DAVID THOMPSON

David O'Neil Thompson (born July 13, 1954) is a former American professional basketball star with the Denver Nuggets of both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), as well as the Seattle SuperSonics. He was previously a star in college for North Carolina State, leading the Wolfpack to its first NCAA championship in 1974.

High school career

Thompson attended Crest Senior High School and he played for the school's Varsity Basketball team for four years. Thompson is a first cousin of Alvin Gentry, both growing up in Shelby, North Carolina.

College career
After leading North Carolina State University to an undefeated season (27-0) in 1973, he led them to an NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1974, defeating the reigning national champions, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins. His nickname was "Skywalker" because of his incredible purported 48-inch vertical leap.The alley-oop pass, now a staple of today's high-flying, above-the-rim game, was "invented" by Thompson and his NC State teammate Monte Towe, and first used as an integral part of the offense by NC State coach Norm Sloan to take advantage of Thompson's leaping ability. NC State's game against the nationally 4th-ranked University of Maryland Terrapins in the 1974 ACC Tournament finale, in an era in which only conference champions were invited to the NCAA Tournament, is considered one of the best college basketball games of all time. Thompson and teammate Tommy Burleson led the #1-ranked Wolfpack to a 103-100 win in overtime. Thompson and the Wolfpack would go on to win the national championship that year while Maryland sat at home. Maryland's exclusion from the NCAA Tournament due to the loss, despite their high national ranking, would lead to the expansion of the NCAA Tournament the very next season to include teams other than the league champions.

Professional career
hompson was the No. 1 draft pick of both the American Basketball Association (Virginia Squires) and the National Basketball Association (Atlanta Hawks in the 1975 drafts of both leagues. He eventually signed with the ABA's Denver Nuggets. Explaining his choice between the establishment NBA and the ABA which offered less real money (but more "deferred" over the life of the contract) -- Thompson said when he met with the Hawks, the organization had seemed almost uninterested, to the point of treating him to a meal at McDonald's. Thompson also told the Denver Nuggets he wanted his friend and point guard at N.C. State Monte Towe to have a chance to play in the NBA, and Denver signed Towe to a 2 year contract.

Thompson and Julius Erving were the finalists in the first ever Slam-Dunk Competition, held at the 1976 ABA All-Star Game at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver. The competition organizers had arranged the seedings to assure a final round pairing these two dynamic players. Erving won with the first ever foul-line dunk, to this day the standard for leaping and dunking prowess. Thompson, inexplicably, performed even more difficult dunks in warmups, but not in the competition itselfincluding a dunk called the "cradle the baby" whereby he cradled the ball in the crook of his arm, raised it above the rim, and punched it through. (See Loose Balls by Terry Pluto) Thompson won the MVP of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, and as a prize, he received a credenza television set. After the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, Thompson continued with the Nuggets through the 198182 season, after which he joined the Seattle SuperSonics. Thompson made the NBA All-Star Game four seasons, and reached his peak in 1978 season. On April 9, 1978, the last day of the regular NBA season, Thompson scored 73 points against the Detroit Pistons in an effort to win the NBA scoring title (he barely lost the scoring title to San Antonio'sGeorge Gervin, who scored 63 points in a game played later that same day). He also led the Denver Nuggets to the NBA playoffs, but they lost to the eventual Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics. After the 1978 season, Thompson signed a record-breaking contract for $4 million over fiveyears. That amount was more than any basketball player ever had previously been paid. However, from that point, injuries and persistent problems with substance abuse would trouble Thompson and to the significant detriment of the remainder of his NBA career, which came to an end after the 1983-84 season. He severely injured his knee getting "flanged" down the steps of the notorious Studio 54, epicenter of the New York party scene and antithesis of his humble beginnings. He did attempt a comeback in 1985, but it was unsuccessful.

Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a former American professional basketball player, active businessman, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."[1] Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. After a standout career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Tar Heels' National Championship team in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained

a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball.[2] In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 199394 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regularseason wins in the 199596 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards. Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009 and was inducted on September 11, 2009.[3] Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike'sAir Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today.[4] Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself. He is the majority owner and head of basketball operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats; he recently won a bidding war to buy controlling interest in the team from founding owner Robert L. Johnson.

Olympic career
Jordan played on two Olympicgold medal-winning American basketball teams. As a college player he participated, and won the gold, in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Jordan led the team in scoring averaging 17.1 ppg for the tournament.[88] In the 1992 Summer Olympics he was a member of the star-studded squad that included Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and David Robinson and was dubbed the "Dream Team". Playing limited minutes due to the frequent blowouts, Jordan averaged 12.7 ppg, finishing fourth on the team in scoring.[89] Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and fellow Dream Team member Chris Mullin are the only American men's basketball players to win Olympic gold as amateurs (all in 1984) and professionals.[88][90] In addition, Jordan and fellow Dream Team member (and Bulls teammate) Scottie Pippen are the only players to have won both NBA championship and Olympic gold medal in the same year (1992).
In June 2010, Jordan was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the 20th most powerful celebrity in the world with $55 million earned between June 2009 and June 2010. According to the Forbes article, Brand Jordan generates $1 billion in sales for Nike.

Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country.He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals led to O'Neal's departure following the 200304season. In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Edwards, Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify,and Bryant had to rebuild his image while becoming the cornerstone of the Lakers. He led the NBA in scoring during the 200506 and 200607 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process.In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history,second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point performance in 1962.In the 200708 season, he was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP).After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named NBA Finals MVP on both occasions. As of May 2011, Bryant ranks third and sixth on the league's all-time post-season scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Since his second year in the league, Bryant has started in every NBA All-Star Game that has been held with thirteen All-Star appearances, winning the All-Star MVP Award four times (2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011). He is a thirteen-time member of the All-NBA team and eleven-time All-Defensive team, and is the youngest player ever to receive defensive honors. At the 2008 Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the USA national team. In 2009, Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the NBA player of the 2000s decade.

International career
Kobe Bryant declined to play in the 2000 Olympics due to getting married in the off-season.He also decided not to play in the 2002 FIBA World Championship. Bryant was originally selected for the FIBA Americas Championship 2003 but withdrew due to surgeries and was replaced by Vince Carter.In the following summer, he had to withdraw from the Olympic team because of his legal case. Along with LeBron James, he was one of the first two players to publicly named to the 2006-2008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo.[181] However, he was once again sidelined after knee surgery and didn't participate in the 2006 FIBA World Championship.

Bryant's senior international career with the United States national team finally began in 2007. He was a member of the 2007 USA Men's Senior National Team and USA FIBA Americas Championship Team that finished 100, won gold and qualified the United States men for the 2008 Olympics. He started in all 10 of the USA's FIBA Americas Championship games. He finished third on the team for made and attempted free throws, ranked fourth for made field goals, made 3-pointers. Among all FIBA Americas Championship competitors, Bryant is ranked 15th in scoring, 14th in assists, and eighth in steals. Bryant scored double-digits in eight of the 10 games played. Bryant also made the game winning 14 feet (4.3 m) jumper above the foul line with seconds left in the game. He currently averages a .530 shooting percentage, with 16.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. As a part of his international expansion, he is also featured in a Chinese reality TV show, called the Kobe Mentu show, which documents Chinese basketball players on different teams going through drills, preparing to play each other while Bryant gives advice and words of encouragement to the players while they practice. On June 23, 2008, he was named to the USA Men's Senior National Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics.This was his first time going to the Olympics. Bryant scored 20 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, along with six assists, as Team USA defeated Spain 118107 in the gold medal game of the 2008 Summer Olympics on August 24, 2008, for its first gold medal in a worldwide international competition since the 2000 Olympics.He averaged 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting .462 from the field in eight Olympic contests. Bryant has committed to playing for the national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics Aside from his scoring ability, he has established himself as a standout defender, having made the All-Defensive first or second team eleven of the last twelve seasons.Bryant has also been noted being one of the premier clutch performers in the NBA. For nine consecutive seasons, Bryant has been selected by an NBA GM survey as the player they most want taking the shot with the game on the line.BothSporting News and TNT named Bryant the NBA player of the 2000s decade.

KEVIN SHEPPARD
Kevin Sheppard (born 17 September 1979 in St Croix) is a United States Virgin Islands basketball player and former footballstriker.

Soccer career
Sheppard played soccer as well as basketball at Jacksonville University. He made his debut for the United States Virgin Islands in an August 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification match against the

Dominican Republic and also played in the return game. He scored a goal in both games to become his country's all-time leading goalscorer.

Basketball
Sheppard chose to pursue a professional career in basketball and played in Venezuela, Israel, Argentina, the USA,and Puerto Rico before joining Iranian team Azad University in Tehran.

Outlook: Kevin, Starting point Guard on the US Virgen Island National Team, a true point guard, who has the ability to score. Exceptional quickness & strength which enables him to easily penetrate the defenses. He is a good 3 point shooter, good defender and an excellent passer. A true leader, has the abilty to play at any level in Europe, including the NBA, by evidence of his good showing against the Dream Team at the Pre-Olympics. Possess a Bosman C Passport: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------Career: St. Croix, Virgin Islands (St. Croix Educational Complex) 1998-1999: Jacksonville (NCAA): Did Not Play Medical Redshirt (Broken Foot) 1999-2000: Jacksonville (NCAA): 27 games: 6.3ppg, 2.3rpg, 3.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 39.9%, 3PT: 35.8%, FT: 55.3% 2000-2001: Jacksonville (NCAA, starting five): 28 games: 9.2ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.9apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 44.8%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 68.7% 2001-2002: Jacksonville (NCAA, starting five): 29 games: 13.5ppg, 3.3rpg, 4.1apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 29.0%, FT: 74.7% 2002-2003: Jacksonville (NCAA, starting five): 29 games: 16.2ppg, 2.3rpg, 4.5apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 46.7%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 76.5% 2003: Cocoteros de Paria (Venezuela-LNB) 2004: drafted by Toritos de Cayey (Puerto Rico-BSN) 2004: Toros de Aragua (Venezuela-LPB): 13 games: 19.3ppg, 1.2rpg, 4.3apg: released in April, and the same month signed at Gallitos de Isabela (Puerto Rico-BSN): 17 games: 15.9ppg, 2.5rpg, 4.6apg, 1.4spg 2004: Guacharos de Maturin (Venezuela-LNB) 2004-2005: In Jan.'05 was tested at CzarniSlupsk (Poland-EBL), next month signed at MaccabiRishon Le-Zion (Israel-Premier L.): 7 games: 10.7ppg, 2.9rpg, 1.9apg, 2.9spg, 2FGP: 50.0%, 3FGP: 33.3% 2005-2006: In Nov.'05 signed at La Union Colon (Argentina-LigaA), released next month: 4 games: 10.0ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.0apg, 2.0spg 2006:Conquistadores de Guaynabo (Puerto Rico-BSN): 26 games: 14.2ppg, 3.8rpg, 5.1apg, Steals-3(1.6spg), 2FGP: 49%, 3PT: 45%, FT: 69% 2007: In January signed at Marinos de Anzoategui (Venezuela-LPB): 8 games: 10.1ppg, 1.4apg, 1.8spg, 2FGP: 57.1%, 3FGP: 38.7%, FT: 86.7%, left next month due to personal reason, then moved to Maratonistas de Coamo (Puerto Rico-BSN, starting five) 2008: Drafted (SorteoComunitarios) by Conquistadores de Guaynabo (Puerto Rico-BSN,1rd(3)) 2008: Conquistadores de Guaynabo (Puerto Rico-BSN, starting five): 31 games: 14.7ppg, 2.4rpg,

3.8apg, 2FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 83.0% 2008-2009: Shiraz a.s Pipe (Iran-Superleague, starting five) 2009-2010: Azad University (Iran-Superleague, starting five) 2010-2011: Azad University (Iran-Superleague, starting five) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------Awards/Achievements: U.S. Virgin Islands National Team -99-04, 06-09 Central American and Caribbean University Games Champion -00 Central American Championships (Centrobasket) -01(FinalFour), 03(Final Four) U.S. Virgin Islands University National Team 01 World University Games in Benjin (China) -01 A-Sun All-Conference 2nd Team -02 Tournament of the Americas (Copa America) -03 Puerto Rican BSN All-Star Game -04, 06 CARICOM Championships -04, 06 Venezuelan LNB East Conference Champion -04 Centrobasket -06: (Silver): 4 games: 11.5ppg, 3.5rpg, 2.5apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 55.6%, 3PT: 35.0%, FT: 50.0% Panamerican Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) -07: 5 games: 4.4ppg Tournament of the Americas -07: 4 games: 15.3ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 42.1%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 85.7% Centrobasket in Quintana-Roo (Mexico) -08: 5 games: 16.0ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.6apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 45.7%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 72.4% Latinbasket.com All-FIBA Americas Honorable Mention -09 FIBA Americas in San Juan (Puerto Rico) -09: 4 games: 15.8ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.5apg, FGP: 48.3%, 3PT: 29.4%, FT: 76.9%.

John Amaechi
John EkwughaAmaechi (born November 26, 1970) is a retired American-born British NBAbasketball player who currently works as a psychologist, educator and political activist in Europe and the United States. In February 2007, after his retirement from the NBA, Amaechi became the first openlygay NBA player after coming out in his memoir Man in the Middle.

Early life
he son of a Nigerian, Igbofather,he was raised in Heaton Moor, Stockport, England, with his two younger sisters by his English mother, attending Stockport Grammar School. Amaechi moved to the United States

to play high school basketball at St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio. He began playing college basketball at Vanderbilt but transferred to Penn State, where he was a two-time First Team Academic All-American selection. While at Penn State, Amaechi became a motivational public speaker and a mentor for area youth.

NBA career
Amaechi came out of retirement to represent England during the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, helping the England national basketball team win the bronze medal. In all he made 18 caps for England. Amaechi now has a portfolio career as a broadcaster, consultant and academic, working on coverage of a weekly NBA basketball game on UK television channel Five and providing cocommentary for the BBC at the 2008 Olympic Games in addition, Amaechi was a judge on the BBC Series The Speaker in 2009. Amaechi is also a regular guest host of the BBC Radio Manchester Business show with Steven Saul Amaechi owns Amaechi Performance Systems, which is a consultancy working with numerous bluechipbrands to improve leadership and communication skills and organisational diversity. John is a member of the American Psychological Association,theBritish Psychological Society (BPS),the BPS Division of Organisational Psychology and the BPS Psychological Testing Centre.Most recently, John became a Senior Fellow at the centre for Emotional Literacy and Personal Development at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) in the United Kingdom.
In a radio interview, Amaechi said that he is returning to school to get a Ph.D. in psychology. "I want to do something more meaningful in my life," he said. Amaechi also explained why he played for Orlando in 2000 for much less than the $17 million offered to him by the Lakers; his answer was that Orlando had hired him in 1999 when no other team would. "There are many people who are asked what their word is worth, and when people ask me that I can say, 'At least $17 million.'"

Awards
John Amaechi was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science by Manchester Metropolitan University on July 19, 2007 in recognition of his achievements not only as an athlete and broadcaster, but also for his charitable work with the National Literacy Trust, the NSPCC and the establishment of the ABC Foundation to encourage children to become involved in sport and their community.