Interesting Facts that Maybe You Did Not Know about the NBA

Do you know who is in the NBA logo? The Lakers did not choose Kobe and other fun facts about the NBA.

The new NBA season is starting on October 18, 2022, and emotions in the NBA are already running high, even for NBA spreads punters. The expectation is high, and the eyes are on the staves of the best basketball league in the world.

Harnessing the frenzy burst of the league, we’ve compiled exciting facts from NBA history. If you don’t find them hard to believe, you will at least find them interesting:

Portland Had (Perhaps) The Two Worst Draft Picks

In 1984 the Draft was magical, players like John Stockton and Charles Barkley came out of that generation, but three players stood out as main prospects: two centers and a guard.

With the first selection, the Houston Rockets chose Hakeem Olajuwon, an indisputable choice that gave the Rockets a championship. The Portland Trail Blazers were the second team.

They drafted Sam Bowie, who played five years with the team and, while he had a solid career, would become more famous for being drafted ahead of the University of North Carolina guard. On the other hand, the number three pick for the Chicago Bulls was Michael Jordan.

As if history wasn’t cruel enough, in 2007, Portland had the No. 1 overall pick. They chose center Greg Oden (who retired in 2014). Although many teams would have done the same, the selection hurts because immediately after that, Seattle Supersonics chose Kevin Durant. Portland is still in search of its first championship since 1977.

Thirteen Teams Let Kobe Bryant Go

One of the best in history was selected in the 13th position of the 1996 Draft. As if it were not incredible that 13 teams ignored Kobe Bryant, the team that selected him was not the Lakers (with whom he would play 16 years), but the Charlotte Hornets. However, in a head-scratching trade, the Hornets traded the recent high school graduate guard for Vlade Divac.

Boston and NY are the Oldest NBA Teams

The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks are two of the oldest teams in the NBA. The Knicks and Celtics have existed since 1946, and they are the longest-running franchises if we consider that they have not undergone any change of name or city.

The Tallest Player And The Shortest Player Played On The Same Team

At 1.60 meters tall, Muggsy Bogues was the shortest player to belong to the NBA. He was drafted by the Washington Bullets, where he shared a team with the 2.31-meter Manute Bol.

Still on Muggsy Bogues

By the way, the height of Muggsy Bogues did not determine the success of his career, as he was the first selection of the Washington Bullets (now Wizards) in the 1987 Draft.

In his 14-year career, achievements stand out, such as his average of 10.8 points per game in the 1993-1994 season (when he was already with the Hornets) and the fact that he blocked 39 shots as a professional NBA player.

The NBA Logo, the Man Who Lost the Most Finals

The silhouette in the NBA logo is Jerry West, a legendary Lakers player who came close to never winning a championship. It wasn’t until his ninth appearance in a championship series that he clinched the NBA title.

Bonus fun fact: the logo has the ball in his left hand when West is actually right-handed.

Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Have Just 2 3-Pointers

Two of the most dominant centers in the NBA have almost 40 years of experience (20 Abdul-Jabbar and 19 O’Neal), multiple championships, and achievements, but shooting threes was never their forte. They both only have one triple in their careers.

The Game Won by Greatest Points Difference

On December 17, 1991, the Cavaliers faced the Heat with a final result of 148 to 80 in favor of the Cavs. It is the victory record for the greatest point difference in a match.

Six Franchises Have Never Chosen First

A small number of teams in the NBA don’t know the thrill of picking first during the Draft:

• Denver Nuggets
• Indiana Pacers
• Memphis Grizzlies
• Miami Heat
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Utah Jazz

The Match Between Shaq and Hakeem That Never Happened

In the ’95 Finals, the world was able to see two of the greats compete: Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the most complete centers in NBA history, and Shaquille O’Neal, who would become one of the most dominant forces in NBA history.

The Olajuwon Rockets won the championship, leaving Shaq with a bad taste in his mouth, leading him to send Hakeem a note after the Finals were over. In the note, he invited him to play one-on-one so that “he didn’t have his team behind him supporting him.”

The news went viral, and the event was going to be televised on pay-per-view, but in the end, it was canceled, and this just went on the record of the NBA’s curious moments.

Rose, the Youngest MVP

At 22, Derrick Rose was the youngest to be named the Most Valuable Player in the history of the NBA. Since he won the title in May 2011, 10 years ago, he has held his position as the youngest MVP.

Curry is the Only Unanimous MVP

In the 2015-2016 campaign, Stephen Curry unanimously became the only player to be named the Most Valuable Player. He is crazy if you think that he got the vote of 121 journalists who participated in the vote.

Bill Russell is the Greatest Champion of All

With 11 championships, Bill Russell is the player with the most championships in NBA history. It’s not for nothing that the Finals MVP trophy has his name on it.

Larry O’Brien Shaped the NBA

Since 1984, the trophy awarded to the champion bears the name of Larry O’Brien, who was commissioner of the NBA between 1975 and 1984. Among his achievements, the merger of the American Basketball Association in 1976 stands out. He introduced the salary cap and helped secure the most lucrative television deals to date.

Conclusion

These are some data that the best basketball in the world keeps. Maybe one more will be written this upcoming season, so we have to be attentive; something like a new record will do. So stay tuned; there will be many more surprises.