Slam was launched in 1994[1] as a basketball magazine that combined the sport with
hip hop culture at a time when the genre was becoming increasingly popular. Launching as a quarterly with an initial circulation of 125,000, it was founded by publisher Dennis Page at
Harris Publications, and he hired
Cory Johnson to be the first Editor in Chief.[2]
Its first issue had a cover story on
Larry Johnson of the
Charlotte Hornets (written by future Fortune editor
Andrew Serwer) and a feature on then-
Cal freshman
Jason Kidd. Many of the magazine's lasting features, such as In Your Face, Slam-a-da-month, and Last Shot all began with that first issue.
From 1996 to 1997, Slam's total annual-unit sales rose 25 percent, with advertising revenue increasing by more than a third; by 1998, the magazine was published eight times per year.[3]
Ownership
Slam's ownership has changed several times.
Petersen Publishing bought Slam in 1998. The next year, Petersen was acquired by British publisher
EMAP. In 2001, EMAP sold its U.S. division to
Primedia. When Primedia left the magazine business in 2007,
Source Interlink acquired a majority of the company, including Slam, in August 2017. Slam was then acquired by an investment group led by Dennis Page (Founder and Publisher) and David Schnur (Executive Publisher). The new holding company is Slam Media Inc. based in
New York City.
Advertising content
The magazine carries advertising for basketball-related products, street-wear clothing and
hip hop music, and has been credited with helping to market hip-hop culture and basketball as one.
Slam has published over 200 issues in its history, and has featured the biggest names in basketball on its cover, in articles, and on its famous SLAMups posters.
The first woman to appear on the Slam cover was
Chamique Holdsclaw in October 1998, followed by
Maya Moore for the September/October 2018 issue, and then several more
WNBA stars.
Kobe Bryant and
LeBron James have appeared on a record amount of covers. "A Basketball On Fire" was the first Slam magazine cover without a player, in February 2012, addressing the
2011 NBA lockout.
In 2006, readers voted the cover for issue 32, featuring
Allen Iverson in March 1999, as SLAM's best cover from its first hundred issues.[5] Then-
editor in chief Tony Gervino commented that the cover "defined" SLAM's
hip-hop identity and added that, while covers featuring
Michael Jordan sold the best, "Iverson was the heart of the magazine."[6]
In pop culture
In the 1998 movie He Got Game, film protagonist
Jesus Shuttlesworth displays a poster of his Slam cover appearance above his television in his apartment.
The magazine has served as the basis for several NBA
trading cards, including a
Tim Duncan-focused insert set produced by Score Board in 1997 and sets produced in 2020 and 2021 by
Panini for its Hoops line.
Distribution and circulation
Known for its success in the
newsstand marketplace, Slam's
circulation had risen to 192,889 by late 1997, and then up to 201,179 in early 2000.[7] Circulation then elevated to 227,000 by 2002[8] and 235,000 in 2003 (at which point it was printed nine times per year).[9] The magazine was printed on a monthly basis as of November 2006.[10]
The magazine is now available to international (non-U.S.) NBA fans, with special editions printed in some territories (see below), and the addition of Slam to digital stores, such as
iTunes (the remoteness/distance from the U.S. of the subscriber has become a recurring theme in the letters section).[11]
In 2004, Washington Post columnist
Mike Wise observed that "
counterculture heroes have emerged from SLAM magazine's pages."[12] During the mid-to-late 1990s into the 2000s, SLAM was often regarded by advertising executives and media members as
avant-garde for its approaches at the time of publishing player-written pieces and an extensive
letters-to-the-editor section which spanned several pages, each of which provided ample voice to the
NBPA and common
fans. For example, in reference to
Craig Hodges, author
Dave Zirin reflected in the title's 100th issue that if SLAM had existed in years prior, "a player of politics and protest could've outrun purgatory. This is why SLAM is the most important print magazine of my lifetime."[13]
"Trash Talk": readers give their love to Slam or share some beef they had with the last magazine, and selected letters are put in this section.
"SLAMADAMONTH": a short article describing a
slam dunk accompanied by a photograph of the play. This feature usually features a dunk performed by an NBA player, but has featured college players in the past. The first SLAMADAMONTH (Spring 1994 issue) featured
Chris Webber dunking on
Charles Barkley.
"NOYZ": a series of
one-line jokes commenting on recent basketball events, written anonymously. The first NOYZ column appeared in the March 1995 issue.
"In Your Face":
"Last Shot": a former back-page column documenting a game-winning shot during a game. This feature was discontinued after the January 2000 issue.
"SLAM Magazine's top 75 NBA players of all time"—released in 2003.
"SLAM Magazine Old School"—Released in 2005.
"What's My Name?": SLAM fans make nicknames for NBA players and if they win they get a prize from the slam vault.
"The SLAM high school diary": In 1994, SLAM began a tradition of choosing a highly talented high school basketball player to keep a monthly diary recording their accomplishments as they moved toward playing
college or professional basketball. Only LeBron James and Sebastian Telfair were not in their final ("
senior") year of high school when they wrote the diary. The following players have been keepers of the SLAM diary: (current career status in brackets)
Trash Talk: Readers' letters to the editor are posted here, with occasional comments by the editor.
Rookie Diary – The Rookie Diary is held by a new NBA rookie yearly, as they speak about their first experiences in the league: (rookie season team in brackets)
Issue #129: Cover—LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant (July 2009)
Issue #130: Cover—Michael Jordan (August 2009)
Issue #131: Cover—Kobe Bryant (September 2009)
Issue #132: Cover—Carmelo Anthony (November 2009)
Issue #133: Cover—Shaquille O'Neal & LeBron James (15th Anniversary Issue, December 2009)
Issue #134: Cover—Dwight Howard or Kevin Garnett or Kevin Durant or The Lakers: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum (February 2010)
Issue #135: Cover—Brandon Jennings (March 2010)
Issue #136: Cover—Kobe Bryant (April 2010)
Issue #137: Cover—Kentucky Wildcats: John Wall, Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Coach John Calipari (May 2010)
Issue #138: Cover—Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford, Joe Johnson and Josh or Oklahoma City Thunder: Jeff Green, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (June 2010)
Issue #139: Cover—Michael Jordan (July 2010)
Issue #140: Cover—LeBron James or Dwyane Wade (August 2010)
Issue #141: Cover—Kobe Bryant (September 2010)
Issue #142: Cover—LeBron James or Dwight Howard (November 2010)
Issue #143: Cover—Derrick Rose (December 2010)
Issue #144: Cover—John Wall (February 2011)
Issue #145: Cover—Chris Paul or Rajon Rondo (March 2011)
Issue #146: Cover—Kobe Bryant (April 2011)
Issue #147: Cover—Blake Griffin or Amar’e Stoudemire (May 2011)
Issue #148: Cover—Miami Heat: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade or Carmelo Anthony or Derrick Rose or Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom (June 2011)
Issue #149: Cover—Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, and Austin Rivers (July 2011)
Issue #150: Cover—Allen Iverson (August 2011)
Issue #151: Cover—Dirk Nowitzki (September 2011)
Issue #152: Cover—Derrick Rose (November 2011)
Issue #153: Cover—North Carolina Tar Heels: Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, John Henson, Tyler Zeller, and Dexter Strickland (December 2011)
Issue #154: Cover—A basketball on fire (February 2012)
Issue #155: Cover—Kevin Durant (March 2012)
Issue #156: Cover—Blake Griffin and Chris Paul (April 2012)
Issue #157: Cover—Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love or Jeremy Lin (May 2012)
Issue #158: Cover—LeBron James & Dwyane Wade or Derrick Rose or Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant (June 2012)
Issue #159: Cover—LeBron James (July 2012)
Issue #160: Cover—Anthony Davis (August 2012)
Issue #161: Cover—LeBron James (September 2012)
Issue #162: Cover—Carmelo Anthony (November 2012)
Issue #163: Cover—Dwight Howard (December 2012)
Issue #164: Cover—Dwyane Wade (February 2013)
Issue #165: Cover—Memphis Grizzlies: Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, and Mike Conley Jr. (March 2013)
Issue #166: Cover—Blake Griffin or Russell Westbrook (April 2013)
Issue #167: Cover—Jabari Parker & Andrew Wiggins (May 2013)
Issue #168: Cover—LeBron James (June 2013)
Issue #169: Cover—Kyrie Irving (July 2013)
Issue #170: Cover—LeBron James or Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan (August 2013)
Issue #171: Cover—LeBron James (September 2013)
Issue #172: Cover—Derrick Rose(November 2013)
Issue #173: Cover—Stephen Curry (December 2013)
Issue #174: Cover—Paul George (February 2014)
Issue #175: Cover—Kobe Bryant (March 2014)
Issue #176: Cover—Damian Lillard (April 2014)
Issue #177: Cover—Jabari Parker or Joel Embiid (May 2014)
Issue #178: Cover—Kevin Durant (June 2014)
Issue #179: Cover—LeBron James (July 2014)
Issue #180: Cover—Vince Carter (August 2014)
Issue #181: Cover—Kawhi Leonard or Anthony Davis (September 2014)
Issue #182: Cover—'14-15 Rookie Class (November 2014)
Issue #183: Cover—LeBron James (December 2014)
Issue #184: Cover—John Wall (February 2015)
Issue #185: Cover—Kyrie Irving (March 2015)
Issue #186: Cover—Stephen Curry or Damian Lillard (April 2015)
Issue #187: Cover—Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball Team (May 2015)
Issue #188: Cover—Houston Rockets: James Harden or Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson or Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague (June 2015)
Issue #189: Cover—Andrew Wiggins (July 2015)
Issue #190: Cover—Kobe Bryant (August 2015)
Issue #191: Cover—Stephen Curry (September 2015)
Issue #192: Cover—LeBron James (November 2015)
Issue #193: Cover—Stephen Curry (December 2015)
Issue #194: Cover—James Harden (February 2016)
Issue #195: Cover—DeMarcus Cousins or Kristaps Porziņģis (March 2016)
Issue #196: Cover—Russell Westbrook (April 2016)
Issue #197: Cover—Kawhi Leonard or Jimmy Butler (May 2016)
Issue #198: Cover—Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Drake (June 2016)
Issue #199: Cover—Ben Simmons (July 2016)
Issue #200: Cover—Michael Jordan or Allen Iverson (August 2016)
Issue #203: Cover—Kevin Durant & Stephen Curry (December 2016)
Issue #204: Cover—Steven Adams, Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo (February 2017)
Issue #205: Cover—Damian Lillard (March 2017)
Issue #206: Cover—Kyrie Irving (April 2017)
Issue #207: Cover—Joel Embiid (May 2017)
Issue #208: Cover—Isaiah Thomas (June 2017)
Issue #209: Cover—LeBron James or Stephen Curry (July 2017)
Issue #210: Cover—Zion Williamson (August 2017)
Issue #211: Cover—Lonzo, LiAngelo & LaMelo Ball or Stephen Curry & Kevin Durant (September 2017)
Issue #212: Cover—Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, Dennis Jr., Jayson Tatum & De'Aaron Fox or Michael Porter Jr. or Marvin Bagley III (November/December 2017)
Issue #213: Cover—Draymond Green or Devin Booker or CJ McCollum (January/February 2018)
Issue #214: Cover—Anthony Davis & DeMarcus Cousins or Trae Young (March/April 2018)
Issue #215: Cover—Donovan Mitchell or Klay Thompson or DeMar DeRozan (May/June 2018)
Issue #216: Cover—Deandre Ayton or Luka Dončić or Ben Simmons (July/August 2018)
Issue #217: Cover—Maya Moore or Cole Anthony or Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green & Kevin Durant (September/October 2018)
Issue #218: Cover—Jayson Tatum or RJ Barrett (November/December 2018)
Issue #220: Cover—LeBron James or Kemba Walker (March/April 2019)
Issue #221: Cover—Dwyane Wade or D'Angelo Russell or Kobe Bryant (May/June 2019)
Issue #222: Cover—Zion Williamson or Ja Morant or LaMelo Ball (July/August 2019)
Issue #223: Cover: Kawhi Leonard or A’Ja Wilson & Liz Cambage or Lou Williams (September/October 2019)
Issue #224: Cover: Zion Williamson, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram & Lonzo Ball or Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker & D'Angelo Russell (November/December 2019)
Issue #225: Cover: Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler & Tyler Herro or Trae Young or Jalen Green, Sharife Cooper & Josh Christopher (January/February 2020)
Issue #226: Cover: Paige Bueckers or Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell & Patrick Beverley or Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown & Gordon Hayward (March/April 2020)
Issue #227: Cover: Ja Morant or Marc Gasol, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Og, Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet & Norman Powell (May/June 2020)
Issue #228: Cover: Zion Williamson or Sue Bird or LeBron James, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo & Luka Dončić (September/October 2020)
Issue #229: Cover: LeBron James & Anthony Davis or Chris Paul or Breanna Stewart (November/December 2020)
Issue #230: Cover: Jamal Murray or Luka Dončić (February/March 2021)
^Mandese, Joe (November 8, 1993). "New publication launches". Advertising Age.
^"Petersen Publishing Acquires SLAM Magazine". PR Newswire. May 15, 1998.
^Pendleton, Tonya (November 7, 1997). "It's not the fit: Shoe's appeal depends on who wears it". Philadelphia Daily News. pp. F19.
^"SLAM 100 Reader Poll". SLAM. No. 100. August 2006. p. 72.
^Jones, Ryan (August 2006). "Ice Cold Classic". SLAM. No. 100. pp. 90–102.
^Lefevre, Lori (March 26, 2001). "Bimonthlies". Mediaweek.
^Granatstein, Lisa (June 10, 2002). "King clone". Mediaweek.
^Pearlman, Jeff (June 3, 2003). "Basketball's Bible: SLAM has defied the odds (and its critics) to emerge as the Michael Jordan of hoops magazines". Newsday. pp. B06.
^Lloyd, Brenda (November 20, 2006). "Primedia hopes for slam dunk". Daily News Record.
^Slam Magazine. itunes.apple.com. Retrieved June 3, 2014
^Wise, Mike (December 25, 2004). "NBA tries to appease both sides of culture gap". The Washington Post. pp. A01.
^Zirin, Dave (August 2006). "Louder than a Bomb". SLAM. No. 100. p. 40.