The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. All 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule- 61% of the regular 82 games- and the 16 teams who qualified for the playoffs played a full post-season schedule. That season's All-Star Game was also canceled. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs winning the franchise's first NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the 1999 NBA Finals.
The third lockout in the history of the NBA lasted from July 1, 1998 to January 20, 1999. NBA owners were seeking changes to the league's salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association opposed the owners' plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary.
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.
Vincent Lamar "Vince" Carter (born January 26, 1977) is an American professional basketball player with the Dallas Mavericks. He is a shooting guard who can also play small forward.
A high school McDonald's All-American, Carter played three years at the University of North Carolina, where he twice reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before being selected as the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to the Toronto Raptors. He won the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and won the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2000 NBA All-Star Game the following season. That summer, he represented the United States in the Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal.
He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his leaping ability and slam dunks, earning him nicknames such as "Vinsanity," "Air Canada," and "Half-Man, Half-Amazing."
He led the Raptors to their first three playoff appearances. In 2004, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, and he helped lead them to three playoff berths. In July 2009, Carter was traded to the Orlando Magic, helping them to advance to the Eastern Conference finals before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in December, 2010.
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( /ʃəˈkiːl/ shə-KEEL; born March 6, 1972), nicknamed "Shaq" ( /ˈʃæk/ SHAK), is a retired American basketball player and current analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Standing 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. Throughout his 19-year career, O'Neal used his size and strength to overpower opponents for points and rebounds.
Following his career at Louisiana State University, O'Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He quickly became one of the top centers in the league, winning Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and later leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After four years with the Magic, O'Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Amid tension between O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, and his fourth NBA championship followed in 2006. Midway through the 2007–2008 season he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. After a season-and-a-half with the Suns, O'Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009–10 season. O'Neal played for the Boston Celtics in the 2010–11 season before retiring.
Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is a former American professional basketball player and current analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's (NBA's) most dominating power forwards. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team five times, the All-NBA Second Team five times, and once to the All-NBA Third Team. He earned eleven NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991. In 1993, he was voted the league's Most Valuable Player and during the NBA's 50th anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States' Dream Team. In 2006, Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Barkley was popular with the fans and media and made the NBA's All-Interview Team for his last 13 seasons in the league. He was frequently involved in on- and off-court fights and sometimes stirred national controversy, as in March 1991 when he mistakenly spat on a young girl, and as in 1993 when he declared that sports figures should not be considered role models. Short for a power forward, Barkley used his strength and aggressiveness to become one of the NBA's most dominant rebounders. He was a versatile player who had the ability to score, create plays, and defend. In 2000, he retired as the fourth player in NBA history to achieve 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists.
relaxin maxin to the maximum
to tracks a hum
the wicks where the stacks are from
inside the styles of a funky lyrical wiz
what a miracle is
get down to spiritual business
now my tounge kissed
put words in your system wished em
respect the blackness em
give in em win em the peace they want
but dont want the peace signs unless its in the mind
become a victim because i kick em sick em
supposed to be black but they be wack
those who pretend to be a muslim i gooshed em
positive ones i pushed em
into the path or righteousness might get dissed
those who pump a fist but aint right with this
i increase rhymes wacks and weak minds
if it aint real stop throwin up peace signs
dont give him no peace sign if you dont mean it from your heart
untied we can get over, yet were still apart
terror wished em ima terrorize elorize in disguise
those for side for tizin and i begin
to creepin seepin thought out unrighteousness and dissed
connect of venomous gangs with the rhytmness
figured they manifestin g i can address
individually each emcee is throwin up peace but dont pray to the east
i write the lect the soul should be playin towards mecca
but snakes and devils wont letcha
freestyle some religous free dump see
to letcha know how come dumb some be
ignorance a comish to look like a fish
and since we whipped from bars to a ghetto priz
ima wiz some brains i give em a brain washin
when im walkin devils im squashin
science fiction mixed in tricks in fixin
the ways of all sort for good
come in my fortress ima gonna force this
cuz it holy dont try to fold me
some just say peace tryin to the black guy
some say peace thinkin it means bye bye
so g if ya never mean this from the heart and the mind
stop throwin up peace signs
lets walk the path of a vo-cab-ulary
you'll cary the thoughts of every righteous man
lets fight this plan of a other man
waxin thoughts of a brother man
satans waitin for us to be hatin each other
sister brother or mother color
blackness dont try to attack this fact this lets now practice
true peace new salon one who is a peace
cease when you see hunger than give peace
blacks a supplied them and applied them identified them
you suffer inhale and say why them
cuz you did not follow the path that i layed out
say blackness and get played out
like children wildin some try to kick a fist
pick a fist i take a piss wikedness to get crushed up
movin up on that bustop while stand inhale bustop
so you must stop
fakin the holy faith in wakin
star dont come apart our hearts get a stake in
so dont be mad so what minds to the minimum
cuz in the em sendin em holy wisdom
to let you know from the heart and the mind
It's time to fight the invader
To raise the flag of rebellion
No peace as they live
No peace as they breathe
Kill the ennemy
It don' t matter women children
Bleed for what you believe
Die to be free
Gonna give death to your enemies
Gonna bring pain into their families
No peace as they live
No peace as they breathe
Kill the enemy
It don' t matter women children
Bleed for what you believe
Die to be free
Gonna give death to your enemies
Gonna bring pain into their families
Gonna give death to your enemies
Gonna bring pain into their families
No peace
It's time to fight the invader
To raise the flag of rebellion
No peace as they live
No peace as they breathe
Kill the enemy
It don' t matter women children
Bleed for what you believe
Die to be free
Gonna give death to your enemies
Gonna bring pain into their families
Gonna give death to your enemies
Gonna bring pain into their families
Gonna give death to your enemies
[Tung Twista]
relaxin maxin to the maximum
to tracks a hum
the wicks where the stacks are from
inside the styles of a funky lyrical wiz
what a miracle is
get down to spiritual business
now my tounge kissed
put words in your system wished em
respect the blackness em
give in em win em the peace they want
but dont want the peace signs unless its in the mind
become a victim because i kick em sick em
supposed to be black but they be wack
those who pretend to be a muslim i gooshed em
positive ones i pushed em
into the path or righteousness might get dissed
those who pump a fist but aint right with this
i increase rhymes wacks and weak minds
if it aint real stop throwin up peace signs
[chorus 2x]
dont give him no peace sign if you dont mean it from your heart
untied we can get over, yet were still apart
terror wished em ima terrorize elorize in disguise
those for side for tizin and i begin
to creepin seepin thought out unrighteousness and dissed
connect of venomous gangs with the rhytmness
figured they manifestin g i can address
individually each emcee is throwin up peace but dont pray to the east
i write the lect the soul should be playin towards mecca
but snakes and devils wont letcha
freestyle some religous free dump see
to letcha know how come dumb some be
ignorance a comish to look like a fish
and since we whipped from bars to a ghetto priz
ima wiz some brains i give em a brain washin
when im walkin devils im squashin
science fiction mixed in tricks in fixin
the ways of all sort for good
come in my fortress ima gonna force this
'cause it holy dont try to fold me
some just say peace tryin to the black guy
some say peace thinkin it means bye bye
so g if ya never mean this from the heart and the mind
stop throwin up peace signs
[chorus]
lets walk the path of a vo-cab-ulary
you'll cary the thoughts of every righteous man
lets fight this plan of a other man
waxin thoughts of a brother man
satans waitin for us to be hatin each other
sister brother or mother color
blackness dont try to attack this fact this lets now practice
true peace new salon one who is a peace
cease when you see hunger than give peace
blacks a supplied them and applied them identified them
you suffer inhale and say why them
'cause you did not follow the path that i layed out
say blackness and get played out
like children wildin some try to kick a fist
pick a fist i take a piss wikedness to get crushed up
movin up on that bustop while stand inhale bustop
so you must stop
fakin the holy faith in wakin
star dont come apart our hearts get a stake in
so dont be mad so what minds to the minimum
'cause in the em sendin em holy wisdom
to let you know from the heart and the mind
stop throwin up peace signs