Coach Chris Brickley’s star-studded BlackOps runs are the talk of the offseason every summer. For basketball fans, it’s a chance to see what their favorite player has added to their bag and see how some of the best players in the world do it.
Brickley initially called the runs “BlackOps” because he wanted the training and open runs to be discreet. Here he gives us his recap of another year of BlackOps Basketball and his selection of awards.
2024 SLAM x BlackOps Awards
Breakout season. Paolo Banchero
Photo: @kees2life
This was the fourth summer I worked with Paolo. His energy was laser focused. We would go for 60-75 minutes and he would do every exercise at game speed. Coming off his first All-Star season and the playoffs, he wanted more. I think we’ll see Paolo in a lot of all-star games and a lot more playoffs. The Magic will be very good this year.
Best Summer Shooter Award: Klay Thompson
Klay came out of this season looking like a completely different player. He looked a step faster, and he shot incredibly well all summer. He broke literally every shooting record this summer. But, in CJ McCollum’s defense, Clay was locked in with me in August/September, while CJ had multiple records and work with me in May/June.
Best middle schooler I ever worked with: JJ Crawford
During the workout, JJ’s father (Jamal Crawford), Jordan Clarkson, and Boardroom member Nick DePaula watched on. Ju was shooting high percentage NBA three-pointers, taking the ball drills I gave him and getting buckets on my drills. The Internet is always a challenge for practitioners, but they can really protect themselves. After practice, Jamal and I talked for about an hour, and it was one of my favorite conversations of the summer. Jamal is a true student of the game. JJ Crawford will be in the top five one day.
Draft Day Award: Matas Bouzelis and Tyler Kolek
I think both of these guys will have long NBA careers. Matas will be a name we see on ESPN’s top 10 plays multiple times this season. Tyler Kolek is my sleeper from this past draft. Nix was a great playmaker and scored in 34 possessions. I think he will bring a lot of energy with the second unit.
NCAA Award: Lan Jackson
The best thing that happened to Ian Jackson was that he slipped in the rankings to start his senior season. His entire approach to training changed at that moment, and Ian became a man on the basketball court. He practiced with me five days a week, sometimes twice a day, and it was difficult. I put him in situations where he was playing 1-on-1 with NBA players and he held his own more; he wowed everyone in the gym. I can’t wait to see what he does at UNC this season.
High School Award: Kian Anthony and Chris Senak Jr
I’ve seen Kian Anthony develop from a little kid running around MSG to making buckets on NBA BlackOps runs. He texts me all the time showing his eagerness to go to more training and keep improving. Chris Cenac played in the Brickley Invitational and blew me away in practice. At 6-10, he can hit the three, finish around the rim, play in the middle of the post and try to shoot at you at the rim. No wonder he’s climbing the rankings.
Chris Brickley Invitational Award: Tyran Stokes and Jasper Johnson
Tyran Stokes is ranked No. 1 in the 2026 class for a reason: he’s a matchup nightmare. He can shoot and find his teammates and his motor is always at 100. Jasper Johnson went crazy in the game, hitting hard shot after hard shot. He really reminds me of D’Angelo Russell. Kentucky is producing high-end prospects right now.
Mentor Award: Russell Westbrook
People can say what they want about Russ, but the reality is that he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the top 75 NBA players of all time. It was the second straight offseason where he took time to mentor a younger player. Last summer it was UConn’s Azi Fad, and this summer it was New Jersey legend Isaiah Briscoe. Russ invited Briscoe to some of his 6 a.m. workouts and shared some gems. Russ and I have developed a real bond over the years and I am thankful to have him as a friend.
GOAT Award: LeBron James
I was blessed to help prepare LeBron for the gold medal. His work definitely paid off as he became the MVP of the Olympics at the age of 39. In addition to his great coaching, I was offered many coaching positions in the NBA at the end of the summer and I needed someone who spoke to the game and the business. I contacted LeBron without any expectations. if he didn’t answer i wouldn’t be upset at all knowing he has a million things. But he sent me some great advice, and it was exactly what I needed to hear. So thanks GOAT for taking the time to do this.
Best group workout of the summer: Kevin Durant and CJ McCall
There was something special about the energy at The Summit as the music blasted through the Bose speakers. Normally, players gradually work up to game-speed action, but this workout was different. KD caught the ball in the corner, ripped the ball hard with two dribbles and hit a beautiful foot shot, just like he did in the playoffs. Then I passed the ball to CJ and he did the same thing. Both players gave it their all for the next 65 minutes. It was great.
Best rapper basketball player: Russian
Russ decided to get serious about basketball and came to me after training with his coach in Atlanta. He became a knockdown shooter. The transformation in his game was crazy. He had dribble moves, consistently hit NBA threes and just played with confidence. I think Russ turned out to be the best rap shooter I’ve ever worked with.
Best BlackOps Matchup: Jalen Brunson vs. Immanuel Quickley
Immanuel Quickley, fresh off signing his $175 million contract with the Raptors, played with a lot of confidence against All-Star guard Jalen Brunson. There was definitely a great sense of competition. Quickley guarded Brunson on the Knicks before moving to the Raptors, so it seemed like Quick was playing with a chip on his shoulder. It was so much fun watching these two for almost two hours straight. It was like a great boxing match. They gave it their all and never quit. Man, that was a great run.
Photos: @nextsubject:.
