The modern league is very 3PT heavy, with an emphasis on pace and space and switching on defense. It has been a long process to reach this point in NBA history, though, and many players contributed to this change.
One of those players was Shawn Marion, who is most well-known for being part of the early 2000s Phoenix Suns teams, who were one of the first teams to lean into offense, speed, and spacing. When speaking to Sam Gordon of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, Marion revealed his belief that he changed the game of basketball, as he was one of the first forwards tasked with guarding big men and introducing positionless basketball.
“I can honestly say I changed the game. I was a big part of changing the game, what we’re watching right now,” Marion said. “Small ball. Positionless basketball. It was challenging, of course. I wasn’t on board with it at first. I’m 6-foot-7, 230 pounds. You’ve got me guarding 7-footers. That wasn’t an easy adjustment. But I did it. We did it. It is what it is now. It’s what everybody’s doing now.”
There is no doubt that Shawn Marion was a unique player, and it is easy to see why he believes what he does. Though he was only a four-time All-Star, his swiss-knife skill set would have made him one of the most valuable players in the game today.
Throughout his career, Shawn Marion averaged 15.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 1.9 APG, and he was definitely a star-level player at his peak. Oftentimes, we forget about players with the passing of time, but Marion definitely has etched his spot in history as one of the first multi-positional forwards.
Shawn Marion Has Been Outspoken About His Impact On The Game In The Past
Shawn Marion clearly believes that he had a huge impact on the game of basketball. In fact, in 2022, he went on a rant about how he has been disrespected despite his impact on the game.
“I’m averaging 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game at 6’7″ in a league that’s dominated by bigs at the time. I’m talking about power forwards and centers. And I’m getting 2 blocks and I’m getting 2+ steals a game….”
“Who got the No. 1 winning percentage in Phoenix Suns history? N****, me. I’m top 5 in almost every category in Phoenix Suns history. Go back and look at it. Numbers don’t lie. I’m not talking no bullsh*t, I’m talking straight facts. I adjusted my game to every team I went on because I wanted to win. I got one of the best winning percentages in NBA history, believe that. And I’m sitting here listening to all this bullsh*t like I didn’t have any impact on this game. I had a tremendous impact on this game.”
It is clear that Shawn Marion is confident in his legacy. Many Phoenix Suns fans appreciate what he managed to do for the franchise, and hopefully, his name will live on in the future.
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