Every summer, coach Chris Brickley’s BlackOps run is the talk of the offseason. It’s a chance for basketball fans to see what their favorite player has added to their bag and see some of the best hoops in the world do it.
Brickley first named the runs “BlackOps” because he wanted open workouts and runs to be creative. Here, he gives us his breakdown of another year of BlackOps Basketball and his chosen awards.
2024 SLAM x BlackOps Awards
Season Out: Paolo Banchero
Photo by @kees2life
This was my fourth summer working with Paolo. His energy was laser focused! We were going 60-75 minutes, and he did all the drills at game speed. Coming off his first All-Star and playoff season, he wanted more. I believe we will see Paolo in many more All-Star games and many more playoff contests. Magic is going to be great this year.
Best Shot of the Summer Award: Klay Thompson
Klay entered this offseason looking like a completely different player. He proved to be very quick, and shot incredibly well all summer. He broke literally every shooting record this summer. But, in CJ McCollum’s defense, Klay locked in with me in August/September, while CJ holds more records and worked with me in May/June.
Best Middle Schooler I’ve Worked With: JJ Crawford
During the workout, JJ’s dad (Jamal Crawford), Jordan Clarkson and Boardroom’s Nick DePaula were watching. Ju was hitting an NBA-high 3-pointer, picking up the ballhandling drills I gave him and getting buckets from my students! The internet always gives trainees a hard time, but they can really protect themselves. After practice, Jamal and I talked hoops for about an hour, and it was one of my favorite conversations of the summer. Jamal is a true student of the game. I’m calling it now: JJ Crawford will be a top five pick someday!
Draft Day Award: Matas Buzelis and Tyler Kolek
I believe both of these guys will have long NBA careers. Matas will be a name we see in ESPN’s 10 games more often this season. Tyler Kolek is my favorite this past draft. The Knicks got a great playmaker and scorer at number 34. I think he will bring a lot of energy to the second unit.
NCAA Award: and Jackson
The best thing that happened to Ian Jackson was to start his senior season, he dropped in the rankings. His whole approach to exercise changed at that moment, and Ian became a man on the basketball court. He worked with me five days a week—sometimes twice a day—and he worked hard! I put him in situations where he played 1-on-1 with NBA players, and he held his own—he amazed everyone in the gym. I can’t wait to see what he does at UNC this season.
High School Award: Kiyan Anthony and Chris Cenac Jr.
I’ve seen Kiyan Anthony develop from a little kid running around MSG to get buckets on the NBA BlackOps run. He is always texting me, showing the urgency to train more and continue to improve. Chris Cenac played in the Brickley Invitational and he scared the crap out of me during practice. At 6-10, he can shoot the three, finish at the rim, play in the mid-post and try to dunk it at the rim. No wonder you’re climbing the ranks!
Chris Brickley Invitational Award: Tyran Stokes and Jasper Johnson
Tyran Stokes is ranked No. 1 in the class of 2026 for a reason—he’s a matchup nightmare. He can shoot and find teammates, and his motor is always at 100. Jasper Johnson went crazy in the game, hitting tough shot after tough shot. He really reminds me of D’Angelo Russell. Kentucky is producing some quality prospects right now.
Mentor Award: Russell Westbrook
People can say what they want about Russ, but the truth is he is a first ballot Hall of Famer and one of the Top 75 NBA players of all time. This was the second season in a row that he took the time to mentor a young player. Last summer, it was UConn’s Azzi Fudd, and this summer it was New Jersey legend Isaiah Briscoe. Russ invited Briscoe to a few of his 6 a.m. jobs and shared values. Russ and I have developed a real bond over the years, and I am grateful to have him as a friend.
GOAT Award: LeBron James
I was blessed to help LeBron on his gold medal run. His career paid off, as he ended up earning the MVP of the Olympics at the age of 39! Despite his great performance, towards the end of the summer, I was offered several NBA coaching positions, and I needed someone to talk to who knew the game and the business. I reached out to LeBron out of the blue—if he hadn’t responded, I wouldn’t have been upset, knowing he had a million things going on. But he sent me good advice, and it was exactly what I needed to hear. So, we thank MBUZI for taking the time to do that.
Best Team Performance of the Summer: Kevin Durant and CJ McCollum
There was something special about the energy at The Summit, with the music blaring through the Bose speakers. Usually, players gradually work up to game speed actions, but this exercise was different. KD caught the ball in the corner, went hard with two dribbles and hit a beautiful pull-up—like he was in the finals. I then passed the ball to CJ, who did the same. For the next 65 minutes, both players gave it their all. That was good.
Best Rapper Basketball Player: Russia
Russ decided to take basketball seriously and came to me after training with his coach in Atlanta. He became a drop shooter. The change in his game was crazy. He had dribble moves, hit NBA threes consistently and just played with confidence. I think Russ was the best rapper I ever worked with.
Best BlackOps Matchup: Jalen Brunson vs. Immanuel Quickley
Immanuel Quickley, who just signed his $175 million contract with the Raptors, was playing with a lot of confidence against All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson. There was definitely a sense of great competition. Quickley backed up Brunson to the Knicks before being traded to the Raptors, so it felt like Quick was playing with a chip on his shoulder. Watching these two go at it for almost two hours was a lot of fun. It was like watching a big boxing match. They gave their all and did not compromise. Man, that was a great run!
Photos by @nextsubject.
