As an avid follower of the National Basketball Association for more than 50 years, I have been a fan of the big man and his role in the success of a team.
I grew up in an era where centers were the leaders and linchpins of great teams. I was a toddler at the end of the great careers of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, but I watched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Willis Reed, Dave Cowens, Bill Walton, and my late uncle Wes Unseld lead their franchises to NBA championships.
 Those Hall of Fame ‘bigs’ passed the mantle to Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Robert Parish, and Patrick Ewing in the 1980’s, and then to Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan in the 90’s.Â
Since then, the pro game has gravitated in a different direction. It has embraced 3-point shooting and ‘small-ball’ lineups. The space-and-pace game has quickened the game, creating higher- scoring contests and some very entertaining basketball for the masses. Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry deserves the bulk of credit for turning the NBA into a 3-point shooting extravaganza.Â
 Curry’s ascent to the top of the pro basketball food chain has also brought smaller guards back into prominence. Two of the NBA’ brightest young stars are 6’1″ Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and 6’2″ Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Although their games are quite different, they have displayed the ability to dominate games and energize their respective fan bases.
Part of me was a little distressed because I felt the big man was being left behind. Traditional bigs were becoming somewhat of a dinosaur in today’s game. Around 2015, I was starting to wonder what was going to become of my beloved bigs. It looked like the big man was being phased out of the game and the only way they could survive was to become a giant guard who shot 3-pointers.
 Well, in the past three or four years, my faith has been restored. A group of young, big men has come to the forefront, even in the age of small ball and 3-point shooting. It is a pleasure to watch Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Anthony Davis showcase their talent and sheer dominance.
 Davis started the trend of new-age bigs who can control a game at both ends of the court with scoring and shot blocking inside. He also brings the element of ball handling and perimeter shooting that we normally see from the smaller players. Davis was a focal point of the Los Angeles Lakers 2020 run to the title with teammate LeBron James.
 Injuries have curtailed Davis the past two seasons, but Antetokounmpo, Jokic and Embiid have taken their games to even higher levels. At the end of the 2021 season, Jokic took home the regular season Most Valuable Player award with Embiid finishing as the runner-up. The postseason belonged to Antetokounmpo as he led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first world championship in 50 years.
 This past season has given us more of the same from the three men known as Joker, The Process and the Greek Freak.
 At 27 years old, Giannis is on a course to be one of the best ever to play the game. He is just entering his prime years and he’s already won two MVP awards and a Most Improved Player award to go along with his championship and Finals MVP trophies.
He is clearly the best player in the league, and he simply dominates the game at both ends of the court. The scary part about him is that he is still getting better. He continues to add elements to his game, and he makes his teammates better. He is a low-maintenance superstar who led a small market franchise to a championship.
 The Joker looks to be the favorite to take home his second MVP award for the regular season. As unique a talent the game has even seen, he’s a 7’0 280-pound point guard/center. He can bully defenders inside and also drain 3-pointers. He arguably is the most skilled passing big man in NBA history.
 The 7’0″ 280-pound Embiid put together a tremendous season where he averaged 30 points a game to become the first center to lead the league in scoring since O’Neal in the 1999-00 season. He brings the old-school element of past big men with his ability to impose his will inside with his strength and physicality. He compliments his power game with scoring in the mid-post and beyond the 3-point line.
It’s fun watching these new-age bigs develop and dominate. But, it’s even more gratifying for these young men to show young players with size that it’s cool for a big man to play like a big man. You can still impact winning by dunking, scoring inside, blocking shots, and controlling the paint.
The big man can still lead in today’s game.
