Rickey Green: The Fastest of Them All

“Rather than sitting around and worrying about the NBA, you’ve got to do something else. I mean, everybody wants to be in the NBA. It’s the best in the world. It’s everybody’s dream. But dreaming about it grows old, and you just got to move on.”

Stockton to Malone, and All That Jazz, 1989

It’s no wonder that Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, when asked if he’d trade Stockton-Malone for any other point guard-power forward combination in the NBA says, without hesitation, “No,” and looks at you like you’re crazy to even ask.

Hubie Brown: Inside the Atlanta Hawks’ Hellraiser, 1980

“We give them an opportunity to display their talent,” Brown said. “In return, they have to give us maximum concentration, intensity, and their physical talent. If they do that, they won’t hear about it. If they don’t, they have to face the consequences.”

The Resurrection of Bernard King, 1982

In his place is an introspective 24-year-old man capable of this amazing restitution. And the common thread through it all has been King’s explosive talents as a basketball player.