The sparkle of putting on a pro uniform wore off on Brunson soon after his arrival in Portland. He’s learned not to take it for granted.
Tag Archives: 1990s NBA
Shareef Abdur-Rahim: Shareef’s Goal, 1999
Shareef understands how he can affect change, that he has reached a higher plateau where his words carry more weight. That is what sets him apart.
Vince Carter: Air Carter Takes Off in Toronto, 2000
He has become the prototypical player for the basketball fan of the future. He enjoys himself in action, and he makes sure you enjoy yourself watching him.
NBA Rebels: Are They Worth the Trouble? 1995
On national television, Charles Barkley kicks in folding chairs, Scottie Pippen throws them. And these furniture guys are the Jordan Heirs?
Who is Derrick Coleman? 1993
Despite wearing a scowl on the court, instead of a smile like Magic Johnson, Coleman plays the game just as hard, just as smart, and with more finesse than just about any other power forward in the NBA.
Rasheed Wallace’s Sixth Sense, 1999
When I asked if he was interested in competing for the NBA’s coveted Sixth Man Award, Wallace just laughs. “Oh, I wouldn’t mind getting a trophy to put up on my mantle, but that’s not a goal.”
Michael Olowokandi: The Kandi Man Can, 1999
[Basketball offers no one single pathway to stardom. There are many, some traditional and others circuitous and seemingly zany. Take the mind-bending rise of Michael Olowokandi? In the mid-1990s, the seven-foot Olowokandi was a 20-year-old basketball neophyte in the United Kingdom who cold-called America and, as it happened, one Tony Marcopulos, assistant basketball coach atContinue reading “Michael Olowokandi: The Kandi Man Can, 1999”
Stanley Roberts: ‘The Big Friendly’ in Rookie-land, 1991
Roberts has yet to demonstrate that without a doubt he belongs in the NBA. He has a year to erase those doubts. If all goes well, pretty soon he will be bringing down the house instead of just the backboard.
Robert Horry: Story of a Rising Sun, 1996
Although he was a member of two championship teams with the Rockets, four years of feeding the Dream down low or shooting threes when Hakeem was double-teamed began to wear old. Horry was ready to move on when the Suns made the trade for him and teammates Chucky Brown, Mark Bryant, and Sam Cassell.
The Rise and Fall of Mark Jackson, 1991
Jackson, a firebrand of emotion, delights the Garden crowd with his dazzling plays. He is praised for exuberance. He is later cursed for hot-dogging.
From Way Downtown 