Rather than going Nuggets-exclusive with this question, I'd rather broaden it and look outward to the NBA. Who are your favorite all-time basketball players?
My answers are within.
I'll make this short and sweet, here's my rundown. These aren't always the players with with the best game or the greatest flow. Just players who appealed to me.
5. Clyde Drexler: There was just something about the way Drexler played the game that was appealing. Maybe it was because he was surrounded by Terry Porter, Kevin Duckworth and Jerome Kersey? Maybe it's because he had the prettiest breakaway dunk in the game? (I'm completely serious about this, his dunks were both thunderous and pretty at the same time). All I know is I loved watching him play, and he was completely overshadowed by Michael Jordan during his time. Watch some highlights here.
4. Larry Bird: One aspect of Larry Bird’s game that get’s overlooked often is he was actually a sneaky defender who had a great talent of knocking the ball away from a player trying to post up. Quick hands. Couple that with his scoring and passing ability, it is easy to see why the Boston Celtics were such a dominant team during the decade of the 1980s. Also watch here where Dr. J and Bird get into a fight … always amusing to watch with the benefit of hindsight.
3. Reggie Miller: I will forever love Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds against the New York Knicks in the 1995 NBA playoffs. It was a thing of beauty that was filled with theater (the choke sign, battling with Spike Lee) and, looking back, it was the capstone of what was a brutal Eastern Conference in the mid-1990s. Miller was a pure scorer, but there’s a reason he was a hall of famer … don’t let anyone tell you any different.
2. LaPhonso Ellis: The curse of the Denver Nuggets power forwards continued with Ellis. Knees, who knew they would come back to bite ya? Anyway, Phonz was always a class individual and was one of my favorite dunkers. If injuries didn’t cut short his NBA career, I’m sure Phonz would be listed among the greatest Nuggets of all time. Watch an epic block right here.
1. Alex English: Both my favorite Nuggets player of all time AND my favorite player of all time? Who here bought his book The English Language in the late 80’s? Who here watched the movie Amazing Grace and Chuck? In my opinion English will remain the Nuggets best player of all time for a very long time. His mid-range jumper was unstoppable. His game was silky smooth, and that made him the leading scorer of the 80’s (which is remarkable when you think about it, considering all who played in the decade) and he was on his way to leading the Nuggets to a Game 4 victory vs. the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985 before Kareem Abdul Jabbar intentionally broke English’s hand with his fist. All that aside, just watch this video … very late in his career to see what an unstoppable scorer English was (also features Scott Hastings getting worked by English while posting up). When he left the Nuggets in 1990 to sign as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks, I was crushed. Deserved better. My favorite player of all time.
