... or not the NBA is becoming a softer league. To answer this question, one must compare the rules, players, and pace of the game today to that of the overall game of the 1990's. In today's era, fans and critics, mostly critics, have begun to discuss whether or not players in this era ... , and that this era has a different overall focus. Although the NBA's rules have changed over the years, the game of basketball is still essentially the same; a player's objective is to get the basketball into their opponent's basket for either two or three points until the final buzzer sounds, and to defe...

• Word Count: 1332
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Kobe always had a passion for basketball. His father, Joe "Jelly Bean Joe" Bryant, played professional basketball all over the states and in Europe. His father's basketball career dictated and ruled most of his childhood. As a teenager, Kobe really developed his skills and love for the game, while playing for his high ... school team. Once out of high school he rejected the norm, and set his own precedence by going straight to the National Basketball Association. Inspired by basketball icons before him such as Magic Johnson and Michael ... gave him the recognition he needed to make the c...

• Word Count: 1550
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... he terrorized the Nets throughout the entire series and collected 34 points and 10 rebounds in the clincher (NBA.com). Shaq averaged 28.5 points per game with total blocks and assists of 48 and 54 respectively during the 2002 Finals (Sportsline.com). "I just knew I had to hit them," O' ... as well as off court sharing brotherhood companionship (NBA.com). In the Finals, Kobe supported the scoreboard with 25 points and averaged 26.6 points per game and 5.8 assists per game (Sportsline.com). "If I see a gap in the first three quarters and I'm struggling, I"m not going to take it," Bryant sai...

• Word Count: 1466
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... he is feeling a lot of pressure. With all of the hype he was receiving from the whole world of basketball there were many that would be in disbelief of his game. Being granted the honor by all sportscast writers LeBron was to be the first round pick in the 2003 NBA draft ... to put on a one-man show. He did anyway. Displaying his awesome skills to a national television audience for the first time, America's best high school basketball player showed he's equal to all the incredible hype. LeBron James isn't a myth, glossy magazine cover or urban legend. He's the real deal. Television sate...

• Word Count: 1287
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... to suffer. When high school kids watch TV they see Amare Stoudamire, a 21 year old kid who is making $1.7 million a year playing basketball and averaging 15 points a game. They see Kobe Bryant, a 25 year-old who is worth $12.3 million dollars a year (before endorsements) that has won three NBA titles ... the story of Ellis Richardson, a high school standout from California who stupidly applied for the draft in 1998. He went undrafted, no longer plays basketball, and is now serving jail time for robbery (Williams, 1999). These are just three examples of talented high school players that a...

• Word Count: 1444
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the idolizing of a person's favorite sports figures. This admiration causes fans to pay close attention to what they do both in and out of the game. All too often the public is over-exposed to these celebrities's social life and gain information on everything from who they are dating to a severely ... become a role model. Basing their decision on only how well they do while playing a game but they end up taking to all of their habits both positive and negative. Charles Barkley made this point to reporters: "I am a basketball player, not a role model." He then added that that was the par...

• Word Count: 1293
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School