America’s Most Celebrated Basketball Players

Basketball has only been popular during the time of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Any basketball history before that is unclear. However, it is injustice not to mention great basketball players in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.

Take for example the basketball superstar George Mikan. He, a 6'10" goof, was a sensational inside scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker. Another legendary player is Bill Russell, who is comparable to Patrick Ewing. Russell had an ultimate defensive presence. He rejected approximately 8 to 10 shots a game. He had as many rebounds as Ewing.

Witt Chamberlain is a famous 100 pointer in a game. Three months before the fateful night, he had games of 60, 78, 61, 60, 73, 62, 62, 62, 65, 67, 61, 67, 65 and 61 points. He played during the 1961-62 season with an average of 48.5 minutes per game.

Before Magic got the tag, there was “Mobile Magician.” He was Bob Cousy, who is also known as “Houdini of the Hardwood.” Cousy had an excellent backward pass, twice-around pass, and behind-the-back dribble.

Meanwhile, Jerry West was a great basketball player because of his admirable long-range bombers. He topped the key and filled up from the corner.

Some remarkable and famous players who make the Cow Palace filled with fans during the late 1960s are Pete Maravich, Bill Walton, Bill Bradley, Austin Carr, Ralph Sampson, and Tom Gola. Most especially Maravich, he shot and scored from every spot in the half court and scored 44.2 points a game.

Of course, when naming people who contributed to the great basketball history, coaches should not be excluded from it. These include Adolph Rupp, John Wooden, Dean Smith, and Pat Riley. Indeed, they coached the talented players in history.

Looking into the masters of the court who made remarkable fast breaks and slam dunks, one must take a glimpse at every actor in the actor—guards, forwards, centers, and coaches.

Guards play a vital role in team’s strategy. They rack up points from beyond the three-point line. They direct the flow of the team’s offense. They definitely play a significant role. An example of an excellent guard who has an innovative ball-handling is Cousy.

The list of great basketball forwards includes both men and women. They perform the astounding lay-ups, slam dunks, rebounds, and steals. One of the famous forwards are Scottie Pippen with his award-winning defensive skills, Charles Barkley with his extreme use of the Round Mound of Rebound, and Paul Arizin who has an extraordinarily unmatched jump-shot.

Meanwhile, you may be most familiar with basketball centers. The list of notable players in basketball history consists of mostly centers. Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Meadowlark Lemon, and Shaquille O’Neal are famous centers. Abdul-Jabbar played for twenty seasons, whereas O’Neal had multimedia appearances such as film, music, television, and video games.

In addition to the list of great basketball players, the history of basketball can never be complete without the people on the sidelines—the coach. They provide guidance, support, and encouragement. They train players in their own ways and supply differing strategies on the court. For example Knight is known for his military style while Riley is a statistic-driven coach.

Last but not the least is James Naismith who completes the legend of basketball history. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is named after him. It is an institution which honored and celebrated the game’s brightest stars.