| Cult of Mac

They Call Me Magic captures Magic Johnson’s pivot to humanitarian [Apple TV+ review]

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They Call Me Magic review: The Apple TV+ docuseries puts the legendary Earvin
The four-part docuseries puts legendary basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson under a microscope.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s latest documentary series is They Call Me Magic, a look at the life and legacy of one of the greatest and most flashy basketball players the game ever saw.

Director Rick Famuyiwa gives us a guided tour of Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr.’s game, the illness that took him out of professional sports, and the family members — both professional and blood — who made his life hard but worth living. The documentary’s form is digestible and the story is a necessary window into living memory, to see at once how far we’ve come and how little we’ve changed.

Get inspired by trailer for The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball on Apple TV+

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Get inspired by trailer for ‘The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball’ on Apple TV+
Makur Maker is the focus of in The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

A docuseries about an NBA hopeful determined to take control of his journey premieres on Apple TV+ on April 22. The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball tells the story of how Makur Maker, a five-star NBA prospect, ended up at Howard University.

A new trailer for the upcoming series gives an early look at his inspirational story.

Apple TV+ delves into superstar Kevin Durant’s basketball youth in Swagger

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Isaiah Hill and O’Shea Jackson Jr. in Swagger, premiering globally October 29, 2021 on Apple TV+.
Isaiah Hill and O’Shea Jackson Jr. in Swagger, premiering globally October 29, 2021 on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

Streaming service Apple TV+ offered a premiere date for its upcoming sports drama Swagger, loosely based on superstar NBA basketball player Kevin Durant’s early years in the sport he eventually came to dominate. It looks into the world of youth basketball and the lives it touches.

NBA teams up with Apple Music to showcase emerging hip-hop artists

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BASELINE
BASE:LINE keeps you plugged into up-and-coming hip-hop artists.
Photo: Apple

Apple is deepening its partnership with the NBA by teaming up to launch a global playlist on Apple Music to highlight independent hip-hop artists.

The new playlist, dubbed “BASE:LINE” (get it? Cause there’s a baseline in rap songs and on the basketball court), will be curated by Apple Music’s director of hip-hop and R&B Ebro Darden. New artists and songs will be added to the playlist every Thursday with the first edition being made available today.

Nike kills shoelaces with new iPhone-controlled sneakers

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Marty McFly would've loved these.
Marty McFly would've loved these.
Photo: Nike

Nike is on a mission to kill shoelaces for good with its new pair of app-controlled sneakers, which made their official debut today.

Taking a page right out of Back to the Future II, Nike’s new Adapt BB self-lacing shoes pack wireless connectivity, and a custom motor and gear train, to give athletes a perfect fit without having to fuss with retying their laces.

Nike’s futuristic self-tying shoes will be controlled by iPhone

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Kyle Kuzma
Kyle Kuzma's reaction to Nike's self-tying shoes is priceless.
Photo: Nike

Nike just posted a major teaser for the release of its self-lacing shoes set to debut tomorrow and it looks like the iPhone will play a major role with the new sneakers.

The teaser video Nike put out today shows some popular basketball players trying on the new shoes. Nike appears to have created an iPhone app that lets you adjust the laces without touching your feet. Even though the shoes can’t be seen in the video, it’ll certainly get you hyped for the future of basketball shoes.

Watch some of the NBA’s stars get wowed:

6 ways to stream NBA games on Apple devices

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Find out how to stream every NBA game on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV.
Find out how to stream every NBA game on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV.
Photo: tommy bebo/Unsplash CC

By Chris Brantner

With the NBA season’s arrival, it’s time to figure out how to watch your favorite teams. Whether you subscribe to cable or you’ve cut the cord, there are plenty of ways to watch pro basketball on your favorite Apple device.

You can opt to watch on Apple TV or you can choose a mobile device. Luckily, most cable apps and other streaming services work pretty much the same way. As long as you know the network the game is on and the time, it’s just a matter of pulling it up and rooting for your favorite team.

Kevin Durant scores TV show deal with Apple

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Kevin Durant
Eddy Cue is a huge fan of Kevin Durant (not pictured here) and the Golden State Warriors.
Photo: SF Chronicle/Twitter

The life of Kevin Durant is set to be the inspiration for Apple’s next major TV show.

Apple has been scooping up TV shows like crazy the last few months and the latest project to get the iPhone maker’s thumbs up is a show that will explore Durant’s early life along with the world of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball the players, families and coaches involved.

Apple Music boss enrages Twitter after Rihanna incident during NBA Finals

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Eddy Cue had the best seats in the house to watch the Warrior's comeback.
Eddy Cue has the best seats at Oracle Arena.
Photo: SF Chronicle/Twitter

The internet is furious at Apple Music boss Eddy Cue after the exec was supposedly spotted heckling singer Rihanna last night during Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oakland, California.

Video of Cue at the game appears to show the Apple VP telling Rihanna to sit down. Rihanna had been doing a bit of heckling herself during the game, yelling at Warriors superstar Kevin Durant. Twitter immediately went in on Cue for going at Rihanna, but most people thought he was just your average court-side rich white guy.

How LeBron and Cavs channeled Steve Jobs to beat Warriors

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Eddy Cue isn't cheering for Lebron this year.
LeBron took some advice from Eddy Cue's boss this year.
Photo: USA Today

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history on Sunday when they came back to beat the Golden State Warriors — Apple’s favorite team — in the NBA Finals and Steve Jobs was part of the reason why.

LeBron James had to dig deep for inspiration when the Cavs lost the first two games of the NBA Finals. After spending the weekend watching old Muhammad Ali fight, James reportedly realized his team needed something they could connect to to make them believe the series wasn’t over. So before Game 3, James gathered his teammates and played a portion of Steve Jobs’ infamous Stanford Univeristy commencement address from 2005.