Max's All Stars win Spring 2024 NYC Basketball League Championship

The Olympics are underway, but Max's All Stars already earned our gold medals! 🥇

On Monday, July 22nd - Max's All Stars won the Spring 2024 NYC Basketball League Championship. We defeated the #1 seed, Slick Willie's, by a final score of 78-68. This championship was all about redemption. Losing the championship game last season by a single point definitely fueled us. We also lost to Slick Willie's during the regular season, so beating them for the title was definitely sweet. Max's All Stars finished this season with a 9-1 record. Thank you to all our players - Angel Gonzalez, Branden Gibson, David Seagers, Doug Herring, Gerrel Irvin, Gio Gabbidon, Kaheem Davis, Kevin Major, Marvin Billups Jr, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James, Robert Hueston, and Shereef Taylor. Also, thank you to Bryson Lassiter and Jordan Vidal for filling in along the way. This was a challenging season for Max's All Stars. Our players battled numerous injuries, we had to work around different schedules and availabilities - but we were able to piece it together and bring home the 20th championship in the history of our men's team.

This championship game capped off a special few days for our team. First, our Hall of Fame Game and then this championship. Seeing our players bring their families on a Monday night was so special. This is what Max's All Stars is all about! Thank you to everyone for your love and support!

Another big thank you to Silky C Productions for capturing it all on camera!

Schedule/Results:
Regular Season:
Date @ Time vs Opponent (Result)
15-May @ 9:10 PM vs Mary O's (W, 63-51)
22-May @ 7:30 PM vs The Renegades (W, 67-45)
29-May @ 8:50 PM vs Tropic Thunder (W, 82-70)
3-Jun @ 8:30 PM vs Finese (W, 67-49)
6-Jun @ 8:50 PM vs The Renegades (W, 53-46)
13-Jun @ 8:50 PM vs Bron & The Others (W, 74-46)
19-Jun @ 7:20 PM vs Slick Willie's (L, 59-47)
Playoffs:
26-Jun @ 8:20 PM vs Finese (W, 70-61) (First Round)
10-Jul @ 8:10 PM vs Mary O's (W, 49-40) (Semifinals)
22-Jul @ 8:00 PM vs Slick Willie's (W, 78-68) (Championship Game)

From left to right - Doug and DJ Herring, Robert Hueston, Gio Gabbidon, Max and Jackie Margulis, Rob Thomas, Patrick James, Kaheem Davis with KJ and Luka, Nikola Djurdjevic
Seated in front, from left to right - Shereef Taylor and David Seagers

6th Annual Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Game

Saturday, July 20th, 2024 - we hosted the 6th Annual Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Game. Our captains were David Seagers (Team Dave) and Spencer Smith (Team Ross). This might have been one of the most electric Hall of Fame Games we've ever had! Team Ross defeated Team Dave by a final score of 111-103. William Davis DOMINATED, shattering the single-game scoring record with an absurd 57 points! (Yes, you read that correctly. It is not a typo. 57 POINTS!!) He went home with the Kiwan Smith Most Valuable Player Award. Willie was also one of three recipients of the Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Achievement Award this year, along with Kevin Pegram and Shaun Diaz.

This has become one of the marquee Max's All Stars events. It is a tradition that everyone eagerly anticipates. The amazing thing is that each year, this event continues to get better and better. Having our families all there, the kids playing together - it's such a beautiful thing.

Thank you to all the players who made the trip from near and far to participate and all our families/friends for coming to show love and support. Special thanks to Ren Hsieh and The Dynasty League for providing the gym rental and referees; to Dicky Fung and NYC Basketball League for providing scorekeeping; and to Silky C Productions for capturing everything (the photos/videos are 🔥). Also, thank you to East End Bar and Grill for hosting our post-game festivities (shoutout to Richie). The Max's All Stars jerseys were provided by Wooter, the Kiwan Smith Most Valuable Player Award was provided by Zazzle, and the Hall of Fame Achievement Awards were provided by Crown Awards.

From left to right - William Davis (MVP), Kevin Pegram, Shereef Taylor, Marvin & Masyn Billups, Patrick James, Max and Jackie Margulis, Todd O'Brien, Gio Gabbidon, Kevin Major, Kaheem Davis with KJ and Luka, David Seagers, Angel Gonzalez with Maya and Mila, Corey Orgias, Justin Cardenas
Front row from left to right - John Simmons, Spencer and Summer Smith

Max's All Stars Winter 2024 NYC Basketball League Season Recap

Max's All Stars completed the Winter 2024 NYC Basketball League season with a 10-3 record. We suffered a heartbreaking loss in the championship game by a single point, but our team battled. Had our chances, but this will fuel us going forward. Thank you to all our players - Angel Gonzalez, David Seagers, Gerrel Irvin, Gio Gabbidon, Kaheem Davis, Kevin Major, Marvin Billups Jr, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James, Rob Hueston, and Shereef Taylor. Love you, guys!

Big thank you to Silky C Productions for the amazing photos!

Schedule/Results:
Regular Season:
Date @ Time vs Opponent (Result)
1-Feb @ 8:00 PM vs BSE (W, 75-42)
15-Feb @ 9:00 PM vs Cold Cuts (W, 88-80)
15-Feb @ 9:50 PM vs Larry Anderson's (L, 78-53)
29-Feb @ 8:00 PM vs Swish (W, 65-54)
7-Mar @ 8:00 PM vs Too Small (W, 51-44)
21-Mar @ 8:00 PM vs Slick Willie's (W, 77-69)
26-Mar @ 7:40 PM vs 1996 Bulls (W, 56-50)
28-Mar @ 8:00 PM vs Ben Simmons From Deep (L, 68-49)
3-Apr @ 8:20 PM vs Mary O's (W, 48-45)
3-Apr @ 9:10 PM vs Too Small (W, 58-44)
Playoffs:
15-Apr @ 8:30 PM vs 1996 Bulls (W, 64-55) (Quarterfinals)
18-Apr @ 8:50 PM vs Ben Simmons From Deep (W, 79-59) (Semifinals)
25-Apr @ 8:50 PM vs Larry Anderson's (L, 49-48) (Championship Game)

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Max's All Stars win 2024 Full Court Charity Challenge Open Division Championship

On Saturday, March 16, 2024 - Max's All Stars reign as champions of the Full Court Charity Challenge corporate division came to an end...

We finally moved up to the open division. Our roster featured a few of our mainstay players - Kaheem Davis, Marvin Billups Jr, Spencer Smith, and William Davis; some old friends - David Seagers, Kevin Pegram, and Shaun Diaz; and a couple of new reinforcements - Christopher Egi, Elijah Brown, and Todd O'Brien. Max's All Stars got off to a rocky start. Things looked bleak early, but this team thrives with our backs against the wall. We lost the first game vs Century 21 Cityside (44-37), but bounced back to win the second game vs Skyhawks (33-23). The third game was back and forth, but ultimately BH - Commonwealth handed us a second loss in pool play (44-41). We had one pool play game left against the defending champions, SCS (who were also 1-2). It was win or go home for both of us. Max's All Stars was aggressive from jump and beat them easily (48-25). All we needed was an opportunity to keep playing, survive and advance. From there we beat Comella's in a short play-in game (8-3) and SLEP in OT in the quarterfinals (24-19). Elijah Brown hit a layup with time expiring to force OT vs SLEP. We had a relatively easy win in the semifinals vs Woody's (43-29), setting up a classic in the championship game vs Game Creek. Max's All Stars got off to a great start, but our 10-point lead eventually evaporated and it became a back and forth game again. It came down to who had the ball last. Tied at 35, Spencer Smith brought the ball up on the left side and found Christopher Egi who took his defender right to the basket for the easy layup as time expired! Different division, same result! Max's All Stars kept fighting and eventually, we prevailed!

Every time it appears that our story is complete, we add another chapter. This would not be possible without the love and support from our families and friends. As always, Bob Forlenza put together a tremendous tournament. It was so much fun! This event brings out the best in us every single year. Max's All Stars and ARTEMIS are proud to support Nashoba Learning Group and MGH Lurie Center for Autism. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to take part in this tournament. Thank you to everyone who attended - especially the family members of our players. We truly felt all the love and support. Also, thank you to ARTEMIS for sponsoring our team as well.

From left to right - Marvin Billups Jr, Christopher Egi, Spencer Smith, Kevin Pegram, Elijah Brown (MVP), Max and Jackie Margulis, Todd O'Brien, Shaun Diaz, David Seagers, Kaheem Davis (with KJ and Luka Davis), and William Davis

Here are the tournament results:

Pool Play:

Century 21 Cityside (L, 44-37)

Skyhawks (W, 33-23)

BH - Commonwealth (L, 44-41)

SCS (W, 48-25)

Playoffs:

Comella's (W, 8-3) (Play-in)

SLEP (W, 24-19) (OT) (Quarterfinals)

Woody's (W, 43-29) (Semifinals)

Game Creek (W, 37-35) (Championship Game)

Tournament MVP: Elijah Brown

From left to right - Kevin Pegram, Shaun Diaz, David Seagers, Christopher Egi, Max and Jackie Margulis, Todd O'Brien, Elijah Brown (MVP), Bob Forlenza, Marvin Billups Jr, Kaheem Davis (with KJ and Luka Davis), Spencer Smith, and William Davis

̶̶M̶a̶x̶'̶s̶ Jackie's All Stars win Fall 2023 ZogSports Upper East Side 5-on-5 Basketball League Championship

October 26, 2023 -  ̶̶M̶a̶x̶'̶s̶ Jackie's All Stars win Fall 2023 ZogSports Upper East Side 5-on-5 Basketball League Championship
Our team finished the season with a 7-1 record. Thank you to our players - Angel Gonzalez, Gio Gabbidon, Kaheem Davis, Keone Billey, Kevin Major, Kevin Young, Marvin Billups Jr, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James, and Shereef Taylor. Love you guys! It was a fun season! Thank you to ZogSports!
Here are the final results:
Regular Season:
14-Sep vs Elite Unknowns (W, 78-30)
28-Sep vs Pippen Ain't Easy (W, 78-66)
5-Oct vs NY Wacers (W, 57-46)
12-Oct vs NY Wacers (W, 64-56)
12-Oct vs Pippen Ain't Easy (W, 76-63)
19-Oct vs FTI (L, 63-57)
Playoffs:
26-Oct vs Pippen Ain't Easy (W, 75-45) (Semifinals)
26-Oct vs NY Wacers (W, 61-40) (Championship)

From left to right - Kevin Major, Kevin Young, Max Margulis, Kaheem Davis, Angel Gonzalez, Jackie Margulis, Patrick James, Marvin Billups Jr, Gio Gabbidon, Nikola Djurdjevic, and Keone Billey

5th Annual Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Game

The 5th Annual Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Game took place on July 22nd, 2023 and it was incredible! This event generates a lot of hype every year and the 2023 edition did not disappoint! Team Reef defeated Team Troy by a final score of 93-89. It was another close, hard fought game (albeit a little bit sloppy and chippy at times, but nothing serious). Kevin Pegram finally won the MVP award, which was renamed in honor of Kiwan Smith. Pegram had yet another easy HOF Game double-double, finishing with 17 points/17 rebounds/6 assists/4 blocks for Team Reef. The way this event and the Max's All Stars family has grown over the years has been beautiful to watch. Thank you to all the players, family, and friends for attending. Additional thanks to The Windward School for hosting, The Dynasty League for providing referees/scorekeeping (Kevin Young too)/filming, Wooter Apparel for the new and improved jerseys, and Eye Of Asaad for the amazing photos. After the game, we all had a wonderful time at East End Bar & Grill!

From left to right - Corey Orgias, Kevin Major, Angel Gonzalez, Keone Billey, Justin Cardenas, Patrick James, Kaheem Davis, Spencer and Summer Smith, Max and Jackie Margulis, Troy Whittington, Kevin Young, Rob Thomas, Jason Lewis, John Simmons, Marvin Billups Jr, Reed Morgan, Nikola Djurdjevic, Branden Gibson, William Davis, Kevin Pegram (MVP), Herman Billups, Shereef Taylor, KJ and Luka Davis, Jordan and Taylor Gibson, Masyn Billups

Team Troy:
Name - PTS/REB/AST/STL/BLK
Troy Whittington - 29/15/2/3/3 (Captain)
Spencer Smith - 21/8/8/3/1
Kaheem Davis - 18/11/1/0/0
Justin Cardenas - 5/1/1/0/0
Corey Orgias - 0/1/1/0/0
Keone Billey - 8/2/1/1/1
Patrick James - 2/3/3/2/0
John Simmons - 6/3/3/2/0

Team Reef:
Name - PTS/REB/AST/STL/BLK
Shereef Taylor - 6/5/2/1/0 (Captain)
Marvin Billups Jr - 10/4/2/2/0
Herman Billups - 19/4/2/4/0
Kevin Pegram - 17/17/6/0/4 (MVP)
Branden Gibson - 12/10/1/1/2
William Davis - 23/6/3/0/0
Reed Morgan - 0/1/1/1/0
Kevin Major - 2/4/3/3/0
Nikola Djurdjevic - 4/11/1/0/4

From left to right - Max Margulis, Rob Thomas, Kevin Pegram (MVP), and Shereef Taylor
The MVP Award was renamed in honor of the late Kiwan Smith

2023 Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Achievement Award Recipients:
Angel Gonzalez
Carl Gibson
Kevin Major

Branden and Jordyn Gibson accepting the Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Achievement Award on behalf of Carl Gibson

Angel Gonzalez (R) and Kevin Major (L) accepting their Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Achievement Awards

Max's All Stars win 2023 Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division Championship

On Saturday, March 11, 2023 - Max's All Stars won the Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division Championship for the fourth consecutive time. It was not an easy path for us. Max's All Stars had to play seven games total, winning six of them to become champions. We got off to a slow start in the first two games of the day and suffered a surprisingly sloppy defeat in the third game during pool play. However, after a lunch break, we came out much stronger in the fourth and final pool play game and carried that intensity into the single-elimination rounds where we won three straight games to become champions once again. Our roster featured two new players making their Max's All Stars debuts - Fred Bertrand and Gerrel Irvin. They joined veterans Jason Lewis, John Simmons, Kaheem Davis, Marvin Billups Jr, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James, Shereef Taylor, Spencer Smith (MVP), and William Davis. Everyone made valuable contributions throughout the tournament that helped Max's All Stars claim victory and bring home another trophy! These guys battled through injuries, cramps, and fatigue. Even after losing the third game of the day, the confidence of our players was unshaken. They knew we would emerge victorious no matter what! Everyone locked in from that moment. Their focus and determination carried us. As always, Bob Forlenza put together a tremendous tournament. It was so much fun! Max's All Stars and ARTEMIS are proud to support Nashoba Learning Group and MGH Lurie Center for Autism. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to take part in this tournament. Thank you to everyone who attended - especially the family members of our players. We truly felt all the love and support. Also, thank you to ARTEMIS for sponsoring our team as well.

From left to right - William and Liam Davis, Marvin Billups Jr, Gerrel Irvin, Kaheem/KJ/Luka Davis, Max Margulis, Nikola Djurdjevic, Fred Bertrand, Jason Lewis, Spencer and Summer Smith (MVP), John Simmons, Patrick James, Shereef Taylor

Here are the tournament results:
Pool Play:
Cooney Health (W, 40-29)
Comella's (W, 52-41)
BrickHouse (L, 26-23)
Boston Retirement (W, 47-37)
Playoffs:
Cross Insurance (W, 32-24) (Quarterfinals)
BrickHouse (W, 30-20) (Semifinals)
Boston Retirement (W, 42-29) (Championship Game)
Tournament MVP: Spencer Smith

From left to right - Jason Lewis, John Simmons, Patrick James, Gerrel Irvin, Marvin Billups Jr, Max Margulis, Nikola Djurdjevic, Bob Forlenza, Kaheem Davis, Fred Bertrand, Spencer and Summer Smith (MVP), Shereef Taylor, William and Liam Davis