Michael Jordan once expressed his love for an argyle pattern. Inevitably, the North Carolina Tar Heels would wear that argyle pattern on the basketball court. It was far from a Jordan-only decision, but more than 30 years ago, the uniform design thoughts of a university icon who became one of basketball’s all-time greatest players — many say the greatest — played a factor.

If anything, it might have helped sway the opinion of someone considered by some to be even more Tar Heel than Jordan — the opinion of one eventual Hall of Fame coach in Dean Smith. As a discussion among Hall of Famers in their respective fields resulted in planning a revised look for one of college basketball’s top programs, the voice of the legendary coach carried the most weight.

Fans of the past couldn’t miss the distinctive Carolina blue uniforms then, and fans of today recognize the argyle design that accompanies many of the university’s athletic uniforms. They have been on display in both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments. The men’s team advanced to the Sweet 16 over the weekend with a win over Michigan State. The women’s team fell to undefeated overall top seed South Carolina in a second-round game Sunday.

Smith’s and Jordan’s endorsements of new North Carolina basketball…

INDIANAPOLIS — Engraved on the inner side of Sabrina Ionescu’s debut signature sneakers, the Sabrina 1, are two words written in capital letters: ANYONE, ANYWHERE.

The message serves as a reminder to Ionescu and those who wear her shoes that dreams are limitless, no matter where someone comes from or what they look like. But even Ionescu, who once just dreamed of being the best player in her basketball-crazed family, wasn’t dreaming something this big.

She now is one of the best basketball players in the world, and her dominance on the hardwood with the New York Liberty has manifested into history on her feet. Ionescu’s signature sneakers are designed for men and women, marking the first time Nike has ever made a unisex shoe for one of its female basketball players.

Ionescu’s sneakers have been a hit among her WNBA counterparts and the young girls who look up to them. They’ve become one of the most popular sneakers in the NBA, as well.

“It was obviously something that we targeted,” Ionescu said. “Going in, it was just understanding the versatility of the shoe and what it is that we were trying to accomplish.

“Bridging the gap between women’s and men’s sports, and being able to do that by creating a unisex line that was available for everyone, that was…

It’s been about 15 years since Duke Tango, the legendary voice of the AND1 Mixtape Tour, last brought streetball fans his one-of-a-kind, on-court, in-game commentary. Countless “Ay, yo!” remarks after a nice move. The classic “Oh, baby!” response after a big play.

AND1 made braggadocious talk, showmanship and sublime ballhandling mainstream. With the company’s officially celebrating its 30th anniversary Sunday, Tango (born Thomas Mills) is excited for the people who made his time on the tour special.

“The fans, the fans,” Tango said. “Giving the fans what they want. Making them come to the arena, making them leave happy — or you come in happy, you leave happier.”

AND1 as a global product, on and off the basketball court, did more than make fans happy. It made an impact on the sport that is still felt by many. It made wearing “Trash Talk” T-shirts fashionable. It challenged basketball shoe powers like Nike, Adidas and even Reebok and Fila. It made streetball legends famous internationally. It also brought flashy on-court play to a new audience in the 1990s and normalized it for modern-day audiences.

AND1 brought back its famous open runs last month as part of its 30th-anniversary celebration. The company also is using its “Paint the Park” initiative…

In April 2022, Veronica Burton heard her name called as the seventh pick in the WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings. She rose from her table at Spring Street Studios in New York City and shared a warm embrace, first with her mother, Ginni, then with her father, Steve.

Asked afterward about what inspired her, she responded, “My family.”

Athletics always have been intertwined for the Burtons. Her two siblings were collegiate athletes. Her late grandfather, Ron, played football at Northwestern and was the AFL’s Boston Patriots’ first-ever draft pick in 1960. Three of Veronica’s uncles also played football at Northwestern. Ginni was an All-American swimmer for the Wildcats.

And Steve, the sports director of WBZ-TV in Boston, played quarterback there, as well.

Veronica’s bonds with those in her family also extend beyond the field or the court. As she wrote below in a first-person exclusive, she bragged about her father “in life outside of sports.” This is her Father’s Day tribute to Steve.

(Editor’s note: The following has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.)

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There are about two days a year I find myself really taking the time to sit back and thank my dad for all he has done for…

I couldn’t tell you the first time I wore a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars. I do know that I haven’t stopped wearing them. And neither have many, many others worldwide.

Odds are you have owned a pair. Your parents probably did, too. Even their parents probably rocked Chucks. I started back in the 1980s, growing up in South Central Los Angeles and Long Beach. They were about $30 back then.

I saw my favorite rappers wear them and mention them in songs. My peers wore them. They looked good with Dickies or denim. Some of my friends opted for the low-top version, high socks and shorts. Those who liked skateboarding and surfing wore them, too.

As I viewed my collection of Chucks, I wondered why I, and so many other people, continue to wear them. It’s nothing fancy: canvas with a rubber sole. It’s inexpensive — you won’t find a standard pair of Chucks sold on the secondary market for hundreds of dollars. Yet, a shoe that retails for about $65 remains a staple in fashion and culture.

Everyone from celebrities to the average citizen wears them … but why?

“It’s still the greatest shoe of all time: it transcends culture,” said Jeremy Kirkland, host of the “Blamo!” podcast, which discusses aspects of fashion. “It transcends every breadth of American culture,…

As the WNBA returns for its 27th season, it does so with some of its star players on new teams and others ready to emerge on the ones they played for in the past. The result means predicting who might flourish in WNBA fantasy is difficult to pin-down.

Before the season tips off on May 19, Chantel Jennings, Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman dove into the WNBA fantasy universe and simulated what your draft could look like. With ESPN as the largest provider of free, season-long fantasy women’s basketball, we operated under their standard set-up … and we picked clever names for our teams.

That means a six-team draft with nine roster spots (guard, guard, forward, forward, center, utility and three bench spots). We used ESPN fantasy’s positional designations and head-to-head scoring. One fantasy point is allocated for each point, rebound, assist and made 3-pointer a player records. Plus, two fantasy points are given for each steal and block.

In the following exercise, each of our experts drafted two teams, but they attempted to make each roster the best fantasy team it could be — trying to simulate six actual fantasy owners. The order of the draft was randomized, and Chantel was awarded the top pick while Ben, who actually randomized the draft order, somehow managed to get the…

Some kind of WNBA off-season this has been, right? Two super-teams formed on opposite coasts. A couple of legends, Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles, left the game for good, and another legend, Brittney Griner, will get reintegrated into the league. That’s without mentioning the fresh crop of talent entering following Monday’s draft. It’s all made the upcoming season (which begins May 19) that much more anticipated. With free agency in the rearview mirror and the draft in the books, the 2023 season is within arms’ reach. It’s now safe to project.

Shall we?

A word on the rookies

Any surprises? Although it became apparent throughout the year that Haley Jones wasn’t going to be a top three pick, I still can’t come to grips with the fact that she slid to Atlanta at No. 6. Nevertheless, Jones ends up in a good situation, where she’ll join Rhyne Howard, the 2022 Rookie of the Year, to help the Dream rebuild.

Speaking of ROTY, is it too early to talk about awards? I like to look ahead, but trying to project awards before training camps feels wrong. Yet, I’m here for going against the grain.

There’s no true pattern when it comes to the WNBA’s rookie award. The winners have ranged from No. 1 overall picks to second-rounders. So while the obvious candidates are players like…

The women’s NCAA Tournament is finally here, and across the country some of the sport’s biggest stars will get the opportunity to showcase their talent on the biggest possible stage. But before the tournament fully gets underway, our women’s college basketball reporters at The Athletic wanted to see who could put together the best possible March Madness fantasy team. Each team consisted of six players, a coach and a mascot. Prior to the draft we laid out the following rules:

• Each player, coach or mascot needed to be part of this year’s 68-team field. (Sorry, Aneesah Morrow.)

• Each team needed to have representation from at least one mid-major school.

• Schools could not be reused, meaning once a player was picked all other members of that university (and very importantly, that university’s mascot) were wiped from the draft pool.

We utilized a snake draft, and Ben Pickman was awarded the first pick by winning our draft lottery (being closest to a random number selected by our editor, Shannon Ryan.) Sabreena Merchant picked second, followed by Chantel Jennings.

Comment below or respond to our Twitter poll to let us know who you think won the draft.

Round 1

Pick No. 1

Ben: Caitlin Clark, Iowa

The Athletic’s Player of the Year and the best offensive player in college…