What does “heliocentric” actually mean?

It’s not just ball dominance. It’s not just usage.
And it’s definitely not new.

In this Once Upon a Dribble: Notebook episode, Josh traces how heliocentrism evolved. From Wilt and Kareem, to Magic and Jordan, to LeBron, Harden, Luka, and Jokic... and why the league may actually be refining it, not abandoning it.

(01:37) The Pre-Heliocentric Era - '50s-70s

(07:59) The First True Heliocentric Prototypes - MJ and Magic

(13:15) Modern Heliocentrism = Creation Load - LeBron, Harden, Luka, Jokic

(19:13) The Current State of Heliocentrism

(21:30) 3 Misconceptions about Heliocentric Basketball

Today we finish with part 10 of a 10-part series at Once Upon a Dribble!

During the 2022 playoffs the NBA began awarding MVP awards to the best performing player of each conference finals: the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award and the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award, named for the two players credited for building the league up to greater popularity in the 1980s.

This begs the question, with the award just being handed out for the first time last season, who are the deserving winners from the previous 50+ years of NBA history? Find out today as Josh tackles the Western Conference in the 2010s!

2010: Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns - Kobe Bryant (02:49)

2011: Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder - Dirk Nowitzki (09:13)

2012: Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs - Kevin Durant (14:22)

2013: Memphis Grizzlies vs San Antonio Spurs - Tony Parker (20:01)

2014: Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs - Tim Duncan (25:12)

2015: Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets - Stephen Curry (30:51)

2016: Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder - Stephen Curry (36:34)

2017: Golden State Warriors vs San Antoni Spurs - Stephen Curry (41:54)

2018: Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets - Kevin Durant (48:16)

2019: Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers - Stephen Curry (54:16)

2020: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers - LeBron James (01:00:01)

2021: Los Angeles Clippers vs Phoenix Suns - Chris Paul (01:09:53)

Recap/Outro: (01:16:27)

Thank you all who enjoyed and listened to this series!

When you really break it down, the whole history of the NBA is still a relatively short amount of time. At 79 years old, there are still many people around who have a living memory of the first NBA season.

The league celebrated 50 years in 1996, with a special reveal of the top 50 players of all-time up to that point, as voted on by media, former player, general managers, and other notable figures.

For the first 50 years of the league, there were several individuals who were obvious locks to make the top-50. Michael, Kareem, Larry, Dr. J and many others easily made the list... but what if we told you that a 9-time All-Star, who at the time sat on 8th on the NBA’s all time scoring list did not make the top 50?

In today’s episode, we take the NBA time machine back to the 80s and 90s, and explore the life and times of one of basketball’s most underrated players of all time, the one and only Dominique Wilkins.

00:00 Introduction

03:43 Early Life, College Years and the Draft

13:41 Superstar Rising - 1982-90

24:50 Achilles Tear and The Trade

35:40 The Twilight Years - Gone Overseas?

45:10 The Legacy of Mr. 51st