Eddie Johnson had a long career in the NBA, spanning from 1981 to 1999. At the end of his career, he had amassed 19,202 points, the 22nd highest total at that point in time, better than all but 30 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees. Yet, during his career, he was never an All-Star, never an All-NBA athlete nor did he win any major awards save for one—the 1989 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. In his many years
With the NBA season over for all but four teams, most around the league are thinking about what to do heading into next season. Naturally, everything starts from the top, and that means the search for quality coaches is on. The Golden State Warriors moved quickly and acquired Steve Kerr on a multi-year deal, while the Detroit Pistons scooped up the much-coveted Stan Van Gundy. There are still plenty of teams around the league looking to fill the vacancy of the
Giannis Antetokounmpo has truly come a long way to be where he is right now: a wide-eyed, just-turned 19-year-old kid who is learning the ropes of being an NBA player in his first season. He came from a poor background – so poor that he actually shared a pair of sneakers with his brother whenever he had to play basketball. He is a fun character and has shown flashes of brilliance so far, so when you read about the road taken
With the trade deadline slowly approaching (next Thursday, to be exact), there are a specific group of players who should concern themselves with the possibility of being dealt. Whether it’s due to the team’s priorities or their own contract situations, there are eight specific players who will come up in plenty of rumors before it is all said and done, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Here are some of the most intriguing thoughts from the piece: Kyle Lowry was supposed to be
The Cleveland Cavaliers are an absolute mess this season, and owner Dan Gilbert has finally had enough. After watching his team suffer a humiliating defeat at home against a depleted Los Angeles Lakers team on Wednesday, Gilbert made the decision to fire general manager Chris Grant, the architect of this currently-disastrous team. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports first reported the news: Gilbert informed Grant of his dismissal late Thursday morning, sources said. Assistant general manager David Griffin will take over as the interim GM,
The Inside the NBA crew took to the airwaves, prior to Thursday night’s game between to the San Antonio Spurs and the Brooklyn Nets, to draft the BBVA Compass Rising Stars teams and announce the entrants in All-Star Saturday’s feature events—the Footlocker Three-Point Shootout and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. First up, the draft—which had some hilarious bickering between co-GMs Chris Webber and Kenny Smith over the first pick of the draft. Webber selected New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis without
It has taken a generation, but the NBA has finally figured out the format for the All-Star Rookie Game. Now known as the Rising Stars Challenge, the league’s midseason showcase for young players didn’t always look this way. And it wasn’t always a good game, either. When the game debuted in 1994, it featured only rookies playing against each other. The teams were called the Phenoms and the Sensations. The following year, the teams were simply called White and Green. Now there’s
The 1997-98 Houston Rockets were a fun bunch. Since winning consecutive championships behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, the Rockets had added a number of veterans to challenge the dynastic Chicago Bulls. The roster included Charles Barkley, Kevin Willis and Eddie Johnson, all thirtysomethings who been around the block a couple of times. In late February, the Rockets arrived in New York for a Sunday matinee against the Knicks. Despite sputtering near .500, they were in high spirits – probably a carryover