9781422274613

P R O B A S K E T B A L L ’ S B E S T P L A Y E R S

P R O B A S K E T B A L L ’ S B E S T P L A Y E R S

Chris Paul Giannis Antetokounmpo

James Harden Kevin Durant Lebron James Paul George RussellWestbrook Stephen Curry

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HARDWOOD GREATS: PRO BASKETBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

P R O B A S K E T B A L L ’ S B E S T P L A Y E R S

Donald Parker

MASON CREST PHILADELPHIA MIAMI

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Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, Pennsylvania 19008 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2020 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) 978-1-4222-4346-6 ISBN (series) 978-1-4222- 4344-2 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-7461-3

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

Series Glossary of KEY Terms 74 Further Reading & INTERNET RESOURCES 76 Index 77 AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY & CREDITS 80

Chapter 1: Greatest Moments 7 Chapter 2: The Road to the Top. 23 Chapter 3: On the COURT 37 Chapter 4: Words Count 51 Chapter 5: Off the COURT 63

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 elusive: Tending to evade grasp or pursuit

segue: To make a transition without interruption from one activity, topic, scene, or part to another specialist: One who concentrates one’s efforts in a particular occupation, practice, or field of study

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Chapter 1

Greatest Moments Chris Paul’s NBA Career Chris Paul, often called CP3, has had a fantastic career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with no signs of stopping anytime soon. Drafted in 2005, Paul has played 13 seasons in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Houston. He is a member of the 10,000+ points scored in a career club. As a specialist at stealing the ball, Paul is the NBA’s active steals leader. He is 11th in career steals, just 12 steals behind former player Alvin Robertson (number 10, all-time). Paul led the league in steals in six seasons and also led in steals per game in five seasons. He is also a leader in assists (having won the league’s assist title four times) and is a nine-time member of the NBA All-Defensive team. Although the NBA Finals championship and ring have thus far remained elusive , CP3 has had a very productive and rewarding NBA career. He has

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New Orleans picked Paul fourth overall in the 2005 NBA draft.

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HARDWOOD GREATS: PRO BASKETBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

also become a leader off the hardwood, having been elected to two terms as president of the NBA Players Association. After his sophomore year, Paul left Wake Forest University in Winston- Salem, North Carolina (nickname: Demon Deacons) to enter the NBA draft as one of the top point guards in the country. The New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) selected him with the fourth overall selection in the 2005 NBA draft. Paul has been honored on numerous occasions by the league, including being named as the 2005 NBA Rookie of the Year and member of the All-Rookie team, as well as being an eight-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-Star, and a six- time NBA steals champion. Paul has been featured in a series of television commercials for State Farm Insurance Company (headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois), displaying a comedic talent that may allow him to segue to another career once he is done stealing basketballs on the hardwood. The commercials, featuring Paul and Rockets teammate James Harden along with veteran comedian Oscar Nunez (from the NBC hit show The Office ), portray Paul’s funnier side and show another dimension of this all-world player. Paul has been in the league for 14 seasons, but Houston is his third team and Paul is still looking for the ultimate prize, an NBA championship ring. He is a two-time Olympian, representing Team USA in gold medal performances in 2012 (London) and 2008 (Beijing). Paul led his Wake Forest Demon Deacons into the Sweet 16 of the 2004 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Basketball Tournament in his freshman year. Achieving success at the NBA level will help cap off his lifetime dedication to the game and will be a nice footnote on his eventual election to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

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CHAPTER 1: GREATEST MOMENTS

PAUL’S 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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HARDWOOD GREATS: PRO BASKETBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

Paul has represented his country in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games

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CHAPTER 1: GREATEST MOMENTS

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First All-Star Game Appearance , 2007–2008 After an outstanding rookie campaign, Paul was named to his first NBA All-Star appearance as a member of the New Orleans Hornets in the 2007–2008 season. He was a representative of the Western Conference squad that also featured Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs), Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers), and Allen Iverson (playing in his ninth All-Star game as a member of the Denver Nuggets). The Western squad that Paul played on as a reserve was coached by Hornets head coach Byron Scott. He scored 16 points, along with 14 assists and four steals in the game that was played at New Orleans Arena on February 17, 2008.

Paul participated in the skills competition as a warm-up to his first All-Star appearance in his career in 2008.

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HARDWOOD GREATS: PRO BASKETBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

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Six-time NBA Steals Leader, 2014

Paul is ranked in the top 10 all-time in career steals, passing former shooting guard Alvin Robertson for 10th place in 2018–2019. Paul first led the NBA in ball thefts in the 2007–2008 season, followed then in 2009, and again in 2011–2014 (an NBA record of six seasons total). His career 2,122 steals put him in an exclusive club of only a dozen players with more than 2,000 career steals, a club which includes John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Michael Jordan, and Hakeem Olajuwon (all of whom are members of the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame).

Paul is one of only 12 players in the history of the NBA to have recorded 2,000 or more steals in his career through the 2018–2019 season.

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CHAPTER 1: GREATEST MOMENTS

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Named NBA Rookie of the Year, 2005–2006 Season

Paul was the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. Playing for the New Orleans Hornets he scored 1,258 points for a per-game-average of 16.1. He also had an average of 5.1 rebounds per game and 7.8 assists per game. These numbers helped the Hornets go from an 18–64 season the previous year to a 38–44 season in Paul’s rookie season (a season that was played in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina). Paul’s performance in the 2005–2006 NBA season earned him a spot on the All-Rookie team and Rookie of the Year honors.

Highlights of the top plays from Paul’s rookie season, showing the skills that helped him secure the Rookie of the Year award for 2005–2006.

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HARDWOOD GREATS: PRO BASKETBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

:

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First Regular Season Triple-Double Game, 2006 Paul’s first career triple-double as an NBA pro came while he was a rookie with New Orleans on April 2, 2006, in a game against the Toronto Raptors. The performance was the icing on the cake for a rookie season that saw him named Rookie of the Year for the league. He scored 24 points in the contest and had 12 assists and 12 rebounds as his team won the game 120–113.

Although his first triple-double as a member of the Hornets occurred in 2006 as a rookie,

his last triple-double as a member of the team happened in an April 24, 2011, must-win four-playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul scored 27 points with 15 assists and 13 rebounds in a 93–88 victory.

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CHAPTER 1: GREATEST MOMENTS

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Scored 10,000 points in a Career, 2013 Paul became a member of a very exclusive club, the 10,000-points-scored club, during a March 13, 2013, game against the Memphis Grizzlies (as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers). Paul reached the 10,000-career-point mark after hitting a two-point jump shot early in the second quarter with 11 minutes and 12 seconds left in the period. He went on to lead all Clipper and Grizzly scorers with 24 points for the game (LA lost 96–85).

Paul shows that he is willing to sacrifice his body for his team with this effort for a rebound that sends him into the players’ bench. The effort was part of his performance in the game in which he reached 10,000 career points scored.

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HARDWOOD GREATS: PRO BASKETBALL’S BEST PLAYERS