When people ask me what my best sport is in terms of overall knowledge, I usually think for a second and then say basketball, meaning the NBA. I sometimes second guess if I know just as much about baseball or even football, but then I think and realize that I reign supreme in basketball. When I was first introduced to the league in December of 2001, I was a rookie in a list of rooks that included the Nets’ own Richard Jefferson, along with Pau Gasol, Jason Richardson, Shane Battier, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Gerald Wallace, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, Samuel Dalembert, and Mehmet Okur. And to top it off, the class was led by Kwame Brown! At least MJ drafted him so that no one else would make that mistake.
Like I was saying, when I first came into the league, things were a lot different than today. There was no LeBron, D-Wade or Yao. Kobe was slowly building his legacy, KG was a playoff failure, Jason Kidd was not yet a legend. T-Mac was relatively healthy and Vince Carter was close to reaching top air. Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis were respected. The only Stoudamire people knew was Damon. Gary Payton, Chris Webber, Karl Malone and John Stockton were reveling in their primes, while guys like Dirk, Steve Nash, Paul Pierce and Allen Iverson had just about hit their stride. Shaq was dominating and right behind him was…Vlade Divac. Reggie Miller was in the midst of burying threes and Tim Duncan had one NBA title with David Robinson. The Kings were good and the Cavs weren’t. The Nets were close to winning the Eastern Conference Championship and Andrew Bynum, who has a Lakers championship ring, was 14. 2009 number one draft pick Blake Griffin was 12. The number five pick from last year, Ricky Rubio was 11. (Heck, that’s only one year older than me.)
Now we’re in the midst of the 2010 season. The Nets suck. LeBron and Kobe are lighting up the league. Yao, although inured, has proven to be an all-star. Dwayne Wade is a superstar with a ring. KG has a ring too. Jason Kidd is one of the greatest point guards ever. T-Mac is perennially injured. Vince Carter is closing in on a possible decline. Starbury is in China, Francis is who knows where, and Damon StoudAmire has been replaced by Amare StoudEmire. Payton, Webber, Malone and Stockton are retired. Along with MJ. Dirk, Nash, and Pierce are stars, while Iverson is nearing the end of a great career. Shaq is nearing the end of a hall of fame career, while Vlade Divac is long retired. Reggie Miller’s career is over along with David Robinson’s. Tim Duncan has four rings. The Kings are bad and the Cavs good. Andrew Bynum is 22. Blake Griffin is 20, and Ricky Rubio is 19. And I’m 18, not 9.
But, despite all of these changes, the world isn’t all that different. Stars are still stars, rivalries still rivalries and players are still looking for the win. And maybe their high-tech cell phone, too. (Okay, so not everything is the same).
Rachel M 
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