Learn about the five most athletes in basketball
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| Braden: Top 5 Most Famous Athletes in Basketball. In this lesson, you’ll learn about the top 5 most famous basketball players in NBA history. I was really excited to do this lesson because I quite like basketball. However, it is a challenging topic, we could have taken this lesson in a few different ways. |
| Ann: That’s right. Usually lessons like these would have been something like "Top 5 Best basketball Players of All-Time." The problem is that determining who’s the "best" is for basketball specialists, which we are not. |
| Braden: So, we went with Top 5 most Famous Basketball Players. It will probably be the same people, but maybe in a little bit different order. |
| Ann: Plus, no one gets mad at us if we are not putting their favorite players in the list. |
| Braden: Number five of our top five most famous athletes in basketball is Bill Russell. For many, Bill Russell is one of the best basketball players of all time. |
| Ann: His awards include inductions into several different Hall of Fame's, five-time winner of the most valuable player award, 12 time winner of the All-Star award, and an Olympic gold medalist. |
| Braden: The reason he is number five and not higher up on the list is because it was so long ago. For example, Bill Russell won his gold medal in 1956 probably most of us were not alive during that time. |
| Ann: However, it was because of Bill Russell, along with an excellent team, that the Celtics won so many NBA titles. Eleven of the Celtics' 17 NBA titles were won during Bill Russell's time. |
| Braden: Our fourth most famous basketball player of all-time is Wilt Chamberlain. |
| Ann: Wilt Chamberlain was an exceptional basketball player and is the only player to ever score 100 points in a single NBA game. |
| Braden: For that matter, he is the only NBA player to ever average 50 points per game throughout an entire season. |
| Ann: Wilt Chamberlain holds too many scoring and rebounding awards to list. It would take us the rest of the lesson! |
| Braden: Similar to Bill Russell, the only reason Wilt Chamberlain is not higher on the list is because it was a long time ago. |
| Ann: Will Chamberlain played at the same time as Bill Russell and they were actually opponents. |
| Braden: Our third most famous basketball player of all-time is Larry Bird. Larry Bird played for the Boston Celtics from 1978 to 1992. |
| Ann: He was an Olympic gold medalist—like Bill Russell, was an NBA All-Star 12 times, the NBA Most Valuable Player three times and one of very few professional basketball player to spend his entire career with the same team. |
| Braden: Larry Bird is famous for many reasons. One of those things that made Larry Bird so famous was his rivalry with Magic Johnson. |
| Ann: That rivalry was combined with the already existing rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. |
| Braden: Now, Magic Johnson played for the Los Angeles Lakers. These two players and these two teams would meet in the NBA finals repeatedly during Larry Bird's career. |
| Ann: Our number two most famous player in the NBA is Magic Johnson. |
| Braden: Now, Magic Johnson is one of the best all-around players in NBA history. During his career he won five NBA championships, three Most Valuable Player awards, an all-star most valuable player award, and was an Olympic gold medalist. |
| Ann: Magic Johnson was the arch rival of Larry Bird. The rivalry between the two of them, and between the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers, is one of the most entertaining, inspiring, and angry rivalries in NBA history. |
| Braden: Now, Magic Johnson is also important as an advocate for AIDS prevention. In 1991, Magic Johnson announced that he had contracted HIV and he immediately retired. |
| Ann: Even though he stopped playing basketball, Magic Johnson has never stopped being a advocate and spokesman for AIDS prevention. |
| Braden: So he's famous both on and off the court. |
| Braden: And our number one most famous basketball player of all-time is Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is, by far, the most famous NBA basketball player of all-time. Michael Jordan has six NBA titles, fourteen most valuable player awards, and two Olympic gold medals. |
| Ann: While Michael Jordan is certainly one of the greatest players in NBA history, his popularity is due mostly to his agent David Falk. |
| Braden: Early in Michael Jordan's career, David Falk arranged a deal with Nike in which Nike would sell an "Air Jordan" shoe. This is the first time any kind of a deal like this have been cut with a basketball player. |
| Ann: And everyone had to have the “Air Jordans.” Very popular! This first deal expanded throughout Michael Jordan's career and today he makes an estimated 40 million dollars per year in endorsements, even though he's retired from the game. |
| Braden: Well, that just about does it for today. Thanks for listening! |
| Ann: Have a great day! |
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