On July 1, Beijing time, the NBA opened the free market, and on July 1, 5 major events happened in the NBA, a top superstar announced his retirement, and the two super scorers chose to join forces, so what big events happened in the NBA on this day? This column will take you to understand.
Bill Russell retired in 1969
Long before entering the league, the Celtics coveted Russell. Among the superstar players, his offensive ability is relatively average, and he only scored 14,522 points in his entire career. But his rebounding and defensive intimidation were extremely intimidating, leading the Celtics to 11 championships in 13 years, literally dominating the league, including an eight-game winning streak.
Russell's greatness is not only the accumulation of data and honor, but also the mental attribute is strong enough. The league named the Finals MVP award after Russell, and he bluntly said that this is the proudest moment in basketball, because he was determined at the beginning of his career that the only important statistic in basketball is the final score, and he is willing to do anything to win.
In 1993, the Magic drafted Webb with the No. 1 pick
In the 1993 draft, the Magic drafted Webber with the No. 1 pick, but instead of keeping him, they traded Hardaway "Penny" Hardaway and three first-round picks from the Warriors. In the end, the Magic, Webb and Hardaway have all been successful at least, while the Warriors are a bit ridiculous, with Webb being sent away at the end of his rookie season, after which he became an All-Star in Washington, D.C., and served as a core after joining the Kings, leading the team to become a Western Conference powerhouse.
The Magic have a clear plan, now that they have O'Neal, they should find an outside core, and Hardaway has averaged 20+ points per game for three consecutive years since the second season of his career. Especially in the 94-95 season, the Magic fought out of the East and entered the Finals historically, and even the Bulls led by Jordan after their comeback became the Magic's losers. Unfortunately, they didn't win the championship, and Hardaway suffered a serious injury and became one of the most regrettable stars in history.
In 1999 Brand and Francis entered the league
Similar to 1993, this year's No. 1 No. 1 winners Brand and Topstar Francis went through a trade early in their careers, although they did not directly swap owners. Both men have been on a standout role, sharing the Rookie of the Year in their first season for the third time in league history. Brand was drafted by the Bulls as the top pick, and he played 20+10 data in the first two years, but the Bulls sent him to the Clippers in exchange for the 2001 pick. Brand is also very competitive, he was a two-time All-Star with the Clippers, including a near-lead to the Western Conference finals in the 05-06 season.
Francis was a bit of a prick, he was drafted by the Grizzlies and refused to report for duty, and management was forced to send him to the Rockets. And Francis, as the core, was a three-time All-Star, and he provided a lot of help when Yao Ming first joined the Rockets. It wasn't until later that Francis was sent to the Magic as the main bargaining chip in Maddy's trade, and he returned to the Rockets in the last year of his career, although he only played 10 times, but it was still a lost leaf.
In 2019, Durant Irving joined the Nets
As a typical free agency year, there was heavy news on the first day, with Durant and Irving joining the Nets together. Although Durant suffered a torn Achilles tendon at the time and Irving was injured early, the Nets management was very patient, especially in the middle of the 20-21 season in exchange for Harden, and the Nets formed a big three.
It's a pity that in the playoffs, Irving and Harden were injured respectively, Durant's three-point shot stepped on the line again, and the Nets were eliminated by the Bucks and missed the best chance to win the championship. After they left the team, the Nets were all in the middle of a rebuild, and now the pair didn't get much to achieve, which is regrettable to think about now.
The Suns return to the Finals in 2021
Since Nash's departure in 2012, the Suns have been in a slump until the 20-21 season, with the addition of Paul and the rapid growth of Booker and others, the Suns linked the Lakers and Nuggets, and then defeated the Clippers to return to the Finals after 28 years.
It's a pity that with a 2-0 lead, the Suns failed to seize the opportunity and lost four games in a row to watch the Bucks win the championship. After that, the Suns could be described as Wang Xiaoer's New Year, stopping in the second round for two consecutive seasons and then being swept out of the first round by the Timberwolves.