The MVP race over 15 years, millions of video views and a beard; which has its own twitter feed. – Five top basketball players and incredible facts about them.

LeBron JAMES

Throughout their careers, basketball experts have compared LeBron James to Michael Jordan. Beginning from when James was still in school, Many had a keen interest in him. The starting point for popularity was the 1999/2000 season when LeBron led his school to the state title. During the tournament, James’ team did not suffer a single defeat in 27 matches. And in the final game, 15-year-old LeBron scored 25 points out of 73 and became the MVP. In the next season, everyone wanted to see James in business. LeBron’s school’s home games had to rent a larger room at Akron University to accommodate the fans.

A year before his NBA debut, James appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the caption “Chosen One.”

The publication had an incredible effect. The media and fans did not provide young LeBron access yet, and Adidas, Reebok, and Nike dreamed of signing an advertising contract with him. James opted for Nike, with a $ 90 million seven-year deal with a signing bonus of $ 10 million. The Chosen One outperformed Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neill, and golfer Tiger Woods.

STEPHEN CURRY

Everything is simple here. Stef is a three-time NBA champion and merely the best point guard. Not the one who scored the most points (although this is possible in overtime), but only the best point guard. Which doesn’t matter where you score from – even from the centerline, even from the under-tribune tunnel.

Stephen Curry is the leader of the Golden State. The audience fell in love with him for his incredible shots from any position and the farthest distances. In 2015, Stephen won the first championship, and the fans first chose Curry to participate in the All-Star Game, and since then he has become a regular at this event.

JAMES HARDEN

James Harden, this season, has finally earned the MVP title, which he has been close to for several years in a row. But all the time, someone was in the way: Westbrook was the first to make a triple-double on average for the season in 45 years, then Stephen Curry would score 402 three-point space in the regular season, then LeBron James … Yes, it’s just LeBron James. This time, Harden jumped above his beard and, for the first time in his career, scored more than 30 points on average per game!

This Houston defender became the NBA MVP in the 2017/2018 season. However, James attracts attention not only with a great game but also with his appearance. In 2009, Harden began to grow a beard, and since then the dense facial hair has become his trademark. Now the “Beard” is not only the nickname of Harden but also an object for the creativity of fans.

The beard has its own Twitter and the images with the beard print on t-shirt

KYRIE IRVING

Irving is the youngest representative of this rating; he is only 27 years old. He has already managed to play on a team with LeBron James, to become a world champion, and to play in the Olympic Games and the NBA. He has one of the best dribbles in the Associations. Perhaps this is why Pepsi invited Irving to star in its ad campaign. The difference is that he plays the role of junior rivals in street venues.

The advertisement was so wildly popular (4 videos gained more than 100 million views) that the idea resulted in the shooting of the full-length film “Uncle Drew.”

The most crystal of the NBA superstars. Irving did not play all 82 matches in any of his seven seasons. “Cleveland” with and without him was two different teams. In the final of 2015, the group of David Blatt and Timofey Mozgov lost Irving in the first match, nevertheless continued to cling to the Golden State, but still did not leave for Lebron alone. In 2016 final, it’s an entirely different matter: Irving first helped the King’ snatch the fifth match (with a critical score of 1-3 in the series), and then scored the decisive three-pointer in the seventh.

MICHAEL JORDAN

Michael went to the starting five, scored over 30 points per game, and since the first season in the NBA has become a fan favorite even at guest venues. After just a month’s professional career, Jordan appeared on the cover of one of the most popular sports magazines in the United States, Sports Illustrated, with the title “A Star Is Born.”

Michael earned the nickname “Air Jordan” for his incredible leap. Subsequently, the nickname formed the basis of the name brand developed by Nike, with which Jordan was awarded a contract to advertise basketball sneakers. Rookie Michael was so famous that Nike agreed to pay Jordan to playing in their Air Jordans sneakers.