20 Things You Definitely Didn't Know About the NBA

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
These are 20 insane facts you didn't know about the NBA. And first up, you definitely didn't know NBA mascots are rich, filthy rich. According to Sports Business Journal, the Nuggets mascot Rocky the Mount Lion makes a staggering 625,000 a year. Now, that's absurd, but Rocky isn't the only one making bank. Terry the Hawk, the Atlanta Hawks mascot, makes 600,000 a year, whereas the Bulls and Suns mascots make a combined 600,000 per year. For reference, the average WNBA player makes around 120,000 a year. In other words, Rocky the Mount Lion earns more than five times the average WNBA player. Sheesh. But mascots aren't the only ones bringing in the big bucks. So are referees. Not for the reason you may think, because in 2007, word got out that long-time NBA referee Tim Donahue was fixing NBA games, causing even the FBI to get involved. That's when Donahue knew the jig was up. Hence, on August 15, 2007, Donahue pleaded guilty to two federal charges and was sentenced to 15 months in prison, from an NBA referee to an inmate. That's quite a turn of events. But here's the plot twist. What if I told you the tallest and shortest NBA players in history were once on the same team? See, back in 1987, the Washington Bullets were drawing more attention than ever before, and it all revolved around two players, 5'3 Mugsy Bows and 7'7 Manu Bowe. For reference, the height between them is almost two and a half feet. Sometimes, you can't make this stuff up, just like you can't make up what happened in 1999, because if you know anything about Dennis Rodman, you know he's an absolute menace. And upon joining the Dallas Mavericks, he attempted one of the most savage feats yet, requesting jersey number 69 Ha, nice. The only problem, David Stern and the NBA wanted to keep the league family friendly, so instead, Dennis Rodman was forced to add one and turn 69 into 70 That said, the damage was done. The Mavericks had already prepared a few 69 jerseys for Rodman's arrival, and rumor has it, it's on full display in Mark Cuban's office. Yet, if anyone deserved to wear number 69, it was Dennis Rodman. After all, he achieved something no player has. He led the NBA in rebounds per game for 7 straight seasons. That's right, from 1991 to 92, through 1997 and 98, Rodman led the league in rebounding every single year. For reference, nobody else has a streak more than 5 seasons. He may have been a character off the court, but there's no denying it. When that ball was in the air, he was unstoppable. But now it's time to stop talking about Dennis Rodman and start getting serious, because it's already hard enough to make the NBA. Yet, Gell Green had it even harder. He only has 9 fingers. And as the story goes, Green and his brother were bored one afternoon. But all of a sudden, they placed a hoop on the top of a door. The goal? Find out who could jump higher. See, there's one thing they failed to take into account. Green's jewelry. Because as a kid, Green often wore his mother's ring as if he won the NBA finals. So lo and behold, as Green was jumping, tragedy struck. He got the ring and his finger stuck in the door's nail, to which Green was immediately rushed to the hospital only to get his finger amputated. Dang, dude is tough as nails. Although Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard might be even tougher, these guys leave their blood, sweat, and tears on the court. In fact, there's only two active players with more steals than fouls, Butler and Leonard. Not this season, but throughout their entire career. To date, Butler has 1,244 career steals and 1,076 turnovers, whereas Kawhi has 1,085 steals and 1,072 turnovers. Now, that's not easy to do, but neither is number 13
It was a 2012 match between the Raptors and the Lakers, and with only 4.2 seconds left on the clock, the Raptors trailed 92 to 93 Enough time for one more possession, with the fate of the game on the line. So who did the Raptors sub into the game? Rasul Butler. And if you don't know who that is, you're not alone. Up until that point, Butler hadn't played a single minute, but now, Butler had a chance to become a hometown hero.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:42)
Can the Lakers hang on?

**SPEAKER_1** (3:49)
5 second count.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:50)
It's a 5 second count before he got the time out. The Lakers have the ball.

**SPEAKER_1** (3:55)
So much for saving the day. Instead, he became a statistical anomaly. The first ever player to record a turnover without playing a single minute. Not gonna lie, that's hella impressive. On the other hand, Michael Jordan's 1990 performance in the 3-point contest is anything but impressive.