The Open Run With Will Strickland

Fear can be life stifling… or quite the motivator. Canadian independent sports agent and 1999 NCAA Dunk Champion Gary Durrant runs the resume on how he decided to take a leap of faith and jump into the shark tank that is athlete representation. The head honcho of Durrant Sports Management and Wall $t go 1v1 on everything from the misguided notion of loyalty in sports business, NIL rules and Dickie...

Nice with numbers? The Artist Formerly Known As Dante Terrell Smith once exclaimed that it was never the last straw that breaks the camel’s back; it’s the 999,999 underneath it. It's called Mathematics. Most definitely. Here to ease some of that pain, at least temporarily Fellow BKNY native Glenn K. Bolton, aka Daddy-O, the leader of the original hip hop band Stetsasonic, joins forces with Wall $t...

Ever had a #ByMyselfMeeting? In some instances, it’s double entendre. For our purposes here,  we’ll attempt to elucidate our thoughts, but… in the words of a young Canadian emcee: “I’m Just A Kid, Livin’ In My Head…Tryin’ To Make Some Sense, But I Don’t Make My Bed!”Helping Wall $t. this week to launch International Women’s Month is #BlackTwitter First Ballot Hall Of Famer and Social Media SuperSh...

What is the real cost paid for achievement? Time… and Effort. And we find out what debt is due as we welcome Duke University’s James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African-American Studies and Professor of English Mark Anthony Neal to enter the centre to talk hip hop and education, hoops, mental health, and Black male feminism. With the All Star festivities this past weekend, the P...

It’s said that absence makes the heart grow fonder…And if after just one week, you missed us, the feeling is mutual. You had us when you pressed “play” every week on the podcast link. Dunno if Valentine’s Day brings out the best in feelings for you, but as we introduce multimedia supershero Thembisa Mshaka to the #BlackHistoryEryday and hoops proceedings, we hope you are ready to enjoy the jewels...

America didn’t invent violence…But it damn sure perfected it! In a different, less destructive way, equal opportunity smoke is offered across the hoops landscape and Wall $t. looks to broker the peace as #BlackHistoryEryday continues. Helping to bring The Ell Ooh Vee Eee to the proceedings and do it with a laugh is comedian extraordinaire Russell Peters enters the center to talk about how little h...

As we launch #BlackHistoryEryday, it may seem at times that the toughest thing to do is Live…Optimism is great to have and even better when it is realized. But the lines between What Is and What We Dream It To Be can be quite different and at the end of the day, we gotta figure out play the cards we’re dealt, especially when you know the game is rigged. Welcome To Reality! Sometimes, it’s hard! To...

Ever get confused as to how you refer to a person these days? It can be an adventure if you are not aware and sensitive to how one wished to be recognized. However, it is not what you are called but to what you answer and Wall $t. requests the presence of the first NBA assistant coach of Indian descent, Canadian hoops coaching legend Roy Rana. The newly-minted bench bawse of the Egyptian National...

The late great James Brown once uttered that he’d paid the cost to the The Boss. Wall $t. goes one-on-one with another player who took his talents to South Beach! Joel Anthony, 2-time NBA Champion and current General Manager of the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s newest expansion team in his hometown, the Montreal Alliance, runs the court and shares stories of his time with The Heatles, things...

Ever taken on a task, but didn’t know how it would end? Life is funny like that… Not a serial drama where everything gets tidied up at the end of 44 minutes. There is a finality to it that is only truly defined by its ending. How is all that you’d done in the time you had measured? Does it even matter? Well, despite technical difficulties that truncated our “official” conversation, Wall $t. gets t...

Do you know what it means when you lie by omission? My Dear Ol’ Dad (Bless The Dead) had bars on the subject and millions of people may have begun the new year under the false pretense of resolution, but we do no such thing on the podcast where Basketball and Life are One! TSN’s Mark Roe, the Swiss Army knife of sports broadcasters in Canada, helps Wall $t. turn the pages on the calendar into 2022...

On our final airing in 2021, the podcast where Basketball and Life meet worked very hard at being resolute in our resolve to not drop resolutions for 2022!Did it work? Come and find out as The Toronto Star’s sports quill game veteran Dave Feschuk laces ‘em up with Wall $t. and salute The Hashtag aka  #HeWhoShantBeNamed on his 37th as we celebrate sustained greatness and another trip around the sun...

T’was a couple nights before #HappyMerryChristmaHanaKwanzaaFestivusDiwaliEid and all throughout these Rough Interweb Streets, COVID creatures were stirring on the podcast where Basketball and Life meet! And while the pandemic is still here like your neighbor’s holiday fruitcake, The News, Views and Truths you choose on the NBA and beyond is still the gift that keeps on giving as we welcome Dr. D’W...

They say there are no guarantees in this Life…We found a couple, as well as answered an age-old… ok… it was only a month old, but… it was a question that needed answering as we pull no punches and play zero games whilst we invite The Sneaker Summit Don, Bryan “Kadoma” Angelle, straight outta Houston, Texas, to the podcast where Basketball and Life are One! No tricks! We’re talkin’ Kicks and Rocket...

You may have been told, on the Road to Riches and Diamond Rings, to Trust Your Struggle… to count Victory In Every Loss. But what is that Thing Within that drives you… us… to achieve at the highest levels… and also tells us when it is time to let it go? SportsNet’s multitalented broadcaster and fantasy football maven Andy McNamara enters the centre to talk about enjoying the journey with no destin...

Some say that Imitation is the highest form of Flattery. When you are creatively superior in things you craft for mass consumption, Imitation is cheap and the most fluid currency comes in the forms of Respect, Appreciation and Homage. Propers and Dues are paid as Wall $t. welcomes NBA.com International’s and FIBA's play-by-play bawse Carlan Gay to the weekly hoops proceedings where the lecture is...

For what exactly are we truly thankful… & do we need a state-mandated holiday to connect with loved ones whilst enjoying a plentiful bounty of Food, Football, Fun & Family? A good time is virtually guaranteed when Wall $t. calls upon legendary Canadian sports broadcaster, TSN 1050 Radio Toronto’s Jim Tatti,  as he steps into the square to pontificate on staying ahead of the curve in this business,...

Ever watch movies and tv shows where you never see the hero eat? All they do is drink and smoke…Seems to have shaped a lot of our early conditioning of what “American Might” looked like: America: Marlboros x Jack Daniels ( Word to Uncle Nearest).But what fuels you? Pickled Livers and Tar Roasted Lungs aside, #4PeatSZN is officially in effect as the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Full Court 21 All World Champ...

Today, we can call on a multitude of sources for information. Doesn’t necessarily mean those sources are fact-based, especially in The Easy Bake Fake News Era. But Facts could care less about Feelings… feelings in which you might find yourself deep inside as Wall St. invites former ESPN Hall Of Fame Social Media Troll and NBA Insider Amin Elhassan to enter the center on The Open Run with Will Stri...

How many “great” ideas have you allowed to fall to the wayside because you were discouraged that the people you love and trust the most can’t see your vision? Do you quit because you are afraid? Unsure? Or is Your Belief far stronger that Their Doubt? How you navigate the matters matters.  Wall $t. invites fellow dreamer who is also living his currently, 3-time Olympic track and field star Kareem...

The Road Less Travelled doesn’t mean that you walk it alone…At every step in this excursion called Life, we all need help along the way to achieve the highest of heights. With that in mind, Wall $t. enlists the aid of former professional baseball player and current radio personality Mike Hardge as well as Any Given Sunday actor Brian Berry to reminisce and talk about what it took and takes for the...

The Truth Between The Lines… The Devil Is In The Details…Those idioms seem apropos each week on the podcast and this week is no different as Wall St. parses things often unheard, even when someone is speaking. Will hold court as forever emcee, student, son, brother, father, grandfather and friend, “Juice Easy” Bobby Humbert, steps into the arena on the podcast where Basketball and Life are One. In...

Freshly Dipped In Our 75th NBA Season Gear, Tap In For The Supreme Drip Drop As #TheOpenRun With Will Strickland Presents The 1st Annual #DoWork Awards - Preseason Edition For 2021-2022, Featuring Below The Hardwood. Come x Get It While The Gettin's Good!!! Don't Get Beat Off The Dribble! Find Will On These Rough Interweb Streets:Twitter: @W_Strickland1IG: WillStrickland1

With a new season on the way, Ryan Antonio Henry of Below The Hardwood joins Wall $t to preview the 2022 NBA Season. In this episode, they will preview the Atlantic Division out of the Eastern Conference. They predict the winners, losers and surprises coming out of the division and provide their thoughts on each team ahead of the upcoming season. Do What's Popular With The Population! Find Will On...

With a new season on the way, Ryan Antonio Henry of Below The Hardwood joins Wall $t to preview the 2022 NBA Season. In this episode, they will preview the Southeast Division out of the Eastern Conference. They predict the winners, losers and surprises coming out of the division and provide their thoughts on each team ahead of the upcoming season. Do What's Popular With The Population! Find Will O...