Michael Jordan and LeBron James are widely regarded as the two greatest players in NBA history, but they don’t crack the top 5 in one category for Olden Polynice. Polynice appeared on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast, where he shared who his favorite players to watch are.
“I got to go with Magic [Johnson],” Polynice said. “I gotta go with [John] Stockton. I just love Stockton, he puts you in the right positions. Larry Bird. Love Barkley, go with Charles and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] is my center… I will always have Kareem in any list.”
Polynice was asked if any of today’s players would have a shot at making his top five. He didn’t think that was likely, as he wasn’t putting someone as great as Jordan in there.
“If I wanted to, I could put Jordan, but I’m not putting Jordan,” Polynice stated. “This is my top [five]. I like those guys more… Ain’t nobody coming above Kareem. Magic, I don’t give a damn what anybody say, ain’t nobody touching him. Revolutionised the game. That’s why I say people are there for specific reasons.”
Polynice stated that perhaps Charles Barkley could be the one who can get replaced, but he marveled at the fact that he played power forward in the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s despite being 6’5″. Barkley averaged a whopping 11.7 rebounds per game for his career, and it still boggles the mind that he dominated the glass in that fashion.
Olden Polynice On The Best NBA Fight He Witnessed
Polynice played in the NBA for 15 seasons and got to witness his fair share of fights. He revealed what was the best one of the lot in this episode.
“The best fight I’ve ever seen was when I was with the Seattle SuperSonics, and that was between Dale Ellis and Xavier McDaniel,” Polynice said. “They were teammates. So, we always play cards, every team gambles on the plane. Before the plane went up, somebody’s down $5,000. It was that kind of stuff, we started right away.
“So, them boys are playing, and here’s what’s so funny,” Polynice continued. “So, everybody had their little mini cliques. X and Gary Payton were the clique. Myself and Derek McKey. Dale Ellis and Sedale Threatt… Rule of thumb is this, when we’re on the road and you lose money, you pay us when you get back home.”
In one instance, Dale Ellis owed Xavier McDaniel money after a road trip. Ellis hadn’t paid up in a while, though, and tempers flared during a practice session.
“So, he’s like, ‘Yo man, here the hell is my money,'” Polynice said. ” [Ellis said], ‘Man, shut the hell up, I ain’t got your money.’ X ain’t trying to hear that, ‘Yo, give me my f***ing money.’ Dale gets up. I’m laying on the ground stretching. We all laying on the ground stretching. Nate McMillan, myself, Derek McKey, we all laying.
“They the only two standing up,” Polynice added. “Next thing you know, pow-pow. Punches are flying and they’re connecting.”
McDaniel and Ellis were eventually separated. You’d have thought that would be that, but there was more. Ellis went outside and returned to the locker room with a 2×4. He was convinced not to do anything stupid, though, and left.
Ellis would return a couple of hours later to collect his belongings. He hadn’t cooled down, however, and upon hearing that McDaniel was going to the office, decided to go after him. He eventually found his teammate in an elevator with his daughter in his arms.
Ellis still decided to hit McDaniel on the head with his phone and then ran away from the scene. McDaniel managed to get to him before he got in his car and beat him up. Talk about a wild story. Ellis would later be suspended for five games, and both men would be traded not too long after.
