The team began play for the 1966/67 NBA season, and immediately posted the best record by an expansion team in NBA history. Coached by Chicagoan and former NBA star Johnny “Red” Kerr, and led by former NBA assist leader Guy Rodgers and forward Bob Boozer, the Bulls qualified for the playoffs.

In their first two seasons, the Bulls played a majority of their home games at the International Amphitheatre, before they moved to the Chicago Stadium. Over the next few years, the Bulls assembled the pieces to be competitive, though they never quite reached the top. During the 1970s, the Bulls were known as a tough, defensive-minded team, built around hard-nosed defender Jerry Sloan, forwards Bob Love and Chet Walker, point guard Norm Van Lier, and centers Clifford Ray and Tom Boerwinkle. Nevertheless, the team only won one division title and never made it to the Finals.

The Bulls’ primary rivals have been the Detroit Pistons ever since the Jordan-led Bulls met the “Bad Boy” Pistons in the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals. The two teams met in the playoffs four consecutive years, with the Pistons winning each time until 1991. The Eastern Conference Finals in 1991 ended with a four game sweep of the Pistons, who, in an unprofessional manner, walked off the floor with time still on the game clock.

The rivalry was renewed in the 2007 Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which former Detroit cornerstone Ben Wallace met his former team (the Pistons won in 6 games). The geographic proximity and membership in the Central Division further intensify the rivalry, which has been characterized by intense, physical play ever since the teams met in the late 1980s.

Chicago fans have been known to have a disliking for Detroit professional teams, as it is the only city that is in the same division as Chicago in all four major North American sports. “Detroit Sucks” is commonly chanted when playing any Detroit team.The Bulls also had an intense rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Unlike the rivalry with the Pistons, in which the two teams have been relatively competitive, the Bulls-Cavs rivalry has been one of the more one-sided rivalries, heavily favoring the Bulls. Twice, Michael Jordan hit game- and series- winning shots against the Cavaliers in the playoffs. The rivalry was renewed in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, but this time the Cavaliers reversed the situation with LeBron James, who led the Cavs past the Bulls in five games.

Another franchise that the Bulls have competed fiercely with is the New York Knicks. The two met in the playoffs in four consecutive years (1991/94) and again in 1996, with the teams’ series twice (1992 and 1994) going the full seven games. Their first playoff confrontation, however, came in 1989 when both teams were called “teams on the rise” under Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, respectively. That first confrontation would belong to Chicago in six games of the Eastern Semifinals.

The Bulls triumphed in the first three years (1991/93) before narrowly losing in 1994 but exacted revenge in 1996. As with Detroit, the historic rivalry between the cities has led to animosity between the teams and occasionally their fans.

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Later that evening, the Heat announced the trade of Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a pair of second round picks and cash considerations. On July 8, 2010, it became official that NBA superstars and gold medal winning Beijing Olympic teammates Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh would be joining Miami. The Heat completed sign-and-trade deals, sending a total of four future first-round and two second-round picks to the Cavaliers and Raptors for James and Bosh (both signing 6 years and $110.1 million contracts).

Dwyane Wade re-signed with the Heat for $107.59 million for six yearsThe three made their debut at the 2010 Summer Heat Welcome Party at the American Airlines Arena on July 9, where they were introduced as The Three Kings by Heat play-by-play announcer and event co-host Eric Reid.Howard Beck of The New York Times described the national fan reaction to the party: “Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries.”

The Miami Heat began the regular season with much hype going into their first game against the Eastern Conference Champs, the Boston Celtics. Many considered the Miami Heat as the team to break the single season record of 72 regular season victories set by the Chicago Bulls.On the opening game of the season, broadcast on the TNT Network and featuring the debut of reigning two-time NBA MVP James in a Miami uniform alongside Chris Bosh, the game was the most-watched NBA contest ever on cable television.

The Heat lost the opening game 88-80 and got off to a 9-8 start. Much of the speculation was that Spoelstra could lose his job and that Heat president Pat Riley would return as coach, especially after a well publicized incident when James “bumped” into Spoelstra during a timeout against the Dallas Mavericks.On January 27, 2011, via fan voting, LeBron James (forward) and Dwyane Wade (guard) were selected to be starters for the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game becoming the second pair of teammates to be selected as All-Star starters in franchise history.

A few days later, forward Chris Bosh was selected as a reserve, marking the first time in Heat history the team has sent three players to the All-Star game in a single season.The 2011 Heat finished with a 58-24 record, third best in team history and a second overall seed, behind the Chicago Bulls who had the NBA’s best record.

In the NBA Playoffs, Miami defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in the First Round, Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and Chicago Bulls in the Conference Finals, all in 5 games. The Heat lost the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks in six games where Dwyane Wade averaged 26.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, the highest scorer on the team.

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The Knicks were successful during their early years and were constant playoff contenders. Beginning in 1950, the Knicks made three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, all of which were losing efforts. Subsequently, the team began to falter and it was not until the late sixties when Red Holzman became head coach did the Knicks begin to regain their former dominance. Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two championships in 1970 and 1973.

Though a consistent playoff contender afterwards, New York struggled to recapture their former success. In the past decade the Knicks have only made the playoffs twice most recently losing to the Boston Celtics in the first round of contention under the lead of Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.

The Knicks and former Phoenix Suns forward/center Amar’e Stoudemire came to an agreement on July 5, 2010.The sign and trade was made official on July 8 as Stoudemire agreed to an approximately $100 million contract over the span of five years. Team president Donnie Walsh recognized the signing of Stoudemire as a turning point for the future of a Knicks team that had struggled in recent years.

The Knicks continued to redesign their roster trading David Lee to the Golden State Warriors for Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike and Ronny Turiaf.The Knicks also struck deals with former Bobcats point guard Raymond Felton and Russian center Timofey Mozgov. The Knicks regained their title as the most valuable franchise in the NBA following these acquisitions, though this was mainly due to the arrival of Stoudemire, whose star power allowed the team to resurge; the Knicks sold out their full-season ticket inventory for the first time since 2002.

D’Antoni along with Stoudemire and the core of young players, including Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Mozgov, Wilson Chandler and rookie Landry Fields, piloted the Knicks to a 28/26 record prior to the All-Star break marking the first time the team had been above the .500 mark at that point of the season since 2000.In spite of the team’s mounting success,New York made a push to acquire Denver Nuggets standout Carmelo Anthony.

After months of speculation, on February 21, 2011, Anthony was traded to New York, with teammates Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, and former Knick Renaldo Balkman. Denver acquired Felton, Gallinari, Chandler, Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, a 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors’ second round draft picks for 2013 and 2014 and $3 million in cash. In addition, the Knicks sent Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry to the Minnesota Timberwolves and in return the Timberwolves’ Corey Brewer was sent to the Knicks.

The Knicks clinched their first playoff berth since the 2004 NBA Playoffs in a rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 3, 2011. Carmelo Anthony ensured the franchise’s first winning season since 2000 on April 10, 2011, against the Indiana Pacers, as Anthony scored the game winning basket for the Knicks and subsequently blocked Danny Granger’s shot in the final seconds of the game.

The Knicks were ultimately eliminated from contention in the first round on April 24, 2011 by the Boston Celtics, losing the series 4/0. In spite of Donnie Walsh’s successful efforts to help rebuild the franchise, he decided not to return as the team’s president and general manager, electing to step down at the end of June 2011 citing the uncertainty surrounding his ability to continue to manage the daily operations of the team Glen Grunwald was elected as interim president and general manager.

Following the conclusion of the 2011 NBA lockout, the Knicks engaged in a sign-and-trade deal with the Mavericks for center Tyson Chandler on December 10, 2011, with Chandler signing a four year $58 million contract. In return, the Knicks sent Andy Rautins and an $11 million trade exception to the Mavericks. Ronny Turiaf and $3 million cash considerations were sent to the Wizards to complete the three-way trade.

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Tomjanovich coached the team to a 22/19 record before resigning due to health problems. Assistant Frank Hamblen was named interim head coach to replace Tomjanovich for the remainder of the season.[183] Bryant (ankle) and Odom (shoulder) suffered injuries, and the Lakers finished 34/48, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history.

With the tenth overall pick in the draft, Los Angeles selected Andrew Bynum, a center from St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey.The team also traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to the Washington Wizards for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit. Jackson returned to coach the team after Rudy Tomjanovich resigned midway through the previous season.

On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest total in NBA history.Ending the season 45/37, the team made the playoffs after a one season absence. After taking a three games to one lead in the first round, the Suns came back to take the series in seven games.

In the following season, they won 26 of their first 39 games, but lost 27 of their last 43 including seven in a row at one point to finish 42/40. They were eliminated in the first round by the Suns again, this time 4/1. Frustrated by the team’s inability to advance in the playoffs, Bryant demanded to be traded in the offseason. Buss initially agreed to seek a trade,but also worked to try to change Bryant’s mind.

After re-acquiring Derek Fisher, Los Angeles started the 2007/08 season with a 25/11 record, before Andrew Bynum, their center who was leading the league in field-goal percentage, went out for the year due to a knee injury in mid-January.They acquired power forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade in early February and went 22/5 to finish the season.

The Lakers’ 57/25 record earned them the first seed in the Western Conference.Bryant was awarded the league’s MVP award, becoming the first Laker to win the award since O’Neal in 2000. In the playoffs, they defeated the Nuggets in four games, the Jazz in six, and the defending champion Spurs in five, but lost to the Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals.

In the 2008/09 season, the Lakers finished 65/17; the best record in the Western Conference.They defeated the Jazz in five games, the Rockets in seven and the Nuggets in six, to win the Western Conference title. They then won their fifteenth NBA championship by defeating the Orlando Magic in five games in the NBA finals. Bryant was named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career.

The Lakers, who had added Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace [203]) in place of Trevor Ariza in their starting lineup, finished the 2009/10 season with the best record in the Western Conference for the third straight time. On January 13, 2010, the Lakers became the first team in NBA history to win 3,000 regular season games by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 100/95.They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Utah Jazz, and the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference playoffs.

In the finals, the Lakers played the Boston Celtics for the 12th time. They rallied back from a 3/2 disadvantage in the series and erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter of the seventh game to defeat the Celtics. This series win gave them their 16th NBA title overall and 11th since they moved to Los Angeles. Bryant was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row, despite a 6/24 shooting performance in game seven.

After much speculation, head coach Phil Jackson returned for the 2010/11 season. In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets in the first round.But their opportunity for a three-peat was denied by the Dallas Mavericks in a four-game sweep of the second round. After the season, it was announced that Jackson will not be returning to coach the Lakers.

After Jackson’s retirement, former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown was hired as head coach on May 25, 2011. Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, a candidate to replace Jackson, learned of the Lakers’ decision on television.

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The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, and have won 16 championships, their last being in 2010. As of 2011, the Lakers are the second most valuable NBA franchise according to Forbes, having an estimated value of $643 million.The franchise started with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems of the NBL. The new team began play in Minneapolis, Minnesota, calling themselves the Lakers in honor of the state’s nickname, “Land of 10,000 Lakes”.

In their last year in Minneapolis, the Lakers went 25/50. On January 18, 1960, the team was coming off a loss and traveling to St. Louis when their plane crashed.Snow storms had driven the pilot 150 miles off course when he was forced to land in a cornfield. No one was hurt. Their record earned them the number two pick in the 1960 NBA Draft. The team selected Jerry West from West Virginia University.

During the 1960 offseason, the Lakers became the NBA’s first West Coast team when owner Bob Short decided to move the team to Los Angeles. Led by Baylor’s 34.8 ppg and 19.8 rpg, Los Angeles won 11 more than the year before in West’s first season.On November 15 that season, Baylor set a new NBA scoring record when he scored 71 points in a victory against the New York Knicks while grabbing 25 rebounds.In doing so, Baylor broke his own NBA record of 64 points.

Despite a losing record, the Lakers made the playoffs. They came within two points of the NBA Finals when they lost in game seven of their second round series against St. Louis.Led by Baylor and West at 38.3 and 30.8 ppg respectively,the Lakers improved to 54/26 in 1961/62, and made the finals. In a game five victory, Baylor grabbed 22 rebounds and set the still-standing NBA record for points in a finals game with 61,despite fouling out of the game.

The Lakers, however, lost to the Celtics by three points in overtime of game seven.Frank Selvy, after making two jumpers in the final 40 seconds to tie the game,missed a potential game-winning 18 foot jump shot in regulation, a miss which he said in June 2010 still haunted him more than 40 years later.Los Angeles won 53 games in 1962/63, behind Baylor’s 34.0 ppg and West’s 27.1 ppg but lost in the NBA Finals in six games to the Celtics.

After falling to 42/38 and losing in the first round of the 1964 NBA Playoffs to the Hawks, the team won 49 games in 1964/65. The Lakers surged past the Baltimore Bullets in the division finals, behind West’s record-setting 46.3 ppg in the series.They lost again to Celtics in the Finals however, this time in five games.Los Angeles lost in the finals to Boston in seven games again in 1966, this time by two points.

Down by 16 entering the fourth quarter, and 10 with a minute and a half to go, the Lakers mounted a furious rally in the closing moments which fell just short. After dropping to 36 wins and losing in the first round of the 1967 NBA Playoffs, they lost in the finals to the Celtics again in 1968.Los Angeles moved to a brand-new arena, The Forum, in 1967, after playing seven seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

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Kansas State participates in the NCAA’s Division I and is a member of the Big 12 Conference since 1996. Previously, Kansas State competed in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference until 1912; the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1913 to 1928; and the Big Eight Conference from 1928 to 1996 (known as the Big Six from 1928/47 and the Big Seven from 1947/57). Because the Big 12 does not sponsor rowing, the women’s rowing team competes as an affiliate of Conference USA.

Kansas State’s men’s basketball team began competition in 1902. The program has a long history of success. The first two major conference titles captured by the school were won in the sport, in 1917 and 1919, in the Missouri Valley Conference. Kansas State has gone on to capture 17 conference crowns in the sport. The program has also appeared in 25 NCAA basketball tournaments.

Kansas State lost to the University of Kentucky for the national championship in 1951, reached the Final Four four times, the Elite Eight 12 times, and the Sweet Sixteen 16 times. K-State has finished ranked in the Top Ten of the AP Poll on eight occasions (most recently in 2010), and in the top twenty 13 total times. When Street & Smith’s Annual listed the 100 greatest college basketball programs of all time in 2005, K-State ranked 22nd.

After a lengthy period with little success during the 1990s and 2000s, the team recently returned to prominence. Following a twelve-year absence, the team returned to the NCAA tournament after the 2007/08 season, under first-year head coach Frank Martin. Following that season, Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley was named an All-American and Big 12 Conference Player of the Year.

In the 2009/10 season, the team spent much of the year ranked in the Top 10 of the AP Poll and finished second in the Big 12 with an 11-5 record. The team received a #2 seed for the 2010 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, and beat North Texas, BYU and Xavier to advance to the Elite Eight. The season ended for Kansas State with a loss to Butler on March 27, 2010.Kansas State’s women’s basketball team began intercollegiate competition in 1968. The team is among the top 15 all-time winningest programs in the NCAA.

The women’s team has participated in 18 total NCAA basketball tournaments and AIAW tournaments (pre-NCAA), the second-most appearances in the Big 12 Conference. K-State has finished ranked in the Top 10 of the AP Poll on three occasions (1984, 2003, 2004), and in the top twenty nine times. Following the 2005/2006 season, Kansas State was crowned champion of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.The current head coach is Deb Patterson. Under Patterson, the team has attended eight NCAA tournaments and won two conference championships.

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The club’s home games are played at the Staples Center, an arena shared with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team has only had six winning seasons in its entire history, and only two since moving to Los Angeles in 1984.

On May 19, 2009 the Los Angeles Clippers were awarded the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The Clippers had a 17.7% chance of being awarded the first pick. With the 1st selection in the draft, they selected forward Blake Griffin from Oklahoma. To open up a spot in the starting lineup for Griffin, Los Angeles traded Zach Randolph to Memphis for Quentin Richardson on July 1. Richardson was then traded on July 20 to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, and Mark Madsen.

Although Griffin immediately impressed in training camp and the preseason, his rookie season was short-lived. On October 23, he broke his kneecap during the Clippers’ final exhibition game against New Orleans, most likely after a dunk that left him wincing in pain. Initially, the Clippers’ stated that Griffin only had a sore left knee, which would make him questionable for the season opener the following Tuesday night, before revealing the break. The injury ultimately sidelined Griffin for the entire season.

On February 4, 2010, head coach Mike Dunleavy resigned his position as head coach, and Kim Hughes was named interim coach. Dunleavy retained his front-office title and duties for just over a month, but on March 10, 2010 he was fired as General Manager of the Clippers, being replaced by Neil Olshey. Dunleavy received the news of his dismissal from the internet, as well as friends and reporters calling his cell phone.

The Los Angeles Times reported on April 20, 2010 that Dunleavy has filed for arbitration and that the Clippers have cut off his salary, even though his guaranteed contract does not end until after the 2010/2011 season.Although the Clippers did see some minor improvement, finishing with ten more wins at 29/53, Hughes was fired as head coach at the end of the season.

On July 6, 2010, former coach of the Chicago Bulls, Vinny Del Negro was hired as the Clippers’ next head coach. On August 16, the team introduced new uniform designs at a photo shoot, at the team’s practice facility. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan modeled the new uniforms, which were re-designed for the first time since the 2000/01 season The Clippers’ primary and secondary logos, which are modifications of the previous ones, were introduced to the public weeks earlier, on the night of the 2010 NBA Draft.

With new star Eric Gordon, and Chris Kaman, an improved DeAndre Jordan, a re-energized Baron Davis, and the debut of No. 1 pick Blake Griffin, the Clippers had high hopes going into the season. However, they got off to a weak start, losing ten of their first eleven games with their stars Baron Davis and Chris Kaman out with injuries. However, the Clippers showed strength when 3 of their first 4 wins came from the top teams in the Western Conference (the Oklahoma City Thunder, the New Orleans Hornets, and the San Antonio Spurs) and also, defeated the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Boston Celtics.

Nonetheless, Griffin got off to a strong start, drawing increased media attention in Clippers games and boosting ratings of local broadcasts of Clippers games.Griffin was chosen as a Western Conference Reserve in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, a rare honor for a rookie; he was the first chosen by the coaches for the game since Tim Duncan in 1997. Griffin also won the NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

As the trade deadline approached, the Clippers sent Baron Davis along with their 2011 first round draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. The first round pick they gave to Cleveland turned out to be the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. With that they selected Kyrie Irving.

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Louisville has been to eight Final Fours (7th all time) and is one of 13 programs in the nation to have won two NCAA championships. Under Denny Crum in the 1980s, Louisville went to four Final Fours, winning two NCAA championships, and posting the best NCAA tournament record of that decade.
U of L basketball has been named the seventh best all-time basketball program by Street and Smith’s, The Sporting News, and CBS Sportsline.

The Cardinals have won 18 or more games 37 of the past 40 years, including 15 years with 24 or more wins.As of the end of the 2010-11 season, U of L had an all-time 1635/854 record in 96 seasons of intercollegiate basketball. The Cardinals are 18th among all NCAA schools in victories and 10th in winning percentage. U of L is second all-time in the NCAA with 46 consecutive winning seasons (not current).

The Cards played winning basketball from 1944-45 through 1989-90, winning 20 or more games on 31 occasions during that period. Louisville is 101/0 all-time when scoring 100 or more points. Louisville has won its conference championship or finished second in its league in 22 of the last 31 years. The Cardinals have been ranked on 429 occasions in the AP poll, seventh most all-time. U of L rose to as high as No. 4 during the 2005-06 season on Dec. 12, when the Cards had won their first six games. Louisville was No. 7 in the AP preseason poll and No. 8 in the ESPN/USA Today preseason poll last year.

Louisville has made 37 NCAA Tournament appearances (5th all-time) and 14 NIT appearances. The Cardinals have reached the NCAA Tournament 24 of the last 31 years (six of the last nine years, 12 of last 16). The Cards have reached the Sweet 16 on 23 occasions. Louisville is fifth in tournament victories (62). UofL has a 62/37 overall NCAA Tournament record, reaching the Final Four eight times.

Louisville is the only school in the nation to have claimed the championship of three major national post-season tournaments including the 1948 NAIB championship, the 1956 NIT title and the 1980 and 1986 NCAA championships.From 1956 to the completion of the KFC Yum! Center in 2010, the Cardinals played their home games at Freedom Hall. Louisville had a 664/136 record in 54 seasons in Freedom Hall (.83 winning percentage).

Freedom Hall has been the site of six NCAA Final Fours, four additional NCAA events and 10 conference tournaments. ESPN College Basketball magazine once named Freedom Hall as the nation “Best Playing Floor.”Louisville has ranked among the top 10 nationally in average home attendance each of the last 27 years, including the last 22 in the nation’s top five (18,316 in ’05-06, fourth in the nation). Two of the top 10 all-time crowds in Freedom Hall came during the 2005-06 season.

A Freedom Hall record 20,091 fans attended the Cardinals Jan. 21 game against Connecticut. In 2010, a new Freedom Hall attendance record was set when 20,135 fans witnessed the Cardinals defeat the #1 ranked Syracuse Orange in the final University of Louisville game in the arena. With sellout crowds the norm and ranking third nationally in home attendance, the Cardinals have a waiting list of more than 4,000 to purchase season tickets.

U of L has been the most profitable college basketball program in the nation for 10 straight years.Valued at $24.4 million, Louisville’s basketball team is ranked third on Forbes The Most Valuable College Basketball Teams list.Louisville’s rivalry with the University of Kentucky has long been considered one of the best in college basketball, and the basketball game is commonly known as the Dream Game by locals and Battle for the Bluegrass by those outside the Commonwealth. Louisville also maintains basketball rivalries with West Virginia, Cincinnati, Memphis and Marquette.

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After the program was over, I approached my father in a child-like fashion asking him “Dad, do you remember a guy named Pistol Pete?” The look on my father’s face is one that I will never forget as he turned to me and had a look on his face as if I had just spoken holy words.

“Of course I do, he is one of the greatest basketball players ever but most I remember of him is his trademark floppy socks.” We spoke a little bit longer as he told me about Pete’s scoring records and how he was ahead of his time in his style of play, etc. There are defining moments in everyone’s life, your first haircut, your first kiss, getting a driver’s license, but one of my defining moments was unique to me, when I accepted Pistol Pete as my role model and icon that very day.

From that day on I was all about Pete Maravich. I sought out his Homework Basketball tapes, watching them religiously into the night and then practicing those drills the next day until I physically couldn’t any longer.

Those socks that my father spoke of were now being replicated around my skinny ankles, as I dribbled the ball up the court sporting my new number 7 rec league jersey. I asked my friends to start calling me “Pistol” Pollack, as that nickname sounded like music to my ears.

I continued this throughout high school, by this time getting some physical comparisons to my role model. My tall frame was wirey and skinny, my hair shagged out in Maravich-esque style, my demeanor somewhat alike his; sheepish and shy on the court but bursting on the inside with love for the game of basketball.

When I was 18, I got a tattoo of a basketball with a crown on top of it on my right arm, commemorating Pete and his “Heir to a Dream” theme that he spoke of in his 1987 biography, followed by another tattoo at the age of 24 of the angel that graces Pete’s Baton Rouge grave stone.

On the day I write this, I can see more clearly than ever that Pete Maravich has made me into the person I am today. His picture hangs above my bed in my home and I look at it every night before I go to sleep as I hope that he is looking over me, sending me in the right direction.

I had the honor a few years ago to meet one of his son’s, Josh, before my school, the University of Florida played his LSU Tiger team (not to mention that even though I attend the University of Florida, I am a die-hard LSU fan due to the impact Maravich has had on their program).

Though born in 1984, 4 short years before Pete’s untimely death, I feel as if I was there watching every one of his games live. Not many people my age speak of Pete Maravich, they speak more of the hip-hop style of today’s game that include the likes of Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. Little do they know that Pete Maravich is one of the people responsible for this style of play, though he played it 30+ years prior. It is my duty as a basketball fan to constantly remind everyone where this style of play came from.

I see myself as more than a fan of Pete’s; more like a way of life. What I would give to just to be able to talk to him in person and shake his hand, even if it is for 10 seconds. The best way that I can see to carry on Pete’s legacy is to name my first born son in his honor, and to carry on Pete’s everlasting legacy, both on and off the basketball court.

Scott is an avid Pistol Pete Maravich fan and wrote this essay as a contest entry in the Maravich Memories Essay Contest sponsored by Pistol Pete Videos, Ltd.
For more from fans of Pistol Pete, go to Pistol Pete Fans.

Since their inception, the Sparks have been a focal point of the league. The team’s major star was former USC standout Lisa Leslie, who led the Sparks since the team’s inception until her retirement in 2009. Like the Tulsa Shock, the Sparks are one of the two WNBA franchises whose city also has an NBA D-League team, the D-Fenders.

Before the start of the 2008 season, the team’s prospects improved dramatically. Lisa Leslie returned to the team, and on April 9, 2008, the team used its number-one draft pick to select Candace Parker, the college player of the year, the morning after Parker had led the University of Tennessee Lady Vols to their second-straight NCAA championship.

In 2008, the Sparks posted a 20-14 record and finished third in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Sparks beat the Seattle Storm 2-1 to reach the Western Conference Finals and compete against the San Antonio Silver Stars. The Sparks were on track to win game 2 of the series, but Silver Star Sophia Young made a turn around bank-shot with a second left on the clock to force the series to a deciding game three. The Sparks lost game three, and the Silver Stars moved on to the WNBA Finals.

Following the 2008 season, Parker announced that she was pregnant. To compensate for Parker’s absence, the Sparks signed free agent Tina Thompson who was from former rival Houston Comets. Thompson, the four-time WNBA champ and eight-time WNBA All-Star, also went to college with Leslie at USC.

The 2009 season started poorly for the Sparks. Candace Parker began the season on maternity leave, and Lisa Leslie suffered a knee injury early in the season. Both Leslie and Parker returned to the court in July, however, sparking a 10-2 run which turned an 8-14 start into an 18-16 regular season record and clinching the Sparks’ tenth playoff appearance in their 13-year history. In the first round of the playoffs, the Sparks defeated the Seattle Storm for the third time in 4 years.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Sparks’ lost to the eventual champion Phoenix Mercury in 3 games. The end of the 2009 playoff run marked the end of Leslie’s career as a player and Cooper’s second tenure as Sparks’ head coach. In the offseason, former Sparks player Jennifer Gillom became the team’s new head coach.

Currently, the team’s games are not on radio; however, the team did bounce around several stations from 1999 to 2008. The first two years had no broadcasts. Then in 1999, the team signed with KWKU, a sister station to Spanish-language KWKW, licensed to Pomona, California. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times published in this period, KWKU had no switchboard and no website.

In addition, its 500-watt signal reached only a handful of people in the greater L.A. area and was certainly nowhere near the team’s home arenas. In 2003, the team left KWKU for KLAC, which had summer time slots available after the Anaheim Angels’ radio broadcasts had just left. That lasted until 2006, when KLAC switched the broadcasts to XETRA, which carried the same format KLAC had before.

In 2007, the game broadcasts moved again, this time to KTLK, when XETRA switched its language of broadcasts from English to Spanish. The Sparks and Clear Channel Communications chose not to renew their contract after 2008. Sparks radio broadcasts never covered a complete season; most nationally-televised games and many games from the Eastern time zone were not covered. Burnett was the announcer.

Cynthia Hoffman is the author of Ticketwood.com . Ticketwood is a leader tickets market search engine that enable Ticket shoppers to easily find, compare and buy Los Angeles Sparks Tickets sports tickets, theatre tickets WNBA Tickets plus other events tickets.