A lot of impressive point guards have played for the Nets over the years. But which were the best? Kyrie? Kidd? Dinwiddie? D-Lo? Starbury?
Whether in Brooklyn or New Jersey, the Nets franchise has had quite a few impressive point guards in the organization. Even now with the 2019-20 team, the Nets have two talented point guards in Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyrie Irving.
If he plays his cards right, Irving could go down as the best point guard in Nets history by the time his career comes to a close. But do he and Dinwiddie crack the franchise’s list of top 5 point guards right now? Nets Wire examined the point guards to wear a Brooklyn or New Jersey uniform through the years and selected the five best:
5. D’Angelo Russell
Credit: Eric Hartline – USA TODAY Sports
Nets Stats: 19 PPG | 6.3 APG | 1.1 SPG
D-Lo’s time here was brief, but there aren’t many players who can say they played a pivotal role in helping an organization change direction from one year to the next. And as much as Kyrie Irving is viewed as an upgrade in talent, the 2019 NBA All-Star’s departure from Brooklyn was not an easy pill for fans to swallow.
Only two Nets players have ever logged double-digit steals in one game. Kendall Gill became the second to do so on April 3, 1999.
With the NBA on hiatus — which NBA commissioner Adam Silver set at 30 days — and New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, placing a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, no Brooklyn Nets games will be played for the time being.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight major individual performances and key developments throughout Nets history:
Entering the New Jersey Nets’ game against the Miami Heat on April 3, 1999, only one player in Nets franchise history had logged 10 steals in a game. Eddie Jordan (10) did so in 1979.
But by the end of New Jersey’s 88-77 win (full box score), Jordan wasn’t alone in this exclusive club. In fact, a new franchise record had been set.
But Kendall Gill’s 11 steals didn’t only set a Nets record. He also tied the NBA record for steals in a game. The record had been set by Larry Kenon in the San Antonio Spurs’ first NBA season (1976-1977).
There has yet to be a third player in the history in the NBA to reach Kenon and Gill’s mark.
Gill also scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Keith Van Horn led the Nets with 27 points, and Stephon Marbury scored 21.
Stephon Marbury is in China, where the COVID-19 outbreak first began. He’s trying to help those combating the illness back home in New York.
Current and former NBA players continue to find ways to help those being severely impacted by the novel coronavirus.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving has made considerable donations to help those in New York struggling to put food on the table during the crisis. Now another guard with Nets ties has stepped forward to help New Yorkers.
Stephon Marbury — who now resides in China, played for the New Jersey Nets from 1998-99 to 2000-01 and grew up in Brooklyn — has made an effort to help those taking care of the sick during the outbreak.
Marbury “made arrangements with a mask supplier in China willing to sell New York 10 million [N95] masks ‘at cost,'” according to Rich Calder of the New York Post. According to the report, Marbury got New York a 63.3% discount on the masks.
“At the end of the day, I am from Brooklyn,” Marbury said, per the Post. “This is something that is close and dear to my heart as far as being able to help New York.”
Protective gear has been a huge issue for New York, which is being characterized as the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S.
Keith Van Horn was more known for his offensive abilities, but one night he stood out for the New Jersey Nets on the defensive end.
With the NBA on hiatus — which NBA commissioner Adam Silver set at 30 days — and New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, placing a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, no Brooklyn Nets games will be played for the time being.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight major individual performances and key developments throughout Nets history:
When you think of former New Jersey Nets forward Keith Van Horn, his defensive play isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind.
But for one night while still wearing a New Jersey Nets uniform, Van Horn made his presence felt on the defensive end.
On March 26, 1999, Van Horn blocked six shots in the Nets’ 100-91 loss to the Indiana Pacers (full box score). He would never block more than four shots in a game for the remainder of his career.
Van Horn finished second on the team in scoring with 22 points. He also had five rebounds.
Stephon Marbury led the Nets with 24 points. Kerry Kittle pitched in 15.
For Indy, Rik Smits (20) Reggie Miller (15), Antonio Davis (13), Mark Jackson (11), Travis Best (10) and Jalen Rose (10) each finished in double figures.
On March 23, 1997, Sam Cassell posted a double-double for the New Jersey Nets in their win over the Boston Celtics.
With the NBA on hiatus — which NBA commissioner Adam Silver set at 30 days — and New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, placing a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, no Brooklyn Nets games will be played for the time being.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight major individual performances and key developments throughout Nets history:
Back when Jason Kidd ran things in New Jersey, the Nets had some good postseason battles with the Boston Celtics. Now the rivalry between the two teams has somewhat been renewed with Kyrie Irving leaving Boston for Brooklyn.
On March 23, 1997, Kidd was a few months into his 4.5-year run with the Phoneix Suns and had yet to join the Nets. Both he and Irving were also celebrating their birthdays — the Nets’ current point guard had just turned five.
The man running the point for the Nets at the time was a 27-year-old Sam Cassell, who was on his third team that season. He started 1996-97 with the Suns, then went to the Dallas Mavericks in the trade that delivered Kidd to Phoenix. A month and a half later, Cassell was a member of the Nets organization.
And on March 23 of the 1996-97 season, Cassell dominated the Celtics. The point guard went off for 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting in New Jersey’s 100-91 win (full box score).
Cassell also logged 11 assists and had two steals in the win.
Kerry Kittles also provided some offense for the Nets, scoring 18 points off the bench. He also helped on the defensive end, finishing with three steals.
Cassell was eventually traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1998-99 as part of a three-team trade that delivered the Nets Stephon Marbury.
The 1996 draft class is often mentioned as one of the best in NBA history – and rightfully so. Its draftees combined for four MVP awards (two for Steve Nash, one apiece for Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson), 42 All-NBA selections and a whopping 68 …
The 1996 draft class is often mentioned as one of the best in NBA history – and rightfully so. Its draftees combined for four MVP awards (two for Steve Nash, one apiece for Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson), 42 All-NBA selections and a whopping 68 All-Star appearances.
Marbury sounds off on LeBron James’ vow to ‘carry’ Kobe Bryant’s legacy.
Stephon Marbury has never been one to mince his words.
He wasn’t when he played in the NBA, he wasn’t when he left the NBA for the CBA and he hasn’t been since he retired from the CBA. He’s always spoken how he feels.
Marbury delivered an eyebrow-raising message on Complex’s Load Management podcast when he was asked how he felt about how people in and around the NBA were reacting to Kobe Bryant’s death.
Bryant was one of the most polarizing figures in NBA history and Marbury, his 1996 draft classmate, knows that. That’s why he said he’s so surprised people are reacting with almost universal reverence.
"I see so many people saying so many great things about Kobe and they hated Kobe…" @StarburyMarbury is not here for that fake Kobe love.
“I see so many people saying so many great things about Kobe and they hated Kobe and I’m like “hmm, this is interesting.
A few moments later in the podcast, Marbury called out LeBron James specifically for saying he’d be one of the players to carry on Bryant’s legacy in the NBA.
“You don’t need to go get guys like LeBron to go speak and talk about what they’re going to carry and all of that. He don’t need you to carry his legacy. His legacy is already his legacy. You don’t do that. Carry your own legacy. Keep it popping and going. You not no real Laker. The real Laker fans are real laker fans. And real Laker players. So when you hear these guys saying this type of stuff and doing these type of things, I’m wondering what is it for?”
Ouch. Those are pretty harsh words for James — especially with James being the one trying to bring comfort to Lakers fans.
Marbury clearly feels a close attachment to his former draft classmate. But he’s probably doing a bit too much here.
We went back through the history books to find the 20 NBA players who have earned the most money while playing for losing clubs.
Usually, NBA teams have the goal of paying their top athletes boatloads of money in hopes of having those players lead their franchises to the playoffs and beyond. Of course, things don’t always work out that way. Sometimes, injuries take place and get in the way of even the savviest or safest of plans. And other times, the talent on the rest of the roster behind the max-level players isn’t up to par, bringing the team as a whole down.
Below, we break down the 20 players who have earned the most money from teams with losing records.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
15. TYSON CHANDLER
Total years played: 19 Years with losing record: 10 Earnings with losing teams: $85,919,258 ($96,697,515 adjusted to inflation)
He’s made the playoffs nine times and has an NBA title on his resume, but Tyson Chandler has actually spent the majority of his career on losing teams and been paid handsomely during his times on those teams. His three-plus year stint with the Phoenix Suns particularly stands out in that regard.
14. BROOK LOPEZ
Total years played: 11 Years with losing record: 8 Earnings with losing teams: $89,030,768 ($95,624,188)
Floor-spacing center Brook Lopez has been doing a whole lot of winning over the past season and a half, but this is a recent development. Prior to 2018-19 with the Milwaukee Bucks, Lopez had only made the playoffs twice in his career and had actually endured eight losing seasons out of his first 10 as a professional. Those New Jersey and then Brooklyn Nets teams were usually pretty bad.
13. BARON DAVIS
Total years played: 15 Years with losing record: 7 Earnings with losing teams: $91,180,000 ($109,914,185)
Baron Davis was as entertaining a point guard as any during his prime, with solid athleticism and eye-popping ball-handling abilities, with impressive vision as a passer, to boot. He made the playoffs each of the first five years of his career but only made it twice more over the final 10 seasons he spent in the NBA, a byproduct of spending time on struggling Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers teams.
12. ZACH RANDOLPH
Total years played: 18 Years with losing record: 8 Earnings with losing teams: $92,170,939 ($108,543,128)
A cult hero for his time with the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph won more than he lost in his career, as fewer than half of his 18 career seasons had a losing record attached to them. At his peak, Randolph was earning $17.8 million per season and did so as a member of the successful Grit-and-Grind Grizzlies, who usually performed well in the playoffs.
11. KOBE BRYANT
Total years played: 20 Years with losing record: 4 Earnings with losing teams: $93,128,000 ($104,634,234)
Legendary 2-guard Kobe Bryant only missed the playoffs four times in his illustrious career, once in 2004-05 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ first season without Shaquille O’Neal, and three times at the very end of it when the team was forced to rebuild around Bryant. Regardless, he finds his way fairly high up on this list because in his final three seasons he made a combined $79 million. That’s not to say he wasn’t worth every penny, of course, as Bryant more than earned his fortunes as a player.
Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
10. HARRISON BARNES
Total years played: 8 Years with losing record: 4 Earnings with losing teams: $93,483,739 ($96,324,681)
His first four seasons were quite successful as a member of the Golden State Warriors, but after that, Harrison Barnes’ team success has plummeted during his time with the Dallas Mavericks (pre-Luka Doncic) and Sacramento Kings. Barnes recently signed another four-year contract with Sacramento, one worth $85 million, so if they don’t turn things around soon as a franchise, he’ll find his way up even higher on these rankings in the future.
9. JUWAN HOWARD
Total years played: 22 Years with losing record: 11
Earnings with losing teams: $94,640,843 ($136,114,261)
Despite playing for 22 seasons, Juwan Howard only made the playoffs seven times, two of which came at the very end of his career as a deep reserve for the Big 3 Heat. Howard signed one enormous contract in his career, worth seven years and $105 million courtesy of the Wizards. Unfortunately, he only made the playoffs once while with Washington prior to getting traded in the 2000-01 season.
8. JOE JOHNSON
Total years played: 19 Years with losing record: 7 Earnings with losing teams: $94,663,379 ($109,405,674)
Only seven of his 19 career seasons were losing ones, but Joe Johnson made so much money those years that he finds himself in the Top 10 of these rankings anyway. Johnson reached the playoffs 13 times in his career, getting as far as the conference finals multiple times. He once signed a six-year, $123.7 million contract, an enormous deal for its time.
7. CARMELO ANTHONY
Total years played: 16 Years with losing record: 5 Earnings with losing teams: $95,935,697 ($100,796,083)
Much is usually made about Carmelo Anthony not being a winning player (whatever that means), but the future Hall-of-Famer has only endured five losing seasons so far in his career and reached the postseason in all of the first 10 years that he was in the NBA. Then, the Melo New York Knicks of the mid-2010s completely fell apart, and Anthony didn’t make the playoffs again until 2017-18 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
6. SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM
Total years played: 13 Years with losing record: 12
Earnings with losing teams: $96,221,760 ($135,141,973)
Of the 13 seasons one-time All-Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim spent in the NBA, 12 of them were spent on losing teams, including the then-Vancouver Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks and Kings. Abdur-Rahim was part of the last Kings team to make the playoffs in 2005-06, an impressive accomplishment for the player who spent so much of his career on poor squads. Abdur-Rahim never reached $15 million in annual salary, but when you spend so much time on losing teams, it adds up.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
5. KEVIN LOVE
Total years played: 12 Years with losing record: 8 Earnings with losing teams: $96,237,212 ($102,083,758)
Tasked with playing for two pretty dysfunctional organizations in his career, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Cleveland Cavaliers, has caused Kevin Love to know losing a lot more than he has known winning as an NBA player. Even so, Love did get to enjoy four years as LeBron James’ teammate, and the duo experienced a whole lot of success over that run, including winning the 2015-16 championship, so it hasn’t been all bad of the floor-spacing big man.
4. RUDY GAY
Total years played: 14 Years with losing record: 10 Earnings with losing teams: $104,417,071 ($113,450,141)
Cursed with spending the start of his career with bad Grizzlies teams and his prime with the tumultuous post-Chris Webber Sacramento Kings, Rudy Gay has only made the playoffs three times in his career, twice with the San Antonio Spurs as a role player. Regardless, Gay had the talent to earn a handsome salary anyway, peaking at nearly $20 million in 2014-15 with the Kings, which is why he ranks so highly on these rankings.
3. ELTON BRAND
Total years played: 19 Years with losing record: 13 Earnings with losing teams: $105,180,654 ($133,520,150)
Elton Brand was an absurd talent before injuries took away his athleticism, earning All-NBA honors in 2005-06 and making two All-Star rosters as well. His talent alone, though, wasn’t enough to help him enjoy much success when he was his teams’ focal point, as he spent the early portion of his career with the post-Michael Jordan Bulls, then enjoying his prime with the Clippers before they got good. Injuries really prevented him from ever finding that peak form with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he spent four seasons after his time in L.A., though he did make the playoffs twice while there.
2. NICOLAS BATUM
Total years played: 12 Years with losing record: 6 Earnings with losing teams: $106,974,931 ($111,383,962)
Well-rounded swingman Nicolas Batum enjoyed a good amount of team success as a member of the Blazers early in his career, but since signing a monstrous five-year, $120 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets, it’s been downhill for him, both individually and as far as winning goes. Batum hasn’t made the playoffs in the last four years and even went so far as to apologize to Hornets fans for failing to deliver on his contract.
1. STEPHON MARBURY
Total years played: 13 Years with losing record: 11
Earnings with losing teams: $136,474,625 ($181,971,511)
Stephon Marbury was a highly popular player in his prime, thanks to his theatrical style and clutch bucket-getting prowess. He made two All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams during that stretch, but that didn’t lead to much team success, as Marbury enjoyed just two winning campaigns in his 13 years as an NBA player. To be fair, he did make the playoffs five times, four of those coming in his prime.
Nobody in NBA history has ever scored as many points as Anthony Davis just did while playing against their former team for the first time.
Nobody in NBA history has ever scored as many points as Anthony Davis just did while playing against their former team for the first time. Kevin Durant hung 39 on the Oklahoma City Thunder during his first matchup with his former team in 2016. Stephon Marbury dropped 39 on the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000 the first time he played against the franchise he broke into the league with, and Danny Ainge scored 39 as well against the Boston Celtics in 1989. But during a hard-fought 114-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, Davis went for a game-high 41.
While meeting the Pelicans for the first time since he requested a trade last year from the franchise he spent six seasons with, the Los Angeles Lakers big man was simply spectacular. Davis connected on 50% of his field-goal attempts while scoring 41 points to go along with nine rebounds. He combined with LeBron James to total 70 points on the evening between the two of them–which tied for the most points the superstar duo has scored in a game this year–and helped the Lakers to their 16th victory of the season.
Anthony Davis returns to the Big Easy to face the Pelicans for the first time at 9:30 ET on ESPN.
According to @EliasSports, the record for most points in a player's first game against his former team is 39: – Kevin Durant vs OKC – Stephon Marbury vs MIN – Danny Ainge vs BOS pic.twitter.com/gG0ceUto98
The Lakers have now won nine-straight games which is tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the longest active win-streak in the NBA. But improving to 16-2 overall wasn’t easy for Los Angeles. Despite 14 first quarter points from A.D., the Lakers trailed by double-digits early on. LeBron offered 16 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, though, while Kyle Kuzma scored nine in the final period in support of a monster night from Davis to help L.A. rally for the victory.
As a note, during LeBron’s first game against his former Cleveland Cavaliers team as a member of the Miami Heat he scored 38 points. During his first game against Miami after returning to Cleveland James dropped 30, and last season with the Lakers he scored 32 against the Cavs the first time he played them. But he never gave his former team as many as the 41 points that Davis did on Friday the first time he met them as an opposing player and nobody else has either in the history of the sport.
