- Julius was the best known player in the ABA when the ABA-NBA merger joined it with the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1976 season.
- Julius Erving and his New York Nets teammates won the ABA championship in 1976.
- Erving was the ABA MVP in 1976.
- Julius Erving and his New York Nets teammates won the ABA championship in 1974.
- His career 1,370 points is still best in school history as of 2006.
- Julius Erving was the subject of a video game, One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird, which was released originally for the Apple II and subsequently for several other systems.
- Erving was the ABA MVP in 1974.
- Erving was married to Turquoise Erving from 1972 until 2003. Together, they had four children. Their son, Cory, drowned after driving his vehicle into a pond in 2000.
- Julius Erving was an All-American in 1971.
- Erving was an All-American in 1970.
- His "Dr. J" nickname is one of the best known in basketball.
- Julius Erving and his Philadelphia 76er teammates won the NBA World Champion in 1983.
- Julius was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team and in 1993 was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon was a Nigerian American professional basketball player.
- Hakeem Olajuwon led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.
- Olajuwon is considered one of the greatest centers ever to play the game.
- 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 blocked shots.
- In 1994 Olajuwon became the only player in NBA history to win MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season.
- Hakeem Olajuwon was the first foreign-born player to win the league's MVP award.
- Olajuwon became a naturalized American citizen after the 1993 season.
- In addition to English, Olajuwon is fluent in French, Arabic, and the Nigerian languages of Yoruba and Ekiti. "Olajuwon" translates to "always being on top" in Yoruba.
- One of the 4 players in NBA history to have ever recorded a quadruple-double.
- All-time leader in blocked shots. (note: the NBA did not keep statistics for blocked shots until the 1973-74 season)
- Olajuwon is also in the top ten in blocks, scoring, rebounding, and steals. He is the only player in NBA history placed in the top ten for all four categories.
- All-time NBA Playoffs leader in total blocks with 472 and blocks per game with 3.3 per game.
- In 1989, Olajuwon had 282 blocks and 218 steals, becoming the only NBA player to record over 200 blocks and 200 steals in a season.
- Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Kobe's nine-game scoring streak of at least 40 points per game in 2003 matched one of equal length by Michael Jordan in the 1986-87 campaign.
- He is a twelve-time member of the All-NBA team and ten-time All-Defensive team, and is the youngest player ever to receive defensive honors.
- Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were both named First Team All-NBA after the 2001-02 season. They became the first tandem to be honored as such since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in 1996.
- Kobe Bryant led the NBA in free throws made in 2005-06.
- Kobe develops new moves in the off-season by playing against his shadow.
- In 2004-05, Kobe became the youngest player to score 14,000 points, surpassing Michael Jordan.
- Kobe Bryant changed from #8 to #24 before the 2006-07 season.
- Kobe was named First Team All-NBA and First Team All-Defensive for the fourth time each in 2006.
- Kobe Bryant breaks in a new pair of basketball shoes every three or four games.
- In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault at a hotel in Edwards, Colorado, by a hotel employee. Bryant admitted an adulterous sexual encounter with the accuser, but denied the sexual assault allegation. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser informed them that she was unwilling to testify.
- Kobe got his name from a Japanese steakhouse in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia. His father liked the sound of the name.
- In 2010, Bryant became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history.
- Karl Malone was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
- Karl Anthony Malone is an American former professional basketball player.
- Karl Malone spent his first 18 seasons (1985–2003) as the star player for the Utah Jazz.
- On May 30, 2007, Karl Malone was named director of basketball promotions and assistant strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, Louisiana Tech University.
- First all-time in defensive rebounds, and second all-time on the NBA career scoring list, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
- Malone's daughter, Cheryl Ford, plays for the Detroit Shock in the WNBA, and was a key component of their WNBA Championship team in 2003.
- Malone's jersey was retired on March 23, 2006, when the Jazz hosted the Washington Wizards.
- Played 1412 games with Stockton, the most for any pair of teammates in NBA history.
- Both Malone and Stockton were selected to be a part of the Dream Team, the legendary 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball team that was the first to feature professional NBA players. He won Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996.
- Voted in 1996 to the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list.
- Karl Malone won NBA Most Valuable Player Award twice (1997 and 1999).
- Recorded a record-eleven consecutive seasons in which he scored at least 2,000 points.
- Got in a feud with Kobe Bryant during the 2003-2004 season when Bryant's wife claimed that Malone made an offensive pass at her. Malone stated that the pass was simply a joke.
- Voted an All-Star 14 times. MVP of the All-Star game in 1989 and co-MVP in 1993 with Stockton.
- Karl Malone is an avid hunter and fisherman. He owns a summer home in Kenai, Alaska.
- The first time Malone went to Utah (in a high school game) he thought it was a European country.
- Karl Malone is a registered Republican who has made contributions to the campaign of George W. Bush and other conservative causes.
- Malone was well-known for mumbling something incomprehensible before each free throw.
- His jersey number (#32) was retired by the Utah Jazz on March 23, 2006.
- Oscar Robertson was born Nov. 24, 1938 to Mazell and Bailey Robertson in Charlotte, Tenn.
- Oscar P. Robertson, the "Big O," is the player against whom all others labeled "all-around" are judged.
- Oscar Robertson is a retired guard who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks.
- Although John Stockton and Magic have surpassed Robertson's career record of 9,887 assists, some argue that Robertson's total came in an era when an assist was credited much less generously than it is today.
- During his 14-year career, Robertson won an NBA title and a league MVP.
- During his 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks, Robertson became the top-scoring guard of all time, amassing 26,710 points.
- Oscar Robertson was also a 12-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA selection.
- At 6' 5" and 210 pounds, Robertson was the first "big guard."
- Oscar Robertson is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season.
- Robertson married Yvonne Crittinden. He has two daughters, Shane Yvonne and Tia Elaine.
- "He is so great-he scares me," Celtics Coach Red Auerbach once said.
- Oscar Robertson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980 and is a member of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
- He was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1960-61.
- Oscar Robertson began playing basketball at the age of six.
- He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
- Oscar Robertson was the first pick in the 1960 NBA draft.
- Robertson is the owner of the Cincinnati-based chemical company, Orchem.
- After he retired as an active player, Robertson worked as a color commentator with CBS during the 1974-75 season.
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| Larry Bird |
- Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player.
- He is married to Dinah Mattingly.
- The band Dispatch has a song called "Just Like Larry" about Larry Bird, who is their hometown hero from his days as a member of the Boston Celtics.
- He was head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000.
- Larry Bird has 4 brothers and 1 sister.
- Prior to attending Indiana State University, Bird married his high school girlfriend, Janet Condra. The marriage lasted only 11 months, but produced a daughter, Corrie, born on August 14, 1977.
- Larry Bird went to Indiana State for college.
- In 2009, Boston University awarded Larry an Honorary Degree; Doctor of Letters.
- He played 13 seasons for the Boston Celtics.
- Larry Bird was the 1979 College Player of the Year for Indiana State University.
- Larry Bird was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
- Olympic gold medalist (1992).
- Bird has appeared in three movies, Blue Chips, released in 1994 by Paramount, the Warner Brothers film Space Jam with Michael Jordan and Bill Murray in 1996, and Celtic Pride with Dan Aykroyd, Daniel Stern, and Damon Wayans, which was also released in 1996.
- Larry Bird was elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.
- NBA Rookie of the Year (1980)
- He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1978. (sixth overall)
- Due to back problems, he retired as a player from the NBA in 1992.
- In a phone commercial when Larry Bird tells Tweety Bird that they are not related, Tweety not only comments on them having the same last name but that they "look an awful lot alike".
- In 2003, Bird assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, which he currently holds.
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| Tim Duncan |
Interesting facts
- Timothy "Tim" Theodore Duncan is a Virgin Islander American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
- Duncan is the current captain of the Spurs.
- Tim Duncan has won the NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA Most Valuable Player Award twice, and has been voted into 12 NBA All-Star Games, 13 All-NBA Teams, and 13 All-Defensive Teams.
- Off the court, Tim Duncan is known for his quiet and unassuming ways, as well as his active philanthropy.
- Duncan holds an honors degree in psychology.
- Duncan nickname: "The Big Fundamental"
- Tim Duncan is considered one of the most consistent players in the NBA.
- Because of his versatility and success, basketball experts have spoken of Duncan as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, while coach Popovich and team-mates Parker and Ginóbili have also credited much of San Antonio's success to him.
- Duncan's detractors, however, label him as "boring" because of his simple but effective style of play.
- Following his first championship ring in 1999, Sports Illustrated described him as a "quiet, boring MVP", a characterization which persists today.
- Duncan is one of only four players to receive All-NBA First Team honors in each of his first eight seasons (1998–2005), along with Hall of Famers Bob Pettit (ten seasons), Larry Bird (nine seasons), and Oscar Robertson (nine seasons).
- Tim Duncan has two older sisters, Cheryl and Tricia.
- Tim Duncan is the only player in NBA history to receive All-NBA and All-Defensive honors in his first 13 seasons (1997–98 to 2009–10).
- Duncan married his wife Amy in 2001, and the couple had their first child, daughter Sydney, in the summer of 2005, and a second child, a son, during the summer of 2007.
- An avid video game player, he acknowledges a certain joy of playing "himself" on basketball video games.
- Duncan also loves Renaissance fairs and the fantasy role playing game Dungeons and Dragons.
Interesting facts
- Bill Russell was born February 12, 1924, in Monroe, La., but moved to Detroit, and then on to Oakland during his boyhood.
- At San Francisco University, the 6'9" Russell and guard K. C. Jones led the Dons to 60 straight wins, a record not surpassed until 1972 by UCLA.
- Bill Russell claimed a gold medal in the 1956 Olympic Games at Melbourne.
- Bill Russell has been married twice, first to Dorothy Anstett and then to Rose Swisher, a former Miss USA. He has no children from his first marriage, but has three from his second marriage.
- In Russell's 13 seasons (1956-1969), Boston won 11 NBA championships.
- During his career, Bill Russell took 21,721 rebounds and led the league 4 times. He corralled 51 rebounds in one game, 49 twice. Russell was All-Pro 1st team 3 times, league MVP 5 times, and participated in 12 All-Star games.
- His duels with Wilt Chamberlain will be talked about as long as the game is played. Their rivalry turned bitter in later years, and neither would utter a kind word about the other.
- Bill Russell championed black causes and racial harmony. He exuded warmth and possessed an infectious, high-pitched cackle, but refused to sign autographs, considering it too impersonal.
- Bill Russell was consider the greatest player of all time until Michael Jordan.
- After retiring, he became a commentator for ABC sports, and a lecturer on college campuses.
- NCAA Most Outstanding Player (1955).
- Enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, 1975.
- NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969).
- Holds career playoff record for most rebounds (4,104, 24.9 rpg) in 165 games.
- Celtics retired his jersey number 6.
- As head coach, Bil Russell compiled a 341-290 record (.540) in eight seasons.
- Named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated (1968).
- Wilt Chamberlain was the Golden State Warriors franchise all-time leading scorer, with 17,783 points.
- Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain (August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Wilt Chamberlain never fouled out of a game in his NBA career.
- Wilt Chamberlain, with the Philadelphia 76ers, won his first NBA title, when they defeated his former team, the San Francisco Warriors, and finally defeating the Boston Celtics.
- In his 1991 biography, A View From Above, Wilt Chamberlain wrote that he had had sex with approximately 20,000 women.
- Wilt Chamberlain played for the Harlem Globetrotters in the 1958-1959 NBA season.
- Wilt Chamberlain is 7 foot, 2 inches tall.
- Wilt's trademark is a gentle giant.
- Wilt Chamberlain became the first player to be named MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season. Wes Unseld was able to do it in 1969.
- Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game in the 1962 NBA season, his career-best.
- Wilt Chamberlain played a season with the Harlem Globetrotters before he was able to join the Philadelphia Warriors as the third pick in the NBA Draft.
- Wilt Chamberlain led the league in scoring, with 37.6 points per game and 27.0 rebounds per game in the 1960-1961 season, just his first season.
- Wilt Chamberlain led the Jayhawks to the 1957 championship game, although they lost 54-53 in triple overtime.
- Wilt Chamberlain earned All-American honors twice.
- Wilt Chamberlain usually was able to score over 50 points and had over 20 rebounds per game.
- Wilt Chamberlain played at Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia, and also played two years for the University of Kansas.
- Wilt Chamberlain was able to score 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962, setting an NBA record.
- Wilt Chamberlain was one of the greatest NBA players in history.
- Chamberlain was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
- Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6, 1972), nicknamed "Shaq", is an American professional basketball player. Standing 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he is one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA.
- Shaquille O'Neal played in fourteen straight NBA All-Star Games. He was in the 1993 to 2007 NBA All-Star Games.
- Shaquille O'Neal had 17,952 field goal attempts, and has made 10,422 field goals throughout his entire pro basketball career.
- Shaquille was listed at #25 in Forbes magazine's Celebrity 100 of 2007.
- Shaq has been a All-Star MVP twice. They were during the 1999-2000 NBA All-Star Game, and the 2003-2004 NBA All-Star Game.
- Shaquille O'Neal has his own ESPN original show. It's called Shaquille. The show focuses on Shaq and his family.
- Shaq is on the cover of the video game, NBA 2K7.
- Shaquille O'Neal graduated from the University of Phoenix with an MBA in 2005.
- Shaquille O'Neal was chosen in 1996 as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
- Shaq became a reserve police officer in Miami.
- Shaquille O'Neal won an Olympic Gold Medal in men's basketball in 1996.
- Shaq's name means "Little Warrior" in Arabic.
- Shaquille O'Neal was the first player selected in the 1992 NBA Draft.
- Shaquille O'Neal is 7'1' tall and weighs 325 pounds.
- Shaq's shoe size is 22 (US).
- Shaquille O'Neal signed the then-richest contract in sports history, a seven-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $120 million on July 18, 1996.
- Magic Johnson is the youngest player to ever be named the NBA Finals MVP.
- Earvin got his nickname of "Magic" from a newspaper reporter after scoring 36 points collecting 16 rebounds and dishing out 16 assists in one game as a 15-year-old.
- Magic Johnson was named Most Valuable Player in the 1978 NCAA Championship.
- Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996 to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.
- Magic Johnson was named head coach of the Lakers for the final 16 games of the 1993-94 NBA season.
- Magic Johnson had a team single-game record of 24 assists three times for the Lakers.
- Magic Johnson had 138 triple-doubles in his playing career.
In 1981 Magic Johnson signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for 25 years for $25 million dollars. It became the longest player contract in the history of sports.
- The Lakers retired Magic's number 32 on February 16, 1992.
- In 2001 the NBA established the Magic Johnson Award. It is given to the NBA player who combines excellence on the court with outstanding cooperation with the media and fans.
- Magic Johnson stood 6'9" which made him the tallest point guard in NBA history.
- Magic's flashy style of play became known as "showtime".
- Magic was a 3-time NBA MVP winning the award in the 1986-87, 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.
- Magic Johnson was named to the All-NBA First Team nine times.
- Magic was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 2002.
- Magic Johnson won the NBA Finals MVP Award three times, 1980, 1982 and 1987.
- Magic Johnson became the first rookie to ever win the NBA Finals MVP Award as he moved from point guard to center due to an injury to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
- Magic Johnson retired on May 14, 1996 with the All-Time NBA record of 10,141 assists.
While playing for the Lakers Magic Johnson and his teammates won the NBA championship 5 times.
- Magic Johnson was a member of the "Dream Team" that won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1992.
- Magic Johnson was named to the All-Star team 12 times in his career.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born in April 16, 1947.
- His high school team won 71 consecutive games.
- During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored more points than any other player in league history, won six NBA championships and a record six regular season MVP Awards.
- Lew Alcindor (Abdul-Jabbar) was raised as a Catholic and attended St. Jude School in the Inwood section of Manhattan, but later converted to Islam.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the son of Cora Lillian, a department store price checker, and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Sr, a transit police officer and jazz musician.
- During his college career, Alcindor was twice named Player of the Year (1967, 1969).
- Lew Alcindor played three seasons for the UCLA Bruins from 1966-67 to 1968-69 under coach John Wooden, contributing to the team's three-year record of 88 wins and only two losses.
- Michael Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, 1st round, 3rd overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.
- In the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, Spain, Michael Jordan was part of the U.S. basketball team, named the "Dream Team". Along with him were Scottie
Pippen, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. They won the gold medal making this Jordan's second gold medal in the Olympics.
- His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."
- Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984.
- During game two of the 1985-1986 playoffs against the Boston Celtics, Michael Jordan set the record for the most points scored in a playoff game. He made a total of 63 points in a double-overtime loss.
- In 1991, Jordan won his first NBA championship with the Bulls.
- Michael Jordan enjoys playing golf.
