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This season might be the Mamba’s lastBasketball is an exponentially popular sport with a massive global following. It’s foremost professional league, the NBA, has basked in that popularity for a long time and will continue to do so. The league has been bringing together the best basketball players from across the globe for over six decades and given its longevity, it isn’t surprising that the stars leave colossal legacies.But if history has taught us anything, it’s that it repeats itself. Records are meant to be broken and every season, more than a handful are surpassed. Past gives way to present as the incumbent etch their names in NBA history. The 2015-16 NBA season has gathered steam and every night is packed with excitement. Quite a few records have been broken already and we pick the top five amongst them:
#1 Kobe Bryant - 20 seasons with the Lakers
Kobe Bryant will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time. Skills and numbers aside, the “Black Mamba” also showcased his uniqueness with another rare quality this season – loyalty. The 5-time champion became the first player in NBA history to spend 20 seasons with the same franchise and only the 5th player in NBA history to play 20 seasons.
Said Kobe,”That's probably the most special one to me. I've always dreamed about being with one organization and being with this organization as a kid. I've been in this jersey for more than half my life. That's crazy.” (quote courtesy of ESPN)
#2 Tim Duncan - 954 wins with the Spurs
Tim Duncan isn’t your regular all-time great. Not boisterous or flashy, the poker-faced “Big Fundamental” is nonetheless, the guiding force behind the Spurs’ success. This season, he crossed a mind-boggling 954 wins with the Spurs, making him the winningest player with the same franchise.
#3 LeBron James becomes the youngest to score 25,000 points
Possibly the only player amongst the current crop who could make it to an all-time greatest five, the King breached his contemporary, Kobe’s record of being the youngest player to reach 25,000 points on November 2nd.
The greatest player in the world currently achieved the feat aged 30 years, 307 days, in a win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
#4 Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker become the winningest trio in NBA history with 541 wins
The Spurs are one of the most cohesive units in NBA history and the trio of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are their backbone. Their unselfish, participative style of play gets instilled in newcomers as well, evidence – Kawhi Leonard.
On November 1st, the three surpassed the legendary Boston Celtics trio of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Rober Parish in regular season wins, recording 541. Ironically, the win came against the Celtics.
#5 Kevin Garnett crosses 50,000 minutes played in NBA
Kevin Garnett is the anti-Duncan. His aggression, intensity and heart-on-sleeve style of play is an acquired taste, to say the least. Love or hate, you cannot debate that “The Big Ticket” is a certain Hall of Famer.
On November 15th, Garnett became the last member of an exclusive quintet to have played 50,000 career minutes. He also crossed NBA Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes as the fourth-most played player in NBA history.
