Shawn Bradley Was More Than the NBA’s Posterboard
Shawn Bradley grew up in Germany and came into the NBAย standing at 7'6".ย At this height heย was the second tallest ever to play in the league (Yao Ming at 7'6", Manute Bol at 7'7", andย Gheorghe Muresan at 7'7").
Bradley's career highlight was his being the league's toilet for 11 years.ย Wherever a bone rattling, rim thrashing, or backboard breaking dunk occurred, Shawn was always there as the victim.
Hereโs my favorite Shawn Bradley disrespectings:
Or for your convenience, all in one:
No, he wasn't the toughest player in the league.ย But Bradley, despite being viewed as the softest noodle to wear a jockstrap, did play a little defense in his career.
Shawn wasn'tย all that bad.ย Besides the fact that a new abuse was generated every week, Bradley was a great shot blocker.
Here's a look at just how much of a defensive player the Praying Mantis was:
10 consecutive seasons with 2.5+ BPG
Seven seasons with 3+ BPG
One season with 4.0 BPG
League leader in blocks for the 2000-2001 NBA season
Career average of 2.5 BPG
Shawn was also a good free throw shooter for a big man (a player 6'11" or taller), shooting 71.6 percent from the charity strike.
He wasnโt half bad in SpaceJam, either.
Unfortunately, a knee problem caused him to retire in 2005, ending his career and the legacy that was Shawn Bradley.

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