The 1990s were a glorious time to be a child and a teenager. Everything seemed better in the 90s, from video games to music, movies and, of course, sports.
We had all the coolest things and new technologies. There was Super Nintendo, and we even had the original PlayStation. In addition to video games, we had other exciting electronics, like Tamagotchi pets.
The pogs took over our lives for a few years, and when that faded, it was the Pokemon cards. Then the internet arrived and we kids couldn’t wait for our parents to hang up to use it.
The beauty of the 90s is more than we had. We also played away…and we did a lot.
These memories are great. It’s always fun to dive into nostalgia, and as a sports fan, especially basketball, the 90s had the most entertaining and memorable basketball to date.
In this article, I’m going to give you the top 10 reasons why the NBA in the 90s was the best and will always be the best decade in the NBA. Let’s start the list with something some kids probably never read, the newspaper.
10. Diary
Kids in the 90s couldn’t wait to read the newspaper. Yes, there were comic books that kids loved to read, but for us NBA fans, we couldn’t wait to read recaps of yesterday’s basketball games.
Yes, before the internet took over the world, us kids of the 90s had to wait for the newspaper to find out what happened at the games the night before. Another important thing to read in the newspaper was the updated NBA rankings. It was always good to read the log to see how well your team was doing.
9. No Boys!
Today people talk about how the game was physical in the 1990s. Now, was every play in the 90s a tight line or a reverse foul? No of course not. Some of us “old bosses” like to exaggerate the physicality of our times, but there’s some truth to that.
Many hard fouls called flagrant fouls today would really be nothing more than a common foul. Also, with manual checking allowed, the defender could touch and control his opponent to a good extent.
Today, if you are a defender and you barely touch the attacker, you are penalized for a foul. The reason was that the NBA wanted higher scoring games, so they gave the offensive player advantages over the defense.
Plus, today’s NBA is all about three-point shooting. Since they are much more three-pointers, this means fewer players take the ball to the hoop and there is less chance of a serious foul.
Some fans might not care that the game isn’t as physical. For them, I’d say they never had to look at the beauty of ’90s playoff basketball.
8. Trading Cards
In the 90s, the basketball trading card craze reached incredible heights. In the past, kids only wanted to collect baseball cards, but in the 90s, everyone wanted basketball cards in hopes of catching their favorite player.
Children would collect cards from folders or containers and bring them to their friends to show or trade. Kids today don’t understand how much fun that was.
7. Playoff Rivalries
Yeah, sticking with the playoffs in the 90s, there were so many great rivalries where teams really hated each other’s guts. It was especially fun to watch in a playoff series.
We had the Chicago Bulls against the New York Knicks, the Chicago Bulls against the Detroit Pistons. When the New York Knicks were playing against the Miami Heat, things always got intense. Don’t forget the brief but entertaining rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic.
One of the best and my personal favorite rivalries was between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks… If you haven’t figured it out, the Knicks were at the center of many 90s rivalries, and for good reason.
The Knicks “back then” weren’t that sad excuse of a team as you may know them today. No, they were a solid team that would beat you physically.
In addition to their physical play, that crowd at Madison Square Garden was getting so intense and crazy that it made you want to, as a kid, jump in the old TV and play for the road team.
Yes, hearing that rowdy crowd shut up might have been one of the best feelings you could have as a 90s NBA fan…unless you were a Knicks fan.
6. Inside NBA tricks
In the 90s, children only lived on Saturday mornings. Why? Because that’s when the best cartoons played. But that’s not all that played.
On Saturday, October 27, 1990, a new NBA program premiered on NBC. This program was called NBA Inside Stuff.
This show gave fans a glimpse inside the game. The host, former professional football player, Ahmad Rashad, dated some of the biggest stars of the time and his charisma really made the show a hit. .
In fact, Rashad’s charisma was so well received that he ended up becoming a sideline reporter at NBA games. Now that’s the inside thing.
5. Illustrated sports for children
Besides having our favorite NBA show to watch on Saturday mornings, we also had Sports Illustrated for Kids magazines.
Like the original Sports Illustrated magazine, the children’s version was filled with sports. But we had many more pictures and fun stories to pet for our youngsters.
The items were always so fun and the photos of your favorite stars were just waiting for you to cut them out and hang them on your bedroom wall. Yes, reading was fun for us 90s kids.
4. NBA SETUP
Okay, I know kids today have some amazing, realistic basketball games they play. Still, they can’t compare to the original NBA Jam when it comes to fast-paced entertainment.
There were the high-flying slam dunks. Players would catch fire, making them nearly invincible, and the fact that there were no rules (other than the goalkeeper) the game was fun for everyone.
Whether you played it in an arcade or on a home console, NBA Jam allowed us to become our favorite NBA players just for a bit, and that was good. Boomshakalaka.
3. NBA on NBC
When NBC secured the rights to televise NBA games from CBS in 1990, the games changed from just a game to watch to an almost theatrical performance.
Before the game started, the announcers portrayed the match in such a way that it felt like you were watching a movie trailer. If that didn’t make the hair on your neck stand on end, this John Tesh theme song would be…so iconic.
2. The Dream Team
In 1988, the USA basketball team lost to the USSR in the Summer Olympics to win the bronze medal. This was not the goal of the American team.
Prior to the 1992 Olympics, FIBA rules stated that no professional player could compete in the Olympics. FIBA would vote to change the rule and allow NBA players to participate in 1992 games.
Boy, would they participate and dominate the games. Led by eleven NBA players and a college star, the American team dismantled their opponents by a margin of 43.8 points per game.
The Dream Team, as they were known, became the first American team to score over 100 points in every game. By allowing NBA stars to play in the Olympics, basketball has grown around the world and is one of the main reasons why we have so many talented foreign players in the game today. .
1. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls
In the 90s, the Chicago Bulls dominated the NBA landscape. Their championship behemoth was led by the biggest star the game has ever seen…Michael Jordan.
The Chicago Bulls set the benchmark for basketball excellence, winning six titles during the 90s. If Michael Jordan hadn’t retired, the Bulls might have won eight titles.
The Bulls had a fun cast of characters on the team, from Scottie Pippen to John Paxson, Steve Kerr and The Worm, Dennis Rodman.
But with all those posts on the team, Michael Jordan was the only one flying higher than the game itself. You couldn’t escape the grandeur and presence of MJ. He seemed to be everywhere.
Jordan appeared in every other TV commercial, and his likeness was on cereal boxes and Gatorade bottles. There was also a movie called Space Jam which featured Jordan and a certain crazy bunny.
Michael Jordan became the most popular celebrity in the world and the Chicago Bulls were the hottest ticket on the market. When it came to the game, no one was more clutch, and no player inspired such fear in the eyes of his opponent as Michael Jordan.
This is why many NBA fans have Jordan as their GOAT, and even if they don’t, they can’t help but debate their choice against him. I want to be like Mike and I bet you do too.
So there you have it, 10 reasons why the NBA in the 1990s was so special. There are many more reasons, but these 10 can surely take you on a nostalgic stroll down memory lane.
