What player reminds you of why you love this game?

[PhilBlackson]

All-time -- MJ

Just an insane competitor that I've never seen anything like, not trying to be all friendly with everyone, did it on both ends of the court, clutch and gave you the highlight reel plays. It's really too bad a lot of you aren't old enough to have actually seen him play and understand why he's revered as much as he is. I've never seen a player dictate games night in and night out like he did.

Now just purely FUN for me to watch in TODAY's league, I like Embiid because it's just amazing watching a guy that BIG be that skilled. Sometimes I see him make plays that I truly can't believe a guy his size can pull off. I also like Jokic because he's just so damn creative and such an outside the box thinker on the court which is the genius of his game, whether it's the ridiculous passes or even sometimes he just completely catches guys off guard with the shots he takes/makes, it's incredible. Then of course LeBron because he's just one of the greatest minds the game has seen. The way he understands pretty much the entire court, how to direct an offence and also get his own, one day people are gonna look back and really marvel/appreciate what they were watching instead of worrying how he never surpassed MJ. Eventually my boy Scottie Barnes is going to join this list lol because can already see all the tools are there and he's already had a fairly crazy highlight reel of plays.

A personal favorite during a particular period was the Raptor version of VC. Quite simply the most electrifying player I've ever watched. It was literally every single night he made a play you were just in awe of and of course being a fan of that team, it just added even more hype & excitement to it.

[Sothron]

Current players: Trae, Collins on the Hawks. Ball on the Hornets. Caruso and Lavine on the Bulls. Jokic in Denver. KAT in Minnesota.

[SF_Warriors]

Giannis - Everything about him from his skillset, attitude, passion, work ethic reminds me of why I love the nba.

From my home team, Gary Payton II. Great story of perseverance, and he is extremely fun to watch. Love the passion and humility that he plays the game with. Every time he makes a crazy play, which is often, I get reminded of how hard work and patience pays off in time, and feel joy that he is making a name for himself in the league even at age 29.

[nickhx2]

steve nash in terms of pure artistry and joy of passing and shooting brilliance.

chris paul in terms of the complete PG's game. top tier decision making, shooting, passing, and defense. of course less so now than before, but the first time i got to watch him game-in and game-out was unbelievable.

[ellobo]

There are lots of guys I enjoy for various reasons, but my current top tier is:
SGA
Jokic
Steph
Ja

[AbeVigodaLive]

He's already been mentioned... but all time... Steve Nash.

I was a crusty NBA fan who through random life stuff had put the NBA on a backburner. Then, I watched Steve Nash reborn in Phoenix via the new NBA rules/restrictions. Whoa. I was re-hooked... and here we are many years later.

So much freedom. Creativity. I was captivated by this free-flowing marvel with terrible hair. In a world long dominated by behemoths backing down and overwhelming opponents, here was a guy who looked like me (with even worse hair) who seemed to jump and move like me.

I could relate. But more importantly, I could relate to the joy that those teams played with. It was obvious how Nash impacted his teammates... empowering them. Unleashing them.

Basketball was fun again. All because of a guy named Steve who once had bad acne and bad hair... and now only had terrible hair and a wonderful, magical, heavenly style on the court.

[iqureshi]

sat 5th row at nets/bulls and got to see KD up close. Man, ignoring the soft mentality narrative, that boy can play.

[Lalouie]

walton
bird
magic
mj
kd
tim
kobe
ja
westbrook
cp3
zion
luka
jokic

and anybody who gives me 120% and lays it on the line every game

[User_friendly]

Ricky Rubio

[HiRez]

I'm a Dubs fan so of course Curry, Klay, Draymond, and GPII.

Also love watching Jokic, KD, Morant, Mitchell, Booker, SGA, Bam, and Butler. And Lillard not counting this year.

One guy I enjoy watching which will not be a popular opinion is Westbrook. He's often a hot mess and I'm glad he's not on my team but I really love his intensity.

[HomoSapien]

Current players, Jimmy Butler at his best and purest is just a joy to watch. The human definition of blood, sweat, and tears.

[Ugly0598]

Jokic, Gobert, Rubio, Curry, James (most of the time), Chris Paul, Giannis, Fultz, Draymond Green

Historically: Jordan, Kobe, Malone + Stockton, Reggie Miller, Gary Payton, Steve Nash, Dirk

[Wallace_Wallace]

Ben Wallace played his heart out night in and night out. The way he secures the backline of the defense and being able to shut down his guy is total artistry.

Draymond Green has a very similar manner, not afraid to defend from guards to centers while also being able to read both offense and defenses. Without, this Warriors system does not work.

[JonFromVA]

These guys:


So nice to watch a group of players willing to play for each other and the team.

[FreeThrowLine]

Current players? None, although if Zion had lived up to expectations it would have been him.

[a8bil]

Another Curry thread?

[RoundMoundOfRebound]

[jmnvcavs]

As a cavs fan it’s definitely Darius garland for active players.

[Laimbeer]

Magic all-time, and it's not real close. Curry is probably the only one who rivals him today.

[realball]

Jokic is easily the most aesthetically pleasing player in the league. His game feels effortless.