Presenting Volume VII of Basketball, Listed: Frivolities and Fun, a lighthearted exploration of the goofs, spoofs, and extraneous details that make basketball the most entertaining sport on Earth. Chapters will be published throughout the ’24-’25 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.
Cold comfort: 18 NBA Coach of the Year winners whose team made an early playoff exit
1) Mike Brown, Kings, ’22-’23 First awarded to Harry Gallatin following the ’62-’63 season, NBA Coach of the Year has maintained a nebulous definition up to today. In recent years, it’s been traditionally handed out to coaches of whatever team had the biggest improvement in a given season, as was the case in ’22-’23 with Brown and the Kings. In his first year as Sacramento coach, not only did Brown lead a 17-win turnaround from the prior season, he also broke the longest playoff drought in NBA history, which dated back to 2006. Unfortunately for Brown, on the day that…
Honorary decree: Seven people with retired NBA jerseys who never played or coached
What does it take to get your jersey hanging in the rafters amongst the legends of the sport? For these seven people, actual talent in basketball wasn’t a requisite.
500 greatest players in NBA/ABA history, 2025 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 ’24-’25 NBA season.
From zero to hero: 21 greatest players who wore/wear the jersey number 0 or 00
We pay tribute to the humble number zero, by counting down the 21 greatest players that have donned it on their NBA jersey over the years.
Primetime players: 14 notable NBA crossovers with Saturday Night Live
As Saturday Night Live celebrates its 50th anniversary, we take a look back at 16 instances where the NBA was represented on the sketch comedy show in some form.
Won’t see my picture on the cover: 10 NBA Finals that weren’t featured on a Sports Illustrated cover
For decades, Sports Illustrated was the weekly arbiter of what was notable in the world of sports. Here’s a look back at 10 times when the former paper of record for newsworthy sports milestones opted to de-emphasize the NBA Finals.
Faces in the crowd: 12 NBA celebrity superfans
Our taxonomy of the biggest celebrity NBA fans around, from movie stars to rappers to the one and only Jack Nicholson.
Expired tokens: Seven defunct major basketball awards
While awards like league MVP and Rookie of the Year have become iconic signifiers of individual success, these seven basketball awards lost their meaning and then their existence.
Lucky ticket: 12 unlikely NBA Draft Lottery winners
Over the last four decades, the NBA Draft Lottery has made and broken the fortunes of numerous franchises. We detail the 12 most surprising leaps to the top spot over that time
Branded crews: 15 collective basketball nicknames
From Run-TMC to the Splash Brothers and Showtime to the Fab Five, we run down the most memorable basketball nicknames that applied to multiple teammates
Man with one name: Seven legendary players who never received a proper nickname
Previously, we’ve counted down the greatest nicknames in NBA and ABA history. Now we take at a look some legends who never got a nickname that stuck.
Polymaths: 24 NBA players who also excelled in other sports
The pure skill and athleticism of NBA players is undeniable and often has been applied to other athletic endeavors, to varying degrees of success
It belongs in a museum: 10 notable pieces of basketball memorabilia
From a copy of the sport’s original rules to a bloody gauze pad left on the court, we review the lavish, the mysterious, and the weird of basketball memorabilia
Cast of characters: Nine notable ABA franchise owners
From musicians and shock jocks to magnates and socialites, these are nine especially innovative and/or quirky owners of ABA franchises.
Giants amongst men: 14 NBA players who were listed as 7’4″ or taller
The biggest of the big, these giants towered over their NBA opponents with a massive frame that was often just as much a detriment on and off the court as it was an asset.
Judge me by my size, do you: 17 best NBA players with a listed height under six feet
The best things can come in small packages, and this group of 17 were the greatest in NBA history that measured in at less than six feet tall.
Off the mark: Eight legendary players who struggled in the Three-Point Contest
The Three-Point Contest has easily overtaken the Slam Dunk Contest as the biggest star power draw of All-Star Saturday Night but occasionally those superstars fall flat on their face in the unique competition.
All over the map: Eight times that the NBA realigned teams across conferences
Due to expansion and relocations, the NBA has been forced to realign conferences multiple times since 1970, sometimes to confusing ends.
Boomshakalaka!: Ranking the 27 rosters from the original NBA Jam (1993 arcade edition)
Let’s grab our roll of quarters and call dibs on next game, because we’re traveling back in time to 1993 to rank the rosters from the original arcade version of NBA Jam, on the 30th anniversary of its initial release.
One and done: 17 greatest players who spent just one season in the NBA
Whether it was due to bad luck, bad timing, injury, or just a change of career, these are the greatest players whose NBA career lasted just one season.
In memoriam: 24 prominent basketball people who passed away in 2024
A singular defensive powerhouse, a legendary jovial big man, multiple college coach Hall of Famers, and “The Logo” are amongst those we lost in 2024.
Soles power: 16 notable signature basketball shoes
Many a Christmas tree featured one of these pairs of shoes under it over the years, after the 16 superstars listed below blessed the line with their donning of them and/or their name.
Mark of shame: 10 dishonorable NBA career records
Though it’s not always an indictment of them as players, these record holders probably wouldn’t list these particular accomplishments as an early bullet point on their resumes.
Media matters: A history of the NBA in 12 television rights contracts
Just as the NBA itself has morphed, grown, and shifted over the years, so has the league’s contract agreements to broadcast games nationally.
Over the hill and on the court: 31 NBA players who stayed active into their 40s
With LeBron James set to hit the big 4-0 in December, we take a look at the 31 players who previously remained active in the NBA into their 40s
Golden voices: Eight NBA announcers with retired microphones
Only the most beloved icons behind the microphone have been granted their franchises’ greatest honor, a place in the rafters amongst the playing legends
Hoops and change: Nine pro basketball players who became politicians
As the United States of Amerikkka preps again to elect a president, we take stock of politicians past and present who emerged from the world of pro basketball.
For those updating rosters at home…: 11 NBA players who underwent a legal name change
We continue our frivolities series today with a look at players who underwent legal name changes during their active careers, either for legal reasons, family history, or just eccentricity.
The name game: 13 current NBA franchises that have changed names
Some do it because they’ve moved, some do it just to re-brand, and others have more questionable motives. These are the 13 NBA teams out of the current 30 that have, at some point, changed names.
Lions and tigers and Clutch the Bear, oh my!: Ranking the 26 NBA mascots
It’s the most academically important list we’ll ever produce, a scientific classification and ranking of NBA mascots.
Basketball, Listed 