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
8.
College basketball
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The history of basketball is traced back to a YMCA International Training School, known today as Springfield College, located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The date of the first formal basketball game played at the Springfield YMCA Training School under Naismiths rules is generally given as December 21,1891, Basketball began to spread to college campuses by 1893. Governing bodies in Canada include U Sports and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, each of these various organizations are subdivided into from one to three divisions based on the number and level of scholarships that may be provided to the athletes. The first basketball games in the United States were played at YMCAs in 1891 and 1892, by 1893, the game was being played on college campuses. The original rules for basketball were very different from todays modern rules of the sport, in the beginning James Naismith established 13 original rules, The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist, a player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, the ball must be held by the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it, no shouldering, holding, pushing, striking, or tripping in any way of an opponent is allowed. A foul will be called when a player is seen striking at the ball with the fist, or when violations of rules 3 and 4, if either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, if the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal. When the ball out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field, the thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent, if any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and he shall have power to disqualify men according to rule 5. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to side it belongs. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals, the time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner, the following is a list of some of the major NCAA Basketball rule changes with the year they went into effect. The first known college to field a team against an outside opponent was Vanderbilt University
9.
Coin flipping
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Coin flipping, coin tossing, or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties. It is a form of sortition which inherently has only two possible and equally likely outcomes, the historical origin of coin flipping is the interpretation of a chance outcome as the expression of divine will. Coin flipping as a game was known to the Romans as navia aut caput, as some coins had a ship on one side, in England, this game was referred to as cross and pile. The expression Heads or Tails results from heads and tails being considered opposite body parts, during a coin toss, the coin is thrown into the air such that it rotates edge-over-edge several times. Either beforehand or when the coin is in the air, an interested party calls heads or tails, the other party is assigned the opposite side. Depending on custom, the coin may be caught, caught and inverted, when the coin comes to rest, the toss is complete and the party who called correctly or was assigned the upper side is declared the winner. It is possible for a coin to land on its edge, however, even on a flat surface it is possible for a coin to land on its edge, with a chance of about 1 in 6000. Angular momentum typically prevents most coins from landing on their edges unsupported if flipped, such cases in which a coin does land on its edge are exceptionally rare and in most cases the coin is simply re-flipped. The coin may be any type as long as it has two sides, it need not be a circulating coin as such. Larger coins tend to be more popular than smaller ones, most high-profile coin tosses use custom-made ceremonial medallions. Three-way coin flips are also possible, by a different process – this can be either to choose two out of three, or to choose one out of three. To choose two out of three, three coins are flipped, and if two coins come up the same and one different, the different one loses, leaving two players. To choose one out of three, either reverse this, or add a regular two-way coin flip between the players as a second step. Note that the flip is 75% likely to work each time it is tried. A legacy of this coin flip was to reduce the use of coin flips to break ties in Texas sports, Coin tossing is a simple and unbiased way of settling a dispute or deciding between two or more arbitrary options. In a game theoretic analysis it provides even odds to both involved, requiring little effort and preventing the dispute from escalating into a struggle. Factors such as direction, the position of the sun. In team sports it is often the captain who makes the call, a competitive method may be used instead of a toss in some situations, for example in basketball the jump ball is employed, while the face-off plays a similar role in ice hockey
10.
Washington Wizards
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The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D. C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its games at the Verizon Center, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington. The team now known as the Wizards began playing as the Chicago Packers in 1961, as the first modern expansion team in NBA history, an expansion prompted by Abe Sapersteins American Basketball League. Rookie Walt Bellamy was the star, averaging 31.6 points per game,19.0 rebounds per game. During the All-Star game, Bellamy represented the team while scoring 23 points, Bellamy was named the league Rookie of the Year, but was the team finished with the NBAs worst record at 18-62. The teams original nickname was a nod to Chicagos meatpacking industry, their home arena, however, it was extremely unpopular since it was the same nickname used by the NFLs Green Bay Packers, bitter rivals of the Chicago Bears. After only one year, the changed its name to the Chicago Zephyrs. Their only season as the Zephyrs boasted former Purdue star Terry Dischinger, in their first year in Baltimore, the Bullets finished fourth in a five–team Western Division. Prior to the 1964–65 NBA season the Bullets pulled off a trade, sending Dischinger, Rod Thorn and Don Kojis to the Detroit Pistons for Bailey Howell, Don Ohl, Bob Ferry. The trade worked out well, Howell proved to be a hustling, in the 1965 NBA Playoffs, the Bullets stunned the St. Louis Hawks 3–1, and advanced to the Western Conference finals. In the finals, Baltimore managed to split the first four games with the Los Angeles Lakers before losing the series 4–2. In the late 1960s, the Bullets drafted two future Hall of Fame members, Earl Monroe, in the 1967 draft, number two overall, and Wes Unseld, in the 1968 draft, also number two overall. The team improved dramatically, from 36 wins the season to 57 in the 1968–69 season. The Bullets reached the playoffs with high expectations to go far, the next season the two teams met again in the first round, and although this one went to seven games, the Knicks emerged victorious again. In the 1970–71 season, the 42–40 Bullets again met the 1970–71 Knicks and they were swept in four games by the powerful Milwaukee Bucks led by future Hall of Fame members Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. Even after the trades of Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson, the Bullets remained a playoff contender throughout the 1970s. Following a less than spectacular 1971–72 season, Baltimore acquired Elvin Hayes from the Houston Rockets and drafted Kevin Porter in the third round, out of St. Francis in Pennsylvania
11.
Milwaukee Bucks
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The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball franchise based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 as a team. The team is valued at $675 million according to Forbes. The Bucks have won one title, two conference titles, and 13 division titles. On January 22,1968, the NBA awarded a franchise to Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. a group headed by Wesley Pavalon, a fan contest was held to name the new team, with over 40,000 fans participating. One fan, R. D. Trebilcox, was awarded a new car for his part in reasoning why the Bucks was a nickname, saying that bucks were spirited, good jumpers, fast. In October, the Bucks played their first NBA regular-season game against the Chicago Bulls before a Milwaukee Arena crowd of 8,467, as is typical with expansion teams, the Bucks first season was a struggle. Their first victory came in their game as the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 134–118. The Bucks record that earned them a coin flip against their expansion cousins. It was a conclusion that the first pick in the draft would be Lew Alcindor of UCLA. The Bucks won the flip, but had to win a bidding war with the upstart American Basketball Association to secure him. Despite the Bucks stroke of fortune in landing Alcindor, no one expected what happened in 1969–70 and they finished with a 56–26 record – a nearly exact reversal of the previous year and good enough for the second-best record in the league, behind the New York Knicks. The 29-game improvement was the best in league history – a record which would stand for 10 years until the Boston Celtics jumped from 29 wins in 1978–79 to 61 in 1979–80. The Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the Eastern semifinals, Alcindor was a runaway selection for NBA Rookie of the Year. The following season, the Bucks got a gift when they acquired Oscar Robertson, known as the Big O. Subsequently, in only their season, the Bucks finished 66–16 – the second-most wins in NBA history at the time. During the regular season, the Bucks recorded a then-NBA record 20-game win streak and they then steamrolled through the playoffs with a dominating 12–2 record, winning the NBA Championship on April 30,1971, by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games
12.
Phoenix Suns
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The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association as a team of the leagues Western Conference Pacific Division. Since 1992, the Suns have played their games at Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown Phoenix. The Suns began play as a team in 1968. The franchise owns the NBAs fourth-best all-time winning percentage, winning 55 percent of its games, as a result, based on their all-time win-loss percentage, the Suns are the team with the highest winning percentage to have never won an NBA championship. The Suns were one of two franchises to join the NBA at the start of the 1968–69 season, alongside the Milwaukee Bucks, the team played its first 24 seasons at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, located northwest of downtown Phoenix. Besides, part of the group were entertainers, such as Andy Williams, Bobbie Gentry and Ed Ames. There were many critics, including then-NBA commissioner J. Walter Kennedy, who said that Phoenix was too hot, too small and they paid an entry fee of $2 million. Suns was preferred over Scorpions, Rattlers, Thunderbirds, Wranglers, Mavericks, Tumbleweeds, Mustangs and Cougars. Stan Fabe, who owned a printing plant in Tucson, designed the teams first iconic logo for a mere $200. However, they were disappointed with the results, in the 1968 NBA Expansion Draft, notable Suns pick-ups were future Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale. Jerry Colangelo, a scout, came over from the Chicago Bulls as the Suns first general manager at the age of 28. Both Goodrich and Van Arsdale were selected to the All-Star Game in their first season with the freshly minted Suns. Goodrich returned to his team, the Lakers, after two seasons with the Suns, but Van Arsdale spent the rest of his playing days as a Sun. The Suns last-place finish that led to a coin flip for the number-one overall pick for the 1969 NBA draft with the expansion-mate Bucks. Milwaukee won the flip, and the rights to draft UCLA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, while the Bucks went on to win the NBA Finals in 1971 and reach the Finals again in 1974, the Suns would not go to the Finals until 1976. The 1969–70 season posted better results for the Suns, finishing 39–43, the next two seasons, the Suns finished with 48- and 49-win seasons, however they did not qualify for the playoffs in either year, and would not reach the playoffs again until 1976. They also drafted center and eventual fan favorite Alvan Adams from the University of Oklahoma, the Suns and Buffalo Braves made a midseason trade, with Phoenix sending forward/center John Shumate to Buffalo in exchange for forward Gar Heard
13.
Atlanta Hawks
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The Atlanta Hawks are a professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association as a team of the leagues Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its games at Philips Arena. The teams origins can be traced to the establishment of the Buffalo Bisons in 1946 in Buffalo, New York, after 38 days in Buffalo, the team moved to Moline, Illinois, where they were renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. In 1949, they joined the NBA as part of the merger between the NBL and the Basketball Association of America, and had Red Auerbach as coach briefly, in 1951, Kerner moved the team to Milwaukee, where they changed their name to the Hawks. Kerner and the team moved again in 1955 to St. Louis, the Hawks played the Boston Celtics in all four of their trips to the NBA Finals. The St. Louis Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968, when Kerner sold the franchise to Thomas Cousins, the Hawks currently own the second-longest drought of not winning an NBA championship at 57 seasons. The franchises lone NBA championship, as well as all four NBA Finals appearances, meanwhile, they went 48 years without advancing past the second round of the playoffs in any format, until finally breaking through in 2015. Much of the failure theyve experienced in the postseason can be traced back to their history in the NBA draft. Since 1980, the Hawks have drafted four players who have been chosen to play in an NBA All-Star Game. Dominique Wilkins was actually selected by the Utah Jazz and traded to the Hawks a few months after the draft, the origins of the Atlanta Hawks can be traced to the Buffalo Bisons franchise, which was founded in 1946. The Bisons were a member of the National Basketball League, the club was organized by the Erie County American Legion and was coached by Nat Hickey. Their first game – a 50–39 victory over the Syracuse Nationals – was played on November 8,1946, on the team was William Pop Gates, who, along with William Dolly King, was one of the first two African-American players in the NBL. The team, which needed to draw 3,600 fans per game to break even struggled to draw 1,000 fans per game to the Auditorium. Upon relocation to Moline, the team was renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and played their games at Wharton Field House. The team featured guard/forward and coach Deanglo King, and was owned by Leo Ferris, Pop Gates remained on the Blackhawks roster, and finished second on the team in scoring behind future 1948 NBL MVP Don Otten. A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member, Gates helped to integrate the league and later become the first African-American coach in a sports league. In 1949 the Blackhawks became one of the National Basketball Associations 17 original teams after a merger of the 12-year-old NBL and they reached the playoffs in the NBAs inaugural year under the leadership of coach Red Auerbach
14.
Atlanta
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Atlanta is the capital of and the most populous city in the U. S. state of Georgia, with an estimated 2015 population of 463,878. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,710,795 people, Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County. In 1837, Atlanta was founded at the intersection of two lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the American Civil War to become a national center of commerce. Atlantas economy is considered diverse, with dominant sectors that include logistics, professional and business services, media operations, Atlanta has topographic features that include rolling hills and dense tree coverage. Revitalization of Atlantas neighborhoods, initially spurred by the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, has intensified in the 21st century, altering the demographics, politics. Prior to the arrival of European settlers in north Georgia, Creek Indians inhabited the area, standing Peachtree, a Creek village located where Peachtree Creek flows into the Chattahoochee River, was the closest Indian settlement to what is now Atlanta. As part of the removal of Native Americans from northern Georgia from 1802 to 1825, the Creek ceded the area in 1821. In 1836, the Georgia General Assembly voted to build the Western, the initial route was to run southward from Chattanooga to a terminus east of the Chattahoochee River, which would then be linked to Savannah. After engineers surveyed various possible locations for the terminus, the zero milepost was driven into the ground in what is now Five Points. A year later, the area around the milepost had developed into a settlement, first known as Terminus, and later as Thrasherville after a merchant who built homes. By 1842, the town had six buildings and 30 residents and was renamed Marthasville to honor the Governors daughter, later, J. Edgar Thomson, Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad, suggested the town be renamed Atlantica-Pacifica, which was shortened to Atlanta. The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as Atlanta on December 29,1847, by 1860, Atlantas population had grown to 9,554. During the American Civil War, the nexus of multiple railroads in Atlanta made the city a hub for the distribution of military supplies, in 1864, the Union Army moved southward following the capture of Chattanooga and began its invasion of north Georgia. On the next day, Mayor James Calhoun surrendered Atlanta to the Union Army, on November 11,1864, Sherman prepared for the Union Armys March to the Sea by ordering Atlanta to be burned to the ground, sparing only the citys churches and hospitals. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Atlanta was gradually rebuilt, due to the citys superior rail transportation network, the state capital was moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868. In the 1880 Census, Atlanta surpassed Savannah as Georgias largest city, by 1885, the founding of the Georgia School of Technology and the citys black colleges had established Atlanta as a center for higher education. In 1895, Atlanta hosted the Cotton States and International Exposition, during the first decades of the 20th century, Atlanta experienced a period of unprecedented growth. In three decades time, Atlantas population tripled as the city expanded to include nearby streetcar suburbs
15.
Houston Cougars men's basketball
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The Houston Cougars mens basketball team represents the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, in the NCAA Division I mens basketball competition. The university is a member of the American Athletic Conference, the team last played in the NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament in 2010 and is tied for eighth in number of Final Four appearances. Although the University of Houston already had a basketball program. During their first two seasons, the won the Lone Star Conference regular season title, and made it to post season play in the NAIA Mens Basketball tournament. The team also appeared in back to years of 1946,1947. The Cougars had an all time NAIA tournament record of 2–2 in 2 years, during Pasches tenure, he posted a 135–116 record. Under his leadership in 1949, the Cougars won the Gulf Coast Conference championship, College Basketball Hall of famer coach Guy V. Lewis played for Pasche, and eventually became an assistant coach before being handed the job upon Alden Pasches retirement. Pasche retired after the 1955–56 season, and Houston assistant Guy Lewis was promoted to the coaching position. Lewis, a former Cougar player, led Houston to 27 straight winning seasons and 14 seasons with 20 or more wins and his Houston teams made the Final Four on five occasions and twice advanced to the NCAA Championship Game. Among the outstanding players who Lewis coached are Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Otis Birdsong, Dwight Jones, Don Chaney, Lewiss UH teams twice played key roles in high-profile events that helped to popularize college basketball as a spectator sport. In 1968, his underdog, Elvin Hayes-led Cougars upset the undefeated and top-ranked UCLA Bruins in front of more than 50,000 fans at Houston’s Astrodome, the game became known as the “Game of the Century” and marked a watershed in the popularity of college basketball. In the early 1980s, Lewiss Phi Slama Jama teams at UH gained notoriety for their fast-breaking and these teams attracted great public interest with their entertaining style of play. Houston lost in both NCAA Final games in which Lewis coached, despite his Phi Slama Jama teams featuring superstars Clyde Drexler, in 1983, Houston lost in a dramatic title game to the North Carolina State Wolfpack on a last-second dunk by Lorenzo Charles. The Cougars lost in the 1984 NCAA Final to the Georgetown Hoyas, Lewis retired from coaching in 1986 at number 20 in all-time NCAA Division I victories, his 592–279 record giving him a.680 career winning percentage. His recruitment of Elvin Hayes and Don Chaney in 1964 ushered in an era of success in Cougar basketball. After 21 years in the Southwest Conference, the Cougars joined Conference USA in 1996, under head coach Alvin Brooks, the basketball program had a disappointing initial season in C-USA. The team went 3–11 against C-USA teams in 1996–97, the next season was even more futile. Brooks, who had led the Cougars since 1993, coached the Cougars to a rock bottom conference record of 2–14 in 1997–98
16.
Wes Unseld
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Westley Sissel Wes Unseld is an American former basketball player. He spent his entire NBA career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988, Unseld starred for the Seneca High School team that won Kentucky state championships in 1963 and 1964. At the University of Louisville in 1965, he played center for the freshman team. Unseld lettered for Louisville as a sophomore, junior, and senior, scored 1,686 points and he led the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding all three years. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and he was one of the best defensive players of his era, and in 1975, he led the NBA in rebounding. The following season, he led the NBA in field goal percentage with a.561 percentage, Unseld took the Bullets franchise to four NBA Finals, and won the championship in 1978 over the Seattle SuperSonics, in which he was named the Finals MVP. He ended his career following the 1980–1981 season, and his #41 jersey was retired by the Bullets shortly thereafter. Unseld was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988, after his retirement in 1981, he moved into a front office position with the Bullets, where he served as vice president for six years before being named head coach in 1987. He resigned following the 1994 season with a 202–345 record, Unseld became Washingtons general manager in 1996 and guided the team to the playoffs once during his tenure. Wes Unselds wife, Connie, opened Unselds School in 1979, a coed private school located in southwest Baltimore, it has a daycare program, nursery school and a kindergarten-to-eighth grade curriculum. Connie and daughter Kimberley serve as teachers at the school and he works as an office manager and head basketball coach. His son, Wes Unseld Jr. is a basketball coach and most recently served as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic. com profile Wes Unseld at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
17.
Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
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The Louisville Cardinals mens basketball team is the mens college basketball program representing the University of Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I. The Cardinals have won three NCAA championships and have been to 10 Final Fours in 42 NCAA tournament appearances while compiling 76 tournament wins, bernard Peck Hickmans 1944 team finished with a 16–3 record and started a string of 46 consecutive winning seasons, which was an NCAA record. Hickman led Louisville to its first championship on a level by winning the NAIB Tournament in 1948. In 1956, led by All-American Charlie Tyra, the Cardinals won the NIT Championship, in 1956 his team was placed on two years probation, to include bans on postseason play, by the NCAA due to recruiting violations. In 1959, Louisville made its first NCAA Final Four appearance behind the play of All-American Don Goldstein, the Cardinals never had a losing season in Hickmans 23 seasons as head coach. He coached 11 20-win teams, appeared in five NCAA tournaments, coached six NIT appearances and finished with a 443–183 overall record, John Dromo was Hickmans assistant for 17 years and succeeded him at head coach in 1967. In four seasons as coach, Dromo led the Cardinals to a 68–23 record. A heart attack during the 1970–71 season forced Dromo to retire and his assistant, Howard Stacey, was named interim head coach for the final 20 games of the season. Denny Crum was hired as coach from his alma mater, UCLA. It was under the guidance of Crum that Louisville became a basketball power. In his first season, he guided the Cardinals to the NCAA Final Four, Overall, Crum had six Final Fours with the Louisville Cardinals. He is fifth all-time in Final Four appearances, the Cardinals won the 1980 NCAA Tournament championship by defeating UCLA 59–54. Six years later, Louisville would overcome Duke 72–69 for a second title, Crum is one of only 11 coaches to win two or more national championships. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1980,1983 and 1986 and he took the Cardinals to 23 NCAA tournaments, where they had an overall record of 43–21. While in the Metro Conference, the Cardinals won 12 regular season titles and 11 tournament championships, in its 19 years of naming a champion, the Metro had Louisville as first or second place 17 times. In 1993, Crum became the second fastest coach to reach 500 wins, Crum was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1994. He retired in 2001 with a record of 675–295 over 30 seasons. He was a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fames inaugural class in 2006, rick Pitino was hired in 2001 after four years as head coach of the Boston Celtics, and previously as head coach of Louisvilles in-state rival, Kentucky
18.
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
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The National Basketball Associations Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given to the top rookie of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, the winner is selected by a panel of United States and Canadian sportswriters and broadcasters, each casting first, second, and third place votes. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, the most recent Rookie of the Year winner is Karl-Anthony Towns. Twenty-one winners were drafted first overall, fourteen winners have also won the NBA Most Valuable Player award in their careers, Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld earning both honors the same season. Nineteen of the forty two non-active winners have been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Three seasons had joint winners—Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie in the 1970–71 season, Grant Hill and Jason Kidd in the 1994–95 season, five players won the award unanimously – Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Prior to the 1952–53 season, the Rookie of the Year was selected by newspaper writers, however, National Basketball Association portal NBA Development League Rookie of the Year Award NBA Rookie of the Month Award General Specific
19.
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
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The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. The winner receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, which is named in honor of the first commissioner of the NBA, until the 1979–80 season, the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since the 1980–81 season, the award is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first to fifth place selections. Each first-place vote is worth 10 points, each vote is worth seven, each third-place vote is worth five. Starting from 2010, one ballot was cast by fans through online voting, the player with the highest point total wins the award. As of May 2016, the current holder of the award is Stephen Curry, every player who has won this award and has been eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has been inducted. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the award a record six times, both Bill Russell and Michael Jordan won the award five times, while Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James won the award four times. Russell and James are the players to have won the award four times in five seasons. Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson each won the three times, while Bob Pettit, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and Stephen Curry have each won it twice. Only two rookies have won the award, Wilt Chamberlain in the 1959–60 season and Wes Unseld in the 1968–69 season. Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria, Tim Duncan of the U. S. Virgin Islands, Steve Nash of Canada, Stephen Curry in 2015–16 is the only player to have won the award unanimously. Shaquille ONeal in 1999–2000 and LeBron James in 2012–13 are the two players to have fallen one vote shy of a unanimous selection, both receiving 120 of 121 votes. Since the 1982–83 season, every winner was from a team won at least 50 games in the regular season that year. Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award NBA Development League Most Valuable Player Award General Specific
20.
Wilt Chamberlain
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Wilton Norman Wilt Chamberlain was an American basketball player. The 7 foot 1 inch Chamberlain weighed 250 pounds as a rookie before bulking up to 275 and he played the center position and is widely considered one of the greatest and most dominant players in NBA history. Chamberlain holds numerous NBA records in scoring, rebounding, and durability categories and he is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season. He also won seven scoring, eleven rebounding, nine field goal percentage titles, Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season, a feat he accomplished seven times. He is also the player to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over the entire course of his NBA career. Chamberlain was known by various nicknames during his playing career. He hated the ones that called attention to his height such as Goliath and Wilt the Stilt and he preferred The Big Dipper, which was inspired by his friends who saw him dip his head as he walked through doorways. Chamberlain was also a businessman, authored several books. He was a bachelor, and became notorious for his claim to have had sexual intercourse with as many as 20,000 women. He was a child, nearly dying of pneumonia in his early years. In his early years Chamberlain was not interested in basketball, because he thought it was a game for sissies, but according to Chamberlain, basketball was king in Philadelphia, so he eventually turned to the sport. According to ESPN journalist Hal Bock, Chamberlain was scary, flat-out frightening, before he came along, most basketball players were mortal-sized men. It was also in this period of his life when his three lifelong nicknames Wilt the Stilt, Goliath, and his favorite, The Big Dipper, were allegedly born. He scored 34 points, won Overbrook the Public League title, in that game, West Catholic quadruple-teamed Chamberlain the entire game, and despite the centers 29 points, the Panthers lost 54-42. In his second Overbrook season, Chamberlain continued his scoring, among them scoring a high school record 71 points against Roxborough. The Panthers comfortably won the Public League title after again beating Northeast in which Chamberlain scored 40 points, Chamberlain scored 32 points and led Overbrook to a flawless 19–0 season. During summer vacations Chamberlain worked as a bellhop in Kutshers Hotel, subsequently, owners Milton and Helen Kutsher kept up a lifelong friendship with Wilt, and according to their son Mark, They were his second set of parents. In Chamberlains third and final Overbrook season, he continued his high scoring, the Panthers won the Public League a third time, beating West Philadelphia 78-60, and in the city championship game, they met West Catholic once again
21.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as the sports most complete library, in addition to promoting and preserving the history of basketball, dedicated to Canadian physician and inventor of the sport James Naismith, it was opened and inducted its first class in 1959. As of the induction of the Class of 2016 on September 9,2016, the Naismith Hall of Fame was established in 1959 by Lee Williams, a former athletic director at Colby College. In the 1960s, the Basketball Hall of Fame struggled to raise money for the construction of its first facility. The Basketball Hall of Fames Board named four inductees in its first year, in addition to honoring those who contributed to basketball, the Hall of Fame sought to make contributions of its own. In 1979, the Hall of Fame sponsored the Tip-Off Classic and this Tip-Off Classic has been the start to the college basketball season ever since, and although it does not always take place in Springfield, Massachusetts, generally it returns every few years. In the 17 years that the original Basketball Hall of Fame operated at Springfield College, the popularity of the Basketball Hall of Fame necessitated that a new facility be constructed, and in 1985, an $11 million facility was built beside the scenic Connecticut River in Springfield. As the new hall opened, it also recognized women for the first time, with such as Senda Berenson Abbott. In 2002, the Basketball Hall of Fame moved again—albeit merely 100 yards south along Springfields riverfront—into a $47 million facility designed by renowned architects Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, the buildings architecture features a metallic silver, basketball-shaped sphere flanked by two similarly symmetrical rhombuses. The dome is illuminated at night and features 80,000 square foot, including numerous restaurants, the second Basketball Hall of Fame was not torn down but rather converted into an LA Fitness health clubs. The current Basketball Hall of Fame features Center Court, a basketball court on which visitors can play. Inside the building there are a gallery, many interactive exhibits, several theaters. A large theater for ceremonies seats up to 300, the honorees inducted in 2002 included the Harlem Globetrotters and Magic Johnson, a five-time NBA champion, three-time NBA finals MVP and Olympic gold medalist. As of 2011, the current Basketball Hall of Fame has greatly exceeded attendance expectations, despite the new facilitys success, a logistical problem remains for the Basketball Hall of Fame and the City of Springfield. Urban planners at universities such as UMass Amherst have called for the I-91 to be moved, in 2010, the Urban Land Institute announced a plan to make the walk between Springfields Metro Center and the Hall of Fame easier. Since 2011, the induction process employs a total of seven committees to both screen and elect candidates, since 2011, the Veterans and International Committees also vote to directly induct one candidate for each induction class. Contributor Direct Election Committee Note that other committees may choose to elect contributors, for example, the 2014 class included two contributors. However, each screening committee is limited as to the number of candidates it can put forth to the Honors Committee—10 from the North American Committee, any individual receiving at least 18 affirmative votes from the Honors Committee is approved for induction into the Hall of Fame
22.
50 Greatest Players in NBA History
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The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History were chosen in 1996 to honor the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association. These fifty players were selected through a vote by a panel of members, former players and coaches. In addition, the top ten coaches and top ten single-season teams in NBA history were selected by media members as part of the celebration. The fifty players had to have played at least a portion of their careers in the NBA and were selected irrespective of position played, the announcement marked the beginning of a season-long celebration of the leagues anniversary. Forty-seven of the fifty players were assembled in Cleveland, during the halftime ceremony of the 1997 All-Star Game. At the time of the announcement, eleven players were active, oNeal was the last to be active in the NBA, retiring at the end of the 2010–11 season. The list was made through unranked voting completed by fifty selected panelists, of the last group, thirteen were former NBA players. Players were prohibited from voting for themselves, only three voting veterans were not selected to the team. Eleven players were active in the 1996–97 season, during which the team was announced, oNeal was the last to be active in the NBA, retiring at the end of the 2010–11 season. All of the players have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Lenny Wilkens was the member of the players list to have been selected as a member of the coaches list. At the time of the list, only Pete Maravich was deceased, since then, Wilt Chamberlain, Dave DeBusschere, Paul Arizin, George Mikan, Bill Sharman, Moses Malone, Dolph Schayes and Nate Thurmond have all died. Note, Statistics are correct through the end of the 2010–11 season, alongside the selection of the 50 greatest players, was the selection of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History. The list was compiled based upon unranked selection undertaken exclusively by members of the print, all 10 coaches named were alive at the time of the lists announcement, and four of them—Phil Jackson, Don Nelson, Pat Riley, and Lenny Wilkens—were then active. Four have since died, Red Holzman in 1998, Red Auerbach in 2006, Chuck Daly in 2009, Jackson was the last of the ten to coach in the NBA, he announced his retirement after the 2010–11 season. Nelson was the member to have never won a championship as a coach. Wilkens was the member of the coaches list to have been selected as a member of the players list. Nine of the ten coaches are members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
23.
Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
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The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of nine media members, the person with the highest votes wins the award. In at least one NBA Finals, fans balloting on NBA. com accounted for the tenth vote, the award was originally a black trophy with a gold basketball-shaped sphere at the top, similar to the Larry OBrien Trophy, until a new trophy was introduced in 2005. Since its inception, the award has given to 30 different players. Michael Jordan is a record six-time award winner, magic Johnson, Shaquille ONeal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James won the award three times in their careers. Jordan and ONeal are the players to win the award in three consecutive seasons. Johnson is the only ever to win the award, as well as the youngest at 20 years old. Andre Iguodala is the winner to have not started every game in the series. Jerry West, the first ever awardee, is the person to win the award while being on the losing team in the NBA Finals. Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Olajuwon, Bryant, and James have won the award in two consecutive seasons. Abdul-Jabbar and James are the players to win the award for two different teams. Olajuwon of Nigeria, who became a naturalized U. S. citizen in 1993, Tony Parker of France, cedric Maxwell is the only Finals MVP winner eligible for the Hall of Fame who has not been voted in. NBA Most Valuable Player Award NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award General Specific
24.
All-NBA Team
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The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States, the team has been selected in every season of the leagues existence, dating back to its inaugural season in 1946. The All-NBA Team originally had two teams, but since 1988 it is composed of three five-man lineups—a first, second, and third team, typically comprising a total of 15 roster spots. Players receive five points for a first team vote, three points for a team vote, and one point for a third team vote. The five players with the highest point totals make the first team, with the next five making the second team, in the case of a tie at the fifth position of any team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six due to a tie. A tie has occurred once, in 1952, when Bob Davies. From 1946 to 1955, players were selected without regard to position, however, since 1956, kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan hold the record for the most total selections with fifteen. Karl Malone and Shaquille ONeal follow with fourteen total honors, while Schayes, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki, and LeBron James have twelve selections. From the 1946–47 season to 1954–55 season, the All-NBA Team was composed of two teams, each with five spots, except when there were ties. During this period, players were selected without regard to position, from the 1955–56 season to 1987–88 season, the All-NBA Team was composed of two teams, each with five roster spots, except when there were ties. During this time, players were selected with regard to position, they are listed according to position in the descending order. Since the 1988–89 season, the All-NBA Team has been composed of three teams, each with five spots, except when there are ties. Players are selected with regard to position, they are listed according to position in the descending order. The following table lists players with at least ten total selections. National Basketball Association portal All-NBA Development League Team General Specific
25.
Bob Kauffman
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Robert Bob Kauffman was an American professional basketball player and coach. Bob Kaufmann, from Scarsdale, New York, starred at NAIA Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, from 1964–1968. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound center is credited with turning the Quakers into an NAIA basketball powerhouse that won 86 games with three trips to the NAIA Tournament in his four seasons. Kauffman scored 2,570 points on 64 percent field-goal shooting and collected 1,801 rebounds in his 113-game career, all current school standards. Kauffman was selected with the pick of the 1968 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. He played seven seasons in the NBA as a member of the Sonics, Chicago Bulls, Buffalo Braves, a three-time All-Star, Kauffman averaged 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds for his career. He had his statistically strongest season in 1970–71, when he averaged 20.4 points and 10.7 rebounds for the Braves, Bob Kauffman died at the age of 69 peacefully one night as his heart stopped. Bob was a player who played collegiately and professionally in the early 1960s to early 1970s. Although his career was not long he was able to accomplish many things throughout his time playing, Kauffman came from a relatively small college in which they competed other small colleges in the NAIA, a subdivision of the NCAA, Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was one of the prominent and promising players in all of basketball at his time. When he was drafted he played for different teams and was successful for all of them. Bob was able to make the NBA all star team in 3 of his 7 seasons, while at Guilford he was an all-American and one of the best to ever play in the NAIA, coming as a top 3 pick in the 1968 NBA draft. Many believe Bob Kauffman should have played longer but due to injury had to call it sooner than expected. Most people remember him as the pioneer of tough basketball and he is the original blue collar worker, always worked hard for shots, rebounds and especially defensively where he competed against some of the best to ever play the game.9 for his college career. He has made 943 career field goals, shot a very impressive 71 and these were all of his great stats released by his alma mater Guilford. Many believe the jersey worn by Kauffman when he played for the Buffalo Braves should be retired by the clippers since he was the star of the program. As reported by NBA. com Bob Kauffmans death went extremely unnoticed in the sports world and he was the first real star for the Buffalo Braves, now the Los Angeles Clippers, making three consecutive appearances in the all-star game. Kauffman is survived by his wife, Judy and four daughters, Lara, Joannah, Carey, all of his daughters have had prolific basketball careers at the collegiate level for Georgia Tech, Duke, and Clayton University
26.
Don Chaney
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Donald Ray Chaney is an American former professional basketball player and coach, most notable for his long stints as a player on the Boston Celtics. Chaney played basketball in college for the University of Houston, where he was a teammate of future Basketball Hall-of-Famer Elvin Hayes, Chaney played all 40 minutes of the famed Game of the Century at the Astrodome. That year Chaney became the pick of the Boston Celtics in the 1968 NBA draft. Chaney became a champion with the Boston Celtics during his rookie year and he would also help the Celtics toward winning the 1974 NBA Finals. He had two stints with the Boston Celtics, for which he is most noted and he also had a short two season stint with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1976–1978, and played in the ABA for one year with the Spirits of St. Louis from 1975–1976. Chaney was mostly known for his skills, providing adequate numbers in minutes off the bench. Chaney is the only Boston Celtic who played with both Bill Russell and Larry Bird, louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Gold medal-winning US national team at the 1994 FIBA World Championship in Toronto, assistant coach NBA coach bio
27.
Rick Adelman
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Richard Leonard Rick Adelman is an American retired professional basketball player and coach. He coached 23 seasons in the National Basketball Association and he served as head coach of the NBAs Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. Adelman was born in Lynwood, California, the son of Gladys and Leonard Joseph L. J. Adelman, Adelman began his basketball career as a collegiate star at Loyola University of Los Angeles, now known as Loyola Marymount University. In the 1968 NBA draft, he was selected by the San Diego Rockets in the 7th round and he played two seasons in San Diego before being taken by the expansion Trail Blazers in the 1970 expansion draft, he then played three seasons in Portland. He also played for the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Jazz, and he ended his playing career in 1975. From 1977 through to 1983, Adelman coached at Chemeketa Community College in Salem and he was then hired by the Portland Trail Blazers as an assistant. When Ramsay was fired and replaced with Mike Schuler in 1986, Adelman was retained, after leading the team into the playoffs that year, Adelman was given the coaching position on a full-time basis in the 1989 off-season. The next three years were successful for Adelman and the Trail Blazers, the team went to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992. Adelman spent two years with the team, but was dismissed after the 1993–1994 season. In 1995, Adelman was hired as the coach of the Golden State Warriors. He was unable to duplicate his success in Portland, and was fired only two years with the team. After a years absence from the sidelines, Adelman was hired by the Sacramento Kings in 1998, under Adelmans guidance, the Kings were one of the most successful Western Conference teams, qualifying for the playoffs during every year of his Sacramento career. During the Kings 2000 playoff run, they met Phil Jacksons Los Angeles Lakers, Adelman questioned Jacksons motivational techniques when it was learned that Jackson compared Adelman to Adolf Hitler. In 2002, the Kings made a run for the NBA Finals. In 2006, Adelman led the Kings to the playoffs, despite the team struggling early in the regular season, the Kings rebounded and qualified for the playoffs as the #8 seed. Although competitive, they were defeated 4–2 by the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, Adelmans contract with the Kings expired at the end of the 2005–2006 season. On May 9, it was reported by the Sacramento Bee that his contract would not be renewed, the Kings have yet to reach the playoffs since. The Houston Rockets brought in Rick Adelman as their new coach, five days after the dismissal of Jeff Van Gundy
28.
NBA Coach of the Year Award
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The National Basketball Associations Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966. The winner is selected at the end of regular season by a panel of sportswriters from the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is five points, each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The person with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, since its inception, the award has been given to 40 different coaches. The most recent award winner is Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson and Pat Riley have each won the award three times, while Hubie Brown, Bill Fitch, Cotton Fitzsimmons and Gene Shue have each won it twice. No coach has won consecutive Coach of the Year awards, Riley is the only coach to be named Coach of the Year with three different franchises. Larry Bird is the recipient to have also been named MVP as a player. Tom Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, and Lenny Wilkens are the recipients to have been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both player and coach. Johnny Kerr is the person to win the award with a losing record. Kerr was honored because he had guided the Bulls to the NBA Playoffs in their first season in the league, only five recipients also coached the team that won the championship the same season, Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Bill Sharman, Phil Jackson, and Gregg Popovich. Popovich is the only NBA Coach of the Year recipient to win the championship in the season twice. Assistant coach Luke Walton served as head coach for the other 43 games for the Warriors, receiving one second-place vote. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
29.
NBA Finals
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The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association played between the Western and Eastern champions of the Conference Finals. The first team to win four games in the game series is declared the league champion and is awarded the Larry OBrien Championship Trophy. Winners from 1946 to 1983 received the Walter A. Brown Trophy redesigned in 1977 to the current form, the NBA Finals has been played at the end of every NBA and Basketball Association of America season in history, the first being held in 1947. Most NBA Finals series were played under the 2–2–1–1–1 format prior to 1985, the series was named the BAA Finals from 1947 to 1949 and then changed to the NBA World Championship Series from 1950 to 1982. The following two years, the league used Showdown 83 and Showdown 84 and it returned to NBA World Championship Series in 1985, before settling on NBA Finals in 1986. During the first decade the Minneapolis Lakers had the first NBA dynasty, the team also featured George Mikan, one of the greatest players in NBA history. The Boston Celtics went 11–1 in the NBA Finals during 13 seasons and they won eight straight NBA championships from 1959 through 1966. With the establishment of the Celtics dynasty in 1957, Bill Russell became the star of the league, Game 7 of the NBA Finals was decided on a Celtics basket in the final seconds of the second overtime. For most of the late 1950s and 1960s, the Celtics always seemed to have the hand on Wilt Chamberlains teams. The following season, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers, the former Syracuse Nationals team that had moved to cover the vacancy created with the departure of the Warriors, a clash between the two stars in the playoffs was in 1966 and Boston won it 4–1. Chamberlains coach told him to play a game, not an individual game. His new-found team spirit brought them to a new record of 68 wins the season, and they defeated the Celtics and then advanced to, and won. In 1968, Boston overcame a 3–1 deficit against Philadelphia to once again arrive in the Finals and they went on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers for the sixth straight time,4 games to 2. In 1969, the Celtics overcame even longer odds, Boston was an aging team and had injuries to a number of players. They barely qualified for the playoffs, finishing fourth in the East, the Lakers, who in the offseason added Chamberlain to join West and Elgin Baylor, won the West and were prohibitive favorites to finally win it all for the first time since relocating to L. A. They won the first two games at the Los Angeles Forum, however, when the series shifted to Boston Garden, the Celtics won Game 3 110–105. Game 4 was the point, as the Lakers led 87–86 and had the ball with 10 seconds to play. But after a turnover, Sam Jones put up a shot hit the front of the rim, the back heel, rolled around
30.
Portland Trail Blazers
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The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Northwest Division. The team played its games in the Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995. The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA championship once in 1977 and their other NBA Finals appearances were in 1990 and 1992. The team has qualified for the playoffs in 31 seasons of their 45-season existence, including a streak of 21 straight appearances from 1983 through 2003, the second longest streak in NBA history. The Trail Blazers 31 playoff appearances rank third in the NBA only behind the Los Angeles Lakers, six Hall of Fame players have played for the Trail Blazers. Bill Walton is the franchises most decorated player, he was the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 1977, four Blazer rookies have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Sports promoter Harry Glickman sought a National Basketball Association franchise for Portland as far back as 1955 when he proposed two new teams, the other to be located in Los Angeles. To raise the money for the $3.7 million admission tax, Glickman associated himself to real estate magnates Robert Schmertz of New Jersey, Larry Weinberg of Los Angeles and Herman Sarkowsky of Seattle. Two weeks later, on February 24, team management held a contest to select the teams name, the most popular choice was Pioneers, but that name was excluded from consideration as it was already used by sports teams at Portlands Lewis & Clark College. The name Trail Blazers received 172 entries, and was selected by the judging panel. Despite initial mixed response, the Trail Blazers name, often shortened to just Blazers, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Buffalo Braves, the Trail Blazers entered the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team, under coach Rolland Todd. Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks led the team in its years. During that span, the team had three coaches, team executive Stu Inman also served as coach. The team won the first pick in the NBA draft twice during that span, in 1972, the team drafted LaRue Martin with the number one pick, and in 1974 the team selected Bill Walton from UCLA. In 1976, the ABA–NBA merger saw those two rival leagues join forces, four ABA teams joined the NBA, the remaining teams were dissolved and their players distributed among the remaining NBA squads in a dispersal draft. The Trail Blazers selected Maurice Lucas in the dispersal draft and that summer, they also hired Jack Ramsay as head coach. The two moves, coupled with the stellar play, led Portland to several firsts, winning record, playoff appearance
31.
1990 NBA Finals
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The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989–90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers and this was the first NBA Finals since 1979 not to involve either the Lakers or the Celtics. The Pistons became just the third franchise in NBA history to win championships, joining the Los Angeles Lakers. The Trail Blazers last made the NBA Finals when they won the NBA championship in 1977, in between finals appearances, the Blazers made the playoffs every year except 1982, but most of the time were eliminated in the first or second round. The addition of Williams cost Portland once-promising center Sam Bowie, whose career had been curtailed by a series of leg injuries after being drafted second overall in the 1984 NBA draft. Early in the 1988–89 season, the Blazers fired head coach Mike Schuler and replaced him with assistant Rick Adelman, entering the 1989–90 season with modest expectations, the Trail Blazers surprised the NBA by posting a 59–23 record, good enough for the third seed in the Western Conference. The Pistons won their first NBA championship a year earlier, despite the loss of Mahorn, the Pistons still managed to post a 59–23 record to lead the Eastern Conference. With Mahorn gone, Defensive Player of the Year winner Dennis Rodman picked up the slack, america the Beautiful was sung by a then-unknown Mariah Carey, who would release her self-titled debut album on the day of Game 4. In response to Careys performance, CBS Sports anchor Pat OBrien quipped The Palace now has a queen, the key moment in Game 5 of the Finals was Vinnie Johnsons series-clinching shot in the final seconds. On June 14,1990, Johnson landed a 14-footer in the last second, beating Portland 92–90 in Game 5 of the Finals, Bill Laimbeer tied Michael Cooper for the league record of most three-pointers made in a Finals game with six in the Pistons Game 2 loss. Michael Jordan would later tie that in the 1992 NBA Finals, kenny Smith broke the record in the 1995 NBA Finals by connecting on seven three-pointers, a mark later tied by Scottie Pippen and Ray Allen in Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals. Allen bested this record by hitting eight three-pointers in Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals and this was the last Finals appearance for Earl Strom, a highly regarded referee, whose career spanned thirty-two years in professional basketball. This would be the last series to be played on a Tuesday–Thursday–Sunday rotation until the 2004 series, from 1991 to 2003, the series were primarily on Wednesday–Friday–Sunday. The Blazers led 90–80 with seven minutes left and looked poised to steal one on the road, but, after a timeout, Isiah Thomas got the Pistons going with a layup and a jumper. Then Joe Dumars completed a three-point play and Aguirre scored on an offensive rebound, in less than three minutes, Detroit had tightened the game to 92–89. Buck Williams hit a jumper to make the score 94–89, with 1,49 left, Thomas put a final dagger into the Blazers by sticking an open three-pointer for a 99–94 lead. The Pistons went on to win, 105–99 and this was the first Finals assignment for referee Dick Bavetta, who had been an NBA official since the 1975-76 season. He would go on to set the record for most games officiated and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015
32.
1992 NBA Finals
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The 1992 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1991–92 NBA season. The two teams appeared headed to face each other for most of the season and comparisons were made between Clyde Drexler and Michael Jordan throughout the season. A month earlier Sports Illustrated had even listed Drexler as Jordans No.1 rival on a cover the two appeared on together before the playoffs, the media, hoping to recreate a Magic Johnson–Larry Bird type rivalry in Jordan-Drexler, compared the two throughout the pre-Finals hype. The Bulls would go on to win the series in six games, Michael Jordan was named Finals Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row, to go with his sixth straight regular season scoring titles. NBC Sports used commentator Ahmad Rashād, the Bulls won their first NBA championship the previous season, ushering in a new era in the league. Proving that their championship was no fluke, the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, finishing with a 67–15 record. Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with a 30. 1/6. 4/6.1 season, after easily sweeping the Miami Heat in the opening round, they encountered the New York Knicks, who were now coached by Pat Riley. The Knicks hard-nosed style of play took its toll on the Bulls. Up next were the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals, whom the Bulls have beaten in two prior postseason meetings. Despite facing a much-improved Cavaliers team, the Bulls were still too much to handle, the Trail Blazers were destined to meet the Bulls the previous year, having won a franchise record 63 games. But the Los Angeles Lakers had other ideas, defeating Portland in six games of the conference finals, retaining the same core that led the Blazers to the finals in 1990, the team won the Pacific Division title with a 57–25 record. They took advantage of a weakened Lakers team that lost Magic Johnson to retirement earlier in the season, winning 3–1 in the first round. They followed that up with a defeat of the Phoenix Suns in the second round. The 1992 NBA Finals would cement the reputations of both Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler and it was after the sixth three-pointer that Jordan turned towards the broadcast table and famously shrugged to indicate his surprise. Jordans shrug became a highlight reel mainstay, Portland held their final lead at 45-44 in the second quarter before Chicago went on a 22-6 run to grab a 66-51 halftime lead and take control. The Bulls finished with a 122-89 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, however, the Blackhawks series ended in 4 games, so no rescheduling was needed. Portland built an eight-point lead in the first quarter, and also built a nine-point lead in the half, Chicago was looking to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series when Clyde Drexler fouled out with 4,36 remaining. With the Bulls up by 10, Jordan started to lose his poise, committing a foul and this would help Portland build a 15-5 run, pushing the game into overtime after Jordan narrowly missed at the buzzer
33.
Seattle SuperSonics
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The Seattle SuperSonics, commonly known as the Sonics, were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington. The SuperSonics played in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Pacific. After the 2007–08 season ended, the relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Sam Schulman owned the team from its 1967 inception until 1983 and it was then owned by Barry Ackerley, and then Basketball Club of Seattle, headed by Starbucks chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz. The sale was approved by the NBA Board of Governors on October 24,2006, home games were played at KeyArena, originally known as Seattle Center Coliseum, for 33 of the franchises 41 seasons in Seattle. In 1978, the moved to the Kingdome, which was shared with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. They returned to the Coliseum full-time in 1985, moving temporarily to the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, the SuperSonics won the NBA championship in 1979. Overall, the franchise won three Western Conference titles,1978,1979, and 1996, the franchise also won six divisional titles, the most recent being in 2005, with five in the Pacific Division and one in the Northwest Division. The SuperSonics franchise history, however, would be shared with the Thunder, on December 20,1966, Los Angeles businessmen Sam Schulman and Eugene V. Klein and a group of minority partners were awarded an NBA franchise for the city of Seattle. Schulman would serve as the partner and head of team operations. He named the SuperSonics after Boeings recently awarded contract for the SST project, the SuperSonics were Seattles first major league sports franchise. Beginning play in October 1967, the SuperSonics were coached by Al Bianchi and featured All-Star guard Walt Hazzard and NBA All-Rookie Team members Bob Rule and Al Tucker. The expansion team stumbled out of the gates with a 144–116 loss in their first game, Hazzard was traded to the Atlanta Hawks before the start of the next season for Lenny Wilkens. Wilkens brought a strong game to the SuperSonics, averaging 22.4 points per game,8.2 assists per game. Rule, meanwhile, improved on his rookie statistics with 24.0 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game, the SuperSonics, however, only won 30 games and Bianchi was replaced by Wilkens as player/coach during the offseason. Wilkens and Rule both represented Seattle in the 1970 NBA All-Star Game, and Wilkens led the NBA in assists during the 1969–70 season, Schulman also threatened to move his soon-to-be ABA team to Los Angeles to compete directly with the Lakers. The Oscar Robertson suit delayed the merger, and the SuperSonics remained in Seattle, early in the 1970–71 season, however, Rule tore his Achilles tendon and was lost for the rest of the year. The following season, the SuperSonics went on to record their first winning season at 47–35, for the 1972–73 season, Wilkens was dealt to Cleveland in a highly unpopular trade, and without his leadership the SuperSonics fell to a 26–56 record
34.
Michael Warren (actor)
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Michael Warren is an American TV actor and former college basketball player, best known for playing Officer Bobby Hill on the NBC television series Hill Street Blues. Mike Warren grew up in South Bend, Indiana and attended Central High School and he was twice named to the Indiana all-state team. He graduated in 1964 as Bears career, season, and single-game scoring leader, in 1992, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Warren played college basketball at UCLA, where he was a varsity letterman. Led by Lew Alcindor, the Bruins posted records of 30–0 in 1967, both teams, coached by legendary coach John Wooden, captured the NCAA national championship. Warren, the smallest Bruins starter at 511, averaged 12.4 points as a junior in 1967 and he was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team and was a consensus All-American in 1968, one of three on that UCLA team along with Alcindor and guard Lucius Allen. The team is considered one of the best in basketball history. Warren also earned the award as the Bruins best defender in 1966, Alcindor and Warren later crossed paths when Warren was an extra in the hospital flashback scene in the 1980 feature film Airplane. Warren was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame, Warren would go on to work as an actor in television. D. He guest starred in In the House opposite LL Cool J as Debbie Allens ex-husband and he also guest starred on the Fox sitcom Living Single as Khadijahs father, and later portrayed Joans father on the UPN/CW sitcom Girlfriends. Warren played Darrin Dewitt Hensons boss on the Showtime show, Soul Food, in which he played hustler-turned-entrepreneur and he had a recurring role on the ABC Family series, Lincoln Heights, as Spencer Sutton, Eddies father. Warren appeared as Virgil Tibbs former longtime police partner, Matthew Pogue on the episode of In the Heat of the Night The Hammer, in 1996, he was on the Early Edition episode Hoops. In 2002 he appeared in Normal Again, an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and his film work includes 1976s Norman. Is That You. with Redd Foxx and Pearl Bailey and as basketball player Easley in the 1971 film Drive, in 2010, Warren appeared in the independent film Andersons Cross playing the father of the lead character Nick Anderson. Warren has two daughters named Koa and Makayla, and two sons, Grayson Warren and Cash Warren and his son Cash Warren is married to actress Jessica Alba. First-team All-AAWU2009 Pac-10 Hall of Honor inductee UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame,1990 14th round pick in the 1968 NBA Draft, sources NCAA, NCAA March Madness, Cinderellas, Superstars, and Champions from the NCAA Mens Final Four. ISBN 1-57243-665-4 Michael Warren at the Internet Movie Database
35.
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
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The UCLA Bruins mens basketball program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in mens college basketball. Established in 1919, UCLA has won a record 11 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championships, UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons, from 1964 to 1975, including seven straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record four times, in 1964,1967,1972, Coach Jim Harrick led the team to another NCAA title in 1995. Former coach Ben Howland led UCLA to three consecutive Final Four appearances from 2006 to 2008, UCLA won 13 consecutive regular season conference titles between 1967 and 1979, an NCAA record they currently share with Kansas, whose streak is currently active. On March 30,2013, Steve Alford was named the schools 13th head mens basketball coach, UCLA mens basketball has set several NCAA records. 11 NCAA titles 7 consecutive NCAA titles 12 NCAA title game appearances*10 consecutive Final Four appearances 25 Final Four wins*38 game NCAA Tournament winning streak 134 weeks ranked No, cozens coached the basketball team for two seasons, finishing with an overall record of 21–4. Caddy Works was the coach of the Bruins from 1921 to 1939. Works was a lawyer by profession and coached the only during the evenings. According to UCLA player and future Olympian Frank Lubin, Works was more of a coach with little basketball knowledge. Wilbur Johns was the UCLA basketball head coach from 1939 to 1948, from 1948 to 1975, John Wooden, nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, served as head coach at UCLA. He won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period, seven of those in a row, within this period, his teams won a mens basketball-record 88 consecutive games. Prior to Woodens arrival, UCLA had only won two championship seasons in the previous 18 years. By 1962, with the no longer in place, Wooden had returned the Bruins to the top of their conference. This time, however, they would take the next step, a narrow loss, due largely to a controversial foul call, in the semifinal of the 1962 NCAA Tournament convinced Wooden that his Bruins were ready to contend for national championships. The result was a increase in scoring, giving UCLA a powerhouse team that went undefeated on its way to the schools first basketball national championship. Woodens team repeated as champions the following season before the 1966 squad fell briefly. UCLA was ineligible to play in the NCAA tournament that year, in January 1968, UCLA took its 47-game winning streak to the Astrodome in Houston, where Lew Alcindor squared off against Elvin Hayes in the Game of the Century before a national television audience. Houston upset UCLA 71-69 as Hayes scored 39 points, in a post-game interview, Wooden said, We have to start over
36.
Basketball positions
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The five basketball positions normally employed by organized basketball teams are the point guard, the shooting guard, the small forward, the power forward, and the center. While these position names are used, most modern teams use a point guard. The rules of basketball do not mandate them, and they are not used. Typically, the point guard is the leader of the team when on the court and this position requires substantial ball handling skills and the ability to facilitate the team during a play. The shooting guard, as the name implies, is often the best shooter and they are probably capable of shooting accurately from longer distances. Generally, they also have good ball-handling skills, the small forward often has an aggressive approach to the basket when handling the ball. The center is typically the larger of the two, during the 1980s, as team strategy evolved, more specialized roles developed, resulting in the five position designations utilized today. Team strategy and available personnel, however, still dictates the positions used by a particular team, for example, the Dribble drive motion offense and the Princeton offense utilize four interchangeable guards and one center. The point guard, also known as the one, is typically the teams best ball handler and passer, therefore, they often lead their team in assists and steals. They are often quick and are able to hit shots either outside the three-point line or in the paint, point guards are looked upon as the floor general or the coach on the floor. They should study the game and game film to be able to recognize the weaknesses of the defense, good point guards increase team efficiency and generally have a high number of assists. They are often referred to as dribblers or play-makers, in the NBA, point guards are usually the shortest players on the team and are mostly 6 feet 5 inches or shorter. The shooting guard is known as the two or the off guard. Along with the forward, a shooting guard is often referred to as a wing because of its use in common positioning tactics. As the name suggests, most shooting guards are good shooters from three-point range, besides being able to shoot the ball, shooting guards tend to have good ball handling skills and the ability to drive the ball to the basket, often creating their own shots off the dribble. A versatile shooting guard will have good passing skills, allowing them to point guard responsibilities known as combo guards. In the NBA, shooting guards usually range from 6 feet 4 inches to 6 feet 7 inches, the small forward is considered to be perhaps the most versatile of the main five basketball positions. Versatility is key for small forwards because of the nature of their role and this is why the small forward and shooting guard positions are often interchangeable and referred to as wings
37.
Guilford College
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Guilford College is a small liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina. Guilford has both traditional students and students who attend its Center for Continuing Education, Guilford College is the only Quaker-founded college in the southeastern United States. Opening in 1837 as New Garden Boarding School, the became a four-year liberal arts college in 1888. Levi Coffin, a well-known abolitionist, Quaker, and political dissenter grew up on the land, the woods of New Garden, which still exist on campus today, were used as a meeting point for the Underground Railroad in the 19th century, run by Coffin. Guilford competes as an NCAA Division III as an Old Dominion Athletic Conference member, the school has won five national championships, including the 1973 NAIA mens basketball title, the 1981 NAIA womens tennis title and the 1989,2002 and 2005 mens golf titles. In the past decade, Guilfords Bryan Series has brought many speakers to the campus. Past speakers have included Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev, Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Ken Burns, Mary Robinson, David McCullough, and Toni Morrison. The 2008–09 Bryan Series lecturers were Khaled Hosseini, Christiane Amanpour and James Rubin, Salman Rushdie, the 2009–10 lecturers were Garry Trudeau, Paul Krugman, Anna Deavere Smith, David Gregory, and Yo-Yo Ma. Every summer, the hosts the five-week-long Eastern Music Festival. Each year, EMF features more than 70 concerts and music-related events on-, the largest campus-wide event of the year is Serendipity, held annually in the spring. It began in 1972 as a replacement to the somewhat antiquated May Day festivities, and has featured games, musical performances, and general mayhem. During its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the festival was attended by Guilford students and alumni. Despite the fact that Serendipity is considered by alum to be a hallmark of the Guilford experience, as of December 2014, following concerns expressed by the interim Dean of Students Jenn Agor about music festival culture, school officials have begun to discuss to possibility of discontinuing the tradition. This has led to a sizable student backlash, the dispute over Serendipity is indicative of the tensions between the very liberal student body and its more conservative administration. Con This event has been occurring annually since 2001, Major guests include a host of webcomic creators and wrock bands. The most recent Con, held February 10–12,2012, attracted around 300 attendees, peak attendance has been around 500 people. Long time high school Athletic Director and football coach, member of the New Jersey Coaches Hall of Fame. Tony Womack,1992, Major League Baseball player David M. Dobson, David Hammond, notable director, is a Theater Studies Professor at Guilford
38.
Tom Boerwinkle
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Thomas F. Boerwinkle was an American National Basketball Association center who spent his entire career with the Chicago Bulls. Tom Boerwinkle was born in Independence, Ohio, one of three children of John and Katherine Boerwinkle, John Boerwinkle, an engineer for an oil refinery, was a native of Cleveland and the son of Dutch immigrants who had come to the United States in 1890. He attended high school at Millersburg Military Institute, a school in Millersburg. Boerwinkle played for the University of Tennessee and helped the team win the 1967 Southeastern Conference championship, the next year he was named a Helms Foundation first-team all-American. In his junior and senior season, he averaged a double-double each season—10.2 points and 12.2 rebounds his junior season and 11.3 points and 15.2 rebounds his senior season. Boerwinkle was drafted as the pick of the 1968 NBA Draft. In addition, he contributed with his skills, averaging 3.2 assists per game during his career. On January 8,1970, Boerwinkle set a Bulls record by grabbing 37 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns and he retired with career totals of 4,596 points,5,745 rebounds, and 2,007 assists. Boerwinkle also had five doubles in his career. Boerwinkle later served as a color analyst for the Bulls. He was a longtime co-owner of the Olympic Oil Co. in Stickney, Boerwinkle died on March 26,2013 in Willowbrook, Illinois after struggling with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of leukemia. Upon his death, longtime Bulls teammate Bob Love said, He was a teammate with a heart of gold. And I always tell people, Half of my baskets came from him, hes one of the best-passing big men of all-time. Hall of Fame center and Bulls teammate Artis Gilmore said, He understood his role well, Hall of Fame center Artis Gilmore said, He had a very big body. With those behind-the-back and over-the-head passes, he was very good and he understood the game and he played intelligent basketball. He was survived by his wife of 41 years, Linda, son Jeff and daughter Gretchen
39.
Chicago Bulls
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The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 16,1966, the team plays its home games at the United Center, an arena shared with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. The Bulls saw their greatest success during the 1990s and they are known for having one of the NBAs greatest dynasties, winning six NBA championships between 1991 and 1998 with two three-peats. All six championship teams were led by Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, the Bulls are the only NBA franchise to win multiple championships and never lose an NBA Finals series in their history. The Bulls won 72 games during the 1995–96 NBA season, setting an NBA record that stood until the Golden State Warriors won 73 games during the 2015–16 NBA season. The Bulls were the first team in NBA history to win 70 games or more in a season. Many experts and analysts consider the 1996 Bulls to be one of the greatest teams in NBA history, Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose have both won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award while playing for the Bulls, for a total of six MVP awards. The Bulls share rivalries with the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, the Bulls rivalry with the Pistons was highlighted heavily during the late 1980s and early 1990s. On January 16,1966 Chicago was granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls, the Chicago Bulls became the third NBA franchise in the city, after the Chicago Stags and the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs. The Bulls founder, Dick Klein, was the Bulls only owner to play professional basketball. He served as the Bulls president and general manager in their initial years, after the 1966 NBA Expansion Draft, the newly founded Chicago Bulls were allowed to acquire players from the previously established teams in the league for the upcoming 1966–67 season. The team started in the 1966–67 NBA season, and posted the best record by a team in NBA history. In their first two seasons, the Bulls played most of their games at the International Amphitheatre, before moving to Chicago Stadium. Fan interest was diminishing after four seasons, with one game in the 1967–68 NBA season having an attendance of 891. The Bulls under Williams and head coach Dick Motta qualified for four straight playoffs and had attendances grow to over 10,000, in 1972, the Bulls set a franchise win-loss record at 57 wins and 25 losses. During the 1970s, the Bulls relied on Jerry Sloan, forwards Bob Love and Chet Walker, point guard Norm Van Lier, the team made the conference finals in 1975 but lost to the Golden State Warriors,4 games to 3. After four 50-win seasons, Williams returned to Philadelphia, and Motta decided to become GM as well, the Bulls ended up declining, winning only 24 games in the 1975–1976 season
40.
Tennessee Volunteers basketball
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The Tennessee Volunteers mens basketball team is the intercollegiate men’s basketball program for the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Volunteers play their home games in Thompson–Boling Arena. With a capacity of 21,678, Tennessee has consistently ranked in the top fifteen in the nation in terms of attendance, historically, Tennessee ranks fifth in the SEC in all-time wins. Many notable players have played collegiately at Tennessee—players such as Bernard King, Ernie Grunfeld, Allan Houston, Dale Ellis, the Volunteers are currently coached by Rick Barnes, who was hired on March 31,2015 to replace Donnie Tyndall. In 1963, the University of Tennessee hired Ray Mears to become the coach of the mens basketball program. The hiring of Mears, who was coming off a NCAA small college championship at Wittenberg University, in his first year, Mears’s Volunteers improved from a 4–19 record in 1962 to 13–11, highlighted by two wins over the Kentucky Wildcats. Before Mears, Tennessee had only beaten the Wildcats twice in 39 meetings, throughout his career, Mears gained notoriety throughout the SEC for frequently being a thorn in the powerhouse Kentucky’s side. In an era where Kentucky was coached by future College Basketball Hall of Fame members Adolph Rupp, Hall, winning 75% of their games, Mears recorded a 15–15 record against the Wildcats. Led by A. W. Davis, the Volunteers finished second in the SEC in each of the two seasons and recorded 20 wins in 1965, reaching that mark for the first time in 17 years. This success and the resultant growing fan support led to the decision to expand the 7, 500-seat Amory-Fieldhouse into a 12. It was renamed Stokely Athletic Center to honor William B, Stokely, whose donation funded the renovation. In the Stokely Centers inaugural season, the Volunteers captured the 1967 SEC championship, dubbed the Fearless Five, the 1967 team won road games against top conference teams Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi State. From 1968 to 1973, Mears kept Tennessee among the top teams of the SEC, winning a second SEC championship in 1972, in 1974, Mears and his trusted assistant Stu Aberdeen were able to recruit New York City standout forward Ernie Grunfeld to Knoxville. In his freshman season, Grunfeld led the team in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game, the following season, Grunfeld was joined by fellow New Yorker Bernard King. Known as The Ernie and Bernie Show, King and Grunfeld led the Volunteers to a 61–20 record over three years and an SEC championship in 1977, during their three years together, Tennessee posted a 5–1 record against Kentucky. The Volunteers reached the National Invitation Tournament in 1975 and the NCAA Tournament in 1976 and 1977. King was named first-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year in 1975 and 1976, Grunfeld graduated from Tennessee in 1977 and King chose to forgo his senior year to enter the NBA draft. King was drafted 7th overall to the New Jersey Nets and Grunfeld went 11th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks, both enjoyed long and illustrious NBA careers
United States