It's been a huge year for SLAM Magazine, with the celebration of their 30th anniversary and their induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame just a few weeks ago. On a recent trip to New York, I was fortunate enough to grab a few minutes with SLAM CEO Adam Figman, who shared a little about his journey with SLAM.
What’s up? Can you introduce yourself?
What's up? This is Adam Figman. I'm the CEO of SLAM Media Inc. and Chief Content Officer of SLAM. How long have you been working at SLAM? I’ve been working at SLAM for 14 and a half years. I started as an intern in 2010, worked my way up, left in 2016 to work at an agency, then got a call later that the Editor-in-Chief position was open. I came back, started leading the content operation in 2016, and became CEO earlier this year.
What was your first introduction to the magazine?
As a kid, subscribing to the magazine, putting the posters on my wall. I don’t remember the exact first issue, but I remember the magazines arriving every month, and I’d go straight to the sneaker section, then the high school section, then check out the poster, and finally read it front to back. Lots of posters on the wall—that kind of stuff.
Where do you see the future of the brand?
I think SLAM’s brand is really strong. There’s a lot we can do to build on its legacy and heritage. We’re doing exciting things digitally and on social media, and the magazine cover still resonates. A cover sets us apart in a crowded content world. We’ve built a business around the brand with content, events, and a growing apparel line. Our online store, SLAM Goods, has grown, and we’re developing merchandise like cover tees and licensed college gear. I think we can take this to new heights in the coming months.
You’ve been to a lot of cover shoots and events. Any athletes who made you starstruck?
I was starstruck at the first cover shoot with Amar’e Stoudemire—it was my first time at a cover shoot, and I hadn’t experienced anything like it before. Since then, everyone’s been very cool. Typically, the players are excited to be on a SLAM cover, so they show up as themselves, not just checking off a 15-minute appointment. They’re genuinely interested and down to hang out, so I haven’t really felt starstruck since that first shoot. But Amar’e, for sure, and maybe one or two others around that time, did take me aback a bit.
I was starstruck at the first cover shoot with Amar'e. Typically players are excited to be on a SLAM cover so they show up as themselves
Adam on his experience with player shootsI met him two or three times, but the first cover shoot with the girls’ team stands out. It was the first time we had done a cover like that, with a full youth girls’ team and their coach, who just happened to be this legendary NBA figure. Kobe was fully invested as their coach, and it was clear how much he’d committed himself to that role.
He was there every day, treating it like a pro team, which was cool to see compared to the superstar NBA element I’d seen before. Later, finding out that this cover was the only magazine on his office wall made it even more special.
