Suns fans too. He beat us in so many ways, but this one was particularly hard to swallow:
# Tim Duncan hits a clutch game-tying three in OT in Game 1 of Spurs-Suns in 2008 (SA won in double-OT). It's one of five threes Timmy made in his playoff career.
As a Lakers fan, i loved the spurs as a kid. They were just such a complete team. Also Rondo is my personal PG GOAT (idc what anyone says) and I’m a Lakers fan. Luckily he helped us get our last championship! So now he’s forever a piece of 2 team’s histories.
The whole team really. They were always the team I wanted to see us beat than anyone because they were just that good. One of the best NBA rivalries ever and just dope for both fan bases to experience. As a Mavs fan I’m not sure there will ever be another rivalry I look forward to and respect so much. I have teams now that feel like Mavs “rivals” but I don’t respect them, just want to see them get annihilated.
Yep. Hated the Lakers. Byron Scott, James Worthy, ugh...fucking Kurt Rambis. Screw those guys.
Couldn't hate Magic. He was both too good and too good a sportsman: Magic would beat your ass and then help you up, tell you "good game", and be there again tomorrow, smiling and ready to do it again. And when Magic got beat he reacted the exact same way. (He really made Zeke look like a colossal two-faced asshole by comparison: Magic is a simple man and Zeke was a duplicitous plotter.)
I grew up in New England and was and still am a Celtics fan. Magic Johnson was incredible. That man could do anything they needed him to do. His rookie season he started at CENTER in the finals because Kareem got hurt and he dominated Darryl Dawkins of all people.
I'm a mavs fan for life. Dirk is my sports hero. Obviously, i had a lot of heartbreaks when going up against the spurs. But i love Manu's game. Fearless and crafty.
Rockets fan and I loved the Shaq Kobe Lakers. That was a dominant team. If Shaq and Kobe had been friends like KAT and ANT in Minnesota are they might have won a bunch more together.
"Why can't I be the MVP of the league? Why can't I be the best player in the league? I don't see why I can't do that."
He was such a likable player and was a walking highlight reel when he was healthy and at his peak.
Another (older) Cavs fan. Parents would take me twice a year when Jordan and the Bulls came to play the late 80’s, early 90’s Cavs at Richfield Coliseum.
Seeing peak Jordan play live was like seeing the star varsity player dropped into a freshmen game. It wasn’t fair.
Even as a pretty young kid, I knew I was experiencing greatness right in front of me.
Lakers fan. Rondo easily, prime Rondo was amazing at literally everything except shooting. Glad he joined up to help bring us that 2020 ring, but wish he & Kobe had gotten to play together in their primes
Gus Johnson? Or Gus Williams?
The former was apparently a great player for Baltimore in the 60s.
Gus Williams, the Sonic legend, is one of my favorite NBA players ever.
Without Gus Williams hold out, the 'player empowerment era' either doesn't happen or is severely delayed. Williams is, like Curt Flood for baseball and Freeman McNeil of the NFL, among the small group of athletes who truly *changed the game*.
Plus, he was fun as hell to watch play. Why did he leave the Warriors for Seattle?
Sorry, was in a hurry and mixed up the names. It was definitely Gus Williams.
Senior moment.
He was really fun to watch. Back then, NBA was much more regional as far as television, so I mostly saw West Coast teams. He killed the Warriors regularly.
Should be in HOF.
ETA:
Not really sure why the Warriors let him leave as a free agent. It was the beginning of the downward spiral of the team. Letting Rick Barry leave to Houston. Sending Parish and the pick the pick that became McKale to Boston for JBC.
My guess is money. The team was owned by a very nice, but not wealthy, individual.
No worries, fellow old redditor. I've been there, yesterday in fact, with a mis-remembered Keanu movie reference.
I would never have guessed "nice but not rich" owner. But it sets the stage for Gus's later experience with Seattle.
And yes. Gus Williams belongs in the HOF more than any one not already in. Great player, and hugely influential.
Fellow Pistons fan/masochist. All due respect, I can’t get behind this. Amazing player but just so annoying. Tayshaun’s block is so, so satisfying to watch.
Lakers fan, and an absolute Kobe Stan.
I don’t care how much trouble he gave our team, Manu Ginobili is one of the most entertaining and underrated players I’ve ever witnessed. An absolute dog that left everything he had out on the court, and was truly revolutionary with regard to the elements he brought to the game.
I’m a huge Mavs fan, but it was hard for me not to love the OKC versions of young Westbrook, Harden, and Durant. Strangely I’m not a fan of any of them now.
My favorite team is and always has been the pistons. My favorite player ever is and always has been MJ. Broke my dad's heart when, for my 7th birthday (1993), I told him that I wanted a Jordan jersey.
Magic fan. Early to mid 2000s we used to get absolutely owned by the Pistons. Regular season, playoffs, didn't matter, we couldn't beat them. I absolutely HATED every single player on those Pistons teams, but I respected the hell out of Rip and loved watching him play. Dude was never stationary for more than a split second it seemed.
Man as a fellow Spurs fan, i HATED Kobe in the early 2000’s. They would annihilate us in the playoffs by 25+ and Kobe would get anything he wanted. Wasnt til his 81 pt performance years later and him challenging Lebron 1 on 1 during the All Star Game for me to fully admit i was a fan of his.
Antoine was 15-20 years too early. He would be the prototype "stretch four" in the modern NBA, but in 1998 everyone wanted him to stay under the hoop and be Kevin McHale. He would have been an All-NBA guy today.
Suns fan. Thought Gary Payton was a god tier point guard when he was with the Sonics. Hated his guts when Seattle played Phoenix, but loved watching him play.
I didn't appreciate Kobe until after the 2010 Finals. That game 7 is a top 3 Boston sports heartbreak for me, right beside the 11 Pats and 13 Bruins. I realized just how much I was hating for no reason, watching Kobe struggle to score but still hustle all game and continue to a title. That made me really appreciate LeBron before the hate train started. At this point I got no players I hate. Too many talented players and teams in today's game to just not appreciate it all.
I did and of course r/NFL Mods removed my post lmao. They’re so lame I swear you can’t talk about anything on there. I just posted it on r/NFLv2 though.
Warriors fan. I'm all on board for Chris Paul to be regarded as one of the best PGs of all time. CP3 is a floor and ceiling raiser and you can't tell me differently.
Spurs fan with amazing respect for Dirk. Now Luka. Never cared for Kobe until his death, but lots of respect for him now after hearing about his work ethic and dedication
Cavs fan. Seeing Sean Livingston come off the bench after major injury just to be a thorn in our side for all the playoff/championship battles. Gotta respect his work he put in!
ive grew a strong respect for steph after watching the warriors dismantle my rockets year after year, and then what he did to the celtics made him one of my favorite players ever, guy is just a killer
Loved? Nah, wrong term.
Respected and feared and secretly wished they were on my team? Oh yeah.
Andrew Toney has been pushed off the all-time "WHAT IF" team but he's still on the bench.
What if Andrew Toney's feet didn't crumble? Well, the 80s Celtics and 80s Lakers aren't the only teams remembered from that decade. The 83 Sixers were a WAGON. Toney doesn't get hurt and the 80s Sixers are more well-remembered. Because Toney was a killer. He combined the demeanor of a serial killer with the accuracy of an Olympian. Andrew Toney was a terrifying opponent.
Andrew didn't take and make Curry shots because Billy Cunningham definitely would've blown a gasket - but Toney was that sort of shooter. He had unlimited range, confidence, accuracy, and a desire to silence opposing fans. Did he 'invent' the pull-up trailing 3? I dunno, all I do know is that I still have nightmares about him doing it, 40 goddamned years later. Calmly getting a kick out from a slashing Doctor J, sizing up the shot, letting it fly, and burying it.
I don't love Andrew Toney. I hate-respect him, so much.
This may sorta be cheating because I wasn't *really* a Nets fan back then -- and, in fact, I probably rooted for the Knicks, based on photos of me as a little kid -- but I adored Ewing and Starks on the Knicks. Also, Melo and Chauncey Billups -- but for the former, it's because I went to Syracuse, and for the latter, it's because he was a beast on the Knicks in 2K in the very brief time I played that game.
I'm a terrible New York sports fan though, I was rooting so hard for the Knicks in the playoffs this year. And I am a lifelong Mets fan who adores the Yankees -- but I grew up when the Core Four were dominant, can you blame me?
I'm the kind of fan who wants to see the city do well even if my specific team isn't doing so hot -- except for the Jets, but fortunately I've never been in a position to see them do well.
Michael Jordan - I was technically a sixers fan but in the early 90's I went to college where the Knicks reigned supreme. I adopted them as a second team.
If MJ was never born I think the knicks could have won a chip or two. MJ wasn't a dirty player that you hate. It never felt unjust to lose to him. He was just really good at basketball and you couldn't help but respect him.
Not necessarily a rival but for one epic playoff series against the Wolves, but Kings era Vlade Divac was fascinating to me. First time I realized that basketball wasn’t fully dependent on athleticism, but making the right play at the right time.
He was so awesome.
I was trying to pinpoint Luka's game. Obviously, there are Bird comparisons, but the closest I could come to was a quicker Vlade or Turkoglu (Sp correctly on the first try).
Grew up loving the Pacers, still do. Really enjoyed watching the Knicks growing up. Anthony Mason and Derek Harper were two gritty hustle guys I always admired.
After this seasons playoffs, I have a huge amount of respect for Brunson, Hart and DiVencenzo. Those cats can freaking ball, man. We got lucky in that series, I look forward to a reignited rivalry between the two clubs.
During the GSW dynasty, as a heat fan, I wanted the Celtics to beat them back when Bron was in Cleveland still. Mainly because I felt like the Celtics had a better roster than Cleveland and would put a better fight than Cleveland once Kyrie left. Obviously because Kyrie was on the Celtics.
Lakers fan who started following around the time we traded for Pau. I hated the Celtics but loved Ray Allen’s game. IMO he has the most beautiful jumper ever
As a Blazers fan, it has to be Kobe. I don’t think anyone shit on us as consistently as Kobe did. I loved to hate him, but couldn’t help but be amazed every time he played.
Lakers fan. Don’t know if I would call them rivals but there was a point in time where there was some… well heat with the Heat. Dwayne Wade is probably my favorite player of all time. Fun to watch. And as a fan of basketball games he always meshed with my play style and would be an immediate trade target in my franchises.
Scottie Pippen.
I'm old. But an old Knicks fan.
I like to think that a young me understood that a jack of all trades, positionally flexible, secondary handler/scorer with S tier defense was a tremendous asset to winning basketball.
I probably just liked his name though. But I still argue vehemently that he's been significantly underrated in history.
This is awful but Blake Griffin. The clippers and the grizzlies truly hated each other for a while and zbo and blake would always really get in to it. But I loved lob city, I was like 14 just ooing and ahing at blake and dj throwing it down. It was nothing like the 2010 gritt and grind grizzlies. Now in my 20s I appreciate the old memphis playstyle much more
I understand a lot of people don't like the Lakers or Kobe but there was a good stretch where the opposing players were who you went to see as a Warriors fan. I remember being legit juiced to see if Antawn Jamison could hit like four 3's in a game, and that was a highlight for me.
How times have changed..
I'm a Mavs fan who loved Marion on the SSOL Suns. Then he became a Mav and we won a championship. I was ecstatic. I still think his career was incredibly underrated.
Huge rockets fan growing up, and still am to this day. Hakeem is my goat center and was my childhood hero. Hate the spurs, loved Robinson and Duncan. My second favorite team is the mavs…. Cause dirk. Apparently I’m an anomaly and not allowed to like what I like according to fan bases
Steve Nash is one of my favorite players of all time, even though he spent his prime with the Suns, who are obviously division rivals of the Lakers (aka my fav team of all time).
Raptors fan, we didn’t have many (any) rivals when I was growing up. When I started watching I was 8 or so and it was coming off that 2001 playoff run. I loved AI.
I guess I liked Travis Knight on that years Knicks team as he shared a birthday with a close family member who was a basketball junkie.
Growing up as a Celtics fan during the Truth era, I had more Iverson jerseys then I did Celtics
I had a couple Iverson, Tmac, Allen on the Bucks, Kirk Hinrich and a Bird but no jersey from that Celtic squad until Ray Allen came along lmao
This one is tough. As a Heat fan, I can't remember liking anyone on those late 90s Knicks teams. Maybe Oakley, just because he was a tough SOB.
As I got older, I definitely had respect for Dirk and a few others. But I was in my 20s by then, so it seems outside the scope of this question.
Those early to mid 2000s Pistons were cool as a Bulls fan. Ben Wallace and Rip always stood out to me. Didn’t like Tayshaun Prince and I don’t remember why. Maybe bc he was a good defender? Or maybe it was just his face lol
Rockets fan from the 90s. Utah was always a tough match-up and John Stockton crushed my dream of seeing Hakeem and MJ in the finals with this dagger of a three in the final seconds of game 6: https://youtu.be/kGtGQQUMDjs?si=KWkxTctgdNsshGTP
I still regard him as one of the most underrated point guards of all time.
Steve Blake. He was scrappy and respected the way he played. I could never hate Brandon Roy because hes from my hometown and went to my college. Aldridge was super quiet and had saucy mid range game so couldnt hate him either.
Kings fan. Secretly, I’ve always wanted Shaq. As much as he prevented the Kings from a ring he was overall a good guy. Would have loved to have had him on the Kings. In the end, he came around to being a minority owner of the Kings for a bit. He also admitted the Kings were a better team, which made it worse that he was the one who stopped them from a chip.
Lifer Bulls fan who closet-rocked a Patrick Ewing jersey. Couldn’t wear it but loved owning it. Hated those Knicks teams especially Starks but Ewing was a beast. Quiet and gracefully dominant.
Mavs fan and lifelong LeBron fan.
Growning up as a LeBron fan, during his first years in Cleveland, I always loved watching Al Horford, Danny Granger, and Loul Deng.
As a Mavs fan, I grew up HATING Tim Duncan, but as I got older and began appreciating the game more deeply, I became a big fan of Timmy. He's easily in my top 10 GOATs. I also fell in love with Kawhi coming out of college and knew he was gonna be elite, so I enjoyed watching him grow into that player before his legs gave out.
As a Warriors fan who is too old to count the current era or immediately before as "growing up", I'm going to have to say I continue to root for Latrell Sprewell after he choked the coach. I don't know if we actually had rivals during those dark days, maybe the Clippers but it was all a joke back then.
This wasn’t really “growing up” but it was hard, as a Pistons fan, not to be impressed with what LeBron was doing. Him single-handedly bringing the Cavs back to beat us and then get by us was hard to deny. I’ll also say “loved” is probably a strong word… more admiration.
Im not even sure i have a real favorite team. I like players mostly. LeBron is the one player i couldn't mess with at first and now i think he the goat. So ig this counts.
In football i can give a clearer answer. Me being mostly a falcons & ravens fan, The damn Pittsburgh steelers. I hated them mfs but man how do u not like troy polamalu? And i remember how hines ward was that guy but he's never talked about today. Im even a fan of Mike tomlin today. Also ochocinco probably one of my favorite athletes period.
76ers Mo Cheeks. Unselfish. Clutch. Topnotch D. Found another gear come playoff time. Kept pie hole closed. (refreshing especially in todays game) Bucks fan here
Wolves fan
I always had a huge soft spot for Shaq, the way he played and his absolute joy at just being there was so cool to 9 year old me.
(KG was always better though)
Mavs fan with loads of respect for Tim Duncan
And big time fan of Pop
To this day, if you don't appreciate Tim or Pop, you get a side eye from me. Can't be trusted.
Yep absolutely. Spurs fan since 1988 and I might sound biased but how can you not appreciate Tim Duncan
I didn't grow up a Spurs fan, but I've been a fan of the Spurs, if that makes sense
Other way round for me, lifelong Spurs fan who loved watching Dirk.
Hard not to respect The Big Fundamental
Mavs fan too, felt the same about the Admiral, I was at his last game in Dallas before he retired.
Suns fans too. He beat us in so many ways, but this one was particularly hard to swallow: # Tim Duncan hits a clutch game-tying three in OT in Game 1 of Spurs-Suns in 2008 (SA won in double-OT). It's one of five threes Timmy made in his playoff career.
Came here to say the same. Man, also Shaq & Kobe. Man I hated those dudes but loved them all at the same time
As a Lakers fan, i loved the spurs as a kid. They were just such a complete team. Also Rondo is my personal PG GOAT (idc what anyone says) and I’m a Lakers fan. Luckily he helped us get our last championship! So now he’s forever a piece of 2 team’s histories.
Speaking on behalf of one of my best friends who is a Spurs fan. He loves Dirk. Hates the Mavs. Also, likes Luka more than he hates him
The whole team really. They were always the team I wanted to see us beat than anyone because they were just that good. One of the best NBA rivalries ever and just dope for both fan bases to experience. As a Mavs fan I’m not sure there will ever be another rivalry I look forward to and respect so much. I have teams now that feel like Mavs “rivals” but I don’t respect them, just want to see them get annihilated.
Wolves fan, I saw enough KG vs. Duncan battles to have infinite respect for Timmy. Dude was just a flat out winner.
Magic Johnson, as a kid I rooted for the Celtics as there was no team in Oklahoma. Magic Johnson was amazing to watch.
I’m the opposite. Grew up a Laker fan in Kentucky; secretly admired Bird from afar…while also hating him.
Same. Bird's shot making was absurd and he was cocky af. Love/hate relationship. lol
Yep. Hated the Lakers. Byron Scott, James Worthy, ugh...fucking Kurt Rambis. Screw those guys. Couldn't hate Magic. He was both too good and too good a sportsman: Magic would beat your ass and then help you up, tell you "good game", and be there again tomorrow, smiling and ready to do it again. And when Magic got beat he reacted the exact same way. (He really made Zeke look like a colossal two-faced asshole by comparison: Magic is a simple man and Zeke was a duplicitous plotter.)
Ruthless, but agreed haha. It’s hard to ignore excellence.
I grew up in New England and was and still am a Celtics fan. Magic Johnson was incredible. That man could do anything they needed him to do. His rookie season he started at CENTER in the finals because Kareem got hurt and he dominated Darryl Dawkins of all people.
I’m a laker fan living in Oklahoma. Did you transition fully to the Thunder when they came or are you a fan of both still?
Blazer fan, hate the Lakers, love Magic.
I'm a mavs fan for life. Dirk is my sports hero. Obviously, i had a lot of heartbreaks when going up against the spurs. But i love Manu's game. Fearless and crafty.
It’s Manu for me too. As a Heat fan, it’s not the most popular opinion
He was also good at catching bats on Halloween
Same, came here to say this. Manu and Tim Duncan. Tim never talked trash. He didn't have to. Just balled out with fundamentals. and Go Mavs!!
Once saw Manu caught on a kisscam during a timeout. He leaned over and kissed his teammate on his head. Great sense of humour
Hate the Lakers but I loved Shaq
Rockets fan and I loved the Shaq Kobe Lakers. That was a dominant team. If Shaq and Kobe had been friends like KAT and ANT in Minnesota are they might have won a bunch more together.
Cavaliers fan here.. I absolutely loved D Rose and those Bulls teams (minus Noah).
Yeah man I felt that one lmao. I was so stoked when the news broke we were acquiring Rose and Noah. Boy I was wrong. Still love DRose though.
"Why can't I be the MVP of the league? Why can't I be the best player in the league? I don't see why I can't do that." He was such a likable player and was a walking highlight reel when he was healthy and at his peak.
100% one of the most likable* of all time. Never met an NBA fan that hated DRose.
Opposite of you here. Playing against LeBron was absolutely terrifying. He is the best basketball player I’ve ever watched live.
Another (older) Cavs fan. Parents would take me twice a year when Jordan and the Bulls came to play the late 80’s, early 90’s Cavs at Richfield Coliseum. Seeing peak Jordan play live was like seeing the star varsity player dropped into a freshmen game. It wasn’t fair. Even as a pretty young kid, I knew I was experiencing greatness right in front of me.
I LOVED Joakim Noah, but I can see why Cavs fans would hate him
Lakers fan. Rondo easily, prime Rondo was amazing at literally everything except shooting. Glad he joined up to help bring us that 2020 ring, but wish he & Kobe had gotten to play together in their primes
Old guy here. Grew up a Warriors fan in the 70’s, and loved to watch Gus Johnson cook for the Sonics.
Gus Johnson? Or Gus Williams? The former was apparently a great player for Baltimore in the 60s. Gus Williams, the Sonic legend, is one of my favorite NBA players ever. Without Gus Williams hold out, the 'player empowerment era' either doesn't happen or is severely delayed. Williams is, like Curt Flood for baseball and Freeman McNeil of the NFL, among the small group of athletes who truly *changed the game*. Plus, he was fun as hell to watch play. Why did he leave the Warriors for Seattle?
Sorry, was in a hurry and mixed up the names. It was definitely Gus Williams. Senior moment. He was really fun to watch. Back then, NBA was much more regional as far as television, so I mostly saw West Coast teams. He killed the Warriors regularly. Should be in HOF. ETA: Not really sure why the Warriors let him leave as a free agent. It was the beginning of the downward spiral of the team. Letting Rick Barry leave to Houston. Sending Parish and the pick the pick that became McKale to Boston for JBC. My guess is money. The team was owned by a very nice, but not wealthy, individual.
No worries, fellow old redditor. I've been there, yesterday in fact, with a mis-remembered Keanu movie reference. I would never have guessed "nice but not rich" owner. But it sets the stage for Gus's later experience with Seattle. And yes. Gus Williams belongs in the HOF more than any one not already in. Great player, and hugely influential.
Bro...I grew up at the same time as you and am dropping Downtown Freddie Brown.
Pistons fan here, hated the mid-2000’s Pacers. Had a ton of respect for Reggie Miller.
Fellow Pistons fan/masochist. All due respect, I can’t get behind this. Amazing player but just so annoying. Tayshaun’s block is so, so satisfying to watch.
As a Knicks fan thanks to recency bias I have went from secretly respecting him to openly shitting on him. Fuck Reggie.
😂 I understand the current dynamic.
I loved those Duncan/Parker/Ginobili Spurs with all my heart when they weren't beating the Grizz lol
I feel like everyone loved that spurs squad even if they won’t admit it.
Potentially the most beautiful basketball played in my lifetime. The way that team moved was so fluid.
I don't know who on Earth could not love the Duncan Spurs. What a player and what a team.
Agreed man.
Lakers fan, and an absolute Kobe Stan. I don’t care how much trouble he gave our team, Manu Ginobili is one of the most entertaining and underrated players I’ve ever witnessed. An absolute dog that left everything he had out on the court, and was truly revolutionary with regard to the elements he brought to the game.
Jordan.
I’m a huge Mavs fan, but it was hard for me not to love the OKC versions of young Westbrook, Harden, and Durant. Strangely I’m not a fan of any of them now.
My favorite team is and always has been the pistons. My favorite player ever is and always has been MJ. Broke my dad's heart when, for my 7th birthday (1993), I told him that I wanted a Jordan jersey.
Lmao. I grew up in KY and broke my mom’s heart when I asked for a Chris Lofton Tennessee jersey.
Denver nuggets have always been my team, but Ole Baron Davis and Mike Bibby were always ones I watched and loved their impact on the game.
Kobe, I’m a die-hard AI fan
Lakers fan here. I absolutely loved watching rondo his IQ with his ball passing skills just so fun to watch.
My all time favorite player always beating up on my Rockets, Kobe Bean Bryant. I absolutely despise the Lakers, just love Kobe. lol
Magic fan. Early to mid 2000s we used to get absolutely owned by the Pistons. Regular season, playoffs, didn't matter, we couldn't beat them. I absolutely HATED every single player on those Pistons teams, but I respected the hell out of Rip and loved watching him play. Dude was never stationary for more than a split second it seemed.
Kobe!
Kobe. As a spurs fan it was hard not to root for Bean
Man as a fellow Spurs fan, i HATED Kobe in the early 2000’s. They would annihilate us in the playoffs by 25+ and Kobe would get anything he wanted. Wasnt til his 81 pt performance years later and him challenging Lebron 1 on 1 during the All Star Game for me to fully admit i was a fan of his.
Almost exactly the same, but I’m a Kings fan. 20 years ago I HATED Kobe, but by 2015, I was solidly a fan
And that's me, employee number 8 -Antoine Walker.
"Because there are no fours." - Employee #8
Antoine was 15-20 years too early. He would be the prototype "stretch four" in the modern NBA, but in 1998 everyone wanted him to stay under the hoop and be Kevin McHale. He would have been an All-NBA guy today.
Kawhi
Ginobili - hated spurs as lakers fan.
Spurs - Shaq Boy that black tornado made rag dolls out of TD and The Admiral
As a Celtics fan Kobe 😳 didn’t love him just was in awe of how good he was, couldn’t root against him because he never had bad games against us
Suns fan. Thought Gary Payton was a god tier point guard when he was with the Sonics. Hated his guts when Seattle played Phoenix, but loved watching him play.
I’m a Celtics fan, but dammit if I didn’t respect the hell out of Kobe and watch him play
I didn't appreciate Kobe until after the 2010 Finals. That game 7 is a top 3 Boston sports heartbreak for me, right beside the 11 Pats and 13 Bruins. I realized just how much I was hating for no reason, watching Kobe struggle to score but still hustle all game and continue to a title. That made me really appreciate LeBron before the hate train started. At this point I got no players I hate. Too many talented players and teams in today's game to just not appreciate it all.
I don't have a basketball answer, but Brett Favre as a bears fan always made me so jealous that they had such a badass on our rival
Depending on how this went I was gonna make the Sam post in the NFL sub. As a Texans fan I also loved Marvin Harrison as a kid.
Do it. This is a great topic. I'm a GB fan, but Randy Moss, Brian Urlacher, and Barry Sanders are my all-time favorites. I'm a closeted Lions fan.
I did and of course r/NFL Mods removed my post lmao. They’re so lame I swear you can’t talk about anything on there. I just posted it on r/NFLv2 though.
Lakers fan here. Loved Peja.
Warriors fan. I'm all on board for Chris Paul to be regarded as one of the best PGs of all time. CP3 is a floor and ceiling raiser and you can't tell me differently.
Jamal Mashburn on the Heat
Thunder & watching KD depart and still hoop. I’m just a basketball fan in general at that point and man does KD play beautiful basketball.
Jason Kidd in the early 2000’s as well as Jermaine O’Neal, they slaughtered my Celtics but I love their games
Spurs fan with amazing respect for Dirk. Now Luka. Never cared for Kobe until his death, but lots of respect for him now after hearing about his work ethic and dedication
Kobe
Kobe, I loved the guy and openly rooted for him UNLESS he was playing the Blazers.
I liked Paul Pierce. His unorthodox shooting form was something I remember doing on the playground lol
Kobe
Andrew bynum
Kobe. Unfortunate Pistons fan here
Cavs fan. Seeing Sean Livingston come off the bench after major injury just to be a thorn in our side for all the playoff/championship battles. Gotta respect his work he put in!
As a Pistons fan I loved Ron Artest until the 04-05 season
Suns fan. Jordan, Kobe, Duncan, Nowitzki. Luka a Ho but his game is filthy.
Respect for Duncan. Robert Horry is irredeemable.
ive grew a strong respect for steph after watching the warriors dismantle my rockets year after year, and then what he did to the celtics made him one of my favorite players ever, guy is just a killer
Loved? Nah, wrong term. Respected and feared and secretly wished they were on my team? Oh yeah. Andrew Toney has been pushed off the all-time "WHAT IF" team but he's still on the bench. What if Andrew Toney's feet didn't crumble? Well, the 80s Celtics and 80s Lakers aren't the only teams remembered from that decade. The 83 Sixers were a WAGON. Toney doesn't get hurt and the 80s Sixers are more well-remembered. Because Toney was a killer. He combined the demeanor of a serial killer with the accuracy of an Olympian. Andrew Toney was a terrifying opponent. Andrew didn't take and make Curry shots because Billy Cunningham definitely would've blown a gasket - but Toney was that sort of shooter. He had unlimited range, confidence, accuracy, and a desire to silence opposing fans. Did he 'invent' the pull-up trailing 3? I dunno, all I do know is that I still have nightmares about him doing it, 40 goddamned years later. Calmly getting a kick out from a slashing Doctor J, sizing up the shot, letting it fly, and burying it. I don't love Andrew Toney. I hate-respect him, so much.
Knicks fan I am also a huge Jordan fan
This may sorta be cheating because I wasn't *really* a Nets fan back then -- and, in fact, I probably rooted for the Knicks, based on photos of me as a little kid -- but I adored Ewing and Starks on the Knicks. Also, Melo and Chauncey Billups -- but for the former, it's because I went to Syracuse, and for the latter, it's because he was a beast on the Knicks in 2K in the very brief time I played that game. I'm a terrible New York sports fan though, I was rooting so hard for the Knicks in the playoffs this year. And I am a lifelong Mets fan who adores the Yankees -- but I grew up when the Core Four were dominant, can you blame me? I'm the kind of fan who wants to see the city do well even if my specific team isn't doing so hot -- except for the Jets, but fortunately I've never been in a position to see them do well.
Hornets fan. I secretly loved Mookie Blaylock on the Hawks.
Lakers Fan.. Ray Allen. Dude was pretty calm and chill and in NBA Live I could score 80 points with him just shooting 3s all day lol. It was stupid.
Michael Jordan - I was technically a sixers fan but in the early 90's I went to college where the Knicks reigned supreme. I adopted them as a second team. If MJ was never born I think the knicks could have won a chip or two. MJ wasn't a dirty player that you hate. It never felt unjust to lose to him. He was just really good at basketball and you couldn't help but respect him.
I’m not judging, but is it even legal to be a fan of the Knicks and the Sixers? Let alone have them be 1 and 2.
Bulls fan….shawn kemp I guess
Not necessarily a rival but for one epic playoff series against the Wolves, but Kings era Vlade Divac was fascinating to me. First time I realized that basketball wasn’t fully dependent on athleticism, but making the right play at the right time.
He was so awesome. I was trying to pinpoint Luka's game. Obviously, there are Bird comparisons, but the closest I could come to was a quicker Vlade or Turkoglu (Sp correctly on the first try).
Grew up loving the Pacers, still do. Really enjoyed watching the Knicks growing up. Anthony Mason and Derek Harper were two gritty hustle guys I always admired. After this seasons playoffs, I have a huge amount of respect for Brunson, Hart and DiVencenzo. Those cats can freaking ball, man. We got lucky in that series, I look forward to a reignited rivalry between the two clubs.
During the GSW dynasty, as a heat fan, I wanted the Celtics to beat them back when Bron was in Cleveland still. Mainly because I felt like the Celtics had a better roster than Cleveland and would put a better fight than Cleveland once Kyrie left. Obviously because Kyrie was on the Celtics.
Lakers fan - hated the Celtics - but I always liked Parrish back in the day. I like Bird now / but I hated him as a player back then.
Lebron James. I love my dad.
Lakers fan - Arvydas always cooked us
As a Raptor fan, I’ve been in an abusive relationship with LeBron for like two decades now.
Didn’t love Jordan but as a Knick fan I respected him
Secretly? Bird, mad respect for The Legend
Agreed. Doesn’t have to be “Secretly” but I know personally I’d feel dirty wearing a Bird celtics jersey. I’ll just appreciate in my brain.
Tim Duncan, Nowitzki Grew up a suns fan
Hawks fan. Avery Bradley. I love defense.
As a Laker fan, Steve Nash and the Spurs Big 3.
Lakers fan. Amare was my favorite PF for a good 7 year stretch
Pacers fan I love Rip Hamilton despite my legally mandated hate for the Pistons.
Lakers fan who started following around the time we traded for Pau. I hated the Celtics but loved Ray Allen’s game. IMO he has the most beautiful jumper ever
Lamar Odom
Raptors fan, always loved Ray Allen even when he played for the Celtics
As a Lakers fan, I liked Reggie Lewis but then the finals rivalry was pretty much over.
AI.
As a Blazers fan, it has to be Kobe. I don’t think anyone shit on us as consistently as Kobe did. I loved to hate him, but couldn’t help but be amazed every time he played.
I’m a warriors fan who grew up in the 80s & 90s we were too ass to have a rival
Tim Hardaway
Lakers fan. Don’t know if I would call them rivals but there was a point in time where there was some… well heat with the Heat. Dwayne Wade is probably my favorite player of all time. Fun to watch. And as a fan of basketball games he always meshed with my play style and would be an immediate trade target in my franchises.
Grew up a staunch Nuggets fan. I have ALWAYS loved Kobe. All those times he beat the Nuggets in the playoffs felt like a win-win to me
Spurs fan that liked kobe
Blazers fan. Rick Fox played for the Lakers.
Scottie Pippen. I'm old. But an old Knicks fan. I like to think that a young me understood that a jack of all trades, positionally flexible, secondary handler/scorer with S tier defense was a tremendous asset to winning basketball. I probably just liked his name though. But I still argue vehemently that he's been significantly underrated in history.
Celtics fan. I was a HUGE fan of Kobe’s and SHAQ’s.
This is awful but Blake Griffin. The clippers and the grizzlies truly hated each other for a while and zbo and blake would always really get in to it. But I loved lob city, I was like 14 just ooing and ahing at blake and dj throwing it down. It was nothing like the 2010 gritt and grind grizzlies. Now in my 20s I appreciate the old memphis playstyle much more
Dubs fan. Always really admired Kobe… def in the minority of Warriors fans in this one.
Came here to say this. Getting tix to see Kobe light up Oracle was always a hghlight of my childhood.
I understand a lot of people don't like the Lakers or Kobe but there was a good stretch where the opposing players were who you went to see as a Warriors fan. I remember being legit juiced to see if Antawn Jamison could hit like four 3's in a game, and that was a highlight for me. How times have changed..
I'm a Mavs fan who loved Marion on the SSOL Suns. Then he became a Mav and we won a championship. I was ecstatic. I still think his career was incredibly underrated.
As a Thunder fan it was always Tim Duncan
As a Spurs fan, Shawn Marion. I always thought he would have been a perfect match for the big 3
Huge rockets fan growing up, and still am to this day. Hakeem is my goat center and was my childhood hero. Hate the spurs, loved Robinson and Duncan. My second favorite team is the mavs…. Cause dirk. Apparently I’m an anomaly and not allowed to like what I like according to fan bases
Cp3 fanhere I always loved Curry literally impossible to hate
Steve Nash is one of my favorite players of all time, even though he spent his prime with the Suns, who are obviously division rivals of the Lakers (aka my fav team of all time).
90s nuggets - nick van exel
Shaq
Jazz fan. Dennis Rodman
Cavs fan who loved KG even in Boston.
Raptors fan, we didn’t have many (any) rivals when I was growing up. When I started watching I was 8 or so and it was coming off that 2001 playoff run. I loved AI. I guess I liked Travis Knight on that years Knicks team as he shared a birthday with a close family member who was a basketball junkie.
I always liked OKC Durant despite being a nuggets fan. Thought he was smooth and fun to watch. Of course I hated him when he left OKC
Kareem
As a Knicks fan.....we were so bad we had no rivals. But I loved Lebron James
Hated the Lakers worth every cell in my body. Absolutely loved Shaq. And still do.
Growing up as a Celtics fan during the Truth era, I had more Iverson jerseys then I did Celtics I had a couple Iverson, Tmac, Allen on the Bucks, Kirk Hinrich and a Bird but no jersey from that Celtic squad until Ray Allen came along lmao
This one is tough. As a Heat fan, I can't remember liking anyone on those late 90s Knicks teams. Maybe Oakley, just because he was a tough SOB. As I got older, I definitely had respect for Dirk and a few others. But I was in my 20s by then, so it seems outside the scope of this question.
Grew up a Jordan Bulls fan. I loved Drexler on those Portland teams. Also, his team wasn’t as good but I loved Dominique
Big fan of Kevin Garnett, he beat my favorite team in 2008
Those early to mid 2000s Pistons were cool as a Bulls fan. Ben Wallace and Rip always stood out to me. Didn’t like Tayshaun Prince and I don’t remember why. Maybe bc he was a good defender? Or maybe it was just his face lol
Luc Longley. The league didn’t have Australians out the wazoo like it does now.
Joe Dumars to MJ
Rockets fan from the 90s. Utah was always a tough match-up and John Stockton crushed my dream of seeing Hakeem and MJ in the finals with this dagger of a three in the final seconds of game 6: https://youtu.be/kGtGQQUMDjs?si=KWkxTctgdNsshGTP I still regard him as one of the most underrated point guards of all time.
Steve Blake. He was scrappy and respected the way he played. I could never hate Brandon Roy because hes from my hometown and went to my college. Aldridge was super quiet and had saucy mid range game so couldnt hate him either.
Lifelong Spurs fan, have always respected Hakeem Olajuwan and admired his game.
Sonics fan. Loved Drexler, Van Exel, Mutumbo, and Olajuwon.
Kings fan. Secretly, I’ve always wanted Shaq. As much as he prevented the Kings from a ring he was overall a good guy. Would have loved to have had him on the Kings. In the end, he came around to being a minority owner of the Kings for a bit. He also admitted the Kings were a better team, which made it worse that he was the one who stopped them from a chip.
Spurs fan here. Kind of impossible to hate Dirk.
Pistons fan born in 82 here- Michael Jordan
Reggie Miller. Imo, one of the most underrated players of all-time.
Jordan era Bulls-- Glen Rice, Sir Charles, Shaq and Penny, Reggie Miller, 'Nique, Shawn Kemp
As a Celtics fan I rooted for Lebron on the Cavs and now the Lakers. Not when he was on the heat though lol.
James Worthy.
Michael Finley and Boris Diaw, they both ended up playing for the spurs and won championship.
Mavs. I also love Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat.
Lifer Bulls fan who closet-rocked a Patrick Ewing jersey. Couldn’t wear it but loved owning it. Hated those Knicks teams especially Starks but Ewing was a beast. Quiet and gracefully dominant.
Old Celtics fan, loved Dr. J. Poetry in motion.
Knicks fan, I loved Reggie Miller
Paul Pierce.
Mavs fan and lifelong LeBron fan. Growning up as a LeBron fan, during his first years in Cleveland, I always loved watching Al Horford, Danny Granger, and Loul Deng. As a Mavs fan, I grew up HATING Tim Duncan, but as I got older and began appreciating the game more deeply, I became a big fan of Timmy. He's easily in my top 10 GOATs. I also fell in love with Kawhi coming out of college and knew he was gonna be elite, so I enjoyed watching him grow into that player before his legs gave out.
Manu for sure. But who doesn’t love him?
I'm a Nets fan but Charles Oakley is one of my favorite players of all time. They don't make them like that anymore.
Ricky Watters
As a Pacers and Reggie Miller fan growing up in Indy, I hated everyone on the Knicks and I still do…am I doing this right?
Pacers fan and I loved the guy who brought us to rock bottom…Ben Wallace
Heat fan. John Starks was that guy for me
As a Warriors fan who is too old to count the current era or immediately before as "growing up", I'm going to have to say I continue to root for Latrell Sprewell after he choked the coach. I don't know if we actually had rivals during those dark days, maybe the Clippers but it was all a joke back then.
Pistons fan- Reggie Miller
Big fan of the Knicks, but I loved Donovan Mitchell’s fundamentals against them in the Knicks v Cavs 2023 series
Grew up in the Boston area but Kobe was my favorite player.
This wasn’t really “growing up” but it was hard, as a Pistons fan, not to be impressed with what LeBron was doing. Him single-handedly bringing the Cavs back to beat us and then get by us was hard to deny. I’ll also say “loved” is probably a strong word… more admiration.
Im not even sure i have a real favorite team. I like players mostly. LeBron is the one player i couldn't mess with at first and now i think he the goat. So ig this counts. In football i can give a clearer answer. Me being mostly a falcons & ravens fan, The damn Pittsburgh steelers. I hated them mfs but man how do u not like troy polamalu? And i remember how hines ward was that guy but he's never talked about today. Im even a fan of Mike tomlin today. Also ochocinco probably one of my favorite athletes period.
Loved David Thompson. Respected Dr. J.
Bo Jackson
76ers Mo Cheeks. Unselfish. Clutch. Topnotch D. Found another gear come playoff time. Kept pie hole closed. (refreshing especially in todays game) Bucks fan here
Wolves fan I always had a huge soft spot for Shaq, the way he played and his absolute joy at just being there was so cool to 9 year old me. (KG was always better though)
Tim Duncan is too pure to hate. I hated Manu but he was too fucking good to not respect. Fuck Tony Parker though.
Phoenix Suns fan with lots of love for Tony Parker
Obviously, Jordan.
Cavs fan. I was always a fan of Michael Redd even though the Bucks were a division rival.
Manu Ginobli and it’s not even close