It’s well known that Gerald Green has crazy hops but I’m sure nobody expected this during tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic!! I just have to remind everyone that we have to thank Tracy McGrady for this as he was the first that I remember to ever do this dunk in a game even though it was the all star game in 2002. Check it out down below.
The Toronto Raptors organization is celebrating 20 years in the NBA and tonight they paid tribute to their first real superstar, Vince Carter. Carter who now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies was a huge impact in bringing fame to the organization. Vince received a standing ovation and was moved by the fans and organization tribute as he couldn’t hold back tears as he addressed the crowd. Well done Toronto and to many more years in the NBA!
Footlocker’s Week of Greatness returns where they will be releasing the freshest shoes of the year! They brought in Derrick Rose and Tim Duncan to speak about their “Excitement” for the week and James Harden who got a little “Defensive” when asked if he’d be attending the week of greatness. These are two great ads that will have you laughing all week long!
Capping off an unbelievable comeback at home against the Sacramento Kings, Courtney Lee scores a ridiculous basket with 0.3 seconds left!! The Memphis Grizzlies won 111-110 and Courtney Lee finished the game with 16 points.
In an 8 point, 3 rebound loss to the Orlando Magic, Amare’ Stoudemire turned back the hands of time with this poster dunk in the second quarter!!
November 11th, 2014 Kobe Bean Bryant became the NBA’s all time missed field goal shots leader with 13,418 missed shots. A record some people may have believed Bryant already held but it became official when Bryant passed Boston Celtics legend, John Havlicek who ended his career with 13,417 missed field goal shots. Kobe wasn’t done after breaking the record ending the game with 13,421 missed shots with many more coming soon.
Kobe Bryant leads a legendary list of players who have missed plenty of shots in their time.
In second place is Hall of Famer, 8 Time NBA Champion and 13 Time All Star, John Havlicek with 13,417 missed shots. In third place stands Hall of Famer, 12 Time All Star and NBA Champion, Elvin Hayes with 13,296.Fourth place belongs to Hall of Famer, 2 Time MVP and 14 Time All Star, Karl Malone with 12,682.5th on the list is Hall of Famer, NBA Leading Scorer, 6 Time MVP, 6 Time champion, and 19 Time All Star, Kareem Abdul Jabbar with 12,470. Last but not least is Hall of Famer, 5 Time MVP, 6 Time Champion and 14 Time All Star, Michael Jordan with 12,345.
Not including Kobe Bryant this amazing and legendary list has accumulated: 5 Hall of Famers, 21 NBA Championships, 13 MVP Trophies, 72 All Star Appearances, and 1 NBA All Time Leading Scorer.
Not only have these players achieved so much but all of them reside in the Top 15 Scorers in NBA history. Leading the way is Kareem (38,387), #2) Karl Malone (36,928), #3) Michael Jordan (32,292), #4) Kobe Bryant (45,811 and counting), #8) Elvin Hayes (27,313), and #13) John Havlicek (26,395).
The fact that these players reside in the Top 15 Scorers in NBA history means they must have made a lot of shots, which makes sense why they all reside in the Top 10 Most Field Goals Made in NBA History. Once again leading the way is Kareem (15,837), #2) Karl Malone (13,528), #4 Michael Jordan (12,192), #6) Kobe Bryant (11,121 and counting), #7) Elvin Hayes (10,976), and #10) John Havlicek (10,513).
Another statistic all of these players have in common is that they are all in the Top 25 Minutes played in NBA history. Leading the way is Kareem (57,446), #2) Karl Malone (54,852), #4) Elvin Hayes (50,000), #10) John Havlicek (46,471), #12) Kobe Bryant (45,811 and counting), and #24) Michael Jordan (41,011).
A funny statistic is that only 1 of these players reside in the Top 50 in Field Goal Percentage Made which is Kareem Abdul Jabbar at #15 with 55.9%. A lot of shots were made and missed by all of these players but only Kareem was the most efficient, which was due to being feet away from the basket most of the time.
It’s obvious that all these players are amazing scorers but it may surprise a lot of you that 4 of these elite scorers reside in the Top 50 NBA Assists Leaders of All Time. Leading the way at #29 is John Havlicek (6,144), #32) Kobe Bryant (5,949 and counting), #40) Kareem (5,660), and #42) Michael Jordan (5,633).
All in all Kobe Bryant is in great company when it comes to missing shots, making shots, minutes played, and assists. The numbers don’t lie and whether you hate Kobe or love Kobe for his most recent accolade, he is still amongst legends who have made the game what it is today. So as Kobe continues to miss shots and make shots he is only doing what others have done before him and is racking up many achievements along the way.
It all started in 1984 when Nike signed a high flying rookie out of North Carolina named, Michael Jordan. Jordan fresh off winning back to back NCAA College Player of the Year awards and an NCAA Championship his freshman year seemed to be the unique player the brand needed. Nike released the Air Jordan 1 which got much needed publicity from the NBA due to banning the shoe from game play and fining MJ $5K every time he wore the shoe on the court, which Nike had no problem paying. Nike even used the banning in their commercial to promote the shoe which you can see down below.
The banning of the Air Jordan 1 was just the start of unique and famous ads that brought in millions of dollars in sales for their new superstar’s kicks! Their next move would create a legendary and edgy advertisement that would be remembered for years to come. Nike brought in an up and coming director by the name of Spike Lee, who just released his first feature film, She’s Gotta Have It. In the film, Spike plays a character by the name of Mars Blackmon who is a sports loving, New York Knicks fan much like Lee himself. Nike fell in love with the character and paired him with Michael Jordan in the new Air Jordan 3 commercial. In the commercial Mars introduces himself and the Air Jordan 3 to the world while Michael Jordan silently makes his presence known.
The relationship between the two stars continued as ads for the Air Jordan 4, 5 and 6 kept rolling out year after year.
Air Jordan 4
Air Jordan 5
Air Jordan 6
Not only did the two have a great relationship on set but they had a great relationship off the set. Jordan being the superstar athlete that he is and Spike being the crazy New York Knicks fan that he is, the two were bound to go at each other during games. Maybe not as intense as the Reggie Miller meeting but still fun and competitive. In 1996, Jordan was back from his baseball retirement, and took out Spike’s Knicks in the playoffs while waving bye bye to Lee in the process.
Spike Lee also had a Jordan plug in his latest film Do The Right Thing when a white guy from Boston stepped on a guy’s “brand new white Air Jordan’s”. The film and scene is a “Spike Lee Joint” classic and shows just how great the Nike, Jordan and Lee relationship was.
Even though the Jordan and Spike commercials were done with, you had to know there would be one last hurrah and that day came when Michael Jordan decided to leave the game of basketball for his 3rd and final time in 2003. Nike created this commercial featuring the dynamic duo with Mars trying convince Jordan to come back to the game.
It was an end of an era but the relationship of Nike, Jordan and Spike Lee continues to grow way after Michael’s playing days. Lee came back to promote the Jordan XX which celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Air Jordan. The commercial tells the legendary tale of Michael Jordan and finishes with a challenge to a young kid becoming the next Air Jordan.
Michael Jordan is now the owner of the Charlotte Hornets but his sneakers continue to fly off the shelves in many retro releases. He also created an army of young superstars such as Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul who have signature shoes under the Jordan Brand. In 2006 Nike and Jordan gave their other king his own shoe, known as the Jordan Spizike. The Spizike has had many releases and even brought about another shoe known as The Son of Mars which released in recent years.
The relationship between 3 kings, Nike, Jordan and Spike is alive and well. It will be interesting to see how it continues to grow and what other legendary shoes, ads, and events will come about as the 30th year of the Air Jordan approaches. One thing is for sure, it will be something unforgettable.
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