History ShoutOut / KurokosBasketball

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!!Real-Life NBA Player Models
Here are the likeliest UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation (NBA) players that serve as models to the following ''Kuroko's Basketball'' characters.

* Tetsuya Kuroko might as well wear a San Antonio Spurs jersey because he's the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Ginobli Manu Ginobili]] analog of Seirin High.[[note]]Like Kuroko, Ginobili is an all-star-tier starter taking on the role of [[SixthRanger sixth man]] in the Spurs to allow the rest of his teammates to shine. Because of this, he was able to help the Spurs [[SpannerInTheWorks stymie]] the championship ambitions of the Miami Heat under [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz-L3rYDdMg LeBron "King" James]] and the L.A. Lakers under [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYikH9bc0i0 Kobe Bryant]] multiple times.[[/note]]

* Kuroko stealing the ball from Nash Gold in the penultimate possession of the game has shades of Manu Ginobli's from-behind [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjUgDgcAIXY game-winning block]] on James Harden during Game 5 of San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets in 2017.

* The combined team of [[AllStarCast former Teiko Teammates]] plus [[SixthRanger Kagami]] is referred to in-universe as the Dream Team, which is a reference to the real-life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United_States_men's_Olympic_basketball_team 1992 U.S. Olympic Basketball Dream Team]] composed of NBA Legends and Hall of Famers like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Charles Barkley.

** However, his all-defense bullish play-style of guarding under the basket like a wall is reminiscent of two other NBA legends, the 11-time champion and Celtic center [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Russell Bill Russell]] or his rival, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJGCySdvlPo freak of nature]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilt_Chamberlain Wilt Chamberlain]], instead.

** The comparison is in light of his crazy accurate [[ImprobableAimingSkills jump shots]], underrated abilities as team playmaker, his strategic mind on the court, and his will to win. He even has [[AnimeHair green hair]] that matches the team colors of the Celtics.

* [[AwesomeByAnalysis Shun Izuki]] is gifted with the "Eagle Eye" or excellent court vision[[note]](a basketball player's ability to see and understand everything going on the basketball court while in play, as though they're looking at everything from above the court or the bird's eye point of view)[[/note]], making him Seirin's best floor general. Among the Duncan-led Spurs, both Manu Ginobli and the French point guard [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Parker Tony Parker]] possessed excellent court vision.[[note]]Parker's skills helped San Antonio win four NBA championships.[[/note]]

* As Seirin's shooting guard and team captain, [[SupportingLeader Junpei Hyuga]] fulfills the role of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gervin George "The Iceman" Gervin]] from the 1970s when it comes to his accurate shots that requires NervesOfSteel to accomplish.

* [[AwesomeByAnalysis Shun Izuki]] is gifted with the "Eagle Eye" or excellent court vision[[note]](a basketball player's ability to see and understand everything going on the basketball court while in play, as though they're looking at everything from above the court or the bird's eye point of view)[[/note]], making him Seirin's best floor general. Among the Duncan-led Spurs, both Manu Ginobli and the French point guard [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Parker Tony Parker]] possessed excellent court vision[[note]]Parker helped San Antonio win four NBA championships.[[/note]]

* [[AwesomeByAnalysis Shun Izuki]] is gifted with the "Eagle Eye" or court vision[[note]](a basketball player's ability to see and understand everything going on the basketball court, while in play, as though they're looking at everything from above or the bird's eye point of view)[[/note]], making him Seirin's best floor general. Among the Duncan-led Spurs, both Manu Ginobli and the French point guard [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Parker Tony Parker]] possessed excellent court vision[[note]]Parker helped San Antonio win four NBA championships.[[/note]]

** Kuroko stealing the ball from Nash Gold in the penultimate possession of the game has shades of Manu Ginobli's from-behind [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjUgDgcAIXY game-winning block]] on James Harden during Game 5 of San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets in 2017.

* The combined team of [[AllStarCast former Teiko Teammates]] plus [[SixthRanger Kagami]] is referred to in-universe as the Dream Team, which is a reference to the real-life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team 1992 U.S. Olympic Basketball Dream Team]] composed of NBA Legends and Hall of Famers like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Charles Barkley.
* The name of the Dream Team, Team Vorpal Swords, refers to the sword found in [[Creator/LewisCarroll Lewis Carroll's]] 1871 nonsense poem "Literature/{{Jabberwocky}}". Team Jabberwock is also named after the same poem.

* As Seirin's shooting guard and team captain, [[SupportingLeader Junpei Hyuga]] fulfills the role of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gervin George "The Iceman" Gervin]] from the 1970s when it comes to his accurate shots that requires [[NervesOfSteel ice-cold determination]] to accomplish.

* Tatsuya Himuro, Kagami's childhood friend and shooting guard of Yousen, should sport a New York Knicks jersey as Yousen's Carmelo Anthony.

* [[JerkJock Makoto]] [[CripplingTheCompetition Hanamiya]] of the Uncrowned Kings is Kirisaki Daiichi High's Isiah Thomas.

* The rest of the Kirisaki Daiichi High players played the same aggressive defense style as their real-life "Bad Boy" Pistons counterparts, so their entire team could be a collective shout-out to the Pistons.

* As for Shūtoku/Shuutoku shooting guard Shintarou/Shintaro Midorima, ''of course'' he'd be [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Bird Larry "Legend" Bird]] from the Boston Celtics.

** Among current NBA players, his closest analog is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Curry Steph Curry]], who is the league's current leader in three-point scoring ''of all time'' but is much shorter than Midorima.[[note]] There's also [[StrongAndSkilled Kevin Durant]], who is also an accurate, consummate scorer that shares the same build as Midorima. [[ImprobableAimingSkills Ray Allen]] is another super-accurate and super-tall shooting guard who used to have made the most three pointers of all time before Steph overtook him.[[/note]]