We just saw the Knicks and Spurs battling it out in Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals, with Landry Shamet and Miles McBride throwing high fives around, and it got me thinking. There’s an active NBA player out there right now, absolutely dominating the league, whose career is already the envy of so many of his peers. This dude has been a starter in multiple NBA Finals, he’s won a whole championship, snagged an All-Defensive First Team spot, and even finished second for Defensive Player of the Year. Seriously, he’s been his team’s leading scorer with 26 points per game, also been their second-leading scorer, and even their fourth-leading scorer at different times. He’s had top-20 seasons across the board in points, field goals, shooting percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage, steals, and lowest turnover percentage. Yet, even with all that hardware and all those incredible stats, by 2050, when some serious chaos has wrecked pro sports, this player will be totally forgotten. If not even sooner.
Remembering Who We Forget
That active player? Yeah, that’s not Kenny Sears. Sears has been out of the NBA since 1964 and left us in 2017. He’s the perfect example of how the sands of time just erase a legend, no matter how brilliant they were. This man put in over six seasons as a Knick, was a two-time All-Star, and twice finished eighth for MVP in New York. Dude led the league in shooting twice, including an insane 49% in 1959 when the league average was just 39% , that’s 10 points above average! People might try to dismiss it, “Oh, there were only like 15 players back then!” But the stats speak for themselves. He was a combo forward, barely 200 pounds , lighter than Mikal Bridges, barely bulkier than Landry Shamet today. He might have looked like he couldn’t dunk a donut, but he was pure game.
Why Some Legends Fade Away
Sears’ biggest “failing,” honestly, wasn’t anything on the court. It was that he wasn’t superficial. I don’t mean his personality, I mean he wasn’t where the fans’ eyes went first. That spotlight often hit Carl Braun, a five-time All-Star, or Richie Guerin, with his six selections. Dick McGuire and Harry Gallatin both racked up seven All-Star nods. Compared to those absolute titans, Sears was the de Gaulle to their Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. You might be a big deal back in Lille, but this was Yalta, son. When we first see someone, we’re drawn to what’s sparkly and obvious. And Sears, for all his talent and consistent impact, just wasn’t that flashy, first-glance guy for the masses.
Sure, it’s fun to just sit around and remember random NBA guys, like Yinka Dare! But I’m not saying you *have* to remember everyone. I’m asking you to remember the specific players who really hit you. Get together with your crew and talk about them. Over drinks, whatever. Write about the players who truly stuck with you, because even the most epic careers can get lost to time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Posting and Toasting.
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