March madness is taking the world by storm, with many looking forward to seeing the March Madness schedule, but it isn’t just about march madness; it’s also about the players involved.
March Madness was first brought into fruition in 1939 through the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The idea was originally brought forward by then-Ohio State coach Harold Olsen, a prominent basketball administrator.
Today, March Madness, also known as the NCAA Men’s Division Basketball Tournament, is a single-elimination tournament. The tournament consists of 68 teams that compete in seven rounds to gain the national championship title.
Interesting Facts
As we all know, basketball isn’t just about the sport but rather the players that make up the sport. Below we take a look at a few interesting facts about basketball players.
The Highest-Paid NBA player
We’ve all gotten a little curious about how much some of our favorite NBA players make and whether or not their payments differ. Well, their payments vary and, in many cases, depend on things such as experience. Currently, the highest-paid player is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who signed a deal worth a whopping $228.2 million.
In 2021, Giannis led the Milwaukee Bucks to their championship. If that doesn’t tell you anything, you probably need to watch the game yourself.
The Three-Point shot
Whether you love the NBA or not, you’ve probably heard of Shaquille O’Neal. Shaquille is an NBA legend, 15-time NBA All-Star, and four-time NBA championship. Unfortunately for Shaq, the only thing he wasn’t getting was the three-point shot. In his amazing career as an NBA player, he only made a total of 22 three-point shots, and only one of them was successful.
The shot was made on 16 February 1996 and has since been his only successful three-point shot. Through this shot, Shaq teaches us the importance of one more try and shows us that all it takes is one shot.
Kobe: The Thing His Parents Did That Changed His Life
Kobe Bryant was an amazing character both on and off the court and inspired many through his motivation and work ethic. The NBA drafted Kobe in 1996, but unfortunately for Kobe, he wasn’t 18, which is the legal age needed for you to sign contracts. This means that Kobe needed his parent’s signatures to move forward. His parents co-signed the contract affording Kobe the chance to play the sport of his dreams.
Let’s Talk About Height
For many years there has been a misconception surrounding the NBA and what height you need to be to get drafted. There is no official height given; however, having a little extra length has never hurt anyone.
If you’ve ever heard of Muggsy, then you’ll definitely know of Tyrone Curtis Bogues. Muggsy was actually the shortest player to get drafted for the NBA and came in at 5 ‘3″. He was famously known for his steals and superb skills.
One of the tallest players to ever grace the court was Manute Bol. Bol played the position of rebounder and shot-blocker and made many three-point shooters.
One of the best facts about both these players is that they played for the same team during the 1987 and 1988 seasons. This scenario reminds us that sport is highly based on skill, experience, and one’s ability to play and lead the team to victory.
LeBron and His Hands
We’ve all gotten to the point of wondering which hand our favorite NBA players use but what happens if they use both? LeBron James is one of the most famous players, and whether you’re an NBA player or not, you’ve probably heard of him.
LeBron writes and eats with his left hand, but when he gets on the court, he uses his right hand. This is because LeBron saw most of his childhood idols use their right hand instead of their left, and so to imitate his idols; he used this same method.