#23 - Kevin Johnson
For those of you that have stayed with the list for this long, it shouldn't come as a surprise why KJ is up this high. It doesn't matter that he doesn't have a single NBA Championship to his credit. There are a few guys before and after him that also hold that same distinction. Although a championship certainly does add to one's credentials, a title is not what makes a great player. KJ was living proof of that.
He was first drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers but never could crack the starting line-up with Mark Price at the point. Although the Cavs did have a pretty decent squad at the time, I still think they made a mistake in trading KJ to Phoenix. Case in point: you don't (and won't) see Mark Price on this list anywhere. Nevertheless, Phoenix was the perfect environment for Johnson. Starting in 1989, he went averaged at least 20 points and 10 assists for three straight seasons. That allowed him to join an exclusive club featuring Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas as the only other players in League history to accomplish that feat for three consecutive seasons.
The real reason KJ is so high on this list is he was a little guy (relatively speaking, of course) who played with a lot of heart. He had no fear no matter who he was going up against. It was more than just how he took it to other guards that he was playing though. Nobody will EVER forget the baseline dunk he had over the 7'0" Hakeem Olajuwon. I know Hakeem sure won't. See for yourself here why it was one of the best in-game dunks of all-time.
KJ would retire after 13 seasons and later make other noteworthy news by becoming Sacramento's first African American mayor in 2008. It stands to reason that he had that success in him because he was constantly succeeding on the court. Johnson was a 3-time All-Star who paved the way for great Suns point guards to come in future years. Now he's doing the same thing in politics.
#22 - Ray Allen
Jesus Shuttlesworth. Or just "Jesus" for short. That is what Ray will forever be known as. It's a little messed up becauseballers ususally get their nicknames based on something relating to their game. Ray obtained his because of the role he played in previous Vault Pick "He Got Game". It's not entirely bad though. Denzel's character in the movie explained why Earl "the Pearl" Monroe was called "Jesus" and it can just as easily apply to Ray. Almost.
There have been several cats come thru the NBA that are dead-eye shooters. They wouldn't be there if they weren't. However, very few of them are as pure a shooter as Ray. When you watch him shoot, it's a thing of beauty. He has the perfect form, the perfect release, the perfect execution. He has the text book jumpshot that coaches try to instill in their young pupils at an early age. It's allowed him to be one of the most accurate 3-point shooters in NBA history.
The perimeter wasn't the only facet to Ray's game though. He can also take opponents off the dribble and be just as deadly as a slasher. That's a serious problems for defenders because they never know quite how to guard him. If they play off, he makes them pay from the outside; if they get to close, he'll punish them by going to the rim. He may be 34-years-0ld but he's still got a little explosiveness left. Just a enough to be dangerous.
It's a rare occasion that a superstar is traded in their prime, but that's just what happened to Ray. After 7 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, he was sent packing to the Seattle Sonics for Gary Payton. It's too bad the Bucks couldn't see the big picture because during his 4 years in Seattle, Ray hit the landmark of scoring his 15,000th point and moving into second place on the NBA's list of all-time 3-point field goals made. The Sonics started looking to the future and he was dealt to the Boston Celtics where he finally got that championship ring that he so rightly deserved. So for the three different teams he's played for, Ray has made sure that he was always an integral part of their success while being exciting to watch in the process. Thank you, Jesus.
