Round The Game

The sport of basketball has been around for decades. Some of the rules change, new teams emerge as contenders for the title, the style of play changes over time, and new faces enter the league. Some of these changes take years, or even decades, to take effect, but the one thing that never changes are the players getting older, and hanging up their shoes for good.

Sure, when we think about it, hundreds if not thousands of NBA players have come and gone but when we think about the separate era’s of NBA players the thought of a generation of talent disappearing becomes more tangible. We can relate this one action to a dying star in space; how very bright it shines, how it feels like it will never leave the night sky until it fades, and ceases to exist.

There was Bill Russell, Bob Pettit, and Elgin Baylor in the 50’s and 60’s, Oscar Robertson and Dr. J in the 70’s, Larry Legend and Magic Johnson in the 80’s, Michael Jordan in the 90’s, Kobe Bryant ran the 00’s, and LeBron has had the entire 2010’s in the palm of his hand.

I became a NBA fan around 2005, and ever since then I have been enamored with the entire sport; I’ve become a student of the game. I’ve learned about the legends, studied the greats, kept an eye towards the future, and lived in the moment for the great talent that is currently in the league. I grew up watching Kobe pull up from mid-range, Shaq dominate the glass, Kevin Garnett play with Earth shattering passion, and Dirk hit his patented one-legged fade-away. As time passed on I was fortunate enough to see Dwayne Wade become The Flash, Carmelo Anthony become a deadly pure scorer, and see LeBron James become an UNDISPUTED top-3 player of all-time in his relatively short career. After last night however, this era of talent is evaporating quickly. In other words, this star is dying out.

At the time of writing this, it is one day removed from Dirk Nowitzki officially announcing his retirement and Dwayne Wade playing his very last home game for the Heat. They both have had amazing careers; both are champions, both are first ballot Hall of Famers, and both are universally beloved by not only the Mavericks and Heat respectively, but the league as a whole. They have a spot reserved in the basketball history books as some of the greatest to ever touch the floor, and they deserve every bit of praise they are receiving as their careers wind down. With all of that being said, it hurts to see them leave, because we will never have another D-Wade, or another Kobe, or another KG. The league will never be the same.

Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of exciting and talented players in the league right now. The league as a whole is in very good hands with Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. The league isn’t short of any superstars, lacking in skill, or devoid of name recognition. In fifteen years I may be back here to write a similar article about them, and what they meant to the game. For now, I want to take a moment to appreciate what has come and gone, but more importantly made me enjoy my time as a fan.

Some of my fondest memories as a NBA fan have come from players who have already retired.

– The alley-oop from Kobe to Shaq in the 2000 Western Conference Finals

– Allen Iverson crossing up, and then STEPPING OVER Tyronn Lue

– Kevin Garnett hitting the falling, body-contorting, one-handed bank shot in the 2008 Finals

– Ray Allen hitting the corner 3 after the Chris Bosh rebound in the 2013 NBA Finals

– Tracy McGrady scoring 13 points in 35 seconds

– Kobe Bryant dropping 60 points in the final game of his career

– And LeBron James dunking on Kevin Garnett in the 2008 Easter Conference Semi-Finals (shout out to Kevin Harlan for the greatest commentating call on all-time. LeBron James with no regard for human life!)

All of these players have gone on to have successful post-playing careers, and aren’t hurting for notoriety. Shaq branched out and became a business mogul and a movie star. Kobe Bryant became an Oscar winner and as good of a business man as he was a basketball player. Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady both became very good NBA analysts and TV personalities. They don’t need the game anymore; they’ve remade themselves into something more than a one dimensional figure; but they left their mark on the league for the better. Allen Iverson’s swagger, Shaq’s ability to dominate the game, but still have fun, and Kevin Garnett and Kobe’s killer instinct. Some may be able to imitate but no one will ever be able to replicate.

The last remnant of this generation of talent is the face of the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James. While LeBron has without a doubt had an amazing career thus far, winning championships, MVP’s, and gold medals, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to believe that his career and this generation is close to ending. LeBron only played 55 games this season, the fewest of his entire career. While he did average 27 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds per game, it is hard to believe that at 34 years old that he can continue to play at this high of a level for the rest of his career. As a fan, all I want is for him to continue to excel and elevate his play to heights never seen for someone that age; not necessarily for his stats to continue to bolster, but selfishly. I want to hold on this one of a kind talent for as long as possible, if only to remind me of those superstars that made me love the game for what it is and what it has become. This is the last star in this generation’s proverbial galaxy, and once it is gone, there is no getting it back. Appreciate talent while you can; it won’t be around for you to enjoy forever.

All in all, I am very thankful to have been able to watch this game I love, with players that transcend super-stardom and become icons and legends. When I saw Dirk and D-Wade play their finals home games, it really made me think about this era coming to an end.

To this era of basketball players who changed the game and left their mark:

We miss you.

We appreciate you.

We love you.

Sincerely,

A fan.