The first minority player in the NBA entered the league in 1947, an American born (Ogden, Utah) Japanese player that was drafted by the Knicks.
Kwame Brown has scars on his forearm from cigarrette burns given to him by his abusive father.
Bill Walton used to have a severe stuttering problem. He also once threw his shoe at the basketball during a game.
For 3 years from 2004-2007 Marquis Daniels was the highest paid player in the '03 draft class, ahead of Lebron, Wade, Melo, Bosh etc.
Josh Howard’s legs were so severely bowed as an infant that he underwent a procedure in which they were broken and reset so that they could grow straight.
Only NBA player to kill a lion with a spearManute Bol, 1985-86 to 1994-95
One thing is beyond dispute: Manute Bol is the greatest 7-foot-7 center from Sudan to play in the NBA. At 15, the Dinka herdsman killed a marauding lion with his spear while it lay sleeping -- a feat his agent noted during his contract negotiations.
Bol was first handed a basketball at age 19 and told to try to dunk it. On his initial attempt he smashed several of his teeth on the rim. But he persevered and soon became much sought after by American colleges despite being, like everyone in his tribe, illiterate. In his first NBA season, Bol blocked 397 shots, the second-highest total of all time.
First player suspended for refusing to stand for the national anthemMahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Denver, March 12, 1996
Abdul-Rauf hadn't stood for the national anthem for most of the 1995-96 season, but with a month left in the schedule, the NBA took a stand of its own. It suspended the Nuggets' leading scorer without pay until he complied with a league rule that requires players, coaches, and trainers to line up and stand in a dignified posture during the playing of the anthem.
Abdul-Rauf, who was known as Chris Jackson before adopting the Islamic faith in 1991, said that his religious creed prevented him from recognizing the American flag and the national anthem as symbols of freedom. Instead, he claimed the anthem represented tyranny and a type of "nationalist ritualism" forbidden by his religion. Two days after being suspended, Abdul-Rauf changed his tune and agreed to stand. He said he would pray while the anthem was being played. "I'll offer a prayer, my own prayer, for those who are suffering. Muslim, Caucasian, African-American, Asian. That is what I cry out for."
I will post more later
Cheers,
Whitey
