Holy smokes!
Holy Toledo!
Does anybody use those expressions anymore? Did they ever use them in the first place?
Whatever the case, I will use them because I was definitely wild on Tuesday night while watching game one of t@1he NBA Western Conference finals between the defending league, champion, Oklahoma City, thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs did the near-impossible by going into OKC and winning, in two overtimes, no less, by the score of 122–115. Their young center, Victor Wembanyama, all 7-foot-4 of him, did things that seemed impossible by scoring 41 points, grabbing 24 rebounds and simply dominating the game in every way, shape and form.
He was absolutely incredible. Watching him, it was clear we were seeing the future of the game. It was clear we were watching someone who was in the process of changing the game.
What other players have changed the game of basketball through the years? There are a number of them, most notably Michael Jordan. You can throw Wilt Chamberlain in there as well, along with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Irving and Bill Russell
When it comes to football, what players have changed that game through the decades? The first guy who comes to mind played for the Browns, Jim Brown, not only the best running back of all-time, but also the best player ever, at any position. He was bigger, faster and stronger than everybody else, and virtually indestructible. He put up numbers that were beyond anything that had ever been done in the game.
Other players?
New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice.
Defensive end Deacon Jones.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mel
Blount.
Steelers defensive tackle Joe Greene.
Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Anthony Munoz.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.
Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus.
Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders.
The list goes on and on and on.
When you see the game-changers, you just know it. It’s hard to quantify, but you just know it. It just jumps out of you.
And it jumped out at me, and I am sure to many of you as well, Tuesday night when watching Victor Wembanyama.
Steve King
