Adam Robles: Hey Adam! Thanks again for doing this again. To kick things off, tell us a little bit about you and SLAM…
Adam Figman: I started at SLAM as an editorial intern in 2010, and minus a few months working at an agency in 2016, I’ve been there the past decade. I’ve been an intern, freelance writer, editorial assistant, associate editor, senior editor, editor-in-chief and now chief content officer. Over the past couple of the years, the job has evolved into managing the brand’s wide-ranging content output, which includes all sorts of social content on our many verticals, original video series, branded content, the print magazine and… a bunch more.
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Adam Robles: With the Raptors being in Canada, they are sometimes overlooked compared to other teams in the league. Why was it important to highlight the Raptors for this recent cover story?
Adam Figman: The group of personalities that they have is pretty great, and we knew between the video piece and the cover itself we’d get some good stuff.
Adam Robles: What was your favourite part about this story on the Raptors?
Adam Figman: The amount of fun the guys have when they’re around each other. Between Serge and OG bickering, Kyle cracking jokes, Norm’s nonstop laughter… they just very clearly liked each other in a real, authentic way.
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Adam Robles: Besides this recent Toronto Raptors cover, what was your favourite SLAM cover featuring a Raptor?
Adam Figman: [My] Favorite SLAM cover featuring a Raptor has gotta be [the] DeMar DeRozan/Kyle Lowry/Drake [cover]. The back-end politics to make that happen were pretty crazy, but we got it done and it was a hell of an experience. Drake [also] posted it on IG and said, “Another very important moment in my life to be on the cover of one of my favorite magazines of all time.”
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Adam Robles: If the season were to come back, what can Raptors fans expect from SLAM?
Adam Figman: Probably no more covers! But we’ve got a lot of love for the Toronto hoops scene, so we’ll be covering them every step of the way.
Adam Robles: With the suspension in effect in the NBA, what would you recommend to fans who are trying to fill the void of basketball?
Adam Figman: There’s a lot of good stuff on SLAM’s three YouTube channels: SLAM, SLAM NBA and SLAM Highlights. Beyond that, I’ve just been watching old movies that I forgot how much I loved.
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Adam Robles: New York has been hit pretty hard by COVID-19. As someone who is from the area, what would you recommend to others to stay safe and get by during this time?
Adam Figman: If you’re able to stay home and stay safe, just try to remind yourself that that’s the case — there’s a lot of people who aren’t that fortunate, and that reminder helps me a lot. Beyond that, just find the small things that keep you sane and make sure to do them regularly. The little things go a long way when life shrinks all the way down.
Adam Robles: I couldn’t agree more. This is definitely a defining moment for all of us to come together and “flatten the curve”. Thanks again for doing this and all the best during this time. Stay safe, Adam!
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