Who would be the most decorated players if the NBA gave medals instead of rings?

It’s all about the rings, as we’re reminded over and over again online every day. But what if the NBA operated like FIBA with National Team tournaments and gave medals to the squads in the Top 3 instead of just championship rings to the players on …

It’s all about the rings, as we’re reminded over and over again online every day. But what if the NBA operated like FIBA with National Team tournaments and gave medals to the squads in the Top 3 instead of just championship rings to the players on the winning team? Who would have the most medals in NBA history if that were the case?

To explore this scenario, we awarded gold medals to each player on a championship team, silver to those losing in the Finals, and bronze to members of the franchise with the best regular-season record eliminated in the Conference Finals.

With this system, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be the all-time leader with 14 medals, followed by a host of Celtic and Laker legends, including LeBron James.

Check the full ranking below:

Check out this impressive Rachaad White stat

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White was in some rare company last season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t get enough out of their ground game last season, but that doesn’t mean running back Rachaad White didn’t have a significant impact on the offense.

In just his second NFL season, the third-round pick out of Arizona State was one of just six players in the league to notch more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage and at least nine total touchdowns.

Heading into his third campaign at the pro level, White remains the clear-cut leader in Tampa Bay’s offensive backfield, and should continue to be a valuable three-down weapon for the offense moving forward.

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Bucs have the most career receiving yards in the NFL returning in 2024

No team in the NFL has more career receiving yards returning for the 2024 season than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

No team in the NFL has more career receiving yards returning for the 2024 season than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It helps when you have a future Hall of Famer like Mike Evans pulling a ton of that weight, with 11,680 career receiving yards to his name, and ranking No. 1 by a comfortable margin in every major receiving category in Bucs history.

But Chris Godwin ranks No. 2 in all of those categories, meaning the Bucs still have the two most prolific pass-catchers the team has ever seen playing on the field at the same time again this season.

Here’s how the rest of the league stacks up when it comes to career receiving yards returning this season:

Considering the Bucs don’t have much in terms of experienced depth on the current roster beyond Evans and Godwin, it makes it that much more impressive that they’re still at the top of this list.

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This stat proves Mike Evans is a Hall of Famer

Being on this elite list is just one of many reasons why Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans will end up in Canton

Even at 30 years old last season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans proved he’s still one of the best in the game, putting up impressive numbers that included tying for the league lead in touchdown receptions with 13.

That number also put Evans on an elite list of legendary pass-catchers who have found the end zone as often as he has, for as many seasons as he has.

Evans has caught at least 12 touchdown passes in five of his 10 seasons in the NFL so far, making him one of just five players in NFL history to achieve that feat.

The only others on that list?

Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens.

If you’re wondering what those four have in common, it’s that they’re all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It won’t be shocking when Evans joins them after his playing career is over.

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Ranking: Top scorers in NBA history (regular season and playoffs combined)

We present the top scorers in NBA history using their regular-season and playoff total points combined.

Though he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in regular season points on February 7, 2023, LeBron James actually became the top scorer in NBA games one year earlier if you combine regular season and playoff points.

King James just reached the historical regular season 40,000-point milestone, and he’ll keep running up the score with great advantages over the likes of Kareem, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. The closest active player,  Kevin Durant, is almost 15,000 points away from LeBron.

You can check the full ranking below:

The longest scoring droughts in NBA history

Ryan Arcidiacono, who was traded and waived this week, recently set an NBA record with a 20-game scoreless streak, a dubious honor that didn’t go unnoticed by teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. We look back through NBA history to look at …

Ryan Arcidiacono, who was traded and waived this week, recently set an NBA record with a 20-game scoreless streak, a dubious honor that didn’t go unnoticed by teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson.

We look back through NBA history to look at scoreless streaks almost on par with Arcidiacono’s.

Ranking: The players who have faced the most opponents in NBA history

HoopsHype ranks the Top 25 players who’ve played against the most players in NBA history.

LeBron James just became the man who has played against the most players in NBA history.

To be exact, he’s faced 1,669 opponents, which means the ‘King’ has played against 34.21 percent of all players in NBA history.

And because it’s a wild stat, we decided to make a list with the Top 25 players who’ve faced the most opponents in league history.

The worst defensive players for Tampa Bay in the Wild Card, per PFF

PFF’s lowest-graded Bucs defensive players from the team’s Wild Card win included two safeties and two edge rushers.

There shouldn’t be too much to complain about when a team holds another team to nine points in the playoffs. But to some, things were not all perfect with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.

Pro Football Focus took to grading every Bucs defensive player in the team’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles for the Wild Card Round, and their grades were interesting. On top of the highest-rated players, we’re taking a look at the lowest-rated players, and it’s made up of safeties and edge rushers despite some good coverage and furious blitzes throughout the night.

Here are PFF’s five lowest-rated defensive players for Tampa Bay in their Wild Card win:

The worst offensive players for Tampa Bay in the Wild Card, per PFF

The interior offensive line of the Bucs particularly struggled against the Eagles in the eyes of Pro Football Focus.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers readily handled the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round on Monday, but not everyone executed at a high level.

The offense put up 32 points, and while most of that offense performed well, there were still a few little qualms. Pro Football Focus did their weekly grades for the first round of the playoffs, and they had a particular issue with the interior defensive line — the Eagles are tough there, and the Bucs had a bit of trouble defending that interior throughout the night.

Here are the five lowest-graded Bucs offensive players in their game against the Eagles, per PFF:

The top offensive players for Tampa Bay in the Wild Card, per PFF

Bucs pass catchers feasted against Philadelphia’s woeful secondary in the two teams’ wild card matchup.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers stifled the Philadelphia Eagles defensively, but when it came to the offensive side of the ball, they also put up the points.

The Bucs drubbed the Eagles 32-9 on Monday in the Wild Card round, getting a big win and shifting their focus to the Divisional. Tampa Bay’s offense fired, as not only did quarterback Baker Mayfield bake, Tampa Bay’s pass catchers feasted on Philadelphia’s secondary. Pro Football Focus released their recent grades for the game, and they were particularly impressed with the wideouts and tight ends in Tampa Bay.

Here are the 10 highest-graded Bucs offensive players from the Wild Card round, per PFF: