while we are on the topic of favorite players, let's name our favorite all time players and what player made you decide to start watching the NBA?
De'Aaron Fox is my all-time favorite player(I'm a lefty PG tho so i'm biased), his game has the most appeal to me, always thought the way he plays the game looks like the most fun, like if i was gonna emulate my game around anyones, it'd be his but imnot that fast n cant jump that high (though i used to dunk regularly, even from the baseline, but thats like an absolute max effort thing (I'd need to legit go sprinting up sand dunes for months to prepare) for me n almost a little dangerous tbh missing a dunk isnt just a confidence bruiser, its actually pretty easy to get hurt when missing dunks far as im concerned, which is why i marvel at how Fox makes it look too easy).. I started watching the NBA at a very young age, n was always hooked, I also used to just go outside and legit shoot around for the entire day, n then do it again the next --- neighbors worst nightmare type thing cuz im also practicing my dribbling drills slamming the ball hard amking tons of noise. When I think about my entry to being a bassketball lifer, I'm quite sure it was actually jsut shooting around on my own hoop... Thats how i got a lot better at the game tbh so it was always like a sanctuary to go out there n shoot around, ya know when you think of when your young and carefree, when i picture that, i see young me out there just shooting around, trying to improve.
But most certainly it wasnt a player that made me start watching the NBA, i'd imagine like a lot of young kids they might have saw their parents or grandparents watching the local teams, that was my entry-point, I remember watching the games with my grandpa from a very young age, prime Marv Albert calling the games..
If this doesnt get you super hyped idk what else would.. I feel like I could run straight thru a damn wall n not even slow down when I listen to this..
Ok but as for non-kings players, n no one around heres gonna like this answer, but my favorite player is hands-down Chris Paul one of the last true great pure floor generals in this ever increasing world of combo guard dominance. I was always a massive fan of even back in highschool because of the story of him and his grandfather, who died at 61 years old, so CP3 went n dropped 61 points the next game in his honor --- n there's plenty of footage from that game on youtube.. specacular unforgettable environment, up there with the glorious 176-175 victory over the clippers last season one of the best games i ever saw. most people lack that context, they blame CP3 for trying to do all the little things to win, when hey far as I'm concerned I want people trying their damn hardest..There's a train of thought that comes from coaches who say "If you aint cheating, you aint trying" ---- this type of logic flys over the head of so many fans, so I dont blame him for trying, thats literally what your supposed to do. I mean he actually has a shot at breaking Stockton's all time assist record all his haters from decades past woulda laughed so hard if u even suggest stocktons record was breakable, letalone CP3 was the guy to do it.. He just passed MJ for 3rd all time in steals. N he's a damn meatball these days (can still dunk) so his game should age pretty well its not reliant on explosion.
Its funny its like these same fans who complain about the refs being bad, also complain about CP3 trying to bait cheap fouls -- dont you understand? Chris paul agrees with you the refs are so bad they should be consntantly put to the test, because more often than not its gonna end in his favor.. so it just becomes one of those conversations where people wanna change the goalposts, n not really have a discussion within a realistic framework. It's like you could never explain his rationale, but u sit in judgement of it, super flawed logic, if you attempted to explain his rationale it'd only reveal your naievety on the subject, n fans know that, so instead they prefer personal insults.. its insidious behavior.
I own a Chris Paul Wake Forest jersey. Favorite jersey i ever bought, had the shorts too but i pretty much only wore thos en not the jersey so they got worn out.. Dont think I root for his teams every game tho. I'm like a "if you play really good you deserve to win, n if you play bad you deserve to lose" guy, I dont really take that much of a vested interest either way, cuz for me theres literally like 7 players-minimum on every NBA team who im rooting for..
N honestly never in a million years could u convince me that Kobe deserved that MVP over CP3... Kobe literally got the lifetime achievement award MVP that year when CP3 was FAR MORE VALUABLE (they had no team at all without CP3, the Lakers had Pau Gasol n were LOADED with talent.. If VALUABLE, which is the word they use on the award, if VALUABLE, is the operative word (and look at these baseball writers HOF votes, they dont give a damn about what the word valuable means, has nothing to do with their assesments) u could never convince me that lakers team wasnt still relaly good without kobe. without CP3 that New Orleans team was flat out awful. If CP3 is the guy playing in LA and Kobe is the guy in New Orleans, CP3 probably wins that award in a slaughter.
But ya know fans like watch the games n the media n stuff like that... Look at how many players do the Chris Paul in-and-out dribble these days, his influence is quite apparent ---- Do you see how Fox has become magnificent with 2-for-1 and late clock situations, CP3 was always the best at that stuff, so I'm glad to see it rubbing off on other PG's, the floor general is a dying breed, now we just had 2 insane ones here with De'Aaron and Hali, but that is really n truly about as big of an outlier as it gets... as the years pass the players keep getting taller and taller who use the In-and-out. Thats why hes my favorite player, cuz I'm a point guard n was always looking for moves to steal from the pros, n CP3 has a limitless bag of tricks, he can do everything.
He led the league in steals as a rookie... didnt he have a streak of like 90 games in a row with a steal or something?
So many morons thought Deron Williams was better than CP3... n here we are still discussing CP3. I kinda laugh at the bitterness towards CP3 these days, reminds me alot of the biterness the Deron Williams is way better than CP3 crowd used to wield, n no ones heard from that crowd in a decade.
You gotta understand something too. I'm like De'aaron as in, I like to drive left, so to be able to use that cp3 in and out to clear some room (u can bet your ass de'aaron does it) n actually get a good fake in like ur going right when the plan is left for the 100x time in a row, its such a magnificent solution, its totally like a "gotem" type of thing too, they move their foot backward to the right even an inch and u leave them in the dust going left.. Its like one of those things u almost gotta feel n try.. They call me Ginobili at my local runs, u cant let me get a step on you left, its 2 points, this is exactly why. N ya know in pickup games ppl dont realize ur a lefty til u absolutely blow past them like that n then they switch it up, but often you legit get 1 free basket at the start of the game for being a lefty if u use the move right, dribble the ball with your rigght hand then cross it to your left and then in and out to the left, they might play you as a righty from just walking up casually with the ball in ur right.. When I play I try to see how many plays at the start of the game I can hide my master plan of driving left every single time, cuz if I literally bring out like my best version of the move, everyones gonna know right away im a lefty.
N i mean hey ask Fred Vlan Vleet what going to the CP3 point guard camp did for him.. CP3 is not some bad guy in the basketball community.. That camp of his is nothing short of AMAZING.. Its a GREAT HONOR to be invited to that camp.. Ya know its for point guards only... How cool is that? N he takes the best PG's from highschool and college which is when Van Vleet was there...
I legit always believed in Fred Van Vleet because he won that 1v1 tourney they have at the end of the cp3 camp, might sound like trash logic but FVV talent was totally marginalized goin into that, he didnt even get selected... that was honestly my assesment, maybe he could stick, n look at how far he's gone since kinda crazy, but honestly I think to myself --- This guy learned from Chris Paul, n then he got to the raptors and had friggin ultimate competitor Kyle Lowry to learn from as well, then im not as surprised about his success. But thats how I veiw CP3, as someone whos giving back a ton to the community not the player fans are so bitter at n point blank --- I feel lots of these fans would love to see CP3 get injured, thats how bitter they are at him, its not that serious, but thats like boxing fans who are there to see blood spill instead of the finer nuances of the craft, whichj i get is how it is for some, but that damn sure aint how it is for me.