Moses Malone jumped straight from high school to the ABA in 1974, when he inked a $1 million contract with the Utah Stars. Associated Press Photo/Robert Houston
Moses Malone jumped straight from high school to the ABA in 1974, when he inked a $1 million contract with the Utah Stars. Associated Press Photo/Robert Houston
Forward John Brisker was one of the ABA’s most dangerous scoring threats—and an even greater threat to punch out his opponents.
Lynette Woodard’s decorated résumé includes 3,649 points at Kansas, a stint with the Globetrotters, and a gold medal with team USA in the 1984 Olympic Games. Tony Duffy/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
From the streets of New York City to the subway, Walt “Clyde” Frazier exuded style. Associated Press Photo/Richard Drew
Even as a reserve forward for the New York Knicks, Phil Jackson exhibited a free spirit that would earn him the moniker Zen Master as a Hall of Fame coach. George Kalinsky
Isiah Thomas listening to coach Bob Knight during the 1979 Pan American Games. Thomas would help lead Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers to an NCAA title in 1981. Associated Press Photo
John Thompson coached the Georgetown University Hoyas from 1972–99 and led the school to its only national championship in 1984. Associated Press Photo
Cheryl Miller won back-to-back national championships with USC in 1983 and ’84. Associated Press Photo/Alvin Chung
Pat Summitt coached Team USA to a gold medal in 1984, but it would be three more seasons before her Tennessee players hoisted her to celebrate her first national championship with the Vols. Peter Read Miller/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma describes his complex relationship with longtime rival Pat Summitt as “never as bad as people thought it was, but never as good as they wanted it to be.” Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
Larry Bird, pictured here on October 24, 1988, accepting the MVP trophy after the Boston Celtics defeated Real Madrid in the 1988 McDonald’s Championship, became known throughout the world for his gritty physical play and signature clutch shooting. Andrew D. Bernstein/National Basketball Association/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Lakers, led by coach Pat Riley and all-time greats Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, won five NBA championships in the 1980s and introduced the world (and number-one fan Jack Nicholson) to Showtime. Associated Press Photo
The impeccably coiffed Pat Riley epitomized the style and glamour of his ’80s Showtime Lakers. USA TODAY Sports Images
Lithuanian Šarūnas Marčiulionis, one of the first European players to leave the former Soviet Union to join the NBA in 1989. Mitchell Layton/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
Michael Jordan celebrates knocking down The Shot over the outstretched arms of Cleveland guard Craig Ehlo in the Game 5 clincher of the 1989 playoffs, one of many clutch baskets His Airness delivered in his iconic career. Ed Wagner/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
The Dream Team won gold for the United States in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and inspired a generation of basketball players around the globe. Andrew D. Bernstein/National Basketball Association/Getty Images
David Stern (pictured with LA Sparks star Lisa Leslie and commissioner Val Ackerman), vowed that “failure was not an option” for the fledgling WNBA. Jennifer Pottheiser/National Basketball Association/Getty Images
Hakeem Olajuwon came from Nigeria to play college basketball at the University of Houston before becoming the Number 1 overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, selected by the Houston Rockets. Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated Classic/Getty Images
Coach Gregg Popovich assembled a group of unselfish stars from all corners of the world who fostered a culture that came to represent an NBA model of success and consistency. USA TODAY Sports Images
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, two of the game’s most dominant supernovas, left us all wondering what could have been had they stayed together. Lori Shepler/2002 Los Angeles Times. Used with Permission.
The 2004 men’s national team, led by head coach Larry Brown, won bronze in Athens and became the first NBA-backed Olympic team to fall short of a gold medal. Michael O’Neill/Contour RA/Getty Images
Splash Brothers Steph Curry (left) and Klay Thompson revolutionized “small ball’’ by dialing up a barrage of long-range three-point bombs with spellbinding accuracy. Elsa/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
While NBA commissioner Adam Silver (right) admired the work of his predecessor and mentor, David Stern, he proved to be fearless in imprinting his own stamp on the league. Scott Halleran/Getty Images Sport Classic/Getty Images
Even as a young high school player at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, OH, LeBron James (far left) had already been branded The Chosen One. Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal/Tribune News Service/Getty Images