The NBA of the 1980’s is regarded as the golden era of basketball.
After the 1960’s had been dominated by the Boston Celtics dynasty, the early/mid 1970’s was a time of basketball freedom. The stars, once overshadowed by the dominant Celtics in the 1960’s had now found a spotlight to bring the school yard into the pro game.
The loose school yard style slipped into the dark era of the late 1970’s as the circus style ABA merged with the recognized pro basketball league or the NBA. The mesh of the gritty grinding NBA & the flashy school yard ABA made for beautiful, colorful brand of basketball but the success of the new found hybrid leagues was short lived as the school yard gave way to fighting, substance abuse, selfish, “gimme the rock” unpopular play.
Ultimately ratings slumped and arenas were empty. But who would have know that just 1 year later (in 1979) a white country bumpkin from Indians and a flashy 6’9 point guard out of Michigan appropriately nicknamed “Magic” would soon change everything.
Enjoy some of the best moments, archived rare footage, current and past interviews with NBA legends of the 1980’s
