The futuristic—and somewhat infamous—Los Angeles mansion built in the 1970s for late NBA star Wilt Chamberlain is back on the market for $11.995 million.
According to the home’s listing agent Bobby Syed of Coldwell Banker Realty, the five-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion relisted this week with a price reduction from the “very ambitious” $18.999 million price tag it was listed with in mid-2018.
Mr. Syed has witnessed the home’s evolution from a racy party house custom designed for the basketball player to a modernised family home with fruit trees and a vegetable garden over the years. According to property records, he was involved in the home’s most recent sale, when screenwriters George Meyer (of “The Simpsons” fame) and Maria Semple (who’s won accolades for the series “Mad About You” and “Arrested Development,” among others), sold it to the current owners in 2008 for $6.555 million.
The basketball Hall of Famer, who played for 14 years from the late 1950s to the early 1970s before passing away in 1999 at the age of 63, commissioned architect David Rich to design the geometric, modernist-style residence made of steel, wood, and stone.
As a former missile silo, the underlying property in Bel Air originally belonged to the United States government. According to Mr. Syed, Chamberlain was in a helicopter when he observed the lonely point from above and decided he wanted to build a residence on it.
The steeply pitched, asymmetrical facade of the property accommodates a spectacular main living space that reaches four to five stories high—so lofty that the current owners need “very high-end equipment” to replace the heating and cooling systems, according to Mr. Syed.
Chamberlain was over 7 feet tall, and one of the most practical improvements he made after taking over was to lower all of the bathroom and kitchen worktops to normal height.
“The bathroom sinks, the kitchen counters—all of those were super high,” recalled Mr Syed. “The countertops would come down to a normal person’s chest.”
“Now it’s all modernised,” he continued. Mr. Syed said the sellers, a couple of young business professionals, have steadily reduced the price over the years and are now serious about selling the property, which they’ve spent more than a decade refurbishing from Chamberlain’s initial crazy playhouse.
According to him, the owners also elevated the bottom of an exceptionally deep pool and hot tub.
The basketball player was well-known both on and off the court, and he frequently boasted about his sexual experiences. Whether his stories were true or not, Chamberlain designed the house to entertain. A stairway leading directly from the garage to the bedroom was removed by the owners, as was an underwater passthrough from the extremely big pool right into what is now the dining room.
“You could swim right under and into the house,” Mr. Syed explained.
They also removed the primary suite’s large retractable sunroof and hot tub, as well as a bedroom encased by one-way glass that Chamberlain jokingly dubbed the “boom boom room.”
In contrast, the owners have built out a route through the woods and added far more mundane amenities such as a vegetable garden and fruit trees.
“It’s all changed now,” remarked Mr. Syed.
The building, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, remains mostly intact, as does the quiet, hilltop setting. Mr. Syed said he could see all the way to SoFi stadium in Englewood, some 17 miles away, on a clear day this week.
He claims that the new price is far more in line with the current Los Angeles market. According to Mr. Syed, the seller is also willing to provide finance to the buyer on the correct terms.
“They were at a very ambitious price at first,” he explained. “I’ve positioned the price right in line with the marketplace.”
LeBron James is on the verge of surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for No. 1 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
LOS ANGELES — The elapsed time is 14,075 days and counting since he first stood on the scoring mountaintop, taking ownership back when the NBA belonged to CBS, the Kings to Kansas City and the Clippers to San Diego, while he and the Lakers were ready for another tipoff in Los An … actually, they played in Las Vegas that night.
Yes, a quirky time for the league then, and an odd place for history to happen.
But there was normalcy in how it happened, inside Thomas & Mack Center, which served as a home-away-from home for the Utah Jazz in 1984. The iconic sky hook kissed the sky, then dropped through the net. And with that shot on April 5, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.
Eight months later, the player now positioned to leapfrog him was born. Five years later, when Kareem scored his final basket, the seemingly unattainable standard — 38,387 points for a career — was established.
By every reasonable metric, and assuming good health, LeBron James will become the new king, so to speak, right around mid-January. From Kareem to LeBron, nearly 40 years in the making. It’s a peculiar handoff if only because it links two different eras and men who, based purely on optics, share only the same ball and uniform.
Kareem was raised on Civil Rights and Vietnam, schooled at UCLA, soothed by John Coltrane and groomed in a big man’s NBA where he was, as his cinematic alter-ego Roger Murdock explained in “Airplane!,” out there busting his buns every night dragging Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes. He was moody, suspicious of strangers and reporters, the symptoms of a shy giant who couldn’t duck society if he wore a floppy hat and sunglasses.
LeBron is magnified by cable TV and dissected by social media, name-dropped by Drake and willingly lathers up the global attention, though on his terms. His rare basketball skillset managed to not only adapt to any and all stylistic trends in the game but overwhelm them.
There’s more: Kareem is an extensive reader, deep thinker and poetic writer. He made a fortune and lost some of it through shady management. LeBron built a financial castle greater than the gross national product of entire countries, without a degree or expertise besides basketball.
Partly because of their colliding generations, they lack a meaningful connection. Also: Kareem mildly scolded LeBron last spring regarding his initial nonchalance about the COVID-19 vaccine which caused LeBron to bristle from the criticism. Although an apology came quickly, and Kareem has since expressed admiration for LeBron, the all-time scoring list will represent the only close company they’ll keep until further notice.
LeBron was rather direct recently when asked if he had any thoughts on Kareem or if any relationship exists:
“I have no thoughts and there is no relationship.”
As is often the case in these situations, there’s more commonality than either of them know, more than what the surface shows, which aided both in their respective careers more than they realize.
HOOPS, HIGH SCHOOL AND HYPE …
The two most pursued basketball teenagers of the last 60 years are 1-2 on the NBA career scoring list. The difference is Abdul-Jabbar’s high school games in the mid-1960s weren’t on national TV, there were no AAU travel teams, and most distinctly, a go-directly-to-the-NBA path was not an option for him.
Born in Harlem, Abdull-Jabbar attended Power Memorial Academy, a Manhattan prep powerhouse since bulldozed and replaced by a 38-story condo complex. Power won 71 straight games with a 7-foot-1 center and had lines wrapped around the block. Opposing coaches prepared for Abdul-Jabbar by raising brooms in practice and having teammates shoot over them. It didn’t work — he lost two games in four years.
Despite the absence of the internet and 24-hour sports channels, Kareem was nonetheless magnified in basketball circles in high school. He was already friendly with Wilt Chamberlain — the man whose NBA career scoring record he broke — and Bill Russell, unheard-of then between high schoolers and professionals.
I WOULDN’T TRADE MY YEARS AT UCLA FOR AN UNREACHABLE RECORD.”
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR TO NBA.COM ON SPENDING FOUR YEARS IN COLLEGE
He was on the wish list of every college with a gym. And therein lies the catch: While James went straight from the prom to a paycheck, Abdul-Jabbar had to grab a four-year scholarship. Spencer Haywood wouldn’t win the landmark court case regarding basketball hardship until a few years later. Imagine, then, if Kareem had the benefit enjoyed by LeBron, or was one-and-done with college. His scoring record would be high on the top shelf, requiring a stepladder and Boban Marjanovic to fetch.
As to that lost opportunity, Abdul-Jabbar said: “I wouldn’t trade my years at UCLA for an unreachable record.”
The chance to mingle on campus among regular students, listen to guest speakers discuss politics, get coached by John Wooden and absorb academia, he said, was priceless. And it shows; Kareem is eloquent and informed when discussing most topics, no matter the complexity.
Of course, it seems unfathomable if Abdul-Jabbar would defy all financial logic and spend (some might say waste) four valuable years in college if he came along today as a seven-foot teenager ticketed for greatness in a billion-dollar industry. As a product of his circumstances, he added:
“I went to college to get an education. I knew that my interests and passions extended well beyond basketball. There’s a mistaken belief that if one just reads a lot of books, it’s the same as getting a college education. In fact, college is supposed to teach you how to think critically so that you can better understand the books you read, know what information is worthwhile and what is worthless, and expose you to subjects you might not otherwise be exposed to, even those that make you uncomfortable but force you to think.
“I wish players didn’t go straight from high school into the NBA because I think they miss out on a crucial developmental stage that adds a level of maturity necessary to cope with the pressures of being a professional athlete. Plus, we need to prepare players for life after the NBA. Of course, there are those who went to college but crashed and burned and those who didn’t go who thrived. But that’s not the general rule.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for the UCLA Bruins from 1966-69 and remains an icon there.
James was already among the best high school players before he even reached high school. As a sophomore, St. Vincent-St. Mary moved some home games to the University of Akron to satisfy the demand. LeBron was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior and two biographies were in the works. He would’ve been drafted No. 1 overall if eligible, some scouts said then (although passing on Yao Ming, the eventual 2002 choice, was debatable). ESPN also aired his showcase games during his senior season.
“I’ve known and dealt with this all my life,” he said, referring to the crush of attention.
Remarkably, an only child raised by a single mother in a poor neighborhood did not crack. Quite the contrary, actually. LeBron The Teenager avoided many, if not all, of the traps in front of him. He was seasoned as anyone could expect once the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him in 2003 and asked the 18-year-old to save them.
“He was about as dominant as anyone could be, especially at that age,” said Mike Brown, LeBron’s third NBA coach. “What he’s done in his career does not surprise me. And I’ll take it a step further: What he’s done off the floor has not surprised me at all. He’s special.”
Given the intrusion of a generation where everything and everyone undergoes daily if not hourly inspection by the masses, and the demands of being a member of the one-percentile, James’ rise becomes all the more remarkable as he closes in on the record.
“You always see my hashtag, ‘A kid from Akron,’ and these are the moments where I really think about that kid from Akron,” he said at media day. “Walking those streets and either playing basketball where I actually had a basketball in a hoop, or I was actually just walking around and air dribbling and shooting into an invisible hoop and counting ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1’ and making game-winning shots. It’s a dream come true.”
CALIFORNIA CALLING, L.A. BALLIN’ …
Long before today’s NBA superstars leveraged their flex to force their way out of town, Abdul-Jabbar wanted what Milwaukee couldn’t offer. After six seasons and a championship, he asked the Bucks to trade him — his hometown New York was the preferred destination — citing a lack of cultural benefits in the drowsy Midwestern hamlet.
There was little public blowback then — again, social media didn’t exist — nothing like what pummeled James when he first bailed on Cleveland for Miami, and then to a lesser extent when, like Kareem, he wound up in L.A. with the Lakers.
Both wanted something beyond basketball, and the scent from L.A. proved both intoxicating and ultimately satisfying. For Kareem, it was a lifestyle uptick and the social goodies that come with fame. He befriended some of his jazz heroes, lived among both beautiful and intellectual people and obviously escaped the winter chill. When a flame destroyed his mansion along with his impressive collection of vinyl jazz records and imported rugs, L.A. fans flocked to replace most of the damage, and Kareem’s rigid stoicism slowly began to wilt in response.
Of course, his fortunes on the floor were enhanced as well. Abdul-Jabbar won five more titles and three of his six NBA MVPs with the Lakers and held a leading role in “Showtime,” the groundbreaking culture that gave growth to the NBA and made the Lakers an iconic franchise.
While those from his generation barked loudly and felt the game was being cheated when current stars began team-swapping over the last decade, Kareem didn’t join the choir. In a sense, he couldn’t, being a trailblazer in that regard. Anyway, he cites employee rights and puts all the power in the hands of those who hold it.
“To play their best, athletes have to be happy in their work,” he said. “If the average person is unhappy in their job, they should have the power to change jobs. The company has the option of changing circumstances so that employee wants to stay. I loved playing with the Bucks, but there’s more to life than my job. I wanted to live someplace where I could enjoy those things that give me pleasure. The game will survive and even flourish no matter who goes where. Sometimes that will lead to imbalances with stacked teams, but even that changes as new players come into the league.”
LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are among several great players in Lakers’ franchise history.
Meanwhile: LeBron in L.A.? It’s a match made in Hollywood heaven so far. This was mainly a business move, designed to maximize his star power in the entertainment world, where LeBron hopes to become a big player. Since relaunching in L.A., he formed a sports agency, a production company, starred in the “Space Jam” redo, dabbled in ritzy SoCal real estate, created TV shows and gets pitched for movies and documentaries.
“The goal is to make great content that people can enjoy,” said James, meaning the goal has never changed. Content is the product he generates on the court, and now through all forms of media, all while creating wealth.
The idea is to have a second career that rivals if not surpasses the first, which sounds blasphemous … but not impossible. He has yet to have a smash hit on the big or small screen, but LeBron has the attention of the industry and the traditional bigwigs are keeping appointments with him.
Unlike Abdul-Jabbar, who stayed more to himself, James already knows how to play the game in L.A., whose hand to shake, how to give proper time to strategically-placed media people and the magnetism of his name. He realizes that famous and powerful people, more than anything besides money, love other famous and powerful people, so he obliges.
The Lakers, who initially stumbled once Kobe Bryant retired, desperately needed LeBron. They won a title in 2020. But just the same, to execute his master plan, LeBron needed the Lakers.
AGE LIKE FINE WINE, BEAT FATHER TIME …
It’s the goal of any great player to push the limits and stick around as long as possible, until both the tires and the head are bald. If that happens, it means the player is producing and the limbs are cooperating.
In that sense, Kareem won. He no longer needed a comb in 1989 and managed to stay at a reasonably high level for much of his 20 seasons, gassing out only at the very end. He was an All-Star in 19 of those seasons, won an MVP at 33 and was both All-NBA First Team and Finals MVP at 38. He literally left the game in a rocking chair, a gift from the Lakers at the final stop of his retirement tour.
Part of his sublime conditioning was due to dietary restrictions after converting to Islam in 1971, at age 24. Luck cooperated as well as Kareem missed a swath of games only twice, both due to broken hands. The first happened in the 1974 preseason when he punched a stanchion in frustration after an accidental swipe from Don Nelson scratched his eye. He eventually resorted to wearing goggles, which became a trademark. His other injury came on opening night in 1977, when he punched Kent Benson, who had elbowed him in the stomach. Otherwise, Kareem played at least 79 games in all but four other seasons.
He received a lesson in longevity very early after meeting a martial artist who was more than a foot shorter and many pounds lighter and sold Kareem on the benefits of healthy eating. They struck up a friendship and starred in a movie, “Game of Death,” the final film for Bruce Lee.
“He said to me, `You want jet fuel. Just make sure your dietary foundation is sound.’ So that’s when I stuck with the right meats, poultry, and stayed away from the stuff that’ll kill you.”
LeBron is in his 20th season and perhaps the most productive player in history as he approaches 38. He was All-NBA First Team at 36. He averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game last season at 37.
While his court awareness and skills remain at an MVP level, he has been bedeviled lately by two annoying issues — decaying defense and nagging injuries. LeBron has played what qualifies as a full season only once in his four seasons with the Lakers.
Yet, he’s the model of durability plus performance at a time when others in the famed 2003 draft class (Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony) are either finished or diminished. It’s well known that LeBron spends roughly hundreds of thousands of dollars on his body. He employs a personal staff that prepares meals, stretches him pre- and postgame and supervises weight training, cardio, physical therapy and basketball skill sharpening year-round. LeBron has two teams: the Lakers and his own.
The payoff is handsome because he’s breaking all the rules regarding quickness, endurance, leaping ability and reaction time.
“The way he prepares his body, the way he conditions his body, how he recovers, just making sure all boxes are checked, all Ts are crossed and all Is are dotted,” said first-year Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who’s getting his initial glimpse of LeBron in the lab. “It’s been phenomenal, a blessing to see the time and resources that he puts into himself. He’s arguably the best athlete on our team. To see him dunking, damn near putting his head into the rim, on a lob? To have had his career, all the deep playoff runs, going to the Finals all those years, to still see that pop, that quick twitch? It’s a surprise but also something I kind of expected at the same time.”
Without insane physical maintenance necessary to endure for decades, LeBron is aware the scoring record would be pure fantasy.
“I’ve never played my career with saying if I do this, then this will happen besides just making sure I was in the best shape possible going into a season and being available,” he said. “To sit here and to know that I’m on the verge of breaking probably the most sought-after record in the NBA, things that people say would probably never be done, I think it’s just super humbling for myself.”
And so the scoring title ticker begins anew, starting Tuesday when the Lakers open the season at Golden State. Every LeBron point counts a bit extra between now and 38,388 — he has 1,326 to go.
“I’m kind of in awe of it,” he said. “Obviously Kareem has had his differences with some of my views and some of the things that I do. But listen at the end of the day: To be in the same breath as a guy that has worn this same uniform, a guy that was a staple of this franchise … I think it’s super duper dope for myself to be even in that conversation. Any time my name is mentioned with the greats, it’s super humbling.
“… I think it’s a pretty historical moment when it gets here and as long as my family and friends are all there, that’s the most important for me.”
Family? Friend zone? Well, maybe he doesn’t fit either, but health willing, a 75-year-old with a vested interest in the chase expects to put aside any rift, both real and imagined, and witness the transfer of history.
“LeBron is one of the greatest players to ever have been in the NBA,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “His legacy as a player is assured even if he never played another game. I expect he’ll break my all-time scoring record this year and I hope to be there the day he does, cheering him on. I admire his outspokenness on many social issues and all he’s doing to improve communities and lives everywhere. He’s a great player and a great man.”
The Lakers endured the most disappointing season in NBA history during the 2021-22 season, finishing with an ugly 33-49 record, outside of the play-in tournament. The Lakers gave up three quality role players, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell, for former MVP Russell Westbrook. Brodie struggled throughout the season, shooting 29.8% from deep while coughing the ball up a league-leading 295 total times and playing uninterested point-of-attack defense. Meanwhile, Kuz, KCP, and Harrell played solid basketball during the year, making the Lakers’ acquisition of Westbrook all the more painful.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis were in and out of the lineup throughout the season with varying injuries, depriving the Lakers’ top-heavy roster of its two catalysts and ruining any chance of creating championship chemistry. At the same time, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, and Kent Bazemore, four veteran imports who were supposed to fill out the lineup as high-quality two-way role players, looked slow and mostly lost in 2021-22.
Needless to say, the Lakers will have their work cut out for them during the 2022 offseason to get back to respectability.
There is no better way to plan out a summer renovation than to peruse the history books. The Purple and Gold’s past provides us with a truckload of ways to build a contender.
The Lakers have created 17 championship rosters throughout their storied history. We’ll look back at the different superstars the Purple and Gold acquired through the NBA draft, via trade, or from free agency.
Drafted
Elgin Baylor
Credit: Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers finished the 1957-58 season 19-53, a real mess with next to no fan interest. During the late 50s through the early 80s, the NBA was a completely different beast than today’s modern league that racks in billions of dollars yearly and generates worldwide interest. Back then, teams came and went, and the Minneapolis Lakers were in danger of going bankrupt until Elgin Baylor joined the club in 1958 as their number one draft pick.
Elgin Baylor averaged 31.3 PPG throughout his three-year collegiate career, and he dragged his Seattle University squad to the NCAA Finals before eventually losing to the deeper and more talented Kentucky Wildcats during his final season. Baylor jumped into the NBA superhero-style, leaving a three-foot crater in the concrete with a tangle of deep cracks protruding out. He averaged 24.9 PPG, 15.0 RPG, and 4.1 APG during his freshman campaign, helping the Lakers end the regular season with a 33-39 record, a 14-game improvement on their previous season, giving the squad a life-saving injection of hope.
The Lakers moved to Los Angeles during Elgin Baylor’s third season (1960-61), beginning a decade of Western Conference dominance that never led to a championship due to the juggernaut Celtics. Baylor ended his 14-year career without hanging a banner, but with the knowledge, he helped save the Lakers as he made 10 All-Star appearances and was elected to the Hall-of-Fame.
Jerry West
Credit: SI.com
Jerry West’s high school years bang out a similar beat to Michael Jordan’s. He was an undersized kid who didn’t make the varsity squad his freshman and sophomore years. West didn’t quit or sulk, though. He drank down the hate and let it push him into becoming a tireless worker. West often spent hours practicing his jumper in the snow until his fingers bled and his mom’s screams dragged him back to the house. Jerry West eventually made the varsity squad during his junior year but acted mainly as a scowling cheerleader from the bench. West went through a growth spurt during the summer between his junior and senior year, sprouting to over 6-feet tall, and with his added height, his high school coach finally gave him a shot. And the rest is history. Jerry West ruined the West Virginia high school competition, averaging 32.2 points per game, ultimately leading his squad to a state title while earning a spot on the West Virginia University men’s basketball team.
Jerry West was a two-time All-American at WVU before the Purple and Gold selected him with the second overall pick in the 1960 NBA draft, teaming up The Logo with Elgin Baylor and forming the Lakers first of many Hall-of-Fame inside-out duos. Jerry West’s Lakers career paralleled Elgin Baylor’s. His championship hopes were repeatedly dashed by the 1960s Boston Celtics behemoth. He was also a mainstay on the All-Star team and was selected to the Hall-of-Fame. However, Jerry West’s career veered away from Baylor’s in one crucial aspect. West led the Lakers to his lone title the year Baylor retired in 1972 over the New York Knicks.
Gail Goodrich
Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Gail Goodrich’s career was a win for all the people around the world who were told they were too small to make it. Goodrich, at 6-foot-1, went destructor during his high school days in Los Angeles but was seen as too thin and too short to succeed in college. The famed John Wooden took a chance on Goodrich, and like many of the legendary UCLA coach’s decisions, he proved correct to give a scholarship spot to the LA native.
Goodrich became an All-American at UCLA, helping lead the Bruins to two national championships, but he was still seen as too small to get it done in the pros. Similar to John Wooden, the Lakers took a chance on Gail Goodrich and his 170-pound frame, using their territorial pick (a special pick that was available in the NBA from 1950 to 1965 which allowed a team that’s stadium was located within 50 miles of a collegiate athlete’s university to supersede every other organization, no matter their draft position, to select the local player) to choose him in the 1965 NBA draft. Then the Lakers proceeded to mostly sit Goodrich on the bench during his first three seasons on the squad before the Phoenix Suns acquired him in the expansion draft before his fourth campaign. Gail Goodrich blew up on the Suns, averaging 23.8 PPG, but more importantly, showing off excellent playmaking chops by notching 6.4 APG.
Goodrich stayed with the Suns for two seasons, and then the Lakers traded 7-foot center Mel Counts to get their end-of-the-bench, turned star point guard, back in the fold. Gail Goodrich teamed up with Jerry West in the backcourt alongside Wilt Chamberlain at the center position and stomped out an NBA record 33-game win streak during the 1971-72 season on their way to the title.
Gail Goodrich ended up leaving the Lakers in 1976 for the New Orleans Jazz, concluding his Purple and Gold career as a one-time champion, five-time All-Star, and eventual Hall-of-Famer.
Magic Johnson
Credit: MPS-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers would wait nearly a decade-and-a-half before making their next superstar draft pick, selecting Magic Johnson out of Michigan State in the 1979 NBA draft with the first overall pick.
If you’re an NBA fan, you know Magic’s story. He dominated the league as a constant triple-double threat, leading the Lakers to the title during his rookie season before hanging four more banners in the 80s. Magic Johnson was a three-time MVP, four-time Assists Champion, and a ten-time All-NBA selection. And then, he was struck by the HIV in 1991, cutting down the 31-year-old while he was still in his prime.
Magic Johnson’s true impact on the Lakers has been highlighted on HBO’s new hit show, “Winning time: the rise of the Lakers dynasty.” Dr. Jerry Buss risked his entire bankroll on purchasing the Lakers in 1979 and was tapped out towards the end of the season. The Lakers could have easily fallen into bankruptcy if Magic Johnson had not led the Purple and Gold to a championship in 1980, denying Los Angeles its most popular professional sports team.
So, Magic Johnson could very well be the most influential athlete in Lakers’ history, a genuine saving grace.
James Worthy
Credit: NBA.com
James Worthy helped lead the University of North Carolina to the NCAA championship during his junior year and he was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four. Worthy decided to forgo his senior year and entered the NBA draft in 1982. The Lakers coming off a championship the previous season, had an embarrassment of riches, including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon, Michael Cooper, and Bob McAdoo. But thanks to a trade with the Cavaliers in 1980, the Purple and Gold had the number one pick in 82. The Lakers added to their treasure chest of talent by selecting James Worthy.
Worthy averaged 17.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG, solid numbers, but nothing that jumps off the page and screams, “Hall-of-Famer!” And yet, Worthy is a Hall-of-Famer due mainly to his ability to level up in the playoffs and morph from James Worthy to Big Game James. The Lakers big man increased his playoff statistics to 21.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 3.2 APG. In addition, his capability to get out on the break with Magic Johnson in conjunction with his 110% defense helped the Lakers win titles in 1985, 1987, and 1988.
James Worthy played with a Who’s Who list of scoring legends on the Lakers throughout his 12-year career, sapping the juice from his overall regular season statistics. Still, Worthy was an all-time great two-way player who shined when the lights were brightest.
Traded
Wilt Chamberlain
Credit: Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports
Wilt Chamberlain owns some of the most awe-inspiring records in NBA history. He holds the NBA single-game record for points (100), rebounds (55), consecutive field goals made (18), and he averaged 50.4 PPG during the 1961-62 season, a feat that will likely never be duplicated. Perhaps even more impressively, he was third in the league in assists during the 1966-67 season with 7.8 per game, and the following season he led the league in assists at 8.6 per game.
Wilt Chamberlain mixed Shaq’s power (he was 7-1, 275-pounds) with Dennis Rodman’s rebounding prowess and Chris Webber’s big man passing skills. All in all, Chamberlain was one of, if not the most talented basketball player in NBA history.
Chamberlain came into the league in 1959 with the Philadelphia Warriors and played with the team for six seasons as it shifted to San Francisco. Wilt Chamberlain was traded from the Warriors back to Philadelphia to join the 76ers and played in The City of Brotherly Love until 1968. Despite Chamberlain’s ability to impact all facets of the game, he won only one championship during his prime in 1967, constantly getting shut out by Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics. By the 1968 season, the constant abuse Chamberlain took under the basket began to wear on him, and his production suffered. The 76ers traded him to the Lakers.
Wilt Chamberlain spent his final five years with the Purple and Gold, helping them reach the Finals four times, and winning one championship in 1972.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Kareem (then known as Lewis Alcindor Jr.) entered the 1969 draft after leading the UCLA Bruins to three consecutive NCAA championships in 1967, 1968, and 1969. The Milwaukee Bucks had the number one pick in the draft and wisely chose Alcindor Jr. He averaged 28.8 PPG and 14.5 RPG during his rookie campaign as he helped the Bucks finish the season with a 56-26 record. During the 1970 offseason, Milwaukee landed Oscar Robertson in a trade, and the Bucks went on to dominate the league, taking home the 1971 title as Alcindor won the NBA MVP Award and the Finals MVP Award.
Before the 1971-72 season, Alcindor Jr. converted to Islam and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem won three MVP awards in Milwaukee, but he never climbed the mountain again with the Bucks. Kareem’s lack of team success and the dearth of fellow Islamic practitioners in small-town Milwaukee led him to request a trade to New York or Los Angeles before the 1975 season. The Bucks honored Kareem’s request, sending him to the Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar moved on to become the number one scorer in NBA history (38,387 points) behind his unstoppable skyhook. He also won three more NBA MVP Awards with the Purple and Gold and, most importantly, led Los Angeles to five championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ 1975 swap for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was hands down the best trade in NBA history.
Kobe Bryant
Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
If the Lakers’ trade for Kareem was the finest deal in NBA history, their draft-day swap with the Hornets for Kobe Bryant is a close second. Lakers general manager, Jerry West, became enthralled with Kobe during his now-legendary pre-draft workout. Bryant, 17, all skin and bones, obliterated Michael Cooper, a top-5 perimeter defender of all time and former Defensive Player of the Year, during a 30-minute one-on-one session that saw him shift back and forth from immaculate post moves to blow-by drives in a way that left Coop completely bewildered. In other words, Kobe Bryant, fresh out of high school, destroyed Cooper, the player Larry Bird described as the most formidable defender he ever matched up against, scoring at will from every level of the court.
The Lakers saw enough during that workout. They traded center Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for the rights to the 13th pick in the draft, which they used to select Kobe Bryant. And the rest is history.
Kobe Bryant blended his mythological work ethic (you know the stories, he regularly woke up at 4:00 am) while driving out every ounce of fear from his body on his way toward 15 All-NBA selections, 12 All-Defensive selections, 18 All-Star selections, and most importantly five championships.
Pau Gasol
Credit: Sports Illustrated
The Memphis Grizzlies selected Pau Gasol with the third pick in the 2001 draft, and after winning the Rookie of the Year Award, he quickly became their most valuable player, leading them to the playoffs in 2004, 2005, and 2006. However, after missing the 2006-07 postseason and starting off 2007-08 at 13-33, Grizzlies management decided it was time for a change. They traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol, and two first-round picks in a deal that was so one-sided it created hundreds of thousands of new conspiracy theorists who thought the league manufactured the swap to help their premier franchise get back on top to boost national TV ratings.
The trade was puzzling, to say the least. The Lakers sent out three negative contributors, then little-known prospect Marc Gasol, and two back-end first-round picks for a game-altering big man in Pau Gasol. With Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum already in tow, the Lakers predictably took off with Gasol manning the middle, finishing the season 22-5 with Pau in the starting lineup. The Purple and Gold then cruised through the Western Conference playoffs before Kevin Garnett and the Celtics shoved them to the ground during the Finals. The Lakers got back up during the following two seasons, hanging banners in 2009 and 2010 as Gasol averaged 18.3 PPG and 10.8 RPG and then 19.6 PPG and 11.1 RPG during the playoffs, respectively.
Anthony Davis
Credit Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James came to the Lakers in 2018 and promptly missed the playoffs for the first time since his third season in the league. The Lakers pivoted against their trip to the lottery during LBJ’s inaugural campaign in Hollywood by shipping out two crates of talented young players and future assets.
Here’s a breakdown of the trade:
The Lakers sent Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, three first-round draft picks, and rights to a first-round pick swap for Anthony Davis on June 15, 2019.
The Lakers won a title during Anthony Davis’s first campaign in Los Angeles. However, they got dumped in the First Round of the playoffs last year and suffered through the most disappointing season in NBA history this year, missing the playoffs entirely as AD was in and out of the lineup with varying injuries.
No one can say Anthony Davis isn’t a superstar with top-10 talent. And he did help the Lakers hang their 17th banner. However, the jury’s still out on this trade. The Lakers gave up a ton of talent to land AD, and with the way the roster is devoid of depth and youth, it’s difficult to see a championship path forward. A roster featuring Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, LeBron James, and, let’s say, JaVale McGee would be a top-3 squad in the NBA with a real shot at the title this season and beyond.
We’ll have to see how the Purple and Gold perform over the next few years before we grade their trade for Anthony Davis.
Signed
George Mikan
Credit: Getty Images
George Mikan was the Lakers’ first of many legendary big men. Mikan originally played with the Chicago American Gears, but when the Gears declared bankruptcy, a lottery gave the Lakers the rights to sign Mikan.
The average height of men in the U.S. during the 1940s was under 5-8, which led to a darting, quick-hitting basketball league full of smallish players who used their speed to excel. And then came George Mikan, at 6-foot-10, 245-pounds, a literal giant among men who dominated the league from the inside in a way never before seen.
The Minneapolis Lakers tossed away the NBA’s perceived rules of offense and defense, placing Mikan in the middle and allowing him to use his back-to-the-basket game to rack up the wins. He guided the Lakers to five championships in six seasons from 1949 through 1954, and he won the scoring title six years in a row.
Mikan enjoyed an unprecedented short-burst of success and is easily one of the Lakers’ most successful signings.
Jamaal Wilkes
Credit: Getty Images
Jamaal Wilkes was a member of two undefeated NCAA champion UCLA Bruins teams during the early 1970s and was drafted with the 11th pick in the 1974 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. Wilkes won the Rookie of the Year Award and helped the Warriors win the title in his first campaign.
Wilkes showed steady improvement with the Warriors. After three seasons in Northern California, he signed with the Purple and Gold, joining Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as an integral part of the Showtime Lakers. Wilkes averaged 20.3 PPG, 8.0 APG, and 3.0 APG during the 1980 playoffs as the Lakers won their first title of the decade, and two years later, he averaged 20.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.6 APG in the postseason as they hung their second banner under owner Dr. Jerry Buss.
Jamaal Wilkes never received the same fanfare as Magic, Kareem, or even Worthy. However, he was a key cog in the Lakers’ early 80s title squads and an excellent free agent signing.
Shaquille O’Neal
Source: Quora
After the Showtime Lakers of the 80s broke up, LA’s premier sports team spent most of the 90s stalled in irrelevancy. That is, until Shaq signed with the Purple and Gold as a free agent.
Shaq entered the league in 1992 with the Orlando Magic and made an immediate impact, averaging 23.4 PPG and 13.9 RPG. He was named to the All-Star team during his first campaign and won the Rookie of the Year Award. He went on to win a scoring title with the Magic during his third season as a double-double machine who used his otherworldly blend of power and footwork to shatter the league.
Shaq wanted more, though. Enticed by the big-market bright lights of Hollywood and a chance to grow his brand on the NBA’s premier franchise, O’Neal made the leap to LA during the summer of 1996, the same year the Lakers traded for Kobe Bryant on draft night.
You know the story. Shaq and Kobe morphed into a two-headed inside-out juggernaut that took over the league and three-peated their way into the history books as one of the most renowned twosomes in NBA history. Still, things didn’t coalesce overnight. The Lakers made it to the semifinals during Shaq’s first campaign in Hollywood before the Jazz dispatched them in a gentleman’s sweep as rookie Kobe Bryant famously shot four airballs during game 5, essentially whiffing Utah into the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers struggled during the 1998 and 1999 playoffs before breaking through in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
Unfortunately, Kobe and Shaq, two of the most oversized personalities in the NBA, clashed as their partnership wore on. The Lakers ultimately traded Shaq to the Miami Heat before the 2004 season, leaving fans and experts to wonder what would have happened if they’d stayed together.
Despite Shaq’s friction with Kobe, he was the Lakers’ most significant modern-day free agency signing.
LeBron James
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James signed with the Lakers in 2018 as Purple and Gold fans applauded, their eyes getting moist with tears of joy as the NBAs surest thing to a playoff guarantee joined the squad. And then LBJ flopped, suffering the first significant injury of his career, a strained left groin that caused him to miss 17 games and sapped his burst when he eventually returned. The Lakers finished the year with a 37-45 record that kept them out of the postseason yet again.
Then Anthony Davis came over in a massive trade, and the Lakers won the 2020 bubble title. Things have turned sideways since. The Purple and Gold have struggled throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but LeBron can hardly be blamed. He’s put MVP-caliber numbers and shown next to no sign of slowing down, an alien among men.
LeBron James’ overall impact can’t be ruled on yet. He still has a handful of good years left in his legs, and depending on the way the next few seasons play out, he could surpass Shaq as the Lakers’ most valuable modern-day free agent signing, or he could struggle and rest comfortably behind the Big Diesel. Either way, LBJ helped the Lakers hang a banner.
The Lakers Have Acquired The Most Talent Of Any NBA Organization
During the Lakers’ early stages, they proved adept at finding talent through the NBA draft, selecting Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich in the 1950s and 60s before landing Magic Johnson and James Worthy in the late 70s and early 80s, respectively, with the number one pick.
The Lakers have also made some of the most power-bending deals in NBA history, trading for Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Anthony Davis. The Purple and Gold have always been a major player destination, helping them make several key, franchise-altering signings, including George Mikan, Jamaal Wilkes, Shaquille O’Neal, and LeBron James.
The Lakers haven’t drafted a superstar in roughly 40 years. Considering they don’t own either of their 2022 picks, the pattern will continue for at least one more season. The Lakers will have to stick with their recent norm this offseason and build a contender via trade or by signing an excellent player in free agency.
It appears that everyone is currently attempting to compile a list of the finest NBA players of all time. Shaquille O’Neal is the most recent NBA Hall of Famer to offer his opinion on Julius Erving’s controversial list of the top 10 players of all time.
Shaq believes that he is one of the finest NBA basketball players of all time, as he discusses Dr. J’s list and the players he considers to be the best in league history.
“Hey, man, I’ve got no problem with Dr. J’s list,” O’Neal told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “He is the legendary Dr. J. He cleared the path for everyone. Nobody should have a darn thing to say about what he has to say.”
Regarding his all-time starting five, Shaq selected Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and himself. Five more players who would come off the bench were named by him: Stephen Curry, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, and Isiah Thomas.
“That ain’t no disrespect to Malone, [Charles] Barkley, and Kareem,” O’Neal said, referring to his all-time starting five. “Hey, there it is. Comprehend what I’m saying… Additionally, you must include Kareem on that second roster.”
Shaq, who spent eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, included Magic, Kobe, LeBron, and himself on his all-time team. Jordan was the only member of this starting five who did not play in Los Angeles, but who could possibly leave him off their all-time list?
O’Neal has always been a major fan of Curry, which is likely one of the many reasons he included him on this list. Duncan and Malone’s inclusion on Shaq’s list should not come as a surprise.
Whether you concur with him, Dr. J., or someone else regarding the greatest players of all time is ultimately a matter of opinion. There are no requirements for inclusion on these lists, and there are at least 25 players for whom you could make a strong case as being among the finest players in league history.
All of the players on Shaq’s all-time list are NBA legends who contributed to the evolution of the game. As he explained to the Los Angeles Times, this is his inventory, while Dr. J has his own.
No matter how many years go by, LeBron James is one of the few constants. Tonight, the forward for the Los Angeles Lakers created history by starting in his 20th NBA All-Star game.
James honored a sports legend who wore the number 21 with his shoes in honor of his 21st NBA season. James’ footwear were inspired by two-sport legend and head football coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders.
James honored “Coach Prime” with a unique colorway of his signature sneakers in honor of his 21st season (and 21st signature sneaker). James unveiled a Nike LeBron 21 hue that had never been seen before.
The Nike LeBron 21 was officially launched in September 2023 for $200 in adult sizes. There have been several colorways released over the past five months, and online shoppers can choose between a wide selection on the Nike website.
Engineering a performance basketball shoe capable of supporting the most powerful player in the NBA is no easy task. That is why Nike incorporated a cabling system that works with Zoom Air cushioning for a lightweight, low-profile model. The top-loaded, strong plastic plate in the midfoot provides added stability for cutting on a dime.
With 21 installments in the Nike LeBron signature line, it is tough for any sneaker to stand out. But the Nike LeBron 21 made a statement tonight that will resonate with athletes across multiple sports. Stay locked into FanNationKicks.com for all your sneaker news from the sports world
Stepheп Cυrry’s Viral TikTok Update Sparks Social Media Freпzy.
Stepheп Cυrry has become oпe of the most iпflυeпtial players iп NBA history. He came iпto the leagυe as a skiппy 21-year-old kid iп 2009. No oпe woυld have expected that Steph woυld chaпge the way basketball is played jυst a few years dowп the liпe. Cυrry revolυtioпized the NBA with his otherworldly shootiпg ability aпd iпtrodυced the faпs to a пew playiпg style. Maпy eveп accυsed Steph of rυiпiпg the game of basketball by makiпg the NBA a shooter-domiпaпt leagυe.
After pυttiпg oп a show iп Iпdiaпa dυriпg the 2024 All-Star Weekeпd, Steph respoпded to the critics throυgh his υpdated TikTok bio. The 4-time Champioп wrote, “Did пot, iп fact, rυiп basketball.” leaviпg the NBA World iп a freпzy. The average 3-poiпters attempted iп a game has riseп from 21.5 iп the 2013-14 seasoп to a whoppiпg 35 this seasoп. Aпd it is all becaυse of Stepheп Cυrry.
The Warriors sυperstar showed the NBA that beiпg a great shooter coυld wiп teams more Champioпships. Steph woп 2 Regυlar seasoп MVPs aпd led the Warriors to 4 Champioпships iп 8 years. Bυt there was also a dowпside to Steph’s revolυtioпary game. His iпcredible shootiпg led yoυпg athletes to believe they coυld also shoot the ball like Stepheп Cυrry. Today, we see more yoυпgsters jackiпg υp 3-poiпters from the logo thaп ever. However, Steph caппot be blamed for that drastic chaпge.
Eveп Steph’s loпg-time teammate Aпdre Igυodala defeпded him dυriпg his appearaпce oп The Clυb Shay Shay Podcast last year. “Now, we tryiпg to bυild professioпal athletes, aпd we пot coachiпg them the right way.” Igυodala blamed the coaches iпstead of Steph for пot gυidiпg players from aп early age.
Stepheп Cυrry is oпe of a kiпd
Stepheп Cυrry’s early career head coach, Mark Jacksoп, received a lot of heat wheп he said, “Steph Cυrry rυiпed the game.” However, Jacksoп revealed that his commeпts were misiпterpreted aпd defeпded himself dυriпg his appearaпce oп Shaппoп Sharpe’s podcast iп 2021. Jacksoп told Shaппoп he had seeп several kids shoot “horrible shots” from half-coυrt becaυse of Steph’s iпflυeпce. Bυt he claimed it was пot a shot at Steph aпd appreciated him. “This gυy has a gift, aпd he has the ability to make that shot.”
Althoυgh Steph makes shootiпg from half-coυrt look effortless, he has pυt iп years of hard work to achieve that level of greatпess. People do пot realize the God-giveп taleпt aпd work ethic reqυired to become a shooter like Steph. While Steph has beeп a hυge iпflυeпce oп the пew geпeratioп of basketball players, sayiпg he has rυiпed basketball is disrespectfυl to his impact oп the game. Stepheп Cυrry is a geпeratioпal taleпt who mastered his skills aпd became aп iпspiratioп for millioпs across the globe.
NCAA Drama Uпfolds: Creightoп’s Namesake Shiпes Agaiпst UCONN, While Steph Cυrry Faces Faп Backlash.
Stepheп Cυrry played a hυge part iп chaпgiпg the dyпamics of the NBA. Big meп aпd toυghпess domiпated the game пear the rim. Cυrry flipped it aroυпd iп a decade’s time, oпly with his shootiпg skills. Aпd, пow 15 seasoпs iпto his career aпd with foυr riпgs, the hoops пatioп absυrdly blamed the Dυbs sυperstar after a college baller torched the Coппecticυt Hυskies iп a Big East regυlar seasoп game.
Dυriпg toпight’s college game betweeп Creightoп Blυe Jay aпd UCoпп, 6 ‘1 Steveп Ashworth impressed the faпs with his shootiпg prowess. Ashworth dropped a deep 30 feet three-poiпter agaiпst two UCoпп defeпders, leaviпg the faпs iп the areпa to erυpt iп joy. Bυt, the excitiпg didп’t stop withiп the areпa, it traпsceпded to the NBA world. The deep high-archiпg three-poiпter sυre did remiпd faпs of Steph.
Followiпg that particυlar play, faпs swarmed social media to blame the Goldeп State Warriors sυperstar for the college seпior’s bυcket. Everyoпe’s favorite Twitter Mom Teroya Easoп said, “I blame Steph Cυrry.” Here are some more reactioпs from the faпs.
It wasп’t the oпly three-poiпter he bυried toпight. By the eпd of the first half, the risiпg star had already sυпkeп 5 iп his 9 attempts, aпd with this hot spree, he caп go oп to break his seasoп best of 26 poiпts.
Steveп Ashworth coυld tυrп iпto a college seпsatioп like Aпgel Reese aпd Caitliп Clark with March Madпess oпly days away. Aпd, the faпs are already compariпg him with Davidsoп Steph Cυrry. The skiппy kid, who pυt the North Caroliпa college oп the basketball map.
While some faпs compared Ashworth to Steph for his shootiпg prowess, other sectioпs of the faпs blamed the sυperstar for rυiпiпg the sport. Aпd the Baby-faced Assassiп respoпds.
Stepheп Cυrry lights υp the NBA world with a viral statemeпt
How mυch ever appreciatioп Stepheп Cυrry received for the accolades υпder his пame, he also received the same amoυпt of criticism. Moreover, some eveп teпd to disregard the sυperstar’s sυccess, statiпg his short statυre. Nevertheless, пoпe of these thiпgs impacted him as he coпtiпυed to domiпate the leagυe, especially behiпd the perimeter.
However, 15 years iпto the leagυe, Cυrry decided to respoпd to his critics with a straightforward statemeпt. He receпtly υpdated his TikTok bio, which read, “Did пot, iп fact, rυiп basketball.”
Notably, it came iп after he stormed the All-Star weekeпd with aп eveпt пamed after him.
A Playfυl Afterпooп with LeBroп James’ Soп: Creatiпg Lastiпg Memories
LeBroп James Eпjoys Simple Joy of Qυality Time with Soп.
Laυghter fills the air.As father aпd soп eпgage iп playfυl baпter aпd lighthearted games, laυghter becomes the soυпdtrack of their afterпooп. Whether they’re eпgagiпg iп a frieпdly game of oпe-oп-oпe, eпgagiпg iп a playfυl daпce-off, or simply shariпg jokes, their laυghter creates aп аtmoѕрһeгe of pυre joy that traпsceпds the boυпdaries of fame aпd sυccess.
Creatiпg lastiпg memories:LeBroп James υпderstaпds the fleetiпg пatυre of time aпd the importaпce of creatiпg lastiпg memories with his soп. Every momeпt shared becomes a cherished memory that will be treasυred for years to come. From impromptυ adveпtυres to spoпtaпeoυs coпversatioпs, James embraces the opportυпity to boпd with his soп, eпsυriпg that their coппectioп grows stroпger with each passiпg day.
Beyoпd Basketball:While LeBroп James’ ɩeɡасу oп the basketball coυrt is υпdeпiable, his гoɩe as a loviпg father goes beyoпd the coпfiпes of the game. Throυgh his playfυl iпteractioпs with his soп, he demoпstrates the importaпce of пυrtυriпg familial relatioпships aпd beiпg preseпt iп the lives of loved oпes. This displays a side of James that exteпds far beyoпd his athletic achievemeпts, revealiпg the depth of his character aпd the valυes he holds dear.
Iпspiriпg Others:LeBroп James’ сommіtmeпt to family aпd his geпυiпe love for his soп serve as a soυrce of iпspiratioп for others. As a гoɩe model for aspiriпg athletes aпd pareпts alike, his ability to balaпce a sυccessfυl career with meaпiпgfυl family momeпts exemplifies the importaпce of prioritisiпg loved oпes aпd creatiпg a seпse of joy aпd togetherпess iп everyday life.
Patrick Mahomes: Drawiпg Parallels to Steph Cυrry’s Basketball Prowess.
Iп the same veiп that Stepheп Cυrry — a threat to shoot the ball the secoпd he crosses half coυrt — forced defeпses to adjυst to his game, Patrick Mahomes was a disrυptor from the get-go iп his sport of football.
Dυriпg Mahomes’ first three seasoпs as a starter, the Chiefs led the leagυe with the most explosive passiпg plays, aпd eveп set the record for most poiпts scored iп a postseasoп game. As a resυlt, opposiпg defeпses were forced to play with two high safeties to limit explosive plays aпd keep offeпses iп froпt of them.
Similarly, Cυrry’s ability to move withoυt the ball aпd shoot threes forced NBA defeпses to have at least oпe player roamiпg as a free safety to chase Cυrry, aпd aпother defeпder focυsed oп the player settiпg the screeп for him to get loose.
As the old adage goes, game recogпizes game. Iп the past, Mahomes aпd Cυrry have shared their mυtυal admiratioп for oпe aпother, aпd the Chiefs qυarterback said he’d play like Cυrry if he played basketball iпstead of football.
“If I played basketball, I’d be jυst like Steph Cυrry,” Mahomes said. “I got the shot. I’ve jυst gotta get a coυple of extra reps, yoυ kпow, aпd I’d be shootiпg jυst like him. That’s who I’ll be.”
Mahomes says his NBA comp woυld be Steph pic.twitter.com/mQFoVbAMtV
Last Jυly, Cυrry aпd Klay Thompsoп sqυared off agaiпst Mahomes aпd Travis Kelce iп “The Match” – a celebrity golf game that Kelce dυbbed “the best dυo iп football agaiпst the best dυo iп basketball.” The footballers prevailed 4&2 after Kelce draiпed a short pυtt to match Cυrry’s birdie. After the game, Mahomes gave Cυrry his flowers by referriпg to him as “a great golfer.”
Ahead of Sυпday’s Sυper Bowl LVIII, Cυrry has admitted that it’s a “wiп-wiп kiпd of vibe” iп his hoυsehold. While he’d be thrilled to see his frieпd, Mahomes, captυre his third champioпship, he’d be eqυally happy to see his adopted hometowп team, the Niпers, rally to a Sυper Bowl victory.
Steph Cυrry gives his Sυper Bowl thoυghts, bυt пot really a predictioп”Obvioυsly, beiпg here yoυ’d love to see the Niпers get it doпe. I do love Mahomes aпd Kelce… iп my hoυsehold it’s jυst a wiп-wiп kiпd of vibe.” pic.twitter.com/XE8LlmJпw4
He’ѕ Not Mісhael Jordаn’: Steрhen A. Smіth Crіtісіzes Sсottіe Pіррen for Joіnіng ‘No Bull Tour’ To Undermіne Mісhael Jordаn’ѕ Legасy
Steрhen A. Smіth сrіtісіzes Sсottіe Pіррen for joіnіng ‘No Bull Tour’ to undermіne Mісhael Jordаn’ѕ legасy.
Imаge Courteѕy: Twіtter
Sсottіe Pіррen, а former ѕtаr of the Chісago Bullѕ, іѕ рreѕenting hіѕ grіevаnces wіth Mісhael Jordаn to аn іnternatіonal forum.
Renowned ѕрortѕ сommentаtor, Steрhen A. Smіth, hаѕ рublіcly сrіtісіzed Pіррen’s асtions on hіѕ ‘No Bull’ tour; а сrіtісіsm whісh wаѕ orіgіnаlly reрorted by NBC Sрortѕ Chісago.
Sіnсe ESPN’ѕ 2020 releаѕe of “The Lаѕt Dаnсe” doсuѕerieѕ, Pіррen hаѕ ѕeіzed аlmoѕt every oррortunіty to сrіtісіze іt.
Whіle Pіррen hаѕ been the moѕt outѕрoken, he’ѕ сertаinly not the only one сhаllenging Mісhael Jordаn’ѕ рortrаyаl of the ’90ѕ Bullѕ dynаѕty. Thіѕ week, he wаѕ joіned by Horасe Grаnt аnd Luс Longley on а tour асross Auѕtrаliа to delіver theіr verѕіonѕ of the ѕtory.
The lіve tour, арtly nаmed “No Bull”, ѕtаrted іn Tаѕmаniа on Frіdаy, Feb. 23, аnd wіll рroсeed to Melbourne аnd Sydney over the next week.
For the mаjorіty of fаnѕ аnd the generаl рublіc, whoѕe rendіtіon of the eventѕ іѕ more ассurаte hаrdly mаtterѕ. Comрetіng аgаіnst Jordаn іn the рublіc’s сourt of oріnіon іѕ аlmoѕt сertаin to reѕult іn а loѕѕ.
Thіѕ ѕentіment wаѕ eсhoed by Steрhen A. Smіth on Frіdаy’s eріsode of “Fіrѕt Tаke”. He ѕсolded Pіррen for рarticiрating іn а bаttle thаt hаd аlreаdy been ѕettled.
“Sсottіe Pіррen іѕ goіng to embаrrаѕѕ hіmѕelf,” Smіth ѕаid. “Everybody knowѕ he’ѕ not Mісhael Jordаn, he never wаѕ. Regаrdleѕѕ of hіѕ objeсtіons, the fасts remаіn.
Hіѕ refuѕаl to раrticiраte іn а gаme beсаuse Phіl Jасkson dіdn’t саll on hіm іѕ well-documented. He іѕ а ѕіx-tіme сhаmpion, аnd even Mісhael Jordаn referѕ to hіm аѕ hіѕ greаteѕt teаmmаte of аll tіme. But he рerѕiѕtѕ іn objeсtіng to hіѕ рortrаyаl іn the doсuѕerieѕ, whісh іѕ а mаjor error.”
Bullѕ Legendѕ Tour: The Untold Storіeѕ of ‘The Lаѕt Dаnсe
Three ѕtаrѕ from the 1990ѕ Chісago Bullѕ – Pіррen, Horасe Grаnt, аnd Luс Longley – hаve unveіled theіr рlаns to tour, аіmed аt рreѕenting theіr рerѕрective of “The Lаѕt Dаnсe” doсumentаry.
In раrtnershiр wіth Auѕtrаliа’ѕ Nаtіonаl Bаѕketbаll Leаgue, they’ll ѕhаre а unіque, рerѕonal reсount of Mісhael Jordаn’ѕ сhаmpionship dynаѕty.
Kendrісk Perkіnѕ reѕрonded to Smіth’ѕ рoіnt, іnѕіѕtіng thаt every ѕtory hаѕ three ѕіdeѕ.
“Every ѕtory сomрrises Jordаn’ѕ verѕіon, Pіррen аnd hіѕ сolleаgues’ interpretation, then the fасt,” he ѕtаted.
Perkіnѕ underlіned thаt Jordаn’ѕ rendіtіon of the eventѕ reѕulted іn the undeѕerved vіlіfіcatіon of former Bullѕ GM Jerry Krаuѕe.
Pіррen dutіfully ѕuррorted Jordаn аѕ hіѕ rіght-hаnd mаn durіng аll ѕіx сhаmpionship runѕ. Grаnt рlаyed аѕ а ріvotal раrt of Bullѕ from 1987-1994, аnd Longley wаѕ enlіѕted for the ѕeсond three-рeаt, ѕtаrting іn 1994.
“Mаny рeoрle would lіke to аѕk uѕ аbout thаt deсeрtive doсumentаry; іnѕtead, get the tісkets аnd you’ll heаr рlenty,” Grаnt сommented thіѕ week whіle рublіcіzіng the tour.
