Disc 1
The Big Men
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, formerly known as Lew Alcindor, dominated the sport of basketball from the time he stepped on the court at Power Memorial High School in his native New York City, to the time he retired as the NBA's all-time leader in nine statistical categories. The 7 foot 2 inch Jabbar, under Hall of Fame coach John Wooden, guided the UCLA Bruins to a three year mark of 88-2 and three consecutive NCCA Titles. Jabbar's pro career included NBA championships with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971, and the Los angeles Lakers in 1980, '82, '85, '87 and '88. During his 20-year pro career, the center with the patented skyhook was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player six times.
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain is one of only two players who have scored more than 30,000 points in an NBA career. Chamberlain's dominating size and skill led to several rule changes, including widening the lane, instituting offensive goaltending and revising rules governing inbounding the ball and shooting free throws. After briefly touring with the Harlem Globetrotters, "Wilt the Stilt" joined the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1959-60 season and became the first player in NBA history named MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season. He will always be remembered for the game against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962, when he scored 100 points. He won NBA Championships with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. His legendary battles with Bill Russell will forever be part of NBA lore.
Willis Reed
After a stellar career as an All-American at Grambling State University, Willis Reed was drafted in the second round by the New York Knicks and was the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1965 after averaging 19.5 and 14.7 rebounds a game. Reed was an NBA All-Star seven times and is the only player named MVP of the All-Star game, regular season and playoffs in the same year (1970). Reed won his second NBA Championship with the Knicks in 1973, but the six-foot-ten, 240 pound forward remains a legend for his courageous return from an injured knee to battle Wilt Chamberlain in game six of the NBA finals that resulted in the Knicks first-ever title in 1970.
Bill Russell
Bill Russell was, without a doubt, the greatest defensive center in the history of basketball. Russell teamed with fellow Hall of Famer K.C. Jones at the University of San Franscisco and crowned his collegiate years with the 1955 and 1956 NCAA championships. After winning the gold medal in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, Russell joined the Boston Celtics. During Russell's career, Boston won 11 championships, including eight consecutive from1959 to 1966. The defensive and rebounding wizard's head-to head battles with Wilt Chamberlain in the 1950s and 1960s are legendary. At the beginning of the 1967 season, the Celtics names Russell to succeed Red Auerbach as head coach, making him the first ever black NBA head coach.
Bill Walton
On the evening of March 26, 1973, Bill Walton forever etched his name into the history books as perhaps the greatest college player ever, shooting 21 of 22 from the field and grabbing 13 rebounds. By the time Bill Walton finished his professional career in 1986, most basketball observers considered him to be one of the greatest ever. Walton was a vital member of UCLA teams that won 88 straight games and two NCAA Championships. The big red head was the first pick in the 1974 NBA draft and led the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA Championship. He was named league MVP and All-NBA First Team in 1978, then battled foot and leg injuries. In 1986, Walton helped the Boston Celtics to the NBA Championship, and won the NBA's Sixth Man Award that year.
Extra Features:
Sport News Highlights • Player Statistics
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Disc 2
The Shooting Stars
Rick Berry
Rick Berry played his college ball at the University of Miami, capping off his consenus All-American senior season by leading the nation in scoring. Barry was drafted by the San Franscico Warriors in 1965 and grabbed NBA Rookie of the Year honors. During his 14-year professional career, four in the ABA (Oakland, Washington and the New York Nets) and 10 in the NBA (San Francisco, Golden State and Houston), Barry was a 12-time All-Star. His outside jump shot, slashing drives to the basket, and throwback underhanded free throw technique, enabled him to become the only player in history to lead the NCAA, ABA and NBA in scoring. In 1975, Barry was named the NBA Championship series MVP after leading the underdog and undermanned Warrios to a four-game sweep of the Washington Bullets.
Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor possesses tremendous body control and seemed to suspend himself in air, causing many to say he was "the man with a thousand moves." In 1958, Baylor led Seattle University to the NCAA Championship game, where, despite losing to Kentucky, he earned tournament MVP honors. Baylor left college after his junior year and went on to capture the NBA's 1959 Rookie of the Year Award. This Minneapolis and Los Angeles Laker was an 11-time NBA All-Star and averaged 30 points or more per season three times during his career. Due to nagging knee injuries, Baylor retired nine games into the 1971-72 season. Ironically, the Lakers won the NBA championship that year, an achievement that eluded Baylor in his distinguished career.
Julius Erving
"Dr. J" was a human highlight reel. His aerial acrobatics and supreme body control redefined the way basketball was played. Erving still remains one of only three plyaers in pro basketball history to score more than 30,000 career points. He exhibited the style and grace both on and off the court that led many basketball circles to call him an American treasure. Erving began his scintilating career with the Virginia Squires in the ABA in 1971. He later played for the ABA's New York Nets before joining the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1976. He was a three-time Most Valuable Player in the ABA and the NBA MVP in 1981. This ever-popular ambassador of the sport of basketball was named to the NBA All-Star team 11 times, and led the 76ers to the NBA Championship in 1983.
John Havlicek
John "Hondo" Havlicek is regarded as the best sixth man in NBA history. Havlicek combined his running ability and endurance to establish a style of constant movement on offence and defense that frustrated opponents and contributed greatly to the Boston Celtics' magic. "Hondo" teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas and Bob Knight to lead Ohio State to the 1960 NCAA Championship. Though Havlicek started his career with Boston as the "sixth man," his versatility, offensive firepower and crafty play eventually led him to become the heart and soul of this storied franchise, and he would win eight championships in Boston. Havlicek's place as an NBA legend was sealed by stealing an inbound pass in the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers that preserved Boston's 110-109 victory.
Bob Pettit
Future Hall-of-Fame player, Bob Pettit, was cut from his Baton Rouge High School teams as a freshman and sophomore. Hard work led to a high school state championship and twice being named All-American while at Louisiana State University. Pettit was lean, graceful and always well-conditioned, traits that made him one of the first big men to play facing the basket. Pettit's work ethic set him apart from his peers: he simply would not be outworked by his competitors. Pettit began his pro career by being named the NBA Rookie of the Year. As a mark of true consistency, Pettit played in 11 straight All-Star Games and was named All-Star Game MVP in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1962. Pettit was the league's MVP in 1956 and 1959 and guided the St. Louis Hawks to the 1958 NBA Championship.
Extra Features:
Sport News Highlights • Player Statistics
Darrall Imhoff Remembers The Shootin Stars
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Disc 3
The Shooting Guards
Bob Cousy
Nicknamed the "Houdini of the Hardwood" by sports writers, Bob Cousy is considered by many as the best playmaker ever. After being drafted in 1950 by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and immediately traded to the Chicago Stags. Cousy's rights were drawn out of a hat by the Boston Celtics in a dispersal draft of the Stag franchise. Cousy's arrival coincided with that of head coach Red Auerbach, whose uptempo style of coaching suited Cousy's remarkable playmaking talents perfectly. With the addition of fellow Hall of Famer Bill Russell in 1956, the Celtics became a dynasty, winning six championships with the combination of Cousy and Russell.
Walt Frazier
Walt Frazier first caught the attention of pro scouts while playing at Southern Illinois University, where he led the Salukis to the 1967 NIT championship and was named Tournament MVP. Frazier was the first-round choice of the New York Knicks in the 1967 NBA draft, and earned NBA All-Rookie honors. Frazier's smooth drives to the bucket and mid-range jump shots, coupled with an ability to pass the ball, led to NBA titles in 1970 and 1973. Always the focal point of New York's offensive and defensive schemes, "Clyde" was named to the NBA's All-Defensive Team seven times and selected to seven NBA All-Star Games.
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson was an unstoppable offensive player, who could score from every spot on the court. "The Big O" was a three-time College Player of the Year and national scoring leader at the University of Cincinnati. Robertson co-captained the 1960 United States Olympic gold medal team, considered by many as the greatest amateur team of all time. Joining the NBA's Cincinnati Royals that year, Robertson was named Rookie of the Year. Robertson won the 1964 NBA MVP Award, and in the 1961-62 season averaged a triple double for the entire season, a feat that has never been duplicated. In 1971, Robertson teamed with Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to land Milwaukee its only NBA title, the Bucks' third year as a professional franchise.
Jerry West
Jerry West was a high school and college star in West Virginia. In 1958, his junior year at West Virginia University, West led the Mountaineers to the NCAA Finals and captured the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award. West played for the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team in Rome, then moved on to the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged over 20 points a season every year but his first and averaged over 30 points four times, but what fans will remember most about Jerry West is his uncanny ability to perform under pressure. His scoring average went up during the playoffs, and he drained a remarkable 60-foot shot with no time remaining to send a 1970 Laker-Knick championship game into overtime. West was an NBA All-Star 14 times and won an NBA championship in 1972.
Sam Jones
Sam Jones came out of college as a relative unknown, but that didn't sway Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics, who picked Sam in the first round of the 1957 draft. Jones' bank shot helped lead Boston to 10 NBA Championships, including eight in a row (1958-66). His 12-year NBA career included five All-Star Game appearances, 871 regular season games and 154 playoff games. Considered one of the fastest NBA guards with superb court vision and savvy, Jones led the Celtics in scoring three times. Jones was selected to the NBA Silver Anniversary Team in 1970, and the 50th Anniversary Team in 1996.
Extra Featrues:
Sports News Highlights • Player Statistics
Sarrell Imhoff Remembers The Shooting Guards
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