Ahead of the 2019-2020 season, Vince Carter announced that it would be his record-setting 22nd and final NBA season; over the past two decades, it has been remarkable to watch Carter’s transformation from high-flying superstar with the Toronto Raptors to grizzled old veteran with the Atlanta Hawks. In many ways, his career evolution parallels that of Grant Hill, who likewise was a superstar in the late 1990s with the Detroit Pistons before injuries took their toll; Hill nevertheless persevered to carve out a valuable new role to match his physical reality and was eventually inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. In looking back at the long and remarkable careers of both players, let us ponder the question:
As one of the Original Six NHL franchises, the Detroit Red Wings have been blessed with a plethora of superstars throughout the years, from Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Terry Sawchuk in the mid-20th century to the likes of Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, and Nicklas Lidstrom in more recent times. Detroit has always embraced foreign stars (see the “Russian Five” from the 1990s) and thus, it should come as no surprise that in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the latest generation of Red Wings was led by Pavel Datsyuk from Russia and Henrik Zetterberg of Sweden. Though each dealt with his fair share of injuries, the duo were among the most electrifying players in the league when fully healthy, and helped Detroit add to its Stanley Cup trophy case. With their stellar careers essentially overlapping, let us look back and ask:
Who was better – Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg?
From speedsters like Rickey Henderson and Tim Raines to sluggers like Jim Rice and Dale Murphy, the 1980s saw a variety of multifaceted talents patrolling MLB outfields. Among this talented group of outfielders, two Hall of Famers who stood out with their combination of consistency and five-tool versatility were Andre Dawson and Dave Winfield. Both outfielders starred in the big leagues for more than 20 years across three different decades (1970s, 1980s, and 1990s) with multiple teams and were among the best players of the 1980s, earning MVP awards, Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, All-Star selections, etc. en route to Cooperstown. Given the similarities in comparing this pair of star outfielders, the natural question to ask is:
Note: Updated for Ben Wallace’s 2021 Hall of Fame selection.
While the most glamorous part of playing basketball is scoring points, every championship team also needs players who can rebound, play defense, and do the dirty work necessary to win. In the history of the NBA, perhaps no players better epitomize the role of an offensively-challenged, yet ferocious rebounder and defender better than Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace. Both were relatively undersized, yet more than made up for it with their hustle and determination, transforming from unheralded prospects to All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year anchors for championship teams – as two of the greatest rebounding and defense specialists ever, the natural question is:
