When MJ Dominated The NBA Courts
There’s no need to give this world-famous basketball player an introduction…it’s needless to say that he was a “pretty good” player. In fact, if you read Michael Jordan’s biography on the official NBA website, it states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” If one had to rank Jordan’s most epic dunks, the one on Patrick Ewing during the Chicago Bulls vs. the New York Knicks during the 1991 NBA Playoffs, would have to be among the top 3. It’s also its performer’s favorite dunk. Jordan himself once said, “My most memorable dunk, the one that I think about very, very often is the Patrick Ewing Dunk,” “That’s only because Patrick and I are such great friends.” He added.
A few weeks after that iconic game, Jordan would win the first of his six career NBA championships. Over his 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan eliminated Ewing and the Knicks from the playoffs five times! That dunk eventually became the symbol of Jordan’s dominance of the rivalry, and, apparently, his friend Ewing will never hear the end of it, as Jordan once jokingly said: “Every time I see him, that’s the first thing I remind him of.”
The Underdog Wins!
At 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), Anthony Webb, also known as "Spud," is one of the shortest players to be drafted into the NBA. Although most basketball scouts recognized his talent, they predicted he would be great for The Harlem Globetrotters, or a European team. None of them expected to play in the NBA. Not only did Spud Webb prove them all wrong, but he made record-breaking achievements throughout his 12-season-long career in the NBA.
Webb was famous for his extraordinary 42 inches (1.06 m) vertical jump, which he used to his advantage on many occasions; one of his most memorable being during the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, when he played for the Atlanta Hawks. Ultimately Webb won that Slam Dunk Contest, taking home the gold, despite being one of the shortest players in NBA history.
The Winning Goal!
On August 8th, 1998, Mia Hamm celebrated the 101 goals of her career in the US Women's Soccer Team match against Russia, where her team beat their rivals 4-0. Hamm is widely regarded as the best woman soccer player of all time. In 2013, lucky #9, Mia Hamm, became the first woman to be inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame.
Pelé, who's one of (if not) the best soccer players in the history of the sport, once said about Hamm, “When I was playing, they said soccer was a man’s world and that women should remain on the sidelines. All I can say is, I am glad I never had to go up against Mia Hamm!” Respect!
1929 Columbia University Varsity Rowing Team
At that time, the college sports that were most popular to follow outside of the pro leagues were football and rowing. Since rowing has lost its popularity, let's take a moment to appreciate the sport. Columbia's 1929 heavyweight crew was possibly the fastest rowing boat in the world. Though they were both a national and international phenomenon, they never got a chance to bring home the gold, as the years of their prime weren't Olympic years. The New York Times once raved about the team, after one of their many victorious matches, "Columbia's victory is among the greatest sporting achievements ever put down on record."
Going season after season undefeated, this varsity heavyweight crew is regarded as one of the greatest 8+ American rowing teams. The team was eventually etched in rowing history in January 1974, when the 1929 Columbia University varsity crew was inducted into the Rowing Hall of Fame by the NAAO.
Youngest Heavyweight Champion
Tyson is widely regarded as one of the best heavyweights of all time. By the age of 20, he became a world heavyweight boxer and became the youngest boxer in history to hold that title. Tyson was known for his ferocious boxing style, as well as his controversial behavior both inside and outside the ring. For example, at one point, he owned a rare white tiger which he kept as a pet. On another occasion, he asked a zookeeper to let him in a gorilla cage so he could wrestle the primate. Ultimately, his reputation got him his second "title" of "The Baddest Man on the Planet."
Since Tyson's young and crazy days, and after he retired, he has become quite an ordinary family man. He once said about himself that he couldn't believe the things he'd done when he was younger. Well, luckily, we have pictures to prove it.