"GREASTEST NBA PLAYERS EVER"
These cats are the finest players to ever lace em up & play on the court. I put both of my list togeather so you wound not mis any of the names i had on the second list.
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One of the NBA's first superstars Julius Erving's high flying hard powered style brought the NBA and basketball to levels previously unheard of. Julius Erving was born in Hempstead New York in 1950. He grew up in a housing project, the son of a single mother, with two siblings. His father having left when he was three his mother remarried, and they moved to nearby Roosevelt, New York. His mother wanted his children to have a better life, and she realized that basketball might be a way out for his young son. Before going to high school Erving averaged 11 points a game with his Salvation Army team. At Roosevelt High school he began to flourish, competing in statewide tournaments, getting named on many occasions to various all Long Island teams, and receiving other different awards. Erving averages 26 points and 20 rebounds, one of the few players in NCAA History to average 20 of both statistics. In a time when few players left college early to join the Pros Julius Erving did just that. He signed with the ABA's Virginia Squires, a league which was not opposed to players entering professional basketball early. He signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 1973, but legal entanglements prevented him from playing with the team, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks, which also drafted him. By this time the ABA was talking about a merger with the NBA, but Oscar Robertson's player union was preventing this from taking place. The ABA was taking a lot of top flight players from college who would have had excellent careers in the NBA, as well as taking current NBA players and placing them on ABA rosters. For a time it seemed as though the NBA would submerge in favor of the ABA. However extremely lackluster ABA markets, unstable ownership, too many team moves, and lackluster ABA markets proved too much for the league. After starting with the Squires, Erving was traded to the Nets. He became an incredible scorer, an incredible talent, and considered to possibly be the most explosive basketball players period, he won a few championships, scoring titles, and was one of the all around best players in basketball. By 1976 the ABA was no longer a significant force, teams collapsed, owners and players were both disgruntled, and the ABA didn't have any significant talent to market, except for Dr. J. What is not clear is how he got his nickname, but it is thought that as a doctor he would cure anyone who thought they could take him on. It was a nickname he had since college. In a contractual dispute with his team he was bought by the Philadelphia, for a then record then 3 million. Erving had been a basketball icon for years, with his Afro, his intense style, and his in your face on the court manor. It played very well with his fans, and would become a staple in Philadelphia, joining a high flying spectacular team of Darryl Dawkins, Lloyd B. Free, and others. The team went to a 50-32 record, the undoubted leader of his team. However the spectacular team yet again fell to fundamentals. Erving advanced his team to the finals, winning the first two. Erving and his teammates has said the series was over before they started. However their opponents the Portland Trailblazers, led by Bill Walton. Walton led his team to four straight finals victories to win the teams first ever finals. For the next two years the Sixers became a fun team to watch, and they would go deep into the playoffs routinely, but they never could win. By 1979 the NBA was in crisis, ratings, and attendance were down. The NBA was perceived to be too black, too into drugs, and disco, and was viewed as too much for one part of society, no doubt a result of bigotry, as a large percentage of players in the NBA were black. But that year would be a watershed year for the NBA. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson entered, and Erving changed his image. He cut of his afro, made his image a little more clean, took the in your face element out of his game, but remained none-the-less spectacular. While he was a player with a lot of flair a lot of observers said his game was not nearly as flaring as it was in the ABA. But in 1980 Erving would rekindle an old rivalry, and start a new one. The old one came against arch-rival Boston, led by Larry Bird. That was a crucial match-up as both players were the undoubted leaders of their teams, and both were small forwards. But the Sixers were revamped as well, a little less spectacle, and a little more fundamental. This was obvious in new point guard Maurice Cheeks and defensive minded six man Bobby Jones. While the team beat Boston, they were no match for the Mgic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, and the L.A. Lakers in the finals losing in six. Next year Philadelphia had the best record in the NBA, split with Boston. L.A. suffered that year and was eliminated in the first round, so everyone knew that Philadelphia and Boston would meet in the Conference finals, and more than likely would win the finals. The matchup was one of the classics. Philadelphia was now a much more fundamental team, while the Celtics were now revamped with new big men Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. In the Boston Garden the series was split in the first two games. The next two in Philadelphia's Spectrum Philly won. Boston won the next one in the Garden, then the next one in the Spectrum, the margins in most of these games were as low as 1 and as high as 3, Philadelphia in many of the game blowing leads. In Game 7 in Boston Garden it happened again. Philadelphia was up by as many as eleven, but in a very physical fourth quarter a Larry Bird field goal, the only field goal in the last two minutes stopped the Sixers yet again. The next year a hotly contested series with Boston went the Sixers way in seven but yet again they lost to the Lakers n the finals. In 1982 the Sixers realized they had a minor problem: they had great offense, and fair defense, a defense that really could not compete with the elite teams. The Sixers signed Moses Malone, getting rid of power forward Caldwell Jones to Houston. This team, led by Erving and Malone with a supporting cast of Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Mark Iavaroni, and an excellent bench, the team exploded and was considered one of the ten best ever. Moses Malone was MVP, Erving All Star MVP, both All NBA First Team, Bobby Jones was Sixth Man of the Year, leading the team to a 65-17 record. It was an NBA crowning achievement, proving to be the pride of Philadelphia, giving it's basketball team an elusive championship. But success proved fleeting for the Sixers. Next year the injured and aging Sixers lost in five in the first round to the upstart New Jersey Nets. While it was a sad way to go out it was obvious the Sixers especially Erving was older and not what he used to be. Despite that the team the next year would play the now stellar Boston Celtics in the conference finals, and lose in five. Afterward the Sixers never got to the conference finals again with Erving, despite acquiring emerging superstar, and legend Charles Barkley. He retired in 1987, a true legend in basketball, and in Philadelphia. He was considered an unofficial ambassador to the game, and also an avid philanthropist, helping the game reach heights of popularity never before seen. Since then Erving is on the board of directors of Coca Cola, a broadcaster for a short time, and always a legend who advertises and promotes the game.The man who inspired mike to become the player he was. One of only five people to emass over 30000 points total in his career from both ABA & NBA.- Actor
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
In 1975, he was traded to the Lakers, with whom he played the final 14 seasons of his career and won five additional NBA championships. Abdul-Jabbar's contributions were a key component in the "Showtime" era of Lakers basketball. Over his 20-year NBA career, his teams succeeded in making the playoffs 18 times and got past the first round 14 times; his teams reached the NBA Finals on 10 occasions.
At the time of his retirement at age 42 in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's all-time leader in points scored (38,387), games played (1,560), minutes played (57,446), field goals made (15,837), field goal attempts (28,307), blocked shots (3,189), defensive rebounds (9,394), career wins (1,074), and personal fouls (4,657). In 2007, ESPN voted him the greatest center of all time, in 2008, they named him the "greatest player in college basketball history", and in 2016, they named him the second best player in NBA history (behind Michael Jordan). Abdul-Jabbar has also been an actor, a basketball coach, and a best-selling author.- Actor
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Magic Johnson was born on 14 August 1959 in Lansing, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Obsessed (2009), Dead Tone (2007) and Hair Show (2004). He has been married to Cookie Johnson since 14 September 1991. They have two children.- Actor
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Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 17, 1963. He was the fourth of five children born to James and Deloris. James Jordan was a mechanic and Deloris Jordan was a bank teller. Soon after Michael's birth, James and Deloris felt that the streets of Brooklyn were unsafe to raise a family, so they moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina.
As a youngster, Michael immediately became interested in sports. However, it was baseball not basketball that was his first love. He would play catch in the yard with his father, who loved baseball. He soon started to play basketball to try and follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Larry, whom he idolized growing up.
At Laney High School, as a sophomore, he decided to try out for the varsity team but was cut because he was raw and undersized. The following summer, he grew four inches and practiced tirelessly. The hard work paid off as he averaged 25 points per game in his last two years and was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior.
Following high school, he earned a basketball scholarship from North Carolina University where he would play under legendary coach Dean Smith. In his first year, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year. He would help lead the Tarheels to the 1982 NCAA Championship, making the game-winning shot.
After winning the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 1984, Jordan decided to leave North Carolina to enter the NBA draft. Although he decided to leave college early, he would later return to the university in 1986 to complete his degree in geography.
In the 1984 NBA draft, he was selected with the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. As a rookie for the Bulls, he made an immediate impact, averaging an amazing 28.2 points a game, including six games where he scored 40+ points. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Game and named Rookie of the Year. This would just be the beginning of a career filled with awards and accolades. In the upcoming years, he would go on to win five regular season MVP awards, six NBA championships, six NBA finals MVP awards, three All-Star game MVP awards, and a defensive player of the year award.
In 1993, tragedy struck Jordan's seemingly perfect life. On July 23, 1993, his father, James, was murdered off Interstate 95 in North Carolina. Two locals had robbed him, shot him in the chest and threw his body in a swamp.
Three months later on October 6, 1993, following a run of three consecutive NBA championships, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball citing that "he no longer had the desire to play." Now "retired" at age 33, it was uncertain what Jordan would do next. Would he take a year off out of the public eye to grieve and then come back to the Bulls? Would he go out and look for a white collar job in the field of geography, his college major? Or would he take up a completely different hobby like golf?
In early 1994, Jordan decided to take up a new hobby alright. However, it wasn't golf. It was baseball. Despite not playing baseball since high school some 13 years ago, he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1994. He played one unspectacular season for the Double-A Birmingham Barons.
On March 18, 1995, Jordan, a man of few words since his retirement, sent two important words to media sources everywhere: "I'm Back". He celebrated his return to the NBA by doing what he always did best: winning. Although the Bulls would lose in the playoffs to the Orlando Magic, it was obvious that Jordan was still the same superstar player. He would go on to lead the Bulls to three more consecutive NBA championships and etch his place in the history as the "NBA's greatest player of all-time".
On January 13, 1999, Jordan re-announced his retirement, saying that "he was 99.9 percent sure that he would never play again". Soon after, Jordan became part owner of the Washington Wizards.
Near the start of the 2001-02 season, there were hints that Jordan may try another comeback to the NBA. On September 25, 2001, Jordan confirmed those rumors, announcing that he would once again return to the NBA as a member of the Wizards. His two seasons in Washington were mediocre at best. His statistics were solid and he showed some flashes of his old self but he could not lead the Wizards to the playoffs and missed several games due to injury. He retired for good following the 2002-03 season and was subsequently dismissed as president of the Washington Wizards.
In June 2006, he became part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Later that year, he filed for divorce from Juanita, his wife of 17 years. They have three children together.- Actor
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Larry Bird graduated from Springs Valley High School in French Lick, Indiana in 1974. He attended Indiana University briefly, then transferred to Indiana State University in Terre Haute. He then embarked on an outstanding basketball career, establishing himself as one of the best shooting forwards in the history of the game. The Boston Celtics made him their first round selection in 1978 (the sixth pick overall), but Bird had another year of eligibility left and decided to play one more year at ISU. He led the Sycamores to the 1979 NCAA Title Game versus Michigan State that year, and his battle in that game with MSU's Magic Johnson touched off the best basketball rivalry of the 1980s. Bird joined the Celtics in the fall of 1979 and played with them his entire career. He led the Celtics to five NBA Finals appearances, winning championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986. Bird won three straight league MVPs (1984-86), two NBA Finals MVPs (1984, 86), NBA Rookie of the Year (1980), and was selected as a first team NBA all star nine times. Back injuries forced him to retire in 1992, and his number 33 was promptly retired by the Celtics.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. in 1998.- George Gervin was born on 27 April 1952 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is an actor, known for Uncle Drew (2018), Greatest Sports Legends (1972) and NB80's (2011). He has been married to Joyce King since 9 October 1985. He was previously married to Joyce King.
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Clyde Drexler is an American former professional basketball player who was the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", Drexler played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), spending a majority of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers before finishing with the Houston Rockets. He was a ten-time NBA All-Star and named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Drexler won an NBA championship with Houston in 1995, and earned a gold medal on the 1992 United States Olympic team known as "The Dream Team". He was inducted twice into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2004 for his individual career and in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team". Drexler serves as a color commentator for Houston Rockets home games.
On February 13, 2009, Drexler participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend's Celebrity Game. Other celebrities participating included Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, National Football League wide receiver Terrell Owens, actor Chris Tucker and four Harlem Globetrotters.- Actor
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Karl Malone is an American retired professional basketball player.
Malone played the power forward position and spent his first 18 seasons (1985-2003) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Utah Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate John Stockton. Malone also played one season for the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 14-time NBA All-Star, and an 11-time member of the All-NBA first team. His 36,928 career points scored rank third all-time in NBA history behind LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he holds the records for most free throws attempted and made, in addition to being tied for the second-most first-team All-NBA selections with Kobe Bryant and behind LeBron James. He is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.
The Utah Jazz drafted Malone in 1985 with the 13th overall pick in the first round. Malone appeared in the playoffs every season in his career, including the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 with the Jazz. He played his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he played his third Finals in 2004. Malone also competed with the United States national team in the Summer Olympic Games of 1992 and 1996; in both years he won gold medals.
After retiring from the NBA, Malone joined the staff of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team in 2007 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 twice - for his individual career, and as a member of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team.- Director
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John attended Sunderland University (2007-2011) and received a first for his final film "Wheelies". He also received a first for his overall degree in Media Production Video and New Media. He went on to study at Shiney Row college for a teaching qualification. He received a PTLLS award in March 2012. He is currently in pre-production for his new film "First Time".- Hakeem Olajuwon, is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame. Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), Olajuwon is considered one of the greatest centers ever to play the game. He was nicknamed "The Dream" during his basketball career after he dunked so effortlessly that his college coach said it "looked like a dream."
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon traveled from his home country to play for the University of Houston under head coach Guy Lewis. His college career for the Cougars included three trips to the Final Four. Olajuwon was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the first overall selection of the 1984 NBA draft, a draft that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. He combined with the 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) Ralph Sampson to form a duo dubbed the "Twin Towers". The two led the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. After Sampson was traded to the Warriors in 1988, Olajuwon became the Rockets' undisputed leader. He led the league in rebounding twice (1989, 1990) and blocks three times (1990, 1991, 1993).
Despite very nearly being traded during a bitter contract dispute before the 1992-93 season, he remained in Houston where in 1993-94, he became the only player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. His Rockets won back-to-back championships against the New York Knicks (avenging his college championship loss to Patrick Ewing), and Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic. In 1996, Olajuwon was a member of the Olympic gold-medal-winning United States national team, and was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He ended his career as the league's all-time leader in blocks (3,830) and is one of four NBA players to record a quadruple-double. - Actor
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Dennis Rodman is an American retired professional basketball player who played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was nicknamed "The Worm" and is famous for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities.
Rodman played at the small forward position in his early years before becoming a power forward. He earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice. He also led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and won five NBA championships. His biography at NBA.com states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history". On April 1, 2011, the Pistons retired Rodman's No. 10 jersey, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later that year.
In addition to being a retired professional basketball player, Rodman is a retired part-time professional wrestler and actor. He was a member of the nWo and fought alongside Hulk Hogan at two Bash at the Beach events. In professional wrestling, Rodman was the first ever winner of the Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament. He had his own TV show, The Rodman World Tour (1996), and had lead roles in the action films Double Team (1997) and Simon Sez (1999). He also appeared in several reality TV series.- Peter Maravich was born on 22 June 1947 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a writer, known for The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend (1991), Scoring (1979) and The NBA on CBS (1973). He was married to Jackie Elliser. He died on 5 January 1988 in Pasadena, California, USA."pistol pete"
- Jerry West was born on 28 May 1938 in Chelyan, West Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Uncle Drew (2018), Arli$$ (1996) and Vince's Places (2022). He has been married to Karen Christine Bua since 28 May 1978. They have two children. He was previously married to Martha Jane Kane.
- Elgin Baylor (born September 16, 1934) is an American former basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers, appearing in eight NBA Finals. Baylor was a gifted shooter, strong rebounder, and an accomplished passer. Renowned for his acrobatic maneuvers on the court, Baylor regularly dazzled Lakers fans with his trademark hanging jump shots. The No. 1 draft pick in 1958, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1959, 11-time NBA All-Star, and a 10-time member of the All-NBA first team, he is regarded as one of the game's all-time greatest players. In 1977, Baylor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- James Worthy is an American former professional basketball player who is a commentator, television host, and analyst. Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA champion, and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
A standout for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the small forward shared College Player of the Year honors en route to leading his team to the 1982 NCAA championship. Named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, he was No. 1 pick of the 1982 NBA draft by the Lakers. - Actor
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Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Olivia Ruth (Johnson), a domestic worker, and William Chamberlain, a welder, custodian, and handyman. Wilt didn't come from a race of giants as many thought. Both his parents were no bigger than 5-9, but as a young boy he began a growth spurt which would eventually stop when he reached 7-1. That height made him legendary in sports history as arguably the greatest basketball player ever. Chamberlain played at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, and collegiately at Kansas University, where he led the Jayhawks to the NCAA finals. Kansas lost in title game to North Carolina and that game haunted Chamberlain throughout his career and gave birth to the unfair image of him as a "loser." He left Kansas as an underclassman to play professionally for the Harlem Globetrotters, and after a year with them, signed to play with his hometown team in the NBA, the then-named Philadelphia Warriors. With the Warriors he performed some astonishing feats that no NBA player before or since accomplished.- The term Dynasty might have never applied to Basketball had it not been for Bill Russell. In the History of professional sports there has never been an athlete who has more accolades or championships, in other words Bill Russell was not only a champion, but he was perhaps the definition of a champion. Russell did not create the first basketball dynasty, but to date, through Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, Bill Russell has one more championship than any other basketball player.
Bill Russell was born in Monroe, Louisiana in 1934, to Katie and Charlie Louis Russell. . At the age of 9 he moved to Oakland. While in Oakland he was very poor but became a skillful basketball player. At 18 he went to college, at San Francisco, where he won two NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956. In 1956 Bill Russell entered the NBA draft. He was drafted second overall, by the St. Louis Hawks, but was traded to the Boston Celtics for Ed Macauley, in a deal spearheaded by Red Auerbach, the coach of the Boston Celtics. Macauley was part of a solid offensive unit with Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman, but the team had a missing piece to the puzzle.
As America would soon find out Bill Russell would be that missing piece. Although Bill Russell played less than 50 games, due to the fact he has won a gold medal for basketball in the Olympics, in his first NBA season he definitely made his presence felt. Russell brought an aspect to basketball that had rarely been explored before: defense. Bill Russell knew that basketball was not so much scoring, but keeping your opponent from scoring as well. Bill Russell viewed basketball as a science, and played the game with an analytical view as well as with an emotional intensity.
Russell played the game psychologically as well, defending his various opponents so well that many times he made those he defended feel like they could not score a basket. This intensity not only paid off in the Olympics, and in college, but it would have an immediate impact in the NBA. Bill Russell would lead the Boston Celtics to 9 straight NBA titles, many times over vaunted rivals the Philadelphia Warriors, and later the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell would lead these teams over some other among the greatest of all time, including Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Hal Greer, and his most famous rival Wilt Chamberlain.
While Russell was rewriting Boston sports history he faced immense racism from the most devout Celtics fan. His home was accosted on a few occasions, and he heard he would not get MVP because he was black from a reporter. Still yet Russell was without a doubt one of the finest players of his day. In the long line of dominance the Boston Celtics would exercise over the NBA the most legendary years were in his final years. In 1966 Wilt Chamberlain was traded from the Golden State warriors to his new hometown Philadelphia 76ers. For the first time in the Bill Russell- Wilt Chamberlain rivalry Chamberlain could not say he did not have the team to beat the Celtics, although many contend that the Celtics were evenly match if not inferior in talent to their many rivals. The Philadelphia 76ers did beat the Boston Celtics in 1967, but in 1966 and 1968 the Celtics, not quite to the level of the Sixers.
But in 1968 it was truly Russell that beat the Sixers, as he was not the heart and soul on the court, but was now it's head coach, which he became in 1967 after legend Red Auerbach retired. He would not let his defeat in 1967 keep him down. He would return and defeat the Sixers in 1968, in a hotly contested Conference Final series, and easily defeat the Lakers in the Finals. At the end of the season Wilt Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, taking Chamberlain to the other arch-rival of the Boston Celtics. In 1969 most of the fabled Celtics had long been gone or had recently retired. Only Russell remained of the fabled Boston Celtics, except for the emerging superstar John Havlichek, and aging star Sam Jones. Russell now had the daunting task of taking a bottom seed to defeat some of the best teams of all time, including a newly revamped Philadelphia after the Chamberlain trade, who they beat, and the New York Knickerbockers, led by Willis Reed, Walt Bellamy, and Walt Frazier, who they beat in 6, and set the match for the Los Angeles Lakers, which now had Chamberlain.
Chamberlain, as well as Jerry West and Elgin Baylor always fell short to the Celtics. This year, alongside Gail Goodrich and Happy Hairston, and a very deep bench, which included future Laker's Coach Pat Riley the Lakers looked to beat the Celtics for the first time in the Finals. After taking the first two at home the Lakers returned to the Boston Garden to lose the next two. The Celtics then lost to Los Angeles in the Forum in Game 5, and the Celtics returned to the Boston Garden in game 6 and won that contest. Game Seven in the Finals was one of the most legendary ever played in the history of American sports. First Laker's owner Jack Kent Cooke had filled the rafters with purple and yellow balloons balloons and intended to drop them after the Lakers won. When word of this got back to Bill Russell, he told his teammates something to the affect of "We're going to have to do something about that." Also at the end of the game Wilt Chamberlain was taken out of the game by unpopular coach Butch van Breda Kolff. An explanation van Breda Kolff gave to Chamberlain was "we're doing fine without you." Without Chamberlain and an injured Jerry West, it was not enough to defeat the Celtics, who won by only two points.
Russell later said Chamberlain was week, and should have demanded to go back into the game. The two who were previous friends were now very distant. Russell knew that he had won, but he wanted to win over Chamberlain, and did not. No matter the game went to seven games when it should have been much shorter. The Celtics who were supposedly way past their prime were led by Bill Russell to their eleventh championship, they were only the third team to repeat a championship, the first were the Minneapolis Lakers, and the second were the Boston Celtics. Russell was truly nothing short of a champion.
Since his historic victory Russell has been active in broadcasting for NBA games, and occasionally coaching, including the Seattle Supersonics in the 1970s and the Sacramento Kings in the 1980s. He was not ready for the coaching job, and did an all around bad job, sadly enough. He is a best-selling author and thirty years after he won he remained a recognizable face and a legend. Until Michael Jordan he was almost unanimously acclaimed as the greatest player of all time, and some still think he is. But without Bill Russell there is no doubt the Boston Celtics would not be the rock-solid professional sports team they have become in their legendary run of championships. - Walt Frazier was born on 29 March 1945 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor, known for Eddie (1996), 3 A.M. (2001) and Aaron Loves Angela (1975). He was previously married to Marsha Ann Clark.
- Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy entered the NBA in 1950, and became the foundation of the great Boston Celtic teams of the 50's and 60's. On retiring from the Celtics in 63, Cousy accepted the job of head coach at Boston college and built it into a respected 5 time NCAA Tournament team. Cousy has co-authored 6 books about basketball history and ethics. Cousy works as a consultant in the Boston area, and is the broadcaster for all Celtic road games.
- Artis Gilmore was born on 21 September 1949 in Chipley, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for The White Shadow (1978), Bulls Podcast (2018) and The NBA on CBS (1973). He has been married to Enola Gay since 1 July 1972. They have five children.
- Patrick Ewing is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and head coach of the Georgetown University men's basketball team. He played most of his career as the starting center of the NBA's New York Knicks and also played briefly with the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic.
Patrick Ewing played center for Georgetown for four years, where he played in the NCAA Championship Game three times and was named as the 16th greatest college player of all time by ESPN. He had an eighteen-year NBA career, predominantly playing for the New York Knicks, where he was an eleven-time all-star and named to seven All-NBA teams. The Knicks appeared in the NBA Finals twice (1994 & 1999) during his tenure. He won Olympic gold medals as a member of the 1984 and 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball teams. In a 1996 poll celebrating the 50th anniversary of the NBA, Ewing was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts (in 2008 for his individual career, and in 2010 as a member of the 1992 Olympic team). Additionally he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame as a member of the "Dream Team" in 2009. His number 33 was retired by the Knicks in 2003. - Robert Parish is an American retired basketball center who played 21 seasons in the NBA, tied for second most in league history. He played an NBA-record 1,611 regular season games in his career. Parish was known for his strong defense, high arcing jump shots, and clutch rebounding late in games.
Parish was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1996, Parish, along with teammates Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. In 1998, the Celtics retired Parish's famous #00 jersey number at halftime of a Celtics-Pacers game.
Overall, in 1611 NBA games, Parish averaged 14.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, shooting 53.7%. Parish holds NBA records for total career defensive rebounds (10,117) and most offensive rebounds in the playoffs (571). - George Mikan is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Invariably playing with thick, round spectacles, the 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), 245 lb (111 kg) Mikan is seen as one of the pioneers of professional basketball, redefining it as a game of so-called big men with his prolific rebounding, shot blocking, and his talent to shoot over smaller defenders with his ambidextrous hook shot.
Mikan had a successful playing career, winning seven NBL, BAA, and NBA championships, an NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy, and three scoring titles. He was a member of the first four NBA All-Star games, and the first six All-BAA and All-NBA Teams. Mikan was so dominant that he prompted several rule changes in the NBA: among them, the introduction of the goaltending rule, the widening of the foul lane, known as the "Mikan Rule" and the creation of the shot clock.
After his playing career, Mikan became one of the founders of the American Basketball Association (ABA), serving as commissioner of the league. He was instrumental in forming the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For his accomplishments, Mikan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959, made the 25th and 35th NBA Anniversary Teams of 1970 and 1980, and was elected one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. Since April 2001, a statue of Mikan shooting his trademark hook shot graces the entrance of the Timberwolves' Target Center. - Actor
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One of the most controversial Basketball players of all time, Allen Iverson is one of the most loved and hated figures in Basketball. Born Allen Ezail Iverson in Hampton, Virginia, he grew up very poor to a struggling mother and a father who deserted him. Growing up, he was very athletic, playing football and basketball throughout most of his education prior to college. Iverson began focusing on basketball at his mother's insistence, despite wanting to be a football player. He proved to be a talented basketball player. At Bethel High School in Newport News, he began his high school basketball career. He developed a reputation of talking a lot and being uncoachable. To say he had a rough childhood is quite an understatement. On one of his places of residence, he walked through knee-deep sewage daily. During one summer, he witnessed the death of almost ten of his closest friends. Iverson first came to the national spotlight in 1993 in a controversial incident surrounding violent events at a bowling alley in Newport News. While the events that happened there will never be fully known, the generally accepted story is that some white students got into an argument with Iverson and his friends. The first question surrounding the event is whether he started it or if the white kids started it. Also, the question surrounded whether or not he assaulted a white woman by hitting her over the head with a chair. The prosecution insisted that surveillance tapes undoubtedly showed Iverson was the culprit, but in reality the tapes showed nothing conclusive. Two factors did him in at his hearing; first of all, two white people said they saw him assault the girl. Secondly, the judge was from the very conservative southeast Virginia establishment and did not have any sympathy for Iverson, his background or his talent. Seeing that Iverson requested a bench trial, this was crucial to his case. To add fuel to the fire, Allen Iverson flew in for the weekend from a tournament to be in Virginia for his trial. This played into the prosecution's hands and also upset the judge, both of whom saw this as evidence that Iverson did not respect the law. He was sentenced to a 5 -year jail term. This case sparked a tremendous amount of national attention. The case caught the interest of Bill Cosby and Spike Lee, who would be a fan and advocate of Iverson for many years. People all around the Newport News area started a movement to free Allen Iverson. He spent only four months in jail. Governor Douglas Wilder pardoned him. This move all but ended his political career and sparked another controversy. Wilder was also black, and white voters in Virginia viewed this move in a very racist light. Iverson was viewed now in much of white America as essentially a convicted felon who was out of prison only because a black man was governor of his state. Iverson got out conditionally, however. He had to adhere to a curfew and could not play basketball until he got his high school diploma. He could not accept a scholarship to the University of Kentucky but did get a scholarship once he completed his high school education in a learning center. During this time, he received his nickname, the answer. He was called such because his friends said he was the answer to basketball's conformity so to speak, people that conformed to this family friendly image, such as Charles Barkley, Isiah Thomas and most importantly, Michael Jordan, who was a childhood hero of his. He accepted a scholarship to Georgetown where John Thompson coached him. Thompson became somewhat of a father figure to him, but he was hard to manage, and the two had a workable but very turbulent relationship. Iverson completed only two years of his education where he became the top NBA draft pick in 1996. He was drafted by the ailing Philadelphia 76ers in 1996. Iverson is immersed in hip-hop culture. This made him an incredibly controversial figure in basketball. His clothing looked more like a gangster rappers than it did Michael Jordan's. On the court he seemed to embody the gangster rapper's image. He had an arm covering on one arm when he played, and also was one of the first players to have cornrows; a hairstyle up until that time was popular in prison. To make matters worse, he had an incredibly "in your face" style, which did not sit well with older players like Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and others. Jordan said of him when Jordan's Bulls played Iverson's 76ers, that he had no respect for the game. Despite this, no one denied Iverson's talent. He could hustle the ball, could get around even the tallest players. He became known for his fast drives to the baskets and his ability to fake the ball in a move called the crossover. Spike Lee lost respect for him when he turned down his invitation to star in the film He Got Game (1998). As a very pointed move, Lee cast former collegiate rival Ray Allen in the part. The Sixers found themselves suddenly a respectable team. They acquired a new coach, the unusual Larry Brown. As a player in the ABA almost twenty years ago, Brown was also a young outsider fighting the system. Larry Brown now was a button-down-suit-and-tie coach. The two did not get along well at first; in fact, their relationship at best was serviceable. Brown was always unhappy with Iverson for not showing up to practice. Iverson insisted his game was pure inspiration, and he had little need for practice. The two rarely saw eye to eye. He received a tremendous number of awards in his short career. He was named rookie of the year in 1997, and on more than one occasion, he was an All NBA First Team, NBA All Star, was an All Star MVP, and received perhaps what was his crowning achievement to date when he was NBA MVP in 2001. That year, Iverson led his team to the NBA finals, but had a rough ride against Kobe Bryant and 'Shaquille O'Neal (I)''s Lakers. They lost the championship in game five of the series. It was still quite an achievement because the Sixers had not been to the finals since Dr. J (Julius Erving) and Moses Malone led them to victory over the Lakers in 1983 in a 4-0 sweep. Iverson has over 20 tattoos. Each tattoo is a symbol of his life. One denotes the name of his group of friends he has known since childhood, Cru Thik, another who says the answer, another who is dedicated to his mom who is a strong presence as Sixers games, and many others. He married his high school sweetheart Tawanna Turner and they have two children.- Actor
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Ray Allen was born at Castle Air Force Base, near Merced, California, to Flora (Day) and Walter Allen, Sr. He graduated from Hillcrest High school in Dalzell, South Carolina in 1993 after taking the varsity basketball team (the Wildcats) to the State Championships. He was the 1996 Big East Player of the Year. As a junior, he was a consensus All-American First Team selection by numerous writers and organizations. Ray was a unanimous choice for the All Big East First Team. He finished 3rd on the Huskies all-time scoring list with 1,922 points. In 1995-96, he hit 115 three pointers to set a UConn single season record. He was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1996 with the 5th overall pick. He never played for Minnesota and was traded with Andrew Lang to the Milwaukee Bucks for Stephon Marbury. Ray was an immediate starter and played in all 82 games as a rookie. In his career he won Joe Dumars Sportsmanship Award in 2002-2003 season, played four times in All-Star game (2000-2005, won All-Star 3-point shootout) also won "Good Guy" award in 2000 and 2001.- Producer
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Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bryant won five NBA championships, was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Bryant also led the NBA in scoring twice, and ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. He was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Born in Philadelphia and partly raised in Italy, Bryant was recognized as the top American high-school basketball player while at Lower Merion. The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, he declared for the 1996 NBA draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, and was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.
In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault;with the alleged victim being a 19 year old hotel employee. Criminal charges were later dropped after the accuser failed to testify, and a lawsuit was settled out of court, with Bryant issuing a public apology and admitting to a sexual encounter while maintaining the interaction was consensual. The accusation briefly tarnished Bryant's reputation, resulting in the loss of several of his endorsement contracts.
After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers. He led the NBA in scoring in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. On January 22, 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points; the second most points scored in a single NBA game, behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. Bryant led the team to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, both times being named NBA Finals MVP. He continued to be among the top players in the league through the 2012-13 season, when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon at age 34. His next two seasons were cut short by injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing physical decline, Bryant retired after the 2015-16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his #8 and #24 jerseys, making him the only player in NBA history to have multiple jerseys retired by the same franchise.
The all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the second most all time, and he has the most consecutive appearances as a starter. Bryant's four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. He gave himself the nickname "Black Mamba" in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the general public. He won gold medals on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. In 2018, he won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the film Dear Basketball (2017).
Bryant died, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in 2020. A number of tributes and memorials were subsequently issued, including renaming the All-Star MVP Award in his honor.
He was. 5× NBA champion (2000-2002, 2009, 2010); 2× NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010); NBA Most Valuable Player (2008); 18× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000-2016); 4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011); 11× All-NBA First Team (2002-2004, 2006-2013); 2× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001); 2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005); 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006-2011); 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002, 2012)- Jason Kidd is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Previously a point guard in the NBA, Kidd was a 10-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA First Team member, and a nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He won an NBA Championship in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, and was a two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner during his pro career, as part of Team USA in Sydney 2000: Games of the XXVII Olympiad (2000) and Beijing 2008: Games of the XXIX Olympiad (2008).
He was inducted as a player into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. - Producer
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Steve Nash is a Canadian former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an eight-time NBA All-Star and a seven-time All-NBA selection. Twice, Steve Nash was named the NBA Most Valuable Player while playing for the Phoenix Suns. He served as senior advisor of the Canadian men's national team and as a player development consultant for the Golden State Warriors.
Steve Nash graduated from Santa Clara as the team's all-time leader in assists and was taken as the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns. He made minimal impact and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. By his fourth season with the Mavericks, he was voted to his first NBA All-Star Game and had earned his first All-NBA selection. Together with Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, Nash led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals the following season. After the 2003-04 season he returned to the Phoenix Suns. In the 2004-05 season, Nash led the Suns to the Western Conference Finals and was named the league's MVP. He was named MVP again in the 2005-06 season and was runner-up for a third consecutive MVP to Nowitzki in 2006-07. Named by ESPN in 2006 as the ninth-greatest point guard of all time, Nash led the league in assists and free throw percentage at various points in his career. He is ranked as one of the top players in NBA league history in three-point shooting, free throw shooting, total assists, and assists per game.
In 2006, Nash was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2007 and invested to the order in 2016, and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Victoria in 2008. Nash has been a co-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) since the team entered the league in 2011. From 2012 to 2019, he served as general manager of the Canadian men's national team, for whom he played from 1991 to 2003, making one Olympic appearance and being twice named FIBA AmeriCup MVP.- Actor
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Charles Barkley is an American retired professional basketball player who is an analyst on Inside the NBA (1988).
Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominant power forwards. An All-American power forward at Auburn University, he was drafted as a junior by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 5th pick of the 1984 NBA draft. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team five times, the All-NBA Second Team five times, and once to the All-NBA Third Team. He earned eleven NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991. In 1993 with the Phoenix Suns, he was voted the league's Most Valuable Player, and during the NBA's 50th anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States' "Dream Team". Barkley is a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2006 for his individual career, and in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team".
Charles Barkley was popular with the fans and media and made the NBA's All-Interview Team for his last 13 seasons in the league. He was frequently involved in on- and off-court fights and sometimes stirred national controversy, in 1993 when he declared that sports figures should not be considered role models. Though shorter than the typical power forward, Barkley used his strength and aggressiveness to become one of the NBA's most dominant rebounders. He was a versatile player who had the ability to score, create plays, and defend. In 2000, he retired as the fourth player in NBA history to achieve 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists.
Since retiring as a player, Barkley has had a successful career as an NBA analyst. He works with Turner Network Television (TNT) alongside of Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson as a studio pundit for its coverage of NBA games. Barkley has written several books and has shown an interest in politics. In October 2008, he announced that he would run for Governor of Alabama in 2014, but he changed his mind.- Actor
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Tyrone Bogues was born on 9 January 1965 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Space Jam (1996), Juwanna Mann (2002) and Eddie (1996). He has been married to Kimberly Bogues since 9 January 2015. He was previously married to Kimberly Bogues."muggsey"- Actor
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Nick Van Exel was born on 27 November 1971 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Eddie (1996), Hip Hop: Don't Stop (2014) and HipHop Story: Tha Movie (2001).- A 6-8 forward who is one of the top shooters in basketball, Rice left the Wolverines as the leading scorer in Big Ten history with 2,442 points. A member of the The Sporting News All-America Second Team as a senior, he powered Michigan to the NCAA Championship in 1989 with a string of performances that ranked among the best in NCAA Tournament history, averaging 30.7 points for the tournament and eclipsing Bill Bradley's record of 184 points in the process. Rice unleashed a 31-point, 11-rebound effort against Seton Hall in the NCAA Championship Game to earn Most Outstanding Player honors for the Final Four. He also captured the Jesse Owens Award as the Big Ten Athlete of the Year for 1989.
- Ron Harper was born on 20 January 1964 in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Kenan & Kel (1996), NBA on NBC (1990) and The 2000 NBA Finals (2000).
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Shaquille O'Neal is a retired professional American basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA on TNT. He is considered one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. He was one of the tallest and heaviest players ever. O'Neal played for six teams over his 19-year career.
O'Neal's individual accolades include the 1999-2000 MVP award, the 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); the other players are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998. Largely due to his ability to dunk the basketball, O'Neal ranks third all-time in field goal percentage (58.2%). O'Neal was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017.
In addition to his basketball career, O'Neal has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. O'Neal is an electronic music producer, and touring DJ, known as Diesel. He has appeared in numerous films and has starred in his own reality shows.- Kevin Edward McHale (born December 19, 1957) is an American retired basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and is regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
McHale began working for the Minnesota Timberwolves immediately following his retirement in 1993 (until 2009), at different times, as a TV analyst, general manager, and finally head coach. He was the head coach of the Houston Rockets from 2011-15, until being fired following a 4-7 start to the 2015-16 season. McHale works as an on-air analyst for NBA TV and Turner Sports's popular NBA on TNT studio show. - Robert Horry was born on 25 August 1970 in Andalusia, Alabama, USA. He is an actor, known for The Lincoln Lawyer (2022), Passions (1999) and Eve (2003). He has been married to Keva Develle since 5 July 1997. They have two children.
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LeBron James is an American basketball player and film producer who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He is one of the most accomplished basketball players of the 21st century. He played himself in Space Jam: A New Legacy and Trainwreck. He is the owner of a film production company called SpringHill Company.- Producer
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Dwyane Wade was born on 17 January 1982 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012), Shot in the Dark (2017) and Relentless. He has been married to Gabrielle Union since 30 August 2014. They have one child. He was previously married to Siohvaughn Wade.- Actor
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Kevin Garnett is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Known for his intensity, defensive ability, and versatility, Garnett is considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time. He is one of four NBA players to win both the Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year awards. He entered the 1995 NBA draft, where he was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and became the first NBA player drafted directly out of high school in 20 years.
Garnett made an immediate impact with the Minnesota Timberwolves, leading them to eight consecutive playoff appearances. In 2004, he led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals and won the NBA MVP Award. Garnett has been named to 15 All-Star Games, winning the All-Star MVP award in 2003, and is tied for third-most All-Star selections with 15. He was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2007-08, and has been selected nine times for All-NBA Teams and 12 times for All-Defensive Teams. Garnett holds several Timberwolves franchise records.
In 2007, after 12 seasons with the Timberwolves, Garnett joined the Boston Celtics in a blockbuster trade. In his first year with the Celtics, he helped lead them to the NBA championship, while finishing in third place for the MVP award. In 2013, Garnett was included in a second headline trade that sent him to the Brooklyn Nets with longtime Celtic Paul Pierce. In 2015, Garnett was traded back to Minnesota.
He announced his retirement from professional basketball in September 2016. Garnett made his feature film debut, playing a fictionalized version of himself, in the 2019 film Uncut Gems (2019).- Actor
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Amar'e Stoudemire was born on 16 November 1982 in Lake Wales, Florida, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for MacGruber (2010), Trainwreck (2015) and New Year's Eve (2011). He has been married to Alexis Welch since 12 December 2012. They have four children.- Actor
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Tracy McGrady was born on 24 May 1979 in Bartow, Florida, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Like Mike (2002), Arli$$ (1996) and Adidas Originals: Superstar - Change Is a Team Sport (2020). He has been married to Clarenda Harris since 12 September 2006. They have four children.- Producer
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Kevin Durant was born on 29 September 1988 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Swagger (2021), Two Distant Strangers (2020) and The 2017 NBA Finals (2017).- Producer
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Vince Carter was born on 26 January 1977 in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Like Mike (2002) and NBA Today (1992). He is married to Sondi Carter. They have two children. He was previously married to Ellen Rucker.- Actor
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Dirk Nowitzki was born on Monday, June 19th, 1978, in Wurzburg, Bavaria, Germany, Europe, as Dirk Werner Nowitzki. Dirk is a very active athlete & has become an actor, in sports events, especially basketball. He is best-known for being 24 for 24 in Western Conference Finals' Game 1, on Tuesday, May 17th, 2011, versus Oklahoma CIty Thunder. (This was the third round, Dallas Mavericks' first round opponent was Portland Trail-Blazers. Second round, Dallas swept defending NBA Champion team, Los Angeles Lakers the previous two seasons 4 to 0 & Dallas was 4 & 2, in the NBA Finals, versus Miami Heat. After going 24 for 24 at the free-throw line, (& 24 additional points from field goals, his score total of game one was 48). He was voted in as 2011's NBA Finals' MVP, after leading Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Championship. Nowitzki: The Perfect Shot (2014). Two others were 2011 NBA All-Star Game (2011) & 2003 NBA All-Star Game (2003). Dirk married Jessica Olsson, on Friday, July 20th, 2012. Dirk & Jessica's parenthood began on Wednesday, July 24th, 2013, (369 days = 52 weeks & 5 days) after matrimony, when their daughter was born. 20 months later, (608 days = 86 weeks & 6 days), differ between his daughter's date of birth & son's date of birth. Tuesday, March 24th, 2015, as their son was born.- Jason Terry is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He played combo guard. With the Dallas Mavericks, Terry won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2009 and an NBA championship in 2011. As of March 2020, Terry has made the seventh-most three-point field goals in NBA history. He serves as assistant general manager of the Texas Legends of the NBA G League.
Terry was a member of the United States squad that competed in the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. - J.J. Barea was born on 26 June 1984 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
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Earl Monroe was born on 21 November 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for He Got Game (1998), Uncle Drew (2018) and Basketball: A Love Story (2018).- Actor
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Dominique Wilkins is an American retired professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and is widely viewed as one of the best dunkers in NBA history, earning the nickname "The Human Highlight Reel". In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In addition to his eleven seasons with the Hawks, Wilkins had short stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics, Panathinaikos Athens (a professional team in Greece's top-tier level Greek Basket League, with whom he won his first titles, the FIBA European League and the Greek Cup), Fortitudo Bologna (a professional team in Italy's top-tier level LBA), the San Antonio Spurs, and the Orlando Magic before he retired in 1999.
A nine-time NBA All-Star and the winner of two NBA slam dunk contests, Wilkins registered 26,668 points and 7,169 rebounds in his NBA career.
Wilkins became a free agent after the 1993-94 season and signed with the Boston Celtics. Shortly after the signing, he helped Dream Team II to a gold medal at the 1994 World Championship of Basketball.
Since 2004, Wilkins has served as the Hawks' Vice President of Basketball. He worked in a variety of management functions within the franchise's basketball and business areas. Wilkins was responsible for advising the Hawks's senior management team on basketball-related issues and was a goodwill ambassador for the community.- Actor
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Gary Payton played his high school basketball at Skyline High School in Oakland, California before attending Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Throughout his four-year career at OSU, he became one of the most decorated basketball players in OSU history. During his senior year, Payton was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine as the nation's best player in 1990. He was a consensus All-American in 1990; three-time All-Pac-10 selection, and named the Pac-10 conference's 1987 Freshman of the Year. He was the MVP of the Far West Classic tournament three times and was the Pac-10 Player of the Week nine times. He also was named to the Pac-10's All-Decade Team. At the time of his graduation, he held the school record for points, field goals, three-point field goals, assists, and steals. During his career at OSU, the Beavers made three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance. He was elected into OSU's Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
At the conclusion of his college career, he was the second overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. During his NBA career, he has been on the All-NBA First-Team in 1998 and 2000; the All-NBA Second Team in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2002; and the All-NBA Third Team in 2001. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine consecutive seasons (1994-2002), and was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in 1996. He has been selected to the NBA All-Star Team nine times and was voted as a starter in 1997 and 1998. He was a member of the gold medal-winning 1996 and 2000 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Teams.
He was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks along with Desmond Mason for Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie and Ronald Murray in February 2003. The Los Angeles Lakers signed him as a free agent in July 2003.- Actor
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Reggie Miller is an American retired professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Indiana Pacers.
Miller was known for his precision three-point shooting, especially in pressure situations and most notably against the New York Knicks. When he retired, he held the record for most career 3-point field goals made. He is fourth on the list behind Stephen Curry, Ray Allen, and James Harden. A five-time All-Star selection, Miller led the league in free throw accuracy five times and won a gold medal in the Atlanta 1996: Games of the XXVI Olympiad (1996).
Miller is widely considered the Pacers' greatest player of all time. He worked as an NBA commentator for TNT. On September 7, 2012, Miller was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.- Rasheed Wallace was born on 17 September 1974 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for Juwanna Mann (2002), Like Mike (2002) and The 2010 NBA Finals (2010). He has been married to Fatima Sanders since 18 July 1998. They have four children.
- Willis Reed was born on 25 June 1942 in Hico, Louisiana, USA. He was married to Gale Kennedy and Geraldine Oliver. He died on 21 March 2023 in Houston, Texas, USA.
- Mo Cheeks was born on 8 September 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Hustle (2022), 1982 NBA Finals (1982) and The 1983 NBA Finals (1983).
- Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best known for scoring a then record 42 points for UCLA in the 1965 NCAA championship game vs. Michigan, and his part in the Los Angeles Lakers' 1971-72 season. During that season the team won a still-record 33 consecutive games, posted what was at the time the best regular season record in NBA history, and also won the franchise's first NBA championship since relocating to Los Angeles. Goodrich was the leading scorer on that team. He is also acclaimed for leading UCLA to its first two national championships under the legendary coach John Wooden, the first in 1963-64 being a perfect 30-0 season when he played with teammate Walt Hazzard. In 1996, 17 years after his retirement from professional basketball, Goodrich was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Moses Malone is an American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995.
A center, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, was a 12-time NBA All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA Team selection. Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA championship in 1983, winning both the league and Finals MVP. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001.
Malone was a tireless and physical player who led the NBA in rebounding six times, including a then-record five straight seasons (1981-1985). He finished his career as the all-time leader in offensive rebounds after leading both the ABA and NBA in the category a combined nine times. Combining his ABA and NBA statistics, Malone ranks ninth all-time in career points (29,580) and third in total rebounds (17,834). He was named to both the ABA All-Time Team and the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. - Producer
Lenny Wilkens was born on 28 October 1937 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a producer, known for Rise Above, Four Square Miles to Glory and The NBA on CBS (1973). He has been married to Marilyn J. Reed since 28 July 1962. They have three children.- Connie Hawkins was born on 17 July 1942 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979), The NBA on CBS (1973) and NBA Hardwood Classics (1992). He died on 6 October 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
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Chris Webber is an American former professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA Team member, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former number one overall NBA draftee. As a collegiate athlete, he was a first-team All-American and led the Michigan Wolverines' 1991 incoming freshman class known as the Fab Five that reached the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as freshmen and sophomores. Webber is a former National High School Basketball Player of the Year who led his high school Detroit Country Day to three Michigan State High School Basketball Championships, but never won any national championship in college or the NBA.
Webber averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists during his NBA career.- Producer
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Michael Finley was born and raised in Maywood, Illinois and became a standout basketball player at Proviso East High School. Finley later attended the University of Wisconsin, where he majored in business and averaged over 20 points per game. He finished his career as the all time leading scorer in Wisconsin history, with over 2,100 points. Finley was drafted in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Finley also played for the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics. He was named to the First Team All-Rookie squad following his rookie year with the Suns. Finley is a two time NBA All-Star and won the 2007 NBA Championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. Finley played professional basketball for 15 years and retired in 2010.
In 2003, Michael Finley founded The Michael Finley Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, for the sole purpose of supporting children and their families to reach their fullest potential through education, entrepreneurial mentorship, and other programs that emphasize improving the quality of life.
In 2009, Michael Finley started his film production company, Follow Through Productions, LLC. Finley is a financier and executive producer to several films.
Outside of the film business, Finley is an active real estate investor and venture capitalist who also enjoys playing golf in his spare time. Finley resides in Dallas, Texas, with his wife and three children.- Alonzo Mourning was born on 8 February 1970 in Chesapeake, Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Space Jam (1996), Like Mike (2002) and Arli$$ (1996). He has been married to Tracy Mourning since 30 August 1997. They have three children.
- Yao Ming was born on 12 September 1980 in Shanghai, China. He is an actor, known for Seola's Journal, Amazing (2013) and Yao Ming and Children Affected b HIV/AIDS (2005). He has been married to Ye Li since 6 August 2007. They have one child.
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Rick Barry will go down as one of the greatest, albeit misunderstood and controversial, stars in basketball history. He was born in New Jersey and, after a successful high school career, enrolled at the University of Miami (Florida). With a dead-eye outside shot, Barry put Hurricane basketball on the map by averaging 29 and 37 points in his two seasons there, leading the nation in scoring his senior season. Barry was then picked 4th in the 1965 NBA Draft by the San Francisco Warriors. He picked up right where he left off, averaging 28 points a game as a rookie and 35 the next season, leading the NBA in scoring. That season, the Warriors reached the NBA Finals, where they lost to Wilt Chamberlain's Philadelphia 76ers in six games. Barry left his mark on those Finals, averaging 41 points in the six games and scoring 55 in one game.
In 1967, a new fledgling league was starting, the American Basketball Association, and many NBA players wanted to defect for higher pay, including Barry. But, the Warriors balked, saying Barry still had to fulfill his contract with them. Barry's argument was that the Oakland Oaks, the team he wanted to sign with, were coached by Bruce Hale, his old college coach and father-in-law. The NBA and Barry were locked in a legal dispute that lasted close to a season and a half, and Barry was painted as selfish, money-hungry, and ego-driven, even though other NBA players were trying to do the same thing. Barry won out in the end, and was allowed to join the Oaks with 35 games left in the 1968-69 season, becoming the first big NBA star to jump leagues. The Oaks, however, by then were coached by Alex Hannum, who replaced the fired Hale in 1968. Barry played enough in 1968-69 with the Oaks to qualify for the league scoring title, which he won, thus making him the only player to lead both leagues in scoring. More importantly, he led the Oaks to the ABA title over the Indiana Pacers.
As with many ABA teams, the Oaks had trouble making financial ends meet and had to move from Oakland to Washington, D.C., which didn't suit too well with Rick, who was quoted as saying, "If I wanted to go to Washington, I'd run for President!" Barry was forced by the league to report to the team and played the final 52 games of the 1969-70 season. After that season, the financially-strapped team was forced to move again, this time to Norfolk, Virginia, and adopt the name of the Virginia Squires. Barry openly rebelled against playing in the South, both to friends and the press, going so far as to say, "I don't want my son coming home and saying 'Howdy, ya'll!'" He forced the club to deal him to the New York Nets, where he played for two seasons.
In 1972, the now-Golden State Warriors found a loophole in Barry's contract that would force him to return to the NBA and to the Warriors. Barry complied, and played with them for seven seasons, including the 1974-75 season, where he led the Warriors to a shocking four-game sweep in the NBA Finals over the Washington Bullets. The Warriors traded Barry after the 1977-78 season to the Houston Rockets for John Lucas. He played two seasons for the Rockets before retiring in 1980.- Actor
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William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American retired basketball player and television sportscaster. Walton played for John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins in the early 1970s, winning three successive College Player of the Year Awards. He led the UCLA Bruins to two NCAA Championships in 1972 and 1973. He had a prominent career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning an NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and two NBA championships. His professional career was significantly hampered by multiple foot injuries, requiring numerous surgeries. Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.- Actor
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Isiah Thomas is an American former basketball player who played professionally for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, the 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Thomas has also been a professional and collegiate head coach, a basketball executive, and a broadcaster.
Isiah Thomas played collegiately for the Indiana Hoosiers, leading them to the 1981 NCAA championship as a sophomore and declaring for the NBA draft. He was taken as the second overall pick by the Pistons in the 1981 NBA draft, and played for them his entire career, while leading the "Bad Boys" to the 1988-89 and 1989-90 NBA championships.
After his playing career, he was an executive with the Toronto Raptors, a television commentator, an executive with the Continental Basketball Association, head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and an executive and head coach for the New York Knicks. He was later the men's basketball coach for the Florida International University Golden Panthers for three seasons from 2009 to 2012. In early May 2015, amidst controversy, Thomas was named president and part owner of the Knicks' WNBA sister team, the New York Liberty, subsequent to the re-hiring of Thomas's former Pistons teammate, Bill Laimbeer, as the team's coach.- Carmelo Anthony is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team member six times. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange, winning a national championship as a freshman in 2003 while being named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
After one season at Syracuse, Anthony entered the 2003 NBA draft and was selected with the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. While playing for Denver, he led the Nuggets to the playoffs every year from 2004 to 2010; the team won two division titles in that span. In 2009, Anthony led the Nuggets to their first Conference Finals appearance since 1985. In 2011, he was traded from Denver to the New York Knicks days before the NBA trade deadline. In a January 24, 2014 game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Anthony scored a career-high 62 points, setting a Knicks' single-game scoring record and a Madison Square Garden single-game scoring record. Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he played one season before signing with the Rockets.
Anthony has played in the Olympics for the US national team a record four times, winning a bronze medal with the 2004 squad and gold medals on the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic teams. As of April 2016, he was the US Olympic team's all-time leader in points, rebounds, and games played. - Manu Ginóbili was born on 28 July 1977 in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an actor, known for The Equalizer 2 Promo (2018), The NBA on TNT (1988) and León, reflejos de una pasión (2015). He has been married to Marianela Orono since 11 July 2004. They have three children.
- Derek Fisher was born on 9 August 1974 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He is an actor, known for The Fix (2019), Arli$$ (1996) and The Jamie Foxx Show (1996). He was previously married to Candace Fisher.
- Danny Ainge was one of the best basketball players in the history of Brigham Young University (BYU). He won the Wooden Award as the college player of the year in 1981, but seemed intent on pursuing baseball as a career. He joined the Toronto Blue Jays minor league organization, but after batting only .220 over several seasons, he joined the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He was involved in the NBA Finals 4 times ('84, '86, '92, '93) and played with Boston, Sacramento, Portland, and Phoenix, winning two championships in the process, and averaging 11 points per game over a career, with a career high of 17.9ppg in 1989-90. He later became a coach for Portland and Phoenix, and is now the Executive Director of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics (2003).
- Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956) is an American basketball coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Prior to joining Atlanta, he coached women's college basketball with the USC Trojans. former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Cooper won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their Showtime era. He has also coached in the NBA, WNBA, and the NBA Development League. Cooper is the only person to win a championship, as either a coach or a player, in the NBA, WNBA, and the NBA D-League.
- Byron Scott was born on 28 March 1961 in Ogden, Utah, USA. He is an actor, known for Fallen (1998), The NBA on CBS (1973) and The 1984 NBA Finals (1984). He has been married to Cece Gutierrez since 11 July 2020. He was previously married to Anita Carter.
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Grant Hill is a retired American professional basketball player who was a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks. After playing college basketball for Duke University, Hill played for four teams in his professional career in the National Basketball Association (NBA): The Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Clippers. For most of his career, he played the small forward position. Hill also co-hosts NBA Inside Stuff on NBA TV.
Grant Hill averaged 13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. On June 1, 2013, Hill announced his retirement from the NBA. He is a seven-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA selection, and a three-time winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award. In 2018, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.- Chauncey Billups was born on 25 September 1976 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Shaquille O'Neal Presents: All-Star Comedy Jam - Live from Dallas (2010), The 2005 NBA Finals (2005) and NBA Ballers: Phenom (2006). He has been married to Piper Riley since 14 July 2001. They have three children.
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Baron Davis was born on 13 April 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for The Drew: No Excuse, Just Produce (2015), That's My Boy (2012) and DOMINO: Battle of the Bones (2021). He has been married to Isabella Brewster since 30 January 2014. They have two children.- Shawn Marion was born on 7 May 1978 in Waukegan, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for SlamBall (2002), Road to the Championship (2011) and Gone in an Instant (2020).