Kobe has all the rings, but Iverson has the street cred.

Keeping it real
What is street cred? It's the game. The life. The walk. The talk. The clothes. Hard to explain but easy to see, it's that thing you can't exactly put your finger on. It's that thing that makes it real, as the kids say. Street cred is not about running around with ice chains and bad tattoos and it's definitely can't be bought or created by a shoe company, writes ESPN the Magazine's Chris Palmer. It's also something that the NBA has embraced as a marketing tool after an initial reluctance, writes Darren Rovell.

Entering a new frontier
As the owner of Charlotte's new franchise, Robert Johnson has become a true pioneer, writes Marc Spears. He will more than likely have to deal with another African-American pioneer as he attempts to sign top notch players. Agent Bill Duffy is one of the hottest agents in the NBA with three of the top four picks in last year's draft including center Yao Ming, writes Chad Ford.