Why Crowns Should Be Won in Cities, States, and Nations—Not Leagues In basketball, we’ve been fooled by floating titles. Leagues bestow crowns, but what are you king of? An idea. An abstract realm made up of a closed group of teams, scattered cities, and rotating rosters. When you win their trophy—what have you conquered? Real kings conquer territory. It means more to be the best player in a city than the best player in a league. Better to own a state than defeat a bracket of teams. It means...

The Rise of a City King: How Ashton Cook and Rimpage are Rewriting Basketball History Ashton Cook did everything by the book. High school standout. College player. Even a pro offer overseas. But like so many in the 99% of unpicked players, the dream remained unfulfilled. He walked the conventional path, yet it led to a dead end—until he found Rimpage. Rimpage offer him more than a second chance. It handed him a new map—a new law of the wild where no one assigns you your place. You take it....

Not Jordan. Not Kobe. Not LeBron. Not Magic. Not Bird. Not Hakeem. Not Shaq. Not Wilt. Not Scottie. Not Tim Duncan. Not Steph. Not Bill Russell. Not Sam Jones. Not Bird. Not Kareem. Not Ray Allen. Not Giannis Antetokounmpo. Not Carmelo Anthony. Not Nate Archibald. Not Paul Arizin. Not Charles Barkley. No player in the history of basketball has ever won THIS TROPHY! Will you be the first? Every so often, a symbol appears in sports that forces the entire game to pause and reconsider itself....