No Money Millionaire Ballers in the NBA

When the rock left Larry Bird's hand towards the rim you knew the shot was good...it was money. What happened to the million dollar NBA players with the "money" shot?

The origin of the term money as it relates to basketball is a slang term that can be traced back to street ball played on the blacktops of urban America that best characterizes a jump shot that was guaranteed to be deposited through the goal. A jump shot that is classified as money is akin to making a bold prediction that a player would score before he shoots the ball. In fact, you knew which shots were money because either the shooter or spectators would emphatically say, "That's money", while the player was in full shooting motion as the ball is released from his hand, gliding in perfect rotation through the nets...swish.

Some of the legendary money players of the NBA, which include Bird, "The Rifleman" Chuck Person, Alex English, Reggie Miller, Michael "Air" Jordan, and Bernard King to name a few made a living in the league with money shots that terrorized the opposition and demoralized individuals (see Craig Ehlo) on the hardwood. The legends were usually at their best making money shots during close games on the road in hostile environments with little to no time left on the game clock down by a few points.

Back in the day it seemed as if every team in the NBA had at least one money player on the squad they could turn to for quick points. The Chicago Bulls of the 1990's had four money players on its squads, which included Michael "Air" Jordan, Steve "Pure" Kerr, Craig Hodges, and John Paxson, and they went on to win six NBA titles. Who can ever forget the indelible image of Bird during the 1988 NBA All-Star weekend walking off the court - wearing his Celtics warm up jacket , index finger raised high in the air - after shooting the final dagger through the nets and heart of Seattle Supersonic Dale Ellis to win the 3-point shooting contest for the third year in a row. Bird's heir apparent was Miller, who ascended to legendary money status during the 1994 Eastern Conference Playoff series against the Knicks before a hostile crowd at Madison Square Garden. With his team down six points in the closing seconds of the fourth period, Miller scores eight points in under ten seconds - two 3-pointers and two free throws - to win the game before stunned home crowd. Since Miller left the game, no other money players have emerged with the same caliber guns. Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, and Steve Nash are the closest thing available in today's game, but no one yells money when their shots go up. Instead they yell no. Today's so called money players lack are largely inconsistent, and don't terrorize their opponents night in and night out at critical junctures of a game. Nor do they have that one signature moment, like Jordan or Miller, where a money shot publicly sucked the life out of an opponent.

Today's money players in the NBA are multi-millionaires, who dunk instead of shoot jump shots because they lack the fundamentals, drive, desire, and heart to elevate their games in pressure situations. Players in the past like Jordan, Bird, and Miller thrived on that pressure and took great pleasure in demoralizing their opponents in close games with big money shots. The money players are gone now and will likely never return. I guess the millionaire ballers in today's game have no money and aren't as rich as I thought.