Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Although, a summary of his basketball career and influence on the game inevitably fails to do it justice, as a phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar.

Even contemporaneous superstars recognized the unparalleled position of Jordan. Magic Johnson said, "There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us." Larry Bird, following a playoff game where Jordan dropped 63 points on the Boston Celtics in just his second season, appraisal of the young player was: "God disguised as Michael Jordan.

A brief listing of his top accomplishments would include the following: Rookie of the Year; Five-time NBA MVP; Six-time NBA champion; Six-time NBA Finals MVP; Ten-time All-NBA First Team; Nine time NBA All-Defensive First Team; Defensive Player of the Year; 14-time NBA All-Star; Three-time NBA All-Star MVP; 50th Anniversary All-Time Team; Ten scoring titles -- an NBA record and seven consecutive matching Wilt Chamberlain; Retired with the NBA's highest scoring average of 30.1ppg.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978(1978-08-23)) is an American shooting guard who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career and made instant headlines when he decided to go directly into the NBA upon graduation. He was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant and then-teammate Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. After O'Neal's departure following the 2003–04 season, Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.[2] In 2006, Bryant scored a career high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second highest number of points scored in a single game in NBA history,[3] second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point performance. Bryant won his fourth NBA championship in 2009, leading the Lakers to their fifteenth title. He also won his first Finals MVP award.


Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the youngest of three children and the only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant.[2] He is also the maternal nephew of John "Chubby" Cox. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu.[2] When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Italy to begin playing professional basketball.[9] Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian and Spanish fluently.[9][10] During summers, Bryant would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league.[11] He started playing basketball when he was 3 years old,[12] and at an early age he learned to play soccer; his favorite team was AC Milan.[13] He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player;[13] Bryant is a big fan of former FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and their former player Ronaldinho.[14] Upon Joe Bryant's retirement from playing basketball in 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States.

Lebron James

Born on December 30, 1984, LeBron James is an Ohio native who graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Standing 6'8" and weighing 240 lbs., James has enjoyed a number of career highlights since joining the NBA. Among his recognitions, LeBron James was named the 2003-2004 NBA Rookie of the Year, which made him the first Cavalier and youngest player to ever receive this award. In addition, he is one of only three rookies in the history of the NBA to average a minimum of 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in one season.

During his high school career, LeBron James led St. Vincent-St. Mary to three state championships in only four seasons. It came as no surprised when LeBron gave up his high school football career to concentrate on basketball. His football career was successful, however, as he was named First Team All-State as a wide receiver during his sophomore season and his team progressed to the state semifinals during his junior year.

In 2003, LeBron James was chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was the first pick overall and has remained with the team that first introduced him into the NBA. During his rookies season, James started in 79 games and went on to become the youngest player to score 1,000 points in NBA history.

In 2004, LeBron James continued his love of basketball as he became a member of the 2004 United States Olympic Team, which went on to win the Bronze Medal. During the eight games that were played during the competition, LeBron averaged 5.4 points, 1 rebound and 1.6 assists.