As writers about the sport we love, it can be easy to distill and summarize. Too often these outstanding athletes and entertainers are reduced to dehumanized debate points and objective numbers. Advanced metrics are here for that reason, as is a good portion of this website. But it’s the players themselves who drive the narratives, both in their approach to the game but also the stylistic flairs that intertwine between the personal and professional.
This piece is for Remembering Some Guys, players who shaped our interest in the sport. Players here spark possibilities, whether through unrealistic pathways or unusual playing styles. Sometimes it’s important to sit back and cherish.
Emiliano – Jonathon Simmons
A barber impacted my vision of basketball.
It sounds weird, right?
Jonathon Simmons‘ story is an example of perseverance. After a vagabond collegiate career ended with Houston, being talented in haircutting, he considered attending barber school and getting a barber license. But he gave basketball a last shot and paid the $150 fee to attend the Austin Toros’ local tryout. He shined among the 60 participants and from there started the rise that brought him onto an NBA court after two seasons in the then D-League.
There’s a particular Regular Season game that stuck with me and made me realize how great his journey was: the Spurs win at the Oracle Arena on the 2016-17 opening night. Simmons had 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists and put his explosiveness on full display. I vividly remember his LeBron-esque chase-down block on Stephen Curry in transition and the poster on JaVale McGee with 5 seconds left, his autograph on the game. He clearly was never a prodigious player but he was a spark of energy and athleticism for an aging team like those Spurs.
Jonathon Simmons was probably the first player that made me realize the game isn’t just about the brighter stars, he made me appreciate the G League, its stories of success, and the guys that are trying to overcome difficulties and beat the odds. The NBA and sports in general (especially in the past) have accustomed us to a superheroic narration of players but even a barber can change things.
Charlie Cummings – Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
The artist formerly known as Chris Jackson is a trendsetter across multiple sports, and you may have never even heard of him.
His on-the-floor impact was secondary to his off-the-floor exploits. After beginning his career in the NBA, Jackson converted to Islam and changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf a la Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This was the first big public step he made in a profoundly impactful life outside of just playing basketball.
Abdul-Rauf was the first player in the NBA to protest the National Anthem, refusing to participate in what he believed was oppressive behavior and choosing to instead recite an Islamic prayer during the anthem. For his courage, the NBA fined and suspended him, and effectively blackmailed him into stopping this very peaceful protest. It’s a conveniently forgotten instance of the league, which now openly embraces such protests, putting down a man for what he believed in. Considering what we know now, was he so wrong to say he felt oppressed just by the sight of the United States flag?
His public stances earned him nothing but ire from the public. Not only did his employer actively disagree and try to shut him down, but local radio jockeys in Denver went into a mosque and blared the Star-Spangled Banner (trash song, does not bang) as a retort to Mahmoud. After his career ended, MAR moved back to his home in Mississippi. After a time, his home was burned down in what was ruled an arson. Though suspects were not formally charged, KKK graffiti painted on the house previous to the burning strongly points to a culprit. In a stunning turn of events, the Mississippi police did not prosecute themselves in favor of a Black Islamic man. Yet he never relented in his convictions. Very few people would refuse to fold in the face of such danger and criticism, but Mahmoud did.
Though certainly not a footnote, Abdul-Rauf also openly struggled with Tourette’s Syndrome. Not only did he take his diagnosis in stride, he said it empowered him to be better. A truly inspirational human being in every sense of the word.
On the floor, the man was flat-out dynamic. For a time he was one of the most electric offensive players in the league, with blinding speed and a lethal pull-up jumper. Proto-Steph Curry comparisons have been drawn, and they are reasonable when you see the hell he put Michael Jordan through (yes, that Michael Jordan) trying to keep pace:
If Mahmoud had played in an era of increased offensive spacing and encouragement to shoot from deep, who knows how high his star would have risen? But regardless of hypotheticals, in this house, we acknowledge Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf as one of the most important players of all time.
Now, go watch Stand.
Corban Ford – Monta Ellis
Just over a decade ago, on the afternoon of December 29th, 2012, one man stood in front of assembled cameras pre-game, and not only boldly compared himself favorably to an arguable top-5 shooting guard of all time, but then cemented his comments by informing the captive media audience that, aside from a few little championship rings and a couple of scoring titles, it was really he who “have it all”.
Folks made fun of that line almost the minute it left that player’s mouth, and it only got worse late that year in the playoffs, when his Milwaukee Bucks were swept with ruthless efficiency by the Miami Heat, behind Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, (that shooting guard that sparked the comparison in the first place) and Chris Bosh. Suffice it to say it didn’t age well. Say “have it all” to a person who knows NBA history and they will probably offer a chuckle. Say it to me and I will know you mean the great Monta Ellis without a moment’s hesitation. And I won’t think it’s a laughing matter.
Sure, the lack of all-star appearances and championships don’t look super great in retrospect, and sure, maybe he was more a “top 10 shooting guard of the 2010s” than he was “top 10 shooting guard ever”, but Monta Ellis to me epitomized what it means to play basketball your style and lay it all out there, warts and all, unapologetically (setting the stage for my Russell Westbrook love later), while also being confident enough (and maybe even slightly delusional enough) to strut your stuff and put your game right up against anyone’s.
With that being said, Ellis was no scrub. The man has career averages of 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists over nearly 850 games. He was a key component of the 2007 “We Believe” Warriors squad, he had a fun season suited up alongside Brandon Jennings with the Milwaukee Bucks, and he also had some memorable years assuming the primary scoring option responsibility alongside an aging Dirk Nowitzki on some fun Dallas Mavericks units in 2014 and 2015. He was electric in transition, could get hot from mid-range (and occasionally from deep), and did just enough playmaking that you could run him at the point and not feel horrible about your offense’s prospects.
Yes, Ellis wasn’t the best shooter from long range (career 31% from three). Defense was…well let’s just say it was a word Ellis knew, and he lost his fastball very quickly once he left Dallas as his nuclear athleticism faded. Also no, he was in fact no Dwyane Wade, not in 2012 or in the years following. He doesn’t have a hall of fame resume, and it’s easy to down his efficiency numbers and lack of playoff success. I don’t care. Ellis showed me that basketball can be played in a different way than the consensus might suggest, and that is fine. This wonderful game is big enough for all styles to fit in. And yes, in my opinion, Monta really did have it all. And that, my friends, is good enough for me.
@BeyondTheRK – Mickael Pietrus
Who is the greatest role player in Orlando Magic history?
Guarding Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals after singlehandedly outscoring LeBron’s Cavs’ bench 83-66 for an entire playoff series, Mickael Pietrus was the ideal role player for that 2009 Orlando Magic team, solidifying D&3 on the wing coveted by Head Coach Stan Van Gundy and General Manager Otis Smith around the unstoppable Hedo Turkoglu – Dwight Howard pick and roll with Richard Lewis lurking beyond the arc and Jameer Nelson getting his buckets in between.
Pietrus’s profound perimeter defense, high-volume three-point floor spacing, and dynamic rim-attacking dribble drive dunking ability brought clean balance to the two-way force of the rotation.
Mickael offered strong, smart wing defense with length, quickness, and timing to help him guard any position 1-3 and even some small fours, the ability to knock down an open three on the other end, and enough handle to create a little wiggle room on his own.
Air France showed up on the biggest stage.
Against Kobe’s Lakers in the NBA Finals, Pietrus guarded Bryant tight, making the game slightly tougher than normal, contesting tough jumper after tough jumper.
When the Magic beat the Lakers in Game 3, Mickael Pietrus combined with Rafer Alston, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Dwight Howard to score 78 PTS on 63% FG%, setting the NBA Finals FG% record at the time for a half as a team (75% FG%) in Orlando’s first individual NBA Finals game victory in the team’s franchise history.
Against LeBron’s Cavs, Pietrus outscored the entire Cleveland bench himself over an entire playoff series 83-66! Over those six games, Mickael launched six threes a game, posted a super efficient 51-47-75 shooting line, finished paint-and-spray kickout good ball movement opportunities off Dwight post-ups and Hedo/Rafer drive and kicks in pick and roll, specializing on the three balls, corner pocket.
Pietrus quickly won over Magic fans by making life difficult for the opposing team’s best players, throwing down high-flying highlight jams while contesting Kobe in the Finals and splashing in threes against Paul Pierce’s Celtics and LeBron James’ Cavs for epic photo opportunities on Orlando’s route to the Finals, featuring my phone background for most of high school:
A rookie 11th pick drafted to fill an immediate role, Courtney Lee won the starting 2-guard job during that 2009 Finals run, bringing good feel, coachability, and fundamentally sound two-way team-first play, someone who could pick up opposing guards and hit catch and shoot threes.
Yet, Mickael remained a more dynamic option off the bench; the 26-year-old was closer to his athletic prime, flashing more north-south burst and vertical leaping ability, while still stretching the floor from deep and offering similarly sound defense against the other team’s best perimeter player.
In the 2008-09 regular season, Lee played 25.2 minutes per game (MPG) over 77 games, starting 42 of them; Pietrus played 24.6 MPG over 54 games, starting 25 of them.
Lee shot 40% 3P% on 2.6 3PA, Pietrus knocked down 36% 3P% on 4.1 3PA.
Both shot around 47.5% on 2s and scored around 9 points per game while defending the other team’s best guard or wing with positional versatility as two 6’6” wings who impact the game with top-notch defense first, catch-and-shoot threes second, and attacking closeouts third.
In the playoffs that year, the rookie Lee played 26.2 minutes per game, starting 16 of 21 outings, yet shot only 27% 3P% on 2 3PA, while the 6th-year player Pietrus averaged 25.8 minutes, starting 0 of 24 contests, and hit a blazing 38% 3P% on 4 3PA.
Air France embodied the heart of this Magic team, filling a role an inexperienced squad needed at the time. Pietrus wins fans over at every stop with his exciting NBA Jam style of play.
Consistent energy, dynamic athleticism, two-way impact with shooting confidence, and feathery floor-spacing touch is exciting at every level of basketball.
Spending the first five seasons of his career in Golden State, Mickael played a part in another special one-year flash-in-the-pan run in NBA history.
In 2005-06, the Dallas Mavericks made the NBA Finals, a team led by Dirk Nowitzki that lost to D Wade’s Heat. In the 2006-07 playoffs the following year, that Mavs team earned the #1 seed in the regular season, yet ended up being knocked out in the first round, becoming the third #1 seed ever to lose to an #8 seed in a playoff series.
The “We Believe” Warriors earned their name off the two-way toughness and thrilling up-and-down play of Baron Davis, Monte Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Andris Biedrins and Al Harrington leading a Golden State team to the playoffs and becoming the third eighth-seed in NBA history to eliminate a first-seed in the playoffs, following the Denver Nuggets in 1994 and the New York Knicks in 1999.
These late 2000 Magic teams featured four former We Believe Warriors: Adonal Foyle, Jason Richardson, Matt Barnes, and Mickael Pietrus
In an always riveting game of “name some guys”, there are tons of fun options for the greatest Orlando Magic role player.
Rafer Alston showed up in the right place at the right time, filling in for an injured Jameer while unlocking even more playmaking, defense and three-point shooting for a team that couldn’t have enough of it around one of those dominant inside forces game of basketball has ever seen in prime Dwight with the ace up the sleeve of an unstoppable halfcourt set when Hedo and Dwight would run the two-man game.
JJ Redick, Ryan Anderson, J Rich, and Q Rich all brought fan-favorite floor-spacers, with The Polish Hammer Marcin Gortat going from the best backup big in the league to a high-paid rim-rolling starter. Bo Outlaw, Darrell Armstrong, Pat Garrity, and 3D Dennis Scott are some early fan favorites.
There’s just something about the swaggering confidence that Air France plays with, his dynamic ability to look like he belongs on that court with any star at any time because he could affect the opposing star defensively, stretch the floor for his team from deep, and create his own shot when needed by attacking closeouts with the dribble drive vertical attack dunking at the rim and soft touch on short-range pull-ups.
Mickael Pietrus is a fan favorite at every stop because he does the little things that fans appreciate: hustle, heart, dunks, and threes; exciting two-way play that helps his team on both ends.
Lucas Kaplan – Vince Carter
When the Toronto Raptors finally, rightfully, welcomed Vince Carter back after a decade of animus in 2014, it was a true watershed moment for NBA sentimentalists, the kind an ever-algorithmed league is now less capable of producing. It was fantastic. It also slightly annoyed 14-year-old Lucas.
I was already, frequently, the lone Nets fan amid a sea of blue and orange. I grew up and went to school within walking distance of MSG, but my father, for various reasons, had abandoned his lifelong Knicks fandom by then. I was a free agent, and the New Jersey Nets were also on local television.
As best I can tell, the current mainstream narrative of Vince Carter’s career tends to emphasize his burst onto the scene in Toronto – the dunk contest! – and his career eventually unfolding across an NBA eon, his 22 seasons the most ever. But what happened in between? Well, he was a Net, and a great one at that, a 24/6/5 guy who rose to 26/7/6 in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, there’s no reason to reflect on Carter’s Nets career all that much. Yes, the epic posterization of Alonzo Mourning, who VC punched as often as the sun rises, lives on. But those Jersey teams are justly remembered* for their back-to-back early 2000s Finals runs that came prior to Carter’s arrival. Nothing all that memorable happened with VC as a Net – they won a couple of playoff series with a shallow roster in a weak-but-not-weak-enough Eastern Conference.
*as much as New Jersey Nets teams can be remembered
So I, only a Nets fan because Vince Carter was on local television hitting long-range bombs and dunking on people in 2006, as opposed to whatever Eddy Curry and the Knicks were doing at the same time, was just a tad bit dismayed when the Raptors honored him. Carter was my hero. If Raptors fans didn’t appreciate him, and the Nets would always be Jason Kidd’s franchise thanks to an era I was too young for, then Vinsanity would only be truly special for me.
Obviously, much has happened over the last 15 years. I am no longer eight years old. Besides playing it, my relationship with basketball has been more recently been influenced by the talent boom of the pace-and-space era that really got me into loving hoop – like, wanting to know how teams could defend a pick-and-roll – that culminated with those 2016 Finals, a collective point of demarcation.
Part of me is hesitant to revisit those Carter years that began it all. I don’t want to acknowledge the ceiling-defining limitations of his game, a handle just a bit too sloppy, decision-making just a hair too slow. I don’t want to remind myself how putrid those Nets rosters were outside of Kidd, Carter, and Richard Jefferson, my first Big Three. 
And then I remember that being right doesn’t matter, especially in basketball, a concept my eight or 14-year-old self, who were both sure Vince Carter was simply the best, would scoff at. It’s a concept I still have to remind myself of, and VC helps me do that. There is inextricable beauty in the way New Jersey Vince combined athleticism and hand-eye coordination, the way he floated through the air and tossed up finger-rolls and hook shots from a bygone era. In his best moments, Carter looked like a Monstar that had perfected basketball; they looked simultaneously impossible and effortless.
Deeeep threes and clutch moments, of which there were many, are what I will most remember from Carter’s time as a Net. And he often combined those two traits, especially when facing his former team in Toronto, where he was the most hated player of any NBA fanbase, ever; until LeBron’s Decision:
The most hated man in the NBA going back to enemy territory and doing that! Could you imagine the years of content-baiting and endless discussions centered around those moments if a star did that today?! Perhaps the truly seasoned NBA fans will remember those killshots like the back of their hand, but to me, it feels like they’re on the verge of getting lost in history. I can’t let that happen. For the first time in a long time, I realize that Vince Carter the New Jersey Net was special, and not just to me.
The players who made you fall in love with basketball will always matter, and it’s honorable to preserve their legacies. Why else do we invest all this time and energy? Just don’t tell us what made them the best. Tell us what made them special.
Corey Rausch – Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Wallace was ahead of his time. Not just because he embodied personality and gave us the ubiquitous “Ball Don’t Lie.” The floor spacing big man was something that the league was not truly ready for. When someone like Dirk Nowitzki, an obvious contemporary, went to the outside he was incorrectly labeled as soft. No one would dare say something similar about Sheed.
From 2001-2009, Wallace attempted 3.9 triples per game and shot 34.8 percent. While that is certainly paltry by today’s standards, it was revolutionary at the time. Even better, once he arrived in Detroit, it was his unique game that springboarded the team into the title they would win that season. Yes, they had Chauncey Billups’ shotmaking, Ben Wallace generational defense, and Tayshaun Prince all-time block. But Sheed was the final piece. He could play elite defense but still fit next to Wallace on the offensive end.
After he arrived in Detroit the Pistons posted the best defensive rating in the league by more than seven full points per 100 possessions. It was unfair. But everything about Rasheed Wallace was. He had to give a little of it back with all of the technicals he earned (317, third most of all time). Somehow though, you could never be mad at him for it.
Wallace changed the vision of what a star could be for me. It did not have to be scoring, though he was more than capable. He was a stout defender, a strong rebounder, and a valued teammate. But the numbers rarely mattered. He was there to pick his spots, hold others accountable, and win. The team posted a 289-147 (66.3 winning percentage). Every time a big shoots from behind the arc, “SHEEEEEED” still rings out in my head.
Josh Url – Muggsy Bogues
I was the short kid until my sophomore year. While I literally looked up at most people I didn’t really “look up” to many. Except for Muggsy Bogues
Muggsy Bogues was the shortest player in NBA history at just 5’3” yet he played for 14 seasons!
He is the reason I love passing and defense. He is the reason I think the highly unlikely is not impossible. He is the reason I love basketball.
Matt Powers – Jamaal Tinsley
While basketball has been a lifelong passion of mine, that has not always included the NBA. But a few players along the way had an impact that exceeded that of the sport. Despite being already mostly forgotten as a zero-time All-Star without a ring, perhaps no player has been more meaningful to me than Jamaal Tinsley.
The creative side of basketball has its champions like Magic and Nash, but I am convinced Tinsley has as good of a passing vision as any. At only a listed (and unlikely) 6’3’’ and lacking a consistent outside shot (career 30% from three, less than 1 per game), Tinsley was able to start 400 games at point guard for mostly successful teams. He compensated for his limitations not just with creativity, but weaponized creativity. He combined table-setting with advantage-seeking like no one I’d seen before, particularly thriving in the chaos of transition or on broken plays.
Tinsley seemed capable of anything, putting up mega stat lines like a 12-point, 15 assist, 9 rebound, 6 steal, 5 block game and a 19 point, 23 assist, 11 rebound, and 5 turnover game in his first month as a rookie. I was hooked. The possibility of this single player, unimpressive in stature but able to access any angle to get past the giants, meant I no longer knew the limits of what was possible on the court. I treasure the uniqueness of personality expression on the basketball court, with every player ultimately also expressing themselves within the artistry of the game. Tinsley made sure I never forget that.
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