The fascination, obsession and passion of basketball in the U.S. has increased exponentially over the last number of years. We, as a society, cannot seem to get enough information about our favorite NBA teams and players. The internet and social media has catapulted the speed of accessing this data into an immediate gratification situation. We no longer have to wait for the evening news, but instead, get updates on everything we need. There are, however, some unusual NBA facts that few are aware of!
In 1946, the first official basketball name was the Basketball Association of America. The first team was called The Steamrollers and actually only lasted about three seasons. The name itself was not popular and we can kind of understand why it didn’t last. Imagine seeing that name on an electronic scoreboard?
You may be familiar with the Canadian Raptors or Vancouver Grizzlies, but that was actually not the first Canadian basketball team; that honor went to the Toronto Huskies. However, given the fact that basketball is a tough sport in Canada, the Huskies only lasted one season.
The smallest basketball player goes to Muggsy Bogues. At 5’3”, one would not think that he would be at the top for first-round-picks; but this would be an error. As a member of the Washington Bullets, he was chose as the point guard with the 1987 draft for 12th overall pick and continued with a career that lasted 14 years.
The iconic Wilt Chamberlain was once a member of the have-fun Harlem Globetrotters team. He goofed around on the court with his own signature move of picking up Meadowlark Lemon, captain, and tossing him in the air, before he then caught him. He was only with the Globetrotters for a year and in 2000 they retired his No. 13 number.
We may all be a fan of the three-point-shot, but this was not an NBA standard rule until the season of 1979-1980. Prior to that, a move such as this was considered to be too fancy.
Bill Bradley, the New Jersey three-term senator as well as a former presidential candidate for the Democratic Party was a New York Knicks forward. He had an impressive two championship win and he made it to an All-Star team.
You might be familiar with Wilt Chamberlain’s impressive record for 2,000 points in a single season, but he is not the first to hit that number. That honor goes to George Yardley, with 2,001 points for the Detroit Falcons in the 1957-1958 season.
The Phoenix Sun set a precedence by having a ten-game winning AND losing streak in a single 1996-1997 season. Imagine the confusion for the people controlling the electronic scoreboard that year.
Toni Kukoc’s nickname was The Pink Panther. Go figure.
Charles Barkley wasn’t a high school basketball star. In fact, he only played basketball for two years in high school.
The Knicks and The Celtics have the high honor of being the only two teams that have never relocated.
It’s hard to believe that in the 1984 draft, Michael Jordan wasn’t the first pick, but instead, he came in third. Looking back, there may be some jobs that were put on the line for that one.