In the National Basketball Association, narrative is everything. It’s what legacies and opinions and clickbait are made of. It helps determine All-Star appearances and All-NBA votes, even MVPs. Sometimes is feels like it even has a hand in dictating players’ actions, both on the court and off.
It’s the straw that stirs the proverbial drink, the spark that lights the proverbial fire, the Russell Westbrook that sets my proverbial heart all aflutter.
But really, it means next to nothing, narrative. Would Charles Barkley have been any better at basketball if Michael Jordan had never existed? John Stockton?