Players that lived up to the hype......

[Damaramu]

So the other thread is players that didn't live up to the hype and weren't great.

But what players were hyped and lived up to it?

 

For me personally it's Adrian Peterson. Around here last summer he was being hyped as the second coming of jesus. People said he was going to be an immediate impact player on OU's offense and that he was going to have a great season.

I was skeptical that he would be that good at all and I thought he might be over-hyped.

Then he showed up and well you all know how his season went and he finished 2nd in Heisman voting as a Freshman.

So yeah he lived up to his hype.

 

So who else in sports history has?

[The Czech Republic]

Somehow this isn't as compelling a topic.

 

Everyone expected Wayne Gretzky to be amazing. He was. The end.

[USC Wuz Robbed!]

A lot of players have lived up to their hype. That's why they're hyped in the first place. Peyton Manning, Michael Vick (in his own way), etc.

 

And are you gonna spin off every damn thread?

[the max]

If the Oklahoma Peterson guy got a severe leg injury that forced him to have to quit football, you're saying that he's already lived up to his hype?

 

Sorry, but I don't buy that. Not for someone as a college freshman to have essentially already lived up to EVERYTHING that everyone expected of him.

[The Czech Republic]

This was just an excuse to say an OU player was really good.

[razazteca]

Shaq literally shattered backboards in his rookie year.

[UZI Suicide]

Umm.. Michael Jordan.

[The Czech Republic]

That Michael Jordan turned out pretty good.

 

EDIT: Hey douchebag above me, way to post at the same second. Okay. Lebron James, then.

[UZI Suicide]

LeBron James needs to win 8 titles and 12 MVP's to live up to his hype.

[Vern Gagne]

Magic Johnson wasn't too shabby either.

[Guest chrisbenoit2k5]

Maria Sharapova.

 

Fuck her.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Kobe. His first couple seasons in L.A., I hated the guy until he really showed what he was capable of, finally around the first of the Lakers' threepeat, or maybe the year before.

[The Czech Republic]

Barry Bonds turned out okay.

[Guest chrisbenoit2k5]

He cheats well.

[tominator89]

Curt Schilling was brought in to beat the Yankees and did. I also love how he negotiated a clause in his contract giving himself a large bonus should the Sox win the World Series.

[CanadianGuitarist]

That Michael Jordan turned out pretty good.

 

EDIT: Hey douchebag above me, way to post at the same second. Okay. Lebron James, then.

But he got drafted behind Olajuwan and Bowie. Maybe he greatly surpassed the hype with that little tidbit.

[Ripper]

Lebron is no more hyped than Jordan was his rookie year.

 

Lebron deserves the hype because he was better than sophmore north carolina jordan when he was a junior in High School.

 

Yeah...I said it.

[The Czech Republic]

Curt Schilling was brought in to beat the Yankees and did. I also love how he negotiated a clause in his contract giving himself a large bonus should the Sox win the World Series.

That's our Schilling!

[Guest Redhawk]

I'd say LeBron has lived up to his hype, because it's not like everyone said he'd be great when he came out. I remember quite a few prominent columnists writing that he wasn't ready or that his defense was weak or his jumper was off.

[Guest Wart]

This would be a lot better if the thread was about who you thought would not live up to the hype, but they did anyways....

[Damaramu]

Umm.. Michael Jordan.

Yeah but I mean was he hyped as good as he was going to be? Did people think he was going to be the greatest player ever when he came in or was it like "Hey this dude rules!"

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe]

Derek Sanderson Jeter.

[Damaramu]

Ok here's another question. Who are some players that turned out to be legends or great players that weren't hyped at all?

[Guest Redhawk]

Jerry Rice

Brett Favre

Tom Brady

Terrell Owens

 

Scottie Pippen

Dirk Nowitski

Ben Wallace

Joe Dumars

Dennis Rodman

[CanadianChris]

Terrell Davis

Curtis Martin

Marvin Harrison

Ahman Green

 

Dominik Hasek

Andy Moog

Doug Gilmour

[Ripper]

Dwayne Wade is in his second year and I say he makes the list of unhyped superstars.

[Guest Redhawk]

He was picked No. 5 overall, I'd say that was hyped enough. I will give you this, though, he wasn't very hyped at all before his Final Four triple-double against Kentucky.

[Ripper]

He was picked No. 5 overall, I'd say that was hyped enough. I will give you this, though, he wasn't very hyped at all before his Final Four triple-double against Kentucky.

People were calling it a horrible pick for Miami when they took him at number 5. Most mock drafts had him going at number 10 at the earliest and most saying he was a "probable" first round pick. I say that he didn't have nearly enough hype.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Terrell Owens

You're kidding, right? T.O. was drafted for the specific purpose of becoming the next Jerry Rice. I'd say that's a lot of hype to live up to in San Fran.

[Guest Redhawk]

He was picked in the 3rd round out of Tennesee-Chattanooga. Now granted I'm not in the San Fran front office, but I thought J.J. Stokes was the one picked to be the next Jerry Rice. T.O. was picked in the same draft (1996) as Keyshawn Johnson, who was No. 1 overall, Terry Glenn, Marvin Harrison, Eddie Kennison and Eric Moulds, all of whom went in the 1st round. T.O. was the 12th receiver chosen that year, actually. Doesn't sound like much hype to me.