Ricky Davis
Tyree Ricardo Davis is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for University of Iowa. Davis attended Davenport North High School in Iowa, he was a four-year starter and the Davenport North team made the state tournament his junior and senior years but did not reach the championship. His father is Tyree Davis and Mother is Linda Davis, he has a younger brother named Edward. Davis played one season at the University of Iowa before being selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft, as the 21st pick overall. Davis played two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, became known for his high energy play and exciting poster dunks. Although he only played limited minutes off the bench, his high-flying play got him an invitation to the 2000 Slam Dunk competition, where he scored an 88 out of a possible 100 points, losing to champion Vince Carter, he was traded to the Miami Heat in a massive nine-player trade on August 1, 2000.
Davis injured his ankle and knee with the Heat and only played a total of seven games for them, was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal involving the Toronto Raptors a year on October 26, 2001. Davis was re-signed to a six-year deal by the Cavaliers on August 21, 2002, but his time in Cleveland was marked by disputes with coach Paul Silas, he additionally received attention for stat padding in a home game against the Utah Jazz on March 16, 2003. With Cleveland leading 120–95 and less than a minute remaining, Davis was one rebound short of his first career triple double, he deliberately tossed an inbound pass off his own rim and caught it in attempt to receive credit for a rebound, but shots taken at one's own basket do not count as official field goal attempts. Jazz guard DeShawn Stevenson shoved Davis in response. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said to reporters afterward, "I would have fouled him too. I would have knocked him on his ass." The Cavaliers said they would not punish Davis, saying the embarrassment was enough.
However, in the face of a national outcry, the Cavaliers fined him an undisclosed amount for unsportsmanlike conduct, the play led to Davis being nicknamed "Wrong Rim Ricky" in Cleveland. On December 15, 2003, Davis was traded along with Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart, a second round draft pick to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Tony Battie, Eric Williams, Kedrick Brown. With the Celtics, the 6 ft 7 in Davis played the position of shooting guard, as well as small forward on occasion. Boston was criticized for acquiring him via trade due to Davis's reputation of selfishness, but he became a more consistent player and a fan-favorite in the city. On January 26, 2006, Davis was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves with Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed, two second round draft picks for Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a first round draft pick. On October 24, 2007, Davis was again traded to the Miami Heat along with teammate Mark Blount in exchange for the Heat's Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien and a first-round draft pick.
Davis was reunited with Pat Riley, Riley admitted he made a mistake of trading Davis in the first place. He's a talented kid, he was not a problem here. We just needed to get bigger players at that time. Over the last six years he has been efficient." On July 28, 2008, Davis signed a multi-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. He was waived by the Clippers on February 16, 2010 to make room for newly acquired guard Steve Blake and forward Travis Outlaw, he appeared in 36 games for the Clippers in the 2009/10 season. On March 1, 2010, Davis signed a contract with the Turkish team Türk Telekom, it would be his first time playing outside the United States. He said about signing with Telekom: "It will be my first European experience. I never watched. I just entered myself, Turk Telekom B. K. signed me." In October 2010, Davis signed a contract with the Jiangsu Dragons in China. In January 2011, Davis signed a contract with Chorale Roanne Basket in France. In 2012, Davis signed with the Piratas de Quebradillas of Puerto Rico.
On December 28, 2011, Davis was acquired by the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League. On January 21, 2012, he was waived by the Red Claws. In November 2013, Davis was acquired by the Erie BayHawks of the NBA D-League. On March 18, 2014, he was released by the BayHawks. Stats at Basketball Reference
Steve Nash
Stephen John Nash, is a Canadian former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He was a seven-time All-NBA selection. Twice, Nash was named the NBA Most Valuable Player while playing for the Phoenix Suns, he serves as general manager of the Canadian national team and as a player development consultant for the Golden State Warriors. After a successful high school basketball career in British Columbia, Nash earned a scholarship to Santa Clara University in California. In his four seasons with the Broncos, the team made three NCAA Tournament appearances, he was twice named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. Nash graduated from Santa Clara as the team's all-time leader in assists and was taken as the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, he made minimal impact and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. By his fourth season with the Mavericks, he was voted to his first NBA All-Star Game and had earned his first All-NBA selection.
Together with Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, Nash led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals the following season. He became a free agent after the 2003–04 season and returned to the Phoenix Suns. In the 2004–05 season, Nash led the Suns to the Western Conference Finals and was named the league's MVP, he was named MVP again in the 2005–06 season and was runner-up for a third consecutive MVP to Nowitzki in 2006–07. Named by ESPN in 2006 as the ninth-greatest point guard of all time, Nash led the league in assists and free-throw percentage at various points in his career, he is ranked as one of the top players in NBA league history in three-point shooting, free-throw shooting, total assists, assists per game. Nash has been honoured for his contributions to various philanthropic causes. In 2006, he was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, he was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2007 and invested to the order in 2016, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Victoria in 2008.
Nash has been a co-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer since the team entered the league in 2011. In 2012, he was named general manager of the Canadian men's national basketball team, for whom he played from 1991 to 2003, making one Olympic appearance and being twice named FIBA AmeriCup MVP. Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a Welsh mother and English father, John, on 7 February 1974, his family moved to Regina, when he was 18 months old, before settling in Victoria, British Columbia. He, holds British as well as Canadian citizenship. Before the family settled in Canada, his father played professional soccer in various parts of the world. Nash played soccer and ice hockey with his younger brother Martin and did not start playing basketball until he was 12 or 13 years old. In grade eight, however, he told his mother that one day he would play in the NBA and would become a star, he was a neighbour to future NHL stars Russ and Geoff Courtnall, who used to babysit him and played soccer coached by Nash's father.
Nash attended Mount Douglas Secondary School in Saanich, British Columbia, but after his grades began to drop, his parents decided to enroll him at St. Michaels University School, a private boarding school in Victoria. There, he starred in basketball and rugby union. While playing basketball during his senior season, Nash averaged 21.3 points, 11.2 assists, 9.1 rebounds per game. In the 1991–92 season, he led his team in his final year to the British Columbia AAA provincial championship title, was named the province's Player of the Year. Although Nash's high school coach, Ian Hyde-Lay, sent letters of inquiry and highlight reels on Nash's behalf to over 30 American universities, Nash was not recruited by any university, until Santa Clara coach Dick Davey requested video footage of the young guard. After watching Nash in person, Davey said he "was nervous as hell just hoping that no one else would see him, it didn't take a Nobel Prize winner to figure out this guy. It was just a case of hoping that none of the big names came around."
However, Davey told Nash that he was "the worst defensive player" he had seen. Nash was awarded a scholarship by Santa Clara for the 1992–93 season. At that time, it had been five years; that changed when Nash led the Broncos to a WCC Tournament title and an upset win over the No. 2 seeded Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In that game, Nash scored six straight free throws in the last 30 seconds of the contest. Although Temple defeated Santa Clara in the next round, the 1992–93 campaign was considered a successful one. However, the Broncos failed to sustain the momentum the following season and only managed a 5–7 record in the conference; the team rebounded in the 1994–95 season, with Nash being named Conference Player of the Year and the Broncos topping the WCC. Featuring the league leader for scoring and assists in Nash, the Broncos returned to the NCAA tournament, but Mississippi State defeated them. After the season, Nash contemplated turning professional and decided against it when he learned that he would not be considered as a first-round pick in the 1995 NBA draft.
In the 1995–96 season, Nash began attracting the attention of the national media and professional scouts. He had spent the summer before that honing his skills, playing with the Canadian national team and working out with the likes of established NBA players Jason Kidd and Gary Payton. Santa Clara again captured the WCC title, for the second consecutive year, Nash was named Conference Player of the Year, the first Bronco t
Vince Carter
Vincent Lamar Carter is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association. He plays both shooting guard and small forward. Carter is one of five players, he is regarded as the greatest dunker of all time. A high school McDonald's All-American, Carter played three years at the University of North Carolina. While there, he twice reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before being selected as the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to the Toronto Raptors. Carter emerged as a star in Toronto, he won the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and won the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend. That summer, he represented the United States in the Summer Olympics, he entertained crowds with his leaping ability and slam dunks, earning nicknames such as "Vinsanity", "Air Canada", "Half-Man, Half-Amazing". In December 2004, Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets, where he continued to put up big numbers.
Carter has played for the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Sacramento Kings, the Atlanta Hawks. He received the Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award in 2016. Carter is an eight-time NBA All-Star. Off the court, Carter established the Embassy of Hope Foundation, assisting children and their families in Florida, New Jersey and Toronto, he was recognized in 2000 as Child Advocate of the Year by the Children's Home Society, received the Florida Governor's Points of Light award in 2007 for his philanthropy in his home state. Born in Daytona Beach, Carter attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, he led Mainland's basketball team to its first Class 6A state title in 56 years and was a 1995 McDonald's All-American. Carter attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spending three seasons playing college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels under Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge. During the 1997–98 season, he was a member of new coach Guthridge's "Six Starters" system that featured Antawn Jamison, Shammond Williams, Ed Cota, Ademola Okulaja, Makhtar N'Diaye.
During his sophomore and junior seasons, Carter helped North Carolina to consecutive ACC Men's Basketball Tournament titles and Final Four appearances. He finished the 1997–98 season with a 15.6 points per game average and was named second-team All-American, First-Team All-ACC, to the fan's guide third-annual Coaches ACC All-Defensive Team. In May 1998, Carter declared for the 1998 NBA draft, following his classmate Jamison, who had declared earlier that spring. During his NBA career, Carter continued his coursework at North Carolina, in August 2000, he graduated with a degree in African-American studies. On January 31, 2012, Carter was honored as one of the 35 greatest McDonald's All-Americans, on February 23, 2012, President Barack Obama, an avid NCAA and NBA basketball fan, gave praise to Carter at a fundraiser event, referring to Carter's game as a "huge treat for me since he's been playing for the Tar Heels." Carter was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft.
He was traded to the Toronto Raptors for the fourth overall pick, Antawn Jamison—Carter's college teammate and good friend. The Raptors had struggled in their first three years as a franchise. Carter was instrumental in leading the Raptors to their first playoff appearance in 2000 before going on to lead them to a 47-win season and their first playoff series win in 2001, advancing them to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Due to the NBA lockout, Carter's rookie season did not start until January 1999. Carter became a fan favorite with a soaring offensive game that earned him the nickname "Air Canada", he won NBA Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 18.3 points and throwing down countless highlight-reel dunks. Carter ascended to full-fledged stardom in his second season – he averaged 25.7 points per game and lifted Toronto to its first playoff appearance in franchise history. He subsequently was named to the All-NBA Third Team. During the 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend, Carter showcased arguably the most memorable Slam Dunk Contest event in its history.
He won the contest by performing an array of dunks including a 360° windmill, a between the legs bounce dunk, an "elbow in the rim" dunk. Carter and his distant cousin Tracy McGrady formed a formidable one-two punch as teammates in Toronto between 1998 and 2000. However, McGrady was dealt to the Orlando Magic in August 2000, leaving Carter as the Raptors' franchise player, it is believed by some that the Raptors could have won championships if McGrady and Carter stayed together in Toronto. In 2000–01, his third season, Carter averaged a career-high 27.6 points per game, made the All-NBA Second Team, was voted in as a starter for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game. The Raptors finished the regular season with a franchise-record 47 wins. In the playoffs, the Raptors beat the New York Knicks 3–2 in the first round, advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers. Carter and Allen Iverson played in a seven-game series that see-sawed forth. Carter scored 50 points in Game 3 and set an NBA playoff record for most three-point field goals made in one game.
Television ratings for Game 7 soared as one of the highest watched in NBC's history for a non-finals game. As the Sixers and Raptors increased their double team pressures on Carter and Iverson the game winning shot came down to Ca
Point guard
The point guard called the one or point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time. Above all, the point guard must understand and accept their coach's game plan. While the point guard must understand and accept the coach's gameplan, they must be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing, they must control the pace of the game. A point guard, like other player positions in basketball, specializes in certain skills. A point guard's primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for his/her team, or sometimes for themselves. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor, who can handle and distribute the ball to teammates; this involves setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate in the best position to score, controlling the tempo of the game.
A point guard should know when and how to instigate a fast break and when and how to initiate the more deliberate sets. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. A point guard needs always to have in mind the times on the shot clock and the game clock, the score, the numbers of remaining timeouts for both teams, etc. Among the taller players who have enjoyed success at the position is Ben Simmons, who at 6’ 10” won the 2018 National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year Award. Behind him is Magic Johnson, who at 6’ 9” won the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award three times in his career. Other point guards who have been named NBA MVP include Russell Westbrook, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose and two-time winners Steve Nash and Stephen Curry. In the NBA, point guards are about 6' 4" or shorter, average about 6' 2" whereas in the WNBA, point guards are 5' 9" or shorter. Having above-average size is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed and ball handling skills.
Shorter players tend to be better dribblers since they are closer to the floor, thus have better control of the ball while dribbling. After an opponent scores, it is the point guard who brings the ball down court to begin an offensive play. Passing skills, ball handling, court vision are crucial. Speed is important. Point guards are valued more for their assist totals than for their scoring. Another major evaluation factor is assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Still, a first-rate point guard should have a reasonably effective jump shot; the point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. This is a necessity because of the point guard's many leadership obligations. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". In the past, this was true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player-coaches; this is not so common anymore, as most coaches are now specialized in coaching and are non-players.
Some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense. Point guards who are not given this much freedom, are still extensions of their coach on the floor and must display good leadership skills. Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. Speaking, the point guard is the player in possession of the ball for the most time during a game and is responsible for maintaining possession of the ball for his team in the face of any pressure from the opponents. Point guards must be able to maintain possession of the ball in crowded spaces and in traffic and be able to advance the ball quickly. A point guard that has enough ball-handling skill and quickness to be able to drive to the basket in a half-court set is very valuable and considered by some to be a must for a successful offense. After ball-handling and scoring are the most important areas of the game for a point guard; as the primary decision-maker for a team, a point guard's passing ability determines how well a point guard is able to put his decision into play.
It is one thing to be able to recognize the player, in a tactically advantageous position, but it is another thing to be able to deliver the ball to that player. For this reason, a point guard is but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. A point guard will use his ability to score in order to augment his effectiveness as a decision maker and play maker. In addition to the traditional role of the point guard, modern teams have found new ways to utilize the position. Notably, several modern point guards have used a successful style of post play, a tactic practiced by much larger centers and forwards. Working off of the fact that the opposing point guard is in all probability an undersized player with limited strength, several modern point guards have developed games close to the basket that include being able to utilize the drop step, spin move, fade away jump shot. In recent years, the sport's shift from a fundamental style of play to a more athletic, scoring-oriented game resulted in the proliferation of so-called combo guards at the po
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson Sr. known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. Ice Cube gained recognition as a member of the hip hop group C. I. A. in 1984, which gained limited commercial success prior to disbanding three years later. Ice Cube, alongside Dr. Dre and Eazy E formed the group N. W. A, where he gained extreme notoriety as the group's primary songwriter and performer, noted for becoming one of the founding artists of gangsta rap, pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music, as well as visual imagery in music videos. After leaving N. W. A in December 1989, Ice Cube embarked on a successful solo career, releasing the albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted and Death Certificate, both of which have attained platinum certification in the United States, while being classed as defining albums of the 1990s. Much of his musical output has contained harsh socio-political commentary and storytelling, which has earned him several accolades from multiple publications and artists cited as an influence and one of the best rappers of all time.
Following the release of Death Certificate, Ice Cube transitioned into film, where his popularity was further enhanced by his starring role in Boyz n the Hood, where his performance was praised. He wrote and starred in the Friday film series, which contributed to reinventing his public image as a movie star. Ice Cube has featured in the Barbershop, Ride Along, XXX film series, while serving as a producer to several other films, including Straight Outta Compton, a biographical film depicting the career of N. W. A.. As a businessman, Ice Cube has founded his clothing line, Solo by Cube, as well as the 3 on 3 basketball league Big3, which predominately features retired NBA players. O'Shea Jackson was born on June 15, 1969, in Baldwin Hills, South Central Los Angeles, the son of Doris, a hospital clerk and custodian, Hosea Jackson, who worked as a groundskeeper at UCLA and a machinist, he has an older brother as well as a half-sister, murdered when Ice Cube was 12. His cousin is Teren Delvon Jones known as Del tha Funky Homosapien, a part of the rap group Hieroglyphics and who has worked with Gorillaz.
Jackson grew up on Van Wick Street in South Central Los Angeles. In his early teens, Jackson developed an interest in hip hop music, began writing raps in Los Angeles George Washington Preparatory High School's typewriting class. Jackson penned his first rap song in the ninth grade after a friend named "Kiddo", challenged him to write a song during a typewriting class. Kiddo lost. On the origins of his rapper name, Ice Cube says, he is quoted as saying "He threatened to slam me into a freezer and pull me out when I was an ice cube. I just started using that name, it just caught on."At the age of 16, Jackson sold his first song to future N. W. A. member Eazy-E. Jackson attended William Howard Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California, he enrolled at the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall of 1987 in Arizona. Being passionate about architecture, he studied architectural drafting, he returned to Los Angeles to pursue a rap career. Not sure of whether his rap career would work out, he would turn to become an architecture draftsman as a career backup.
With friend Sir Jinx, Ice Cube formed the C. I. A. and they performed at parties hosted by Dr. Dre. Dre soon entered the recording industry as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru. Dre saw Cube's potential as a writer and had him assist with writing Wreckin Cru's big L. A. hit track, "Cabbage Patch" as well as joining Cube on a side partnership which the duo called Stereo Crew. Stereo Crew produced a twelve-inch record, "She's a Skag" released on Epic Records in 1986. While Dr. Dre was DJing at L. A. dance club Eve After Dark, Ice Cube would rap over his music parodying songs by other artists. One such example of this was the song "My Penis," a parody of Run-DMC's "My Adidas." In a 2015 interview, club-owner Alonzo Williams said that he felt that this song damaged his reputation and asked for it not to be performed. In 1987, Ice Cube released the Dr. Dre produced single My Posse under with his group C. I. A.. After the collaboration, Ice Cube showed Eazy-E the lyrics to "Boyz-n-the-Hood". Eazy-E, although rejecting the lyrics recorded the song for N.
W. A. and the Posse, the debut album for the group N. W. A that included Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella. Ice Cube was the only member of N. W. A, not from Compton, California. By this point Ice Cube was a full-time member of N. W. A along with Dr. Dre and MC Ren. Ice Cube wrote Dr. Dre's and Eazy-E's rhymes for the group's landmark album, Straight Outta Compton, released in 1988. However, towards the end of 1989, Ice Cube found himself at odds with the group's manager, Jerry Heller, after rejecting Heller's proposed contract terms. Ice Cube wrote the lyrics to half of both Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-E's solo album, Eazy-Duz-It, but he was only paid $32,000 and his contract did not confirm that he was an official member of N. W. A; this led Ice Cube to leave the group and bring a private lawsuit against Jerry Heller, settled out of court. In response, the remaining N. W. A members attacked him on the EP 100 Miles and Runnin', on their next and final album, Niggaz4Life. In 1989, Ice Cube recorded his debut solo album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, in New York with the Bomb Squad.
It was released in May 1990 and was an instant hit and contributing to the rising tide of rap's popularity in mainstream society. The album was charg
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association, as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division, are the only team in their division not based in California; the Suns play their home games at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. The franchise began play in 1968 as an expansion team, their early years were shrouded in mediocrity, but their fortunes changed in the 1970s, after partnering long-term guard Dick Van Arsdale and center Alvan Adams with Paul Westphal, the Suns reached the 1976 NBA Finals, in what is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. However, after failing to capture a championship, the Suns would rebuild around Walter Davis for a majority of the 1980s, until the acquisition of Kevin Johnson in 1988. Under Johnson, after trading for perennial NBA All-Star Charles Barkley, combined with the output of Tom Chambers and Dan Majerle, the Suns reached the playoffs for a franchise-record thirteen consecutive appearances and remained a regular title contender throughout the 1990s, reached the 1993 NBA Finals.
However, the team would again fail to win a championship, entered into another period of mediocrity until the early part of the 2000s. In 2004, the Suns reacquired Steve Nash, returned into playoff contention. With Nash, Shawn Marion, Amar'e Stoudemire, under head coach Mike D'Antoni, the Suns became renowned worldwide for their quick, dynamic offense, which led them to tie a franchise record in wins in the 2004–05 season. Two more top two Conference placements followed, but the Suns again failed to attain an NBA championship, were forced into another rebuild; the Suns own the NBA's seventh-best all-time winning percentage, have the second highest winning percentage of any teams to have never won an NBA championship. 10 Hall of Famers have played for Phoenix, while two Suns—Barkley and Nash—have won the NBA Most Valuable Player award while playing for the team. The Suns were one of two franchises to join the NBA at the start of the 1968–69 season, alongside the Milwaukee Bucks from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
They were the first major professional sports franchise in the Phoenix market and in the entire state of Arizona, remained the only one for the better part of 20 years until the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League relocated from St. Louis in 1988; the Suns played its first 24 seasons at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, located northwest of downtown Phoenix. The franchise was formed by an ownership group led by Karl Eller, owner of a public enterprise, the investor Donald Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer, Richard Bloch. Other owners with a minority stake consisted of 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", "too far away" to be considered a successful NBA market; this was despite the fact that the Phoenix metropolitan area was growing and the Suns would have built-in geographical foes in places like in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle.
After continual prodding by Bloch, in 1968 the NBA Board of Governors granted franchises to Phoenix and Milwaukee on January 22, 1968 with an entry fee of $2 million. The Suns nickname was among 28,000 entries that were formally chosen in a name-the-team contest sponsored by The Arizona Republic, with the winner awarded $1,000 and season tickets for the inaugural season. Suns was preferred over Scorpions, Thunderbirds, Mavericks, Tumbleweeds and Cougars. Stan Fabe, who owned a commercial printing plant in Tucson, designed the team's first iconic logo for a mere $200. However, they were disappointed with the results. In the 1968 NBA Expansion Draft, notable Suns' pickups were future Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale. Jerry Colangelo a player scout, came over from the Chicago Bulls, a franchise formed two years earlier, as the Suns' first general manager at the age of 28, along with Johnny "Red" Kerr as head coach. Unlike the first-year success that Colangelo and Kerr had in Chicago, in which the Bulls finished with a first-year expansion record of 33 wins and a playoff berth, Phoenix finished its first year at 16–66, finished 25 games out of the final playoff spot.
Both Goodrich and Van Arsdale were selected to the All-Star Game in their first season with the Suns. Goodrich returned to his former team, the Lakers, after two seasons with the Suns, but Van Arsdale spent the rest of his playing days as a Sun and a one-time head coach for Phoenix; the Suns' last-place finish that season 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, the rights to draft UCLA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, while Phoenix settled on drafting center Neal Walk from Florida; the 1969–70 season posted better results for the Suns, finishing 39–43, but losing to the eventual Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The next two seasons, the Suns finished with 48- and 49-win seasons, but did not qualify for the playoffs in either year, did not reach the playoffs again until 1976; the 1975–76 season proved to be a pivotal year for the Suns as they made several key moves, including the offseason trade of former All-Star guard Charlie Scott to the Boston Celtics in exchange for guard
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association as a member club of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division; the team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, which it shares with the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars. As of the 2017 season, the Mavericks have sold out 704 consecutive games since December 15, 2001, the longest running sellout streak in North American major league sports. Since their inaugural 1980–81 season, the Mavericks have won three division titles, two conference championships, one NBA championship. In 1978, Californian businessman Garn Eckardt met Dallas lawyer Doug Adkins, mentioned he was trying to raise capital to move an NBA team to the city. Asking for a possible partner, Adkins recommended him one of his clients, Home Interiors and Gifts owner Don Carter. Negotiations with Eckardt fell through, but Carter remained interested in the enterprise as a gift to his wife Linda, who played basketball while at Duncanville High School.
At the same time, Buffalo Braves president and general manager Norm Sonju developed an interest in bringing the NBA to Dallas as he studied possible new locations for the ailing franchise. While the Braves went to California as the San Diego Clippers, Sonju returned to Texas, was introduced to Carter by mayor Robert Folsom, one of the owners and team president of the last professional basketball team in the city, the Dallas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association, which moved to San Antonio in 1973 to become the San Antonio Spurs. Sonju and Carter tried purchasing both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Kansas City Kings, but disagreement on relocation stalled the negotiations, leading them to instead aim for an expansion team; the league was reluctant to expand to Dallas, given Texas had both the Spurs and Houston Rockets, the 1978–79 NBA season was proving unprofitable and unpopular. Still, during the 1979 NBA All-Star Game weekend, NBA commissioner Larry O'Brien announced the league would add two new teams in the 1980–81 season, with teams in Dallas and Minneapolis.
Once the Minnesota team backed out, only Dallas remained, through negotiations with general counselor and future commissioner David Stern, the expansion fee was settled on the $12.5 million. Carter would provide half the amount. At the 1980 NBA All-Star Game, league owners voted to admit the new team, with the team's name coming from the 1957–1962 TV western Maverick. James Garner, who played the namesake character, was a member of the ownership group; the University of Texas at Arlington, who uses the Mavericks nickname, had objections about a shared name, but did not attempt any legal action. They joined the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, where they would stay until the league went to six divisions for the 2004–05 season. Dick Motta, who had guided the Washington Bullets to the NBA Championship in 1977–78, was hired as the team's first head coach, he had a well-earned reputation of being a stern disciplinarian, but was a great teacher of the game. Kiki Vandeweghe of UCLA was drafted by the Mavs with the 11th pick of the 1980 NBA draft, but Vandeweghe refused to play for the expansion Mavericks and staged a holdout that lasted a month into the team's inaugural season.
Vandeweghe was traded to the Denver Nuggets, along with a first-round pick, in 1981, in exchange for two future first-round picks that materialized into Rolando Blackman in 1981 and Sam Perkins in 1984. In the Mavericks' debut game, taking place in the brand-new Reunion Arena, the Mavericks defeated the Spurs, 103–92, but the Mavs started the season with a 6–40 record on their way to finishing 15–67. However, the Mavericks did make a player acquisition that, while it seemed minor at the time, turned out to play a important role in the early years of their franchise. Journeyman 6 ft 3 in guard Brad Davis, who played for the Anchorage Northern Knights of the Continental Basketball Association, was tracked down and signed by the Mavs in December. At the time, there was no reason to expect that Davis would be any better than the expansion-level talent the Mavs had, but he started the Mavs' final 26 games, led the team in assists, his career soared. He spent the next twelve years with the Mavericks, his number 15 jersey was retired.
The Mavericks marked the first NBA team to have a profitable debut season, with an average of 7,789 spectators. The 1981 NBA Draft brought three players; the Mavs selected 6'6" forward Mark Aguirre with the first pick, 6'6" guard Rolando Blackman 9th, 6'7" forward Jay Vincent 24th. By the end of his seven-year Mavs career, Aguirre would average 24.6 points per game. Blackman contributed 19.2 points over his 11-year career in Dallas. But it was Jay Vincent who made the biggest difference for the Mavs in their second season, leading the team in scoring with 21.4 points per game and earning NBA All-Rookie Team honors. The Mavericks improved to 28–54, getting out of the Midwest Division cellar as they finished above the Utah Jazz. In 1982–83, the Mavericks were serious contenders for the first time. At the All-Star break, they had won 12 of their last 15 games, they could not sustain that momentum and finished seven games behind the Denver Nuggets for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
But the Mavs' 38–44 re
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