It hasn’t always been this way.

NBA players are some of the most recognizable athletes in the world with the opportunity for generational wealth over the past 30 years. The players often viewed today by NBA Twitter and mentioned other social media platforms as the most influential such as Steph Curry, the late Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson, entered a NBA that was already a healthy, vibrant product. Their impact is great, but for Bryant and Iverson in particular, their impact is much more related to influencing fans and popular culture, more so than the game itself. If the game itself is not healthy, popular culture and social influence matters much less.

Let’s take a look at the REAL most influential players of all-time. What they endured and their experiences directly impacted the league and its future prosperity. All players and fans benefit from what these six players (we lump two together) accomplished or changed about the league.

1. Oscar Robertson (Royals & Bucks) 1961-74
The Crispus Attucks (Indianapolis, Ind.) product didn’t have it easy while he was dominating the college game at Cincinnati. He was subjected to cruel racism, but he overcame that to become one of the greatest players of all-time and to fight for individual dignity and players' rights. By 1965, the Big O was the president of the National Basketball Players Association, which was founded in 1954 by the Celtics' Bob Cousy. Robertson was the first African-American president of any sports or entertainment labor union in America and in 1970 he sued the NBA to revoke its reserve clause. The class-action, anti-trust filed in U.S. District Court in New York by Robertson and a player rep from each of the 13 other NBA teams against the league was resolved when the NBA agreed to a class action settlement on April 29, 1976. The NBA eliminated the reserve clause in its uniform contracts, which previously bound a player to one team in perpetuity i.e. forever.

The suit was filed to halt the NBA-ABA merger until the anti-trust issues in player contracts were resolved. This was a major victory for players (employees) in their relationship with teams (employer), as the settlement led to players earning market value for their services and to eventual growth of the league. Eventually, the elimination of the reserve clause and the birth of free agency made the players millionaires and the owners billionaires. Without a victory in this lawsuit, NBA players would likely have to work in the off-season as they did until the mid 1970s and they would have little leverage in salary increases.

2. Spencer Haywood (Rockets, Sonics, Knicks, Jazz, Lakers, Bullets) 1970-1983
This Mississippi native who moved to Michigan as a teenager and was the nation’s top schoolboy recruit out of Pershing (Detroit) in 1967 was on a fast track to the pro basketball. There was a road block, however, for the son of a sharecropper with 10 children who made a reported two dollars a day for her family. At that time, players had to be four years removed from high school before they were eligible to be drafted by the NBA or ABA, but Haywood decided to turn pro after a season of junior college, Olympic stardom and one season at the University of Detroit. The ABA’s Mike Storen introduced a hardship exemption for Haywood because of the extreme poverty he suffered from. After a successful ABA rookie season, Haywood joined the NBA’s Seattle Sonics in 1970-71, as owner Sam Schulman filed an anti-trust suit against the NBA to fight its drafting policies. Similar to the Oscar Robertson Rule, Haywood’s case argued the NBA was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Haywood vs. National Basketball Association went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Haywood was granted an injunction to play in the NBA and eventually the case was settled out of court. The settlement led to the NBA allowing players to enter the league early via its new “Hardship Rule”. This opened the door for young players to have an opportunity to maximize their earning potential without having to wait until four years of college passed. Moses Malone bypassed college altogether in 1974 when he signed with the ABA’s Utah Stars out of high school, and he was an ABA All-Star at 19 years old. More importantly, he didn’t have to wait until he was 23 to earn a living in a trade he was capable of as a young adult. Haywood’s case was another significant ruling for player’s rights and also changed the way teams drafted and scouted players.

3. Magic Johnson & Larry Bird (Lakers & Celtics) 1980-1992
There is little doubt the Robertson and Haywood rulings were the most impactful moments in league history with regards to its future. The NBA tried to argue the elimination of the reserve clause would ruin the league, but in reality it opened up the door for prosperity, but it would take some time. With the ABA and the NBA fighting for talent in the 1970s, trouble was brewing. Many teams were bleeding money and until the talent was all in one league, the teams would be on shaky financial ground. The merger finally happened after the 1975-76 season with four ABA teams joining the NBA: the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, and San Antonio Spurs.

We contemplated who was more influential, Magic-Bird or Dr. J, and when you look at the terms of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, it becomes clear the inseparable duo who came into the league in 1979-80 are more influential. Getting Dr. J in an NBA uniform was a big deal, but at the time of the merger nobody could see how wildly successful the NBA would be 10 years later mainly because of the point guard with the big smile out of Michigan St. and the Hick From French Lick out of Indiana St. If NBA commissioner Larry O’Brien and his trusted advisors (including lawyer David Stern) knew how big the money (particularly broadcast rights) were going to get, no way in heck does the league agree to the financial teams given to the ABA’s two remaining teams. The Kentucky Colonels’ owners were given $3 million to fold, while the St. Louis Spirits’ owners got $2.2 million in addition to a 1/7 share of the four remaining team’s television revenues in perpetuity. From the standpoint on the NBA, it was the worst financial deal in sports history, as the NBA’s popularity, and broadcast rights fees, exploded in the mid 1980s because of Johnson and Bird.

It’s hard to separate the two and their contrasts and comparisons. Both are 6-foot-9 and unselfish players who made teammates better. Both had a thirst for winning and played for the two most iconic franchises. Both won at each other's expense on the biggest stages. One happened to be African-American and outgoing and the other Caucasian and a bit more reserved in style. Together they are the two most important players in history in terms of changing the economic landscape that Robertson set in motion 15 years earlier. We also considered the Rocket’s Yao Ming and his impact in China (where there are over 1 billion people) and the rest of Asia, but that impact was already set in motion by Johnson, Bird and Michael Jordan (easily the most important figure in terms of marketing and cultural impact) as part of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, which helped spread the popularity of the game worldwide.

4. Julius "Dr. J” Erving (Squires, Nets, 76ers) 1972-1987
The Good Doctor wasn’t a high school All-American at Roosevelt (N.Y.), but he was a good prospect who became a force to be reckoned with at UMass. Because of the availability of the hardship rule, Dr. J left UMass after two varsity seasons and joined the ABA’s Virginia Squires. The Squires were on shaky financial ground and had to sell him to the New Jersey Nets in a move that kept him in the ABA. The Doctor flourished, as he was the league’s marquee player and gave it credibility until it merged with the NBA after the 1975-76 season. The Nets accepted the offer of the 76ers to buy Erving’s contract for $3 million and to pay the Nets’ expansion fee into the NBA (another $3 million). The NBA needed Dr. J because of what transpired during the ABA-NBA negotiating wars prior to the merger.

Fans thought the players had a money-first mentality and it resonated in the media and in public discourse. The league also suffered from poor marketing and poor visibility. Its games were not broadcast live or during prime viewing hours. The NBA also had a drug problem among its players in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but it had the Good Doctor. And he was the player that bridged that gap between the merger and the league’s boom in the mid 1980s. Many people followed the NBA because of Dr. J. He also rates right there with Allen Iverson in terms of his popularity among young fans. Dr. J was idolized, resonated with inner city youth because of his love for blacktop competition, and adults respected him unlike some of the other NBA standouts of the 1970s. Iverson has similar cultural impact, but didn’t impact the NBA’s finances or opportunities as Erving did. Unlike Iverson, Erving's image was also protected by the media because of his importance. Dr. J’s style of play also made it acceptable to attempt high-flying moves and dunks that was more a staple of the ABA. He brought excitement and flair matched only by a few who ever played and his influence is still seen in today’s players both on and off the court.

5. Kevin Garnett (Timberwolves, Celtics, Nets) 1996-2015
The fifth and final spot was up for grabs between players such as Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry, Ming, and Iverson. Again, those players entered a healthy league and when all retire, will see the league in a healthy spot, which is not the case for the four players ranked above. Garnett, like Robertson and Haywood, was a generational high school talent out of Farragut (Chicago, Ill.) via Mauldin, S.C. He was the Mr. Basketball USA choice and national player of the year by USA Today in 1994-95. He was having trouble with a qualifying SAT score for college and the idea of him going pro was thrown around as early as the 1994 Nike Camp, the second consecutive year in which he dominated the prestigious grassroots summer camp. Hours before the 1995 NBA Draft, Garnett found out he got a qualifying score, but the wheels were already in motion for him be the first prep-to-pro player in 20 years.

Garnett was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 5, but his talent dictated he probably should have been drafted higher. And that’s where his impact is so great: Garnett changed the thinking of how NBA personnel and fans viewed young players. Many of the NBA’s old guard resisted scouting and drafting high school players, until these players started becoming widely successful. There were a handful of prospects talked about in terms of going straight from high school to the pros after 1975, particularly Albert King (1977), Ralph Sampson (1979), John Williams (1984) and Jason Kidd (1992), but nobody really thought they were going to do it. Garnett wasn’t an instant star, but by the middle of his rookie season it was apparent he would last and become one of the league’s better players in the coming years. If he fails, where does that leave the future high school standouts that wanted to make the leap? Do the Lakers eye Bryant that following year if Garnett wasn’t viewed in a positive light? Eventually all NBA teams took drafting young players seriously and took on a baseball model of looking at teenagers rather than waiting on an established college player.

The one-and-done rule was instituted after the 2005 season, but the game has gone younger since Garnett. There were a host of stars who made the successful prep-to-pro transition, including Bryant, Tracy McGrady and later LeBron James. Looking at the landscape now, NBA personnel are staples at big grassroots and high school events such as the Nike EYBL, NBPA Top 100 Camp, Pangos All-American Camp, Tarkanian Classic and GEICO Nationals. Garnett played a big role in that on his way to becoming NBA MVP in 2004 and eventually landing in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

Ronnie Flores is the National Grassroots Editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

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On February 27th of 1996, 19-year-old Kevin Garnett put up 20 points and 8 rebounds against Michael Jordan and the 72-10 Bulls in the Windy City. "Da Kid" connected on 10-of-16 shots and also had three steals and a couple of highlight dunks in his breakout performance. Unfortunately, the breakout performance wasn't enough to prevent the Wolves from taking a 21-point L from Michael Jordan (35 points).

Considering KG played his high school ball in Chicago, it wasn't that big of a surprise to see him play so well on this night. If you lived in Chicago in the 80s or 90s, there's a good chance you liked the Bulls and worshiped Michael Jordan. I don't mean worshiped as in you were a big fan, I mean worshiped as in Jordan had more pictures in your house than most family members. You probably even gave his Airness thanks during your nightly prayers.

KG was such a big fan of MJ, he not only was willing to wear a pair of Jordans (XI) in an NBA game, he was willing to write Jordan' name with a smiley face on the tape above his socks! And he did this -- in a 1996 game against the Utah Jazz -- while Jordan was still playing in the NBA.

I don't want to get into another (boring and often pointless) Jordan vs LeBron debate but I have and always will say one of the main reasons why Jordan is the GOAT, and will always be the GOAT, is because he actually struck fear in many NBA players (I have countless stories from former players to back this up). He also made other players feel like a fainting fan at a Michael Jackson concert (I have some of those stories too). I've seen quite a few rookies look just like international teams did when they faced Jordan and the Dream Team in 1992. KG wasn't one of those rookies. He wasn't afraid of Jordan and he wasn't asking for autographs during the game either, but the act of playing ball with another man's name on your legs is an act I can't imagine any current player doing with LeBron.

“Believe it or not, you find yourself watching him doing something versus doing what you’re supposed to be doing." Said KG when talking about his first game against Jordan. "That was his influence on his game.”

"His influence was so big and so bold on the game that everybody that was part of that era . . . at some point was so into what Jordan was, trying to copy, trying to duplicate. That was probably similar to when Dr. J played or Larry Bird came out. When you look up to somebody like that, you’re a fan, and you catch yourself kind of forgetting, ‘Yo, we’ve got him in a game.’ It’s part of it. It happens.”

During a 2017 interview with Complex, KG shared a pretty great story when he was asked about his favorite trash-talking story.

We were on the right side of the court and Steph [Marbury] told me to switch and guard Jordan. This was before he left the game, he’s in Chicago. He’s still super Mike. So Flip [Saunders] tells me to switch so I switch on him. So I’m standing in front of him and, no bullshit, I count his dribble pattern. He goes, one, one, crosses over, boom. Crosses back over, one, one, crosses back over. He’s trying to call a play. So when I get the rhythm pattern, I’m like, oh shit, I’m about to rip this mother fucker. I ripped him, “Give me this shit. Man, I don’t want to hear that shit.” He’s trying to say something to me. Man, I don’t want to hear that shit. I ripped it. Crowd’s going crazy. I’m super gassed. Listen, we go down and score the ball, I’m so freaking hyped, Flip tells me “You take Jordan. You take Jordan.” “I got him.” This is no bullshit, I’m so gassed. And he kind of looked at me and I blinked—this is no bullshit—I blinked, in the same stance and everything, he came down and ran the same paly, did the same dribble, I counted it. But I blinked and when I opened my eyes from the blink he was at the rim laying it up like, “Ok, yeah, yeah, ok.” I didn’t even move. I didn’t even react, you know what I’m saying, it was that fast. That’s the one I always remember.

I also have a great KG story told to me by Isaiah Rider but I'm not allowed to share it (like most of Rider's stories). What I can share is this amusing story from KG's former teammate during a 2017 radio interview.

"We were in Chicago. I had played against Mike three times head up," said Rider. "KG had never seen me play against Mike.

We're in the game and I got about 24 going into the fourth quarter. Mike had about 18-19. "We come out in the fourth quarter and KG was like, 'Man, keep going at his ass. Serve him. He can't guard you. He can't mess with you.' I was quiet. I'm looking at him like, 'chill.' Mike was literally right here. He's like, 'he can't guard you. Keep going at him.' I'm like, 'chill.' He's like, 'what?!'"

Apparently, KG was saying all of that while Jordan was "standing right here," Rider continued.

"KG was like, 'I don't care. Keep going at him. You're too strong for this dude, man. You're too strong for him.' Mike looked at KG, looked at me, looked at KG. I was like ... 'Mike, he don't know the rules of the game he's just a young pup.'"

Jordan responded by scoring 17 points in the final quarter.

Out of all of the exceptional performances KG and MJ had against each other's teams, my favorite might be a little known one in 2002 when KG was now known as one of the best players in the league and MJ was a Washington Wizard pushing 40 (not points but in age).

On January 12th of 2002, MJ flirted with 40 by putting up 35 points (14-of-30 shooting) in a loss to the Wolves. KG had a team-high 31 points. It was the only time they both scored 30 in the same game. Isn't that sweet?

And my all-time favorite video of KG talking about MJ came just a few months ago during an episode of KG's Area 21. During a discussion about Jordan and (I'm not going to say his name), KG got out of his seat and almost lost it while praising the GOAT.

“Are y’all serious? Are you serious? Are y’all serious? Michael Jordan was probably the most — out of professional sports — he was here (holds hand up high) while everybody else was here (holds hand way lower). Michael Jordan was revered as a machine.

“He was selfish. He didn’t trust anybody else, and he still won. You said he couldn’t do it, and he came out he won. And you was like you know what, I’m rolling with this kid here. You saw how hard he wanted it. You saw how hard he was going. And this was with Magic and Bird still in the league!

“Man, come on, man. Nah, man. That man saved basketball when basketball was on the verge of losing it. When we had addicts when guys came in camp overweight. Who do you think started coming in camp in shape, ready to go day one? Who started that?”

I don't agree with everything he just said but it's hard to argue with passionate people about loved ones and KG has made it very clear since he arrived in the league that he has a lot of love for MJ.

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On June 19th of 1984, the Houston Rockets made the great decision to pass on Michael Jordan and draft Akeem (No H yet) Olajuwon with the #1 pick in the NBA draft. As crazy as it sounds to say passing on The GOAT was a great decision, drafting the hometown favorite who turned out to be arguably the most talented center of all-time and helped bring two NBA championships to the city was in fact a great decision.

Other teams who can proudly say they made the best decision with their #1 pick include the Bucks (Kareem), Blazers (Bill Walton), 76ers (Allen Iverson), Magic (Shaq, Dwight Howard), Cavs (LeBron, Kyrie Irving) Spurs (David Robinson, Tim Duncan), Hornets (Larry Johnson, Anthony Davis) and Lakers (Elgin Baylor, James Worthy, Magic Johnson).

A fun question to debate is who was the best #1 pick among #1 picks and likewise for the rest of the first round? Rukkus via HoopsAddict created this pretty cool infographic featuring their picks at each spot to help you decide. Although I would agree on most of these players being the best pick at their number, I can't call them the best pick for that team because some of these players were traded by the team that picked them - like Dirk (Bucks) and Kobe (Hornets).

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After roasting the Clippers and saying Doc Rivers "gotta go" on 'The Herd' last week, it was no surprise he didn't look too thrilled to see his former Coach when Rivers made a surprise appearance during a Celtics reunion on TNTs 'Area 21.'

"How ya going to have a reunion without me?" yells Doc as he appears on a TV.

One by one the players greeted their former coach with a big smile on their face:

"What up Doc?" - Pierce
"Doc, What's up?" - Big Perk
"How ya doing man?" - KG

With the exception of Big Baby, who sat silent for a minute until breaking into a story about him being late for a bus. A not-so-amused looking Doc then mentioned the elephant in the room and got some payback by telling a story about Big Baby gaining weight during training camp (which is impossible to do) by showing up first to get food and then coming back an hour later asking, "what we got to eat today?"

Doc also mentioned some funny stories about the team, including an arm wrestling incident between KG and Big Baby. They didn't go into details but you can hear all about it in this podcast by Michael Rapaport.

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Per Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated, here's what Rondo had to say about the greatest shooter of all-time (yep!) divorcing Rondo, KG, The Truth and the rest of the 2008 Celtics to join the "enemy."

I don't know a good analogy to put this in. It just wasn't the greatest separation. It wasn't the greatest thing that could've happened to us as a team, a bond. We were at war with those guys [Miami]. To go with the enemy, that's unheard of in sports. Well, it's not so unheard of. It's damn near common now.

The mindset we had. The guys on our team. You wouldn't do anything like that. It makes you question that series in the Finals … Who were you for? You didn't bleed green. People think we had a messed-up relationship. It's not the greatest. But it's not just me. I called and reached out to a couple of other vets and asked them what they wanted to do with the situation. They told me to stick with what we got [without Allen].

According to Ray in a 2012 interview with the Miami Herald, his relationship with Rondo started back in 2009.

The friction with Rondo began in 2009 when Rivers and Celtics president Danny Ainge proposed a trade that would have sent Allen and Rondo to Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa and the 14th overall pick in the 2010 draft.

Allen said that, at the time, Ainge and Rivers “didn’t get along” with Rondo.

“So, I called him and I told him, ‘hey they’re supposedly trading us to Phoenix because you and Danny and Doc don’t get along,’?” Allen said. “?‘So, whatever you can do.’

“So, for some reason, I guess he thought that I was … that I had something against him, or there were some issues. And I had no issues with him. I won with him.”

Now, Allen says if Rondo “had issue with me, that’s on him.”

So it's no surprise Ray Allen wont be getting any invites from Rondo but this story does give me an excuse to share my favorite ItsReal85 video (starts at 43 second mark), with KG planning to kill Ray Allen for wanting to leave Boston.

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During the must-see NBATV interview with Kevin Garnett, the future hall-of-famer reflects on the highs and lows of his career with former coach Kevin McHale and discusses his passion for the game, which he feels has been "killed" by AAU basketball.

“Our league now is at a point where you have to teach more than anything." Said KG, who played on a standout Michigan AAU team with the late Robert "Tractor" Traylor and Albert White. "AAU has killed our league. Seriously. I hate to even say this, but it’s real. From the perspective that these kids are not being taught anything. They have intentions and they want things but the way they see it is not how our league works. You earn everything in this league. You’re not entitled to anything. And it’s more entitlement than anything."

His negative feelings towards AAU ball is similar to that of many older NBA vets, including Kobe Bryant, who played on arguably the greatest AAU team ever.

Via ESPN,

“Horrible, terrible AAU basketball. It’s stupid. It doesn’t teach our kids how to play the game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all this fancy crap and they don’t know how to post. They don’t know the fundamentals of the game. It’s stupid.”

“When you have limitations and you understand your limitations and you stay within yourself, you can be great,” Kobe Bryant said. “You know what you can do and what you can’t do. In America, it’s a big problem for us because we’re not teaching players how to play all-around basketball. That’s why you have Pau and Marc [Gasol], and that’s the reason why 90 percent of the Spurs’ roster is European players, because they have more skill.”

“Teach players the game at an early age and stop treating them like cash cows for everyone to profit off of. That’s how you do that. You have to teach them the game. Give them instruction.”

“That’s a deep well because then you start cutting into people’s pockets,” Bryant on a solution “People get really upset when you start cutting into their pockets because all they do is try to profit off these poor kids. There’s no quick answer.”

Kobe's former teammate Robert Horry has also been very vocal about AAU hoops.

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"It was retaliation after he hit me with an elbow," Peeler said after the 104-87 win. "It's always the guy that responds that is the one that gets suspended or ejected. So if I get suspended or ejected, I think that he should as well."

KG was fined just $7,500 as Peeler was hit with a two-game suspension without pay.

"I'm surprised that it was a little dirty," Garnett said about the punch. "I played with him a couple of years, so I know what kind of player he is. It was surprising, but I wasn't going to let anybody just hit me. Never have, never will."

Hmmmmm...KG is one of the greatest forwards ever, but when it comes to fighting, we all know he tends to pick on "small guys" and white guys and doesn't want to get into it with "big guys" -- like Antonio McDyess big (I wish I could share Antonio's funny commentary about this altercation).

Well, who needs deadly hands when you have weapons. Before Game 7, KG gave one of the best and most KG-like quotes of his NBA career.

"It's Game 7, man. That's it. It's for all the marbles," Garnett said. "Sitting in the house, I'm loading up the pump. I'm loading up the Uzi. I got a couple M-16s, a couple 9. I got a couple joints with some silencers on them. I'm just loading clips, a couple grenades. I got a missile launcher. I'm ready for war."

He wasn't kidding either. KG dropped 32 points, 21 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 steals on the Peeler-less Kings; 15 of those 32 points came in the 4th quarter, which was more than all five of the King's starter. As for those starters, Chris Webber had just 16 points, Peja Stojakovic missed 9 of 12 shots, Mike Bibby missed 9 of 13, Vlade Divac only had six boards and zero blocks and their leading scorer was none other than Doug Christie with 21 points and 0 uppercuts.

When the dust cleared on the battlefield, KG, Sam-I-Am, Spree and the rest of the Wolves were victorious and now had an upcoming date (disaster) with Shaq, Kobe, The Mailman, GP, and Rick Fox.

PEELER, THE LAKERS AND HORNETS

The other play some people might remember Peeler for is another he probably doesn't want to be remembered for.  If you watch any Best Dunks Ever Montage or Alonzo Mourning Career Mix you will probably see Peeler getting his dunk rejected by Zo (20-second mark of the following video).

For me, it's not this moment between the Lakers and Hornets that I think of.  It's the rumor of the Lakers initially offering Peeler to the Hornets for the 13th pick in the 1996 draft, which became Kobe Bryant -- and you thought Vlade Divac for Kobe turned out to be a steal.

The post Remembering When Kevin Garnett Was Punched By Anthony Peeler In GM6 & Went To War In GM7 Of The 2004 WCSF appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

This was supposed to be Michael Jordan's night. It was his 13th and final All-Star game. He was given the starting spot by voted in starter Vince Carter.?He was honored at half-time by Mariah Carey in one tight MJ dress. He finished the night as the All-Star game's leader in points (262), field goals (110), field goal attempts (233) and steals (37). And the 40-year-old?made what should have been a fantastic game-winning fadeaway over Shawn Marion with 4.6?seconds left in overtime. But, for some reason, the anti-basketball Gods stopped the shot clock for a few seconds, and then with a single second left in the extra session, Jermaine O'Neal was called for a foul on Kobe Bryant shooting a fadeaway 3-pointer. The basketball Gods tried to fix things by making Kobe miss 1 of the 3 freebies so Jordan would have one last opportunity to hit a game winner and pick up his 4th All-Star MVP award. Jordan missed and the game went into double OT.

The 2nd OT was all about Kevin Garnett. The kid?scored the first 7 points in the session,?led the West to a 155-145 victory and was rewarded the MVP award after putting up 37 points -- the most in a NBA All-Star game since Jordan scored 40 in 88 -- 9 boards and 5 steals. KG's 17 field goals also tied MJ (88) and Wilt (62).

Michael Jordan finished the game with 20 points, despite missing his first 7 and a dunk.

One of the best stories to come out of the best All-Star games ever, was Kobe saying Jordan told him not to take it easy on him just because it was his last All-Star game.

"One thing that Michael said was, ‘Just because it’s my last All-Star Game, I don’t want you to come out there going soft on me,' " Bryant told Yahoo Sports. " 'I want you to play me how you would normally play me.' I was like, 'Mike, what do you know about me that would lead you to tell me that?' We both got a good laugh out of that.

“I remember he and I talking for about 25 minutes,” Bryant told Yahoo Sports. “He and I were kind of [joking around]. We just talked about the season. Talked about the playoffs. He always gave me great pearls of wisdom. That was the thing that was just special to me, talking before he went out and had all the hoopla and things like that. That was special.

“He loves those challenges, those moments. I’m sure he was very appreciative and very thankful just as I was.”

RECAP + FULL GAME

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On Wednesday night, the two faced off against each other and it didn't take long until KG tried to get into the face of Randle. And from the looks on the faces of the two, Randle wasn't having any of it.  Not only did he give KG that DeNiro in Taxi Driver look but he bumped the legend and minutes later clowned him by throwing the ball off of his back on an inbound play.

After the game, Randle, who had 15 points and 11 rebounds, talked to reporters about trash talking with KG.

“It doesn’t scare me. I’m not scared of anybody. We know that's his thing," said Randle. "I've been watching him my whole life so I knew what to expect."

Kobe called Randle a "grown-ass man" after he stood up to Kevin Garnett last night

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) October 29, 2015

POSTGAME INTERVIEW

FULL HIGHLIGHTS

Source: Complex

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With that type of resume you would think he might let fame go to his head and start acting crazy and disrespectful. Well, you are sort of right because the master is acting crazy and disrespectful in his latest comic masterpiece. ?That's because the subject is Kevin Garnett who just recently had his crazy face on when he was talking smack to Bismack a few nights ago.

UPDATE: KG approves of the video.

ESPN MAGAZINE

KEVIN GARNETT

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Seven years later and Kevin Garnett's three screamed words -- ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! -- still ranks up there as three of the most memorable words ever said in an NBA championship post-game interview. For me, it's right behind Jordan saying, "this is for Daddy" after winning the 96 NBA Finals on Father's Day.

As cool as KG's yell sounded to most fans, some people at Adidas reportedly didn't care for the famous quote. Some (I'm not one of them), believed Kevin Garnett was trying to promote the shoe company and ended up screwing up the "Impossible is Nothing" slogan; "Anything is possible" just happens to be the slogan of Chinese sneaker company Li-Ning. What makes the story even more amusing is KG would eventually leave Adidas and join a Chinese sneaker company: Li-Ning competitor Anta.

Obviously, Adidas reps said they had no idea what KG was going to say after winning his first and only Championship and nothing was planned.

"If we were going to do anything with him, we would have definitely made sure the messaging was correct," said Adidas basketball spokesman Travis Gonzolez to The Oregonian.

Do I believe them? Well, anything is possible I guess.

IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING ADS

KG THE CHAMPION

ANTA KG AD

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Late in the 4th quarter KG took exception to a bump by Austin and the two were given techs for jawing at each other.

"I was walking to my bench, and he was in my way, and I wasn't moving," Rivers said.

Supposedly KG and Austin had an earlier exchange which was still boiling in?Rivers.

"He elbowed me in my head, and that's not going to fly, really," said Rivers. "I have all the respect in the world for him. He's one of the best players to ever play the game, but at the end of the day, I'm a man just like he is, and that's all there is to it."

Lucky for KG, who is known for being all bark, things didn't get more physical or he would have been thrown in consecutive games. ?And nothing personal against Austin but lucky for KG it wasn't Doc who wanted to punch him because anybody who remembers Doc during his playing days knows he's willing to back up his talk.

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"I don't speak Italian" - KG's answer when asked what Andrea Bargnani said to him

Up by 28 with 9 minutes left in an ugly game, the always antagonistic KG (with 6 points to his name) and Bargnani got into a little skirmish that led to a bunch of  a players rushing to their teammates aide and doing absolutely nothing but extending the duration of the game.

Charles Barkley, providing some amusing commentary, said "there's not a fighter in that group" and if you are familiar with KG's bullying ways then you know he's quick to bark (literally) at mainly smaller players and once a guy his own size steps up (eg. Antonio McDyesss), KG is quick to back down.

Once the fight tease was over with, as New York fans were chanting "Let's go Knicks," Bargnani hit a jumper and then "spoke Italian" to KG that led to a 2nd technical and ejection by the over sensitive Joey Crawford.  

It was Bargani's first career ejection but he was pretty delighted after the game since the Knicks came away with a 30 point win that snapped a 9 game losing streak.

The last time KG was in New York, he caused the infamous "honey nut cheerios" scandal with Carmelo Anthony.  Hopefully there wont be too many more visits to MSG for KG because watching him score under 10 points game after game in blowouts after blowouts is just painful to watch.

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Now check out these rare-ass clips. 1999. Wolves vs Blazers. KG vs Sheed. Older Pippen and Sabonis. Check it.

Enjoy.

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Malik was born in the Bronx and attended St Johns University before becoming the 14th pick by the Indiana Pacers in 1992. After bouncing around the league for a couple of years, Malik ended up in Minnesota with KG. He would spend two seasons as KG's friend and mentor before his tragic death in 2000. A death KG is reminded of every year because Malik was killed by a drunk driver while heading home from KG's 24th birthday party.

I have a lot of favorite KG moments but my favorite one is probably KG's most memorable dunk. The rebound dunk against the Sacramento Kings (play #2 in the above video) was great but it was the screaming and pointing to the banner of Malik Sealy that was raised earlier in the night that made it so memorable.

Rap fans might also remember his track off the 1994 compilation album B-Ball's Best Kept Secret, and this line from Brooklyn rapper AZ: "Feel me, I'm loved like the great late Malik Sealy."

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Kevin Durant made KG's head turn on that cross and then hit the shot in the Thunder win over the Celtics.

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With a reported 50 inch vert, the 3-time Parade All-American that averaged 32pts, 12rebs, 4ast, 4stls and 4blks his senior year was heading to DePaul University until everything came to a crashing halt when he broke his neck in a car accident. Academic?ineligibility,?off the court problems and his health scared away most colleges so he declared himself eligible for the CBA draft where he was a 7th round draft pick. ? For the next 15 years he played around the world from Venezuela to Turkey to Lebanon to Greece while American basketball fans would constantly ask the question "Whatever happened to Ronnie Fields"

I was one of those people asking that question and the first and to this day the most popular Ronnie Fields video on YouTube ?is a mix I made back in 2003 featuring high school footage from a poor quality VHS tape that I bought off ebay (THANKS ANTHONY PETOSA) in the late 90s. ?Just think about that. Every decent high school player now has tons of HD clips on YouTube but how many of them would have home movie style VHS tapes selling on the internet...with buyers!

I bought one and shared it with the world and this week I had the pleasure of speaking with Ronnie Fields about the new documentary "Bounce Back: The Ronnie Fields Story" which we at Ballislife hope to share with the world too. The following is a couple Q & As on a few legendary stories about his dunking exploits and high school days and then there's information on how you can help Ronnie and the filmmakers get this film released.

You were the first sophomore to ever play in the Nike Best of the Best game in 93. Guys like KG & Iverson were there. What do you remember about playing with those older future Allstars.
It was great playing with KG and Iverson because they where the top seniors and juniors at that time. Iverson was my backcourt teammate and I watched Kevin play as well and then we ended up on the same all star team that year.

I know you crossed paths with Vince Carter once or twice. Who was a better dunker you or Vince & did he really turn down an invite to compete against you in a dunk contest?
I think Vince was. I really enjoyed watching him as well as MJ

Being a high flyer from Chicago you were compared to Jordan a lot back then
I could take off far like Jordan but I also had power and the windmill like Dominique.

You were the premier dunker in a class of high flyers that included Lester Earl, Corey Benjamin, Tim Thomas and Kobe Bryant. I heard a story about you beating Corey Benjamin who pulled out every dunk known to man at a Nike camp with just 1 windmill. What went down?
That dunk contest was amazing and to watch a kid (Corey Benjamin) in highschool jump from the free throw line I was in shock but I new I had something special left so I walked up to the basket and pulled out a windmill 360 and the crowd and coaches said it was over.

Eventhough we know you were the best dunker in the world in the mid 90s even more so than that other Chicago guy flying around the United Center, you were quoted in high school saying "Dunking doesn't prove anything! It doesn't prove I can play in college. I want to show people I'm a leader, not just a player" That was a very mature and unexpected comment from a high school junior.?
Dunking doesn't prove you can play, it just shows you were blessed to be able to jump and dunk a ball. It's other things that you have to use in a game and that's smarts.

Scoop Jackson did a piece on you for Slam Magazine back in 95 and talked about how your critics said you didn’t have a jumpshot and he wrote "He's 17 - why should he shoot when he can embarass anybody that guards him" Do you think your overall game was underrated?
Yeah I think people thought my game was underrated because I was an exciting high school player and people got there money worth when they watched us play.

Nowadays if a high school players averages a double double it seems like they are hyped as the next big thing in the NBA. KG almost averaged a quadruple double (25, 18, 7, 7) in high school while having to share the boxscore with your Junior averages of 20, 9, 5, 3, 3.?
KG was the best player I ever played with. ?He was a student of the game even in high school and I will always cherish those moments we played together and it put a smile on many people faces back then. I'm so happy for all the?success?he is having too and I hope he can get one more ring (laughing).

Your story couldn’t be more different than KG's when you finished high school, beginning with the car accident where you broke your neck. Did you think your basketball career was over?
Yeah. After that I didnt know what was going to happen, but I stand here today thanking the lord for a second chance at life and also to even play basketball as long as I have.

You have spent the last 15 years playing pro ball around the world and won a long list accolades while setting records in leagues. Does it bother you when people say “whatever happened to Ronnie Fields” or “what could have been” as if you never accomplished anything in basketball just because you didn’t play in the NBA?
It is a humbling situation that people still ask about me after all these years that makes me fill good that I had an affect on so many people. I'm sorry I couldn't get to the NBA where they could have seen what I could do or can't do but I thank all the people who still remember me.

So the new documentary “Bounce Back: Ronnie Fields” has been in the making for the past 2 years and is almost ready to be relased. What do you want people to get out of this film?
What I want people to get out this story is that even when you are down you can allways bounce back from anything in life and you have to believe in doing the right thing moving forward in life and take every good and bad experience as a learning one. When they see this, it will inspire them to keep focus even when things get tough and believe in themselves.

From the filmmakers:?For the last two years we have been working on "Bounce Back: The Ronnie Fields Story" and are looking to secure funding to complete this documentary that we plan to release in time for 2012-2013 basketball season.?In his prime, Ronnie Fields was one of the top basketball players in the nation, when a near-fatal car accident shattered his neck along with his dreams. ?"Bounce Back" is the story of how one of the most legendary basketball players to ever play has continued to battle back to reach his personal pinnacle, while continuing to be an inspiration to as many people as he can reach. With funding we plan on completing post-production, licencing footage, ?and obtaining domestic and international distribution (TV, DVD, and theatrical), so that as many people as possible can experience the Ronnie Fields story.

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