[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”
Tag Archives: 1990s NBA
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.
Kevin Johnson: Thoughts From a Setting Sun, 1997
When you come to the end of your career, you realize how much you love this game and how special it is.
Kevin Johnson: Always Ready to Assist, 1995
If for the past two seasons Charles Barkley has been the soul of the Phoenix Suns, leading the way with his bombast and his kick-down-the-door style of play, then Johnson has been the heart of the team.
Penny Hardaway: By the Time I Get to Phoenix, 1999
Though you might be surprised to hear it, Hardaway insists that the Suns’ elaborate courting process made a big impact on him and made his decision a whole lot easier to leave Orlando and head for Phoenix.
Together Forever: Chris Webber and Penny Hardaway, 1994
Chris Webber and Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway might try to juke comparisons to each other much as they would an overmatched defender, but there’s no dribbling around it.
Eddie Jones: The Reluctant Star, 1998
Jones is getting the star treatment, all right. People aren’t just waiting for autographs; they also wait to give him flowers or candy. They take photos, jockey for handshakes, ask for Eddie’s signature on balls and trading cards.
Larry Bird: Bird is Still the Word, 1991
But whether the final curtain on Bird’s show comes down after one, two, or five more years, he’s certain to retire to Indiana duly cast as Larry the Legend.
From Way Downtown 