Your earliest memories of the NBA.......

[Veteran_Picksetter]

I'm probably one of the older guys here. When I was a kid in the late 70's, the NBA was a very mysterious thing. We did not have cable television in our town. So there were like 5 television channels. It was very rare to be able to see a game. In fact, even the NBA finals would be shown on tape delay at around 11:30 PM Eastern, after the evening news. Luckily my dad let me stay up to watch a game or two.

My grandfather, then around 60, said that all they did in the NBA was run and shoot. And this was a BAD thing to him. There was a stigma attached to the league.

I remember one Sunday afternoon in the 1978-79 season, I got to see my first NBA game on TV. I had just started playing the sport of basketball myself. The game was between the 76ers (with Dr. J) and the Lakers (with Kareem). In retrospect, this makes sense because if any game was actually gonna be shown, it was gonna be a rare cross-conference matchup with 2 of the all time great players. I think I remember Kareem dropping a lot of points. And one thing that struck me was the organ music being played to add dramatic flair. They didn't do that with college games. There was a very organic feel to it--no pun intended.

Sorry if this bores you, but I'm curious about other people's first experiences/impressions with NBA basketball.....

Maybe this is the wrong forum category, but I figure the Bobcats will come into play at some point.......

[rsxnova]

I am going to be 100% honest with this one. My family had never been sports fans till me but i would always hear about MJ and the Hornets on occasion. My first NBA memory had to have come from the movie Space Jam. Idk why but that movie made me want to check out this game of tall men.

[Veteran_Picksetter]

I am going to be 100% honest with this one. My family had never been sports fans till me but i would always hear about MJ and the Hornets on occasion. My first NBA memory had to have come from the movie Space Jam. Idk why but that movie made me want to check out this game of tall men.

Sorry to veer off-topic, but.....

It's nice to see someone with China Grove ties in the house. I attended South Rowan myself, many moons ago.

[rsxnova]

Sorry to veer off-topic, but.....

It's nice to see someone with China Grove ties in the house. I attended South Rowan myself, many moons ago.

Class of 2006 at South. Do you still live in the area?

[Veteran_Picksetter]

Class of 2006 at South. Do you still live in the area?

Not too far. I'm down the road in Concord, just north of the Speedway.

[TattoodCats4life]

No sports in my house as a kid, superbowl (cowboys/bills), world series (always the braves) met my wife and she got me in to hockey, drove hours each way to see Devils games (sometimes twice a week) like driving to spartanburg distance wise. Moved here and watched one bobcats game on tv, was pretty hooked, went to my first game a few weeks later and its been rabid since ;)

[ziggy]

I think that it was around 78 when the Seattle Supersonics with Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams and "Downtown" Freddy Brown played Wes Unseld and the Washington Bullets in the Finals.

I've been an NBA junkie ever sense.

[dnbman]

I'm probably one of the older guys here.

While you're older than me, there are a LOT of posters older than you here! The range in ages is actually something that makes this board better than most, in my opinion.

I remember the Bird/Magic feud, but I didn't really become a fan until 1990 when I started collecting sports cards. And then I didn't REALLY become a fan until Jordan's first championship run in '91. The summer before that I started playing a lot of basketball too, so a lot of interests converged and then the greatest player ever won a championship.

[Ghost Kat]

I didn't even like sports till I was in the 7th grade. The football coach saw me playing basketball in gym class and asked if I ever thought about playing football and a star was born. I remember watching Pre-AIDS Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. I hated Jordan back in the day because he always beat the team I was cheering for. Hornets and Magic where my teams. I was a Penny Hardaway fan and Zo and Larry Johnson were beasts in my eyes. Lil Penny and Grandma Ma as nba mascots shit on Kobe and Kings James lil puppet show.

[Black]

I got to go to a handful of Hornets games a year, and this is the only playoff game of any sport I have ever been to, to this day. I was seven years old, but I remember it pretty well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsMbw57bmb0

[WAM9]

I can tell you the 1st NBA game I ever watched.

It was in 1980 (almost exactly 30 years ago) and it was between the NJ Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers. I am from the Triangle area and we only got about 5 channels as well at that time (4,5,11,22,28). Mike Gminski was a rookie with NJ and he joined 2 Carolina boys (Bob McAdoo and Mike O'Koren).

This was the 1st time I had ever seen Dr. J live and it was definitely a memorable experience. Darryl Dawkins was on that team as well.

I remember you could hardly see the guys because of all the static on a small tv but it was still memorable.

I turned into a Lakers fan during the Showtime era and remained Lakers fan until the Hornets started in '88. I was in school at UNCC at the time and went to the 2nd (or 3rd) home game ever at the hive. This was also my 1st pro game attended. I bled teal until they Schinn broke my heart and bleed orange now.

I absolutely love the NBA!

[Katmandu]

1969 Lakers vs. Celtics, Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell.

[WAM9]

1969 Lakers vs. Celtics, Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell.

Now that is old school!

I envy the fact that you got to watch Wilt and Bill Russell live. Other than Oscar Roberson and maybe Jerry West, those are 2 of the guys I would have loved to have got to see in person.

[K1NGofAKR0N]

Haha this is recent but Game 6 2006 conference semifinals Cavs vs. Pistons when lebron purposely missed a freethrow so they could tip in and tie the game but Big z missed it

[Veteran_Picksetter]

I think that it was around 78 when the Seattle Supersonics with Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams and "Downtown" Freddy Brown played Wes Unseld and the Washington Bullets in the Finals.

I've been an NBA junkie ever sense.

I think those teams rematched in the 78-79 NBA finals. That was my first finals that I ever watched any part of. Jack Sikma was my first basketball hero.....

[Veteran_Picksetter]

1969 Lakers vs. Celtics, Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell.

Nice. That was the one that the Celtics had no business winning, if I am not mistaken. Russell's last?

[mrtarheel]

Been a sports fanatic every since I can remeber. Have been to plenty of Hornets, Bobcats, Panthers, Tarheels and even Gamecocks. Football, basketball are my favorite. I even went to see the Olympic team when they came to The Hive.

[Demon DeaCat]

Earliest NBA memories for me would probably be those early 80s clashes between Bird and Dr. J. and Bird/Magic. No particular game stands out, but probably around '81 or '82 is when I really fell in love with it. I was a huge sixers fan back then as a kid. I loved Dr. J, Mo Cheeks, Andrew Toney, Daryl Dawkins and Moses. Liked the Lakers too. Hated the Celtics, which is why I felt so uncomfortable pulling for them against the Lakers this year. 80s NBA was great. Thanks for the thread. It's fun to reminisce.

[teej]

I have really vague memories of the Hornets, and I know I saw Space Jam but barely remember it (I was 3 when it came out). But I watched some Hornets games as a kid, then nothing until the Bobcats showed up, then nothing again til Sam Vincent.

[ziggy]

I got to go to a handful of Hornets games a year, and this is the only playoff game of any sport I have ever been to, to this day. I was seven years old, but I remember it pretty well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsMbw57bmb0

I was there about 8 rows back with some of the best seats that I had ever had. My wife (then girlfriend) screamed so much during the game that she was hoarse for the next 3 days.

[dvdbumpus]

First I remember was watching MJ and Ewing battle each other....MJ in general. My first real memory was a trip visiting my cousin who lives in Greensboro where we stopped at the hive during the filming of the movie "Eddie" with Whoopi Goldberg. This was the same trip that I went to my first sports bar with them and experienced wings for the first time...NOM! Oh, and on top of that, this was the same day that Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played.

So yea...a ton of memories packed into one!

P.S. hopefully I didn't mix two trips into one...I'm pretty sure they were the same but now I'm doubting myself. Regardless, I had those two memories when I was roughly 9 or 10 at the time.

[TheBeagle]

As a nostalgic myself, great topics, Picksetter! I remember being 5 or so, my older cousin always talking about some Larry Bird fella and wearing these green shirts with a funny looking leprechaun spinning a basketball on his finger, smoking a pipe and leaning on a walking stick.....I was hooked! Coincidentally, the first NBA action I remember watching (and being mesmerized by) was the classic '86 first round matchup between MJ and the Celts...suffice to say, I was no longer enamored with Larry Bird and the leprechaun, but by MJ and that cool looking red and black Bull.

[SWedd523]

My earliest memory was in 1997 when I was seven years old. My family were huge MJ fans (hence my adoration for him) and would watch just about every Bulls game on TV. They would always bet on what color Rodman would dye his hair.


I won $5 because I was the only one that got it right :biggrin:

[kickazzz2000]

"OH! A SPECTACULAR MOVE, BY MICHAEL JORDAN"


Will never forget that.

[kickazzz2000]

Been a sports fanatic every since I can remeber. Have been to plenty of Hornets, Bobcats, Panthers, Tarheels and even Gamecocks. Football, basketball are my favorite. I even went to see the Olympic team when they came to The Hive.

Was that 1994? That was awesome.

Reggie Miller, Shaq, LJ, Zo, Pippen.

[G-Force for MVP]

NBA on NBC was almost too good

[TheBeagle]

NBA on NBC was almost too good NBA on CBS was even better! Dick Stockton and Tommy Heihnson(sp?) were the best NBA play by play/color tandem ever!!!

[Muttley]

These nostalgic thread are great reads. At first, when I saw two separate but such similarly titled new threads I thought, "Jeez, is this new guy making a new thread for every single comment he has?" Boy was I wrong and short-sighted. Each topic is unique and offers totally different perspectives on basketball history.

VP, I apologize for even thinking that, and I give you props for finding a way to harvest such cool stories out of other BCP members. Good Stuff!

Anyways, I've enjoyed reading all of this. Here's the best I can do with the faulty memory that I have:

I guess I was 5 when the Hornets first showed up in Charlotte. My family lived in Durham, so I think I'd only gone to a game or two at the Hive. I assume I loved it, but I can't remember the game (or maybe the two games?) at all.

What I do remember was having some teal sweatpants with HORNETS in big purple block letters running down one leg. Of course Hugo was present on the pants as well. If I recall correctly, I had a matching Teal sweatshirt which was similarly detailed. I must have worn those sweatpants until they would suffocate my thighs! Granted, they were definitely huge on me when my family first gave me them for Christmas, but I must have been a teenager by the time I retired them.

When I tell you that I thought that I, as a scrawny 9 year old whiteboy with a chubby face, was "the $hit" walking around the neighborhood dressed from head to toe in Hornets teal, you better believe I thought that I was pimping.

On top of that I had a Hornets pennant in my room that I got at the one game I attended, and a mini-ball. My favorite NBA-related thing in my room though was a laundry basket that was like a hoop with a backboard that hung on the back of my door. It was decorated with the logos of all the teams in the league at the time. To this day, it is still in my room at my parents house. (And they've moved twice in that time.)

[WAM9]

"OH! A SPECTACULAR MOVE, BY MICHAEL JORDAN"


Will never forget that.

Still one of the sickest moves, most sponteneous moves I have evere seen. Definitely the best "non-dunk" ever!

[Veteran_Picksetter]

These nostalgic thread are great reads. At first, when I saw two separate but such similarly titled new threads I thought, "Jeez, is this new guy making a new thread for every single comment he has?" Boy was I wrong and short-sighted. Each topic is unique and offers totally different perspectives on basketball history.

VP, I apologize for even thinking that, and I give you props for finding a way to harvest such cool stories out of other BCP members. Good Stuff!

Anyways, I've enjoyed reading all of this. Here's the best I can do with the faulty memory that I have:

I guess I was 5 when the Hornets first showed up in Charlotte. My family lived in Durham, so I think I'd only gone to a game or two at the Hive. I assume I loved it, but I can't remember the game (or maybe the two games?) at all.

What I do remember was having some teal sweatpants with HORNETS in big purple block letters running down one leg. Of course Hugo was present on the pants as well. If I recall correctly, I had a matching Teal sweatshirt which was similarly detailed. I must have worn those sweatpants until they would suffocate my thighs! Granted, they were definitely huge on me when my family first gave me them for Christmas, but I must have been a teenager by the time I retired them.

When I tell you that I thought that I, as a scrawny 9 year old whiteboy with a chubby face, was "the $hit" walking around the neighborhood dressed from head to toe in Hornets teal, you better believe I thought that I was pimping.

On top of that I had a Hornets pennant in my room that I got at the one game I attended, and a mini-ball. My favorite NBA-related thing in my room though was a laundry basket that was like a hoop with a backboard that hung on the back of my door. It was decorated with the logos of all the teams in the league at the time. To this day, it is still in my room at my parents house. (And they've moved twice in that time.)

Thanks for the props!!

Dude, I was rockin' similar Hornets sweatpants in late 1988. But they were two-toned. I think one leg was white, and the other leg was teal or purple. Hot stuff indeed!!

I'd love to get my hands on some Hornets items nowadays. I DO have some Hornets T-shirts and some old newspaper clippings. That's about it.

[kickazzz2000]

I'd love to get my hands on some Hornets items nowadays.

I only want one thing from the Hornets.





























...but I digress

[coachcdobbs]

Hornets/Raptors... it had to be 1997 or so. I remember it because it was T Macs rookie year and he was the youngest player in the league. In the old Charlotte Coliseum off of Tyvola. Those were good days. i also went to the last game in that Coliseum which was Bobcats/Pistons. I remember thinking how cool it was that I was about ten rows from Larry Brown (then coach of the Pistons). Now we get to hear that familiar Larry Brown yell @ every home game haha!

[BlockParty]

Dr J's scoop shot where he went under the basket nearly hitting his head late 70's early 80s pre-Jordan...I was sold. I always wonder what he would've been like playing with Magic (maybe in place of Worthy). He had such a graceful game, and Magic would've 'set the table' better than Maurice Cheeks.

[UNCCatFan]

i remember heading down to the nest with my dad in a snow storm. it took us an hour and a half to get there when it should have been 20 minutes. But we got there and saw glen rice, dell curry, bobby phills (rip), and my favorite player, david wesley woop up on patrick ewing, larry johnson and the knicks. I was like 8 years old, and i remember the arena was empty because of the storm, and we were able to move way down and it was a great game. Man i miss the hornets ....Thank you, george shinn.

[Beekizzle]

My first memories as a kid was the Doctor with the mini 82 afro still going strong in the NBA. I grew up in DC, so after that my memories were about the Bullets and bringing in guys like Manute Bol and Bernard King. I moved out to Largo, MD which is REALLY close to the old Capital Centre so I was able to catch the bug of live NBA games as a kid. Now that I am a 30 something adult here in CLT, I have had season tix for the Cats since '07 and I rarely miss a game. I really love the NBA.

[BlockParty]

My first memories as a kid was the Doctor with the mini 82 afro still going strong in the NBA. I grew up in DC, so after that my memories were about the Bullets and bringing in guys like Manute Bol and Bernard King. I moved out to Largo, MD which is REALLY close to the old Capital Centre so I was able to catch the bug of live NBA games as a kid. Now that I am a 30 something adult here in CLT, I have had season tix for the Cats since '07 and I rarely miss a game. I really love the NBA.

DC...so you appreciate that Charlotte has zero traffic. I worked in Northern VA for 4 years after college, 12 miles took a minimum of 45 minutes each way. Glad you found your way to Charlotte.

[Beekizzle]

DC...so you appreciate that Charlotte has zero traffic. I worked in Northern VA for 4 years after college, 12 miles took a minimum of 45 minutes each way. Glad you found your way to Charlotte.

I def don't miss the game traffic or rush hour traffic of dc area. The firm I used to work for in dc was 2 blocks away from the verizon center, so on game night I would just take the metro home. I do miss that though. Overall Charlotte is nice, I think I will be here for a while.

[rsxnova]

I gave some change to a guy in a Hornets shirt this afternoon.