|
Actually, I consider the "era of the superstar" to have BEGUN with Magic...and continuing, with Bird, Jordan, Ewing, Barkley, Malone, Drexler, Robinson, Pippen, Hill, Miller, Rodman, Penny Hardaway and then on through the late 90s with Shaq, Kobe, Iverson, Carter, and Lebron. In fact, I feel Lebron is going to be the last of this breed.
(I define "era of the superstar" to mean when they stopped being basketball players and started being high profile shoe salesmen. Also, when they spent more time recording rap albums, starring in movies and quaffing soft drinks than playing basketball. John Stockton was probably the most technical player ever, but he never got Chris Rock to voice a puppet named after him)
The golden era may have been 79-93, but I define the superstar era to be about 83-03. A 20 year span of individual achievements in pedestal-lifting, each one getting bigger, bolder, and more braggadocio than the last.
|