SLAM Magazine
Encyclopedia
SLAM Magazine is an American
basketball
magazine in circulation since 1994, published by Source Interlink
. SLAM publishes nine issues a year to its circulation of over 500,000 readers worldwide.
, and he hired Cory Johnson
to be the first Editor in Chief. Its first issue had a cover story on Larry Johnson of the Charlotte Hornets (written by future Fortune
editor Andrew Serwer
) and a feature on University of California freshman Jason Kidd
. Many of the magazine's lasting features, such as In Your Face, Slam-a-da-month, and Last Shot all began with that first issue.
SLAM' s ownership has changed several times. Peterson Publishing bought SLAM in 1998. The next year, Peterson was acquired by British publisher EMAP
. In 2001, EMAP sold its US division to Primedia
. When Primedia left the magazine business in 2007, current owner Source Interlink
acquired a majority of the company, including SLAM.
The magazine carries advertising for basketball related products, street-wear clothing and hip hop music
, and has been credited with helping to market hip hop culture and basketball as one.
SLAM has published 151 issues in its history, and has featured the biggest names in basketball on its cover, in articles, and on its famous SLAMups posters. To date, only one female athlete has ever appeared on the kalam cover - Chamique Holdsclaw
in October 1998. Kobe Bryant
has appeared on the most magazine cover appearance of a record over-all sixteen times.
Other notable SLAM writers have been:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
magazine in circulation since 1994, published by Source Interlink
Source Interlink
Source Interlink is an American magazine publishing and logistics company. It has a strong position in the automotive magazine sector, owning a variety of magazines including Motor Trend and Automobile.- Current US publications and digital assets :...
. SLAM publishes nine issues a year to its circulation of over 500,000 readers worldwide.
History
SLAM was launched in 1994 as a basketball magazine that combined the sport with hip hop culture at a time when the genre was becoming increasingly popular. It was founded by publisher Dennis Page at Harris PublicationsHarris Publications
Harris Publications Inc. is an American consumer-magazine publisher in New York City, New York, that publishes over 75 titles, including Juicy, XXL, King, Dog News, 0-60, Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement, Small Business Opportunities, Men's Workout, Exercise & Health, Celebrity Hairstyles, and...
, and he hired Cory Johnson
Cory Johnson
Cory Johnson is an American journalist. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the hip-hop basketball magazine SLAM. He later became an editor of Vibe magazine before helping found TheStreet.com as a reporter and eventual West Coast bureau chief....
to be the first Editor in Chief. Its first issue had a cover story on Larry Johnson of the Charlotte Hornets (written by future Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
editor Andrew Serwer
Andrew Serwer
Andrew Serwer, the managing editor of Fortune, was named one of the 100 most influential business journalists of 2007 by NewsBios.com. Serwer is based out of Time Warner’s New York City office....
) and a feature on University of California freshman Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...
. Many of the magazine's lasting features, such as In Your Face, Slam-a-da-month, and Last Shot all began with that first issue.
SLAM
EMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
. In 2001, EMAP sold its US division to Primedia
Primedia
PRIMEDIA Inc. is privately held American media company fully owned by TPG Capital.Consumer Source Inc. is the sole operating division of PRIMEDIA and helps millions of consumers find apartments, houses for rent, and new homes for sale through its Internet, mobile, and print products...
. When Primedia left the magazine business in 2007, current owner Source Interlink
Source Interlink
Source Interlink is an American magazine publishing and logistics company. It has a strong position in the automotive magazine sector, owning a variety of magazines including Motor Trend and Automobile.- Current US publications and digital assets :...
acquired a majority of the company, including SLAM.
The magazine carries advertising for basketball related products, street-wear clothing and hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, and has been credited with helping to market hip hop culture and basketball as one.
SLAM has published 151 issues in its history, and has featured the biggest names in basketball on its cover, in articles, and on its famous SLAMups posters. To date, only one female athlete has ever appeared on the kalam cover - Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars...
in October 1998. Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
has appeared on the most magazine cover appearance of a record over-all sixteen times.
Writers and editors
Editors for SLAM Magazine have included:- Cory JohnsonCory JohnsonCory Johnson is an American journalist. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the hip-hop basketball magazine SLAM. He later became an editor of Vibe magazine before helping found TheStreet.com as a reporter and eventual West Coast bureau chief....
(founding editor-in-chief) - Russ Bengtson
- Anna Gebbie
- Tony Gervino
- Scoop JacksonScoop Jackson (writer)Not to be confused with former United States Senator Henry M. "Scoop" JacksonRobert "Scoop" Jackson is an American sports journalist and cultural critic currently contributing to ESPN.com's Page2 and ESPN The Magazine....
- Ben Osborne
- "Old" Dave Lewis
- Dennis Page (publisher)
- Susan Price
- Khalid Saalam
- Lang WhitakerLang WhitakerLang Whitaker is an American author and sportswriter who works as the editor-at-large of SLAM Magazine, a hip-hop-influenced basketball magazine.In summer 2004, Whitaker began to write weekly columns for SI.com, the official Sports Illustrated website....
- Ryan JonesRyan Jones (writer)Ryan Jones is the former Editor-in-Chief of SLAM Magazine. He began writing for SLAM in 2000 as an associate editor.His first book, King James, Believe the Hype: The LeBron James story , was published in October 2003....
- Sam Rubenstein (Online Editor)
- Ryne Nelson
- Matt Caputo
- Tzvi Twersky
Other notable SLAM writers have been:
- Tom ScharplingTom ScharplingTom Scharpling is an American radio host, comedian, television writer, producer and music video director. He is best known for hosting the weekly freeform radio call-in comedy program The Best Show on WFMU and for acting as a writer/executive producer for the TV show Monk.Scharpling is also noted...
- Bonz Malone
- Andy Serwer
- Kevin Powell
- Dan "Young Dave" Amrich
- Vinny Mallozzi
- Russell Shoemaker
- Jon Azpiri
- Michael Bradley (senior writer)
- Jeff Cruz
- Michael Lewis
- Paul Feinberg
- Joe Lombardi
- Arash MarkaziArash MarkaziArash Markazi is an Iranian-American sports journalist currently writing for ESPN.Markazi, who is of Iranian decent, was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Los Angeles, graduating from Notre Dame High School. He attended Arizona State University and later University of Southern California...
- Anthony McCarron
- Alan Paul (senior writer)
- Tonya Pendleton
- Bonsu Thompson (senior writer)
- Michael Weinbreb
- Nima Zarrabi (senior writer)
- Davy RothbartDavy RothbartDavy Rothbart is an author, filmmaker, contributor to This American Life, and the editor/publisher of Found Magazine.-Background:...
- Zack Burgess (senior writer)
- Mitch Albom
- Jake Appleman (senior writer)
Magazine features
- "Trash Talk" - readers give their love to Slam or share some beef they had with the last magazine, and selected letters are put in this section.
- "SLAMADAMONTH" — a short article describing a slam dunkSlam dunkA slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was...
accompanied by a photograph of the play. This feature usually features a dunk performed by an NBA player, but has featured college players in the past. The first SLAMADAMONTH (Spring 1994 issue) featured Chris WebberChris WebberMayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
dunking on Charles BarkleyCharles BarkleyCharles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
.
- "NOYZ" — a series of one-line jokes commenting on recent basketball events, written anonymously. The first NOYZ column appeared in the March 1995 issue.
- "In Your Face" —
- "Last Shot" — a former back-page column documenting a game-winning shot during a game. This feature was discontinued after the January 2000 issue.
- "SLAM Magazine's top 75 NBA players of all time" — released in 2003.
- "SLAM Magazine Old School" - Released in 2005.
- "What's My Name?- SLAM fans make nicknames for NBA players and if they win they get a prize from the slam vault.
- "The SLAM high school diary" — In 1994, SLAM began a tradition of choosing a highly talented high school basketball player to keep a monthly diary recording their accomplishments as they moved toward playing collegeCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
or professional basketball. Since the diary began, 6 of its 11 keepers have not played in the NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Only LeBron James and Sebastian Telfair were not in their final ("senior") year of high school when they wrote the diary. The following players have been keepers of the SLAM diary: (current career status in brackets)
- 1995 - Stephon MarburyStephon MarburyStephon Xavier Marbury is an American professional basketball player.The , point guard was selected out of the Georgia Institute of Technology by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 4th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, but was traded shortly thereafter to the Minnesota Timberwolves.He was an NBA...
(NBA All-StarNational Basketball Association All-Star GameThe National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....
) - 1996 - Ronnie FieldsRonnie FieldsRonnie Fields is an American professional basketball player.-High school:Ronnie Fields played at Farragut Academy in Chicago from 1992–1996 and was a teammate of Kevin Garnett during the 1995 season. Fields had a 50-inch vertical leap...
(CBAContinental Basketball AssociationThe Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
Player) - 1997 - Edmund Saunders (won an NCAA ChampionshipNCAA Men's Division I Basketball ChampionshipThe NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
with UConnUniversity of ConnecticutThe admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
in 1999) - 1998 - Ray YoungRay YoungRay Young is the name of:* Ray Young , vice president of International Operations at General Motors* Ray Young , former member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly...
(CBAContinental Basketball AssociationThe Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
Player) - 1999 - Mike Dunleavy, Jr.Mike Dunleavy, Jr.Michael Joseph "Mike" Dunleavy, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association...
(NBA Player) - 2000 - Andre BarrettAndre BarrettAndre Rashawd Barrett is an American professional basketball player. Since 2004, he has played for numerous teams in both the NBA and its affiliate league, the D-League...
(NBA Player) - 2001 - Eddy CurryEddy CurryEddy Curry is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He was born in Harvey, Illinois...
(NBA Player) - 2002 - LeBron JamesLeBron JamesLeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
(NBA All-StarNational Basketball Association All-Star GameThe National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....
) - 2003 - Sebastian TelfairSebastian TelfairSebastian Telfair is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Telfair was the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Abraham Lincoln High School...
(NBA Player) - 2004 - Marvin WilliamsMarvin WilliamsMarvin Gaye Williams, Jr. is an American professional basketball player. He currently is playing for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association and is listed at 6' 9" and 240 pounds...
(NBA Player; won an NCAA ChampionshipNCAA Men's Division I Basketball ChampionshipThe NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
with UNCUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in 2005) - 2005 - Eric DevendorfEric DevendorfEric Devendorf is an American professional basketball player from Bay City, Michigan who came from Oak Hill Academy and played for the Syracuse University Orange. He currently plays for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League....
(NBLNational Basketball League (Australia)The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
Player) - 2006 - Thaddeus YoungThaddeus YoungThaddeus Charles Young is an American professional basketball player. Young is a small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. Prior to his professional career, he attended Georgia Tech, where he studied management. He is tall and weighs...
(NBA Player) - 2007 - Kevin Love (NBA Player)
- 2008 - Tyreke EvansTyreke EvansTyreke Jamir Evans is an American professional basketball player with Virtus Roma in Italy. He is also under contract with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association , but is not currently playing with them because of the 2011 NBA lockout...
(NBA Player) - 2009 - Xavier HenryXavier HenryXavier Henry is an American professional basketball shooting guard with the Memphis Grizzlies of the Xavier Henry is an American professional [[basketball]] [[shooting guard]] with the [[Memphis Grizzlies]] of the Xavier Henry is an American professional [[basketball]] [[shooting guard]] with...
(NBA Player) - 2010 - Harrison BarnesHarrison BarnesHarrison Bryce-Jordan Barnes is an American college basketball player. He is a sophomore at North Carolina and was one of the top rated basketball players in the class of 2010. Barnes is sometimes known by the nickname "Black Falcon."...
(University of North CarolinaNorth Carolina Tar Heels men's basketballThe North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
Player) - 2011 - Quincy MillerQuincy MillerQuincy Cortez Miller is an American college basketball player for the Baylor University Bears men's basketball team. He was one of the top rated high school basketball players in the class of 2011....
(Baylor UniversityBaylor Bears men's basketballThe Baylor Bears basketball team represents Baylor University in Waco, Texas, in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Bears compete in the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games in Ferrell Center and is currently coached by Scott Drew....
Player) - 2012 - Shabazz MuhammadShabazz MuhammadShabazz Muhammad is an American High School basketball player. He is a senior at Bishop Gorman High School and is one of the top rated basketball players in the class of 2012.-High school career:...
(Bishop Gorman High SchoolBishop Gorman High SchoolBishop Gorman High School is a Roman Catholic private preparatory school located in Summerlin, in Clark County, Nevada, United States serving the Las Vegas area for over 50 years. The school is administered by the Diocese of Las Vegas...
)- Trash Talk — Readers' letters to the editor are posted here, with occasional comments by the editor.
- Rookie Diary - The Rookie Diary is held by a new NBA rookie yearly, as they speak about their first experiences in the league: (rookie season team in brackets)
- 2002-03 - Drew GoodenDrew GoodenAndrew Melvin "Drew" Gooden is an American professional basketball player in the NBA who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. Gooden is a 6'10", 250 lbs...
(Memphis GrizzliesMemphis GrizzliesThe Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
/ Orlando MagicOrlando MagicThe Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
) - 2003-04 - Carmelo AnthonyCarmelo AnthonyCarmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...
(Denver NuggetsDenver NuggetsThe Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
) - 2004-05 - Andre IguodalaAndre IguodalaAndre Tyler Iguodala is an American professional basketball player who plays small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association . Iguodala is listed at 6 ft 6 in and 207 lbs. . Iguodala played his high school basketball for Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois...
(Philadelphia 76ersPhiladelphia 76ersThe Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
) - 2005-06 - Ike DioguIke DioguIkechukwu Somtochukwu Diogu, referred to as Ike Diogu , is an Nigerian American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Clippers.-Family and early life:...
(Golden State WarriorsGolden State WarriorsThe Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
) - 2006-07 - Kyle LowryKyle LowryKyle Lowry is an American professional basketball player with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. He attended Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philadelphia where former Rocket Cuttino Mobley went. He was selected by the Grizzlies with the 24th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft...
(Memphis GrizzliesMemphis GrizzliesThe Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
) - 2007-08 - Joakim NoahJoakim NoahJoakim Simon Noah is a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association . Born in New York City to a Swedish mother and French father, he holds American, Swedish and French citizenship...
(Chicago BullsChicago BullsThe Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
) - 2008-09 - Eric GordonEric GordonEric Ambrose Gordon, Jr. , nicknamed "EJ", is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. In high school, he was named "Mr. Basketball" of Indiana during his senior year while playing at North Central High School...
(Los Angeles ClippersLos Angeles ClippersThe Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
) - 2009-10 - Jonny FlynnJonny FlynnJonny William Flynn is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...
(Minnesota TimberwolvesMinnesota TimberwolvesThe Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
) - 2010-11 - DeMarcus CousinsDeMarcus CousinsDeMarcus Cousins is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball at the University of Kentucky.-High school career:...
(Sacramento KingsSacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
)
SLAM Magazine cover athletes
- Issue #1: Cover—Larry Johnson (May ’94)
- Issue #2: Cover—Shawn Kemp (October ′94)
- Issue# 3: Cover—Shaquille O’Neal (January ’95)
- Issue #4: Cover—John Starks (March ’95)
- Issue #5: Cover—Tim Hardaway & Latrell Sprewell (May ’95)
- Issue #6: Cover—Michael Jordan (July ’95)
- Issue #7: Cover—Grant Hill or Hakeem Olajuwon (September ’95)
- Issue #8: Cover—Penny Hardaway & Michael Jordan (November ’95)
- Issue #9: Cover—Allen Iverson or Charles O’Bannon (January ’96)
- Issue #10: Cover—Scottie Pippen (March ’96)
- Issue #11: Cover—Jerry Stackhouse or Damon Stoudamire or Magic Johnson (May ’96)
- Issue #12: Cover—Michael Jordan (July ’96)
- Issue #13: Cover—Alonzo Mourning (October ’96)
- Issue #14: Cover—Shawn Kemp (December ’96)
- Issue #15: Cover—’96-97 Rookie Class (February ’97)
- Issue #16: Cover—Dennis Rodman (March ’97)
- Issue #17: Cover—Grant Hill (April ’97)
- Issue #18: Cover—Allen Iverson (June ’97)
- Issue #19: Cover—Michael Jordan (August ’97)
- Issue #20: Cover—Scottie Pippen (September ’97)
- Issue #21: Cover—Kevin Garnett & Stephon Marbury (October ’97)
- Issue #22: Cover—Rafer Alston (December ’97)
- Issue #23: Cover—Chris Webber (January ’98)
- Issue #24: Cover—Kobe Bryant (March ’98)
- Issue #25: Cover—NJ Nets: Cassell, Gill, Kittles, Van Horn, Williams (April ’98)
- Issue #26: Cover—Gary Payton (June ’98)
- Issue #27: Cover—Michael Jordan (August ’98)
- Issue #28: Cover—Michael Jordan (September ’98)
- Issue #29: Cover—Chamique Holdsclaw (October ’98)
- Issue #30: Cover—Penny Hardaway (December ’98)
- Issue #31: Cover—Stephon Marbury (January ’99)
- Issue #32: Cover—Allen Iverson (March ’99)
- Issue #33: Cover—Michael Jordan or Reggie Miller (April ’99)
- Issue #34: Cover—Shaquille O’Neal (June ’99)
- Issue #35: Cover—Vince Carter or Paul Pierce or Jason Williams (August ’99)
- Issue #36: Cover—Latrell Sprewell (September ’99)
- Issue #37: Cover—Lamar Odom (October ’99)
- Issue #38: Cover—Kevin Garnett (December ’99)
- Issue #39: Cover—Kobe Bryant or Shareef Abdur-Rahim (January ’00)
- Issue #40: Cover—Chris Webber & Jason Williams (March ’00)
- Issue #41: Cover—Vince Carter (April ’00)
- Issue #42: Cover—Allen Iverson or Jason Kidd (May ’00)
- Issue #43: Cover—Shaquille O’Nea & Kobe Bryant (June ’00)
- Issue #44: Cover—Steve Francis (August ’00)
- Issue #45: Cover—Shaquille O’Neal (September ’00)
- Issue #46: Cover—Tracy McGrady (November ’00)
- Issue #47: Cover—Tim Duncan (December ’00)
- Issue #48: Cover—Stephon Marbury (February ’01)
- Issue #49: Cover—Rasheed Wallace or Jerry Stackhouse (March ’01)
- Issue #50: Cover—Michael Jordan or Michael or Michael (April ’01)
- Issue #51: Cover—Vince Carter (May ’01)
- Issue #52: Cover—Alonzo Mourning (June ’01)
- Issue #53: Cover—Chris Webber (August ’01)
- Issue #54: Cover—Shaquille O’Neal (September ’01)
- Issue #55: Cover—Allen Iverson (November ’01)
- Issue #56: Cover—Michael Jordan (December ’01)
- Issue #57: Cover—Los Angeles Clippers: Brand, Odom, Miles (February ’02)
- Issue #58: Cover—Kevin Garnett (March ’02)
- Issue #59: Cover—Baron Davis or Paul Pierce (April ’02)
- Issue #60: Cover—New Jersey Nets (May ’02)
- Issue #61: Cover—Dirk Nowitzki (June ’02)
- Issue #62: Cover—Sebastian Telfair & Lebron James (August ’02)
- Issue #63: Cover—Shaquille O’Neal (September’02)
- Issue #64: Cover—Tracy McGrady (November ’02)
- Issue #65: Cover—’02-03 Rookie Class (December ’02)
- Issue #66: Cover—Kobe Bryant (February ’03)
- Issue #67: Cover—Gary Payton (March ’03)
- Issue #68: Cover—Allen Iverson (April ’03)
- Issue #69: Cover—Yao Ming & Steve Francis (May ’03)
- Issue #70: Cover—Jason Kidd or Chris Webber (June ’03)
- Issue #71: Cover—Lebron James (August ’03)
- Issue #72: Cover—Tim Duncan (September ’03)
- Issue #73: Cover—Carmelo Anthony (November ’03)
- Issue #74: Cover—Kobe Bryant (December 2003)
- Issue #75: Cover—Phoenix Suns or Detroit Pistons (February ’04)
- Issue #76: Cover—Jermaine O’Neal or Karl Malone (March ’04)
- Issue #77: Cover—Kevin Garnett or Allen Iverson or Shaquille O’Neal (April ’04)
- Issue #78: Cover—Lebron James (May ’04)
- Issue #79: Cover—Kenyon Martin (June ’04)
- Issue #80: Cover—Class of 2004 High School Stars (August ’04)
- Issue #81: Cover—Chauncey Billups (September ’04)
- Issue #82: Cover—Shaquille O’Neal (November ’04)
- Issue #83: Cover—Tracy McGrady or Steve Francis (December ’04)
- Issue #84: Cover—Allen Iverson (February ’05)
- Issue #85: Cover—Amare Stoudamire (March ’05)
- Issue #86: Cover—Lebron James (April ’05)
- Issue #87: Cover—Dwyane Wade or Ray Allen (May ’05)
- Issue #88: Cover—Vince Carter (June ’05)
- Issue #89: Cover—San Antonio Spurs or Ben Wallace (July ’05)
- Issue #90: Cover—Ron Artest (August ’05)
- Issue #91: Cover—Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Robert Horry (September ’05)
- Issue #92: Cover—Steve Nash (November ’05)
- Issue #93: Cover—Lebron James (December ’05)
- Issue #94: Cover—Shaquille O’Neal & Dwyane Wade (February ’06)
- Issue #95: Cover—Sebastian Telfair or Dwight Howard (March ’06)
- Issue #96: Cover—Allen Iverson (April ’06)
- Issue #97: Cover—Kobe Bryant (May ’06)
- Issue #98: Cover—Chauncey Billups or Dirk Nowitzki (June ’06)
- Issue #99: Cover—Greg Oden (July ’06)
- Issue #100: Cover—Michael Jordan (August ’06)
- Issue #101: Cover—Dwyane Wade (September ’06)
- Issue #102: Cover—Gilbert Arenas or Chris Paul (November ’06)
- Issue #103: Cover—Ben Wallace or Amare Stoudamire (December ’06)
- Issue #104: Cover—Vince Carter or Chris Bosh (February ’07)
- Issue #105: Cover—Carmelo Anthony (March ’07)
- Issue #106: Cover—Lebron James (April ’07)
- Issue #107: Cover—Allen Iverson (May ’07)
- Issue #108: Cover—Phoenix Suns (June ’07)
- Issue #109: Cover—Dirk Nowitzki or Shaquille O’Neal (July ’07)
- Issue #110: Cover—Greg Oden & Kevin Durant (August ’07)
- Issue #111: Cover—San Antonio Spurs (September ’07)
- Issue #112: Cover—OJ Mayo (November ’07)
- Issue #113: Cover—Kevin Garnett (December ’07)
- Issue #114: Cover—Kobe Bryant (February ’08)
- Issue #115: Cover—Carmelo Anthony & Allen Iverson (March ’08)
- Issue #116: Cover—Three Lebrons (April ’08)
- Issue #117: Cover—Michael Beasley or Eric Gordon or Derrick Rose (May ’08)
- Issue #118: Cover—Dwight Howard (June ’08)
- Issue #119: Cover—Boston Celtics (July ’08)
- Issue #120: Cover—Chris Paul (August ’08)
- Issue #121: Cover—Paul Pierce (September ’08)
- Issue #122: Cover—Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose, and OJ Mayo (November ’08)
- Issue #123: Cover—Kobe Bryant or Greg Oden or LeBron James or Dwyane Wade or Kevin Garnett (December ’08)
- Issue #124: Cover—Deron Williams or Chris Paul (February ’09)
- Issue #125: Cover—Allen Iverson (March 2009)
- Issue #126: Cover—Kobe Bryant (April 2009)
- Issue #127: Cover—Dwyane Wade (May 2009)
- Issue #128: Cover—John Wall/Lance Stephenson or Ricky Rubio/Brandon Jennings (June 2009)
- Issue #129: Cover—Lebron James vs. Kobe Bryant (July 2009)
- Issue #130: Cover—Michael Jordan (August 2009)
- Issue #131: Cover—Kobe Bryant (September 2009)
- Issue #132: Cover—Carmelo Anthony (November 2009)
- Issue #133: Cover—Shaquille 'O Neal & LeBron James (15th Anniversary Issue, December 2009)
- Issue #134: Cover—Dwight Howard or Kevin Garnett or Kevin Durant or The Lakers: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum (February 2010)
- Issue #135: Cover—Brandon Jennings (March 2010)
- Issue #136: Cover—Kobe Bryant (April 2010)
- Issue #137: Cover—Kentucky Wildcats: John Wall, Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Coach John Calipari (May 2010)
- Issue #138: Cover—Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith or Oklahoma City Thunder: Jeff Green, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (June 2010)
- Issue #139: Cover—Michael Jordan (July 2010)
- Issue #140: Cover—LeBron James or Dwyane Wade (August 2010)
- Issue #141: Cover—Kobe Bryant (September 2010)
- Issue #142: Cover—LeBron James or Dwight Howard (November 2010)
- Issue #143: Cover—Derrick Rose (December 2010)
- Issue #144: Cover—John Wall (February 2011)
- Issue #145: Cover—Chris Paul or Rajon Rondo (March 2011)
- Issue #146: Cover—Kobe Bryant (April 2011)
- Issue #147: Cover—Blake Griffin or Amar’e Stoudemire (May 2011)
- Issue #148: Cover—Miami Heat: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade or Carmelo Anthony or Derrick Rose or Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom (June 2011)
- Issue #149: Cover—Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, and Austin Rivers (July 2011)
- Issue #150: Cover—Allen Iverson (August 2011)
- Issue #151: Cover—Dirk Nowitzki (September 2011)
- Issue #152: Cover—Derrick Rose (November 2011)
- Issue #153: Cover—North Carolina Tar Heels: Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, John Henson, Tyler Zeller, and Dexter Strickland (December 2011)