Part 2
Even though I never saw many of the past players I am going to defend in live action, I feel compelled to defend them and right the wrong of early basketball greats being forgotten, disrespected and/or ignored by the major media, the NBA itself and in turn by many fans. It seems few if any others care or know enough to do so.
Many or even most of today's players also suffer from a disrespect for the past, and/or a lack of knowledge about the accomplishments of their predecessors. Around the turn of the century, Shaquille O'Neal infamously illustrated this blind spot syndrome when he asked if Hall of Fame guard and member of the 50 Greatest Players list Lenny Wilkens, "had ever played the game?