Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000-2002, and their loss in the 2004 NBA finals led to O'Neal's departure from the team, in the following the 2003-2004 season. Bryant had to rebuild his image while becoming the cornerstone of the Lakers. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high gaining eighty-one points against the Toronto Raptors, the second highest points scored in a single game in NBA history; because of this achievement he was given the Most Valuable Player Award. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named NBA Finals MVP on both
(born January 17, 1982) nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He had the top selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years, as he led the NBA in jersey sales from the 2005 NBA playoffs, until the mid-point of the 2006–07 season. [1] After entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following eight seasons. In his third season, Wade helped lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history.
In 1991, the Fab Five of Michigan University men’s basketball team impacted America’s traditions and morals. These five young, outspoken, rash African Americans not only stormed the court, but the media too. Making Americans question all that they knew, the Fab Five’s “us against the world” attitude and controversial decisions revolutionized basketball, for better or for worse, all while leaving behind a legacy of family and love. Coming off a championship season in 1989, the Michigan Wolverines acquired what is coined to be the best recruiting class in college history. In 1991, Michigan signed five of the nation’s top fifty high school recruits, and thus began the Fab Five era.
The Black Mamba 6’6, a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers since 1996, a span in which the team has won five NBA Championships. Bryant has won two NBA scoring titles and has been a first team all NBA selection eight times. And, this is just to name a few. I’m the sure the rings on his five fingers will account to his accomplishments. It has always been a huge discussion when these two players enter the court of who is the best?
That changed very quickly as the Kings swept the series in four games and again moved on to the next round. This time it was the Western Conference Finals, only they’re second appearance in franchise history. The Kings faced a familiar rival in the Phoenix Coyotes. A rivalry brewed by hard hitting and constant battles every time they met. It took five games and some very opportune goals but the Kings pulled out a win.
Early in the NBA’s existence, the NBA and the NBA Players Association (NBAPA) followed a rule that prevented an athlete from being drafted until four years after he had graduated from high school. It wasn’t until 1971 that the rule was challenged in federal court by a 19-year old named Spencer Haywood. Haywood was raised in extreme poverty roughly an hour outside of Jackson, Mississippi. A talented basketball player, as a teenager, he helped the 1968 United States Olympic basketball team win a gold medal. Then in 1970, just three years out of high school, Haywood signed a six-year contract with the Seattle Supersonics worth $15 million.
Kobe was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and lived in the upper class suburbs on the outskirts of Philadelphia. His father was an NBA player himself for a couple of years until Kobe and his family moved to Italy so that his father could play professional basketball there. Kobe lived in Italy for a number of years until his family moved back to Philadelphia after Kobe’s’ father retired from the game of basketball. Unlike Jordan, Kobe was an instant starter as a freshman for his high school team and ended up winning a State Championship his senior year. Kobe was so good that he decided not to go to college and instead went straight to the NBA after his final year of high school.
He was once one of the most reviled athletes in the entire country. Accused of rape and severely criticized by former teammates, especially Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant faced obstacles and challenges that would have forced many to give in and give up. However, the perseverance that Bryant has shown by rebuilding his image and his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, has transformed him into a champion on the court and in life as well. The Lakers recently captured their 16th NBA championship and fifth with Kobe Bryant as its star shooting guard. “It’s so tough to win a championship, to have to start over from scratch,” said Bryant.
His coach Jim Johnson told him to play near the end of a game giving him an opportunity he hasn’t been able to uphold. Jason ended up surprising everyone by making six shots in a row, giving the team a victory and an incredible experience for everyone there. “I felt like a celebrity”, Jason exclaimed. After all his life feeling and acting different from his surroundings, he finally felt apart of something and important (CBS News, 2006).
We earned the number one seed in the section and were on our way to our goal. We got to our first game in sections against a much worse Truman/Martin Luther team. Nerves got to use in the first half and we were only up by ten points on a mediocre team. After our coach got on us during halftime, we came out in the second half and dominated the game winning 73-48. We had a great week of practice looking forward to the second game of the section playoff.