When thinking about the NBA in the 90’s, you think about the golden era. The game was filled with rivalries and future Hall of Famers and Commissioner Stern was on his high horse. You had rivalries like the Knicks vs Bulls, Knicks vs Pacers, Bulls vs Jazz, and Bulls vs Magic, the list goes on. Then you had players like Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Reggie Miller, Penny Hardaway, Hakeem Olajuwon, John Stockton, and of course Mr. Jordan. It was players like these guys that thrusted the NBA into fans hearts everywhere. These were the guys that made fans fall in love with the sport of basketball.
The rivalries that once existed are now absent. Now, teams are struggling to find their elite guard because there is only a handful of them. That is why it is about time we pay homage to the best guards of the NBA’s golden era.
Come on now…do we really need any sort of explanation here with this pick? MJ is the greatest of all-time and was at his best during the 1990’s. Leading the Chicago Bulls to 6 titles during one of the most dominant decades any team in any sport has experienced, Jordan was the focal point of the league. If you’re not sure how The Hoop Doctors feel about MJ than check out the Nextology of Michael Jordan features from a couple years past.
What more can you say about the white boy in short shorts. He is the all-time NBA career assists (15,806) and steals (3,265) leader. Not to mention a ten time NBA-All Star and two time first teamer. Who elses hands would you want the ball in to run your offense? Oh yeah! He probably would have two rings right now if it wasn’t for “You Know Who.”
The 3rd most steals in NBA history belongs to arguably the best perimeter defender of all time. The glove came full effect as part of the “Sonic Boom” with Shawn Kemp and in the 1993 Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns when he manhandled mayor Kevin Johnson. Then the master of trash talking and head bobbing held MJ to his lowest points total ever in an NBA Finals in 1996. The nine time All-Star is the only point guard to ever win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. In 2006, the all-time leader in points, assists, and steals in Supersonics history polished off his career with two crucial shots to help the Miami Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals.
Spike Lee’s arch nemesis lit up the league for a ridiculous 40% from beyond the arc and the most 3-pointers in NBA history (2,560). The hero that loved playing the villain was the best shooter to ever come into the league. The five time All-Star finished his career 12th on the all-time scoring list with 25,279 points. AND don’t forget about “Miller Time” in the Eastern Conference Finals against New York when he brought the Pacers back from a 6 point deficit with 16 seconds left to win 107-105. Choke on that Spike.
Clyde “The Glide” Drexler had quite the career during the 90s. He made seven All-Star appearances and also made the NBA First Team once with his magical, effortless glides to the rim. Helped Portland to the Finals twice in 1990 and 1992 and won a title with Hakeem and the Rockets in 1995. As a part of the 1992 Dream Team he won Olympic gold and was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. When his career was all said and done, Clyde was the only player besides Oscar Robertson and John Havlicek to record 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 3,000 assists.
My favorite player all thanks to my big brother’s love for him could be rated much higher on this list if it weren’t for injuries. The most upsetting story in NBA history. Penny exploded onto the scene from Memphis State and was quick to draw comparisons to Magic Johnson. The 6’7” point guard had a flashy, creative game capable of dethroning MJ as King. During his second season, he averaged 20 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds a game and shot 50% from the field. While going toe to toe with MJ…yeah he won. The magical court vision and offensive explosiveness came to an end after several knee injuries ended his career. If he never got hurt, many wonder what could have been. So do I…peep the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOdnOlifZz8
Kidd is the ultimate all around point guard. He ranks second all-time in triple doubles behind Oscar Robertson and in assists behind John Stockton and fourth all-time in steals. During the 90’s Kidd was an absolute wizard with the rock. If he had one perceived weakness it was his jump shot, but he continually improved his field goal percentage throughout the decade as well. The ten time All-Star has only gotten better with age and displays the uncanny ability to do absolutely everything on the court, including rebound.
The average offensive player and brilliant defender was hated by the scorers of the league. Most known for frustrating Michael Jordan in the playoffs, Starks is the reason why hand checking is banned in the league. Starks was an All-Star in ’94 and helped the Knicks to the NBA Finals that very season. But keep in mind when we say he frustrated Michael Jordan, we mean he was more annoying than most to Jordan but clearly nothing was stopping the G.O.A.T. from doing his thing on the way to getting his chips.
Arguably one of the most underrated players of all time, Mr. Jackson was the definition of a floor general. He led his team to the playoffs 15 out of his 17 years in the league, including a trip to the NBA Finals with Reggie and the Pacers in 2000. By the way, he is third all-time in the assists department. Most young NBA fans these days know Jackson for his color commentary with Jeff Van Gundy, but in the 90’s Mark Jackson was as elite as they come and would make the Deron Williams’, Chris Paul’s, Derrick Rose’s etc. look rough around the edges as PG’s.
So the list is more like a top 12, I just couldn’t afford to leave these three off my list. Richmond was one of the most dominant scorers in the league during the decade but was mostly an afterthought because his teams were terrible. Hardaway had the illest crossover in the league that would rock any defender out of their shoes and was a 5 time All-Star. KJ was a 3 time All-Star and showed that point guards can bring hurt to the rim just like the big boys can. Now the mayor of Sacramento, no one can forget his running days in Phoenix with C-Bark, Dan Majerle and Tom Chambers.
Others: Jason Williams (Sacramento Kings Style), Jeff Hornacek, Latrell Sprewell.
Alex Rosencutter is a basketball player and kinesiology major at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. Originally from Kenosha, Wisconsin, this hoops addict and die hard Miami Heat fan, who is obsessed with old school hoops, has a fever for basketball and the only prescription is more basketball.
