Basketball is one of the most widespread sports in the USA. It’s professionally played in schools and colleges, amateurs like playing it because it’s their hobby. This game originates to the end of the 19th century, and the first basketball associations started to appear in that time. The NBA wasn’t the first association — it was founded in 1949 with the merger of the National Basketball League (the first association) and the Basketball Association of America. 11 teams joined this league since its creation, then their number changed due to certain reasons, and now it’s fixed — 30 teams.
Even though the NBA was established 71 years ago, it has a long and multidimensional history that led it to the current state: the NBA is now the most popular basketball league in North America. Many famous NBA players started their careers playing basketball in college teams. If you dream about starting a professional career in this kind of sport, you’d better apply to a college with a strong basketball team. Don’t worry that you aren’t smart enough to enter there — a successful admission essay is a key to your success. Download the necessary Proessays samples here and get closer to your dream.
Well, let’s get acquainted with the NBA icons and boost your motivation and self-confidence in 10 minutes.
Shaquille O’Neal
Basketball was his hobby in college, got a Master’s degree in 2005, and was the single NBA player having an MBA degree. He started to play for the LSU Tigers, but Los Angeles Lakers brought him the most of his popularity. The list of his career awards and titles is huge: NBA Champion award, NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA scoring champion, NCAA blocks leader, USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year, and many more. By the way, he got a lot of his awards several times. Neither difficult childhood nor difficult periods in his life destroyed him.
Maurice Cheeks
Maurice started his career in 1978 and successfully played till 1993 when he decided to devote all his time to his coaching career. Cheeks played for 5 teams: New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. While being a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, he managed to win two championships. All basketball fans know him as a fast, flashy, steady, and active player who ended his basketball career while being the leader of the NBA.
Michael Jordan
He was a Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards leading player. Even after many years since the end of his career, millions of people globally associate basketball and NBA with this player. Now he is an owner of a basketball team and a successful businessman. Michael dreamed about playing in the varsity league while studying at high school, but his height was lower than necessary. This event made him change his life upside down. As a result, his efforts have paid off, and he finally became a rising star of the junior varsity team. Studying in college was accompanied by acquiring numerous awards and entering the NBA.
Kobe Bryant
The sudden death of this icon and his little daughter shocked not only the basketball fans community but the whole world. Kobe devoted all his career (20 seasons) to one single team — Los Angeles Lakers. People knew him as Black Mamba. The marvelous track record of Koby includes 5 NBA championships, 18 All-star and 12 All-defensive awards, 2 NBA Finals MVP, and many others. Kobe’s 81 point game is one of the most memorable and astonishing moments of his career when he scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors.
Tim Duncan
You may also know this player as The Big Fundamental. This nickname was given to him due to his unusual but effective style of game. Tim is a power forward player who started his career in school, played in college, and the most memorable year for him was senior when he became the college player of the year and even got an award. A career in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs started immediately after graduation from college. Tim is one of the few players who hasn’t changed their team since they entered the association. The list of his honors includes numerous personal and team awards, such as The Rookie of the Year, All-Star teams, NBA Finals MVP, one of the Greatest Basketball Players of the 20th Century, etc.
The examples mentioned above can do more than just be a source of your motivation. You can use the acquired knowledge in your studies. For example, you may need to write a cause and effect essay, and any essay requires examples, and we suppose some of the legends we’ve discussed may be your perfect example. It all depends on your imagination and curiosity.
