The National Basketball Association (or NBA) is your quintessential American success story. The NBA is just another galli-mohalla-state tournament but those blasted Americans market it so damn well that it’s watched around the globe!! Coz it’s more than a sport, thanks to all the colourful personallities....
THE HEROES
It’s not just how great a player u are that makes u popular. You gotta have style and personality.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan: Chicago Bulls Ustadon ke ustad...his royal ‘airness’ Michael Jordan. There’s not much thats NOT been said and written about this guy.. Mind u, he was not always that kool a basketballer. Inf act he was quite a lukkha in school and they forced him into a non-functional chess club coz of ‘his lack of talent’. But he persisted...and he succeeded. Year after year the media tries to elevate players to his level but while the Miners, Hardaways, Hills may have talent but Jordan is Jordan. Like Sachin is Sachin. Slam Jam: MJ always wore his University of North Carolina shorts inside his Bulls uniform for luck...He also acted (horribly) in the Warner Bros hit Space Jam. Pssst: Rumour is, MJ may make a comeback to add some zing to the little known team he now manages called the Washington Wizards.
Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson: Los Angeles Lakers How I wish I was born a bit earlier so that I could’ve experienced ‘the magic’ .His breathtaking ‘no look’ passes and celebrated dunks won the ‘original dream team’ the gold at the Barcelona Olympics. Slam Jam: From ‘magic’ to ‘tragic’ Johnson has retired after contracting AIDS.
Shaquille Rashaun ‘O Neal: Was in: Orlando Magic Is in: Los Angeles Lakers Real Name: His name means “little warrior”.The new age basketballer. He’s acted (in Kazaam, Blue Chips and Steel), he’s sung (a rap album called Shaq Diesel), he’s written (Shaq Attaq) he’s shot a video on martial arts (Shaq Fu-da)....it’s surprising how he manages to find time to shoot the ball a bit too!! But he did help win the gold for the US at the Atlanta Olympics when the world could not confront the ‘Shaq Attack’. Slam Jam: Q- Shaq, if u were defending ur self then what would u have done? A- Nothing!! I wouldn’t. I would fake ill and just go home.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar: Los Angeles Lakers The only guy who makes this list purely on his performance. No other player has scored more points, won more MVPs (Most Valuable Player), played more all star games or logged more seasons than this veteran. Born as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor jr he converted to Islam and ‘disciplined’ himself into a basketball legend. Self proclaimed “unsexy” and “baddest of bad guyz” Slam Jam: He was the rookie of the year, won 6 MVPs, was twice NBA final MVP, twice scoring champ, took part in the max no. of all star games, he also introduced the very hit trademark - the skyhook.
Kobe Bryant: Los Angeles Lakers This guy is poised, smart and articulate. He jumped right from school basketball to the NBA where he is considered to be a rising star. But is he the ‘air apparent’? The next MJ? Hell, I don’t think so. Slam Jam: Youngest ever NBA player at the age of 18 yrs and 2 months. Gawd!! Most of us were just scribbling crap ion blackboards then. His dad, Joe ‘Jelly Bean’ Bryant was also an NBA player.
- Tushar Mullick