It's about who they are and where they go.Īlthough Shaq's 1996 free agency didn't have the same buildup and crescendo as a live-televised "Decision," it was still big enough to overshadow the start of the Olympic Games in Atlanta and alter the NBA landscape. It's no longer just about how these guys play. They set the stage for the likes of LeBron and Stephen Curry. Shaq, Iverson and Yao went beyond branding they helped make the league personality driven. The NBA emphasized stars in the eras of Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, and they leveraged that platform into brands. Shaq, Iverson and Yao became known for themselves as much as their game. Keyword: world.Īll three players are internationally famous, as much on their own accord as from the groundwork laid by those who came before them. The trio helped take the NBA beyond the realm of basketball games and into the world of pop culture. This was the culmination of almost a quarter century of blending hip-hop, reality TV and international marketing into the NBA mix, three trends represented by Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming. This was not mere accident or circumstance. Yes, the NBA now merits year-round discussion. In what was once a dead zone on the NBA calendar, LeBron James graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant led off Pardon the Interruption Aug. Simply think back to the first week of August.
If you want to know the impact of this year's Basketball Hall of Fame headliners, don't check the record books or even the NBA jersey sales in China. Shaq, Iverson and Yao: The trio that altered the NBA landscape
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