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I see this term thrown around often. Do you determine who is a superstar in the NBA based on what he's done on the court? Based on how often you see him on tv commercials, magazines, etc.? Based on how many championships he's won? Please define your idea or opinion of a superstar.

One who can pass or score at will in any given situation or time.

A player who can raise their level of play enough to win a game on their own.

A player that dominates the game.

Paul, LeBron, Kobe, healthy Wade, Howard, Duncan, KG.

A superstar is a player who consitantly beats the best teams and step up their game when it matters.

Some people like to use the ability to sell tickets and merchandise to determine what players fit into the category of a superstar. As for me, I focus on a players performance on the court.

IMO, a 'superstar' would be a talented player who has become a household name.

LeBron James is a 'superstar'. Kobe Bryant is a 'superstar'.

A 'star' would be a talented player who has become a household name to casual fans, but isn't really known outside of sports.

For example, if I asked my mom if she's ever heard of LeBron James, she'd likely say yes. If I asked her if she's ever heard of Ray Allen, she wouldn't know who he was.

That's the way I'd define it.

Someone who is able to win a title being the man on a team.

Paul,LeBron,Kobe,Wade,Duncan

Deron Williams perhaps. I'm sure they're are others that don't pop into my mind.

I wouldn't consider KG or T-Mac one although they have the potential skill wise to be one.

MagicMadness wrote:IMO, a 'superstar' would be a talented player who has become a household name.

LeBron James is a 'superstar'. Kobe Bryant is a 'superstar'.

A 'star' would be a talented player who has become a household name to casual fans, but isn't really known outside of sports.

For example, if I asked my mom if she's ever heard of LeBron James, she'd likely say yes. If I asked her if she's ever heard of Ray Allen, she wouldn't know who he was.

That's the way I'd define it.

So does your mom look at basketball? If not, how does she know Lebron? Is it because there are people in your household that talk about him often or does she see his commercials? Does she know Lebron because she sees him play basketball or because she see's his Vitamin Water or his The Lebrons' commercials?

I get what you're saying btw. My mom knows him because sometimes she'll tune into games. If she just happened to come upon one of his commercials though she wouldn't know who he was.

Someone who can be called a superstar regardless of how you determine the term. That leaves me with 2 current players; Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (2 best players and also 2 most popular).

Simply put, a player that can lead their team to a championship. One exception is a player that's a top-notch player that doesn't have a championship level supporting cast.

Superstars in the league: Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Duncan, KG. Paul and D12 will most likely be on the list next year.

So does your mom look at basketball? If not, how does she know Lebron? Is it because there are people in your household that talk about him often or does she see his commercials? Does she know Lebron because she sees him play basketball or because she see's his Vitamin Water or his The Lebrons' commercials?

I get what you're saying btw. My mom knows him because sometimes she'll tune into games. If she just happened to come upon one of his commercials though she wouldn't know who he was.

My mom doesn't really pay attention to sports. But she would know that Tiger Woods plays golf, or that LeBron James plays basketball.

I mean, she knows that Dwight Howard is a big star for the Magic. But that's only because we live in the Orlando area. If I wasn't a Magic fan, and if we didn't live in the central Florida area, I doubt she'd know who he was.

I think I'll change my definition a bit. A player can still be a superstar even if not "everybody" knows who they are. I'll say that guys like LeBron and Kobe (and Tiger Woods) are elite superstars ('best of the best' talents, all over ESPN, in commercials and ads, are MVP (or POY) candidates, internationally recognized celebs, etc.), while guys like Dwight Howard and Phil Mickelson are superstars (top talents, in commercials and ads, household names in their respective sports, good majority of people have heard of them, internationally known, sell tickets).

I'm not necessarily going by talent, or by ability to lead a team to a championship. That's only part of what determines a 'superstar'. For example, David Beckham is a 'superstar', but his talent has been dwindling for some time now. He's still the most famous name in soccer right now, though. Some people in this thread are defining the term 'franchise player'.....

MagicMadness wrote:

So does your mom look at basketball? If not, how does she know Lebron? Is it because there are people in your household that talk about him often or does she see his commercials? Does she know Lebron because she sees him play basketball or because she see's his Vitamin Water or his The Lebrons' commercials?

I get what you're saying btw. My mom knows him because sometimes she'll tune into games. If she just happened to come upon one of his commercials though she wouldn't know who he was.

My mom doesn't really pay attention to sports. But she would know that Tiger Woods plays golf, or that LeBron James plays basketball.

I mean, she knows that Dwight Howard is a big star for the Magic. But that's only because we live in the Orlando area. If I wasn't a Magic fan, and if we didn't live in the central Florida area, I doubt she'd know who he was.

I think I'll change my definition a bit. A player can still be a superstar even if not "everybody" knows who they are. I'll say that guys like LeBron and Kobe (and Tiger Woods) are elite superstars ('best of the best' talents, all over ESPN, in commercials and ads, are MVP (or POY) candidates, internationally recognized celebs, etc.), while guys like Dwight Howard and Phil Mickelson are superstars (top talents, in commercials and ads, household names in their respective sports, good majority of people have heard of them, internationally known, sell tickets).

I'm not necessarily going by talent, or by ability to lead a team to a championship. That's only part of what determines a 'superstar'. For example, David Beckham is a 'superstar', but his talent has been dwindling for some time now. He's still the most famous name in soccer right now, though. Some people in this thread are defining the term 'franchise player'.....

Gotcha. Thanks.

A superstar is mostly how the player is thought of off the court. Guys like LeBron and Kobe are known throughout the world, and thus they are superstars. D-Wade could fit that definition too, since he's become an endorsement magnet.

I pretty much agree with MM.

Star, superstar... it's all semantics.

Practically players that seperate themselves from being marginal All-Stars. These are guys who deservingly make the All-Star game 10 yrs throughout their career. Once these guys decline below the level of top 10 players, I'd say they are still very good, perhaps great, but not superstars anymore.

My superstar list includes:

Kobe
Lebron
Duncan
Garnett
Paul
Howard
Williams
*Wade (when healthy)

Borderline: Pierce, Amare, Nash, Dirk, McGrady, Yao and perhaps a few others I've surely forgotten