The Brixton event, a one-day celebration of both the game and its culture, features a packed schedule of events for the local community to experience and participate in.

Nike, which is organising the festival, said: "During the day a free festival programme of activity featuring local and international games will play out on Windrush Square.

"In the evening, O2 Academy Brixton will host a spectacular fusion of music and basketball with exclusive appearances from global athletes and very special music guests."

Events on the day include:

WINDRUSH SQUARE

The free daytime festival kicks off in Windrush Square, which will be transformed by the installation of a full size basketball court and bleachers.

Between 9am and 1pm Nike will enable young ballers to #makeitcount in a series of athlete clinics hosted by leading international basketball players and coaches.

From 12pm onwards the festival invites the wider community to have a true basketball experience through high-energy 3-on-3 competitions, open participation pick-up games and unforgettable slam dunk contests.

Festival goers can also be the first in the UK to try out the hotly anticipated Nike+ basketball range that connects digitally enabled footwear with interactive mobile applications to allow ballers to measure their performance.

The climax of the free festival will be a highlight international 5-on-5 game between the infamous Team Nike from New York and a GB all-star team.

Throughout the day there will be high-profile appearances from basketball heroes past and present.
The World Basketball Festival is about more than just the game of basketball. Nike will also celebrate the culture and style that is synonymous with the sport.

Choice FM will be on site providing the soundtrack with DJ sets and broadcasting their live show from Windrush Square. Nandos, Wah Nails and many more will be on hand to complete the festival line-up.

And in the evening:

O2 Academy Brixton

The evening will feature a rolling showcase of music and basketball, headlined by US Hip-Hop Royalty (please be Redhead Kingpin - just me then? OK), supported by local rising star Dot Rotten and combined with a programme of classic non-stop basketball institutions - the Miami Heat Street Band, UK dance crews, on-stage international dunkers Guy Dupuy aka 'Easy Jumper' and Kendall Boyd-Hill aka 'Kasper' alongside the final of the UK Slam Dunk contest.

Tickets for the evening's festivities are £5 and go on general release from 9am on May 26. All proceeds will go to the Luol Deng Foundation

The decision is curious because British teams don't take part in any European competition, and that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. Sure, there are any number of jokes you can make about the standard of the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets and Toronto Raptors, the two teams that sold out the O2 for a pair of games last March, but even in the lottery, the NBA is an entirely different animal on and off the court.

In a typically breathless Euroleague press release, president Jordi Bertomeu said: "Six years ago we signed a strategic agreement with AEG, which has already borne wonderful fruits.

"In these six years we have worked together, with AEG as both consultants to our teams to maximize their arena resources and as hosts for our Final Fours.

"After our very successful Final Fours in Berlin and Paris, in which AEG has displayed great efficiency and professionalism in developing such a major event like the Final Four, we arrive at the opportunity to host it at London's magnificent The O2, one of the most modern and spectacular arenas in the world."

AEG Europe president Jay Marciano added: "We're very excited to announce that AEG and The O2 will be hosting the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in both 2013 and 2014.

"Whilst The O2 is no stranger to basketball - it has hosted regular season NBA games and is gearing up for the London 2012 basketball finals -we are proud that Euroleague Basketball have, for the first time, chosen to hold the Final Four at The O2 for the next few seasons.

"I'm personally looking forward to building upon this great relationship after two extremely successful Final Fours organized jointly at the O2 World Berlin in 2009 and at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy in 2010."

So there you have it. As a GB-ish based Hoops fan I'm loking forward to it, and I guess London could be convenient for travelling support and the (there's that word again) curious. But it still seems kind of odd, what do you think?

That's a reason to scowl.

Skiles had to endure the 2011/12 season without one of the better big men in the league in Andrew Bogut who suffered an ankle injury which limited him to only 12 games of action all season. And then Bogut was traded away for a better-scoring Brandon Jennings in Monta Ellis.

That's probably a reason to scowl too.

..that's got to be a reason to scowl.

Then there's the fact that his team were battling for the eighth and final play-off spot but threw it away in the final 10 games by only winning thrice.

He'd scowl over that.

One plus from the season though, was the play of Ersan Ilyasova.

Playing just over two minutes more a game than the previous season, the Turkish forward upped his PPG from 9.5 to 13 per contest, his rebounds improved from 6.1 a night to eight and his field and three point shooting percentages went up too.

Only thing was, it was a contract year for Ers which means he's either going to bolt and leave the Bucks behind or stay and get *cough* over *cough* paid.

Either way, that's scowl-worthy for Skiles.

That's an awful lot of things for Coach Skiles to be unhappy about during a 66 game season which is why I found it so easy to revert back to a child-like state and create a collage of Coach Skiles being grumpy.

I managed to find a picture of him smiling and included that too - just because I was getting bummed out looking at a constantly scowling Skiles.

So I present to you my crudely created 'Scott Smiles':

Both GB sides were granted spots in the London Olympics by Fiba after a lengthy, and at times baffling, process last year.

Blatt, whose side will have to go through this summer's qualifiers in Venezuela after finishing third at EuroBasket, said: "Only because the Olympics are in London this year, the British team received a free pass, and that was at our expense, basically.

"Sports-wise, No, that's the politics of the situation, and that's what it is. It's part of the picture, not a whole lot that I can do about it."

Given where he's coming from, obviously Blatt has a right to be a bit aggrieved. Qualification for the Olympics is extremely difficult. Spain and France qualified after finishing 1-2 at EuroBasket, with FYR of Macedonia, Greece and Lithuania joining Russia in South America.

Given there are only three births up for grabs, at the very least one European heavyweight is going to be left out, never mind traditional powers like Serbia and Croatia, which didn't even get that far.

Still, Blatt's men will have a chance to prove their credentials against Luol Deng and the rest of the British squad when they face each other in Houston this June.

(Hat-tip to MVP)

Dear Andrew,

I've spent a lot of time thinking about whether I should write this letter or not but after everything we've been through, I feel you need to hear it from me and not from another 'source':

I didn't want to tell you like this but I can't keep up the pretence of being a happy family any more, especially when we're not.

Before I explain why we're breaking up, I just want you to know that ever since we met on June 28th 2005 at Madison Square Garden, I've loved you. I fell in love with your funny accent the moment I heard it and.. do you remember what country I thought you were from? South Africa! You embraced me and laughed it off, as only you can do and then told me you were Australian! Boy was my face red! You always knew how to make me feel better.

I loved your big floppy hair too and even though it was a mess most of the time, it looked so much better than the rat tail you had! You looked so silly!

We've had some great times together haven't we? Remember when we took that trip to Atlanta in 2010? You don't? Well that's because you weren't there. I know why you said you couldn't be there and I understand, I do, but sometimes I just want you to be there for me. And that's why I'm finishing things.

You're never around for me any more. I know you're trying to be here more often but it just seems like we never have much time together. All my friends say their man spends time with them and they go places in April and May - that's when WE should be travelling the East Coast together! But what are we doing instead? Sitting at home in Milwaukee and watching TV.

When we do spend time together, things are great and we have such a beautiful chemistry but I just can't handle the amount of time we spend apart any more. Maybe I'm asking too much of you. I didn't think I was but I don't know any more.

And it doesn't help me when I hear that you want to see other people either. You didn't think I'd find out about that did you?! How do you think that makes me feel when everybody is talking about us behind my back? I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A GIRL ON THE WEST COAST!!

Right now, I think it's better if we just have our own space. I'd like to say that it's not you, that it's me but the truth is, it's both of us: I lack ambition and you're never here to help motivate me.

I loved you from the minute I met you Andrew and I will always hold a special place for you in my heart. But I think it's better that we go our separate ways.

I'm sorry you had to find out this way.

Maybe we can still be friends?

Love

The Milwaukee Bucks
x x x x

P.S. I want my jersey back.