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Most Influential Nba Players Essay He would travel back and forth to school in a town called French Lick, where he excelled at basketball at an early age. Bird was a key component in his high schools basketball team, where he was the leading all-time scorer by the time he graduated in 1974. Larry Bird was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 draft. The Celtics gave Bird a contract worth $3. 25 million over five years. Birds new contract made him the highest paid rookie in the history of team sports at that time. Bird averaged 21. points per game, and averaged 143 steals and 2,955 minutes per season played. He led the Celtics to 3 championships and was also awarded MVP (most valuable player) 3 times. After helping the Dream Team to Olympic glory, Bird announced his retirement from the game of basketball in 1992. Bird ended his career with 21,791 points, 8,974 rebounds, and 5,695 assists; he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998. Shortly after his announcement, he became an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. At the end of his career Bird was making $23 million a year (Larry Bird Biography 1,2). Michael Jordan was an influential player in high school and in the NBA in the 1980s-1990s. He was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. In 1975 Jordan enjoyed playing baseball and was on the little league team, leading them to the Little league World Series. Jordan was an exceptional pitcher at an early age. It wasnt till an older age when he realized what a good basketball player he was. In the Summer of 1984, Jordan made his first appearance at the Olympic Games as a member of the U. S. Olympic basketball team. In late 1984 Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls and led them to six national championships. He led the league in scoring with an average of 31. 5 points per game. Chicago recorded 61 wins, and Jordan then turned in one of the most dominating postseasons in NBA history, averaging 31. 1 points, 6. 4 rebounds, and 8. 4 assists per game. He became the first player since Wilt Chamberlin to score more than 3,000 points in a single season. Jordan was awarded MVP eight times, received NBA Rookie of the year award, and was selected for the All-Star Game. Jordan invested between $10 million and $20 million to become part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006. He was named the teams Managing Member of Basketball Operations. Bobcats majority owner Robert Johnson sought Jordan for his basketball knowledge and management skills. In 2010, Johnson sold the team to Jordan. The sale made Jordan the primary owner of the Bobcats. Jordan was making $90 million a year at the end of his career (Michael Jordan 1,2). LeBron James has been an influential player in his high school and in the NBA from 2002-2013. LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio. James also had a tough childhood with his dad leaving him and his mom. He showed a talent for the sport of basketball at an early age and was known as a prodigy in high school. LeBron James attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. As a freshman, James averaged 18. 0 points and 6. 2 rebounds per game, leading his team to a 27-0 record and a Division III state title. He started off his career on the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is now currently on the Miami Heat averaging 29. 7 points, 8. assists and 7. 3 rebounds per game, and he was selected to his sixth consecutive All-Star appearance. James became the first player since Oscar Robertson to have at least 40 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in a regular season game. James scored his 20,000th career point on March 13, the youngest player in NBA history to achieve such an accomplishment. LeBron has been awarded the MVP award 4 times and also is the youngest player to win the Rookie of the year award. At the end of this year James will make 60 million (LeBron James Biography 1,2). Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James are some of the most inspirational and energetic players in the NBA. They never lost the thirst to succeed and the preservation to win. They will go down in history as the definition of competition at its best. Through tough times and tragedy, they never gave up and pressed on. The reason for their well-known success has been nothing short of hard work and determination. Their will to win, has motivated many athletes and non-athletes alike to set goals for themselves and to reach them.