Curated playlist
NBA All-Stars
- Kevin DurantKevin Durant wore number 35 to honor his murdered youth coach. Charles Craig was 35 when he died.
- Dwyane WadeDwyane Wade's sister tricked him into a car ride at age eight. She said movies but took him to live with their father.
- LeBron JamesLeBron James led Cleveland back from a 3-1 Finals deficit, a first in NBA history. It ended a 52-year title wait.
- Clyde DrexlerClyde Drexler couldn't make his high school basketball team as a sophomore. He later reached the Hall of Fame twice.
- Dirk NowitzkiDirk Nowitzki hit a winning Finals basket while carrying a 101-degree fever.
- Kobe BryantKobe Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto in 2006, the second-highest NBA game total ever.
- Luka DončićAt seven, Luka Dončić played basketball against boys up to ten years old.
- Elvin HayesElvin Hayes scored 39 points and ended UCLA's 47-game winning streak in 1968. He held Lew Alcindor to 15 points.
- Jerry WestThe NBA logo is a silhouette of Jerry West, and he was never paid for it.
- Karl MaloneKarl Malone played 193 playoff games without winning a championship. That is more than any player without a ring.
- Pau GasolPau Gasol first wanted to be a doctor and cure AIDS. Magic Johnson's 1991 announcement changed the boy's plans.
- Tim DuncanTim Duncan was a swimmer until a hurricane destroyed his island's only Olympic-sized pool.
- Manu GinóbiliManu Ginóbili was picked 57th in the NBA draft and still reached the Hall of Fame.
- Stephen CurryVirginia Tech offered Stephen Curry only a walk-on spot. He later became the NBA's all-time three-point leader.
- Joel EmbiidJoel Embiid scored 70 points against the Spurs on January 22, 2024, breaking a 76ers record from 1967.
- Larry BirdLarry Bird asked who would finish second at the first Three-Point Shootout, then won it.
- Kawhi LeonardKawhi Leonard's Game 7 shot bounced off the rim four times before it fell.
- Patrick EwingPatrick Ewing crossed North Carolina off his list after seeing a nearby Ku Klux Klan rally. He chose Georgetown.
- Hakeem OlajuwonHakeem Olajuwon did not touch a basketball until he was 15. The Nigerian goalkeeper later won an NBA title.
- Isiah ThomasIsiah Thomas scored 25 points in one Finals quarter on a badly sprained ankle. It was a 1988 NBA Finals record.
- Bill RussellBill Russell won eleven NBA championships in thirteen seasons. No team has matched that record since.
- Kevin LoveKevin Love grabbed 31 rebounds in one game in November 2010. It set a Timberwolves record.
- Michael JordanMichael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity team as a sophomore for being too short.
- Charles BarkleyCharles Barkley became the shortest player ever to lead the NBA in rebounding.
- Scottie PippenScottie Pippen got no college scholarship offers, yet he ended up with six championship rings.
- Tony ParkerTony Parker was nearly sent home from a Spurs camp after 10 minutes. A highlight tape won him a second chance.
- Magic JohnsonMagic Johnson told the world he had HIV from the free throw line in 1991. He was 32 and a five-time NBA champion.
- Moses MaloneMoses Malone predicted his 76ers would sweep the playoffs, and they went 12-1.
- Nikola JokićNikola Jokić's 2014 NBA draft pick appeared on a news ticker under a Taco Bell ad. He went 41st overall.
- Shaquille O'NealShaquille O'Neal twice broke steel backboard supports with his dunks. The NBA then redesigned its equipment.
- Andrew WigginsAndrew Wiggins shattered a glass backboard at age 14. He later went first in the 2014 NBA draft.
- Chris BoshBlood clots ended Chris Bosh's NBA career after two straight championships with Miami.
- Dave CowensDave Cowens won 1973 NBA MVP at six feet nine, short for a center. He beat out Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the award.
- Klay ThompsonKlay Thompson scored 37 points in one quarter against the Kings in 2015, an NBA record.
- Kyrie IrvingKyrie Irving was born in Australia to two American parents. His father had followed basketball there.
- Luol DengAt 13, Luol Deng averaged 40 points a game against players up to five years older. He had already fled a civil war.
- Pascal SiakamPascal Siakam's NBA debut was the first NBA game he had ever seen in person. He later helped Toronto win its 2019 title.
- Wilt ChamberlainNo camera filmed Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points in one game. Only a radio broadcast of the fourth quarter survived.
- Giannis AntetokounmpoGiannis Antetokounmpo could not leave Greece for his first 18 years. He had no papers from Greece or Nigeria.
- John StocktonJazz fans greeted John Stockton's 1984 draft pick with stunned silence.
- Bob CousyBob Cousy broke his right hand falling out of a tree, and it helped make him ambidextrous.
- George GervinGeorge Gervin won a 1978 NBA scoring title by seven-hundredths of a point. He scored 63 to edge David Thompson.
- Steve NashIn grade eight, Steve Nash told his mother he would become an NBA star.
- Chauncey BillupsChauncey Billups went from a draft bust to NBA Finals MVP. The Pistons guard led a 2004 upset of the Lakers.
- Dan IsselDan Issel did not start on his high school basketball team until junior year.
- Dikembe MutomboDikembe Mutombo came to Georgetown to become a doctor, not a basketball star. A coach changed those plans entirely.
- Dolph SchayesDolph Schayes played almost a full season with his right arm in a cast. He learned to shoot left-handed instead.
- Walt FrazierWalt Frazier had 36 points and 19 assists in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals. Willis Reed played two minutes.
- Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar broke Wilt Chamberlain's career scoring record with a skyhook over a 7-foot-4 defender.
- George MikanThe NBA widened its foul lane to slow down one player, George Mikan. The rule was formally dubbed "The Mikan Rule."