When you talk about some of the most athletic players in NBA history, his name doesn’t come up often, but Kenyon Martin is firmly in that conversation. The only reason it doesn’t come up too much, is because you only got about 4 years of a fully healthy K-Mart in the NBA. He started making a name for himself as a defensive anchor with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, until having a breakthrough during his senior season; leading the Bearcats to a #1 NCAA ranking, and being named National College Player of the Year, but then right as they were getting ready to make a run at the title, Martin suffered a horrible leg injury, ending his college career with a sour taste in his mouth. Luckily, he was still the #1 Selection of the 2000 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. Then once they acquired Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson before his second year. Kenyon Martin was about to take off, as the their new trio led them to back to back NBA Finals Appearances in 2002 & 2003, with Martin acting as one of their top scorers and best defenders. He would be traded to Denver prior to his 5th pro season, and it seemed like a team with him Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and eventually Allen Iverson would be unstoppable. But he dealt with knee issues early, which were handled poorly, causing his knees to deteriorate at a rapid rate, yet he would still become who is believed to be the first player to return from Microfracture surgery on both knees, as he gave the Nuggets good production on both ends of the court for the better part of a decade, even as his explosiveness disappeared. He spent his last few years in bench roles on the Clippers, Knicks and Bucks; yet was always productive in his limited minutes. It’s a shame that his injuries, and feuds with George Karl in Denver stifled what should have been his prime, but he still carved out a role for 15 years and at the very least was one of the NBA’s last true enforcers and intimidators. But when he was healthy and on the New Jersey Nets, he was a rare breed, with the athleticism of a Blake Griffin, Amare Stoudemire or a modern example, Aaron Gordon, yet a more impressive defender than any of them, as he could truly anchor a defense and guard nearly every position on the floor.
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