The Atlanta Hawks of the late 1990s were incredibly unique, loaded with talent and depth but overshadowed by better teams around them. None of the starting five that included Dikembe Mutombo, Christian Laettner, Tyrone Corbin, Steve Smith, and Mookie Blaylock was drafted by the organization. Their talents were all imported from other cities to a
NBA at 75
The NBA has had its fair share of terrible owners, but only one has ever had a rule named after them — Ted Stepien of the Cavaliers. Soon after Ted Stepien purchased the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1980, Akron Beacon-Journal reporter Sheldon Ocker introduced himself to the new owner and asked if he could spend time
During his career, Stephen Jackson was vilified for his outspoken opinions. In retirement, he’s become a thought leader for the NBA community. In the mid-2000s, before the NBA was the neo-liberal corporate ally it is today, Stephen Jackson was public enemy number one. It’s an off juxtaposition, considering Jackson’s work in 2020 as a boots-on-the-ground
The 2003 Los Angeles Lakers were on the verge of further cementing their dynasty — until Tim Duncan and the small-market San Antonio Spurs put an end to it. When the NBA and ABA merged in the 1976-77 season, the San Antonio Spurs were not yet 10 years old, still establishing themselves in one of
The magic of an improbable underdog win can make a fan out of anyone — like a slew of unlikely Denver Nuggets fans, converted in 1994. Fandom, like religion, is usually inherited. My dad grew up a Nuyorican in Spanish Harlem in the 1960s. Cross the wrong block into the wrong neighborhood and things could
Revisiting one of the greatest icons in NBA history — Allen Iverson — and how he has impacted an understanding of survival in America. There’s something inexplicably impossible about Allen Iverson, even in 2022 — 12 years after his retirement from basketball. There’s no fancy crossover here, just a simple fact: Iverson is someone who
It looked like Shaun Livingston’s career was doomed to injuries until a late-career surge made us remember him for his role in an all-time team. Around 2013, if you had asked anyone about Shaun Livingston, they’d probably have winced and mentioned his gruesome knee injury. NBA fans know all too well about injuries stealing a
The Over and Back NBA podcast is celebrating the NBA at 75 by rewatching some of the greatest Slam Dunk Contests in NBA history. The NBA slam-dunk contest was back. Vince Carter had single-handedly resurrected the competition from the deep dark depths of death. Or did he? The 2000 dunk contest would be the last
Why Vince Carter’s final season as an Atlanta Hawk, and his years as a veteran mentor, mean just as much as prime Vinsanity did. He stepped onto the court for the first time in the 2019–20 season, donning a white Atlanta Hawks uni with bright red and neon green lettering — a loud contrast against
As the NBA celebrates 75 years, we can still learn some lessons from Brandon Jennings, the first U.S. high schooler who skipped college to play overseas. Rewind. It’s 2008. The world is wildly different. Global networking services and the cultural influence of Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Uber, Spotify, self-navigating Google Maps, and so many other
The Over and Back NBA podcast is celebrating the NBA at 75 by rewatching some of the greatest Slam Dunk Contests in NBA history. The 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest was an embarrassment. The NBA, which once prided itself on high-flying, larger-than-life superstars used their All-Star Saturday night showcase, for a boring, mundane, uncompetitive contest.
We’re celebrating the NBA at 75 by remembering the teams, players, moments and moves that helped make us who we are as basketball fans. The NBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, even if their conscious decision to recognize this as the 75th season of the league overlooks some of its early history. We’ve
Carmelo Anthony’s career resume has everything but an NBA championship. Why can’t we just love him for what he has accomplished? One thing is for sure — nobody on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team was or is as disrespected as Carmelo Anthony. Not while they were still playing. Not by their old coaches. Not by
The Over and Back NBA podcast is celebrating the NBA at 75 by rewatching some of the greatest Slam Dunk Contests in NBA history. It was sold as a youth movement, the new wave, a new generation of top-tier dunkers ready to take the mantle from your Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan types. When Wilkins
The Over and Back NBA podcast is celebrating the NBA at 75 by rewatching some of the greatest Slam Dunk Contests in NBA history. The less said about the 1997 NBA slam-dunk contest the better. Sure, a young Kobe Bryant won the contest adding the first bullet on what would become his extensive resume. But
When he arrived as a rookie with the Golden State Warriors, the NBA had never seen anyone like Gilbert Arenas. It may never see anyone like him again. Here’s a truth: before the 2001 NBA Draft, Gilbert Arenas — who would potentially become a hoop star, but was still a college student at the time
The Over and Back NBA podcast is celebrating the NBA at 75 by rewatching some of the greatest Slam Dunk Contests in NBA history. Michael Jordan didn’t need the 1987 Slam Dunk Contest to become Air Jordan, the 23-year-old was already well on his way to becoming one of the NBA’s pre-eminent superstars. In Jordan’s
The Over and Back NBA podcast is celebrating the NBA at 75 by rewatching some of the greatest Slam Dunk Contests in NBA history. In 1988, the NBA slam dunk contest was still trying to figure out exactly what it wanted to be. Early competitions featured some of the league’s top stars and legendary dunkers
Michael Jordan had a hilarious moment with fellow NBA75 inductee Magic Johnson, challenging the “old dog” to a legendary game of 1-on-1. The ultimate test of talent in basketball is this: defeating Michael Jordan in a game of 1-on-1. Although the Ball patriarch LaVar Ball has long claimed that he could defeat Jordan in a
The Over and Back NBA podcast is celebrating the NBA at 75 by rewatching some of the greatest Slam Dunk Contests in NBA history. The 1986 NBA slam-dunk contest is famous for being the night when spectacle took center stage. 5-foot-6 Atlanta Hawks point guard Michael Anthony Jerome “Spud” Webb probably wasn’t the night’s best