Who was your first favorite NBA player?

[insidehoops]

Who was your first favorite NBA player? Like, the VERY first? When you weren't even necessarily a real basketball fan just yet.

And then who was it once you actually considered yourself a real NBA fan?

(For some people this will be the same player, others it won't.)

[scuzzy]

Gary Payton

He was the 1st non Cavalier idol

I visited my uncle with fam out in Seattle when I was young, he had seas tix and got to watch him play (Key Arena?) It was harder to find the home team NBA jerseys back then if it wasn't a local team, so he copped me a white Payton one. For a 4th grader it was huge.

[Wally450]

Richard Hamilton.

[Xiao Yao You]

Dantley and Magic

[k0kakw0rld]

My Favorite player in the NBA: Jason Kidd won me over (literally the Greatest player I've ever seen play the point guard position. People use to call him ason Kidd. Ended his career top 10 in 3 point made. Says a lot about his work ethic. :bowdown:

When I became a real NBA fan: Jason Kidd & Timothy Theodore Duncan

[baudkarma]

First favorite was Brad Davis. I lived in Dallas at the time, the Mavs were just starting to be respectable.

Fave when I got serious was Tim Duncan. I had moved to San Antonio. Gave up on the Mavs because they sucked and had just been bought by some clown named Mark Cuban who would never last as an NBA owner. I read about Duncan and was impressed by the kind of person he seemed to be. When it became obvious he was going to be a really good player as well, I made the leap. Though I wasn't too sure about that Popovich guy. At least I got one of the three right. :lol

[bison]

Sedale threatt.

I got into the lakers in 92, they had a pretty mediocre roster and he was one of the best players on the team. As a kid my favorite players were outside shooters and he had a great perimeter shooting. Also played defense and earned the nickname ‘the thief’. If he played today he would be a solid 3 and D guy, but back then it wasn’t considered efficient to shoot 3s.

[Turbo Slayer]

LeGOAT

[elementally morale]

Kareem was the first for a little while. Then Magic. Then Hakeem, Nash and Kobe. Then noone really for a while. Nowadays it's Embiid and Jokic.

[theballerFKA Ace]

[QUOTE=bison]Sedale threatt.

I got into the lakers in 92, they had a pretty mediocre roster and he was one of the best players on the team. As a kid my favorite players were outside shooters and he had a great perimeter shooting. Also played defense and earned the nickname

[ClipperRevival]

Magic for sure. Grew up listening to the GOAT play by play guy in Chicky Baby announce Laker games. Just listening to Chick was better than watching a game announced by someone else. Chick Hearn was something special. Once in a lifetime type talent.

[warriorfan]

Tim Hardaway and Michael Jordan

[Round Mound]

Magic.

[fiddy]

First, last and only one. Godbe.

[Bosnian Sajo]

Shaq and Kobe.

[HylianNightmare]

Penny

Tmac

[Ainosterhaspie]

Barkley

[thefatmiral]

Clyde drexler first, grabbed my attention as a kid with the glyding.

But hakeem made me a real fan of basketball.

[tpols]

jason kidd

[Manny98]

Kobe

[Doranku]

Kobe

[bigkingsfan]

George Mikan, remember watching him on league pass.

[Cleverness]

Chris Mullin

[fsvr54]

Rip Hamilton because of that fukkin mask.

[Celtics 1825]

Rondo

[hangintheair]

Penny and Jordan

[RIP CITY]

B.J. Armstrong... Before I ever watched a game, I got some basketball cards as a gift for Christmas or my Birthday or something... The Bulls jersey looked cool, with his jersey number, just stuck with me for some reason. Wore #10 when I played, ended up watching Bulls games first, and just so happened they went on their first 3 Peat at the time. He was a good solid role player. You could make a case that I was actually a Bulls fan before I was a Pistons fan (my Hometown team) because of that.

Same reason why Jordan was my first true favorite player, once I actually started watching and understanding the game. Grant Hill's my favorite All-Time player tho, he was already becoming my favorite player because of how he played in College, then he got Drafted to my Hometown team and I've been diehard Pistons ever since.

[RRR3]

T-Mac

[Relinquish]

T-Mac

[imdaman99]

John Starks. While everyone was in love with Jordan, I hated him. And I lived and mostly died with Starks. I still have 2 of his jerseys somewhere deep in my closet. People stan stars/superstars, I stanned a hard working overachiever :lol and he has 1 nut now too :facepalm

[macmac]

Carter

[Overdrive]

Eddie Jones and Shaq.

[red1]

damon stoudamire

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/03/bc/5f/03bc5f325c46ed125e3ff9502357851d.jpg

[brutalBBQ]

Kemp

[Real14]

1991, 5 years old, MJ.

[Hakeem Olajuwon]

Bird and Magic.

They both fought for my soul. Larry won.

[Indian guy]

Being from Chicago, definitely MJ. Then Elton Brand, T-Mac, Ben Gordon and LeBron.

[sdot_thadon]

Sleepy Floyd for about 5 minutes because he was the 1st player who I knew by name, then Mj.

[PistonsFan#21]

My man Mr.Big shot Chauncey Billups

[Phenith]

damon stoudamire

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/03/bc/5f/03bc5f325c46ed125e3ff9502357851d.jpg

Yup, Mighty Mouse was mine too.

[Stringer Bell]

Doc, I used to watch this as a kid

https://youtu.be/tkZLYwN0s5M

[TheMan]

Growing a Bulls fan, Reggie Theus...

First fave non Bulls player, Magic Johnson...this was during the whole 80s Celtics vs Lakers era, went to a Catholic school that was 95% white so most of the kids were Celtics fans (the white team), me I rooted for the black team led by Magic.

When I understood the game of basketball better, the Bulls were an up and coming force in the late 80s and I was fortunate enough to witness the GOAT in his peak and prime...still the greatest player I've ever seen without question. Micheal Air Jordan :bowdown:

[superduper]

damon stoudamire

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/03/bc/5f/03bc5f325c46ed125e3ff9502357851d.jpg

Those jerseys :bowdown:

[JEFFERSON MONEY]

Ray Allen

[insidehoops]

Larry Bird.

-J

[LostCause]

As a kid growing up through the Bulls dynasty, it came down to Jordan or Pippen almost naturally. Then it became Penny and Grant Hill before I became a more serious fan and TMac was my favorite for like 6 years before it became LeBron

[RogueBorg]

Moses Malone

Nowadays a largely forgotten great. Was thrilled to death when he went to Philly and beat the hated Celtics in '82-'83. Mentor to the Round Mound of Rebound and Akeem Abdul Olajuwon.

[G0ATbe]

Kobe.