Superstar- A high-profile and extremely successful performer or athlete. According to the dictionary itself, to be a Superstar, you must be extremely successful. Throughout the 75 years of the National Basketball Association, there has been a handful of players that can be defined as a Superstar. However, over time, the term Superstar has lost its meaning and the weight it once held. Nowadays, the term is used so loosely. You’ll almost always see any above-average player being called a Superstar. So, how can we confidently label players as Superstars and avoid the overuse of the term? 

Basketball is a game of inches. Every slight movement in your arms, feet, hips, elbows, and feet has an effect on the way the ball leaves your hands. All these precise techniques and skills necessary to be good at the sport do not come easily. They are built through lots of practice and dedication. As a whole, Basketball is the hardest sport to be good at in my opinion. As I mentioned previously, every single movement you make as you shoot the ball is crucial to the ball getting in the hoop. Developing a skillset to do this consistently is what makes a Superstar. This is why Superstars are very rare, but also very important to the sport of Basketball. They define what every other player strives to be, and inspire the younger and older audience that watches them and some even also do gambling on them, so learning about gambling payment in sites like outlookindia online could be essential to make money on these bets.

Coming off of his 4th championship, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry is simply one of the best players in the league, and one of the best to ever play Basketball in general. Curry has two MVP awards, he’s won four championships, he has one finals MVP, and he even won the All-Star game MVP this year. I could go on and on about his accolades. But, besides them, what makes him so great? To put it simply, Curry is the best three-point shooter of all time. Having made 2,974 three-point shots in his career, which is the NBA’s all-time record. To add to this, Curry’s dedication to his team and devotion to practicing has allowed him to outwork his competition. Stephen Curry is undoubtedly one of the few Superstars currently in the league.

Arguably the best player in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a freak of nature. Measuring 6’11 and 242 pounds, he is unstoppable anywhere past the three-point line. In 2021 Giannis won his first NBA Championship against the Phoenix Suns, adding to his long list of awards. At only 27, Giannis has already built a hall of fame resume, which includes two MVP awards, one DPOY award, and he has been selected for the all-star team six times. Similar to Stephen Curry, Giannis has a certain skill that defines his game; personally, I think this skill is his finishing at the rim. He has a 74% of making a shot within 5 feet of the basket, whether it be a drive to the rim, a fade away, or him backing down a defender; Giannis is very crafty when it comes to scoring in the paint. Giannis has already led the Milwaukee Bucks to one championship, but I don’t think anyone would be surprised if he were to do it again. 

Every year during the offseason, the NBA draft takes place: 60 picks, 2 rounds. Picks 1-14 are usually the best players in the draft, with players who are worse being taken later into the draft. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was drafted 41st overall in the 2014 NBA draft. Players selected after the first round very rarely become as good as Jokic has. He has become a great example of what developing a player correctly can do for an organization. A center’s job is to typically space the floor, protect the rim, get rebounds, and score easy points when he can. However, Jokic throws this out the window. Jokic is able to pass unlike any center in the history of the sport, his scoring is unmatched as well, being able to shoot the three-point shot, and score in the mid-range with ease. I would be doing an injustice to not mention him winning the MVP award in back-to-back seasons as well, this has only ever been accomplished by 12 other players. These players include some of the greatest of all time, such as LeBron James and Micheal Jordan. Jokic has redefined what it means to be a center in the NBA, and will likely continue to do so. 

The three players I listed above are the definition of Superstars, and some of the only few I would define as such. They each bring something significant to the game of basketball, something that has never been seen before, and they are all the best at doing their specific skills. They will be remembered for years to come, and have all rightfully earned the right to be called Superstars.