George Lawrence Mikan Jr., nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Invariably playing with thick, round spectacles, the 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), 245 lb (111 kg) Mikan was one of the pioneers of professional basketball. Through his size and play, he redefined basketball as a game dominated in his day by "big men". His prolific rebounding, shot blocking, and ability to shoot over smaller defenders with his ambidextrous hook shot all helped to change the game. He also utilized the underhanded free-throw shooting technique long before Rick Barry made it his signature shot.
Luis Felipe López is a Dominican former professional basketball player. He starred as a high school player and for the St. John's Red Storm in college basketball. López played for four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has played for teams in a half dozen countries, as well as in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in the U.S. Most recently, he has been a broadcaster with Spanish-language networks. His life story was the subject of an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary entitled The Dominican Dream.
Derrick Demetrius Coleman is an American former professional basketball player. Coleman attended Syracuse University and was selected first overall in the 1990 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets.
Stephen Howard "Snapper" Jones was an American basketball player in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA), and later a television analyst. He was a three-time ABA All-Star. Jones' brother Nick also played in the ABA and NBA. During his time in the ABA, Jones picked up the moniker "Snapper" but he never revealed how it came to be.
Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. The forward played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being selected eighth overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets; he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies days later.
Sam Mack is an American former professional basketball player. The 6'7" shooting guard from Dolton, Illinois played with five different NBA teams over a 10-year span and has had a 20-year international basketball career.
Antoine Labotte Carr is an American former basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dawg", he played power forward for six different teams in the National Basketball Association across 16 seasons.
John Gilbert Wallace is an American former professional basketball player and current broadcaster on MSG Networks. He also hosts a live stream and podcast called "Power Forward w/ John Wallace" on SportsCastr. A 6' 8" forward, Wallace played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), in addition to stints in Greece and Italy.
Shawn Christopher Respert is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He attended Bishop Borgess High School, and he came to prominence while playing college basketball at Michigan State. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for four seasons from 1995 to 1999. He is being inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in October 2024.
William R. Knight is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Playing with the Indiana Pacers in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later the National Basketball Association (NBA), he was both an ABA and NBA All-Star. He played college basketball with the Pittsburgh Panthers, who retired his No. 34.
Joseph C. Roberts was an American professional basketball player who played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and one season in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He played for the Syracuse Nationals and Kentucky Colonels from 1960 to 1968, having earlier played for Ohio State University's 1960 NCAA champions. After retiring from playing, he served as assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.
Hasheem Thabeet is a Tanzanian professional basketball player. He played college basketball for UConn before being drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. His performance as a second overall draft pick has led many analysts to label him as one of the "biggest busts" in NBA history.
Lawrence T. Cannon was an American basketball player. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Cannon was selected in the first round of the 1969 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls with the fifth overall pick. Cannon was an American Basketball Association All-Star, who averaged 16.6 points per game in his ABA/NBA career after his All-American career at La Salle University. Cannon was forced to retire from basketball due to a chronic medical condition, phlebitis in his legs. Cannon died on May 29, 2024, at the age of 77.
The 1995–96 NBA season was the Grizzlies' first season in the National Basketball Association. The Vancouver Grizzlies, along with the Toronto Raptors became expansion NBA franchises in 1995; they were the first NBA teams to play in Canada since the 1946–47 Toronto Huskies. The Grizzlies revealed a new primary logo of a grizzly bear holding a basketball, and got new uniforms with Native American markings on the trims of their jerseys, adding turquoise and brown to their color scheme.
Dion Waiters Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who played 8 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2012 to 2020. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Waiters also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Lakers, where his team won an NBA championship.
Russ Antoin Smith is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Nardò of Serie A2, the second division in Italy. He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals, playing a starring role as a junior in helping them win the 2013 NCAA championship, while earning third-team All-American by the NABC and the Sporting News. As a senior at Louisville, he was named a consensus first-team All-American. As of March 5, 2023, his 65-point performance remains the NBA G League single game scoring record.
Joshua Aaron Hart is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft as the 30th overall pick by the Utah Jazz before being traded on draft night to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Duane Eddy Washington Jr. is a German-American professional basketball player for Partizan Mozzart Bet of the ABA League, Basketball League of Serbia (KLS) and the EuroLeague. He is the son of former NBA player Duane Washington, he played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Jacob Glen LaRavia is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana State Sycamores and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
