Michael Jordan. Scottie Pippen. Shaquille O’Neal. Allen Iverson. Kobe Bryant. Vince Carter. Tracy McGrady. Dwyane Wade. LeBron James. Dwight Howard. Kevin Durant. Derrick Rose. Russell Westbrook. Blake Griffin.
Those are the starriest names featured in the incredible compilation of basketball nastiness above. But other notable players appear, too. Andre Iguodala throws down a few ferocious jams. Kenneth Faried chases down smaller players for a couple high-flying blocks. Nate Robinson’s mighty-mite antics are chronicled on several occasions. And DeAndre Jordan’s homicidal alley-oop from a couple years back is the final clip included.
A majority of league followers love the NBA because of individual brilliance. Normally, that sort of fandom is gleaned from a select group of players – the luminaries initially listed most often, and the secondary stars named thereafter. What’s easily and unfortunately overlooked about the NBA, though, is that every player in it is one of the world’s several hundred best.
This video, by must-follow YouTube account nbaworthy, is a fantastic reminder of that reality. How so? Think about it like this.
Our favorite in-game dunk of all-time is Jordan’s epic poster on Patrick Ewing in the 1991 playoffs. It’s an absolutely classic NBA sequence, and one even semi-casual fans of the game have no doubt had the pleasure of watching. But is it even a top-five play in this video? There’s certainly an argument to be made otherwise.
What about Terrence Ross’ body-stretching slam over Faried? Or Thomas Robinson’s emphatic block followed by Will Barton’s alley-oop dunk? Or Gerald Henderson’s pogo-stick throw-in on top of Howard? Or Shannon Brown’s gravity-defying denial of Mario West?
The best athletes on earth play in the NBA. And while superstars are what drive league interest and make for the greatest stories, they’re hardly the only players capable of the awe-inspiring feats that make the league a pinnacle of athletic entertainment.
[Via nbaworthy]
