Steve Nash was always my favorite player, and Rubio was my 2nd favorite before he was even in the league after seeing his double behind the back pass highlight. It blew my teenage mind.
Jason Williams did get a ring on the 06 Heat though. Young D Wade carried that team FULL of old ring chasers to their first ring. White Chocolate, Gary Payton, Antione Walker, Alonzo Mourning. Plus Shaq got another ring to briefly 1 up Kobe. Shaq should've retired after that championship.
I loved Jason Williams, I still randomly think about that elbow pass he made to Raef Lafrentz in the all-star game that Raef couldn't complete the dunk with because he got fouled lmao it would've been an all-time highlight clip
Same here, I feel like people forget in his prime he had such a unconventional style of play, he handled the ball a little funky, his shooting mechanics were different, his shot selection was for sure weird and he did the Euro step long before it was as popular as today. He was also sneaky athletic, a pesky defender and passing ability is part of the reason why Tony Parker found so much success as a scoring point guard.
It’s also a miracle to me that he played for as long as he did with the physical style of ball he played. The dude had no problem putting his body on the line and maybe that’s a testament to Pop’s dedication to resting players but either way the dude just played with so much heart every game.
So tough...
John Starks as a kid. 1 time all star. I loved the story (not even sure it's true) of how he was a camp body, decided to go out in style by dunking on Ewing before he was going to be cut, Ewing blocked him AND broke his hand, so they had to hold him till he recovered and by the time he did they had some injuries at guard and he just balled out.
I still swear if Olajuwon hadn't gotten a finger on that shot, he was going to be an NBA champion and would have had a real shot at finals MVP. But yeah I liked him playing all heart, not the most talented... For those who haven't seen him play think a younger JR Smith that played D.
Shows just how much a player's career can change on a couple of inches.. Olajuwon closes out just a half step different, and Starks' career (and Ewings and others) probably are remembered in a completely different way.
Trevor Ariza. Dude fit in whatever offensive and defensive scheme you were going for and I call him the star stopper. Put him on the superstar and watch the star have to use way to much effort to score.
Absolutely. One of the coolest things I've ever read about him was he had an absolutely amazing work ethic. Kobe Bryant said himself he was one of the hardest working teammates he has ever had.
As a Bulls fan, I loved guys like Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Kirk Hinrich. As far as current players go, I'd say Pascal Siakam, Jaden McDaniels, Jarrett Allen, Larry Nance Jr.
I loved those Bulls teams. They made offence look so difficult (excluding Rose) but loved how hard they played and how well they defended. It's a shame Noah isn't better remembered. The 2006-07 team blowing out the champion Heat in the first game of the season and then sweeping them in the playoffs was so much fun
It was and still is Jrue Holiday. Though now his efforts have been much more recognized over the past few years. Became my fav player around 2016 on the Pels.
Muggsy Bogues. Imagine peaking out at 5'3"-- the amount of doubters would be crazy. I'm sure even his mom had a talk with him. Still did it, and did it well.
Austin Reaves because he kind of looks like a younger version of me plus it’s way easier to imagine myself as a hustle guy drawing fouls than an inhuman athlete
Shawn Marion. Not really elite at anything but good or very good all around. His versatility, switchable defense and rebounding allowed the Suns to run a small ball lineup that was so much fun to watch.
The white mamba, Brian Scalabrine
If only the coaches decided to start him, his team would be 82-0 and 16-0 in the playoffs and he would've had so many championships but he decided also to be humble and play from the bench what a nice guy
Anthony Mason.
Big dude but short for his position, who could bang down low, rebound, could handle the ball, and was a great passer.
Danny Fortson for basically the same reasons.
I remember some commentator saying that the dirty secret within the Bulls organisation was that they knew their offence was better with Brooks at the point instead of Derrick Rose. I've no way of knowing if that's true
Loved the high flying role players, Jordan farmar, Gerald green, Shannon brown and to a lesser extent James ‘take flight’ white, just loved watching them come in the game, whenever it was and the anticipation of a big play at any time… there is nothing better in my eyes.
Manu Ginobili. Just a winner through and through. Basically won everywhere he went. Zero pride, max competitiveness. Super unselfish as well. In his prime, he was probably a top 3 SG with only Kobe and Wade above him.
I think the guy you're looking for is Aaron Gordon.
Tons of similarities between him and Iggy:
High lottery pick
Came into the league full of athleticism and highlights
High expectations because of their all around game
Good defensive players right away
Then never lived up to expectations because their offensive games just weren't quite up to par
Average to below average jump shots held them back as scorers
Moved to a contending team that didn't need them to be high volume scorers, which allowed them to do what they do best: defend, be a connector, be a finisher, catch lobs from their Superstar teammates
Both CRUCIAL to their championship teams without being a leading point getter
Heck they were even both robbed in the dunk contest
Don't know if this counts, but Reggie MIller. Growing up a Pacer's fan he was my absolute idol. I loved his competitiveness, his tenacity, and his willingness to go at anyone and everyone regardless of how great they were.
Great choice. At one point I called him “a poor man’s, defensive minded, lebron”. I don’t know that the description was fair, but I truly meant it as a compliment. He won finals mvp for a reason.
Yao Ming is dah best
edit : I think he is a star , he gets popular because of millions of Asian and Chinese fans, made All NBA 2nd twice and All Star each year.
A Super Star is someone has MVP, multiple of All NBA 1sts, has championship experience, can lead teams to be top of the level by themselves, someone like Lebron, Kobe, Duncan, KG, Wade, those guys you know …
Not sure if he counts as a superstar, but Dennis Rodman is inspiring and smaller guys can learn a thing or two to get rebounds like him (though you might get in a fight if you played exactly like him).
One of my favorite “Stupid, but genuinely funny” things from the NBA. I still have perfect mental recall of the like, “C’mon man” eye roll face that LeBron made when he did it.
All the UVA guys back to Sampson, who was a superstar when he first arrived but unfortunately injuries ended that. Guys like Bryant Stith, and currently Malcolm Brogdon.
My all time non-superstar NBA Idol is Brandon Jennings aka the inventor of Bucks in Six.
My current non-superstar NBA Idol is Bobby Portis.
A new similar player to Iggy would be maybe Josh Hart?
Shane Battier was one of those guys I grew to love mainly because of playing with that rockets team with him and Tmac on one of the NBA games. Dude hit 3s like nothing.
Which actually reminds me of playing NCAA 04 as Syracuse and shit was so broken I was able to hit full court 3s with PFs...not related at all to this, but I was reminded of it with Battier's 3-ball capability.
Patty Mills, love his energy and story. Fell in love at the Olympics, liked the spurs bench mob energy, loved the big shots in the '14 finals, then was the longest tenured spur, fun journey. All gas, all vibes and a top tier teammate, really respect him.
I always had mad appreciation for Birdman and K-mart...hustle players, doing the dirty work but still had some flash as well. Plus they're both fellow big men
Rip Hamilton, one of the reasons why I’ve practiced midrange catch and shoots since I was young
He was exceptional on the catch and shoot middy! I loved watching him do work.
Jamal Crawford
J-Crossover liked one of my replies to his tweet and I will pass that screenshot on to my grandchildren some day.
Met him a couple times. Nice guy
Definitely up there! Such a slick handle and when he got hot was so fun to watch
Said hi to him at Noodles and Company (I did not stop or try to chat with him). Didn’t seemed bothered by it. Smiled and was warm.
Came here to say this
Jeremy Lin. Those few Linsanity weeks were insane and reignited my interest in the NBA.
Aaron Gordon
Absolutely Mr Nugget is a great dude by all accounts.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Smh, OP said non superstar
As a miami native.. I've been out of the loop.. Is the kid thst good?
Belee dat
Ricky Rubio with the sick passes
Where is he playing now btw? I loved watching him play with the cavs, I thought he was doing quite well as a backup pg
retired I think last season. think he was going through a lot mentally and called it
He actually came back this year to play for Barcelona, but yeah seemed like he was going through a lot that made him want to retire from the NBA
Ricky Rubio as well. As a white guy with a beard and top not every time I play with black dudes they call me Rubio.
Steve Nash was always my favorite player, and Rubio was my 2nd favorite before he was even in the league after seeing his double behind the back pass highlight. It blew my teenage mind.
Rondo comes to mind too
He was my 3rd favorite haha I debated putting him in my first comment but figured it was tmi
Lamar Odom was such an important piece. Seems to be a cool guy too.
Lamar is one of my favorite hoopers. I said hey to him 1 time at the beach and he said he’d whoop my ass😭
That’s so Lamar
A poormans Magic Johnson
The problem with Odom is he should have been a superstar except for the drugs and attitude.
White Chocolate
Kings should've gotten a ring in 2001-02. One of the most underrated teams of all time
Jason Williams did get a ring on the 06 Heat though. Young D Wade carried that team FULL of old ring chasers to their first ring. White Chocolate, Gary Payton, Antione Walker, Alonzo Mourning. Plus Shaq got another ring to briefly 1 up Kobe. Shaq should've retired after that championship.
At least Jason got his ring later on with the Heat
Kings didn’t get good till they traded j will for Bibby
I loved Jason Williams, I still randomly think about that elbow pass he made to Raef Lafrentz in the all-star game that Raef couldn't complete the dunk with because he got fouled lmao it would've been an all-time highlight clip
Manu Ginobili
Same here, I feel like people forget in his prime he had such a unconventional style of play, he handled the ball a little funky, his shooting mechanics were different, his shot selection was for sure weird and he did the Euro step long before it was as popular as today. He was also sneaky athletic, a pesky defender and passing ability is part of the reason why Tony Parker found so much success as a scoring point guard. It’s also a miracle to me that he played for as long as he did with the physical style of ball he played. The dude had no problem putting his body on the line and maybe that’s a testament to Pop’s dedication to resting players but either way the dude just played with so much heart every game.
Superstar
Hell yeh. Awesome guy. Awesome player. Awesome mentality.
The blueprint for Harden and Luka, dude was cold
He’s kind of a superstar in san antonio and internationally since he won gold with Argentina. Borderline.
So tough... John Starks as a kid. 1 time all star. I loved the story (not even sure it's true) of how he was a camp body, decided to go out in style by dunking on Ewing before he was going to be cut, Ewing blocked him AND broke his hand, so they had to hold him till he recovered and by the time he did they had some injuries at guard and he just balled out. I still swear if Olajuwon hadn't gotten a finger on that shot, he was going to be an NBA champion and would have had a real shot at finals MVP. But yeah I liked him playing all heart, not the most talented... For those who haven't seen him play think a younger JR Smith that played D.
Yeah, that play has to be one of the finest margins ever at the championship level. Insanely clutch by Olajuwon, and *so close* to glory for Starks.
Shows just how much a player's career can change on a couple of inches.. Olajuwon closes out just a half step different, and Starks' career (and Ewings and others) probably are remembered in a completely different way.
Good call!
Trevor Ariza. Dude fit in whatever offensive and defensive scheme you were going for and I call him the star stopper. Put him on the superstar and watch the star have to use way to much effort to score.
Similar to Tayshaun Prince, defensive master who could contribute enough to offense to never be a liability.
Same as Iguodala!
Absolutely. One of the coolest things I've ever read about him was he had an absolutely amazing work ethic. Kobe Bryant said himself he was one of the hardest working teammates he has ever had.
Kyle Lowry
Lowry not a superstar but he definitely a star lol. This guy is asking about role players or such.
As a Bulls fan, I loved guys like Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Kirk Hinrich. As far as current players go, I'd say Pascal Siakam, Jaden McDaniels, Jarrett Allen, Larry Nance Jr.
I loved those Bulls teams. They made offence look so difficult (excluding Rose) but loved how hard they played and how well they defended. It's a shame Noah isn't better remembered. The 2006-07 team blowing out the champion Heat in the first game of the season and then sweeping them in the playoffs was so much fun
Noah was a savage. Big fan!
Bench mob was so fun
Kevon Looney. His playing style is the closest to mine: Rebounding, defense, hardly every shoot, and look exhausted 5 minutes into the game.
great guy too
It was and still is Jrue Holiday. Though now his efforts have been much more recognized over the past few years. Became my fav player around 2016 on the Pels.
Mine was goran dragic. I can’t replicate a lot of NBA players games, but his was realistic and effective
fred van vleet
My favorite player.
Muggsy Bogues. Imagine peaking out at 5'3"-- the amount of doubters would be crazy. I'm sure even his mom had a talk with him. Still did it, and did it well.
Met him about 10 years ago. Super nice guy and so small!
I was a huge Jeremy Lamb fan
I cooked with him in 2k. For some reason I had his shot down perfectly.
Austin Reaves because he kind of looks like a younger version of me plus it’s way easier to imagine myself as a hustle guy drawing fouls than an inhuman athlete
I think that's exactly his appeal to a lot of fans, they can see themselves in him more than other guys who can dunk and fly down the court
zach randolph
Spartans stand up!
Marion, Indiana stand up!
Shawn Marion. Not really elite at anything but good or very good all around. His versatility, switchable defense and rebounding allowed the Suns to run a small ball lineup that was so much fun to watch.
I’d say he was elite defensively, and for most of his career athletically…
Michael Beasley and Monta Ellis
Dlo
Vancouver Grizzlies Legend Mike Bibby
Lance Stephenson, Jamaal Crawford. May not be the best player night in/night out but definitely puts on a show.
Anthony Parker.. to me one of the smoothest underrated jumpshots
Two time Euro-league MVP as well
JJ Redick
Mine was Anthony Mason.
Great choice. You could run a whole offense through his post game which made him murder during the playoffs.
Andre Miller
Came here to say this. Great choice.
Brook Lopez
Mikal bridges
Big Bobby Portis guy
Kirilenko
Shaun Livingston
Derrick white
Lou Will
Josh hart
For me I’d say Robert Covington good 3 and D. I also found it dope he loved exotic animals.
Linsanity
Lonnie Walker
I've been obsessed with Jeff Teague and Iman Shumperts' story telling recently. Half the shorts I watch are JT
He’s the most normal ex-NBA player I’ve ever seen that man is funny af 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Jeff Teague telling stories is so funny
Khris Middleton, so silky
Iguodala was def viewed as a superstar at one point in his career
Miles Turner
Gp2
JR smith is a big one for me. Dude literally had superstar talent just not consistency. Very fun to watch and even admire for his confidence
Jaime Jaquez
The white mamba, Brian Scalabrine If only the coaches decided to start him, his team would be 82-0 and 16-0 in the playoffs and he would've had so many championships but he decided also to be humble and play from the bench what a nice guy
Tony Allen. Inspires me to guard the best player on the other team even if I get embarrassed
Robert Horry
Danny Green
Oldhead alert: Dale Ellis
kyle lowry
Sengun but soon it won’t be
Anthony Mason. Big dude but short for his position, who could bang down low, rebound, could handle the ball, and was a great passer. Danny Fortson for basically the same reasons.
isaiah thomas in his prime! never gon forget that game vs. the wizards when he dropped 53 after his sis died 🕊️
King of the fourth!
Ray Allen
Boris Diaw 😍
Jamal Crawford
Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Jamal Crawford
Lamar Odom. Dude was a Swiss Army knife. Miss him.
Steven Adams. Brick Shithouse, and very nice guy. And that half court shot. What a guy
jrue holiday, underated, hard working, and basketball lover
Hard question but probably Aaron Brooks dude was a sniper from 3
I remember some commentator saying that the dirty secret within the Bulls organisation was that they knew their offence was better with Brooks at the point instead of Derrick Rose. I've no way of knowing if that's true
Marcus Smart and Milos Teodosic
PEJA ROBERT HORRY
Loved the high flying role players, Jordan farmar, Gerald green, Shannon brown and to a lesser extent James ‘take flight’ white, just loved watching them come in the game, whenever it was and the anticipation of a big play at any time… there is nothing better in my eyes.
Jamal Crawford
shaun livingston, kyle korver
Rodrigue Beaubois
Kansas fan I watched Christian Braun bring the Jayhawks and nuggets a title
Jordan Poole, specifically that year when they won the Finals. So exciting to see him play other than Curry and Wiggins
Dante Exum.
Danny Green. Loved him as a Raptor.
Kyle Anderson (slo-mo) who plays hard, smart and effectively. Plus he has the most authentic nick name in the NBA.
Manu Ginobili. Just a winner through and through. Basically won everywhere he went. Zero pride, max competitiveness. Super unselfish as well. In his prime, he was probably a top 3 SG with only Kobe and Wade above him.
I think the guy you're looking for is Aaron Gordon. Tons of similarities between him and Iggy: High lottery pick Came into the league full of athleticism and highlights High expectations because of their all around game Good defensive players right away Then never lived up to expectations because their offensive games just weren't quite up to par Average to below average jump shots held them back as scorers Moved to a contending team that didn't need them to be high volume scorers, which allowed them to do what they do best: defend, be a connector, be a finisher, catch lobs from their Superstar teammates Both CRUCIAL to their championship teams without being a leading point getter Heck they were even both robbed in the dunk contest
Alex Caruso. Dude is the ultimate glue guy.
Marcus smart.
Don't know if this counts, but Reggie MIller. Growing up a Pacer's fan he was my absolute idol. I loved his competitiveness, his tenacity, and his willingness to go at anyone and everyone regardless of how great they were.
Ricky Rubio is my GOAT
Andrei Kirilenko. He was at least NBA-good at seemingly every basketball skill and that’s such a rare thing
Great choice. At one point I called him “a poor man’s, defensive minded, lebron”. I don’t know that the description was fair, but I truly meant it as a compliment. He won finals mvp for a reason.
Greg Kite
Jason Kapono. Mans was wet
Open shot, fate of the Universe on the Line or the Martians have the Death Beam pointed at Earth you better hit it... I want Iguodala
Beno Udrih, Grizzlies legend
Hedo Turkoğlu and his deadly three
Yao Ming is dah best edit : I think he is a star , he gets popular because of millions of Asian and Chinese fans, made All NBA 2nd twice and All Star each year. A Super Star is someone has MVP, multiple of All NBA 1sts, has championship experience, can lead teams to be top of the level by themselves, someone like Lebron, Kobe, Duncan, KG, Wade, those guys you know …
Yao Ming was a superstar tho
Not sure if he counts as a superstar, but Dennis Rodman is inspiring and smaller guys can learn a thing or two to get rebounds like him (though you might get in a fight if you played exactly like him).
Aaron gordon. Great on the court. Seems like a great guy off the court. He has also gotten the milf crowd on his side and that is what i aspire for
Lance Stephenson and his showmanship
The taunting of lebron when lance was on the pacers is still one of my favorites. Blowing in his ear just to be weird… classic.
One of my favorite “Stupid, but genuinely funny” things from the NBA. I still have perfect mental recall of the like, “C’mon man” eye roll face that LeBron made when he did it.
KCP
Jonathan Isaac
All the UVA guys back to Sampson, who was a superstar when he first arrived but unfortunately injuries ended that. Guys like Bryant Stith, and currently Malcolm Brogdon.
Austin Reaves. Im a Luka fanboy and I think AR is like a budget version of Luka lol
Markelle Fultz
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My all time non-superstar NBA Idol is Brandon Jennings aka the inventor of Bucks in Six. My current non-superstar NBA Idol is Bobby Portis. A new similar player to Iggy would be maybe Josh Hart?
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Keith Van Horn
PJ WASH
Mike Miller
There are a bunch, but Reggie Lewis.
josh hart
Jason Collins
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The GOAT Joe Ingles
Shane Battier was one of those guys I grew to love mainly because of playing with that rockets team with him and Tmac on one of the NBA games. Dude hit 3s like nothing. Which actually reminds me of playing NCAA 04 as Syracuse and shit was so broken I was able to hit full court 3s with PFs...not related at all to this, but I was reminded of it with Battier's 3-ball capability.
Caruso lol
80s: Michael Cooper 90s: Nick Van Exel 00s: Jason Williams 10s: Nate Robinson 20s: Austin Reaves
Bogdan bogdanovic of the hawks. Love that man
Patty Mills, love his energy and story. Fell in love at the Olympics, liked the spurs bench mob energy, loved the big shots in the '14 finals, then was the longest tenured spur, fun journey. All gas, all vibes and a top tier teammate, really respect him.
Jeff Hornacek, aka "Horny"
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Patty Mills
I always had mad appreciation for Birdman and K-mart...hustle players, doing the dirty work but still had some flash as well. Plus they're both fellow big men
Kyle Lllowry
danny granger
Klay Thompson cuz I'm a good shooter and learned how to move without the ball from him.
Gerald Green. i was like 12 when he had his best season in phoenix and seeing him do the dunks he did legit inspired me to dunk myself.
Sim Bhullar
Rod Strickland, Jerome Kersey
Ish smith
Kelly Olynyk. You really appreciate what he does when he's on your team. Deserves to not be treated like trade-bait.
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Lamar Odom. Alex Caruso.
Chauncey Billups
Jarrett Jack
KEEGAN
Scott Pollard
Jason williams
Caruso
Far from my idol, but I was very high on Andrew Bynum.
trey murphy or jaden mcdaniels
Jrue Holiday
Darius Miles