Month: April 2020

Ahead of the the broadcast of ESPN’s highly anticipated Michael Jordan doc The Last Dance on April 19, the NBA legend has revealed that the 10-part series definitely doesn’t sugarcoat his ultra-competitive antics. 

“When people see this footage I’m not sure they’re going to be able to understand why I was so intense, why I did the things I did, why I acted the way I acted, and why I said the things I said,” Jordan said, via director Jason Hehir in an interview with The Athletic. 

Another raw scene shows Jordan having a particularly intense interaction with his former Chicago Bulls teammate Scott Burrell. 

“When you see the footage of [me riding with Scott Burrell], you’re going to think that I’m a horrible guy. But you have to realize that the reason why I was treating him like that is because I needed him to be tough in the playoffs and we’re facing the Indiana’s and Miami’s and New York’s in the Eastern Conference. 

“He needed to be tough and I needed to know that I could count on him. And those are the kind of things where people see me acting the way I acted in practice, they’re not going to understand it.” 

Jordan adds that part of the reason for his behavior is that he took it upon himself to step in when teammates didn’t perform. 

“Look, winning has a price,” Jordan said in the documentary. “And leadership has a price. So I pulled people along when they didn’t want to be pulled. I challenged people when they didn’t want to be challenged. And I earned that right because my teammates who came after me didn’t endure all the things that I endured. 

“Once you joined the team, you lived at a certain standard that I played the game. And I wasn’t going to take any less. Now, if that means I had to go in there and get in your ass a little bit, then I did that. You ask all my teammates. The one thing about Michael Jordan was he never asked me to do something that he didn’t fucking do.”

Even he sometimes behaved as a “tyrant,” Jordan admits that his unrelenting desire to win is just part of who he is. 

“When people see this they are going say, ‘Well he wasn’t really a nice guy. He may have been a tyrant.’ Well, that’s you. Because you never won anything. I wanted to win, but I wanted them to win to be a part of that as well. Look, I don’t have to do this. I am only doing it because it is who I am. That’s how I played the game. That was my mentality. If you don’t want to play that way, don’t play that way.”

With six-championships and six Finals MVP Awards, as well as a widely uncontested albeit unofficial GOAT title, it’s tough to argue that there was anything wrong about how Jordan played, harsh as he may have come across at times. 

Decide for yourself when the first episode of The Last Dance premieres on April 19 at 9 p.m. ET. 

New Balance and Todd Snyder have joined forces once again–this time for a fresh new take on the classic 997 sneaker. 

Made from white patent leather and white snake embossed leather, the Todd Snyder x New Balance Chalk Stripe is the latest spin on a beloved nineties style that’s “perfect when you want the clean aesthetic of a court sneaker with the lightweight EVA foam cushioning in the midsole for increased comfort,” according to a statement announcing the collab from the longtime brand partners. 

The limited edition Todd Snyder x New Balance 997 Chalk Stripe is available exclusively at ToddSnyder.com beginning April 17th for $230.

While many of us are hunkered down and cooking more than ever, we can hardly live on macaroni and cheese alone. So we enlisted Chris Sussman, aka the BBQ Buddha, to share his favorite chicken recipe to cook during quarantine on his backyard Big Green Egg grill. 

“This is easy for any backyard barbecuer to do, and one they should have the ingredients for,” Sussman says. “And if there are any leftovers, they can be used for smoky chicken salad the next day.”

“I used a basic salt, pepper, paprika rub, which gave the chicken a beautiful crust and flavor. I removed the backbone, cooking the chicken on indirect heat, ‘spatchcock’ style at 350 degrees for an hour and a half. It’s best to use pecan or hickory wood chips for a smoky flavor. Top it off with some homemade white sauce using ingredients we all have in our pantry.”

Ultimate Backyard Chicken Ingredients

• 1 whole raw chicken
• Dry spice rub of your choice (salt / pepper / paprika here)

• Pantry White Sauce
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbs Chili Paste (Gochujang, Sambal, etc.) or regular hot sauce
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbs sugar
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp chili flakes

Ultimate Backyard Chicken Directions

• Fully thaw your chicken
• Spatchcock the chicken – use your kitchen scissors to cut the chicken along the backbone to essentially open the chicken up and lay flat (For extra crispy chicken, spatchcock and then rub down with salt, letting the bird sit on a wire rack to promote airflow over the whole chicken) 
• Prior to grilling, coat the entire outside with a hot sauce of your choice as a “binder” then rub the chicken down with the dry spice rub of your choice
• Set up your home grill for an indirect cook and get it up to 350°–and make sure to keep that temp consistent throughout the cook
• Cook the chicken for 1.5 hours or until internal temp at thickest part of chicken reaches 165°
• While the chicken is cooking, mix the sauce ingredients
• Whisk all sauce ingredients together and let sit in a cool place until chicken is cooked and ready for serving.
• Serve with sauce and enjoy.

One bizarre way the coronavirus pandemic has changed the world is how it has created a world full of masked strangers. It’s as if we’ve all been forced to attend the same grim costume party. Still, the need for COVID-19 blocking face masks is unavoidable, and companies like GIR are stepping up to fill the need with practical solutions.

The thing that sets GIR apart from other choices such as XSuit’s striking XMask is a combination of affordability and practicality.

While something like the fabric XMask is clearly geared toward a world where even life in business must go on, the GIR silicone masks are made for everyday home life and the needs of right now—safe grocery shopping, managing errands without picking up disease along the way.

GIR’s choice to use pharmaceutical grade silicone allows the wearer to quickly and easily disinfect their mask as needed. From the manufacturer:

The silicone mask can be sterilized in an autoclave, dishwasher, or oven. If you don’t have the time or equipment for proper sterilization, you can clean it with household cleaning products like bleach or soap and hot water. The filters should be replaced as needed, but can be worn for a full day.

GIR’s masks come in a wide variety of colorways and each kit contains five single-use filters with an option to buy more from the manufacturer as needed.

The company does give the following advisory: “These masks are not medical devices and are not a replacement for surgical or procedural masks.”

Additional GIR face mask kit details:

• 1 reusable silicone face mask, 5 single-use filters
• Made from 100% platinum-cured, pharmaceutical-grade FDA/LFGB silicone
• BPA & BPS free
• Not an FDA-approved medical device
• Eco-friendly, recyclable packaging

Pricing begins at $15 USD. GIR notes that they are “aiming to ship customer orders in 1-2 weeks” and are working as quickly as possible “to manufacture, package, and deliver every single order.” 

Learn more at GIR.co.

At this time of such uncertainty, retailers are taking drastic measures to protect their businesses, and lately, that means sales. Tons of new arrivals and entire inventories of current-season items are marked down across the internet, and this even includes It brands such as Jacquemus and New Balance.

Since I spend my days on the internet on these retailers’ sites, I’ve had the opportunity to scour these sales and was floored by how many of these brands are discounted by at least 20% (but often much more). If you have the means, it goes without saying that shopping is a great way to support your favorite retailers and the economy as a whole. Keep scrolling to make your sale shopping quick and easy, and shop the best sale pieces from 10 major brands you know and love.

Next, nine inside clothes you’ll want to wear outside eventually.