The view of a fan

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I read a writers account, he listed his Top 10 All-Time NBA players who changed the game. I decided to list my own list, keep in mind this was not the best scorer, rebounder or assist person. It wasn’t the best defender it should be that player who “Changed the Game.” The following names are not in any order, a 1 or 2 sentence behind their name provides you the why I believe they changed the game. Once I began compiling MY list I discovered it was impossible for me to limit the count to only 10 so I took liberty and added 2 additional players. In addition they are not listed in order of ranking:

Hakeem Olajuwon-He wasn’t the first player from the African continent but still the best. I believe this two-time NBA champion may have been the driving force behind the NBA developing talent from the continent. In addition seeing his success caused little boys there to emulate Olajuwon.

Michael Jordan-He was the driving force behind all those championship Bulls teams, few were as driven to win as MJ was. At present Scottie Pippen has attempted to downplay MJ’s will on those teams, don’t believe it. It’s difficult to measure a will to win however it’s been said he never wanted to lose at ANYTHING.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar-The Captain and his skyhook, rarely did he miss the shot when taken. What I fail to understand is why no younger players decided to consider the unblockable shot. The dunk was banned in college basketball during it time.

Bill Russell-The Celtics were already a successful team before Russell joined. After his arrival, the team achieved even greater championship success, his presence playing a significant role. Russell set the tone for later centers how to play effect defense in the NBA, nobody played it like him. “I can’t block every shot but I can make them think I can.”

Magic Johnson-Before Johnson, guards typically ranged from 6 feet to 6 feet 5 inches in height. Johnson was one of the first point guards with the size (6-9) to also play forward or center. He played four positions in the 1980 NBA championship game which contributed to the Lakers' success playing guard, forward and center.

Wilt Chamberlain-Chamberlain contributed to the NBA's transition toward increased prominence. Known for his rebounding and scoring abilities, he influenced rule changes such as adjustments to the width of the key. His exploits have become legendary, his 100 point scoring game…his 55 rebound game. The 1961-62 season saw him average 50.4 points a game.

LeBron James-Entering the NBA at age 19, maybe no one with the exception of Wilt Chamberlain came into the league Day One ready to play at this level without playing in college. James has had a long career playing at the top at age 41, in addition he is the league’s all-time leading scorer.

Steph Curry-Curry is recognized for his exceptional shooting, which has influenced NBA offensive strategies by increasing the emphasis on perimeter scoring. He like Allen Iverson was a shoot first point guard, unlike Iverson Curry was able to lead his Warriors team to numerous championships.

Oscar Robertson-Robertson is noted for being the first player to average a triple-double over the course of an NBA season. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing over 200 pounds, he brought physical strength to the guard position. It’s difficult to comprehend, nearly 27,000 points scored without benefit of a 3-point line.

Kobe Bryant-Bryant entered the NBA directly from high school and is frequently cited among the most accomplished players to do so. His extensive career including NBA championships provide evidence he was a game changer, there is probably no player with the work ethic of Bryant.

Larry Bird-Bird was known for his versatile skills, including shooting, rebounding, and free throws, as well as for his competitive style of play. Not the swiftest player on the court he still managed to hold his own with many of the NBA stars of his era.

Allen Iverson-There is no way to probably leave the toughest player in the NBA off this list, 6 feet and 155 pounds. AI of the ‘Killer Crossover,’ he didn’t invent the move it was actually Tim Hardaway. AI took it to another level thus he became a game changer for the NBA.

I said the Top 10 performers who changed the NBA, unfortunately anytime a list of this type is compiled someone is omitted. This is not intentional at least on my part, based on this fact I am adding two names for a total of 12 players who changed the game. Even with that number I’m leaving off one or maybe two players worthy of being added to this list. Question, did you include any above on your list?

Meanwhile…

“Do not buy a Bugatti right away,” those were the words of Kelly Flagg to her son Cooper, what I found interesting the two are not that far apart with their idea of how much should be spent on a vehicle. Mama Flagg says the maximum amount he should spend is $180,000, Cooper indicates his figure is $200,000. He will earn $28,000,000 from his New Balance and Fanatics contracts, I don’t have the dollar amount for his Mavs rookie contract. As you read just a short time ago I don’t detail NBA player contracts. In any event my guess is Cooper will listen to his mom and will be prudent with his spending. I realize the NFL is tuning up for its start however I can hardly wait to see Flagg and others in action.

History indicates the Celtics lead the NBA in championships with 18. The number is correct, however, do they actually lead the NBA in the number of championship wins? I am going to entertain a coaches challenge at this point and say the Celtics are tied with the Lakers, you might say how is that possible?  Check this out, the Lakers won the 1948 National Basketball League championship (NBL) before moving to the Basketball Association of America. In the BAA the Lakers won the 1949 championship, later during the summer of 1949 the two leagues merged and formed the National Basketball Association or NBA. 

The road leading to the 2026 NCAA Championship would appear to be quite a mix of teams. As an example ESPN places Purdue in the top slot, the defending champion Florida Gators in second place. In the CBS Sports poll St. John’s is in first and Houston in second, USA Today places the Houston Cougars as the number one team in the nation followed by the Duke Blue Devils. On3.com has Purdue in first, Houston in second place. Finally we close with SI.com, which places Houston in the top position followed by Purdue number two. As you can see each of these dot com sites believe they have knowledge to which team will be crowned the 2026 champion, the only question is which one. Will that champion be from Purdue, Houston, Duke or an unnamed team? 

They never fouled out 

A few reading this might be aware Wilt Chamberlain never fouled out of an NBA game. He played 14 years in the NBA for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers. Chamberlain averaged 48.5 minutes a game throughout those 14 years and 1,205 games. Once reading this fan letters begin pouring in from fans. “He couldn’t have been playing too much defense if he never fouled out.” During his playing career the NBA didn’t track blocked shots so we can only guess the number, it’s estimated he averaged 8.8 blocked shots a game during his career. I was aware of the Chamberlain record however the other names were a surprise to me, the following are names that might be a surprise to you as well. 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr played in 1,038 games without fouling out, unlike Chamberlain he was a reserve player however the number of games remains noteworthy. The other former player’s name is lesser known, he is Antonio Daniels. Daniels played for 6 NBA teams during his career, unlike Kerr he was a starter at a number of these stops, he played 952 games without fouling out. The last name on the list is a surprise to me as well, it’s Kyrie Irving Mavs guard. Irving’s appeared in 875 games during his time in the NBA and is yet to foul out of a single game. It’s easy for critics to claim they played little defense or something similar. Did game officials miss fouls these individual may have committed…of course that occurred for them and it happens for Kyrie as well. While critics might debate defensive involvement or officiating decisions, these players’ records stand as statistical facts within NBA history.