The bench has been a difficult road to becoming an NBA superstar, and only six have succeeded in the past 30 years, led by Kobe.
For most NBA athletes, they are already doomed to their future at the beginning, and superstars like Jordan and Duncan, when they are rookies, have reached a level that most people can't reach in their lifetime, so if they don't have injuries, then their careers will definitely win various awards. But an athlete, who is a substitute at the beginning, wants to become a superstar, it is almost impossible, but nothing is absolute, and in the last three decades, there have been athletes who have grown from substitutes to superstars, such as these six people.
Leonard
After Leonard was drafted by the Pacers, he was favored by the Spurs, so the Spurs traded Hill for him. At that time, the Spurs were a team with championship hopes, Leonard was a defensive player from the beginning, and in terms of offense, his shooting ability was not very good, but Leonard did not stay in the team for long, Popovich put him in the position of the main player, and since then, his career has changed dramatically.
Leonard was a regular player for the next few games, and he worked hard, especially in the late game, he also learned to make three points, and in the 2014 season, Leonard won a championship for the Spurs, which is why he won the professional MVP. However, Leonard's performance then surprised everyone, not only won two DPOY awards, but also in terms of offense, he is also one of the NBA's top scorers, in the 2019 Finals, he averaged 30+ per game, led the team to a championship, and won the second FMVP of his career, he is now very different from when he started.
Mr. Nash. After Nash was drafted by the Suns in '96, he only played 11 starts in his first two seasons and played most of the time off the bench, so his strength was not well played. In the summer of 1998, Nash was sent to Dallas to become the main defender in Dallas, and as time went on, he got better and better, averaging 17 per game in the 2001-2002 season7 points 77 rebounds and made the All-Star for the first time that season.
In '04, Nash returned to Phoenix, and now he is an NBA star player, but there is still a big difference from a real star player. And this time back to the Suns, Nash still firmly occupies the main position, and Nash is under the leadership of D'Antoni, ushered in his peak, 2005 and 2006 MVP winner, although he still did not win the championship in the end, but his achievement, has become the dream of many NBA stars.
Hans
When Harden first entered the NBA, the Thunder had two core players, one was Durant and the other was Willis, and Harden was a partner with Harden, which is why they chose the bench. And Harden lived up to expectations, winning by 168 points 41 rebound 3With 7 assists, he became the team's "best sixth man", and if the Thunder hadn't traded him away, Harden might have willingly become a subordinate of Durant or Westbrook.
But in 2012, when Harden was sent to the Rockets by the Thunder, his life began to take a huge turn, and his personal scoring soared to 25 in his first season with the Rockets9 points 49 rebounds 58 assists, followed by high praise from MVP. In the 2017-2018 season, Harden played 304 points 54 rebounds 8With 8 assists, he led the Rockets to the best result in NBA history and won the MVP, and although Harden's form has declined, he is still the fifth superstar in the NBA.
Brother Alphabet. In the year of 2013, Brother Alphabet was still a "blank", and there was a lot to improve in both offensive and defensive aspects. In his first season, he was always on the bench and in a limited number of games, he was able to pick up a 68 points 44 rebounds, which is also the Bucks saw his potential, so from the second season, Brother Alphabet sat firmly in the starter, but his performance did not improve at the beginning.
He didn't make it to a star until 2016-2017, when he averaged 229 points 88 rebounds 5Four assists, and he's an all-rounder, which brought the Bucks back to life. And then, he did not live up to the expectations of the Bucks, two MVPs, one DPOY, in the 2021 season, he led the Lakers, after 50 years, won another championship, won MVP, DPOY, FMVP, these three awards, he has won all three awards, and now he is already the top 20 superstars in the league.
Jokic. In 2015, Jokic was 20 years old and 20 years old when he first debuted, but he didn't get many wins, so in his first season, he had already made 55 appearances, and he averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 rebounds per gameThe performance of 4 assists shows the foundation of his role as a center and his support role on the court, but in the second season, Jokic only played as a substitute for a short time, but he became a qualified forward with his outstanding performance.
Since last season, Jokic's performance has been getting better and better, and he is one of the best centers in terms of scoring and rebounding, even compared to some point guards. Jokic has gotten better and better as time goes on, winning two consecutive MVPs in 2021 and 2022, leading the team to the first championship in history in 2023, and winning the FMVP, and now Jokic has become the third-ranked superstar in the league.
Kobe, Kobe.
Kobe Bryant had already caught the attention of the Los Angeles Lakers when he first entered the NBA, and they were willing to trade Divac in order to get the player who had not yet played in the NBA. But even so, the Lakers had to start from the bench, which is why he started 7 games in his first season, and by the next season, Kobe Bryant's strength has improved a lot, which is why he became one of the main players after Kobe Bryant entered his third season.
Kobe Bryant won another three-season championship for the Lakers, and although he was already the Lakers' No. 2 at that time, he contributed a lot to the Lakers this season. Bryant became the team's boss, winning the Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Player after winning two championships in 2009 and 2010, and after Kobe Bryant's retirement, he became the No. 2 man in NBA history.