Amazing stories about six true basketball legends

For once, this blog post is not dedicated to a great basketball video but to 6 great, classic articles (via slate.com) about 6 true basketball legends:

1. "Jordan's Moment" (David Halberstam • The New Yorker • December 1998 • on one of the great final acts in sports history)
2. "A Voice Crying in the Wilderness" (Tony Kornheiser • Sports Illustrated • April 1983 • on the self-inflicted torture of Rick Barry)
3. "A Fan's Notes on Earl Monroe" (Woody Allen • Sport • November 1977 • On the brilliance, and elusiveness, of the great Knicks point guard)
4. "We Are Grown Men Playing a Child's Game" (Gilbert Rogin • Sports Illustrated • November 1963 •  on the most successful player in league history, Bill Russell, who was also its most candid)
5. "Kobe Bryant Doesn't Want Your Love" (Mike Sager • Esquire • November 2007 • A rare glimpse of Kobe Bryant’s nonstaged private life)
6. "The Legend of Black Superman" (Rafe Bartholomew • Deadspin • June 2010 • The story of Billy Ray Bates, who had the talent to be an all-time great, but drank himself out of the league and ended up playing in the Philippines, where he had a few wild years before booze ended his career for good)

Great read!