Stars of the NBA

Learn all about the most exciting players in the NBA, from legends like LeBron James and Chris Paul to rising stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić.

Get the inside scoop on their personal stories, team histories, and playing styles.

Action shots, fun facts, and key stats on basketball’s biggest stars!

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ISBN 978-0-7892-1397-6

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An Imprint of Abbeville Press 655 Third Avenue New York, NY 10017 1-800-A r t b o o k (in U.S. only) Available wherever fine books are sold Visit us at www.abbeville.com

EN EG D

ABBEVILLE KIDS

Text by Kjartan Atli Kjartansson Design and layout: Árni Torfason

For the English-language edition Project editor: Lauren Bucca Copy editors: Ashley Benning and Michael Goldstein Layout: Ada Rodriguez Production manager: Louise Kurtz

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS Deposit Photos: front cover left (China Images); front cover right (headlinephotos) Icon Sportswire: p. 7 (Schuler/Imago); p. 8 (Osports/Zuma Press); p. 11 (Mark Goldman); p. 13 (Torrey Purvey); p. 14 (Brown); p. 17 (Schuler/Imago); p. 19 (Brian Rothmuller); p. 21 (Jevone Moore); p. 22 (PI/Zuma Press); p. 25 and back cover (Brian Rothmuller); p. 27 (Kyle Ross); p. 29 (Jevone Moore); p. 30 (Brian Rothmuller); p. 35 and back cover (Stephen Lew); p. 37 (Brian Rothmuller); p. 39 (Jevone Moore); p. 41 and back cover, pp. 42, 45 (Brian Rothmuller); p. 47 (Ric Tapia); p. 48 (Jevone Moore); p. 52 (Nigel Owen); p. 54 (Carlos Gonzalez/Zuma Press); p. 57 (Jevone Moore); p. 58 (Stephen Lew); p. 61 (Brian Rothmuller); pp. 62–63 (Jevone Moore) Shutterstock: front cover background and pp. 1–2 (Eugene Onischenko); front cover middle (Ververidis Vasilis); pp. 3–4 (The Len); p. 32 (Natursports) Wikimedia Commons: pp. 14, 50 (Keith Allison, CC-SA-2.0) Please note: This book has not been authorized by the NBA. First published in the United States of America in 2021 by Abbeville Press, 655 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Copyright © 2021 Sögur útgáfa. All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Inquiries should be addressed to Abbeville Press, 655 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Printed in Slovenia.

First edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN 978-0-7892-1416-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request For bulk and premium sales and for text adoption procedures, write to Customer Service Manager, Abbeville Press, 655 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, or call 1-800-Artbook .

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CONTENTS Adebayo Antetokounmpo Beal Booker Brown Butler Curry Davis Dončić Durant Embiid George Harden Irving

6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32

James Jokić Leonard Lillard Mitchell Morant Murray Paul Siakam Tatum Towns Westbrook Williamson Young

34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60

BOOKER There are few players as exciting as Devin Booker. This amazing shooting guard, who has fascinated many fans with his skills, is a second-generation basketball player. His father Melvin played for the Houston Rockets, the Denver Nuggets, and the Golden State Warriors.

But he never managed to establish himself in the NBA, and instead played for five years in Italy.

In Italy, Melvin played with the forward Danilo Gallinari, who later went to the NBA and has been successful in the league. When 12-year-old Devin went to visit his father in Italy, he saw an 18-year-old Gallinari in action. “Dad told me to watch this player. He was incredible for his age,” Booker later recalled.

His full name is Devin Armani Booker. Believe it or not, Booker Sr. played for the Italian team Armani Jeans Milan. But that’s not where Devin’s middle name comes from. Melvin signed with the Italian team 11 years after Devin was born—so the middle name is just a coincidence.

Booker tried to get the Orlando Magic to pick him in the 2015 draft, since he knew the grandchildren of the late Rich DeVos, who owned the Magic and whose family still owns the team.

Booker joked with his family that the Magic should pick him in the fifth round, but he knew it was far-fetched. In the end, he was picked

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in the 13th round by the Phoenix Suns. The Orlando Magic took Mario Hezonja instead, who has not had a remarkable NBA career.

The owners should have listened to the young guard.

Booker also has a special connection to Kobe Bryant. In March 2016, Bryant played his final game against the Phoenix Suns, during Booker’s first season with the team. Bryant scored 17 points in the game, and Booker scored 28. After the game, Bryant signed a pair of shoes with the words “Be Legendary” and gave them to Booker. Following Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter crash, Booker had “Be Legendary” tattoed on his left arm in tribute.

Booker is also very good at the video game Call of Duty: Warzone.

He plays regularly with world-famous players and often streams live on Twitch.

POSITION: GUARD BORN: OCTOBER 30, 1996 HEIGHT: 6 FT 5 IN TEAM: PHOENIX SUNS

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BUTLER Few players have had to face as many obstacles in life as Jimmy Butler. This two-way player has been one of the best defenders in the league ever since he exploded in popularity during the 2014– 15 season. But life has not always been easy for Butler, who became homeless at 13.

Butler rarely discusses his upbringing. But in an interview with ESPN before the 2011 NBA draft, he recounted when his mother kicked him out: “I don’t like the look of you. You gotta go.” Those were the last words he heard from his mother.

Butler’s father was never a part of his life, and he had no other relatives to turn to. He slept at various friends’ houses, but he had no stability and no place to call home.

Butler went to Tomball High School in Texas, where he was a star on the basketball team.

After one game in the summer league, Butler’s life changed in a big way. The future pro football player Jordan Leslie approached him and asked him to compete in a 3-point shootout. Even though Leslie was a freshman and Butler was a senior, they soon became best friends.

Butler often stayed with Leslie’s family, but life at his friend’s home wasn’t easy. Leslie’s mother, Michelle Lambert, had four children with her first husband, who had passed away. Her current husband had three children from a previous marriage, so there were seven children in the house. But Butler was occasionally allowed to stay overnight.

Eventually the seven children took turns asking their parents to allow Butler to stay with them, so he would never have to leave.

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Butler became a part of the family, and was also given responsibilities. Lambert asked Butler to do various chores and urged him to be a role model.

She says Butler has always done everything she asked and has never been in any trouble.

Butler flourished on and off the court after he had found stability and a family life. However, he did not get the scholarship offers he had hoped for out of high school, so he joined the local junior college team. After a year there, he had his pick of offers from strong basketball schools. Butler then turned to Lambert for advice. She advised him to choose Marquette University, as she considered it a good place to get an education. She wanted Butler to pursue an education that would benefit him if a basketball career didn’t work out.

At Marquette, Butler met another big influence in his life: coach Brent Langdon “Buzz” Williams.

Buzz has been a great counselor for the player.

Butler says the coach has taught him to put in even more effort than everyone else—to always do his very, very best.

Despite his early challenges, Jimmy Butler has managed to become one of the biggest stars of the NBA. In the 2020 finals, he reached the milestone of scoring 40 points, getting 11 rebounds, and making 13 assists in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The victory in that game was not enough, however, and the Miami Heat lost the series. But the record remains, and Butler is one of only three players in the history of the league who have scored over 40 points and reached a triple-double in the finals.

POSITION: FORWARD BORN: SEPTEMBER 14, 1989 HEIGHT: 6 FT 10 IN TEAM: MIAMI HEAT 17

DAVIS After his freshman year in high school, Anthony Davis stood six feet tall and played as shooting guard for the relatively unknown Perspectives Charter School in Chicago. But that was when things changed for Davis. He started growing at an extraordinary rate, and at the end of his sophomore year he was 6'4". Along with Davis’s growth spurt came increased interest from the nation’s top colleges, and by the end of his high school career, Davis had plenty of scholarship offers, eventually choosing the University of Kentucky. When he showed up in Lexington, he was 6'10" but also had an incredible skill set for a player his size, because he had been in guard positions in high school.

This foundation is what makes Davis so unique.

He is one of the most skilled big men in the league, with a great range on his jump shot, fantastic handling, and the ability to read the game like many guards do.

POSITION: FORWARD/CENTER BORN: MARCH 11, 1993 HEIGHT: 6 FT 10 IN TEAM: LOS ANGELES LAKERS

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After one season at Kentucky, Davis was drafted with the first overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets, who would soon be renamed the Pelicans. He was the star of the team and averaged over 20 points per game and over 10 rebounds in six of his seven seasons while playing for the Big Easy club.

The Pelicans never went far in the playoffs, and eventually Davis decided he wanted to go on to greener pastures. He shared his interest in becoming a Los Angeles Laker, and in July 2019 he was traded to the Purple and Gold for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks.

The move to the Lakers was a huge success.

In 2020, the team won its 17th NBA Championship, tying the Boston Celtics for the most wins in NBA history. Davis led the team alongside LeBron James and is regarded by many as James’s best teammate ever in the NBA.

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DURANT Talented athletes appear to perform effortlessly, even when they are competing at the top level of their sport. That’s certainly true of Kevin Durant, one of the best shooters to ever play in the league. He’s tall, slim, fast, and skilled, with long arms, and defenders have little chance against him when he’s in the zone.

In his teenage years, Durant played as a guard, but in his final year of college, he experienced a massive growth spurt and grew by five inches in a year. He was considered one of the best college players in the United States. His main rival was Greg Oden, a big and strong center who was a force on the court. Because Oden reached the NCAA finals, while Durant did not, Oden was picked first in the 2007 draft—but that was the last time he got the better of Durant in anything to do with basketball.

Durant is a perfect fit for the modern NBA style of play. He is listed as 6'10" tall, but some say he is even taller. Those who know him believe that he does not want to be labeled a seven-footer, because then he might be instructed to stay close to the basket.

Durant has averaged over 20 points per game in each of his seasons in the NBA. In his first season, he was named the Seattle SuperSonics Rookie of the Year after scoring 20.3 points per game. The next year, the Sonics were moved to Oklahoma City and renamed the Thunder. Durant had many good seasons in Oklahoma, and his team reached the NBA finals in 2012, where they lost against Miami. Durant was named the Most Valuable Player in the NBA in 2014, and he gave a memorable speech on the occasion.

24

The NBA board of governors signed a major television contract in 2014, raising the league’s salary cap in line with revenue. This gave the Golden State Warriors an unexpected opportunity to offer Durant a good contract in the summer of 2016, and he signed with the extremely strong San Francisco team. Durant was criticized for his decision at the time, since the Thunder had been knocked out by the Warriors in the finals earlier that year. But with Durant on board, the Warriors were almost unstoppable and won the league in 2017 and 2018. Durant was voted MVP in the finals in both years and was selected in the All-Star First Team in 2018.

Durant pulled a calf in the 2019 semifinals and missed a few games. He then returned in the finals against Toronto but tore his Achilles tendon in the fifth game. The Warriors suffered further injuries and ended up losing to the Raptors.

The media spotlight was on Golden State almost every minute Durant was with the team. It is clear that there were problems with the players’ personal relationships, and some sources said that Durant didn’t trust the Warriors’ medical team, because they’d cleared him to play so soon after his calf sprain. It’s impossible to tell exactly what the situation was in the Warriors camp, but Durant was in great demand despite his Achilles, and decided to take on a new challenge by joining the Brooklyn Nets. After missing an entire season as he recovered from the injury, he’s now regained full health and has been instrumental in building a new dynasty in Brooklyn.

POSITION: FORWARD BORN: SEPTEMBER 29, 1988 HEIGHT: 6 FT 10 IN TEAM: BROOKLYN NETS

25

LEONARD It only took minutes for Kawhi Leonard’s high school coach to realize that the boy could become an All-Star player in the NBA. Leonard had recently changed schools to attend Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California (often referred to as Riverside King). This coach, Tim Sweeney Jr., had only seen Leonard play a few games at his old school. But from that first practice session at Riverside King, he knew that the boy could become a superstar.

Sweeney Jr. is the son of Tim Sweeney Sr., a legendary coach in California. Sweeney Jr. called his father during this first practice session and told him to come straight away—he had to see Kawhi Leonard.

This young player did not possess innate talent, surprisingly, but he made up for it in hard work. He learned how to be hardworking from his parents. His father, Mark Leonard, owned a car wash. Since his parents were divorced, Leonard spent weekends and summers with his father, and he helped out at the car wash along with his two half brothers.

Leonard started out in football, playing as tight end, and showed a lot of promise. His father had also played football, as he was big and powerful, 6'3" and about 300 pounds. In addition to football, Leonard also played basketball. Over time, his love for the sport grew. He finally decided to quit football and made every effort to become as good a basketball player as he could.

Basketball would later help Leonard get through one of the darkest times in his life. When he was still playing for Riverside King, his father was shot and killed outside his car wash. The murder is 38

still unsolved. Only a day later, Leonard decided to play for his school as a way to distract himself from his pain. He played well, scoring 17 of his team’s 68 points. But after the game, he broke down in his mother’s arms and cried. Leonard benefited from the support of his Riverside King teammates and coaches. He played two seasons for the school team and was later selected as Mr. Basketball, an annual award given to the best high school basketball player in California.

Despite this accomplishment, he did not have offers from the biggest schools in the country, so he chose to play for San Diego State University.

There Leonard continued to work diligently, waking up at 5:00 every morning to practice before school started. He led San Diego twice into the NCAA Tournament and won the Mountain West Conference twice in a row. He became the first player in the university’s history to have his number retired.

Leonard was selected in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft. The Indiana Pacers had the chance to choose first, but the San Antonio Spurs offered them George Hill, a decent guard, in order to pick Leonard. This turned out to be a very smart move by the Spurs, as only three years later Leonard would win his first title and be selected as the Finals MVP. Leonard has grown and prospered in the NBA, improving year by year. At first he was known as a defensive player, but now he is considered one of the best two-way players in the league. He has won titles with the Spurs and the Toronto Raptors and now hopes to win one for the Los Angeles Clippers—for his hometown.

POSITION: FORWARD BORN: JUNE 29, 1991 HEIGHT: 6 FT 7 IN TEAM: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

39

LILLARD Damian Lillard went to Weber State in Ogden, Utah, a minor college by basketball standards.

He is one of only eight players in the history of the university to have made it to the NBA and the only one who has achieved major honors there.

Lillard was the finished article when he joined the NBA, unlike many rookie players today. He scored 23 points and made 11 assists in his first game in the league, when he and his Portland teammates met the Los Angeles Lakers. Toward the end of his first season, he was named Rookie of the Year.

Portland is not the biggest franchise in the NBA, so Lillard may have been a bit underrated.

He has made the cut for the All-Stars six times, playing on the First Team once, the Second Team twice, and the Third Team once. In 2020, he didn’t play due to an injury. As of 2021, he is a Western Conference reserve. A year after Lillard joined the NBA, the Trail Blazers drafted another guard—CJ McCollum, who is actually an undersized shooting guard, not a point guard.

McCollum did not do well in his first two years in the NBA but exploded in his third year. He was voted the most improved player and managed

to establish himself as one of the league’s better scorers.

Together, Lillard and McCollum energize the Trail Blazers. Most teams in the NBA try to find leading players with differing styles and characteristics, but not the Trail Blazers—both of its leaders want to have the ball in their hands and create their own shots.

But Lillard and McCollum have worked extremely well together and have managed to maximize their strengths, because few teams have a pair of defenders who can stop guards like this duo. Portland needs more depth in the front line to compete with the very best, but few teams entertain spectators as much.

A STAR OFF AND ON THE COURT Damian Lillard is not just a basketball player, but also a successful rapper. Under the name DAME D.O.L.L.A., he has released three albums and worked with artists such as Jeremih and Lil Wayne. Several other NBA players have rapped, but Lillard stands out as the best rapper to have played in the NBA.

40

POSITION: GUARD BORN: JULY 15, 1990 HEIGHT: 6 FT 2 IN TEAM: PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

41

YOUNG Courageous is probably the best word to describe Trae Young, one of the most promising playmakers in the NBA. Analysts have called him a cross between Steve Nash and Allen Iverson, with a hint of Steph Curry in him. He is compared to the greats because he has the chance to become one of them. This young point guard has already elevated the Atlanta Hawks tremendously since he was drafted in 2018.

Despite being short and thin, Young wasn’t afraid to go up against much bigger and older players in high school. At the age of 14 he was already challenging seniors at his high school during pickup games and informal workouts. And in his sophomore year, he was already a star on his team, averaging 25 points and 5 assists. As he got more comfortable running the team, his stats improved. He scored 34.2 points per game in his junior year and as a senior he scored 42.6 points per game, dishing out 4.1 assists and grabbing 5.8 rebounds.

Young says that he always felt he had to earn respect. When playing with older guys, his first

aim was to fit in. Once he had accomplished that, his second goal was to stand out. He has carried that mentality throughout his career, even in the NBA, where he first showed that he belonged in the league. Young helped his team get to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, —which was only the second time the team had competed in over 40 years.

Confident is another word that can be used to describe Young as a player. That’s how he has always been, according to his father, Rayford Young. Rayford knows basketball better than most, having been a star at Texas Tech in the late 1990s. And even he acknowledges that it can be challenging to play with Young at times, admitting that his son is no angel and his confidence can rub people the wrong way. He says that even when Trae was only 16, he would have thought he could beat Kevin Durant in a game of 1-on-1.

But it is evident that Young’s approach to the game has worked very well. He is considered one of the up-and-coming stars of the NBA.

POSITION: GUARD BORN: SEPTEMBER 19, 1998 HEIGHT: 6 FT 1 IN TEAM: ATLANTA HAWKS

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Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) during a jump ball at the Grizzlies versus Lakers game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 21, 2020

Learn all about the most exciting players in the NBA, from legends like LeBron James and Chris Paul to rising stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić.

Get the inside scoop on their personal stories, team histories, and playing styles.

Action shots, fun facts, and key stats on basketball’s biggest stars!

Stars of World Soccer, 3rd edition ISBN 978-0-7892-1387-7

Stars of All Time • ISBN 978-0-7892-1295-5 Messi and Ronaldo: Who Is the Greatest?

ISBN 978-0-7892-1397-6

ABBEVILLE KIDS An Imprint of Abbeville Press 655 Third Avenue New York, NY 10017 1-800-A r t b o o k (in U.S. only) Available wherever fine books are sold Visit us at www.abbeville.com

STARS O F T HE NBA

Discover more sports action in the World Soccer Legends series

BASKETBALL LEGENDS

STARS OF THE NBA