The "Shrinking" of the NBA - A Big Man's Game

Basketball has always been a big man's game. The nature of the sport is such that the tallest, the biggest, and the heaviest players have a clear cut advantage. Just look at the greatest names that have graced the National Basketball Association (NBA). These are legends that have written and rewritten the records of sport history, not only in basketball, but in all sports. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 points a game for entire season and scored 100 in a single game.. he owns the next three highest scoring seasons ever recorded, as well. Bill Russell led his teams to 11 championships. Kareem Abdul Jabbar scored over 38,000 points, the most ever in a career. Shaquille O'Neal was so dominant that teams had to employ methods that amounted to no more than brutalizing him ("Hack-a-Shaq")and hoping he missed his free throws. Oscar Robertson was transcendent, to be sure, but he stuck out as an anomaly, more so than what people expected from guards. Still, he got people to wondering. "What if guards, in general, could do more than just pass the ball to big men in the paint, or run interference?"

Changing Times

Actually, top notch guards had already begun to arrive to challenge the unrivaled monopoly that outsized centers and forwards had almost since basketball's inception. The prototype of today's guards, Bob Cousy, brought a little razzle dazzle, with his fancy dribbling and entertaining passes. He added a different dimension to the game. Other guards like Tiny Archibald, Isiah Thomas, and Calvin Murphy showed that little guys could score too. Archibald averaged 34 points and 11 rebounds for an entire season, becoming the first guard to do so, and the first player to lead the NBA in both points and assists. Isiah Thomas led the Detroit Pistons to two championships, while leading his team in assists and steals.Guards were not so big that they couldn't maneuver in traffic and they were easily the fastest athletes on the court, but they were now showing that they could be the show stoppers.

Magic and The GOAT

Magic Johnson became a force in the 80's. He dazzled crowds with his no look passes and uncanny court sense. He and Larry Bird made passing popular. Then came a big break for NBA guards. Michael Jordan, just under the average NBA height, at 6'6", revolutionized sports and showed that a guy could not only lead a team to a championship, but could be a franchise player, around which team owners and managers could build a dynasty.

In fact, Jordan became the best defensive player and offensive player, becoming the first guard, and in fact, the first NBA player to win both the scoring title and the Defensive Player of the Year award in the same season. This changed the way people looked at basketball. No longer was it just a big man's game. Jordan was the only guard to lead his team to 6 titles, winning the Finals MVP every time. Establishing himself as the greatest of all times in the minds of fans everywhere, demonstrated that guards could not only contribute, but could be the best athletes and most important players on the team.

Changing of the "Guard"

Now, guards can be the "go to" guys on the team. If you look at the stats guys like Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, get, or study the Raul Neto bio, you will see that guards put up many stats that actually determine whether the game is won or lost. Raul Neto is a phenomenal player who has proven his worth in the NBA.

He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2013 NBA Draft, but was then traded to the Utah Jazz. Neto kept playing in Spain until his official signing with the Jazz in July of 2015.

Neto is a 6-foot-1 point guard from Brazil. The standout athlete began his professional career in 2008, joining a Brazilian squad called Minas Tenis Clube. After 3 three seasons, he left to sign on with Lagun Aro GBC a team from Spain.

Neto was the youngest player on his country's national basketball team for the FIBA World Championship (2010) and also represented Brazil in two Summer Olympics (2012, 2016).