1.
Vassilis Spanoulis
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Vassilis Spanoulis is a Greek professional basketball player for Olympiacos Piraeus of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. A6 ft 4 in tall combo guard, he is nicknamed Kill Bill, V-Span, and MVP. Spanoulis was named the Balkan Athlete of the Year in 2009, the All-Europe Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013, the Vaticans World Athlete of the Year in 2013 and he has earned a record seven All-EuroLeague Team selections. Spanoulis first played for Gymnastikos S. Larissas, and enjoyed a successful career start. His skill-set earned him a transfer to Athens and Maroussi, where he won the Greek Basket Leagues Best Young Player award in 2003, in the 2005–06 Euroleague season, Spanoulis made his debut in impressive fashion, earning his first All-EuroLeague Team selection as a rookie in the competition. Spanoulis transfer to Olympiacos, in the summer of 2010, marked a new step in his career, within a young and rebuilding team, Spanoulis not only led a EuroLeague title run in 2012, but went on to achieve a historical repeat in 2013. Spanoulis played a role on the senior mens Greek national teams EuroBasket 2005 gold medal team. Most importantly, he was one of the stars of Greeces 2006 FIBA World Championship silver medal team. It was, however, Greeces bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2009 that emphasized Spanoulis leadership within an injury-plagued Greek national team, Spanoulis began his basketball career with the youth teams of Gymnastikos and Keravnos in Larissa, Greece, playing in the junior levels from 1994, until 1999. He made his debut in the year 1999, at the age of 17. In the two seasons of 1999–00 and 2000–01, he played in the Greek A2 League with Gymnastikos, during the 2001–02 season, Spanoulis helped to lead Maroussi to the Greek Cup Final. This was the first time the team had made it to the Greek Cup championship game. Maroussi also competed in the Korać Cup 2001–02 season, Spanoulis was then voted the Greek League Best Young Player for the Greek Basket League 2002–03 season. In the 2003–04 season, Spanoulis helped to lead Maroussi to the Greek Basket League Finals and he also helped lead Maroussi to the 2003–04 seasons EuroChallenge Final. In the EuroChallenge, Spanoulis averaged 10.8 points per game and 6.4 assists per game off the bench for Maroussi and he also shot 40% from three-point range. He was also named the Greek League Most Improved Player that same season, Spanoulis was then drafted in the 2nd round of the 2004 NBA Draft, by the Dallas Mavericks, following this sudden emergence. He also made it onto the senior mens Greek national basketball team at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games. In the Greek Basket League 2004–05 season, his last with Maroussi, Spanoulis averaged 15.9 points per game and shot 37. 8% from 3-point range, in 35 games of Greek Basket League competition
2.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
3.
Key (basketball)
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It is a critical area on the court where much of the action takes place in a game. The key, in all games, starting with FIBAs amendments to its rules in 2010, is rectangular, prior to 2006, the key in FIBA-sanctioned tournaments was trapezoidal in shape. Both NBA and FIBA keys are 16 feet wide, while NCAA keys are narrower at 12 feet, another rule enforced is the lane violation in which players from both teams are prohibited to enter the lane until after the free throw shooter releases the ball from his hands. An innovation is the introduction of the restricted area arc directly underneath the basket where the player cannot force an offensive foul on the opposing player. In addition to the rectangle, the key includes a free-throw circle at its head or top. The width of the key in the NBA is 16 feet, including the 2-foot wide foul lanes, in U. S. college and high-school play, beginning after the 2010 FIBA World Championship, all FIBA-administered tournaments use a rectangular key 4.9 meters wide. From 1956 until 2010, FIBA-sanctioned tournaments used a trapezoidal key, the narrower end was on the free-throw line, where it was 3.6 meters, while the wider end, at the end line, measured 6 meters. The free throw circle has a radius and is centered at the midpoint of the free throw line. In the NBA and ULEB, the boundary of the closer to the basket is traced in a broken line in order to space players properly for jump balls. NBA Rule 1 requires the key to contain two 6 inches long hash marks,3 feet from the throw line, the marks indicate the so-called lower defensive box. The free throw line is 15 feet from the projection of the face of the backboard onto the court. The projection of the center of the basket onto the court is a distance of 1.575 meters from the end line in FIBA tournaments. It has been also called cup or bottle in other languages, due to the narrowness of the key, imposing centers, such as George Mikan, dominated the paint, scoring at will. To counter this, the key was widened into 12 feet from 6 feet at the onset of the 1951–52 NBA season, mens professional basketball in the United States widened it further to 16 feet in the 1964–65 NBA season to lessen the effectiveness of centers, especially Wilt Chamberlain. The NCAA retains the 12‑foot key to this day, in addition, the no-charge semicircle formally called the restricted area arc was also created. The lane is an area in which players can stay for only a limited amount of time. In American professional basketball, the team is also prohibited from staying in the key for more than three seconds, unless a player is directly guarding an offensive player. In FIBA-sanctioned tournaments, on the hand, the defending team is allowed to stay on the key for an unlimited amount of time
4.
Personal foul (basketball)
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In basketball, a personal foul is a breach of the rules that concerns illegal personal contact with an opponent. It is the most common type of foul in basketball, a foul out occurs when a player exceeds his or her personal foul limit for a game and is disqualified from participation in the remainder of the game. Players routinely initiate illegal contact to purposely affect the play, hoping it is seen as too minor to be called a foul, the threshold is subjective and varies among officials and from game to game. Most contact fouls are not regarded as unsportsmanlike, however, a contact foul involving excessive or unjustified contact is classed as an unsportsmanlike foul Basketball has always had the concept of fouls. Running with the ball and striking it with the fist are now violations, holding the ball with the arms or body is now rare but legal. Originally, on a second foul, the player would be removed without substitution until the next successful goal. Before long, free throws were introduced, originally worth three points each, then one, originally, any team member was allowed to shoot free throws. In 1924, the rules were changed so that the player shot the free throws. The victim of a contact foul used to be three attempts at a free throw, and retained possession of the basketball. Now, a player fouled in the act of shooting gets as many throws as the point value of the shot he or she attempted. Personal contact does not necessarily constitute a foul, unless it gives a player an advantage or puts the opponent at a disadvantage. The cylinder extends from the floor to the ceiling, allowing the player to jump upward, a player can occupy any cylinder not already occupied by the opponent. No one else is allowed to step or reach into this cylinder, a player must not extend his limbs or bend his body in a way that is not normal. If there is a breach of this principle that places the opponent at a disadvantage, the NBA does not use the cylinder principle to judge contact, it only says that a player may not bend or reach in a position that is not normal. The elements of time and distance concern the time and distance of another person. They apply only to players without the ball, not to the ball carrier, for example, a player cannot suddenly step in front of a sprinting player, even without invading the cylinder. Another example is when a player sets a screen directly behind a player, deciding between the two is complex, partly subjective, and often controversial. Generally, the ball-carrier committed a charge if all of the following are true, The defender was still, or moving sideways or backward but not forward, the defender took a legal guarding position before the contact, that is, one with both feet on the floor
5.
Kobe Bryant
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Kobe Bean Bryant is an American retired professional basketball player and businessman. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association and he entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team and he led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks third on both the leagues all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career and he declared for the NBA draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, despite a feud between them, Bryant and Shaquille ONeal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, Bryant was accused of assault in Colorado, but the charges were eventually dropped. After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, ONeal was traded to the Miami Heat, Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers, and he led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, Bryant was awarded the regular seasons Most Valuable Player Award in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, he led the Lakers to two championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the Finals MVP Award on both occasions. He continued to be among the top players in the league through 2013, although he recovered, his play was limited the following two years by season-ending injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing his physical decline, he announced that he would be retiring after the 2015–16 season, at 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He became the leading scorer in Lakers franchise history on February 1,2010. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won medals as a member of the U. S. national team. Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s, Bryant was born in Philadelphia, as the youngest of three children and the only son of Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. He is also the nephew of basketball player John Chubby Cox. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan and his middle name, Bean, is derived from his fathers nickname Jellybean. When Bryant was six, his left the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue playing professional basketball. Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak fluent Italian, during summers, he would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league
6.
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
7.
Steve Nash
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Stephen John Steve Nash, OC, OBC, is a Canadian retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association. He was an eight-time NBA All-Star and a seven-time All-NBA selection, twice, Nash was named the NBA Most Valuable Player while playing for the Phoenix Suns. He currently serves as manager of the Canadian national team. After a successful high school 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, and he was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. Nash graduated from Santa Clara as the teams 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 and 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 leagues MVP and 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 he is also ranked as one of the top players in NBA league history in three-point shooting, free-throw shooting, total assists, and 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, 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 manager of the Canadian mens national basketball team. Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a Welsh mother, Jean and his family moved to Regina, Saskatchewan when he was 18 months old, before settling in Victoria, British Columbia. He therefore 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 often played soccer and ice hockey with his younger brother Martin, in grade eight, however, he told his mother that one day he would play in the NBA and would become a star. He was neighbour to future NHL stars Russ and Geoff Courtnall, there, he starred in basketball, soccer, and rugby union. While playing basketball during his season, Nash averaged 21.3 points,11.2 assists
8.
Rick Barry
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Richard Francis Dennis Rick Barry III is an American retired professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association. Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in history by the NBA in 1996, Barry is the player to lead the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He was known for his unorthodox but effective underhand free throw shooting technique, in 1987, Barry was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is the father of former NBA players Brent Barry and Jon Barry, Barry grew up in Roselle Park, New Jersey, graduating from Roselle Park High School in 1962. Barry was an All-American basketball player for the University of Miami, while at Miami, Barry met his wife Pamela, the daughter of Hurricanes head coach Bruce Hale. As a senior in the 1964–65 campaign, Barry led the NCAA with a 37.4 points-per-game average, Barry and the Hurricanes did not take part in the NCAA Tournament, however, because the basketball program was on probation at the time. Barry is one of just two players to have his number retired by the school. Barry was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors with the pick of the 1965 NBA draft. In Barrys first season in the NBA with the Warriors, the team improved from 17 to 35 victories and that 76ers team is considered to be one of the greatest in basketball history.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in the 1965–66 season. Teamed with star center Nate Thurmond in San Francisco, Barry helped take the Warriors to the 1967 NBA Finals, including a 55-point outburst in Game 3, Barry averaged 40.8 points per game in the series, an NBA Finals record that stood for three decades. The courts ordered Barry to sit out the 1967–68 season before he starred in the ABA, the ensuing negative publicity cast Barry in a negative light, portraying him as selfish and money-hungry. However, many NBA players at the time were looking at jumping to the ABA for more lucrative contracts, Barry would star in the ABA, twice averaging more than 30 points per game. After the 1966–67 season, Barry became one of the first NBA players to jump to the American Basketball Association when he signed with the Oakland Oaks, in the ABAs first season, the Oaks were the only ABA team located in the same market as an NBA team. The Warriors went to court and prevented Barry from playing for the Oaks during the 1967–68 season, Barry instead worked on Oaks radio broadcasts during the ABAs first season. During the 1968–69 season Barry suited up for the Oaks and averaged 34 points per game and he also led the ABA in free throw percentage for the season. However, on December 27,1968, late in a game against the New York Nets, Barry and Kenny Wilburn collided and Barry tore ligaments in his knee. He tried to again in January but only aggravated the injury and sat out the rest of the season. Despite the injury Barry was named to the ABA All-Star team, the Oaks finished with a record of 60-18, winning the Western Division by 14 games over the second place New Orleans Buccaneers
9.
Ray Allen
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Walter Ray Allen Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association. After playing three seasons of basketball for Connecticut, Allen entered the NBA in 1996 and went on to play for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics. One of the most accurate three-point and free throw shooters in NBA history, he was a ten-time NBA All-Star and he also won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 2000 United States mens basketball team. Allen is the NBAs all-time leader in career three-point field goals made in both the regular and postseason and he has acted in two films, one of which was a lead role in the 1998 Spike Lee film, He Got Game. The third of five children, Allen was born at Castle Air Force Base near Merced, California, a military child, he spent time growing up in Saxmundham in England, Altus in Oklahoma, Edwards Air Force Base in California, and Germany. He attended high school in Dalzell, South Carolina, where he led Hillcrest High School to a state championship. Allen attended the University of Connecticut from 1993 to 1996 after being recruited by assistant coach Karl Hobbs, while at UConn, he was named USA Basketballs Male Athlete of the Year in 1995. In 1995–96, his college season, Allen was a first-team All-American. Allen finished his UConn career third on the Huskies career scoring list with 1,922 points, in 2001, Allen was named honorary captain of the 25-member UConn All-Century Basketball Team. On February 5,2007, his name and number were honored at Connecticuts Gampel Pavilion during the Huskies of Honor ceremony at halftime of the basketball game against the Syracuse Orange. Allen was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the pick of the 1996 NBA draft. Immediately after his selection, Allen and Andrew Lang were traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to fourth pick Stephon Marbury. Allen made his NBA debut on November 1,1996 where he started and played 28 minutes and scored 13 points in a win against fellow rookie Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. On January 12,1997 Allen put in one of his strongest efforts of the season in a win against the Golden State Warriors contributing 22 points,6 assists,3 steals and a new career high of 9 rebounds. Continuing his strong season, on March 25,1997 Allen scored a new career high of 32 points in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. Allen was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 1996, after an injury-riddled 2003–04 season, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team and, alongside teammate Rashard Lewis, led the Sonics to the Conference Semifinals in 2005. Allen told the press if the Lakers remained a mediocre squad, in about a year or two he will be calling out to Jerry Buss that we need some help in here. When asked about Allens comments, Bryant responded, Dont even put me, after the 2004–05 season, Allen signed a 5-year, $80 million contract extension
10.
Stephen Curry
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Wardell Stephen Curry II is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. Many players and analysts have called him the greatest shooter in NBA history, in 2014–15, Curry won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975. The following season, he became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote and that same year, the Warriors broke the record for the most wins in an NBA season. Curry is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry and older brother of current NBA player Seth Curry and he played college basketball for Davidson. There, he was twice named Southern Conference Player of the Year, during his sophomore year, he also set the single-season NCAA record for three-pointers made. During the 2012–13 season, Curry set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a season with 272. He surpassed that record in 2015 with 286, and again in 2016 with 402, the son of Sonya and Dell Curry, Stephen Curry was born in Akron, Ohio, while his father was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, where his father spent most of his NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets, Dell often took Curry and his younger brother, Seth, to his games, where they would shoot around with the Hornets during warm-ups. The family briefly relocated to Toronto, Ontario, where Dell finished out his career as a member of the Toronto Raptors, during this time, Curry played for the Queensway Christian College boys basketball team, leading them to an undefeated season. He was also a member of Toronto 5–0, a team that plays across Ontario, pitting him against fellow future NBA players Cory Joseph. Curry led the team to a 33–4 record, en route to winning the provincial championship. Because of his fathers storied career at Virginia Tech, Curry wanted to play basketball for the Hokies. He ultimately chose to attend Davidson College, who had been aggressively recruiting him from the tenth grade, before Curry even played one college game, head coach Bob McKillop said at a Davidson alumni event, Wait til you see Steph Curry. In his first collegiate game, against Eastern Michigan, Curry finished with 15 points, in the next game, against Michigan, he scored 32 points, dished out 4 assists, and grabbed 9 rebounds. Curry finished the leading the Southern Conference in scoring with 21.5 points per game. He was second in the nation among freshmen in scoring, behind only Kevin Durant of Texas, Currys scoring ability helped the Wildcats to a 29–5 overall record and a Southern Conference regular season title. Curry eclipsed the school scoring record with his 502nd point against Chattanooga on February 6,2007. On March 15,2007, Davidson marched into the NCAA tournament as a 13 seed set to play Maryland, despite Currys game-high 30 points and he was also honorable mention in Sports Illustrateds All-Mid-Major
11.
Reggie Miller
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Reginald Wayne Reggie Miller is an American retired professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller was known for his precision three-point shooting, especially in situations and most notably against the New York Knicks. When he retired, he held the record for most career 3-point field goals made and he is second on the list behind Ray Allen. A five-time All-Star selection, Miller led the league in free throw accuracy five times, Miller is widely considered the Pacers greatest player of all-time. His No.31 was retired by the team in 2006, currently, he works as an NBA commentator for TNT. On September 7,2012, Miller was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Miller was born in Riverside, California. He was born with hip deformities, which prevented him from walking correctly, after a few years of continuously wearing braces on both legs, his leg strength grew enough to compensate. One of five siblings, he comes from an athletic family and his brother Darrell is a former Major League Baseball player, his sister Tammy played volleyball at Cal State Fullerton, and his older sister Cheryl is a Hall of Fame basketball player. Cheryl was a member of the 1984 U. S. gold-medal winning Olympic basketball team and is an analyst for Turner Sports, one of the family anecdotes Reggie liked to recall was when Cheryl used to beat him in games of 1-on-1 prior to his professional career. According to Reggie, they quit playing when he could finally block Cheryls shots, Miller claims his unorthodox shooting style was developed to arc his shot over his sisters constant shot blocking. The Millers also had a son Saul, Jr. who became a musician, Miller attended Riverside Polytechnic High School and the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received a degree in history. In the 1984–1985 NCAA season he helped the UCLA Bruins to an NIT championship, the Three-point field goal was instituted for the 1986–1987 season,69 of his 247 field goals were from three point range that year. One of his most memorable performances was in the January 24,1987 game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, another notable game was a win against defending national champion Louisville and Pervis Ellison on February 28,1987. Miller scored 33 points in the half, which is still the school record. His final game was a loss in the round of the 1987 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament to Wyoming. He finished second in scoring at UCLA behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As of 2009, he holds the UCLA single-season records for most league points, highest league scoring average. He also holds several individual game records, Miller was selected by the Pacers with the 11th pick in the 1st round of the 1987 NBA draft
12.
Kevin Durant
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Kevin Wayne Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. Durant has won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and he has also been selected to six All-NBA teams and eight All-Star teams. Durant was a heavily recruited high school prospect and he played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, where he won numerous year-end awards and became the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year. In the 2007 NBA draft, he was selected with the second pick by the Seattle SuperSonics. After his rookie season, the relocated to Oklahoma City. Durant helped lead Oklahoma City to the 2012 NBA Finals, losing to the Miami Heat in five games and he played nine seasons for the Thunder organization before joining the Warriors in 2016. Durant was born on September 29,1988 in Washington, D. C. to Wanda, when Durant was an infant, his father deserted the family, Wanda and Wayne eventually divorced, and Durants grandmother Barbara Davis helped raise him. By age 13, his father re-entered his life and traveled the country with him to basketball tournaments, Durant has one sister, Brianna, and two brothers, Tony and Rayvonne. Growing up, Durant wanted to play for his team, the Toronto Raptors. During this time, he began wearing #35 as his number in honor of his AAU coach, Charles Craig. Prior to the start of the season, he committed to the University of Texas, at the conclusion of the year, he was named the Washington Post All-Met Basketball Player of the Year, as well as the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 McDonalds All-American Game. He was widely regarded as the second-best high school prospect of 2006, for the 2006–07 college season, Durant averaged 25.8 points,11.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. The Longhorns finished the year with a 25–10 record overall and a 12–4 record in conference, Durant was the first freshman ever to win any of the National Player of the Year awards. On April 11, he declared for the 2007 NBA draft. His jersey was retired by the Longhorns. Durant was selected with the second pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. In his first career game, he registered 18 points,5 rebounds, on November 16, he made the first game-winning shot of his career in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. At the conclusion of the season, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year behind averages of 20.3 points,4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game
13.
Dirk Nowitzki
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Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Listed at 7 ft 0 in, Nowitzki is considered to be among the greatest power forwards of all time, Nowitzki led the Mavericks to 15 NBA Playoffs, including the franchises first Finals appearance in 2006 and only championship in 2011. He is a 13-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA Team member, Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA-history and the sixth player to achieve over 30,000 regular-season points. He is also one of seven players who achieved a 50–40–90 season and he is the first Maverick voted onto an All-NBA Team and holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Nowitzki are the players to achieve four consecutive 30-point. Nowitzki led the German national basketball team to a medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and silver in EuroBasket 2005. He was named the Euroscar European Basketball Player of the Year by the Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport for five years running from 2002 to 2006 and again in 2011. He was also named the Mister Europa European Player of the Year by the Italian sports magazine Superbasket in 2005, on December 18,2011, Nowitzki was named the 2011 German Sports Personality of the Year, the first basketball player to receive the award. On December 10,2012, he became the first non-American player to receive the Naismith Legacy Award and his older sister Silke Nowitzki, a local champion in track and field, also became a basketball player and now works for the NBA in International TV. Nowitzki was a tall child, most of the time he stood above his peers by a foot or more. He initially played handball and tennis, but soon tired of being called a freak for his height. Furthermore, Geschwindner encouraged Nowitzki to play an instrument and read literature to make him a more complete personality. After a year, the coach was so impressed with Nowitzkis progress that he advised him, if you choose the latter, we will stop training immediately, because nobody can prevent that anymore. But if you want to play against the best, we have to train on a daily basis, after pondering this lifetime decision for two days, Nowitzki agreed to enter the full-time training schedule, choosing the path to his eventual international career. When Nowitzki joined the team, DJK played in the Second Bundesliga and his first trainer was Pit Stahl, who played the tall teenager as an outside-scoring forward rather than an inside-scoring center to utilise his shooting skills. DJK finished second in the South Division, but could not earn promotion after losing, 86–62, in the match versus BG Ludwigsburg, in that game. In the 1996–97 Second Bundesliga season, the top scorer Kuisma left the team. Filling the void, Nowitzki averaged 19.4 points per game and led DJK again to place after the regular season
14.
Dwight Howard
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Dwight David Howard is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association. Howard, who plays center, had a high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 NBA draft and he led the Magic to three division titles and one conference title, and he was the winner of the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. In the 2008 Olympics, he was the center for Team USA. He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012, Howard was born in Atlanta, to Dwight Sr. and Sheryl Howard, and into a family with strong athletic connections. Howards mother had seven miscarriages before he was born, despite his large frame, Howard was quick and versatile enough to play the guard position. As a senior, Howard led his team to the 2004 state title and he averaged 25 points,18 rebounds,8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game. He was also co-MVP of the McDonalds High School All-American Game that year, on January 31,2012, Howard was also honored as one of the 35 greatest McDonalds All-Americans. He took the number 12 for his jersey, in part because it was the reverse of Garnetts 21 when he played for Minnesota. Howard joined a depleted Magic squad that had finished with only 21 victories the previous season, further, Howard, however, made an immediate impact. He finished his season with an average of 12.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg. He became the youngest player in NBA history to average a double in the regular season. He also became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 10 rebounds in a season, Howards importance to the Magic was highlighted when he became the first player in NBA history directly out of high school to start all 82 games during his rookie season. For his efforts, he was selected to play in the 2005 NBA Rookie Challenge and he also finished third to fellow center Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats and guard Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls for the Rookie of the Year award. Howard reported to camp for his second NBA campaign having added 20 pounds of muscle during the off-season, Orlando coach Brian Hill—responsible for grooming former Magic superstar Shaquille ONeal—decided that Howard should be converted into a full-fledged center. Hill identified two areas where Howard needed to improve, his game, and his defense. He exerted extra pressure on Howard, saying that the Magic would need him to emerge as a force in the middle before the team had a chance at the playoffs. Even though the big man played tentatively at times, he was able to build on his rookie year with an impressive sophomore season
15.
DeAndre Jordan
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Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association. He played one season of basketball for Texas A&M University before being selected by the Clippers in the second round of the 2008 NBA draft with the 35th overall pick. Jordan is both a two-time All-NBA and two-time NBA All-Defensive Team member, and has led the league in rebounding. In 2017, he was named an NBA All-Star for the first time, Jordan currently holds the NBA record for best career field goal percentage at 67. 4%. Jordan was born in Houston, Texas, to Kimberly and Hyland Jordan, Jordan attended Episcopal High School through his junior year. Jordan averaged 15.0 points,12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks as a sophomore, Jordan transferred to Christian Life Center Academy for his senior year, where he averaged 26.1 points,15.2 rebounds and 8.1 blocks per game. He was a third-team Parade All-American, named to the first-team All-Greater Houston squad by the Houston Chronicle and was a two-time all-state selection. At Christian Life Center, Jordan posted a high of 37 points in a game. Coming out of school, Jordan was rated as the number 8 overall prospect, the number 2 center in the country. Jordan was recruited by Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Kentucky, in the summer of 2007, Jordan played for Team USA at the 2007 Under 19 World Championships in Serbia. Jordan played only 9 minutes per game, the team finished 2nd with an 8–1 record. Before Jordan arrived in College Station, Aggies head basketball coach Billy Gillispie left the school to take the coaching position at Kentucky. Jordan chose to honor his commitment to the university, Jordan started 21 of 35 games in his freshman season at Texas A&M. He averaged 20 minutes and 1.3 blocks per game, in those games, he shot a team-high of 61.7 percent in field goals, but a team-low of 43.7 percent in free throws. Most of his goals, however, were within a few feet from the basket. He finished the season averaging 7.9 points and 6.0 rebounds and he made the Big 12 All-Rookie Team for his efforts. After the season, he declared for the 2008 NBA draft, prior to the draft, draftexpress. com, a third party NBA draft website, listed Jordans strengths and weaknesses. A few strengths include incredible physical specimen, defensive potential, incredible upside, some weaknesses include not productive, poor fundamentals, mediocre footwork, and high bust potential
16.
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
17.
Andre Drummond
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Andre Jamal Drummond is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. He was one of the top rated players in the high school class of 2011. After being selected by Detroit in the first round with the ninth overall pick and he was named an NBA All-Star for the first time in 2016. Born in Mount Vernon, New York to Jamaican parents, Drummond started his school career at Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford. During his freshman year he averaged 12.7 points,11.9 rebounds and 6.5 blocks per game. He improved during his year at Capital Prep averaging 20.2 points,16.6 rebounds,7.2 blocks and 4.5 steals per game. After two years at Capital Preparatory Magnet School, he transferred to St. Thomas More, at St. Thomas More in Oakdale, Connecticut, Drummond was one of the most dominating centers in high school basketball. He spent two years at St. Thomas More and led the team to the national championship in 2011. He graduated in the spring that year and he was rated as the #1 player in the class of 2011 by ESPN and NBADraft. net, while being ranked #2 player by Rivals. com and Scout. com. In the summer of 2010, Drummond was a member of the medal winning United States team at the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship. He helped lead team USA to a 111–80 victory over Poland in the medal game. Drummond initially declared he would spend a year at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in 2011–12. Two weeks later on August 26,2011, he announced via Twitter that instead he intended to attend the University of Connecticut, according to ESPN, the decision created a media frenzy due to the sheer surprise. Drummond had also been considering attending Kentucky, Louisville, Georgetown, Drummond appeared in 34 games as a freshman at UConn, starting 30 times. He averaged 28.4 minutes of playing time per game, during which he scored 10.0 points and he led the team in rebounds per game, blocks per game and field goal percentage. He scored 20+ points in 2 games during the season, including a 24-point performance against Holy Cross, Drummonds collegiate career ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as the ninth-seeded Huskies fell to eight-seed Iowa State. The freshman center scored two points before fouling out in 26 minutes, a month later, Drummond announced his decision to enter the 2012 NBA draft. Drummond declared for the 2012 NBA draft on April 12,2012, in May 2011, ESPN wrote he had a chance to be the No.1 overall player in any draft hes involved with
18.
Chris Dudley
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Christen Guilford Chris Dudley is a retired American basketball player and politician. He played for 16 years and 886 games in the NBA for five different teams, a journeyman center, he was known primarily for his defensive skill as a rebounder and shot blocker. In 2010, he was the Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon, Dudley was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Elizabeth Josephine, a teacher, and Guilford Dudley III, a minister. His maternal grandfather, also a minister, immigrated from Hungary and his paternal grandfather was Guilford Dudley, who was U. S. ambassador to Denmark under the Nixon and Ford presidential administrations. Dudley played high school basketball at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego and he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 16. Like his parents, grandfather, and uncle, Dudley attended Yale University, at Yale he played NCAA basketball for the Bulldogs from 1983 to 1987 and earned a degree in political science and economics. Dudley began playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 1987–88 NBA season, during his rookie season, he played in 55 of 82 games, averaging three points per game. During the 1989-1990 season, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets and he played three years with the Nets, including the 1990–91 season, in which he enjoyed his best scoring average,7.1 points per game in 61 contests. In the 1991-1992 season, he was available for all 82 games, in the 1992-1993 season, he was a bench contributor as the Nets went to their second playoff spot in two years. The summer after that season, teammate Dražen Petrović died in a car accident in Germany, an injury kept Dudley out of all but six games during his first season in Portland. Though teammate Clyde Drexler was shipped to the Houston Rockets in the middle of the season, Dudley. After playing 161 games for the Blazers between 1995 and 1997, Dudley went to the New York Knicks, where he backed up Patrick Ewing for three seasons. In 1999, he reached the NBA Finals for the time in his career. Later that year, he grabbed his 5, 000th NBA rebound during a game between the Knicks and the Detroit Pistons, after his stint with the Knicks, Dudley was traded Phoenix Suns for Luc Longley, participating in 53 games in the 2000–01 season. He returned to the Trail Blazers in 2002, and retired after playing three games during the 2002–03 season, in a career total of 886 NBA games, Dudley scored 3473 points, had 375 assists, blocked 1027 shots and had 5457 rebounds. He was the recipient of the NBAs J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1996, in 1990, Dudley missed 13 consecutive free throws, setting an NBA record. In 1989, he set the record for most free throws missed in a trip to the foul line. He received an NBA award as well as other community awards for founding the organization, from 2005 to 2007, he was a volunteer assistant coach for the Lake Oswego High School boys basketball team, where he mentored UCLA-bound star Kevin Love
19.
Ben Wallace
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Ben Camey Wallace is an American retired professional basketball player. A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University, in his NBA career, Wallace played with the Washington Bullets/Wizards, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, in nine seasons with the Pistons, Wallace made two NBA Finals appearances and won a championship with the Pistons in 2004. The Pistons retired his jersey number 3 in 2016, Wallace was born in White Hall, Alabama, a small town in Lowndes County, and is the tenth of eleven children. He later attended Central High School in Hayneville where he received honors in basketball, baseball. Former basketball player Charles Oakley is Wallaces mentor, having discovered Wallace at a 1991 basketball camp, Wallace first played college basketball on the junior college level at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland for two years. There, staples of Wallaces defensive prowess were shown as he averaged 17.0 rebounds and 6.9 blocks per game and he then transferred to Virginia Union, a NCAA Division II school, where he studied criminal justice. Wallace averaged 13.4 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game as a member of the Virginia Union Panthers, whom he led to the Division II Final Four and a 28–3 record. As a senior, Wallace was named to the First-Team All CIAA and was selected as a First Team All-American by the NABC, after leaving Virginia Union and going undrafted, Ben Wallace travelled to Italy for a tryout with the Italian team Viola Reggio Calabria. Wallace only appeared in 34 games for Washington in the 1996–97 season, the following year he appeared in 67 games and started in 16, but did not average many points or rebounds. He did manage to average 1.3 rebounds and 2 blocks per game, Washington was unable to make the playoffs for three straight years. On August 11,1999, Wallace was traded to the Orlando Magic in a deal for Isaac Austin. In the 1999–2000 season, he solidified his role as a starter and he averaged 4.8 points,8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks for the Magic as they won 41 games. His strong defensive play earned him the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, while also being named to the All-Defensive First Team and the All-NBA Third Team.4 a game. The Pistons won 50 games and the Central Division again, Detroit would go on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games, but could not defeat the defending Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Nets in the Conference Finals. Wallace increased his rebounding to 16.3 per game in the playoffs, the 2003–04 season saw Ben Wallace continue to rank among the league leaders in rebounding and blocks. In the playoffs, the Pistons handily defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the first round, before facing New Jersey for the second straight year. Despite taking a 2-game lead to open the series, the Nets would win 3 straight games, the Pistons would then face the Ron Artest and Reggie Miller-led, league-leading Indiana Pacers, and the two teams traded wins in the first four games
20.
Shaquille O'Neal
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Shaquille Rashaun Shaq ONeal, nicknamed Shaq, is a retired American professional basketball player and former rapper who is currently an analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Listed at 7 ft 1 in tall and weighing 325 pounds, ONeal played for six teams throughout his 19-year NBA career. Following his career at Louisiana State University, ONeal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best centers in the league, winning Rookie of the Year in 1992–93, after four years with the Magic, ONeal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. They won three championships in 2000,2001, and 2002. Amid tension between ONeal and Kobe Bryant, ONeal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, midway through the 2007–2008 season he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. After a season-and-a-half with the Suns, ONeal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009–10 season, ONeal played for the Boston Celtics in the 2010–11 season before retiring. He is one of three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year. He ranks 7th all-time in points scored, 5th in field goals, 13th in rebounds, largely due to his ability to dunk the basketball, ONeal also ranks 3rd all-time in field goal percentage. ONeal was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, in addition to his basketball career, ONeal has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. He has appeared in films and has starred in his own reality shows, Shaqs Big Challenge. He currently hosts The Big Podcast with Shaq, ONeal was born on March 6,1972 in Newark, New Jersey, to Lucille ONeal and Joe Toney, an All-State guard in high school who was offered a basketball scholarship to play at Seton Hall. Toney struggled with addiction and was imprisoned for drug possession when ONeal was an infant. Upon his release, he did not resume a place in ONeals life and instead agreed to relinquish his rights to ONeals stepfather, Phillip A. Harrison. ONeal remained estranged from his father for decades, ONeal had not spoken with Toney or expressed an interest in establishing a relationship. On his 1994 rap album, Shaq Fu, The Return, ONeal voiced his feelings of disdain for Toney in the song Biological Didnt Bother, dismissing him with the line Phil is my father. However, ONeals feelings toward Toney mellowed in the years following Harrisons death in 2013, ONeal credits the Boys and Girls Club of America in Newark with giving him a safe place to play and keeping him off the streets. It gave me something to do, he said, id just go there to shoot
21.
Dennis Rodman
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He was nicknamed The Worm and was known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities. Rodman played at the forward position in his early years before becoming a power forward. He earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice and he also led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and won five NBA championships. His biography at NBA. com states that he is arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history, on April 1,2011, the Pistons retired Rodmans No.10 jersey, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later that year. Rodman experienced a childhood and was shy and introverted in his early years. After aborting a suicide attempt in 1993, he reinvented himself as a bad boy and he repeatedly dyed his hair in artificial colors, had many piercings and tattoos, and regularly disrupted games by clashing with opposing players and officials. He famously wore a dress to promote his 1996 autobiography Bad As I Wanna Be. Rodman pursued an affair with singer Madonna and was briefly married to actress Carmen Electra. Rodman also attracted attention for his visits to North Korea. Apart from basketball, Rodman is a retired professional wrestler. He was a member of the nWo and fought alongside Hulk Hogan at two Bash at the Beach events, in professional wrestling, Rodman was the first ever winner of the Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament. He had his own TV show The Rodman World Tour, and had roles in the action films Double Team. Both films were critically panned, with the former earning Rodman a triple Razzie Award and he appeared in several reality TV series and was the winner of the $222,000 main prize of the 2004 edition of Celebrity Mole. Rodman was born in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Shirley and Philander Rodman, Jr. an Air Force enlisted member, when he was young, his father left his family, eventually settling in the Philippines. Rodman has many brothers and sisters, according to his father, however, Rodman himself has stated that he is the oldest of a total of 47 children. After his father left, Shirley took many odd jobs to support the family, in his 1997 biography Bad As I Wanna Be, he expresses his feelings for his father, I havent seen my father in more than 30 years, so whats there to miss. I just look at it like this, Some man brought me into this world and that doesnt mean I have a father. Rodman and his two sisters, Debra and Kim, grew up in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, Rodman was so attached to his mother that he refused to move when she sent him to a nursery when he was four years old
22.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball
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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets mens basketball team represents the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in NCAA Division I basketball. The team plays its games in McCamish Pavilion on the schools Atlanta campus and is currently coached by Josh Pastner. Under the tenure of Bobby Cremins, Georgia Tech established itself as a force in basketball. Cremins led his team to the first ACC tournament victory in history in 1985. Cremins retired from Georgia Tech in 2000 with the schools best winning percentage as a head coach, the Yellow Jackets returned to the Final Four in 2004 under Paul Hewitt and lost in the national title game, losing to UConn. Overall, the team has won 1,318 games and lost 1,176 games, Georgia Techs first recorded official participation in basketball was in 1906, when a small club organized under Coach Chapman. They won two of the three games played that season. The next time Tech had a team, it was under the famous coach John Heisman. Heisman had a percentage of.142 that season and improved the teams percentage to.500 in 1912 and 1913. Georgia Tech became a member of the Southeastern Conference in 1932. The Yellow Jackets played their first NCAA tournament game in 1960, coached by Hyder and led by all-American Kaiser, the team defeated Ohio University before losing in the second round to the eventual champion, Ohio State. Hyder continued to have teams in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1964, Georgia Techs final season in the Southeastern Conference, in 1971 the Yellow Jackets, led by Yunkus, reached the finals of the National Invitation Tournament but lost to the University of North Carolina. Georgia Tech became a member of the Metro Conference in 1975. As of the 2007–08 season, the Yellow Jackets have won three ACC Tournament championships and been the ACCs top seed twice, through 2007–08, Georgia Tech has received fifteen berths in the NCAA tournament, and seven of its teams have made it to the Sweet Sixteen. In 1992, Cremins led an inexperienced Tech team to the Sweet 16, the following year, the Yellow Jackets won the ACC Tournament. Georgia Techs nine consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament from the mid-1980s, in 1996, the team finished first in the ACCs regular season and returned to the tournament behind future NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury. Creminss nineteen-year tenure stands as the teams most successful era, Cremins is Georgia Techs all-time winningest coach and is third among all ACC coaches
23.
Centenary Gentlemen basketball
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The Centenary Gentlemen basketball team represents Centenary College, located in Shreveport, Louisiana, in NCAA Division III mens basketball competition. The Gentlemen nickname is exclusive to athletes and teams, Ladies is used for womens teams. The team is a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, prior to 2011, Centenary was a member of the NCAA Division I, and competed in the Summit League. The Gentlemen were coached by Rob Flaska from 2005 until 2008 and his contract was not renewed after the 2007-08 season. Greg Gary was hired to replace him, mark Richmond has become the assistant coach for the Gents and brings big-time Big East experience from West Virginia to the staff. He has worked under both Bob Huggins and John Beilein, in 2010 Adam Walsh became the head coach of The Gents. Robert Parish Larry Robinson See Category, Centenary Gentlemen basketball players Official website
24.
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
25.
Bonus (basketball)
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In the sport of basketball, the bonus situation occurs when one team accumulates a requisite number of fouls, which number varies depending on the level of play. When one team has committed the requisite number of fouls, each subsequent foul results in the teams taking free throws regardless of the type of foul committed. Teams under the limit are commonly referred to as having fouls to give and these fouls reset every quarter or half depending on the rules in use. All subsequent non-shooting defensive fouls committed by that team in the same quarter concede two free throws, all fouls committed by players count towards the team foul count. Only defensive fouls are awarded free throws, team fouls accrue from the fourth period on, as all overtimes are extensions of it for the purpose of team foul accumulation. The 3-man game, known as FIBA 3x3, has a slightly different penalty rule, the penalty is triggered when a team commits more than six fouls in a game. Each penalty situation involved two penalty throws, and the tenth and subsequent fouls will also include possession of the ball. In the National Basketball Association and Womens National Basketball Association, bonus rules in a quarter apply starting with the team foul. The NBA rules on the team foul penalty are similar to the FIBA version, only defensive and loose-ball fouls count towards a teams limit for the team foul penalty. Offensive fouls do not count towards the team foul penalty, the team foul penalty applies in a period after a team commits one foul in the final two minutes if the team had not reached the penalty phase in the first ten or eight minutes of that period. In other words, within any period free throws are awarded starting from the fifth foul OR from the foul in the last two minutes of the period, whichever comes earlier. If a game enters overtime, the counts are reset to 0. The penalty phase starts with the foul in each overtime period rather than five for regulation periods. The player cannot be ejected from the game for a technical foul caused by such and this type of technical foul serves in effect as a player foul penalty of a bonus free throw, similar to the team foul penalty. However, this bonus free throw is awarded regardless of the foul being an offensive or defensive foul, the bonus situation is also used in American mens college basketball, but the NCAA rules are much different from the bonus rules of the NBA. The basic bonus rules remain the same, but the limit for team fouls is six per half, in the case of a non-shooting foul, the opposing player must make the first free throw in order to be awarded a second free throw. This is commonly referred to as one-and-one, beginning with the tenth foul of a half, the fouled team is awarded two free throws on non-shooting fouls regardless of whether or not the first shot is made. For purposes of bonus, overtime in college basketball is considered to be an extension of the second half, for the 2017 National Invitation Tournament, the NCAA approved a set of experimental bonus rules that are a hybrid of NCAA womens and NBA/WNBA rules
26.
Combat
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Combat or fighting is a purposeful violent conflict meant to weaken, establish dominance over, or kill the opposition, or to drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed. Combat violence can be unilateral, whereas fighting implies at least a defensive reaction, a large-scale fight is known as a battle. A verbal fight is known as an argument. Combat effectiveness, in the field, requires combat readiness. In military areas, the term is applied also to personnel, Combat may take place under a specific set of rules or be unregulated. Examples of rules include the Geneva Conventions, medieval chivalry, the Marquess of Queensberry rules, Combat in warfare involves two or more opposing military organizations, usually fighting for nations at war. Warfare falls under the laws of war, which govern its purposes and conduct, Combat may be armed or unarmed. Hand-to-hand combat is combat at close range, attacking the opponent with the body and/or with a melee weapon. “Combat Motivation in Today’s Soldiers, U. S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. ”Armed Forces & Society, vol. “Combat Casualties and Race, What Can We Learn from the 2003-2004 Iraq Conflict. ”“Undermining Combat Readiness in the Russian Military, 1992-2005. ”Armed Forces & Society, Jul 2006, vol. Http, //afs. sagepub. com/cgi/content/abstract/32/4/513 Ben-Shalom, Uzi, Lehrer, Zeev, and Ben-Ari, Eyal. “Cohesion during Military Operations, A Field Study on Combat Units in the Al-Aqsa Intifada. ”Http, //afs. sagepub. com/cgi/content/abstract/32/1/63 Woodruff, Todd, Kelty, Ryan, Segal, Archie Cooper, David R.2006. “Propensity to Serve and Motivation to Enlist among American Combat Soldiers. ”Armed Forces & Society, Apr 2006, vol
27.
Official (basketball)
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In basketball, an official is a person who has the responsibility to enforce the rules and maintain the order of the game. The title of official also applies to the scorers and timekeepers, officials are usually referred to as referees, however, generally there is one lead referee and one or two umpires, depending on whether there is a two- or three-person crew. In the NBA, the official is called the crew chief. In FIBA-sanctioned play, two-man crews consist of a referee and an umpire, regardless, both classes of officials have equal rights to control almost all aspects of the game. In most cases, the lead official performs the jump ball to begin the contest, though NFHS, in American high school and college basketball, the officials generally wear black and white striped shirts with black side panels, black pants and black shoes. Some state high school association allow officials to wear shirts with black pin strips instead of the black. NBA officials wear shirts with black slacks and black shoes. The NBA shirt is grey with black colored shoulders and sleeves, the WNBA referee shirt is similar to the NBA referee shirt, except that its shoulder and sleeve colors are orange and the WNBA logo takes the place of the NBA logo. FIBA officials wear a grey and black official referee shirt, black trousers, black socks, officials in competitions organized by Euroleague Basketball —the Euroleague and Eurocup—wear an orange referee shirt. Officials in the Israel Basketball Association generally wear the Euroleagues orange uniform shirt, most officials slacks are currently belt-less, while most officials shirts are collar-less, V-neck shirts. All officials wear a whistle that is used to play as a result of a foul or a violation on the court. In all instances of officiating, hand signals are used to indicate the nature of the infraction or to administer the game, in higher levels of college and professional ball, all officials wear a timing device on the belt-line called PTS. The device is used by on court officials to start and stop the clock in a timely manner, rather than waiting for the scoreboard operator to do so. The officials must ensure that the game runs smoothly, and this encompasses a variety of different responsibilities, from calling the game to player and spectator management. They also carry a duty of care to the players they officiate and to ensure that the court and all equipment used is in a safe and usable condition. Should there be an issue that inhibits the safe playing of the game, quite often, the job of an official surpasses that of the game at hand, as they must overcome unforeseen situations that may or may not have an influence on the game. There are two methods for officiating a basketball game, either two-person or three-person mechanics depending on how many officials are available to work the game. In two-person mechanics, each official works either the lead or the trail position, the lead position is normally along the baseline of the court, with the trail position having its starting point at the free throw line extended on the left side of the court facing the basket
28.
Technical foul
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The most common technical foul is for unsportsmanlike conduct. Technical fouls can be assessed against players, bench personnel, the entire team and these fouls, and their penalties, are more serious than a personal foul, but not necessarily as serious as a flagrant foul. Technical fouls are handled slightly differently under international rules than under the rules used by the competitions in the United States. Second, in FIBA play, players foul out after five total fouls, the latter rule is similar to that in college, high school, and middle school basketball in the United States. In most American competitions, ejection of the offender, that of the player, coach, in addition, any single flagrant technical foul, or a disqualifying foul in FIBA, incurs ejection. FIBA rules do not provide for ejection for any number of non-flagrant technicals against a player, except in 3x3, FIBA rules call for ejection when a coach draws two technicals, or a third is called on the bench. Many infractions can result in the calling of a technical foul, one of the most common is the use of profane language toward an official or another player. This can be called on players who are currently active in the play of the game. It can also be assessed to a coach or another associated with the team in an official capacity such as a trainer or an equipment manager. Additionally, coaches or players can be assessed a technical foul for disputing an officials call too vehemently and this verbal unsporting technical foul may be assessed regardless of whether the ball is dead or alive. Beginning in 2015–16, dunking is permitted during warmup periods in NCAA play and this includes throwing the ball to an official when such act is not required—such would likely incur a warning. In addition, throwing the ball at a head may also be considered a technical foul. There are times when a coach may go to the table to correct a game error. Each such extra personal foul, though, also includes a technical foul penalty, the penalty is the same as it was for an illegal defense, except that no warning is issued. The WNBA implemented this rule in 2013, usually a fight or lesser altercation between players results in a double technical, in which a technical foul is issued to both players involved. If any player leaves the bench during a fight, he can be charged with a technical foul and ejected. Rules against fighting vary from school to college to the NBA. NFHS and NCAA require the automatic ejection of bench personnel leaving the area during a fight
29.
Rebound (basketball)
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In basketball, a rebound, colloquially referred to as a board, is a statistic awarded to a player who retrieves the ball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds are also given to a player who tips in a shot on his teams offensive end. Rebounds in basketball are a part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made. A rebound can be grabbed by either a player or a defensive player. The majority of rebounds are defensive because the team on defense tends to be in position to recover missed shots. Offensive rebounds give the team another opportunity to score whether right away or by resetting the offense. A block is not considered a rebound, a ball does not need to actually rebound off the rim or backboard for a rebound to be credited. Rebounds are credited after any missed shot, including air balls, if a player takes a shot and misses and the ball bounces on the ground before someone picks it up, then the person who picks up the ball is credited for a rebound. Rebounds are credited to the first player that gains possession of the ball or to the player that successfully deflects the ball into the basket for a score. A rebound is credited to a team when it gains possession of the ball after any missed shot that is not cleared by a single player, great rebounders tend to be tall and strong. Because height is so important, most rebounds are made by centers and power forwards, the lack of height can sometimes be compensated by the strength to box out taller players away from the ball to capture the rebound. For example, Charles Barkley once led the league in rebounding despite usually being much shorter than his counterparts, also, some shorter guards can be excellent rebounders as well such as point guard Jason Kidd who led the New Jersey Nets in rebounding for several years. Great rebounders must also have a sense of timing and positioning. Great leaping ability is an important asset, but not absolutely necessary, players such as Larry Bird and Moses Malone were excellent rebounders, but were never known for their leaping ability. Bird has stated, Most rebounds are taken below the rim, the action can also be called blocking out. A team can be boxed out by players using this technique to stop the other team from rebounding. Because fighting for a rebound can be physical, rebounding is often regarded as grunt work or a hustle play. Overly aggressive boxing out or preventing being boxed out can lead to personal fouls, statistics of a players rebounds per game or rebounding average measure a players rebounding effectiveness by dividing the number of rebounds by the number of games played
30.
Hack-a-Shaq
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Nelson initially devised the strategy for use against the Chicago Bulls, specifically power forward Dennis Rodman, who was a poor free throw shooter. However, it ultimately became better-known for its implementation against center Shaquille ONeal, the name of the strategy is sometimes altered to reflect the player being fouled, for example Hack-a-Howard for Dwight Howard. The Hack-a-Shaq name was used during ONeals college playing days at LSU. At that time, however, the term referred simply to opposing teams employing an especially physical style of play in defending against ONeal. Teams sometimes defended him by bumping, striking or pushing him after he received the ball in order to ensure that he did not score easily with layups or slam dunks. Because of ONeals poor free throw shooting, teams did not fear the consequences having personal fouls called against them when using such tactics. However, once Nelsons off-the-ball fouling strategy became prevalent, the term Hack-a-Shaq was applied to this new tactic, committing repeated intentional personal fouls is a long-standing defensive strategy used by teams who are trailing near the end of the game. The downside of the strategy is that it results in the team being awarded free throws. For example, even the highest scoring teams in the NBA average only approximately 1.1 points per possession overall, if such a team instead shot two free throws on each possession, they could equal their offensive output even while only making 55% of those free throws. However, even the poorest free throw shooting teams in the NBA typically make around 70% of their free throws, therefore, intentionally fouling repeatedly is not generally the best way for a defense to assure that its opposition scores the fewest possible points. However, the advantage of such fouling is that it stops the game clock. Instead, they must foul as a means of terminating the opposing teams possession as soon as possible, also, the effectiveness of this strategy is heightened as fatigue and pressure can affect the ability of the free-throw shooter. Fouling off the ball in that way, however, eventually became a problem for the league when Wilt Chamberlain—a player of superstar caliber but an atrocious free throw shooter—entered the NBA. Wilt Chamberlain was such a player and dominant force that he would be certain to be on the floor in late-game situations if the score was close. However, he was such a free throw shooter that if the opposition needed to employ intentional fouling late in the game. Just as the opposition was eager to send Chamberlain to the throw line because of his ineptitude there. This brought an end to the need for Chamberlain to play hide, the reason they have that rule is that fouling someone off-the-ball looks foolish. Some of the funniest things I ever saw were players that used to chase like it was hide-and-seek, Wilt would run away from people, and the league changed the rule based on how silly that looked
31.
FIBA
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A total of 213 national federations are now members, organized since 1989 into five zones or commissions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The FIBA Basketball World Cup is a tournament for mens national teams held every four years. Teams compete for the Naismith Trophy, named in honor of basketballs Canadian creator James Naismith. A parallel event for teams, the FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup, is also held quadrennially, from 1986 through 2014, it was held in the same year as the mens event. The womens tournament will continue to be held in the year as the FIFA World Cup. In 2009 FIBA announced three new tournaments, two 12-team U-17 World Championships to be played in July 2010, and an eight-team FIBA World Club Championship to be launched in October 2010, however, the FIBA World Club Championship did not materialize. In its place, FIBA instead relaunched its original world club championship for men, the newest worldwide FIBA tournaments for national teams are in the three-player half-court variation, 3x3. The FIBA 3x3 U-18 World Championships were inaugurated in 2011, all events include separate tournaments for mens, womens, and mixed teams. The U-18 championships, held annually, feature 32 teams in each individual tournament, the senior championships have 24 teams in each individual tournament, and are held in even-numbered years. The association was founded in Geneva in 1932, two years after the sport was recognized by the IOC. Its original name was Fédération internationale de basket-ball amateur, eight nations were founding members, Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland. During the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, the Federation named James Naismith, FIBA has organized a World Championship, now known as World Cup, for men since 1950 and a Womens World Championship, now known as the Womens World Cup, since 1953. From 1986 through 2014, both events were held four years, alternating with the Olympics. As noted above, the mens World Cup will be moved to a new cycle, with tournaments in the year before the Summer Olympics. The Federation headquarters moved to Munich in 1956, then returned to Geneva in 2002, in 1991, it founded the FIBA Hall of Fame, the first induction ceremony was held on 12 September 2007, during EuroBasket 2007. During its 81st anniversary in 2013, FIBA moved into its new headquarters, The House of Basketball, patrick Baumann is the current Secretary General of FIBA. Up until that point, even players from some fully registered and licensed professional leagues could qualify to compete at the Olympics, after making this monumental rules change, the Fédération internationale de basket-ball amateur became the Fédération internationale de basket-ball, but it retained FIBA as an abbreviation. The 1994 FIBA World Championship was the first time that the FIBA World Cup allowed current American NBA players that had played in an official NBA regular season game to play
32.
Jump ball
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A jump ball is a method used to begin or resume play in basketball. It is similar to a face-off in ice hockey or field lacrosse, two opposing players attempt to gain control of the ball after it is tossed up into the air in between them by an official. Held balls occur when two opposing players both lay claim to the ball, and after trying to wrestle it from each other. A jump ball may also be called if there are different calls by two or more referees, however, most competitions other than the NBA, WNBA, Euroleague Company and the UAAP use the alternating possession rule to settle all jump ball situations after the opening tip. This uses a possession arrow on the scorekeepers table, whenever such a jump ball situation occurs, the team whose basket that the possession arrow is currently pointing to gets the ball. The arrow then swaps to point to the other team, at the start of the game, the arrow points to the team that lost the opening tip. The alternating possession arrow rule went into effect in basketball in 1981. Ever since, it has been controversial, but those who oppose the possession arrow believe that it has frequently undone a trailing teams defensive effort because it is the other teams turn to get the ball. In overtime periods, play begins with the arrow, in other organizations, another jump ball is conducted. Previously, the Euroleague used the NBA jump ball rules, however, the Euroleague Company reinstated the jump ball rule in 2013. Uniquely, 3x3, a version of halfcourt three-on-three basketball overseen by FIBA. During the game, held balls are automatically awarded to the defensive team
33.
Three-point field goal
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A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two points awarded for field goals made within the three-point line and the one point for each made free throw. In international FIBA and WNBA play, the three-point line is 6.75 m away from the basket on the arc part and 6.6 m from the straight parts. In both mens and womens National Collegiate Athletics Association basketball, the three-point line is simply a 180° circular arc centered on the basket,20 ft 9 in in radius. The three-point line was first tested at the level in a 1945 NCAA game between Columbia and Fordham but it was not kept as a rule. At the direction of Abe Saperstein, the American Basketball League became the first basketball league to institute the rule in 1961 and its three-point line was a radius of 25 feet from the baskets, except along the sides. The Eastern Professional Basketball League followed in its 1963–64 season, the three-point shot later became popularized by the American Basketball Association after its introduction in the 1967–68 season. Then commissioner of the ABA George Mikan stated the three-pointer would give the player a chance to score. During the 1970s, the ABA used the three-point shot, along with the slam dunk, in the 1979–80 season, the NBA adopted the three-point line despite the view of many that it was a gimmick. Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics is widely credited with making the first three-point shot in NBA history on October 12,1979, kevin Grevey of the Washington Bullets also made one on the same day. The sports international governing body, FIBA, introduced the three-point line in 1984, the NCAAs Southern Conference became the first collegiate conference to use the three-point rule, adopting a 22-foot line for the 1980–81 season. Ronnie Carr of Western Carolina University was the first to score a three-point field goal in basketball history on November 29,1980. Over the following five years, NCAA conferences differed in their use of the rule, used in conference play, it was adopted by the NCAA for the 1986–87 season at 19 ft 9 in, and was first used in the NCAA Tournament in 1987. In 2007, the NCAA lengthened the mens three point distance to 20 ft 9 in, with the coming into effect at the beginning of the 2008–09 season. American high schools, along with elementary and middle schools, adopted a 19 ft 9 in line nationally in 1987, a year after the NCAA. During the 1994–95, 1995–96, and 1996–97 seasons, the NBA attempted to address decreased scoring by shortening the distance of the line from 23 ft 9 in to a uniform 22 ft around the basket. From the 1997–98 season on, the NBA reverted the line to its distance of 23 ft 9 in. Ray Allen is currently the NBA all-time leader in career made three-pointers with 2,973, in 2008, FIBA announced that the distance would be increased by 50 cm to 6.75 m, with the change being phased in beginning in October 2010
34.
Valencia Basket
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Commonly known as Valencia Basket, is a professional basketball team that is based in Valencia, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup and it plays their home games at the Fuente de San Luis. Valencia Basket was founded on 27 September 1986, after Valencia CF decided to fold its basketball section, in 1995, Valencia was relegated to the Spanish 2nd-tier level EBA League, after falling in the leagues relegation playoff against Somontano Huesca. In the next season, after being the runner-up in Liga EBA, in a season, Valencia BC bought Amway Zaragozas ACB place to join the top league. One year later, on 13 April 1999, the played in the final of the 1998–99 FIBA Saporta Cup. The years later, the club repeated the success, but Montepaschi Siena won the final of the 2001–02 FIBA Saporta Cup, by a score of 81–71, in Lyon. Continuing the clubs best years, the 2001–02 ACB season was historic for the club, as it reached the Spanish ACB League finals, where they could not win any game in their series against FC Barcelona. On 18 April 2010, Power Electronics Valencia won its second European title, by beating Alba Berlin, 67–44, in the 2010 Eurocup Finals and this allowed the club to come back to the top level EuroLeague, seven years after its first participation in the tournament. This time, Valencia reached the EuroLeague quarterfinals, where it was eliminated by Real Madrid, the clubs third European-wide 2nd-tier level EuroCup title arrived on 7 May 2014, when Valencia beat UNICS Kazan in the double-legged finals. Valencia Basket plays its games at the 8,500 seat Fuente de San Luis arena. Set a club record or won an award while at the club. Played at least one international match for their national team at any time. To perform very successfully during period in the club or at later/previous stages of his career, since 2014, Valencia BC has also a womens team. It was created after integrating the system of Ros Casares Valencia. In its first season, Valencia BC plays in Primera División, official website Valencia Basket at ACB. com Valencia Basket at the EuroCup
35.
Gridiron football
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Gridiron football, or North American football, is a form of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of football are American football and Canadian football. The grid system was abandoned in favor of the system of lines and hash marks used today. Gridiron football developed in the late 19th century out of the games now known as rugby football. Walter Camp is credited with creating many of the rules that differentiate gridiron football from its older counterparts, because the two sets of lines had the same spacing and were perpendicular, they divided the field into squares, resembling a checkerboard or gridiron pattern. The word gridiron, in use since the 14th century, refers to a grid for cooking food over a fire. As described in Outdoor Sports and Games, by Claude H. Miller, at each end are goal posts set 18 feet 6 inches apart, with a crossbar 10 feet above the ground. The field is marked off in chalk lines similar to a tennis court, the centre of the field where the play starts is 55 yards from either end. The lines on a football field make an effect and have given to the field the name of gridiron. As a result, the name of the field, gridiron, was applied to the game itself, the ball would be snapped in the grid in which it was downed on the previous play. The grid system was abandoned in favor of the system of lines and hash marks used today. Especially outside of the U. S. and Canada, the gridiron and gridiron football are often used to distinguish the North American sport from other codes of football. Gridiron is the word for the sport in Australia and New Zealand. In the United States and Canada, the game is known unambiguously as football, association football is known in these countries as soccer and rugby football, seldom encountered in the U. S. is known as rugby or, especially in Canada, English rugby. American football is the most common and widely known of the football codes. It is played with players to a side, four downs. The premier professional league in the United States, the National Football League, has its own distinct code, colleges in the United States generally play under the code defined in NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations. Youth games generally follow NFHS code with modifications, adult semi-pro, alternative and minor professional, amateur, touch, flag, etc. may follow any one of these codes or use their own rules
36.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
37.
The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)
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The Blade, also known as the Toledo Blade, is a daily newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, in the United States, first published on December 19,1835. The first issue of what was then the Toledo Blade was printed on December 19,1835 and it has been published daily since 1848 and is the oldest continuously run business in Toledo. David Ross Locke gained national fame for the paper during the Civil War era by writing under the pen name Petroleum V. Nasby, writing under the pen name, Locke wrote satires ranging on topics from slavery to the Civil War to temperance. President Abraham Lincoln was fond of the Nasby satires and sometimes quoted them, in 1867 Locke bought the Toledo Blade. The paper dropped Toledo from its masthead in 1960, in 2004 The Blade won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting with a series of stories entitled Buried Secrets, Brutal Truths. The story brought to light the story of the Tiger Force, in 2006, The Blade was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, and winner of the National Headliner Award, for breaking the scandal in Ohio known as Coingate. As of 2015, the editor in chief is John Robinson Block and his family purchased the paper in 1926 and they also own the media conglomerate Block Communications, which owns cable systems, television stations, and an Internet service network, Buckeye Express. As of 2008 The Blade had the 83rd largest daily circulation in the United States. The Toledo Blade was named for the famed swordsmithing industry of the city of Toledo. Its motto, on the nameplate below the title, is One of Americas Great Newspapers. In 2007 Blade photojournalist Allan Detrich left the Blade when it was discovered that he had altered an photo that was published on the front page of the March 31,2007. A subsequent investigation revealed that he had altered and submitted 79 photos during the first 14 weeks of 2007,58 of which ran either in The Blade or on its website. Members of several unions worked without contracts from March to August 2006, over the course of August 2006, The Blade locked out over 25% of all of its employees. The strike and lockout ended in May 2007, in May 2014, Block Communications announced plans to close The Blades production facility, including the printing presses, located in the downtown headquarters building. In October 2011, The Blade filed a lawsuit against rival publication the Toledo Free Press, claiming that former Blade general manager, pounds violated a 2004 separation agreement containing a non-compete clause. Official website Block Communications Story on Labor Disputes
38.
Discover (magazine)
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Discover is an American general audience science magazine launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It has been owned by Kalmbach Publishing since 2010, Discover was created primarily through the efforts of Time magazine editor Leon Jaroff. He noticed that magazine sales jumped every time the cover featured a science topic, Jaroff interpreted this as a considerable public interest in science, and in 1971, he began agitating for the creation of a science-oriented magazine. This was difficult, as a former colleague noted, because Selling science to people who graduated to be managers was very difficult, jaroffs persistence finally paid off, and Discover magazine published its first edition in 1980. During this period, Discover featured fairly in-depth science reporting on hard science, most issues contained an essay by a well-known scientist—such as Stephen Jay Gould, Jared Diamond, and Stephen Hawking. Another common article was a biography, often linked with mentions of other scientists working in the field, the Skeptical Eye column sought to uncover pop-science scams, and was the medium where James Randi released the results of Project Alpha. Jaroff said that it was the section at its launch. Jaroff told the editor-in-chief that these were not solid sciences, and was sent back to Discovers parent, Time, Skeptical Eye and other columns disappeared, and articles covered more controversial, speculative topics. The new format was a success, and the new format remained largely unchanged for the next two decades. Gilbert Rogin, a Sports Illustrated editor, was brought in 1985 to revive Discover, in 1986, Time purchased the subscription lists of the shuttered magazines Science Digest and Science 86 from their publishers. Circulation for the magazine reached 925,000 by May 1987 with revenue for 1986 being $6.9 million, but annual net loss were $10 million per year. In January 1987, Time appointed a new Discover publisher, Bruce A. Barnet, hayes, who was appointed publisher of Fortune. The magazine changed several times. In 1987, Time, Inc. sold Discover to Family Media, from January to July 1991, Discover magazine lost 15% of its advertising while still remaining profitable. Family Media closed down while suspending publication of all its magazines, Family Medias last Discover issue was August 1991, with a circulation of 1.1 million copies. In September 1991, The Walt Disney Company bought the magazine for its Disney Publishings Magazine Group, the magazines main office was moved to the Magazine Group office in Burbank while leaving one third behind in New York in a small editorial and advertising office. Disney was able to retain Family Medias editor-in-chief for the magazine, Disney increased the magazines photography and its content budget to over come skipping 2 issues in Family Medias shutdown and ownership change. In 1993, Disney Magazine Publishing Inc, in October 2005, Bob Guccione, Jr. founder of Spin and Gear magazines, and some private equity partners purchased the magazine from Disney
39.
Chicago Tribune
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The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by tronc, Inc. formerly Tribune Publishing. The Tribune was founded by James Kelly, John E. Wheeler, forrest, publishing its first edition on June 10,1847. The paper saw numerous changes in ownership and editorship over the eight years. Initially, the Tribune was not politically affiliated but tended to either the Whig or Free Soil parties against the Democrats in elections. By late 1853, it was frequently running xenophobic editorials that criticized foreigners, about this time it also became a strong proponent of temperance. Ray became editor-in-chief, Medill became the editor, and Alfred Cowles, Sr. brother of Edwin Cowles. Each purchased one third of the Tribune, under their leadership the Tribune distanced itself from the Know Nothings and became the main Chicago organ of the Republican Party. However, the continued to print anti-Catholic and anti-Irish editorials. Between 1858 and 1860, the paper was known as the Chicago Press & Tribune, on October 25,1860, it became the Chicago Daily Tribune. Before and during the American Civil War, the new editors pushed an abolitionist agenda and strongly supported Abraham Lincoln, the paper remained a force in Republican politics for years afterwards. In 1861, the Tribune published new lyrics for the song John Browns Body by William W. Patton, Medill served as mayor of Chicago for one term after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Under the 20th-century editorship of Colonel Robert R. Joseph McCarthy, when McCormick assumed the position of co-editor in 1910, the Tribune was the third-best-selling paper among Chicagos eight dailies, with a circulation of only 188,000. At the same time, the Tribune competed with the Hearst paper, by 1914, the cousins succeeded in forcing out Managing Editor William Keeley. By 1918, the Examiner was forced to merge with the Chicago Herald, in 1919, Patterson left the Tribune and moved to New York to launch his own newspaper, the New York Daily News. In a renewed war with Hearsts Herald-Examiner, McCormick and Hearst ran rival lotteries in 1922. The Tribune won the battle, adding 250,000 readers to its ranks, also in 1922, the Chicago Tribune hosted an international design competition for its new headquarters, the Tribune Tower. The competition worked brilliantly as a publicity stunt, and more than 260 entries were received, the winner was a neo-Gothic design by New York architects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood. The newspaper sponsored an attempt at Arctic aviation in 1929
40.
Outline of basketball
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Basketball is one of the most popular and widely viewed sports in the world. Exercise – bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health or wellness, game – structured activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is carried out for remuneration, and from art. However, the distinction is not clear-cut, and many games are considered to be work. Ball game – game played with a ball, sport – form of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Competitive sport – sport in one or more participants or teams compete against one another. The one that is the most successful in achieving the objective of the game or sport event is the winner, Team sport – sport that involves players working together towards a shared objective. Recreational sport – sport engaged in as a leisure time activity, spectator sport – sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches. Spectator sports are a form of entertainment, professional sport – sport in which the athletes receive payment for their performance. Basketball – inflated ball used in the game of basketball, the standard size of a basketball for mens competitive play is 29.5 inches in circumference, for womens competitive play, the circumference is 28.5 inches. All competitions in the game of 3x3, whether mens, womens, or mixed-sex, use a dedicated ball with the circumference of the womens ball. Rock – the ball Basketball court – the playing surface, consisting of a floor with baskets at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is made out of a hardwood, often maple. Backcourt – The half of the court a team is defending, Ball side – The half of the court that the ball is on. The opposite of the help side, baseline – The line that marks the playing boundary at either end of the court. Block – The small painted square on the next to the basket just outside the lane. Downtown – Well outside the three-point line, key – The free-throw lane and free-throw circle together Lane – The free-throw lane. Three-point line – the line that separates the two-point area from the three-point area, backboard – The rectangular platform to which the basket is attached, and measure 6 feet by 3.5 feet
41.
History of basketball
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The history of basketball began with its invention in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith as a less injury-prone sport than football. The game became established quickly and grew very popular as the 20th century progressed, first in America. After basketball became established in American colleges, the game followed. The American National Basketball Association, established in 1946, grew to an enterprise by the end of the century. The game of basketball as it is today was created by Dr. James Naismith in December 1891 in Springfield. It consisted of peach baskets and a soccer style ball and he published 13 rules for the new game. He divided his class of eighteen into two teams of nine each and set about to teach them the basics of his new game. The objective of the game was to throw the basketball into the fruit baskets nailed to the railing of the gym balcony. Every time a point was scored, the game was halted so the janitor could bring out a ladder, after a while, the bottoms of the fruit baskets were removed. The first public basketball game was played in Springfield, Massachusetts, there were only thirteen rules of basket ball, 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. 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 in or between the hands, the arms or body must not be used for holding it. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed, a foul is striking the ball with the fist, violation of rules 3 and 4, and such as described in rule 5. If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count a goal for opponents, a goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from grounds into the basket and stays there. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponent moves the basket it shall count as a goal, when the ball goes out of bounds it shall be thrown into the field and played by the person first touching it. In case of a 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, the referee shall be the judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in-bounds, and to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time
