My brother-in-law got me into the NBA in the late 70s, early 80s. It started with the Statis Pro Basketball board game and playing basketball. This was a time when the NBA Finals were played on tape delay until 1982 so seeing the players names really cemented them for me. We played that game a lot.
Starting in 1979 games were on cable and I was able to start seeing the games consistently. I was hooked. This weekend I purchased the NBA League Pass. A first for me. The grandsons are showing interest in the NBA. I've already toyed with getting a subscription so maybe this helps grow their fandom. I subscribed to Hoops and Basketball Digest magazines for the longest time. Loved both of those.
I also played basketball for a hot second in junior high but I did play a ton of intramural basketball in junior college and in the Air Force. My knees will attest to that. ;)
My favorite teams are the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers. I grew up on TBS, so I became a fan of everything Atlanta. Somehow, and I still don't remember how, I became a fan of Portland even before that. Doesn't matter I'm a true fan of both. Portland won a championship but I can't claim being a fan at the time. I think I remember it but. Still I love that team. My favorite players from each team are Dominique Wilkins and Damian Lillard.
My go to sports site for basketball stats is Basketball Reference .com. I'm a stat geek at I love how easy it is to navigate and all the great information it provides. Hoops Rumors is my go-to for NBA news. Online I'm in simulation leagues on the free site Pennant Chase .com. I'm also a big NBA 2K fan and I'm already playing NBA 2K26. I don't do all the cool things the game offers but I still really enjoy it. I play as an all-time team vs another all-time team. I love playing with all the legends. I'm working to play Statis Pro Basketball again. I really enjoy being able to play players from any era as well as keeping the stats from the games.
I have two Dominique jerseys. The classic Hawks red jersey ('82-'92) and his Team USA jersey. The only other basketball jersey I have is a Buck Williams Nets white jersey ('83-'90). My favorite basketball card sets are 76-77 Topps Tall Boys, 90-91 SkyBox, 91-92 SkyBox and 91-92 Upper Deck.
My best all-time starting 5 is below... Plenty of room to argue. I argue with myself over this all the time. I have Hakeem right there with Kareem. MJ is the GOAT in my book. I've watched him and LeBron play a lot. And it's no knock on LeBron. MJ is just the best player of all-time in my opinion.
My favorite players in the NBA today. The first three are in order. After that it's more fluid. I think Nikola Jokic is the best player in the sport today. He's so fun to watch. Very smart and just seems to be good at everything he does.
My favorite players all-time.
I was a huge basketball fan from the 80's to the late aughts/early 2010's. The Lakers were my favorite team, but I got tired of seeing teams (including them) buying championships. I tried being a Warriors fan, but they became a contender almost immediately with Curry, so it felt like I was just being a bandwagon fan. The solution? Focus on the other sports. These days I don't really have a team, but I'll still collect Lakers and Warriors cards.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite players of all-time were Byron Scott, Eddie Jones, and Kobe Bryant. And I haven't watched enough Lebron to join the all-time debate, but it's insane what he's accomplished. That being said... MJ is one of my favorite non-Lakers to collect.
They are all fun conversations. I love the history of the NBA. We can all be fans in our own way. That's what so fun about sports. Golden State and San Antonio would be next on the teams I like. The Larry Smith, Sleepy Floyd, Purvis Short teams were one I liked along with being a fan of Steph. The Spurs had Artis Gilmore who I really liked, George Gervin, Johnny More, Gene Banks and Mike Mitchell. I liked both.
DeleteBulls fan since the big Bulls/Pistons playoff battles. Can't beat MJ for the Greatest. Thoughts on Fantasy Basketball?
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fantasy basketball guy two. Been doing it on Yahoo since it started with it. Not that good at it but I have managed one championship in all these years.
Delete