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Once the offseason begins in a few months, basketball headlines will be dominated by news of NBA players being lured by big money in Europe.  While it still seems unlikely that superstars in their prime such as LeBron James or Kobe Bryant would seriously consider playing overseas, many key players such as Josh Childress, who averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds in 15 games for Olympiacos this season, have jumped over to the Euroleague.  The common perception has been that even unspectacular and over the hill NBA players would dominate the inferior competition.   Part I will take a look at how a few stars, as well as a couple of busts, have fared in Europe after playing in the NBA.  Part II will focus on European players who’ve come over to the US.

Dominique Wilkins: It was all Greek to ‘Nique when he signed with Panathinaikos in 1995 at the age of 35. He was named the Final Four MVP after putting  up 21 points and 7 rebounds per game and leading the team to its first European Championship.  Wilkins returned to the NBA in 1996 and led San Antonio in scoring, though Spurs fans likely appreciate him more for the 20-62 record that allowed them to draft Tim Duncan.  Wilkins played in Italy in 1997, and at 39, finished his career with one non-Highlight season in Orlando.

Magic Johnson: After Magic retired from the Lakers for a second time in 1996, he bought and played for Magic M7, a team from the Swedish town of Borås (high-five!). Two seasons later, the 42-year-old bought a Denmark team, the Great Danes, and always the modest one, once again renamed it after himself. Johnson suited up for two games on the Magic Great Danes, averaging 9 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists and 9 turnovers.  It doesn’t look like anyone was going for that ball-fake though.

Scottie Pippen: When Pippen failed to land with an NBA team in 2007 after a three-year retirement, he took his game to Finland at the age of 42. He averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds in two games for ToPo, going a Starks-esque two for 16 from behind the arc, and then put up 21 points, 12 rebounds, six assists in his final game for the Sundsvall Dragons. Pippen said his motivation was to “inspire young Scandinavians.”  I’m sure it had nothing to do with trying to avoid bankrupcy.

Bob McAdoo: A three-time scoring champ in his early years, McAdoo averaged less than 12 points per game over his final six injury-plagued NBA seasons. At the age of 35, he signed with Tracer Milan and went on to average over 25 points and 8 rebounds per game, winning two league titles in six seasons.  When he retired in 1992 at the age of 41, McAdoo worked as the basketball technical adviser (whatever that means) for the classic Kevin Bacon movie, “The Air Up There” (seriously).

Trajan Langdon: The most famous Alaskan athlete of all-time (sounds like an oxymoron), Langdon was drafted by the Cavs in 1999 and averaged five points per game on 41% shooting over three seasons . He’s since played in Italy, Turkey, and Russia, where he was named Euroleague Finals MVP in 2008. Langdon was cut by the Clippers in training camp in 2004, which pretty much sums up his chances of making an NBA comeback at the age of 31.

Anthony Parker: Parker was out of the NBA by 2000 after averaging just two points per game in three seasons with the 76ers and Magic. He signed with the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he led the team to numerous titles, including two Euroleague championships,and won two MVPs. He returned to the NBA in 2006 after a six-year absence, and has become one of the league’s best shooters with the Raptors. However, he’ll always have to live with the shame of not being able to beat his little sister in a game of one-on-one.

Bonzi Wells: Wells put up 12 points per game in 10 NBA seasons before signing a $40-thousand contract (you read that correctly) with a team in China. The 32-year-old quickly became a Chinese Basketball Association legend, averaging over 34 points in 14 games. However, ‘Banzai’ became an unfortunate victim of the Chinese Sports Illustrated cover jinx (yes, that’s a real magazine) when he failed to return to the team after the Chinese New Year and lost his roster spot to Tim Pickett.

Dennis Rodman: Where hasn’t the Worm been? And we’re just talking about basketball here. Rodman played three games for the UK Brighton Bears in 2006, one game for Pippen’s Finland team the following year, and two exhibition games in the Philippines in 2006. Not to mention, that since appearing in 12 games with the Mavericks in 2000, he’s had brief stints with three different ABA teams and was negotiating with another club as recently as last season at age 46 (!). In a completely unrelated story, he’s broke.

Quick Hits:

*Roy Tarpley: was twice banned from the NBA for cocaine and alcohol abuse, and put up solid numbers over seven years in Greece and Cyprus. He again filed for reinstatement in 2003, but was denied reentry. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to list Vin Baker as his sponsor.

*Reggie Theus: spent one year in Italy in between 13 years in the NBA and four with the Deering Tornadoes.

*Kenny Anderson: was released by the Clippers and then the Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania) in successive seasons. I’m not sure which is the bigger insult.

*Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf: played in Russia, Italy, and Greece, and is currently in the Saudi Arabian league. Apparently none of those countries’ flags are symbols of oppression and tyranny.

*Eddie Johnson:  led Olympiakos to the Greek Championship in 1994/95, before playing four more years in the NBA and debating a name change, .

*Tom Chambers: played for Maccabi Tel Aviv during the 1995/96 season before returning to the NBA for two more years, and is um, currently planning a comeback at the age of 49.

*Byron Scott:  led Panathinaikos to a Euroleague title and won the Finals MVP award in 1997 after his final season in the NBA with the Lakers.  Then again, just about anything would’ve be better than playing with Kobe Bryant again.

*Darryl Dawkins: Chocolate Thunder barely drizzled in Italy for five years after retiring from the NBA in 1989. He later attempted two unsuccessful comebacks with the Nuggets in 1994 and the Celtics in 1995.

*Rolondo Blackman: won the Italian Champion with Stefanel Milano in 1996 after a short stint in Greece. Contrary to popular belief, he and Renaldo Balkman are two different people.

Last week’s look at the strangest NBA player free throw routines touched on a related topic — some of the league’s ugliest shots.  Now, keep in mind that an unorthodox shooting form, such as Reggie Miller’s jumper or even Rick Barry’s underhand free throws, doesn’t neccessarily have to be ugly. But let’s just say that you’d never want the following players to teach your kid how to shoot a basketball.

1. Chuck Hayes: It takes a special kind of ugly to knock Shawn Marion’s flick shot down to number two, but Hayes has earned that right. It would almost be cute if this was a video of a fourth-grader nervously shooting his free throws in front of a big crowd. But, no, this is an NBA player, and its downright disgraceful (although shockingly, he’s a 58% career foul shooter). Before it’s all said and done, he’ll shatter Anthony Mason’s record for most lane violations drawn.

2. Shawn Marion: I don’t think Marion needs an introduction here, since his name came to mind the second you read the title. He shoots the ball from below his shoulders, flinging the ball at the basket with his fingertips like a chest pass. It reminds me of someone playing hot potato with the basketball. But while it makes me cringe every time I see it, it’s also hard to argue with the results — Marion shoots a respectable 48% from the field and 34% from downtown.

3. Bill Cartwright:  How bad was Cartwright’s free throw form?  He retired in 1995, and Lil’ Wayne rapped about it a full decade later. Cartwright raises the ball with both of his arms outstretched, almost as if he’s about to shoot it underhanded, and then places it high over his head. He then goes into his two-handed release, just barely flicking his wrist on the follow-through. Amazingly, he once held the NBA record for most free throws made in a game without a miss (19).

4.  Jamaal Wilkes / Marcus Camby:  I’m grouping these two players together, since their forms are similar in a lot of aspects.  Most notably, each shoots from behind his head, resembling a projectile fired from a catapult.  Marcus Camby’s is slightly more pronounced, and he also takes the ball from the left side of his body, even though he’s a right-handed shooter. It feels like it takes a good 10 seconds for the ball to get from his hands to the rim.

5. Andris Biedrins: Biedrins has developed into a very solid player, perhaps even a borderline All-Star. But he really needs to work on that foul shooting stroke. Not only is his shot missing any semblance of an arc or backspin, but he also appears to just be pushing the ball forward with his left hand; there’s no visible guidance from his right hand whatsoever.  And I don’t think I’ve seen a player get on tippy-toes to reach the basket. Maybe that’s the way they teach it in Latvia?

6. Charles Barkley’s golf swing: Yeah, I know it doesn’t take place on the court, but here’s a Hall of Fame NBA player, an exceptionally coordinated professional athlete, hacking away on the golf course. I’ve barely even touched a club and I’m pretty sure I could do better than that. It brings back memories of watching Tony Batista take a couple of check swings at the plate before grounding out to third base. Or even the immortal Chuck Hayes at the foul line.

7. Josh Childress: Study that photo for a minute, and tell me if Childress’ form doesn’t go against everything you’ve ever learned about shooting a basketball. His right elbow sticks way out to the side, and he ends up releasing the ball with one arm, refusing to use his left hand for guidance. It’s like an ‘if they mated’ mash-up of Shawn Marion’s chest pass and Andris Biedrins’ one-handed push shot.

8. Kevin Martin: Martin is one of the best up-and-coming players in the NBA, but his shot is as awkward as they come.  The release at the top of his jumper appears to be almost picture-perfect, if only he didn’t shoot the ball from his side and swivel his hips as he stepped into his shot.  Please allow me this opportunity to relive past Sacramento Kings glory and watch him go coast to coast for an incredible buzzer-beater against the Spurs in the 2006 NBA Playoffs.

9. Joakim Noah: Noah is certainly no stranger to ugly (cheap joke, but it is what it is). At the free throw line, he puts both of his hands on the side of the ball, and practically passes it towards the rim, a la Marion. He kinda shoots the way I used to when I was eight years old and didn’t have the strength to release the ball with only my right hand. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any video, so here’s the Noah stock photo we had on file.

10. Ronnie Brewer: Stop me if you’ve heard this story before: Brewer broke his arm as a kid in a terrible accident and developed an unusual shooting style because he can no longer fully extend his right elbow. The funny thing is, his stroke is highly effective, as he’s shooting at a 53% clip through his first 2+ seasons in the NBA. Then again, judging from this official team highlight video, he only scores on driving lay-ups and uncontested dunks (shot at the 1:20 mark).

Quick Hits:

*Manute Bol: Sure, you remember Manute Bol. But do you remember Manute Bol shooting threes? It’s best that you don’t…

*Bo Outlaw: Bo would be ranked higher if I could find any video of his horrid jumper.

*Desmond Mason:  I saw him shoot free throws once and I don’t think I’ve been the same since.

*Shaquille O’Neal: obligatory.

I’ve been fascinated by afros ever since I was a little kid.   When I was growing up, I wanted a ‘fro more than anything in the world, and constantly begged my mother to let me get a perm for my wavy hair.  In hindsight, I’m glad she didn’t listen, because I could never pull of a cool-looking Jewfro (at least, not as well as “Fletch“).

To make up for the lack of awesome afros in the early ’90’s — the apparent peak of the flat top era — I frequented local sports card shows, searching for new, um, hair-raising items to add to my collection.  The ABA was the jackpot of amazing afros during the 1970’s.  Among my favorites were classic styles worn by the likes of Darnell Hillman and Julius Erving, the Chia Pet on the head of Randy Denton, and Michael Jackson’s “thriller.”  The unintentionally hilarious balding ‘fro would later find its way into the NBA, courtesy of World B. Free.

Thankfully, the late ’90’s and early 2000’s marked the triumphant return of the ‘fro, starting with Ben Wallace.  Big Ben was one of the first players to switch between the increasingly popular cornrows and afro hairstyles from game to game.  Although the trend never caught on as much as one would’ve liked, it game us a handful of memorable appearances, such as the ones below.

Ben Wallace

Shaun Livingston

Ricky Davis

Darius Miles

Moochie Norris

Ronny Turiaf

For a short time, several NBA superstars got into the act, popularizing the ‘baby afro’ look in the mid-2000’s.  It’s a shame that Gilbert Arenas may have kept his bushy hairstyle a little longer, had it not been for an unfortunate conditioning incident.  Even the usually plain-vanilla Tim Duncan busted out a fantastic mini-fro for the beginning 2004/05 season, before eventually going back to his patented bald look.

Kobe Bryant

Gilbert Arenas

Tim Duncan

Unfortunately, those hairstyles are long gone, and today’s NBA has a disturbing lack of hair creativity.  Ben Wallace’s ‘fro is tired, and it’s only a matter of time before he starts looking like the aforementioned World B. Free (sorry, I just can’t get enough of that photo).  I don’t know what Anderson Varejao, Robin Lopez, and Joakim Noah have going right now, but those are not afros.  They look more like Sideshow Bob or Corbin Bleu admirers than Dr. J fans.  To top if off, the only man who’s maintained a true ‘fro since coming into the league, Josh Childress, is now representing in Greece.  And it’ll be at least a year until we see Brandon Jennings’ old school flat top on the NBA hardwood.  We’re close to reaching a crisis stage here, people.  If David Stern needs to get involved here, I’m okay with that — whatever it takes.  Just bring back the ‘fro!

Josh Childress

Anderson Varejao

Robin Lopez