NBA: Only the Strong Survive

When Michael Jordan retired following the 1998 season, an era ended not just for the Bulls and the city of Chicago.

The NBA as a whole went through a complete change.

The glory days of the ‘80s and ‘90s unofficially ended as Jordan walked away and the rest of the league was locked out.

Between Michael’s exit and the emergence of LeBron, Wade, and Anthony, the league went through some depressing times.

Legends like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwan, and even Jordan himself retired unceremoniously from teams they never should have joined. New personalities attempted to take over the game, yet fell incredibly short.

Between the 1999 and 2007 seasons, we’ve seen two teams gobble up seven championships—teams with Hall of Fame players and coaches.

But the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs couldn’t bring back what the NBA had lost. The league went through a period where international players flooded team rosters, and the United States couldn’t field a team capable of finishing better than third in international competition.

Now, the NBA is in a great period of rebirth.

Two all-time greats in LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are battling nightly for the right to be the best in the world.

A new crop of point guards in Chris Paul and Deron Williams have brought speed, excitement, and unselfishness back to a game that sorely needed it.

And the old guards—Steve Nash and Jason Kidd—seem reluctant to relinquish their crown.

Amidst a wild championship chase where many around the world are ready to signal a new era of NBA greatness, one great player has been lost in the shuffle.

Through all the down times the NBA has gone through recently, Allen Iverson has remained one of the most consistent and tenacious players the league has ever seen.

Iverson’s greatness does not need to be discussed. It’s his place in history that needs to be affirmed.

Iverson’s game has few weaknesses, but the memory of him may not be as strong as it should be.  If anything, Iverson’s timing was all wrong.

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