NBA Street Cred List
There is a court in Harlem where stories are told. There are others in Coney Island, Brooklyn and the Bronx; Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati; Oakland, Inglewood and Los Angeles. Stories of winners and losers, the shakers and those who got shook, the dunker and the dunkee. The collective stories shape legends and goats – and legends named The Goat. They turn mere men into marvels, names into nicknames and courts into cathedrals. And when the last word is spoken, the last mix tape released, Nicholas Lozito compiles his NBA Street Cred List.
Only players in the NBA are eligible. Points are awarded for playing style, fashion, and urban legend.
Allen Iverson
In the mid 90’s Iverson was the inner-city dream. And his life was chronicled in TBS’s favorite 2 a.m. movie, Above the Rim. Well, not literally, but come on – an inner-city scoring guard who battles through drugs and crime to star at Georgetown. In those days it was either Georgetown or Michigan, and everything was baggy, and I sucked at basketball. Iverson transcended the art of cornrowing, with twists and turns and patterns and shapes that da Vinci would be proud of. Then there was the time he used his patented crossover to shake Jordan. I think you left your draws at the free-throw line, MJ.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 10
Legend: 9
Total: 29 of 30
Rafer Alston
Better known as Skip on the streets, Alston shed light on street basketball. His original And 1 mixtape laid the foundation for today’s And 1 phenomenon. Alston played at Fresno State before making it in the NBA. In the League, it took him a few years to adapt his style of play to coaches’ likings. The one knock on Alston is that his incredible street moves are rarely seen on an NBA court.
Playing style: 9
Bling-bling: 9 (mainly for being And 1’s franchise player)
Legend: 10
Total: 28
Vince Carter
There are two pieces of basketball footage that every basketball fan has to see. The first is Carter’s dunk over – and I am being literal when I say “over” – a 7-foot-1 center in the Olympics. The other is his windmill alley-oop in a Rucker Park game, which sent the crowd rushing onto the court in amazement.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 4
Legend: 9
Total: 23
Jason Williams
Williams has the best street moves of and player on the list. And being white only adds to the mystique. Where were you when you saw him cross up Payton? I was watching the 3 a.m. Sportscenter. I stayed up for the 5 a.m. Sportscenter just to watch it again.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 7
Total: 22
Ron Artest
Every time Artest gets ejected from a game it just ads to the cred. If he does this stuff on the court, just imagine what he does off of it. Calling out San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen for a game of one-on-one to determine the Defensive Player of the Year award was also very credible.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 9
Total: 21
Stephon Marbury
Here is a Coney Island legend. During the opening scene of He Got Game, I was just waiting to see a Marbury clip – didn’t get one. The ultimate street point guard. One in a long line of NYC points to attend Georgia Tech.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 4
Legend: 9
Total: 20
LeBron James
What hurts LeBron so much on this list is that everyone knows everything about him. There is no mystery – except, of course, if he will ever be better than Jordan.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 5
Total: 20
Tracy McGrady
McGrady is currently the second best player on this list (LeBron is No. 1), and that counts for a lot. If he had not grown up in Florida and attended prep school he would probably be a lot higher. But his game is graceful and highlight-filled, and he is Carter’s cousin.
Playing style: 9
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 5
Total: 19
Carmelo Anthony
If it wasn’t for his winter blockbuster, “Stop Snitching,” Carmelo might not be on this list. But, the Syracuse star did grow up on some rough streets and it took him only one season to make himself one of the college game’s all-time best.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 6
Legend: 6
Total: 19
Others (P-playing style, B-Bling-bling, L-Legend): Sebastian Telfair (P: 8, B: 3, L: 8); Dwyane Wade (P: 8, B: 2, L: 6); Ricky Davis (P: 9, B: 4, L: 4); Quentin Richardson (P: 6, B: 6, L: 4); Kenny Anderson (P: 7, B: 1, L: 8); Latrell Sprewell (P: 5, B: 4, L: 8); Amare Stoudemire (P: 9, B: 3, L: 5); Jason Richardson (P: 9, B: 1, L: 6).
