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Anthony Davis James Harden Kawhi Leonard LeBron James Stephen Curry

Chris Paul Giannis Antetokounmpo Kevin Durant Paul George RussellWestbrook

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HARDWOOD GREATS: PRO BASKETBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

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Donald Parker

MASON CREST PHILADELPHIA MIAMI

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Mason Crest PO Box 221876 Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free)

Copyright © 2022 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN (hardback) 9978-1-4222-4345-9 ISBN (series) 978-1-4222-4610-8 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-7460-6

Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress

Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Editor: Andrew Luke Interior and cover design: Annalisa Gumbrecht, Studio Gumbrecht Production: Michelle Luke

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HARDWOOD GREATS: PRO BASKETBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Greatest Moments . . . .7 Chapter 2: The Road to the Top 23 Chapter 3: On the Court . . . 37 Chapter 4: Words Count . . . 49 Chapter 5: Off the Court . . . 63

Series Glossary of Key Terms . 74 Further Reading & Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . 76 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Author Biography & Credits . 80

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Words to understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing themwith additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sportsmoments, andmuchmore! Text-dependent questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series glossary of key terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

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CONTENTS

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

Deft: Characterized by facility and skill Enigma: Something hard to understand or explain Exhibition: A public showing (as of works of art, objects of

manufacture, or athletic skill) Perennial: Persistent, enduring Reminiscent: Tending to remind, suggestive

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Chapter 1

Greatest Moments Anthony Davis’ NBA Career Anthony Davis is an enigma , of sorts. He measures 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) in height and 253 pounds (114 kg) in weight and plays the positions of power forward and center. Davis has joined the 10,000 points scored club, led the league in two-point shooting on three occasions, and was the blocked shots leader in 2015 and 2018. He is also the first player to score more than 50 points in a National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star game. This shows that the style of play Davis has developed in his nine seasons in the NBA does not mesh with his size. Davis does not play like a typical NBA “big man” but more like a player that is four or five inches (10.2 cm or 12.7 cm) shorter. He has a deft touch around the rim and plays in a way that is reminiscent of some of the greatest tall players in league history, such as Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (to name a few).

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Davis went from dominating at the NCAA level to become the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

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Davis was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) in 2012 with the first pick overall. The faith that New Orleans placed in Davis paid off. Beginning with his rookie season (in which he was a member of the All-Rookie team), Davis led the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans in win-shares, which is a mathematical measurement of how much a player contributes to the team’s success. His strong win-shares helped him be selected to eight NBA All-Star games (six with New Orleans and two as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers) and four All-NBA First Teams. Not only has Davis been recognized for his offensive skills (leading the league three times in two-point field goals) but also for his skills on the defensive side of the ball. He has long arms (a fingertip-to-fingertip wingspan of 7 feet 5-½ inches or 2.27 m) that enable him to block shots and intimidate shooters looking for an easy layup or short-range jumper. Davis is a shooting guard/small forward packaged in the body of a power forward/center. Davis was a successful high school star who quickly grew big and tall, capturing the attention of college scouts at several great programs. He played on a college team packed with stars that captured the NCAA Men’s Basketball title in 2012 and sent six of its players to the NBA. Davis emerged as the dominant force of that group and now dominates at the NBA level. Davis is an important player for the Los Angeles Lakers (New Orleans traded him to L.A. prior to the start of the 2019 season). The future holds great things as he has continued to improve on both sides of the ball. Davis has emerged among the elite players in the NBA and will stand tall among the best when his career comes to an end.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

Davis’ Greatest Career Moments

Here is a list of some of the career firsts and greatest achievements during his time in the NBA:

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Davis was named to the NBA All-Rookie team in his first season with New Orleans.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

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First NBA Championship (2020) Davis contributed the first seven seasons of his NBA career to the New Orleans franchise but had only two playoff appearances and 13 total post- season games to show for it. In 2019, Davis requested that he be traded, and he was dealt to a Lebron James-led Lakers team before the start of the new season. L.A. was the best team in the Western Conference that season and marched through the playoffs to the Finals. There, Davis averaged 25 points and 10.7 rebounds per game to win the NBA championship over Miami in six games.

Davis was a monster throughout the 2020 NBA playoffs, but was especially good in the Finals, as the highlights in this video demonstrate.

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10,000 Career Points Scored Davis faced the Philadelphia 76ers in a road game on November 21, 2018, needing to score six points to reach a significant career milestone. The six points would put him on the list of players who have scored 10,000 or more points in their NBA career. Davis accomplished this feat by scoring 12 points in a losing effort, along with 16 rebounds (10 of which were on the defensive side) and five blocked shots. At age 25 years (and 255 days), he became the eighth- youngest player in NBA history to score 10,000 points in a career.

Davis moves on to the 10,000 career points scored list with a 12-point effort against the Philadelphia 76ers, November 21, 2018.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

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NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (2017) Davis came to play in the 2017 NBA All-Star game. Held on February 19, 2017, on his home court, he showed fans why he was chosen to start at center for the Western Conference All-Stars. In the tradition of great big men like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain, Davis dominated the game and players like Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and James Harden. He scored 52 points on 26-for-39 shooting (66.7 shooting percentage) and grabbed 10 rebounds. His effort helped the Western Conference team to a 192–182 victory, and earned Davis the honor of being named All-Star MVP.

Davis made shots, grabbed rebounds, and scored his way to the top of the scoring list for NBA All-Star games, which led to his nabbing Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors for the first time in his career in 2017.

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Set NBA All-Star Game Record for Most Points Scored in a Game (2017) Prior to the 2017 NBA All-Star game, the most points scored in an all-star exhibition was 42, by the great Hall of Fame player Wilt Chamberlain in 1962 as a member of the Philadelphia (now Golden State) Warriors. Three other players have scored 40 or more points in an All-Star game, including Russell Westbrook, who did it twice (2015, 2017). No player, however, had scored 50 or more points until Davis’ 52-point performance (on his home court in New Orleans, LA) in 2017.

Davis surprised teammates and fans at the 2017 All-Star game, held at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. He became the first NBA player to score 50 or more points in an All-Star game.

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Led NBA in Two-Point Field Goals (2014–2015) For a big man (measuring 6 feet 10 inches or 2.08 m), Davis has a soft touch around the rim. This touch has helped him lead the league in two-point shots made in not just one, not just two, but three seasons. His 641 two-point field goals made in the 2014–2015 season were 12 more than Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic had, which made Davis the league leader in the category for the first time. He outpaced Minnesota Timberwolves Center Karl-Anthony Towns by 29 shots (730 to 701) in 2016–2017, and he outshot perennial All-Star LeBron James (now his teammate in Los Angeles) in the 2017–2018 season by 17 two-point shots for his second and third category titles.

Because of his height, Davis gets plenty of looks at or near the rim. It is because of this that he has been able to lead the NBA on three separate occasions in two-point field goals made.

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