Cal alumni links: SLAM names Jason Kidd's 1993-94 Bears one of the 30 most influential teams of the last 30 years
That plus more news on Ron Rivera making a return to Berkeley and Patrick McMorris at the Combine.
Taking a trip down nostalgia road! SLAM Magazine is doing a look at some of the most influential college basketball teams of the past three decades. And few teams dripped more swag than young Jason Kidd and the 1993-94 California Golden Bears. An excerpt from the article.
As for Kidd, he was cemented as one of the best players to come out of the Bay Area, a true hometown hero of the West Coast. The former Naismith Player of the Year in high school introduced the program to their first taste of national prominence. With Kidd constantly drawing nationwide allure, The Golden Bears were forced to move some of their home games to the Oakland Coliseum the year prior as ticket sales demanded a larger venue. Kidd’s showmanship on the hardwood was so enticing that the Golden Bears were hooping in front of sold-out crowds for two straight seasons. Now, Kidd’s illustrious No.5 jersey hangs in the rafters of Haas Pavilion, cementing his legacy in Golden Bears history.
Here’s a few clips of Kidd’s sophomore campaign at Cal. There have been few Golden Bears like him that rallied the local Bay Area into a fervor.
More clips here.
What a time to be a Cal basketball fan. Perhaps more times like that are on the horizon.
Ron Rivera will be coming back to Berkeley! (To give a talk at the Cal Coaches Clinic + Social.)
Patrick McMorris started his NFL combine strong. Here are some video highlights, including some live footage straight from Indianapolis.
Aaron Rodgers was recently ranked as the 63rd best college football quarterback of the 2000s by Bill Connelly at ESPN ($):
Unrecruited as a high schooler, the future Green Bay great spent a year at Butte Community College before catching Jeff Tedford's eye and leading the Golden Bears to a thrilling 2004 season.
Finally, here is film star and Cal legend Marshawn Lynch with Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone at the Independent Spirit Awards. Just two celebrities focused on uplifting their communities.
We have California Golden Bears thriving in many arenas.
The Jason Kidd era of Cal basketball was simply amazing. It was the most entertaining time for Cal basketball. And it was when Haas only held 6600. I remember being at the Stanford game on the Farm. We were sitting so high up in obstructed view seats that we had to take turns walking down the aisle to check the scoreboard. What memories though.
"The former Naismith Player of the Year in high school introduced the program to their first taste of national prominence". Uh, Pete Newell's ghost would like to have a word with you. We just gonna forget the title and runner up in '59 and '60?