Presenting Volume V of Basketball, Listed: On the Move, our dedication to transient players, re-locating franchises, ownership changeovers, international transplants, and much more. Chapters were published throughout the ’22-’23 NBA league season.
All previous volumes can be found on our Basketball, Listed Reader, while chapters across all volumes are collected in our full archive.
Us against the world: Ranking the 18 U.S. FIBA World Cup teams
First contested in 1950 and formerly called the FIBA World Championships, the quadrennial World Cup of basketball has hosted many of the greatest American players of all time, though the U.S. team has earned the gold medal just five times in 18 tries. With the latest edition coming up later this summer, we rank those previous U.S. World Cup teams, from worst to best, based on both talent level and results.
500 greatest players in NBA/ABA history, 2024 edition
It’s our annual list of the 500 greatest players in NBA and ABA history, updated to reflect stats, awards, and accomplishments in the ’22-’23 NBA season.
Testing the waters and creating a ripple: 15 free agency signings that changed the NBA
With the 2023 free agency period about to began, we take a look back at the most notable free agent signings that had a major effect on the player, the teams, and/or the league itself.
Apple didn’t fall far from the tree: 26 greatest NBA father and son duos
A flood of second generation NBA players are on the way, as Bronny James (son of LeBron), Ashton Hardaway (Penny), Andrej Stojakovic (Peja) and more seemingly destined for stardom. So as we celebrate Father’s Day in the U.S., let’s take stock of the pinnacles of father-son NBA careers, by counting down the 26 greatest examples thus far.
Best kept secrets: 22 greatest second round draft picks of the lottery era
Most NBA second round picks are seen as an afterthought but these 22 players took full advantage of their pro opportunity, developing into star players despite their humble beginnings. Editor’s note: list only includes players drafted in the second round since the advent of the draft lottery in 1985.
Can’t blame me: 15 greatest individual NBA Finals performances in a losing effort
The NBA Finals is where legends are truly made and the 15 performances below are no exception. However, in these cases, the mythologizing was earned in a losing effort.
Keep your bags packed: 15 legendary players who switched NBA teams twice or more in their prime
It’s now a regular occurrence, with players like Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Chris Paul adding their name recently to the list, but here we review 15 previous legendary players who changed franchise affiliations not just once but two or more times.
Lonely travelers: 27 countries that have produced only one NBA player
86 nations aside from the United States have produced an NBA player. While some locales like Spain (18 NBA players), Serbia (24), Australia (28), and Italy (11) have been talent hot-beds, these 27 countries have thus far seen just one native son reach the world’s most prestigious pro basketball league.
Mostly valuable: 17 greatest players who never earned NBA league MVP
Whether they were stuck on non-contenders, unlucky to go up against bigger legends, or simply robbed of the award, these are the 17 greatest players to never win the NBA MVP award.
Larry Bird isn’t walking through that door: 14 successful NCAA coaches who struggled at the NBA level
The transition from NCAA stardom to NBA success has proven difficult for most players but it’s been even more problematic for most coaches. We detail 14 such examples below.
Better luck next time, kid: 19 greatest rookie performances that didn’t earn Rookie of the Year
Winning the Rookie of the Year award has kick started numerous legendary NBA careers but for these 19 players, their astonishing first year performance wasn’t enough to take home hardware.
Get in loser, we’re winning a title: Nine in-season free agent signees of NBA champs
Whether they were scooped off waivers, lured from retirement, or snatched from a secondary pro league, these nine players were signed late in the season and then came up huge for a team on its way to an NBA championship.
Clock strikes midnight: 21 Cinderella NCAA Tournament runs that ended just short of the Final Four
Some of the most compelling Cinderella runs in the NCAA Tournament have ended just short of the Final Four, with a loss in the Regional Final. Here are 21 teams that captivated our imagination until losing on the doorstep of the ultimate March Madness prize.
Hail Mary’s Madness: 26 greatest NCAA Tournament buzzer beaters
Only shots that literally went in as the buzzer sounded need apply (apologies to Keith Smart, Loyola-Chicago, and countless others), and here are the 26 best of the essence of March Madness.
Uncut nets: 25 greatest NCAA programs without a Final Four appearance (since 1985)
Since the NCAA Tournament started its modern era in 1985, 50 different programs have reached at least one Final Four, with Baylor in 2021 as the latest debut. The 25 schools list below have made numerous tournament appearances with varying levels of success but never have reached the pinnacle of college basketball.
All-Star Saturday to Sunday pipeline: Ranking the careers of the 31 Slam Dunk Contest winners
In the 38th edition of the Slam Dunk Contest, Mac McClung became the 31st player to take home the crown and the first to do so without appearing in an NBA game during the regular season (thus far). For those previous 30 winners, how did the rest of their career go?
Round mound of dumbfound: 10 times that Charles Barkley’s mouth got him into trouble
With Charles Barkley set to celebrate his 60th birthday, we take a look back at some of the most controversial moments of maybe the most polemic figure in NBA history.
Unrewarded exhibitionists: 12 greatest players who never earned NBA All-Star Game MVP
Many of the greatest players of all time have added All-Star MVP to their list of accomplishments but these 12 legends, many of whom earned league MVP and/or Finals MVP never added the ultimate All-Star honor to their trophy case.
Leaders of the pack: 16 players who hold a major NBA statistical career record
We crowned a new NBA three-point king during the ’21-’22 season and LeBron James will soon be the all-time leading scorer. They join an illustrious list of 16 players that currently hold one of the major NBA career statistical records.
Sonic boom: Ranking the 23 greatest players in Seattle SuperSonics history
While their history is officially retained by the Oklahoma City Thunder according to the NBA record books, they’re still the Seattle SuperSonics to us and we examine the 23 greatest players that suited up for them between their founding in 1967 and their departure from the city in 2008.
In memoriam: 20 prominent basketball people who passed away in 2022
In 2022, we lost a women’s basketball pioneer, Larry Bird’s and LeBron James’ first NBA coaches, a Pistons franchise legend, multiple NCAA championship winning coaches, a member of the first Lakers title team, the inventor of the spin move, a defensive stalwart of the ’70s Celtics title teams, the “Princeton offense” guru, and the 11-time NBA champ who changed the game forever.
Digital dunks: 18 great, influential, outrageous, or otherwise notable basketball video games
From the early days of Atari and arcades to the modern next generation consoles, basketball titles have been a constant on the video game market. Here are 18 basketball games that are notable for their influence, their greatness, or their uniqueness.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss: 22 NBA coaches who had multiple stints with the same franchise
Following their firing, re-signing, retiring, or demotion, these 22 coaches came back to the same NBA franchise a second time, often inexplicably and usually with diminishing returns.
Heart of the deal: 10 notable NBA franchise ownership changes
An NBA franchise changing hands in ownership is often a seamless and relatively mundane event but in these 10 cases, it was a watershed moment, either by virtue of its novelty, its sale price, and/or its impact on the future of the franchise and the league itself.
Brand disloyalty: 12 ill-fated NBA arena naming rights deals
It’s easy come, easy go, as cryptocurrency is becoming the latest economic bubble to burst and splash its failure all over the NBA, including on the facades of arenas.
Line of succession: 20 NCAA coaches who replaced departing legends
With Jon Scheyer set to replace Coach K at Duke in 2022, we take a look back at 20 previous examples of an NCAA program’s legendary coach stepping down and how their replacement performed in the aftermath.
Joy of six: 13 notable facts about jersey #6 and the players who have worn it
With the NBA retiring #6 in honor of the late Bill Russell, we take a look at some of the interesting facts, figures, and notes about that jersey and the numerous players who have donned it.
Dream weavers: Ranking the 16 players who won a title as Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets teammate
On the 30th anniversary of their first title win, we rank the 16 players who were part of the Rockets’ championship runs with Hakeem Olajuwon, based on their overall career (not just their time with the Rockets).
Heading on down the highway: 14 current NBA franchises that have re-located
The Warriors are returning to San Francisco after 48 years across the Bay in Oakland, but it’s not the first time this franchise his picked up and moved. We examine them and 13 other active teams that have changed cities during their time in the NBA and ABA.
Second acts: 22 franchise legends who ended their career with a brief stop on an unfamiliar team
The star players on this list are indelibly linked with a single franchise where they built their legend, but closed out their career looking not-quite-right in a different jersey.
Basketball, Listed 