Photo by: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images These five players began their careers with dominant seasons and early success ranking them among the greatest rookie seasons in NBA history. One of the great injustices of the suspended 2019-20 NBA season is the lack of finality for Zion Williamson’s rookie season. Williamson’s 23.6 points per game ranks him
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Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images It’s fun to debate who the top NBA players drafted in the 2010s are. But who are the best draft prospects of the last decade? A fun game that’s thrown around from time to time on NBA Draft Twitter is to debate the merits of the top prospects of the
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images The Chicago Bulls won six titles in the 1990s, but here are five players you forgot won a ring with Michael Jordan. In two separate three-peats (1991-93, 1996-98), the Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships in the 1990s. If not for Michael Jordan‘s first, sudden retirement, the Bulls may
ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 20: O.J. Mayo #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after a basket against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on February 20, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 06: Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the third quarter of the game against the Utah Jazz at TD Garden on March 06, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to
The Boston Celtics have won 17 championships in their history, but these five players are the best to never win a ring with the franchise. The Boston Celtics have won the most championships in NBA history (17), and the list of all-time greats that have played for them is obviously long. Some played all or
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 4: James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO, The Madison Square Garden Company & NBA Governor, watches an NBA basketball game between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks on February 4, 2018 at Madison Square Garden Center in New York City. Hawks won 99-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly
The Detroit Pistons are reportedly offering up their new performance center to health officials for whatever use they require in coronavirus relief efforts. Novel coronavirus has hit the sports industry hard in the United States, but teams are still doing all they can to combat the spread of this pandemic. According to The Athletic‘s James
AIMORES, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 21: Jabuti (Geochelone carbonaria), a kind of turtoise found at the lands of Instituto Terra on November 21, 2019 in Aimorés, Brazil. Twenty years ago, this land was completely devastated, and now has been through a process of afforestation. Instituto Terra, founded in 1998 by the photographer Sebastiao Salgado and his
Even if the NBA regular season is canceled, we’ve seen enough to start assessing the first seasons of notable rookies. What did the Miami Heat get from Tyler Herro? Tyler Herro looked like a knockdown shooter in his one season at Kentucky but a loaded roster didn’t allow opportunities for him to show a whole
Sam Hinkie was a visionary whose tanking plan hit the barriers of conventional wisdom. What would he do with a stalled-out 76ers squad now? Across the vast plains of internet and print, millions of words were poured over his reign as Philadelphia 76ers general manager. From the onset of his contrarian blueprint to the league-mandated
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 14: Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Kristaps Porzingis #6 looks on prior to the start of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 27: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers sits on the bench injured during their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 27, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User
After missing much of his rookie season, Zion Williamson has proven to be worth the wait for NBA fans, combining grace and brutality in new ways night after night. In the fifth game of Zion Williamson‘s NBA career, against the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans phenom streaked along the baseline and jumped to receive
Due to public pressure and Joel Embiid’s generosity, the Philadelphia 76ers have decided not to temporarily cut at-will employees’ salaries after all. Novel coronavirus has shut down most of the world, with the sports industry feeling the impact on a very public stage. When the NBA made the responsible decision to suspend its season, many
Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images The top of the 2020 NBA Draft class is murky as ever following the cancellation of March Madness (and literally everything else), but our second mock draft has the New York Knicks picking first after winning a simulated lottery. Given the weird nature of the sports landscape right now, a
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 18: The Raptor, mascot of the Toronto Raptors, relaxes in a chair during a break in the second half of an NBA game against the New York Knicks at Scotiabank Arena on March 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Right now, we have no idea if the 2019-20 NBA season is actually over, or if the league will figure out some way to wedge an abbreviated version
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 03: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers stands on the court in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Staples Center on March 03, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the NBA putting its season on hold, Kevin Love donated $100,000 to the Cleveland Cavaliers staff. When Kevin Love’s career wraps up, we’ll remember him as an NBA champion, five-time all-star and an inside-out double-double machine who threw the best outlet passes since Wes Unseld. However, his greatest
Flagrant Mag is a sleek new print publication covering basketball and basketball culture. Co-founder Ashtyn Butuso sat down with The Step Back to discuss the vision. Digital is dead. That’s the (tongue-in-cheek) message that Flagrant Mag chose as a tag line around the launch of their first issue. It’s an intentionally ironic choice for a
Even if the NBA regular season is canceled, we’ve seen enough to start assessing the first seasons of notable rookies. What did the Knicks see from R.J. Barrett this season? This year was (yet another) catastrophe for the Knicks — missing out on all their big free agent targets, missing out on Zion Williamson in
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 09: Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics reacts after the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 9, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions
Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young is keeping his 3-Point Shootout skills fresh by shooting his dirty socks into the laundry basket, and it’s as close as NBA fans are getting to real basketball right now. With the NBA season suspended for at least a month and possibly looking at a hiatus until June or July
Even if the NBA regular season is canceled, we’ve seen enough to start assessing the first seasons of notable rookies. What did the Hawks get from De’Andre Hunter? No rookie played more minutes than De’Andre Hunter this season. The No. 4 pick in the draft was a regular fixture in the Hawks’ starting lineup right
Rudy Gobert, the NBA’s “Patient Zero” for novel coronavirus, is trying to make up for his actions with a $500,000 donation to local arena workers and COVID-19 relief efforts. Rudy Gobert has come under a lot of fire over the past few days, and rightfully so. With the whole world taking precautions against the coronavirus
Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz has reportedly tested positive for the novel coronavirus and the NBA season is over. Panic ensued earlier this evening as the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz was canceled right before tip-off. There were reports of medical staff sprinting out onto the court just before the
The Brooklyn Nets have announced that four players have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, only one of whom is currently showing symptoms. It is being reported that Kevin Durant is one of the four. The Brooklyn Nets have issued a press release saying four of their players have tested positive for the novel coronavirus,
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JANUARY 10: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns sits on the bench during introductions to the NBA game against the Orlando Magic at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 10, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Magic 98-94. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up nearly every corner of the globe, infecting nearly 200,000 and disrupting all the rhythms of daily life. On the list of pressing