1984 brought the arrival of the one and only Michael Jordan. MJ breaks barriers when his out-of-context quote, “Republicans buy sneakers too” becomes a signature declaration for a generation of players. In the wake of the Rodney King riots in L.A., two black players, Craig Hodges and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, make their voices heard and pay the price. Allen Iverson rises and becomes a trendsetter unlike anyone before him, even though his defiant style on the court gets him only so far in the NBA.

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