Best ever?

Hello, I am back with my fourth installment in my blog series which is detailing the five basketball players that have given me a different outlook on the game of basketball. The fourth basketball player I will be talking about in this blog series will be an NBA soon to be Hall of Famer LeBron James. LeBron James right now is the best basketball player in the NBA and to some he is the best basketball player to ever play the game. In the 2003 NBA draft LeBron James was drafted number one overall by the Cleveland Cavilers straight out of high school. In the seven seasons he spent with the Cavilers LeBron led the Cavilers to the NBA Finals, and won two Most Valuable Player awards but could not win the championship. That was the one thing that was holding LeBron back from being considered one of the greatest players in the NBA history. Not just being one of the greatest players in the history players in the NBA, but being the best to ever do it. LeBron James is a freak of nature. At 6’8” 250 pounds LeBron is still one the fastest players in the NBA, he might be the best athlete regardless of sport. In the summer of 2010, LeBron James decided that he wanted to sign with the Miami Heat so he could win multiple championships with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Their first season they reached the NBA Finals nut could not finish the job with a NBA championship against the Dallas Mavericks. Heartbroken, LeBron James made it his mission to reach the NBA finals the next year and win it. He did exactly that with the win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in the 2012 NBA Finals. LeBron was awarded the Most Valuable Player award and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award as well. LeBron would go on to win this year’s MVP award, Finals MVP award and NBA Finals championship once again, but this time it was against the San Antonio Spurs in seven heart thrilling games. LeBron James will go down in history as one of the best players in NBA history, if not the best ever. He is one of my all-time favorites just because everything he can bring your team offensively and defensively. If he isn’t the best player to ever play the game of basketball he has to be a close second in my opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo1yFIKxPfc

 

 

Bubba Chuck

 

 

Hello, I am back with my third installment in my blog series which is detailing the five basketball players that have given me a different outlook on the game of basketball. The third basketball player I will be talking about in this blog series will be an NBA soon to be Hall of Famer Allen “Bubba Chuck” Iverson. Growing up in Philadelphia as a young basketball fan the Sixers were automatically my favorite team. I remember watching the Sixers games as an adolescent and thinking to myself how can somebody so small in stature score points rapidly. Allen Iverson instantly gained my respect as a young basketball fan because he did not care who he was playing he would go at them. He gave everything he had in every basketball game he played. In 2001 Allen Iverson led the Philadelphia Sixers to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers and their two superstars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Nobody expected the 2001 Sixers to even go as far as they did in the NBA playoffs. The Sixers even beat the Lakers on their home court in the first game of the Finals and Allen Iverson scored 48 points to help the Sixers outlast the Lakers in overtime. Mostly every season Iverson was with the Sixers he was the Sixers. He would carry that team everywhere he possibly could, he proved that when he to them to the NBA Finals and led them to a Game 1 victory. Throughout his entire career Allen Iverson had a reputation that he was a ball hog, quick tempered, and only cared about himself and not about what was best for the entire team. As a fan of basketball I, myself, love watching him play the game of basketball the way he does; however, on multiple occasions I wondered about his play, but I understand why he plays the way he does. Allen Iverson gave his blood, sweat, and tears to the NBA. Allen Iverson recently retired from the NBA before the Miami Heat vs. the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers and it brought every tears to all of his fans. Even though he has not played in the NBA since 2010, it was just a sad day to see one of the all-time NBA greats leave the NBA for good. Allen Iverson will always be one of my favorite NBA players that I had a chance to watch play, he changed the way basketball was played and called for that he’s one of my all-time favorites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OppxKDj44E

Kobe "Bean" Bryant

 

Kobe “Bean” Bryant

This is my second blog entry on the topic of the top five basketball players that have changed my look on the game of basketball. In this entry I will be discussing of one the best players in the history of the NBA, Kobe Bryant. As a kid growing up Kobe was my idol, he was the person I looked up to the most in the NBA because of what he could do and how he carried himself while doing it. As soon as he stepped foot on the court and into the game he had the swagger as though he was better than everyone else. He believed he was the best in the NBA during the 2000’s and he also played as though he was the best. During the 2000 era Kobe Bryant won 3 NBA championships, two with a fellow Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, and one with Pau Gasol. Watching Kobe as a kid would put a great big smile on my face, I would amazed at half of the stuff he would do with the basketball. His killer instinct above all else is one of the mains reasons he changed my look on basketball. Kobe had that kill or be killed outlook on the game of basketball. Just watching him have that mentality just made me want to be the greatest I could be that much more. I remember being in awe when my father had told me that Kobe had just scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors. When my Dad first told me I didn’t believe him, but when I saw it on SportsCenter that next morning I knew it was true. I couldn’t believe it that one of my favorite players scored the second highest single game point total in the history of the NBA. I watched the highlights of that game at least 20 times the day I found out it was true. Walking to the park as a kid I would just visualize myself doing the same things Kobe was doing in those games. Fade away jump shots, three point shots, dunk on people everything I just wanted to be the best ever. Watching Kobe Bryant all day as a kid really changed my outlook on the game of basketball. It changed my mentality and how I approached every game, now I go into every game as if I’m the best ever and it’s my last game ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4aBdCJELiM

Hall of Famer

The first player I will be introducing in my blog is Tracy McGrady. Tracy McGrady is a 6’8” shooting guard who has recently retired from the NBA. While he was in the NBA he was one of my favorite players to watch. The way he could score the basketball with such ease was just great to watch as a kid. Growing up watching him I would constantly try to pattern my game after his. Everything he could do on the court I wanted to be able to do. As a kid I wanted to have the ability to score time and time again against any defense I was playing against. As time moved on and I entered high school I hit a ridiculous growth spurt that made me 6’1”. I looked up to him because I was and still am a tall, lanky player who can score. Tracy McGrady did wonders for me as a child, just being able to see him play on TV made my day. He didn’t become a great scorer overnight it took hours and hours of hard work in the gym. The amount of time he spent in the gym on a daily basis helped him master many scoring techniques that have helped him average thirty points a game in the NBA. I remember as a kid going to the Sixers stadium to watch the Orlando Magic play Sixers at the Wachovia Center. I believe it was the first professional basketball game I went to and I will never forget it. He finished the game with forty four points and hit the game winning shot to beat the Sixers; even though the Sixers were my hometown team Tracy McGrady was one of my favorites so it was bitter sweet. I would go outside and try to reenact the game winning shot in my backyard. The way he carried himself off of the basketball court showed me that he wasn’t just a great basketball player, but he was also I good citizen in my eyes. Hearing that he was retiring brought tears to my eyes as a basketball fan and a Tracy McGrady fan. I will miss watching him playing in the NBA. He brought so much excitement to me as a basketball fan and is one of the main reasons I play the game. Tracy McGrady is a hall of fame player if someone were to ask me and I believe he belongs there.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmsOvZa4Fl8

Beginnings

Hello my name is Shaquan Turk and this will be my blog describing the five basketball players that have changed my outlook on the game of basketball and life. I chose this topic based on my love for the game of basketball, my evolution as a young man and basketball player, and how I have grown through watching the way these five players carried themselves on and off the court. This topic is so important to me because basketball is what I am passionate the most about. In this blog I hope to show how these five basketball players made basketball more than a game for me. Watching how they approached each game as if it was their last was what had the biggest impact on my life as a child. Thank you for reading my first blog post there will be more to come soon.