EA Sports for the Naismith Hall of Fame

These days, it's common to hear people, even young YouTubers, talk about how the NBA didn't really blow up until the Jordan era.  But it's something you would have had to live through to really appreciate.  And to give an example, I'd like to point out a phenomenon that was intrinsic to the NBA blowing up, yet all basketball historians tend to overlook.  But I know it was important to the propagation of the league, before it really became mainstream, because I was there.

THE CBS YEARS

As a backdrop, yes, there was a time that NBA games were shown only sparingly, in undesirable timeslots on CBS, aka the lowliest of the American major (i.e. antenna) television networks.  I literally can't think of a single show I watched on CBS.  That channel was so boring that as a teenager, I'd watch PBS, i.e. an educational network, more.

And by the time the 1990s hit, there were only a handful of players with national name recognition, i.e. dudes who you not only knew there names but also how they looked.  That would be, really, like Magic, Bird, Kareem, Dr. J and Jordan, as well as a few peripheral dudes, such as maybe Barkley since, you know, he had a real unique look.  But in a nutshell, you had to either be a champion or on commercials, like Isaiah Thomas, who wasn't on commercials, but you at least knew his name.  It wasn't like today, where every tom-dick-and-harry NBAer at least has a social media account

So those are the parts of the story everyone knows.  The Magic vs. Bird rivalry pumped fresh blood into the league, but again, it wasn't enough to get the NBA pass CBS.  Basketball was the most-popular sport (alongside American football) in the 'hood, even back in those days.  In cramped urban spaces, it ain't like you can setup a hockey rink or soccer pitch.  But even though kids had some idea how to play, it wasn't from watching basketball on TV per se.

I remember my big bro trying to teach me to play when I was kid, and I was totally disinterested.  This was before the days of Jordan, before the NBA eventually made its way to NBC, and everyone started watching.  And as for big bro, he's what I was would call a basketball head.  He played on his high school team and was one of those types who would actually like check the TV Guide to see when CBS was broadcasting games, set that time aside and actually watch.  He was different from the rest of us.

ENTER EA SPORTS

And now, we're getting to the part of the history that people always overlook, how when things happen that change the world, it's rarely the result of just a single factor.  It's hard to become fans of a league when you don't even know who most of the players are.  And I'm not talking about just five or six dudes you occasionally see on TV or on a cereal box.  That's not going to cut it.

Jordan had mass appeal, and everyone wanted to see him win.  We all know that.  During the Bulls' first threepeat is when the NBA really started catching on.

Concurrently, there was the first "Dream Team", which helped the game go global.  We all know that also.

And concurrently, circa the Bulls' first threepeat, EA Sports started releasing NBA videogames, which were instrumental in popularizing the league.  That's the part of the story those who were too young to be there could never appreciate.

And I mean yeah, it's sorta understandable.  The NBA Live franchise wasn't even able to maintain dominance for a solid decade.  These days, when it comes to basketball videogames, only one name comes to mind - NBA 2K.  They may be the superior product, but they weren't the first respectable NBA videogame franchise.

And this is important because, again, we're talking pre-internet.  So in those days for instance, the only way you knew every man on a team, 1-12, is if first of all you were a diehard fan, usually of a single squad or two.  Then, whatever team was most popular in your area, in the United States, usually would have their boxscores published in the local newspaper, on the nights they played.

Occasionally, I think on Sundays, some newspapers would publish boxscores from around the entire league.  Reading boxscores in a newspaper is even more cumbersome, imo, than doing so on the 'net.  And since this was pre-internet, readers weren't privy to like season averages and shit like that.  And also - this is perhaps the most important point I'm trying to make in context - reading stats doesn't let you know how dudes look, nor how they actually play, like their playing styles.  You can see a dude like, say, Clyde Drexler putting up 20+ppg, but you don't know how he got it.

And that's where EA Sports changed everything.  The first game they put out was Jordan vs. Bird One on One (1988) which, as its name implies, wasn't a team-basketball outing.  But, it was a start.  And it's kinda odd, I guess you can say, that even back in 1988, Jordan was already being shown more love (as the Black face of the league) than Magic, who actually won the championship that year, besides winning four prior, while MJ hadn't won any by that point.

Then came the follow-up, Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs (1989), which featured 8 teams, full 12-man rosters if I remember correctly, as well as the All-Star squads.

This was then succeeded by Bulls versus Lakers and the NBA Playoffs (1992), which had all 16 posteseason team, i.e. over half the league.  And please forgive me if I don't remember everything exactly, but I do recall each team having a full 12-man roster, besides being able to view their season averages and stuff like that.  So now, you not only knew the names of most of the guys in the NBA but also their strengths, weaknesses and playing styles.

Granted, these earlier games may not have been the most realistic   I remember for instance something like Charles Barkley being able to dunk from the three-point line, and Tom Chambers also having some kind of unstoppable move.

But again, being able to read stats like that at your own convenience really made a difference, and it still does.  Just think of EA Sports as the primary NBA stat source before Wikipedia or Basketball-Reference.

Later down the line, EA introduced the NBA Live franchise with (virtually) every team and player being represented.  This is the franchise upon which NBA 2K went on to be more or less based, when you look at the similarities in cover art for instance.

So just like you always have to give Jordan credit for introducing basketball to the entire world, even if Lebron is the better player, you also have to give Electronic Arts their props for first making NBA rosters known to general public, even if 2K is better.  The homeys played all of those EA Sports games, including Team USA Basketball (1992), and that's how we really got to know the NBA.  And it wasn't the same with the NFL videogames because in that league, there's like too many guys to memorize.

CONCLUSION

Looking back at those days, it's hard for me to imagine the NBA catching on the way it did if not for EA Sports.  Even during the Jordan years, when the league transitioned to NBC, games were only shown on the weekend, and only those of the most-popular teams.  And even then, you know what I'm saying?  If you weren't like MJ or Shaq or the Knicks or some shit, no layman was going out of his way to watch you play.

But what laymen were doing was playing those EA Sports' games.  And I mean, yeah.  Do they even make NBA Live games anymore?  Like somebody needs to give these dudes their props, in helping to propagate the league. 

Who Should Be Introduced Last? (Western Conference)

When a team's roster is being introduced at the beginning of games, it's an unofficial honor to have your name mentioned last, implying that your the squad's best/most-popular player.  But things aren't always that simple, because the best player and the most-popular player aren't always the same.  Also, there's other things to take into consideration, such as a player's tenure with the organization and what he's actually accomplished as a member of that team. We've already looked at the Eastern Conference and will now analyze the West, which I would say is a bit simpler, since Western Conference teams have more defined stars and less roster fluctuations.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

Last-Called: Cooper Flagg

Backup: Kyrie Irving

I'm kinda conflicted about this one but guess Kyrie would understand if they gave it to Cooper.  Irving was the backup star when the Mavs reached the Finals a couple of seasons ago and was also an allstar as a Mav in 2025.  Meanwhile, Flagg more recently won ROY.  Kyrie has tenure and more accomplishments, but I think it's generally understood that Dallas is looking forward to Cooper being the star into the future.

DENVER NUGGETS

Last-Called: Nikola Jokic

Backup: Jamal Murray

There's a lot of people who call Jokic the best basketball player in the world, which I may agree with, if we're referring solely to offense.  And as for Murray, he's a perennial-borderline (and reigning) allstar, besides also being homegrown.  So, there isn't much to debate about here.  And while we're on the subject of Jokic, one thing I do have to give to him, amongst NBA stars, is that you don't regularly hear of dude being on the injured list.  So, last-call away.

GOLDEN STATES WARRIORS

Last-Called: Steph Curry

Backup: Draymond Green

Steph is the greatest shooter in NBA history, besides perhaps being the second or third most-popular player in the league and, even as he loses consistency, remains must-watch.  Meanwhile, Draymond is also homegrown and won those four championships right alongside Curry, as a integral part of the team.  Off the top of my head, I would say Golden State is the only organization that has two players that have been around longer than a decade.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Last-Called: Darius Garland

Backup: Brandon Ingram

Darius Garland has gone from being a debatable allstar a couple of seasons ago to now being an alpha by default.  Not many players experience that kind of luck, and hopefully he'll be able to capitalize on it.  And as for the backup, all things considered (such as Ingram's health), that's probably going to be a revolving door throughout the season.  If both Darius and Brandon are hurt, which they likely will be at some point, Bradley Beal can even end up being the last-called.  That's how unsettled this roster is looking at the moment

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Last-Called: Kevin Durant

Backup: Alperen Sengun

Oh my goodness.  As I said before, the Rockets are contenders.  But amongst the internal issues that can derail them, besides injuries, is dudes not being able to humble themselves and accept roles.

Similar to the Dallas situation, Sengun may not be the best or most popular player, but he is the one who appears to be leading the team into the future.  He may not have that Cooper Flagg level of favor, but I mean, if I owned this team, all things considered I'd probably make him last-called.  But since I don't, that's not likely going to happen.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Last-Called: Luka Doncic

Backup: Austin Reaves

One of the few absolute no-brainers on this list.  Doncic is the A-lister, while Reaves is the homegrown star.  Bronny, the actual son of Lebron, is more popular than Austin, the basketball son of Lebron.  But despite only being surpassed in popularity by Luka, Bronny's game isn't respectable enough to earn a last-calling.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Last-Called: Cameron Boozer

Backup: Cedric Coward

At first I put Jerami Grant as the backup because, even though he's a C-lister, he still perhaps has more name recognition than anyone else on this roster besides Boozer.  But with that said, an argument can also be made for Zach Edy, who has the advantage of being homegrown, or perhaps even those other dudes, Cedric Coward and them, who are recognized as up-and-comers.  And as for Cameron, he's lucked out in that even though the Grizzlies themselves have fallen off a cliff in terms of popularity, he's set to have more freedom to do what he wants than any other rookie.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Last-Called: Anthony Edwards

Backup: LaMelo Ball

One thing you have to give to Edwards, whether or not he ever leads the T-Wolves to a championship, is that he has lived up to the billing of being a #1 pick which, if you look at NBA history, isn't as common as one may think.  Besides that, he has made the team competitive.  Before he showed up, Minnesota used to have more-talented rosters, but it's like they could never achieve anything.

Based on tenure, maybe Gobert should be backup last-called, but I think it would have to go to Ball, who's like exponentially more popular.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

Last-Called: Zion Williamson

Backup: Trey Murphy III

The most-popular players in the NBA are those who enter the league as stars already (often going back to high school), get drafted high (usually at #1) and then prove to actually be superstars in the league.  There's no substitute for that trajectory.  That's why, even if you try to argue that Steph or KD is better, they can never be as popular as Lebron. And that's why Kobe, who was drafted all the way down at #13, proceeded to become the most-famous basketball player in the world.

Meanwhile, Zion has never really done sh*t besides being named an allstar, but he's still benefiting from his pre-NBA fame.  Some people may label him a disappointment, but he's not a flatout bust.  The word I like to use is perhaps overrated, not as an insult but, you know what I mean.  He has yet to team-up with another A-lister so, as it currently stands, remains an indisputable last-called.

Meanwhile, I still don't know much about Trey Murphy, which is one of the curses of being stuck on a team like the Pelicans.  But I hear his name a lot, in terms of being coveted by other organizations.  So if he continues to represent and even more ideally progresses, he'll logically be the backup last-called.

PHOENIX SUNS

Last-Called: Devin Booker

Backup: Dillon Brooks

You have to give it Devin Booker that, despite being one the best scorers in the game, you never hear of him demanding a trade from the sluggishly-progressive Suns, even though it feels far-fetched to believe that Phoenix will make the Finals again during his career.  Determining a backup last-called isn't nearly as easy, but I'm going with Dillon Brooks, though it could be Jalen Green also.

OKC THUNDER

Last-Called: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Backup: Chet Holmgren

No debate, in terms of who's at the top of the last-called list, as Shai is the reigning MVP.  Choosing the backup though ain't that simple when Jalen Williams, arguably the second-best player on the squad, is available, though Chet is also arguably second-best, besides being on the court more.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

Last-Called: Damian Lillard

Backup: Deni Avidja

We have to go with Lillard because, even though he didn't play the entirety of last season, he remains the greatest Trailblazer of the 21st century.  Morant is much more popular than Avidja, but Deni is a reigning allstar, while Ja is more or less fighting to keep his career alive and has yet to prove anything in Portland.

SACRAMENTO KINGS

Last-Called: Darius Acuff Jr.

Backup: Domantas Sabonis

The way the Kings are acting is as if a #5 pick, who has yet to accomplish anything really (except being picked number five), may actually get the last-call.  That's how lost in space this organization is, even though I'm not sleeping on dude.  And oh sh*t, I deadass forgot for a second that Zach LaVine is on this team.  And now that I am remembering, I don't think it'd be fair to just pop him up there.  He isn't as good as Sabonis but is more popular so may get the last-call, even over Acuff. 

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Last-Called: Victor Wembanyama

Backup: Stephon Castle

Wemby is a no-brainer but, the funny thing is if this were a couple of months ago, De'Aaron Fox would likely be the backup.  Now that would harder to rationalize, even if he is getting paid gazillions of dollars.  Like fukaround and introduce dude last, and he may even get booed in San Antonio. So it would have to be Castle.  It's arguable that Harper is just as good (if not better), but Stephon has won ROY as a Spur.

UTAH JAZZ

Last-Called: Lauri Markennen

Backup: Keyonte George

Utah is a traditionally white franchise(?), and whereas they won't be the whitest team in the NBA this coming season, I would think they still want to embrace that tradition.  Also, Lauri is really good, even if his reign as an allstar was brief.

As far as basketball in the United States goes, Jaren Jackson is the most-accomplished player on this roster and probably the most all-around popular.  But he has yet to do anything for the Jazz, and meanwhile, Keyonte George is trending.

Who Should Be Introduced Last? (Eastern Conference)

So today, I was envisioning the first time Jaylen Brown returns to Boston as an opposing player.  I'm presuming there's going to be a ridiculous amount of applause when he's introduced.

So then I was thinking, what order will he be announced in?  Will he be mentioned as the last Philly starter?  Perhaps you would think so, in anticipation of that applause.  But despite being one of the top-five players in the league, he's not even the most popular player on the Sixers.

That then got me thinking about who should be introduced last on every team in the NBA.  Generally speaking, it appears the unwritten rule being that the last starter introduced is the alpha, even if the visiting team gets no love from the announcer.

ATLANTA HAWKS

Last-Called: Jalen Johnson

Backup: CJ McCollum

Jalen Johnson is not only homegrown, i.e.being drafted by the Hawks, but he's also the team's only allstar.  So even though he doesn't have A-list name recognition, no one else in Atlanta does either, so he's "the last-called" by default.

If Jalen isn't around, then I think it has to go to CJ McCollum, who never has been and perhaps never will be an allstar, but you have to respect his talent and consistency.

BOSTON CELTICS

Last-Called: Jayson Tatum

Backup: Derrick White

Another no-brainer when it comes to the last-called.  But please, when Tatum is (inevitably) hurt, don't tell me that it's rather going to be PG13, unless he re-transforms to an allstar.  All things considered, I think that love should instead go to Derrick White.

BROOKLYN NETS

Last-Called: Michael Porter Jr.

Backup: Julius Randle

This is by default because, first of all, Porter Jr. has established himself as one of the best players in the league.  And second, no one else on the roster is really known besides Randle.

CHICAGO BULLS

Last-Called  Caleb Wilson

Backup: Josh Giddey

I really want to say Wilson but, all things considered, it may be Giddey instead.  Josh is good but clearly not enough to be an undisputed alpha.  So now, all eyes are on Caleb.  And I wouldn't be surprised if Chicago pushes it as hard as introducing him last, perhaps even from the jump, if they truly have that kind of confidence in him.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS

Last-Called: Kon Knueppel

Backup: Brandon Miller

This is the most difficult decision on this list, because the Hornets have two young, let's say homegrown stars.  But I guess we have to go with Knueppel because, besides being the more popular, he came realistically closer to winning ROY.  Whoever thought this guy would be given the keys to the car so soon?  It's yours to take, Kon.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Last-Called: Donovan Mitchell

Backup: James Harden

I know that the Beard is more popular, but it has to be Spider, dude.  Mobley should perhaps even get precedence over Harden, but I don't think that's going to happen.

DETROIT PISTONS

Last-Called: Cade Cunningham

Backup: Jalen Duren

So you're trying to tell me that the backup last-called is the same dude embroiled in a contract dispute?  Currently, I would venture to presume that he's the lowest paid second-to-last called in the NBA.

INDIANA PACERS

Last-Called: Tyrese Haliburton

Backup: Pascal Siakim

Another no-brainer, though Turner would be the backup if he was still around.

MIAMI HEAT

Last-Called: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Backup: Bam Adebayo

This was hard because, Bam is the perennial allstar with tenure.  But barring injury, there's no way Giannis is going to fail to live up to expectation.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Last-Called: Tyler Hero

Backup: Kel'el Ware?

For some reason I can't really explain, I'm looking forward to seeing Herro in Milwaukee.  And I know Myles Turner is more tenured than them both, but it's hard to envision him getting last call on the Bucks.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Last-Called: Jalen Brunson

Backup: Karl Anthony-Towns

Another no-brainer, as the team has two perennial allstars, with one being more popular than the other.

ORLANDO MAGIC

Last-Called: Paolo Banchero

Backup: Franz Wagner

Since Orlando personally maxed Wagner out, he has to be the backup behind the undisputed alpha, even though Bane may be the better player.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Last-Called: Tyrese Maxey

Backup: Lebron James

If you were to put the entire NBA, i.e. its 12 biggest stars, on the same team, Lebron would undoubtedly be the last-called.  But the funny thing is, he shouldn't be so on the Sixeers.

Factoring in tenure and accomplishments within the Philly organization, it should be Joel Embiid - if he weren't so hurt.  So then, by default, it goes to Tyrese Maxey, who's not only homegrown but also a reigning perennial allstar

And so it should be with the team in general.  I hope all of the talent is able to understand that Maxey is the man, just like Shaq had to defer to a D-Wade when he went to Miami.  There are now guys who may be better all-around players, but ask yourself this. Has  "the Process" been completed?

TORONTO RAPTORS

Last-Called: Kawhi Leonard

Backup: Scottie Barnes

It'll have to be Kawhi which, in a way, is a slap in the face to other players on the roster who may actually be loyal to Toronto.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Last-Called: AJ Dybantsa

Backup: Anthony Davis

It should perhaps go to the rookie because, not only is he the reigning number-one pick but also is symbolic of the transition the Wizards are going through.  And as for AD, he's the most-accomplished member of the roster, and, besides that, his emotions shouldn't be tested.