The 1990’s was a fantasy for basketball fans everywhere. Some of the greats were on their way out and great young prospects were making their way in. The 90s brought a crazy narrative to the NBA. One that solidified legacies and had viewers around the world glued to their screens. But everyone has heard this story before, the one about Jordan and his claims to fame. So, besides Jordan, who were the legends that left legacies, those young and hungry hoopers, and the names nobody remembers?
Greats To Remember:
Hakeem Olajuwon
It’s impossible to talk about talented players from the 90s and not mention Hakeem Olajuwon. Born in Nigeria and standing at a towering seven feet, he played with the Houston Rockets as their center from 1984 until 2001, retiring a year later at the Toronto Raptors.
Leading his team to two consecutive NBA Championships, Hakeem was the first player to ever win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same season. His accolades go on as he not only holds the record for total career blocks but is one of 4 NBA players to ever record a quadruple-double. After winning an Olympic Gold medal in 1996, Hakeem was selected as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
John Stockton
One of the best point guards to ever do it, John Stockton was the Utah Jazz’s star boy of the 90s. Stockton missed a total of 22 games in his 19 seasons of professional basketball and won two Olympic gold medals, one of which was as a member of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, starring names like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.
Alongside Karl Malone, he led the Jazz to their only two finals appearances in franchise history, both against the Chicago Bulls. Despite not winning a championship, holding both records for total career steals (3,265) and assists (15,806). No player has come even close to breaking these records, solidifying him as one of the best old-school guards in the game.
Up-and-Coming
Kobe Bryant
Joining the League in the ’96-97 season, everyone knows about the Black Mamba. Though his legacy lives on today, Kobe took some time to find his game when he first joined the league. He averaged around 15 minutes a game and only about seven to eight points in his rookie season.
Kobe kicked off his transformation by winning the NBA Dunk Contest in 1997 at 18, making him the youngest-ever dunk contest winner. He went on in 1998, after finding some of his confidence, to become the youngest-ever All-Star at 19. As we all know, it didn’t take long for him to find his rhythm as he would go on to win five championships, one regular MVP, and two finals MVPs. His progression as a player in the early 90s captivated fans, and his transformation was thanks to his mental resilience commonly referred to as the ‘mamba mentality’.
Allen Iverson
While most people think of guys like Reggie Miller or Gary Peyton, Allen Iverson played his rookie season in the same ’96-97 season as Kobe, but his story played out differently. The shortest-ever 1st overall pick in the 1996 draft, Iverson was drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers at six feet tall.
He played a phenomenal rookie season, averaging 24 points and 8 assists a game, which earned him the Rookie of the Year award. Iverson’s short stature and quick handles made him a menace for defenders, and his stats improved as his career continued. Though he never won a championship, he did win the MVP award in 2001, and he made multiple Finals appearances throughout his career. As the first pick in the ’96 draft, Iverson’s quick pace, fearlessness against bigs, and elite finishing was something new that the league had not seen before.
Captivating Coaches
Pat Riley
More popular for his time as the Lakers coach in the 1980s, Pat Reily is an NBA Hall of Fame coach who certainly does not get enough attention. While he won four championships with the LA Lakers in the 80s, he left the franchise to join the Knicks from 1991-95 and then moved to the Miami Heat from 1995-2005.
Though he never won a championship during his run as a coach in the 90’s, an era dominated by Phil Jackson’s Chicago Bulls, he did win three Coach of the Year awards in 1990, ’93, and ’97. While he struggled at Miami during the postseason, his team stayed at the top of the division during the regular season, and he did make one run to the conference finals in ’97, losing to the Bulls.
His impact at the Knicks was much larger, taking the Knicks to the conference finals in ’93 and then the Finals in ’94. It was Pat’s coaching style that stood out amongst others, training his players to be mentally tough, to be able to adapt to the changing game. He was relentless in making sure they were prepared to be exhausted, drilling every possible scenario into player’s heads, and training them to react instead of having to think. He embodied the classic ‘coaches coach and players play’ mentality.
These are only some big names and rookies during the same Jordan era of the NBA. But whether they were veterans on the way out or rookies on the way in, it sometimes feels like they all stood in the shadow of the Bull’s #23.
