And we are off and rimming!
Generations of Basketball come and go and each era always has at least three players that represent not only their franchise, but also the National Basketball League as a whole. Let’s take a look at past generations.
The 70’s can easily be represented by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Halvicek, and Elvin Hayes. The 80’s were dominated by Magic, Larry Bird, and a young Micheal Jordan.
Jordan carried over into the 90’s but that era was also represented by Hakeem Olajuwan and David Robinson.
In the 2000’s it was Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’neal, and Tim Duncan.
Moving on to the 2010’s, this era was dominated by the likes of LeBron, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry. You get the point. But when we picture ourselves in the Year of our Lord, 2029, and wonder, which players defined this decade, who will we think of? Well, let me do my best at predicting the three defining talents of the 2020’s.
3. Ja Morant: Ja is explosive, showtime entertaining, and creates success for his team. All three ingredients that are the makings of a superstar. But not just any superstar… the type of guy who will be the face of the league for years to come. I compare him to the likes of Allen Iverson and Derrick Rose, except he will bring a ring to Memphis.
2. Giannis Antetokoumpo: Giannis is a basketball phenomenon that only comes around once every 10 years. He has the build and genetic makeup that naturally occurs most likely with one and ten million people. His style of play, and offensive dominance has yet to be stopped or faltered and he has been in the league for ten years. It is quite likely that this bulldozer of an athlete will never be stopped within the courts of basketball until father time steps in.
1. Luka Doncic: This pick was easy, Luka is quite literally the second coming of Larry Bird. A classifiable genius when it comes to ball handling, vision that is second to maybe LeBron, yet that is even up for debate, and an uncanny ability to slither in and out of defenders that makes his opponents look nothing more than like toddlers in a sandbox. Luka Doncic is a video game character on NBA 2k22 that somehow wound up in the real world. His stats and presence on the floor dumbfounds even the most seasoned statisticians and game analysts. Luka is going to be in the conversation for greatest basketball player of all time when it is all said and done, and undeniably the face of the NBA in the 2020’s.