem Globetrotters; Greyhound; and Wonderful Pistachios. All the proceeds from the event went to World vision, an organization with a mission to help families around the world who are in poverty.

The pre-show started with the Harlem Globetrotter's mascot, Goldie, running on the court and receiving a loud reception from the crowd. Goldie and a couple of young children participated in musical chairs, freeze dance, and a dunking contest. The crowd stood on their feet as children from IS 228, the David A. Boody Middle School in Brooklyn, sang the national anthem. The Harlem Globetrotters came out and started their fancy basketball spinning and dribbling tricks against their opponents the All-Stars. The current roster of Globetrotters who entertained the crowd was Woody, Bull, Ant, Hot-Shot, Doc, Hawk, Titan, Turbo, and T-Time Brawner (who is the 10th female in history to join the Harlem Globetrotters). The coach for the Harlem Globetrotters was Barry Hardy, who played for the team for six years before coaching the Globetrotters for the past eight years.

They started dancing to old school music. Ant gave a little history about the Harlem Globetrotters, stating that they have been around for 88 years. They made fun of the All-Stars and the referee throughout the entire game. They called the referee Sherlock Holmes and made hilarious references to his bald head. Doc and Hawk made the first couple of points with some fancy dunks. The coach for the All-Stars dared the Globetrotters to perform trick challenges throughout the whole game. Bull passed the first challenge when he hung on the rim, threw the ball in the air with his feet and dunked the ball. T-Time ran on the court and made a quick pass for a monster dunk by one of the Globetrotters. She then showed a girl from the audience how to spin a basketball on her finger before showing off some nice ball moves against the All-Stars.

Woody missed his trick shot challenge when he attempted to make a layup while the ball was spinning on his finger. Turbo passed his challenge with dunking two balls at the same time. The second quarter started and the Globetrotters gave the All-Stars a balloon to make fouls shots. The crowd was loud with laughter as the balloon ended up in the air. Basketball player, Ant, covered his face with a SpongeBob Squarepants mask and pulled down the shorts of one of the All-Stars. He then Jumps up on the top of the basket and is told by the ref to get down. Old school music started playing and all the Globetrotters began to dance. Turbo made a 4-point basket near the middle of the court. The second quarter ended 61-59 All-Stars.

Young boys and girls from In the Spotlight Dance Studio, the ASL Club of IS 302, and the Rafael Cordero School from Brooklyn entertained the audience during halftime with dance performances. The second-half started and Hot Shot made a 360 dunk with the ball between his legs as part of his trick shot challenge. Ant continued to show off his shooting skills by making three 4-pointers in a row. The team then did the Harlem Shake. Ant passed his trick shot challenge when Bull and Hawk lifted him to the rim to dunk the basketball. The Globetrotters chose an 8-year old boy from the audience to make a basket so they could get Five (5) extra points, or if he missed then the All Stars would get the extra points. After two misses, the third time was a charm as the young boy made a basket, giving the Globetrotter the extra points. Towards the end of the game, the Globetrotters continued to show off their fancy dunks and comedic antics against the All- Stars. The Harlem Globetrotters won the game 112-105.

Basketball, entertainment, plus a good cause equals fun. The Harlem Globetrotters brought all three ingredients to Brooklyn and used the Barclays Center as a pot to mix everything together to serve fun for the fans of Brooklyn and beyond.

VIDEO Discussion: Former Nets player Darryl Dawkins passes on; he will also be remembered as a dunk legend

Darryl Dawkins dies at age 58 Photo taken at Brooklyn Nets game 03202015The Sports world lost an NBA legend. Former NBA player Darryl Dawkins aka Chocolate Thunder passed away at the age of 58. Dawkins was the first high school ballplayer to be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. Dawkins was picked 5th overall in the NBA Draft and played 14 seasons in the NBA including seven with the Philadelphia 76ers and five with the New Jersey Nets. Dawkins played with the Philadelphia 76ers from 1975-1982; the Nets from 1982-1987; the Utah Jazz in 1987; and the Detroit Pistons from 1987-1989.

After retiring from the NBA, Dawkins continued to play professional basketball for teams in Italy, the Harlem Globetrotters, CBA, and IBA.

Ironically, Dawkins received the name Chocolate Thunder from legendary musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, Stevie Wonder.

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