There are some NBA graphics that might look absurd at first sight but are true. One such graphic is one that features San Antonio Spurs forward Thaddeus Young in the same company as the likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.
No, we are not joking and if you have been watching the NBA since 2018 then you might already be aware of what we are talking about. At the time, Young was a part of the Indiana Pacers roster and completed his 800th game in the NBA.
Playing 800 games in the toughest league in the world is an achievement on its own, but the day was special for Young in another way as well. During the game, Fox Sports displayed a surprising graphic about Young’s achievements in the league.
😮😮😮 #Pacers pic.twitter.com/KJa7Rlw23u
— FanDuel Sports Network Indiana (@FanDuelSN_IND) March 1, 2018
Thaddeus Young was among the players who have played at least 800 games while averaging a minimum of 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals while shooting 49% from the field and 30% from the 3-point line. At that time, only five players had achieved this in their careers with the other four being LeBron, Jordan, Magic, and Bird.
Fast forward to 2021, and while the other four NBA greats still belong in the category, Young has unfortunately dropped out of the list. But thanks to a Reddit post by Redditor u/marxman24, we learned that if we tweak the stats a bit, Young still belongs in an elite category.
Young’s PPG has now dropped to 12.9, but the rest of the stats have remained constant for him. So if someone were to make a new graphic, it would be that Young, LeBron, Jordan, Magic, and Bird are the only five players in the NBA to play at least 800 games while averaging a minimum of 12.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals and shooting 49% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc.
It is still a crazy graphic and the two players who might enter this legendary list are Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis. The two superstars have all the boxes ticked apart from playing 800 games in their careers.
You can check Thaddeus Young’s reaction to that graphic in the interview linked below at the 43:10 mark.
