Wilt Chamberlain

Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936 and stands 7 feet and 1 inch tall. He was considered as one of the most dominant players in NBA history because of his record-breaking achievements and skills during his career. In his early years, he was already an athletic type of kid, but it was not basketball that he enjoyed doing but track and field. It was in his high school and college years that he became really interested in basketball. He became a professional basketball player in 1958 but not yet with NBA. He was well paid being a player and eventually gained entry at NBA in 1959 as part of the Philadelphia Warriors team. During his first season, he played really well and scored best making him the MVP and the Rookie of the Year. In 1965, he was traded to Philadelphia 76ers and once again proved to be very good in basketball. He won the MVP award for three consecutive years giving him a total of 4 MVP’s but was again traded in 1968 to the Los Angeles Lakers team. He had his last game in 1973.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor was born on April 16, 1947; this American basketball player stands 7 feet and 2 inches tall and had so many achievements within his belt. When he was still at the high school, he started engaging in basketball. He was a record-breaker in his school because of the outstanding points he contributes to the team in a game. In college, he continued his passion for basketball and joined in many competitions. He was named Player of the Year twice in his college career. Later, he joined the NCAA Basketball champion team and has proven again his expertise by achieving the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA for three consecutive years. He gained entry into the NBA on 1969 playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, and he immediately rose to stardom and was later awarded the Rookie of the Year. As part of the Bucks, he was awarded the Most Valuable Player in 1971, 1972 and 1974. In 1975, he decided to leave Milwaukee and became a player for the Los Angeles Lakers. He remained tough in the later seasons with his new team and once again became the Most Valuable Player in 1976, 1977 and 1980. He was famous for his trademark, which was called the “sky hook”. He used this in his every game, which prevents other players from blocking his shot. He retired on June 28, 1989 after twenty years of excellent basketball playing.

Michael Jordan

He is another famous American basketball player whom others consider the most impressive player of his time. Born on February 17, 1963; he is a player with so many achievements in the field of basketball. He gained entry into the NBA on 1984 as part of Chicago Bulls and showed off his skills, then was later named Rookie of the Year. He was a player who scored more than the average points acquired by a regular player making him one of the highest pointers of all time. He won his first MVP award at the NBA in 1988 and was also the Defensive Player of the Year because of his impressive blocking and stealing tactics during that season. He was really famous during the peak f his career that even in other home courts, he still has a wide number of fans. He won another four MVP’s in 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1998. He had retired twice and still managed to make it big in his comebacks. He was featured in many magazines and was named one of the best players of all time on NBA in 1996. Mike’s was part of the Washington Wizards when he had his last game on April 2003. He spent more than two decades playing as a professional basketball player.

You might think this is impossible but there are a lot of career opportunities in the basketball arena that can still make you work in your field of passion. You might not necessarily be shooting hoops but here are a few careers that you might want to reconsider to suit your field of interest and expertise.

• A career in the sciences.

With the popularity of the basketball games as one of the high-income generating sports, more professional aid is needed. Medical staffs play an important role in assisting the players during the game, especially when an injury occurs. Medical staffs are also needed to keep the players in top shape and fit.

Statisticians are also needed to obtain the probability and odds in winning the game and how a player can maximize his or her shooting skills as well as minimizing the opponent’s advantage in terms of defense and offense.

Physicists can also calculate the projectile motion and trajectory path of the player’s shooting techniques and make necessary analysis on how to obtain an optimum advantage in terms of the team’s gaming skills.

Sports psychologists are also needed to help a player be at his or her best in terms of the team’s environment, home environment and his or her personality. He or she can analyze the best source of motivation for the player and help the player recover from the traumatic psychological effects of injury and help the player get back in the game.

• Be part of the game.

If your basketball skills or height provide as a drawback in being part of playing the game, you may opt to be a coach, a trainer or a scout. These opportunities require a deep understanding of the game and how to get the right players and motivate them.

• Manage the team.

However, if you don’t have a career in science and is not that talented to be a coach or scout, but if you have good managing skills and know the basketball business and its trade and can handle money, you can be the team’s manager or if you have an awful lot of budget you may even own or franchise your own basketball team.

• Manage the player.

If you are not, on the other hand, comfortable in handling a big team but would prefer a one-on-one player management, you can be a sports agent. This would require you to negotiate contracts for the player to his or her full advantage in accordance with his or her skills.

• Earn a college degree.

If you have the basketball talent but is not sure if you can end up being a professional player, just make sure that you will be joining your school’s basketball team so you can get spotted by a scout from colleges or universities, or if you’re lucky, from the professional basketball teams. This will definitely give you an advantage. It’s also very vital to take note that you should be working on your grades since most colleges or universities require certain standard grades for admission to a college scholarship or to maintain being a part of the team. It’s also important to consider that while you are already placed on college scholarship for playing in the school’s team, choose a course that can be your career in case professional basketball won’t work for you. This can serve as your back-up and can help you with your professional working life later.

There are indeed a lot of careers to choose from in the field of basketball, even if you can’t be out on the court and play. This will definitely bring you closer to your interest and passion while having the job that you’re best at. You never know that you might be the next rookie or the most valuable person in your own field.