User:Nichellebrown/sandbox

Basketball is up for debate as one of the most popular sports in the world today. Almost everyone in the world knows how to play it, or at least has an idea of what it’s like to play. However, basketball does not only exist in the United States of America. It is also played overseas by some of what can be known as the world’s greatest basketball players of all time. There is a significant difference between the way basketball is played in the United States and how it’s played overseas. Some of the locations that overseas basketball is played in are Europe (EuroLeague), Spain (Liga ACB), France (LNB Pro), Italy (Lega Basket Series), Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga and many more. Many basketball fans may not have heard of these international teams because overseas basketball isn’t as popular as it is in the states. It’s much easier for a fan to name an American team, such as the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and much more. Now, as if there isn’t already a huge difference International basketball,and American basketball, when you take a look at statistics from each type of game, the average points per player in a European game is much lower than that of an American game. For example, Golden State Warriors starting point guard Stephen Curry averages 31 points per game, but so far, the highest average in the European league is 18 points per game by Malcolm Delaney, a player who was born in the United States. Let’s talk about European teamwork. Most would automatically think that because of the difference in this statistic that the European league is simply just not as competitive as the United States, however, this is not the case. If you take a look at how these games are played, you can see that the style of play is very different from each other. Unlike the NBA, the European league is not as face paced and focused on the individual player. Because the NBA is broadcasted is much, the players in the league may feel like they need to give their audience a show, which is why their stats are so much higher than those in the EuroLeague. Overseas basketball is more teamwork based. “I'm used to being overseas so it wasn't a struggle to move. The basketball was different so I learned a lot. The pace is different, the focus is different. The post players are much more perimeter-oriented. Guys play zone a lot more. After the Warriors gave me a chance in training camp, I really wanted to play for them. There was never a thought about playing in Russia again. It's because of Golden State I feel like playing here,” says power-forward Joe Alexander. The American pace is a little bit different, for one, the schedule, recovery time, and practices are drastically different from overseas. Now, as many may know, there are many more leagues in the sport of basketball than just the NBA, and overseas. There’s also another less popular, but just as equally important league: The D League. The league was initially known as the NBDL or, the National Basketball Development League from 2001 t0 2005, but it was then changed to the NBA D-League and has remained that way all the way up until now. This league of basketball is for players who have potential to go the to National Basketball Association, but just aren’t quite there yet. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not important. In fact, at the conclusion of the 2013-14 NBA season, statistics showed that 33% of NBA players had spent time in the D-League before going pro, an increase from 2011 where it was only 23%. Like the NBA, the D-League is only played in the United States. The biggest difference between these two leagues in the salary. Players in the D-League will make one of two salaries:$19,500 or $26,000 which is for a six-month season, whereas players who play in the more popular leagues can earn six- or even seven-figure salaries. This league was created in 2001, and consists of a 50 game schedule, where most games are played on the weekends. The way the D-League works is that most of the teams in the NBA have D-League teams. For example, The Los Angeles Lakers have a D-League team called the South Bay Lakers, the Golden State Warriors have the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves have the Iowa Wolves, and so on and so forth. Not all of the NBA teams have D-League teams, but 90% of them do, and as the years go on more and more teams will begin to develop them. Another interesting fact about basketball is that just recently, they changed the name D-League to G-League. The league has been rebranded specifically because of the fact that they are sponsored by Gatorade, hence the letter “G” in the name. In an interview with U.S. Sports Today, NBA commissioner Adam Silver says “For the D-League to go to the next level, one of the top items on our agenda is potentially selling a naming-rights deal for the league,” which is why they decided to change the name, (new name = more money + publicity.) The name switch itself doesn’t have much of an affect on how the league is operated, but it’s more of just a branding opportunity for the NBA and Gatorade. The phrase “One and Done” has become very popular in the last few years. It refers to the act of NBA hopefuls in college only playing for one year, and then entering the draft. For example, this year UCLA’s Lonzo Ball played his freshman year and then immediately entered the draft after playoffs, becoming the #2 overall pick for the Los Angeles Lakers. With situations like this becoming more and more frequent, the NBA needed a place for players like this to get some much needed playing time, and develop more as athletes before coming to compete in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. All in all, the G-League serves a huge contribution as to why the players in the NBA are so talented, it is a place for players to get a second chance, as well as develop into future NBA AllStars.
 * Article: Basketball
 * Everything in the article was relevant to the topic, but there was a small section that focused more so on your opinion of basketball.
 * The Border section of the article is clear when you talk about the game of basketball has changed.
 * Some information is false. For an example Lonzo Ball was the second overall pick in the past draft.
 * My overall impression of the article is the same. Maybe because I already like basketball, play basketball and know so much about it.