NBA Comics FREE Series | Volume 3 Sports Comic Book Copyright 2014 | 3rd Edition 2016 By Jim Sweeney This FREE book is filled with 25 NBA comics. In every chapter, I share a bit of history behind each comic and offer readers the opportunity to purchase a jersey, hat or sports memorabilia of their favorite team or player. Enjoy the comics. Memories of what they stand for will have you admiring, pondering, laughing, wincing and, in some cases, scratching. Here’s why . You’ll want to scratch some body part when you read about one of the NBA’s most accomplished - but irritating - defenders known as The Rash. You’ll wince recalling the recklessness of a ridiculously wayward team, the Jailblazers, and the thuggery of an NBA Championship Team’s center called His Heinous. You’ll revel in memories of Los Angeles’ entertainment juggernaut the Showtime Lakers and laugh when remembering Chocolate Thunder’s female interest from Planet Lovetron. But there’s more. Admire the consistent basketball delivery of Karl The Mailman Malone and marvel how the immensely athletic Doctor J operated with a ball, rather than a scalpel, in his hand. Get woozy thinking about Hakeem Olajuwon’s Dream Shake and wax nostalgic ruminating assorted Signature Shots like The Sky Hook, The Finger Roll, The Fade Away and The Step Back Jumper. Be perplexed trying to understand how a 5’3” guard named Muggsy could possibly play the same sport as the 7’1” Big Shamrock. Ponder what all basketball fans missed by never witnessing this Helicopter play in the NBA. Gush over the brilliance of Magic and the dominance of The King. You may go mad remembering how one of Vinsanity’s insane, last second shots beat your team. And, you’ll probably get agitated recalling how the NBA Playoff heroics of Bird, LeBron, Durant, Magic or Kobe eliminated your favorite squad. So, before The Black Mamba bites you or The Microwave heats up in a hurry, check out this book. It’s funny and - better yet - it’s FREE! Straight talk. No static. MIKE – thee ultimate talking head on sports! Why read this book? Favorite #25: Human Highlight Reel Favorite #24: Showtime Los Angeles Lakers Favorite #23: Shaq Favorite #22: Vinsanity Favorite #21: Jason Kidd Favorite #20: Ice Man George Gervin Favorite #19: Herman Helicopter Knowings Favorite #18: His Heinous Bill Laimbeer Favorite #17: Tyrone Muggsy Bogues Favorite #16: Larry Bird Favorite #15: The Rash Bruce Bowen Favorite #14: Signature Shots Favorite #13: Kobe Bryant Favorite #12: Kevin Durant Favorite #11: Portland Jailblazers Favorite #10: Round Mound of Rebound Favorite #9: Chocolate Thunder Favorite #8: Michael Air Jordan Favorite #7: Wilt Chamberlain Favorite #6: Dr J. Julius Erving Favorite #5: Karl The Mailman Malone Favorite #4: Dream Shake Favorite #3: LeBron James Favorite #2: Magic Johnson Favorite #1: The Microwave Vinnie Johnson Thank You & Affiliate Disclosure FREE Books Podcast – MIKE on Sports! Meet the MIKE Makers Acknowledgements FREE NBA Comics is witty and informative. Basketball fans not only enjoy the humor, but also learn something new about NBA history. Plus, the unique sports comics that accompany each chapter cleverly capture the essence of the featured NBA player, team, coach, shot or basketball expression. As an added bonus, I always offer something for FREE in each of my sports comic books. See the back of this book for details. Check out my author profile on Amazon.com, follow me on Twitter, fan me on Facebook and subscribe to my podcast – MIKE on Sports! MIKE – thee ultimate talking head on sports! Former Atlanta Hawk Dominique Wilkins jumps onto my list for the non-stop, jaw-dropping highlights he provided on the hardwood. Most of those highlights were performed ten plus feet above the court! Wilkins regularly rose above NBA peers as that one special athlete whose extraordinary athletic achievements merited the moniker Human Highlight Reel. This NBA legend’s hardwood exploits brought instantaneous expectation whenever - and wherever - he played. Wilkins never limited his game to just one incredible play per night. Just as his name suggests, he produced a film reel full of incredible plays. Wilkins currently works with his original NBA team, the Atlanta Hawks, as an executive who regularly assembles teams that compete for NBA Championships. Today, Atlanta fans hope Dominique can transform his former on-court success into a future off-court Human Highlight Reel. Now that would be an ESPN highlight reel worth watching! MIKE – thee ultimate talking head on sports! This talented tinsel town team perfectly fit the Hollywood hype of its Showtime nickname. With an energetic style of fast break basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s electrified NBA fans. Their play regularly entertained the many movie, music and television celebrities who attended their home games at the old Great Western Forum in LA. Much of the Showtime nickname is credited to Lakers star Earvin Magic Johnson. The 6'9" point guard and overall number one pick in the 1979 NBA Draft became famous for his no look passes and extra bright smile. He led the Lakers Showtime fast break like an expert director of a major motion picture. Nearly 30 years later and 16 titles to their credit, the Lakers remain one of the NBA's most successful franchises. Thanks in good part to Magic Johnson and his teammates, the Lakers are ranked as the league's most valuable team. With an estimated worth of nearly $2.7 billion according to Forbes Magazine, the Lakers’ Showtime teams of the 1980s helped create a basketball blockbuster that rivals any Hollywood box-office hit. MIKE – thee ultimate talking head on sports! Everything about this retired player is big - extremely big. His size, personality and basketball accomplishments all contribute to his big nickname, or in Shaquille O’Neal’s case, his multiple big nicknames. Originally called The Big Fella when the Orlando Magic selected him as the top overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, Shaq’s stable of nicknames has grown. Every one of them started with, or carried, giant-sized expectations. Big Shamrock, the last nickname Shaq earned during his one year stint with the Boston Celtics, ranks as my all-time favorite. However, other Shaquille O’Neal nicknames like Big Diesel, Superman, Big Aristotle and even Big Cactus (for his time with the Phoenix Suns) have all captured this 7-footer’s personality and equally big game on the hardwood. Now in his post-NBA days and a part owner of the Sacramento Kings, Shaq’s fans expect the Luck of the Irish to continue. May this Big Shamrock, Big Cactus, Big Aristotle and Superman gain more giant-sized celebrity with his latest nickname - Big Shaqramento. MIKE – thee ultimate talking head on sports! During the late 1990s, the Vinsanity craze intoxicated NBA fans. The spectacular play of University of North Carolina product Vince Carter regularly drove basketball fans crazy. At 6’6” and 220 lbs. and playing for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets, Vince Carter initiated the Vinsanity movement with his high flying dunks, acrobatic finishes and improbable shot making skills. Famous for his windmill dunks and fantastic finishes off alley-oop passes, Carter produced an intensely loyal fan base. Rabid Raptor fans so adored Carter’s exploits that they also dubbed him Air Canada and Half Man Half Amazing. Today, Carter plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s one of only 37 NBA players to ever score more than 20,000 career points. Vince Carter’s insanely athletic play during his peak NBA days not only entertained basketball fans around the world. This eight-time all-star’s sensational play memorialized his Vinsanity nickname. MIKE - thee ultimate talking head on sports! The mocking nickname this 10-time NBA all-star received early in his career motivated him to become one of the greatest three point shooters in league history. The second overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, Jason Kidd was destined to be a star for the Dallas Mavericks. At 6'4" and 210 lbs. Kidd demonstrated overall excellence on the court as a leader, passer, rebounder and defender. These talents overshadowed his otherwise marginal shooting ability. Noting this fact, fans and reporters removed the first letter from Jason’s name to highlight the fact. Soon, Jason Kidd was known as Ason Kidd – as in, “no J” or jump shot. Kidd worked hard at getting the “J” added back into his name. Today, the retired Kidd ranks third in league history for most three pointers made, trailing legendary sharp-shooters Ray Allen and Reggie Miller, the league's best ever long range marksmen. Jason Kidd also radically improved his free throw shooting. Before retiring as a player, the now Milwaukee Bucks’ coach consistently averaged better than 80% from the charity stripe each year. He left no doubt that Jason Kidd definitely got the “J” back in his name. MIKE - thee ultimate talking head on sports! An icicle-thin stature, coupled with uncommon cool on the court, earned this NBA Hall of Famer his iconic nickname The Ice Man. Silky-smooth George Gervin possessed a feathery shooting touch and repeatedly made difficult shots look easy during his high scoring ABA and NBA playing days. The Ice Man’s brilliant stroke and dizzying array of shots made him impossible to guard. At a height of 6’7”, Gervin was too long for shorter guards to cover, and he easily shot over them. At just 185 lbs, Gervin was also too quick and athletic for taller players to guard. As a result, The Ice Man easily drove by bigger opponents and finished his drives with a stop-on-a-dime pull-up jumper, a fluid reverse lay-up or his finger-roll signature shot from just about anywhere in the lane.