Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world, especially the US. It doesn’t matter if you are a Boston Celtics fan or Golden State Warriors fan, Los Angeles Lakers fan or Houston Rockets fan, NBA is known for providing quality entertainment in all seasons. However, there are some interesting facts about famous basketball players and the league itself that you may not know of but you should especially if look forward to building a career in the sport by learning all about basketball players. These are:
- Shaquille O’Neal who is easily one of the most famous NBA players of all time with achievements like 15-times NBA All-Star and four-time NBA champion scored only one three-pointer in his entire career. What’s also interesting is that he actually attempted 22 three-pointers!
- The first NBA contract of Kobe Bryant was actually co-signed by his parents. He was picked by Charlotte Hornets for the 1996 NBA draft and was the 13th player on the list. However, at the time he wasn’t old enough to be formally included in the team (he was under 18 years) which is why his parents had to co-sign his NBA contract until he reached the required age which was just a few months later.
- When Josh Howard was young, he had to get his legs broken and reset for fixing. This is because he was bow-legged and still is, even more than LeBron James. In fact, there was a possibility that he would never be able to walk, as he said in his own words to NYTimes. However, as we all know, he overcame the medical limitation and recovered only to become a top NBA player.
- It’s no secret that sports betting is one of the most popular pastimes of millions of people which explains the success of websites like nj-licensed-sportsbooks.com. However, did you know that opinionated NBA analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has a penchant for betting on the NFL too? Not only he loves to gamble and bet on sports tournaments, he’s actually lost a million dollars on at least 20-30 occasions!
- We all know the nickname that Richard Hamilton is known by- Rip, which is pretty cool. However, you can’t possibly imagine the story behind this sobriquet. He got the name from the fact that he would rip his diapers when he was a toddler. Whether it was because he was too fierce or strong for the diapers, or the diapers themselves were weak for him, the story is odd and interesting for sure.
- Paul Pierce has earned the reputation for being one of the bravest players in court. However, he is a strong person is real life too, as evident by an incident that took place on September 25th, 2000 at the Buzz Club in the theatre district of Boston. A fight broke out at the club during the night and Pierce intervened to stop the same. However, his good intentions were met with violence and he was stabbed not 1 or 2 but 11 times! However, his friend Tony Battie was quick to respond and took him to the nearest hospital where the doctors were able to save his life. However, that’s not what makes him brave, it’s the fact that he played every single game in that season (2000-2001). You can imagine what kind of mental strength he has when he can put the pain aside and give his best performance in the court.
So, there you have it- some of the most fun and interesting facts about the NBA that you may not know of. Which one did surprise you the most? Let us know in the comments section below.