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NBA at 75: 2000s saw MJ-LBJ shift, ‘Malice at the Palace’

NBA at 75: 2000s saw MJ-LBJ shift, 'Malice at the Palace'

As Michael Jordan gave way to LeBron James, and as traditional forms of communication began to yield to the birth and growth of new media, the 2000s were all about making transitions — on the court and off — for the NBA and its fans.

The search for a superstar to succeed Jordan certainly was a central theme of that decade for the league, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this season. So, too, were changes in how teams sought to add to their talent, whether by bringing aboard youngsters, looking abroad or piecing together a cohort of elite players.

Also of note was the fallout from “The Malice at the Palace” in-game brawl, an event viewed by some at the time as reflective of a disconnect between players and spectators that then-Commissioner David Stern sought to remedy.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban saw the league’s shifts of the 2000s “driven by changes in technology and the business of the NBA,” he wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

“It was the…

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