Every player in these images made all NBA first team.

[Kblaze8855]

How many of them do you recognize at a glance?



https://i.ibb.co/fVnZYcLn/IMG-2304.jpg


https://i.ibb.co/q3pPVZTZ/IMG-2306.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/6JZZ4SHb/IMG-2309.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/23FFJrcz/IMG-2311.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/HLJc0sX2/IMG-2313.jpg

[Kblaze8855]

This isn’t one of those knowledge testing or trivia things. You don’t need to recognize a headshot of everyone who is ever great. But all of these guys played recently enough that their contemporaries are people you would instantly recognize. We aren’t talking about people from 1954.

They aren’t what current fans would call modern, but the people they were playing against, were recent enough to be iconic and known in the eyes of modern fans.

One of them I’m pretty sure most of you would recognize, especially in the context and wearing the jersey you’re familiar with. I doubt more than a couple people would recognize all of them. And that’s fine. Again it isn’t any kind of test.

I’m just wondering which elite players from today do you see being that anonymous if I show fans in the future?

At the moment, it’s never clear because you don’t know what people are going to go on to do to make themselves famous or infamous. But who would you predict?

A few decades from now someone makes a similar topic using players from the last let’s call it 10 or 15 years. Which All NBA first team caliber players do you think draws a blank stare from the average fan of that time?

Jokic is gonna totally disappear into the mist when he retires isn’t he?

He might never even be seen courtside again.

Kawhi Leonard is an easy possibility.

Anyone else?

[SouBeachTalents]

DeAndre Jordan is the most obvious one.

Paul George, Booker & Mitchell would be next in line.

If he doesn't win another title/MVP, I'd throw SGA into that mix.

I actually disagree with you on Jokic, I think most future fans will know what a 3x MVP looks like.

[ShawkFactory]

Assuming the Cavs don't win the title next year (I guess they COULD) then my answer would definitely be Donovan Mitchell. I've only heard him speak because he was on a podcast I listen to a couple months ago. Seems like a pretty chill dude so I doubt he searches for attention or anything after retirement.

[FultzNationRISE]

This isn’t one of those knowledge testing or trivia things. You don’t need to recognize a headshot of everyone who is ever great. But all of these guys played recently enough that their contemporaries are people you would instantly recognize. We aren’t talking about people from 1954.

They aren’t what current fans would call modern, but the people they were playing against, were recent enough to be iconic and known in the eyes of modern fans.

One of them I’m pretty sure most of you would recognize, especially in the context and wearing the jersey you’re familiar with. I doubt more than a couple people would recognize all of them. And that’s fine. Again it isn’t any kind of test.

I’m just wondering which elite players from today do you see being that anonymous if I show fans in the future?

At the moment, it’s never clear because you don’t know what people are going to go on to do to make themselves famous or infamous. But who would you predict?

A few decades from now someone makes a similar topic using players from the last let’s call it 10 or 15 years. Which All NBA first team caliber players do you think draws a blank stare from the average fan of that time?

Jokic is gonna totally disappear into the most when he retires isn’t he?

He might never even be seen courtside again.

Kawhi Leonard is an easy possibility.

Anyone else?


A few decades from now? Lol. Absolutely none.

The NBA wont exist in any remotely comparable fashion to the present day as it does now. If it exists at all it will be bionic human-robot hybrids who uncover new ways to upgrade themselves every day. And if you try to ban such things nobody will play because regular humans will be making upgrades that make them better than pro players. Natural athletes will look like weak wet napkins compared to the average person. Moreover nobody will study players from the past because attention spans will be even shorter than theyve become today.

A few decades from now? Lol. Forget about it. Nothing you see today is gonna make any sense to someone 40 years from now. Nobody who is born today is gonna know anything about Steph Curry or Kevin Durant in 40 years. Only one who might still be recognizable is King Lebron because he's More Than An Athlete.

Everything else will disappear down the memory hole my friend.

[Baller234]

The NBA hadn't reached it's apex yet in the 80's, it was still on it's way.

I think a big reason why so many kids who grew up on 90's basketball were so knowledgeable was due to collecting cards. Sports cards exploded during this time and basically every other kid in America had their own collection. If you collected basketball cards during this time somehow you just knew every player in the league and could match a face to them.

Baseball cards exploded in the mid 80's but basketball didn't catch on until the early 90's. That's why I think a lot of the players from the previous decades outside of the big names aren't as recognizable. Nobody was collecting their cards.

I also think videogames had a lot to do with it. You learned all the rosters from playing NBA Live and stuff like that.

[999Guy]

https://i.ibb.co/6JZZ4SHb/IMG-2309.jpg

I didn’t know you could wear religious items in games

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMsq6nvyxwZ-rWOYb7BxqZHxWzHBw0vpRIsvBxtRXT7rpHenLiPwlVOBm-Sjz6JI1cfsjOzB72Lgd5-ejJwiXCgCy3FzgdYbMmfckD-oadsThkq77UJsR7e7VmE-7fsQX9K6u/s1600/yarmulke.jpg

[tontoz]

The only two in the OP I recognize for sure are Paul westphal and Bernard King.

[Full Court]

The NBA hadn't reached it's apex yet in the 80's, it was still on it's way.

I think a big reason why so many kids who grew up on 90's basketball were so knowledgeable was due to collecting cards. Sports cards exploded during this time and basically every other kid in America had their own collection. If you collected basketball cards during this time somehow you just knew every player in the league and could match a face to them.

Baseball cards exploded in the mid 80's but basketball didn't catch on until the early 90's. That's why I think a lot of the players from the previous decades outside of the big names aren't as recognizable. Nobody was collecting their cards.

I also think videogames had a lot to do with it. You learned all the rosters from playing NBA Live and stuff like that.

That's an excellent point. I hadn't thought about that, but I bet you're right.

[Kblaze8855]

The only two in the OP I recognize for sure are Paul westphal and Bernard King.

you would’ve known Moncrief in the Bucks jersey. I intentionally chose people outside of their most well-known stop.

[Kblaze8855]

Related enough not to make a new topic. Who is the best player to retire in the last 25 years who you don’t believe you have laid eyes on since? Just came to my mind, listening to a podcast and I’m not saying this is the answer but we can work up from here.

Ricky Davis. I have not seen or heard an update about Ricky Davis since he stopped playing.

Give me a better player you have not seen nor heard from since they left the game. I want to see how good a player we can get.

[eliteballer]

I need you to write a thesis on Len Bias and how good he would’ve been in the NBA.

[Kblaze8855]

Believe it or not I recently got into a discussion about Len bias when a cashier was joking about the dangers of cocaine abuse. He was probably 19 so he had no idea about that. He just made a random remark joking around and when I told him he had several follow up questions. Obviously, the mistake was mine, assuming I could just drop a “Hey…Len Bias” on a teenager and think he’d just get it. But he asked for more information and I was pleased to provide it. I wished we had time to go into how the arguable GOAT team to that point had the number 2 pick to begin with….but I think the cocaine was his interest point not the sports aspect.

[eliteballer]

The more I read/study about Bias the more I’m convinced that while he may not have been as good as Jordan, he may have been the “rival” we never saw.

[Kblaze8855]

It’s hard to say that anybody would materialize into a player that could be legitimately compared to Jordan because there just haven’t been many….though have been a tremendous number of people who have had the talent. it just doesn’t usually come together.

But one thing I’m pretty sure about? If he even materialized into a regular superstar, I think it makes the death of Reggie Lewis much more remembered and discussed. The narrative would be that Jordan kept his Pippen, but Bias lost his so it isn’t fair.

you’d probably have a close battle in the second or third round that went to seven and people would say if Reggie had been there the Bulls dynasty gets broken up in the middle.

[Phoenix]

Related enough not to make a new topic. Who is the best player to retire in the last 25 years who you don’t believe you have laid eyes on since? Just came to my mind, listening to a podcast and I’m not saying this is the answer but we can work up from here.

Ricky Davis. I have not seen or heard an update about Ricky Davis since he stopped playing.

Give me a better player you have not seen nor heard from since they left the game. I want to see how good a player we can get.

I can think of several:

Brandon Roy
David Lee
Al Jeffferson
Goran Dragic
Zach Randolph
Jermaine Oneal
Elton Brand
Peja Stojakovic
Andrei Kirilenko
Jamal Mashburn
Josh Howard
Paul Millsap
Josh Smith

Not seen or heard a peep from any of those guys since.

EDIT: Come to think of it, don't think I've seen Jason Terry around either.

[tpols]

https://i.ibb.co/6JZZ4SHb/IMG-2309.jpg

I didn’t know you could wear religious items in games

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMsq6nvyxwZ-rWOYb7BxqZHxWzHBw0vpRIsvBxtRXT7rpHenLiPwlVOBm-Sjz6JI1cfsjOzB72Lgd5-ejJwiXCgCy3FzgdYbMmfckD-oadsThkq77UJsR7e7VmE-7fsQX9K6u/s1600/yarmulke.jpg


That hair line is a flagrant foul no doubt. :lol Homie took "getting your wig pushed back" too seriously.

[Kblaze8855]

I can think of several:

Brandon Roy
David Lee
Al Jeffferson
Goran Dragic
Zach Randolph
Jermaine Oneal
Elton Brand
Peja Stojakovic
Andrei Kirilenko
Jamal Mashburn
Josh Howard
Paul Millsap
Josh Smith

Not seen or heard a peep from any of those guys since.

EDIT: Come to think of it, don't think I've seen Jason Terry around either.


I’ve heard from Jermaine O’Neal because he did a podcast tour a while back talking about mental health and telling stories about Ron Artest. Not sure if I heard anything from the others though.

I don’t think I’ve seen Marion‘s face in 10 years either.

[SouBeachTalents]

Related enough not to make a new topic. Who is the best player to retire in the last 25 years who you don’t believe you have laid eyes on since? Just came to my mind, listening to a podcast and I’m not saying this is the answer but we can work up from here.

Ricky Davis. I have not seen or heard an update about Ricky Davis since he stopped playing.

Give me a better player you have not seen nor heard from since they left the game. I want to see how good a player we can get.
I feel like Ray Allen has kept an amazingly low profile considering he was a popular player in his day and even played the lead in a movie.

Fine, he made a brief appearance when Steph broke his record, but besides that, dude never went into media, hasn't gotten into coaching, I don't even recall seeing him on many podcasts.

[Kblaze8855]

I’m not entirely sure I’ve seen Ray Allen or heard his voice outside of the three-point record situation. There was the somewhat famous clip where he was walking by KG and Pierce and KG refused to look at him. Not sure what the occasion was. Maybe the top 75 ceremony?

Sean Marion and Ray Allen may be the two best players to go completely ghost recently. Tim Duncan doesn’t do a lot on screen, but I see him all the time.