In an era dominated by giants, little Mike Bibby still managed to find a place for himself in the league by exuding a fearlessness which made him the ideal floor general for a championship-contending team.
At just 6-foot-1, Bibby was incredibly quick with the ball in his hands. He was like an NFL wide receiver in that he could stop on a dime and change directions in an instant, leaving his defender in the dust and opening up the floor for the rest of his teammates.
Once in the lane, the former number two pick was a terrific decision maker. Whether it meant driving all the way to the bucket or dishing off to the open man after the defense rotated over, he knew exactly what to do at any given moment.
Defensively, Bibby’s size kept him from being a true lockdown defender, but he always played hard and had quick hands which led to a good number of steals.
As the point guard on those Kings teams gunning for titles, Bibby was tasked with running the offense for a team with incredible offensive weapons such as Peja Stojakovic and Chris Webber. It was up to him to make sure everything ran smoothly, and seeing how successful Sacramento was during his time there, it’s safe to say Bibby did a pretty good job at doing so.
He wasn’t the most intimidating of players, but Bibby gave everything he had to each and every game he played, and it was that same energy which was infectious to those around him and what helped elevate the Kings to their great status when he played for them.