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Curated playlist

United States men's national basketball team players

  • 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.
  • Kobe BryantKobe Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto in 2006, the second-highest NBA game total ever.
  • 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.
  • Tim DuncanTim Duncan was a swimmer until a hurricane destroyed his island's only Olympic-sized pool.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Jalen BrunsonJalen Brunson spent part of his childhood inside NBA locker rooms. When his father Rick played for the New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau worked there as an assistant coach. Years later Thibodeau became Jalen's head coach, and the boy from…
  • 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.
  • Shaquille O'NealShaquille O'Neal twice broke steel backboard supports with his dunks. The NBA then redesigned its equipment.
  • Chris BoshBlood clots ended Chris Bosh's NBA career after two straight championships with Miami.
  • 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.
  • John StocktonJazz fans greeted John Stockton's 1984 draft pick with stunned silence.
  • Chauncey BillupsChauncey Billups went from a draft bust to NBA Finals MVP. The Pistons guard led a 2004 upset of the Lakers.
  • Christian LaettnerChristian Laettner topped an ESPN fan poll as college basketball's most hated player.

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