The biggest star of the NBA’s first 10 years was a bespectacled awkward giant, lumbering around the court like an Apatosaurus en route to five Lakers championships over the course of just six years
FEATURED LISTS
Lettermen of the law: Eight players who have had rules or regulations named after them
Sibling rivalry: 10 lesser-known NBA playing brothers of star players
Costs of being the boss: 13 Hall of Fame players who struggled as coaches
Injured list blues: 16 potential title teams whose season was derailed by an injury
Came along too soon: Nine players who would have earned Finals MVP if it existed before 1969
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Going out on top: 17 notable NBA players who retired as champions
Whether they were a franchise legend closing out a storied career or a ring-chasing mercenary earning a title as a role player, these 17 players retired as NBA champions.
Noms de plume: 75 greatest NBA and ABA player nicknames
From the iconic to the cool to the slightly derisive, we count down the 75 greatest player nicknames in NBA history.
Challengers to the crown: Eight notable American basketball leagues that competed against the NBA
Though the NBA has been king of pro basketball in America since 1949, these rival leagues have challenged it in some way over the years, to various interesting effects.
Sibling rivalry: 10 lesser-known NBA playing brothers of star players
Though some were pretty great players in their own right, these siblings got lost in the shuffle of their more famous brothers’ NBA success.
Lettermen of the law: Eight players who have had rules or regulations named after them
In some cases players are so unstoppable that the rule implemented to slow them down is named after them, and in other cases players sign contracts so unfair that their namesake regulation changes free agency forever.
Costs of being the boss: 13 Hall of Fame players who struggled as coaches
With their playing career often fueled by singular talent and ruthless competitiveness, these legendary players found those traits to be mostly a deterrent in their subsequent attempts at coaching in the NBA.
Injured list blues: 16 potential title teams whose season was derailed by an injury
For every glorious moment like Willis Reed coming through the tunnel to spark the Knicks to victory in the 1970 NBA Finals, there are numerous examples of star players getting injured either late in the season or during the playoffs, and their inability to return to play costing their team a potential championship.
Came along too soon: Nine players who would have earned Finals MVP if it existed before 1969
The Finals MVP award wasn’t handed out until 1969. If it existed earlier, these players would have had to clear out space in their trophy cases for at least one.
Allow me to reintroduce myself: Nine NBA players (besides Michael Jordan) who came back from retirement
Aside from the obvious (Mr. Jordan), here are nine other players who made an NBA comeback after officially declaring retirement, usually with results that were mediocre, at best.
Hollywood walk of fame: 31 greatest players in Lakers franchise history
In our continuing series counting down the greatest players for each team, we start with the legendary Lakers, from their Minneapolis days to Showtime to Kobe and Shaq and beyond