Basketball – Michael Jordan – A Sports Persona The Will Never Be Paralleled

There are few NBA stars that possess the ability to have there first names be recognizable above any other name in their sport.

Today’s game boasts interesting names such as Kobe and LeBron but before they were even old enough to lace up sneakers one man separated basketball from sports.

Michael was, and remains, the most recognizable name in not just sports but in popular entertainment. His air-ness may share his name with the King of Pop and their achievements may be similar on a global stage but Michael Jordan’s ability to combine his achievements as an athlete and his ability to bolster his public image with his successes in the business world undoubtedly separate him from the other Michael.

3. Bill Russell

You can not argue with winning and Bill Russell and his Celtics won 11 and I repeat 11 NBA Championships.

Not much more to say about Bill other then he was a fierce competitor, tenacious rebounder, consumate team player and a born winner.

4. Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Where to start, Most total points in the NBA ever at 38,387. Kareem won 6 NBA Championships with career averages of

24.6 PPG and 11.2 RPG. Jabbar was a basketball phenom and his famed “Sky-hook” was his unblockable signature shot that kept finding the twine for 1560 NBA games.

5. Larry Bird

Larry “legend” Bird was a renowned clutch shooter, equally adept at the 3 point line and the free throw. Bird won 3 NBA Championships and 3 season MVP awards finishing his career with averages of 24.3 ppg and 10 rpg. A great team player and leader who could back up any of his trash talk on the court.

6. Magic Johnson

Johnson put the show in “Showtime” in Los Angeles. His behind the back passes, amazing shots and flair for the dramatic were all part of his game. Magic was a towering PG who could play all 5 positions on the court.

5 NBA Championships and 3 Season MVP awards are just some of the numerous awards in Johnson’s great NBA career.

Magic Johnson could have easily been # 5 on this list but I could only choose one.

7. Jerry West

Jerry West also know as “Mr. Clutch” was an all star every year for 14 years he played in the NBA . West led his Lakers to the NBA finals 9 times in his career winning only 1 championship. 6 of those finals losses would come to the great Celtics team of his era. West was a perfectionist at his craft and was known to be a great defender and excellent shot. Only one player Micheal Jordan has a higher scoring average in the NBA playoffs then Jerry West. Career averages of 27 ppg, 6.7 Apg and 5.8 RPG reflect his basketball greatness.

8. Oscar Robertson

Considered by many to be the perfect all around skilled player. In only his second NBA season he averaged a triple double for an entire season! Robertson won one NBA championship and had career averages of 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 9.5 APG.

There was one man who was most missed on this All-Star Sunday. The man who created the most exciting highlight reels in the history of the game. Julius Erving, the Ambassador of NBA basketball, retired before the 1988 season started and, for the first time in his life, looked on from the stands with pride as Bird and Magic seemed to be holding the torch he passed just fine.

In an era when the Eastern Conference dominated the NBA, it was fitting that they ended up winning that game. Jordan scored 40 point and It was a pretty decisive win by the Eastern All-Stars but that didn’t deter the Western squad from competing to the very end.

One year later, Kareem entered his last campaign and Larry Bird was injured. Mo Cheeks and Moses Malone had not been elected to the All-Star game. In 1989′s All-Star game, it just wasn’t the same but there is no doubt the torch was being left in competant hands.

As the 1980′s closed, though the game would never be the same, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwan, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley would lead the way through the 1990′s, a less competitive era and yet NBA basketball’s following expanded to regions of the world where it’s presence had never been felt during the Bird, Magic, Kareem, Dr. J era.

I wonder if 20 years from now I will be looking back on today’s All-Star games with the amazement I do of the 1980′s exhibitions

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