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Originally Posted by Ishkur
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.
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There is no way you can say Larry Bird and Kobe Bryant to be part of the same era...or even Magic & Iverson.
Magic, Bird, Isiah and those guys were reluctant superstars. They were the best on their teams, but team philosophy was still emphasized. Even Magic's flashiest plays were PASSES to other teammates for scores. There is no way you can link those guys to the "stars" of today. I think Magic, Bird, Isiah, Grant Hill, and David Robinson were throwbacks to the eras of West, Robertson and Chamberlain.
Endorsements have always been a part of basketball and they exploded when Michael Jordan came on the scene. Even though Jordan made tens of millions on endorsements, he would've still played for free. He bled basketball and even he played well on a team.
You can't lump those eras into one...it just doesn't fit..trust me, I grew up watching Magic & Bird in Los Angeles....I yearn for those days when superstars were real people. Their endorsements accentuated their style of play...and not today where people change their play to get endorsements.
Trust me Ishkur, putting Magic & Bird in the same era as Kobe & LeBron is like putting Babe Ruth in the same era as Barry Bonds.