History of the Game
The NBA began over 75 years ago and didn't have nearly as many teams as it does now (30). Basketball didn't gain much traction as a professional sport at first, but slowly NBA superstars began to arise and they would play a huge role in growing the game into what it is today.
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In the 1960's, guys like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain put the sport on the map. Russell and his Boston Celtics won 11 NBA championships in his time there, while Chamberlain, a former Harlem Globetrotter, averaged unthinkable stat lines, even notching a 100 point game.
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After Russell and Chamberlain, the 1970's were run by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who won 6 NBA championship and holds the record for most points scored in a career. Kareem is also well-known for inventing, and dominating with the hook shot.
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Once the 1980's rolled around, a rivalry duo dating back to their time in college joined the NBA. Ervin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird skyrocketed interest in the NBA with their gritty rivalry and polar opposite personalities. The two, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics respectively, combined for 8 of the 10 championships won that decade as part of their historic rivalry.
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The 1990's can be summed up in 2 words, "His Airness." Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time absolutely owned the 90's. He and the Chicago Bulls won 6 of the 10 championships that decade, and for 2 of those years Jordan was retired. Jordan cemented basketball as a premier sport in the US and dominated a decade unlike anything ever seen before.
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The 2000's-2010's showed the rising basketball talent in the US. with an incredible amount of talented superstars in the game. While the 2010's are included, this era really ends at the halfway point, 2015, for reasons explained on the "Present Day" page. This era put an end to one dominant star running a decade as, in this 15 year span, 7 different teams won a championship. The most notable players of this era were LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Dwayne Wade, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, and the late, great Kobe Bryant (pictured on right).
