Basketball is like any other sport in that it creates heroes for the viewing public. If you are a player with a great list of achievements you can expect to go down in club and civic history, and you can also expect to do very well financially from the deal. You may even leave a more lasting legacy. A legacy like that of Michael Jordan is one that the best players hope to emulate. During the 90s, Jordan was one of sport’s most bankable names, allowing him to make millions of dollars in endorsements, something which opened the way for the likes of Tiger Woods and David Beckham to do the same.
Alternatively, you might create a legacy of friendly rivalry between clubs. Although they competed three times for the NBA championship in the 1980s, there is no real enmity between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. What there is could be better described as a shared history – best exemplified by the continued friendship between the figureheads of each team, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. It is hard for the fans of each team to hate their rival when the players clearly do not.
Then there are other names which, no matter what the player may achieve in the course of his career, will always be linked with something stupid they did. Latrell Sprewell, a hugely gifted player with a reputation for giving a hundred per cent on court, took exception to his coach P.J Carlesimo asking him to put a bit more into his passes. Unwilling to take criticism, Sprewell wrestled his coach to the ground and strangled him for 15 seconds. He may be a 4-time NBA All-Star, but he’s a 4-time NBA All-Star who assaulted his coach.