1.
New York City
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The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
2.
Elvin Hayes
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Elvin Ernest Hayes is an American retired professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBAs 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, a quiet, introverted youth, Hayes first picked up a basketball in eighth grade, by accident. He was wrongly blamed for playing a prank and was sent to the principals office. But another teacher, Reverend Calvin, saw Hayes and said he was welcome in his class, although the youngster showed no inclination for any sports, Calvin thought he would benefit by playing basketball and put him on the school team. Hayes was so clumsy, however, that he evoked laughter with his attempts at shooting and dribbling. But young Hayes was determined to improve, and during the summers he practiced long hours, as a 65 ninth grader he was a benchwarmer on the junior varsity squad at Britton High School when he became determined to crack the starting lineup. I was too weak to shoot the turnaround then, Hayes recalled, in Hayess senior year, 1963–64, he led Britton to the state championship, averaging 35 points during the regular season. In the championship game he picked up 45 points and 20 rebounds, Hayes and Don Chaney were the University of Houstons first Black American basketball players in 1966. In 1966, Hayes led the Cougars into the Western Regional semi-finals of the 1966 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament before losing to the Pac-8 champion Oregon State Beavers, in 1967, he led the Cougars to the Final Four of the 1967 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament. He would attempt 31 field goals, and score 25 points and 24 rebounds in a loss to the eventual champion UCLA Bruins featuring Lew Alcindor. His rebounding total is second to Bill Russells Final Four record of 27, on January 20,1968, the Big E and the Houston Cougars faced Lew and the UCLA Bruins in the first-ever nationally televised regular season college basketball game. That game helped Hayes earn The Sporting News College Basketball Player of the Year, one month later, he grabbed a career-high 37 rebounds in a game against Centenary on February 10. In the rematch to the Game of the Century, Hayes faced Alcindor and he was held to 10 points, losing to Alcindor and the Bruins 101-69 in the semi-final game. For his college career, Hayes averaged 31.0 points per game and 17.2 rebounds per game and he has the most rebounds in NCAA tournament history at 222. While a student at Houston, Hayes was initiated into the Alpha Nu Omega Chapter of the Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, with his departure from college Hayes was selected as the first overall selection in both the 1968 NBA draft and 19681968 ABA draft. He was taken by the San Diego Rockets and the Houston Mavericks, respectively. Hayes joined the NBA with the San Diego Rockets in 1968 and went on to lead the NBA in scoring with 28.4 points per game, averaged 17.1 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. Hayes scoring average is the fifth best all-time for a rookie and he scored a career-high 54 points against the Detroit Pistons on November 11 of 1968
3.
Houston Rockets
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The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its games at the Toyota Center, located in downtown Houston. The Rockets have won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles, the team was established as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego, in 1967. In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston, the Rockets won only 15 games in their debut season as a franchise in 1967. In the 1968 NBA draft, the Rockets, picking first overall, selected power forward Elvin Hayes, the Rockets did not finish a season with a winning record until the 1976–77 season, when they traded for center Moses Malone. Malone went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player award twice and he also led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981 where they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird and future Rockets coach Kevin McHale. In 1984, the Rockets drafted center Hakeem Olajuwon, who would be paired with 7 feet 4 inches Ralph Sampson, nicknamed the Twin Towers, they led the team to the 1986 NBA Finals—the second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history—where Houston was again defeated by the Boston Celtics. The Rockets continued to reach the playoffs throughout the 1980s, Rudy Tomjanovich took over as head coach midway through the 1991–92 season, ushering in the most successful period in franchise history. Olajuwon-led Rockets went to the 1994 NBA Finals and won franchises first championship against Patrick Ewing, Houston became the lowest-seeded team in NBA history to win the title. After Yaos early retirement in 2011, the Rockets entered a period of rebuilding, the acquisition of franchise player James Harden in 2012 has launched the Rockets back into championship contention in the mid-2010s. The Rockets, under general manager Daryl Morey, are notable for popularizing the use of advanced statistical analytics in player acquisitions and style of play. The Rockets were founded in 1967 in San Diego by Robert Breitbard, Breitbard brought in Jack McMahon, then coach of the Cincinnati Royals, to serve as the Rockets coach and general manager. The Rockets lost 67 games in their season, which was an NBA record for losses in a season at the time. Because of the low performance and attendance, Breitbard looked to sell the team, and in 1971, Texas Sports Investments bought the franchise for $5.6 million, and moved the team to Houston. The franchise became the first NBA team in Texas, and the nickname Rockets took on greater relevance after the move. It was also around this time that the Rockets would unveil their classic yellow and red logo, winter left soon after, being fired in January 1973 following a ten-game losing streak, and was replaced by Johnny Egan. Egan led the Rockets back to the playoffs in 1975, where the franchise also managed to win their first round against the New York Knicks, subsequently losing to the veteran Boston Celtics in 5 games
4.
1967 NBA draft
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The 1967 NBA draft was the 21st annual draft of the National Basketball Association. The draft was held on May 3 and 4,1967 before the 1967–68 season, in this draft,12 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U. S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his class graduated. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Detroit Pistons won the flip and were awarded the first overall pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Five teams that had the best records in season were not awarded second round draft picks. The draft consisted of 20 rounds comprising 162 players selected, Jimmy Walker from Providence College was selected first overall by the Detroit Pistons. Earl Monroe from Winston-Salem State University, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was drafted second by the Baltimore Bullets, Monroe, fifth pick Walt Frazier and ninth pick Mel Daniels have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. They were also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the leagues 50th anniversary in 1996, Monroe and Frazier both won the NBA championship with the Knicks in 1973. Three seasons earlier in 1970, Frazier was also a member of the Knicks team that won the NBA championship for the first time. Frazier was selected to seven All-NBA Teams, six All-Star Games and seven All-Defensive Teams, while Monroe was selected to one All-NBA Team, Walker and 19th pick Bob Rule are the only other players from this draft who have been selected to an All-Star Game. Daniels, the 9th pick, opted to play in the American Basketball Association with the Minnesota Muskies and he won the ABA Most Valuable Player Award twice and was selected to five All-ABA Teams and seven ABA All-Star Games. He later played one season in the NBA with the New York Nets after the ABA–NBA merger, after his playing career, he became a coach for the Indiana Pacers and served two games as their interim head coach in 1988. Pat Riley, the 7th pick, and Phil Jackson, the 17th pick, Riley won five NBA championships as head coach, four with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and one with the Miami Heat in 2006. He also won the Coach of the Year Award for a three times, tied with Don Nelson. Jackson won eleven NBA championships, the most in NBA history and he led the Chicago Bulls to win three straight championships twice over separate three year periods, during 1991–1993 and 1996–1998
5.
1969 NBA draft
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The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association. The draft was held on April 7,1969, and May 7,1969, in this draft,14 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U. S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his class graduated. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Milwaukee Bucks won the flip and were awarded the first overall pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The Los Angeles Lakers were awarded an extra draft pick as settlement of the Rudy LaRusso trade to the San Francisco Warriors. The draft consisted of 20 rounds comprising the selection of 218 players, kareem Abdul-Jabbar from the University of California, Los Angeles was selected first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. He went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and was selected to both All-NBA Second Team and All-Star Game in his first season, the following season, the Bucks acquired former first overall pick Oscar Robertson from the Cincinnati Royals. They led the Bucks to a league-best 66 win in regular season, the Bucks then beat the Baltimore Bullets in the Finals to win their first NBA championship, in only their third season. In that season, Abdul-Jabbar also won the Most Valuable Player Award and he went on to win five more NBA championships in the 1980s with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he teamed up with Magic Johnson, the first pick in 1979. He also won another Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 1985 and he won a total of six Most Valuable Player Award, the most in the history of the NBA. He also held the record for the most All-Star Game selections with 19, furthermore, he was selected to eleven All-Defensive Teams, the second most selections. He retired as all–time league scoring leader with 38,387 points, for his achievements, he has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the leagues 50th anniversary in 1996, Jo Jo White, the ninth pick, won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in 1974 and 1976. He was named as the Finals Most Valuable Player in latter and he was selected to two All-NBA Teams and seven All-Star Games. 45th pick Bob Dandridge won two NBA championships with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 and with the Washington Bullets in the 1978 and he was selected to one All-NBA Team and four All-Star Games
6.
1968 NBA Expansion Draft
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The 1968 NBA Expansion Draft was the fourth expansion draft of the National Basketball Association. The draft was held on May 6,1968, so that the newly founded Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee and Phoenix had been awarded the expansion teams on January 22,1968. In an NBA expansion draft, new NBA teams are allowed to acquire players from the established teams in the league. Not all players on a team are available during an expansion draft. In this draft, each of the twelve other NBA teams had protected seven players from their roster, after each round, where each the Suns and the Bucks had selected one player, the existing teams added another player to their protected list. The draft continued until both teams had selected eighteen unprotected players each, while the teams had lost three players each. The Milwaukee Bucks were formed and owned by a group of headed by Wesley Pavalon and Marvin Fishman. The Bucks were the second NBA team from Milwaukee, after the Milwaukee Hawks, prior to the expansion draft, Costello retired from playing due to injury and was named as the franchises first head coach. Ten players from the expansion draft joined the Bucks for their inaugural season, jon McGlocklin, who played eight seasons with the Bucks, was named to the 1969 All-Star Game, becoming the franchises first All-Star. He was the player from the expansion draft that was on the Bucks team that won the NBA championship in 1971. Embry was later inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor, the Phoenix Suns were formed and owned by a group of investors headed by Richard Bloch. Former Chicago Bulls head coach and 1967 Coach of the Year Johnny Kerr was named as the franchises first head coach, the Suns selections included territorial picks Gail Goodrich and George Wilson. Eight players from the expansion draft joined the Suns for their inaugural season, john Wetzel was the ninth player from the expansion draft to play for the Suns. He made his first appearance in 1970 after serving in the military for two years, Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale were named to the 1969 All-Star Game, becoming the franchises first All-Stars. Van Arsdale played nine seasons with the Suns and became the Suns franchise leader in games played when he retired in 1977, Goodrich played two seasons with the Suns and was later inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player
7.
National Basketball Association
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The National Basketball Association is the major mens professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be the premier mens professional basketball league in the world. It has 30 teams, and is a member of USA Basketball. The NBA is one of the four professional sports leagues in the United States. NBA players are the worlds best paid athletes by average annual salary per player, the league was founded in New York City on June 6,1946, as the Basketball Association of America. The league adopted the name National Basketball Association on August 3,1949, the leagues several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, the Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1,1946, in Toronto, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, the first basket was made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers. During its early years, the quality of play in the BAA was not significantly better than in competing leagues or among leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For instance, the 1948 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won that leagues 1948 title, Following the 1948–49 season, the BAA took in the remainder of the NBL, Syracuse, Anderson, Tri-Cities, Sheboygan, Denver, and Waterloo. The new league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as arenas and smaller gymnasiums. The process of contraction saw the leagues smaller-city franchises move to larger cities, the Hawks shifted from the Tri-Cities to Milwaukee in 1951, and then to St. Louis in 1955. The Rochester Royals moved from Rochester, New York, to Cincinnati in 1957, japanese-American Wataru Misaka broke the NBA color barrier in the 1947–48 season when he played for the New York Knicks. He remained the only player in league history prior to the first African-American, Harold Hunter. During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships, to encourage shooting and discourage stalling, the league introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954. If a team does not attempt to score a goal within 24 seconds of obtaining the ball, play is stopped. In 1957, rookie center Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics, who already featured guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, and went on to lead the club to eleven NBA titles in thirteen seasons. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league with the Warriors in 1959 and became a dominant individual star of the 1960s, russells rivalry with Chamberlain became one of the greatest rivalries in the history of American team sports. The 1960s were dominated by the Celtics, led by Russell, Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, Boston won eight straight championships in the NBA from 1959 to 1966
