1st N.B.A TEAM

(Honourable mentions from left to right: K.Jabbar, Hayes)

Ferdinand Lew Alcindor, most known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (which means "noble, powerful servant") was one of the greatest players ever. He won a record 6 MVP, appeared in 18 All-Star Games, won 6 NBA Championships, 1 for the Bucks and 5 for the Lakers. He's the all-time leader in points, 2nd in blocks and 2nd in games played. He also scored in double figures in 787 straight games

Wilt Chamberlain: It's hard to describe what Chamberlain meant to the NBA. But his numbers are a good point to start from: he was the only NBA player to score 4000 points in a season. He has the record for most consecutive field goals (18) and most rebounds (55). In 61-62 he averaged astonishing 50.4 ppg. He scored 31,419 points in his career (2nd all-time). Between the best 30 best regular-season scoring permormances, he claimed 20. He also led the league in scoring for 7 seasons and in rebounds in 11 of his 14 seasons. And, believe or not, he was the assist leader in 67-68. In three varsity seasons at Philadelphia's Overborrk High he led the team to records of 19-2, 19-0 and 18-1. The team used to practice missing free throws so that Chamberlain could grab the rebound and score a field goal. Long ago goaltending was legal, and Chamberlain upset his teammates sometimes by tipping the ball in on their way down, even if they were on target. In his senior year he averaged 44.5 ppg. He scored 90 points in a game, 60 of them in just 12 minutes. In ‘55 he went to play at the University of Kansas. At that time, NCAA rules didn't allow a freshman play at the varsity level. So he was put in the freshmen team and their first match was against the varsity. Chamberlain scored 40 pojnts, grabbed 30 rebounds and blocked 15 shots. At the varsity levelhe led Kansas to the ‘57 NCAA FInals and besides losing to North Carolina by one point in triple overtime he was named as MVP. He left the university early and tried to go to the NBA, but an NBA ruled prevented college players from playing in the league until their classes graduated. So, he played for the Harlem Globetrotters in 58-59. It's believed that he received around $50,000, an astronomical sum at that time. In ‘59 the Warriors selected him. In his first game, against the Knicks he scored 43 points and grabbed 28 rebounds. IN his rookie season he averaged 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds and was named NBA Rookie of the Year, All-Star MVP, NBA MVP and was selected to the All-NBA First Team. In that year playoffs he had his first confrontation against Bill Russel, the greatest individual rivalry in NBA history. Russel took the series away as he would for many seasons. Besides being hit hard by his opponents, Chamberlain wasn't a revenger. In his 14-year career, in more than 1.200 games, he never foul out. In 61-62 he posted a phenomenal mark of 50.4 ppg and became the only player in history to score 4,000 points in a season. That year he set a record that may never be beaten: he scored 100 points against the Knicks, on March 2, 1962. He hit 36-for-63 from the field. In ‘62 he moved with the franchise to San Francisco and led the league in scoring in both 1962-63 and 1963-64 . Then he was traded to Philadelphia 76ers for 3 players and money. In Philadelphia he joined a team that would come with his first ring. In 1966-67 they set a 68-13 record and went to the division finals against the Celtics and for the first time he passed through Russel, earning his first ring. After his stunning 50.4 ppg he dropped slowly in scoring, most of all, because his coaches asked him to shoot less and pass more. That worked and he he led the league in FG percentage shooting .683, in rebounds with 24.2, and was 3rd in assists at 7.8. We was named to the All-NBA First Team for the seventh and final time and selected the league MVP for the fourth and final time. In 1967-68 he was traded to the Lakers for 3 players. He helped the Lakers to the NBA Finals four times in his 5 seasons there. In 1971-72 he scored only 14.8 ppg but grabbed 19.2 rebounds per game and helped the Lakers to set a 69-13 record, a mark that would be beaten just 24 years lakers by the Bulls. They also set a never beaten record by winning 33 games in a row.They won the Championship in 5 games against the Knicks. He retired from NBA at the end of the 1972-73 season. In 1978 he was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

Bob Pettit: When Bob Pettit came out of college in 1954, no one thought he was talented enough to make it as a professional basketball player. Although he had been a prolific scorer at Louisiana State University, the tall, thin forward was deemed too slight at 200 pounds to survive the pounding of an NBA season. However, the scouts failed to factor in Pettit’s willingness to work harder than anyone else on the court in order to succeed. And succeed he did. After 11 years with the Milwaukee and St. Louis Hawks, he retired having become the first player in the league to top 20,000 points. The greatest forward of his era, Pettit was an All-Star in each of his 11 seasons, an All-NBA First-Team selection 10 times, and an All-NBA Second Team pick once. He never finished below seventh in the NBA scoring race, and he left the sport with two MVP Awards and an NBA championship ring. Besides being cut twice from his High School Team, he worked endlessly to improve his game, firing countless shots at the basket set up in his backyard. When he tried out for the high school team as a junior, Bob Pettit was already 6-foot-4, and he finally made the squad. One year later, in 1950, he led Baton Rouge High School to its first state championship in more than two decades. he was rewarded with a scholarship to Louisiana State University. His willingness to work hard to score points and collect rebounds earned him All-America honors twice, and he averaged 27.4 points during his college career. Pettit was selected in the first round of the 1954 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Hawks. Although he seemed thin at 200 pounds, Pettit was by no means frail. Being in superb physical condition, he was more than a match for the rigors of the NBA, and he proved it in his first season by winning the league’s Rookie of the Year Award, and by averaging 20.4 points and 13.8 rebounds. He also played in his first All-Star Game that season and earned the first of 10 consecutive selections to the All-NBA First Team. 1955-56 Pettit, who was named the NBA Most Valuable Player after leading the league in scoring (25.7 ppg) and rebounding (16.2 rpg). He also earned the MVP Award at that year NBA All-Star Game. The Hawks underwent a major retooling for the 1956–57 season, with four new players: Ed Macauley, rookie Cliff Hagan, Slater Martin and Alex Hannum arrived a few weeks later after being released by the Fort Wayne Pistons. The team also went through three coaches during that season. Hannum took over as player-coach with 31 games left on the schedule, and the team began to hit its stride. Hannum later credited Pettit’s attitude for the club’s success. St. Louis posted a less-than-stellar 34-48 record in 1956–57, but that was enough to earn the club a tie with Fort Wayne and the Minneapolis Lakers for first place in the weak Western Division. The Hawks earned the division title by besting those two rivals. The Hawks moved on to face the Celtics in the 1957 NBA Finals. No one expected St. Louis to put up much of a fight against a Boston team that had posted the best record in the league. In a fantastic game 7 Boston won after two overtimes, taking the title. Pettit excelled during the Hawks’ 1957 playoff run, averaging 29.8 points and 16.8 rebounds. St. Louis came back the next year to win 41 games (a franchise record) and claim the division crown. Pettit scored 24.6 ppg and pulled down 17.4 rpg. In the postseason the Hawks and the Celtics squared off in the NBA Finals for the second straight year. In Game 3 Pettit was remarkable, setting a then NBA-Playoff record by scoring 50 points. The Hawks won by a point, 110-109, to dethrone the Celtics and claim the crown. St. Louis finished at the top of the Western Division in each of the next three seasons. In 1959 Pettit was named NBA Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career, after he led the league in scoring (29.2 ppg) and placed second to Russell in rebounding (16.4 rpg). The Hawks were unable to recapture the league title from ‘59 to ‘61. The following year Pettit had his finest season ever. He averaged a career-high 31.1 points in 1961–62, and he collected rebounds at the astonishing rate of 18.7 per contest. He also was the head coach late in the season, and in six games he piloted the squad to a 4-2 record. In ‘63 and ‘64, the Hawksfinished in second place in the division and lost in the Division Finals. At season’s end, he earned his 10th and final selection to the All-NBA First Team. A knee ailment limited Pettit to 50 games in 1964–65. It was the first time in his career that he had been sidelined for more than a handful of games because of an injury. The Hawks scratched out another second-place finish in the Western Division but were eliminated in the semifinal round of the playoffs. Pettit was 32 years old at the end of the 1964–65 campaign, and he decided to call it quits. He retired having accumulated 20,880 points, the most ever scored in the NBA at that time, and his 12,849 rebounds ranked him second all-time. He never averaged fewer than 20 points, nor did he miss an All-Star Game in any of his 11 seasons; his career average stood at 26.4 points per game. His rebounding totals were no less impressive: he never fell below 10 rebounds per game for a season, and his career average was 16.2. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970.

Larry Bird: For 13 years with the Boston Celtics, Bird personified hustle, consistency, and excellence in all areas of play—as a scorer, a passer, a rebounder, a defender, a team player, and, perhaps above all, as a clutch performer. Few played tougher than Bird, who would leap into crowds and over press tables for loose balls. Bird was the embodiment of “Celtics pride.” He was a classy, confident, hardworking player who thrived on pressure and inspired teammates to excel. With him, the Celtics won three NBA titles and 10 Atlantic Division crowns. He became only the third player (and the first non-center) to win three consecutive NBA MVP Awards. He was a 12-time All-Star, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, and a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team. He led the league in free-throw percentage four times. He was born in the tiny town of French Lick, in Indiana, where his family led a spartan life. French Lick had a population of 2,059, most of whom came out to watch Springs Valley High home games. Attendance often reached 1,600—and they were all there to watch the blond-haired shooting whiz with a funny smile named Larry Joe Bird. Springs Valley went 19-2 and young Larry became a local celebrity. About 4,000 people attended his final home game. Bird found the transition to college life difficult. He started out as an Indiana Hoosier but later left Bobby Knight’s team. In 1976 Bird enrolled at Indiana State. Home-game attendance hovered around 3,100 when he arrived, but as he had done in Springs Valley, Bird single-handedly packed the house and propelled his team to respectability. He averaged better than 30 points and 10 rebounds during his first campaign. Season-ticket sales tripled. TV stations showed film clips of Bird instead of commercials. The Sycamores went undefeated and reached No. 1 in Bird’s senior year—that is, until a Michigan State team featuring a 6-foot-9 guard named Earvin “Magic” Johnson knocked them off in the 1979 NCAA Championship Game. Bird was named the 1978–79 College Player of the Year and left ISU as the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history. The Sycamores had gone 81-13 during Bird’s three-year career. The Boston Celtics selected him in the 1978 NBA Draft. But he elected to return to Indiana State for one more year. Bird finally came to Boston for the 1979–80 campaign and sparked one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NBA history. Playing in all 82 contests, Bird led the team in scoring (21.3 ppg), rebounding (10.4 rpg), steals (143), and minutes played (2,955) and was second in assists (4.5 apg) and three-pointers (58). Bird was named NBA Rookie of the Year and made his first of his (all occurrences) 12 trips to the NBA All-Star Game. The Celtics took the title in 1980-81. Bird once again led the team in points (21.2 ppg), rebounds (10.9 rpg), steals (161), and minutes (3,239). Along with Magic Johnson, Bird was revitalizing the moribund NBA, helping the league live up to its new slogan, NBA Action is Fantastic. In 1981–82 Bird made his first of three consecutive appearances on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. In the 1982 NBA All-Star Game he was named MVP. It wasn’t until 1983–84, however, that the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals. By that time Bird’s scoring average had reached the mid-20s, and he was averaging upwards of 7 assists. He also hit nearly 90 percent of his free-throw attempts. Coming off his first of three consecutive MVP seasons, Bird helped the Celtics to a seven-game triumph against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals. With series averages of 27.4 points and 14.0 rebounds, Bird was named Finals MVP. Bird’s scoring average soared to 28.7 points in 1984–85, the second-highest mark in the league and the second highest of his career. He boosted that average with a career-best 60 points against Atlanta on March 12. He was second in the NBA in 3-pt shot average. In the 1985 Finals the Celtics lost to the Lakers. Injuries started to bother him. Nevertheless, at season’s end Bird won his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The following year, which saw Boston win its 16th championship, Bird attained living-legend status. He was showered with commendations: NBA MVP, Finals MVP, The Sporting News Man of the Year, and The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He led the league in three-pointers made (82) and in free-throw percentage (.896). He placed in the top 10 in three other categories. He even won the first-ever Long Distance Shootout at the NBA All-Star Weekend. In the NBA Finals against Houston, Bird nearly averaged a triple-double (24.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 9.5 apg). He earned a second Finals MVP Award. The next year he became the first player ever to shoot at least .500 from the floor (.525) and .900 from the free-throw line (.910) in the same season. He did it again the following season. In ‘87 Boston advanced to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year, meeting the Lakers for the third time. Los Angeles won the series in six games. Bird, now 30 years old and with worsening back and foot problems, would not win a fourth championship ring. In 1987–88 Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort. He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year. Bird also won his third consecutive NBA Long Distance Shootout title. Surgery to remove bone spurs from both heels limited Bird to only six games in 1988–89. The following year Bird assembled the third-longest free-throw streak in NBA history, hitting 71 consecutive attempts. A disk was removed from his back after the season. The following year was Bird’s last. He missed 37 games because of the continuing back problems. In a nationally televised game against Portland in March, Bird pulled off one final miracle performance: he scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, including the Celtics’ last 9 points and a game-tying three-pointer with two seconds left. Boston won, 152-148, in double overtime. Bird finished with 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, and 4 steals. He also won a gold medal with the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team . As the 1992–93 NBA season approached, Bird decided he could not continue. After 897 games Bird retired with 21,791 points (24.3 ppg), along with 8,974 rebounds (10.0 rpg) and 5,695 assists (6.3 apg). During his career he shot .496 from the floor and .886 from the free-throw line, ranking fourth all-time in the latter category behind Mark Price, Rick Barry, and Calvin Murphy. Bird’s 649 three-pointers and 1,556 steals rank in the all-time top 10.

Michael Jordan: He redefined the game with an unprecedented combination of grace, power, improvisation, and shrewd playmaking. Teams considered themselves fortunate when they “held” Jordan to 30 points. His career scoring average is the highest ever in the NBA, and he led the league in scoring for eight seasons. He earned four NBA MVPlayer Awards and four NBA Finals MVP trophies. He was selected to play in ten All-Star Games, was named NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and was a eight-time All-NBA First Team selection and a six-time All-Defensive First Team choice. The top sports figure in advertising, and one of the most recognizable celebrities in the world. Jordan was born in Brooklyn, but while he was still an infant his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. He was cut from his high school team as a sophomore but came back to star the next two seasons. The Laney High School Buccaneers won 19 games in Jordan’s senior year but were eliminated in the conference tournament. Jordan elected to play for the University of North Carolina. As a freshman on a team that also boasted Worthy and Perkins, Jordan hit the jump shot that gave the Tar Heels the 1982 NCAA Championship, defeating a Georgetown team led by Patrick Ewing. The shot put Jordan in the national spotlight for the first time. He was an All-American and College Player of the Year in both 1983 and 1984. After leaving college Jordan cocaptained and starred for the gold medal–winning U.S. Olympic basketball team at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. He had an immediate impact on the NBA. He scored 28.2 points per game as a rookie—third in the league. and started in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game. He carried the Bulls to its first playoff spot since 1981. A shoo-in for NBA Rookie of the Year honors, he began drawing comparisons to Julius Erving for his high-flying style of play. Early in the 1985–86 season Jordan broke his foot. He missed 64 games, then came back to score 22.7 points per outing in 18 appearances. In the playoffs Chicago fell in three straight games to Boston. He scored an NBA playoff–record 63 points in a 135-131 double-overtime loss in Game 2. The next year Jordan began his string of NBA scoring titles. In 1986–87 he scored a career-high 37.1 points per contest and became the only player besides Chamberlain to top 3,000 points for a season. In November and December he went on a rampage, ringing up 40 or more points in nine straight games. He also became the first player in league history to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season. Jordan made his first All-NBA First Team. In 1987–88 the team added talented rookies Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. Chicago advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in seven years, but lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Jordan won every major honor that season, including NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star Game MVP, NBA Slam-Dunk Champion, and berths on the All-NBA and All-Defensive First Teams. In 1988-89 playoffs the Bulls lost to the Pistons in the Conference Finals. Jordan picked up a more modest armload of postseason honors, including the scoring title (32.5 ppg) and selection to the All-NBA and NBA All-Defensive First Teams. In 1989–90 Phil Jackson took over as head coach. That year Jordan set a personal mark with 69 points in an overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 1990–91 when he led Chicago to a 61-21 regular-season record and the NBA Championship, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in five games for the crown. Jordan carried off another collection of personal honors: NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and selection to the All-NBA and All-Defensive First Teams. Jordan’s Bulls repeated as NBA champions in 1991–92, winning a then franchise-record 67 games and going on to defeat Portland in six games in the NBA Finals. For the season he repeated as NBA Most Valuable Player and Finals MVP. After the season Jordan teamed with other NBA greats to represent the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Jordan won his second Olympic gold medal. In 1992–93 Chicago won its third consecutive NBA title, defeating the Phoenix Suns in six games for the crown. Jordan set an NBA Finals record by averaging 41.0 points for the series. and he won his third straight Finals MVP Award. Jordan captured his seventh straight regular-season scoring title with an average of 32.6 points per game. He also led the league in steals for the third time with 2.83 per game, and he earned his seventh straight All-NBA First Team selection and his sixth All-Defensive First Team spot. On October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement During the summer, his father, James, was murdered in North Carolina. That contributed a lot to his dcision along with allegations that he had lost hundreds of thousand of dollars betting on golf. A few months after retiring from basketball he announced that he would pursue a second career as a professional baseball player. He went to spring training with the Chicago White Sox and, despite a rocky start, showed enough promise to earn an assignment with the team’s Class AA farm club in Birmingham, Alabama. On March 19, 1995 he returned! In his first game against Indiana he scored 19 points. The Bulls were eliminated in that year Playoffs by the Orlando Magic. But in 1996 he proved that he was the best ever. He led the league in scoring to win his fourth MVP Award. The Bulls set an astonishing mark of 72-10, the best ever. He led the Bulls to the Championship against the Seattle in 6 games. For him, there isn’t a statistical category in the book that can do justice to his timeless artistry.

Magic Johnson: (We are still working on this section and it should be up shortly.)