Tim Hardaway

Hardaway went to college at the University of Texas—El Paso, where as a senior he perfected a crossover dribble maneuver that came to be known as the "UTEP two-step." Then, in 1989 he moved on to the NBA, where his career started out strong. He led the Golden State Warriors, the highest-scoring team in the league, in assists in his rookie season, becoming only the second player in NBA history to do so as a rookie. This feat earned him a unanimous selection to the 1989-90 NBA All-Rookie First Team. He also reached the 5,000 points, 2,500 assists mark faster than any other player but one (Oscar Robertson, a star NBA player of the 1960s and 1970s who is widely regarded as one of the best all-around players of all time), achieving this in a mere 262 games.

However, after the 1991-92 season, the Golden State team began to fall apart. Injuries sidelined several of their star players in the 1992-93 season, including Hard-away, who sat out sixteen games with an injured knee but still finished second in the league in assists. Then, in 1993, disaster struck: Hardaway tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, forcing him to miss the entire 1993-94 NBA season and to forfeit his spot on the 1994 U.S. National Team for the World Championships that year. He came back in 1994, but turmoil in the Warriors lineup and coaching staff, including an ongoing feud between Hardaway and fellow player Latrell Sprewell, as well as continued injury problems, resulted in the team finishing last in the league that season.