NBA Legends

As a kid growing up in California, the '80s were great. Nothing could compare to watching the rivalries of The Lakers & Celtics or Bulls & Pistons. & Yeah I know that there's a huge list of legends that blessed the court before these teams, but these are mine! I can't talk about how Wilt dominated, or how much handles pistol Pete had. I know nothing about that, can't help ya there. What I can help you with is breaking down the favorites of my era. What is my era, you may ask? I'm talking '80s, '90s, & '00s. The era of the unstoppable! The era of game changers! The era of mandatory double teams & rule changes!

Due to an overwhelming response from friends, former team mates, & family, I've decided to change the format of this favorite 5's article. I've decided to include their entries also to shed light on how many different possibilities one could have to domintate the game in their own system. & For those who are wondering, yeah I was a pretty good point guard in my day, but due to my astounding 5' 10" frame , Coach Hill knew that Coach Preston would find me more valuable on the gridiron. With that being said, I became one of NBA Basketballs biggest fans & these are My favorite 5's of the 80's, 90's, & 00's.

80's starting 5: PG: Magic Johnson 6'9" 255 1st pick 79' Michigan State University, 5x NBA Champ, 3x MVP. SG: Michael Jordan 6'6" 215 3rd pick 84' UNC, 6x NBA Champ, 5x MVP, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist. SF: Dominique Wilkins 6'8" 230 3rd pick 82' U of GA, 9th NBA scoring AllTime, 86' scoring Champ. PF: Larry Bird 6'8" 240 6th pick 78' Indiana State, 3x NBA Champ, 3x MVP, 80' rookie of the year. C: Kareem Abdul Jabbar 7'2" 225 1st pick 69' UCLA, 6x NBA Champ, 6x MVP, 38,387 pts 1st All time.

90's starting 5: PG: John Stockton 6'1" 170 16th pick 84' Gonzaga, NBA record holder with over 15,000 assist. SG: Reggie Miller 6'7" 195 11th pick 87' UCLA, NBA All TIme Leader in 3 Pointers. SF: Scottie Pippen 6'8" 228 5th pick 87' U of Central Arkansas, 6x NBA Champ, 8x NBA All D Team. PF: Karl Malone 6'9" 265 13th pick 85' Lousiana Tech, 2x NBA MVP, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist. C: Hakeem Olajuwan 7'0" 255 1st pick 84' Houston, 2x NBA Champ, 1x MVP, 2x D Player of the yr.

00's Starting 5: PG: Steve Nash 6'3" 178 15th pick 96' Santa Clara U, 2x NBA MVP, 6x NBA All Star. SG: Kobe Bryant 6'8" 205 13th pick 96' Lower Marion HS, 4x NBA Champ,1x MVP, 2x scoring Champ. SF: Lebron James 6'8" 250 1st pick 03' Saint Vincent- Saint Mary's, 04' rook of the yr, 09' MVP. PF: Kevin Garnett 6'11" 253 5th pick 95' Farragut Academy, 1x NBA Champ, 04' MVP, 08' DP of the yr. C: Shaquille O'neal 7'1" 325 1st pick 92' LSU, 4x NBA Champ, 1x MVP, 2x NBA Scoring Champ.

Although I've restructered the format of this article, I've had many people contact me with their favorite fives of all time.So at this time, I give you the pleasure of viewing some of their list. I encourage you to respond & give your opinion of who's the best. If we get a good enough respone we'll take this article even further & set up a virtual reality tournament to settle this once & for all. Here are the fav 5 Contributers & their initials. Thank you for all of your submissions.

Stanley M. ( H.S. Class Mate & Fellow Sports Enthusiast ) PG: Magic, SG: Jordan, SF: Bird, PF: Karl Malone, C: Kareem.

Paul H. ( Former Co- Worker ) PG: Magic, SG: Jordan, SF: Bird, PF: Karl Malone,C: Kareem.

Scottie W. ( Frat Brother From Arkansas) PG: Stockton, SG: Jordan, SF: Pippen, PF: Bill Russell, C: Shaq.

Josh F. (College Friend, & B ball Player) PG: Pistol Pete Maravich, SG: Jordan, SF: James, PF: Tim Duncan, C: Kareem.

Drew H. ( My Team Mates little Brother & Son of my High School B Ball Coach) PG: Magic, SG: Jordan, SF: Garnett, PF: Rasheed Wallace, C: Hakeem Olajuwan.

Solanda G. ( My Big Cousin, she also works for CNN ) Her only pick was Dr J. (Julius Erving) Being that she was the first person who brought his name up he gets his own list. Deservedly so!

Anthony H. ( H.S. team Mate & Son of my H.S. coach ) PG: Magic, SG: Jordan, SF: Lebron, PF: Bill Russell, C: Chamberlin.

Krystal S.P. ( Fellow Driller & first female with a legitimate list ) PG: Magic, SG: Jordan, SF: James Worthy, PF: Charles Barkely, C: Manute Bol ( jus kidding) Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

Joel P. ( Former business partner & right Hand Man in Phoenix, AZ ) PG: Magic or Chris Paul, SG: Jordan or Clyde Drexler, SF: Lebron or Dr. J., PF: KG or the Mailman, C: Kareem or Hakeem.

Cam G. ( College friend & Iraq War Veteran) PG: Magic, SG: Jordan, SF: Bird, PF: Duncan, C: Chamberlin ( look up rule changes because of him ).

Troy O. ( H.S. friend & Opponent, Also One of the Toughest & Most Talented QB's I've ever faced) PG: Stockton, SG: Danny Ainge, SF: Bird, PF: Kevin Mchale, C: Bill Lambeer (Troy also added that his team may not win the game but they'll win the fight).

Felix C. ( Former Driller who was part of one of the best team in school history) PG: Isiah Thomas, SG: Magic, SF: Bird, PF: Duncan, C: Wilt the Stilt.

Jason J. ( Friend & Former Driller Basketball Player) PG: Magic, SG: Jordan, SF: Kobe Bryant, PF: Bird, C: Hakeem.

Thank you for all of your entries. I will be reviewing submissions over the next few weeks to determine who's list will be voted most valuable. Prizes will be given to the top vote getter.

Until next time,

Ken Calvin, The Universal Source!