Shawn Marion Claims He ‘Changed the Game’ During 16-Year NBA Career

The four-time All-Star says he helped inspire an evolution in the sport of basketball.

Over the course of Shawn Marion’s 16-year NBA career, the versatile forward was named to four All-Star teams, earned two All-NBA selections and won a title as a member of the 2011 Mavericks team that upset LeBron James and the favored Heat. So although “The Matrix” might not quite be a Hall of Famer, he certainly ranks among the most accomplished players of his era and enjoyed an unequivocally successful career.

Marion also makes the case that he helped shape modern basketball.

That’s what Marion said in an interview with Sam Gordon of the Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier this month, reflecting on how the concept of “small ball” has become commonplace in today’s game.

“I can honestly say I changed the game. I was a big part of changing the game, what we’re watching right now,” Marion said. “Small ball. Positionless basketball. It was challenging, of course. I wasn’t on board with it at first. I’m 6-foot-7, 230 pounds. You’ve got me guarding 7-footers. That wasn’t an easy adjustment. But I did it. We did it. It is what it is now. It’s what everybody’s doing now.”

Marion certainly has a point, as he played both forward positions throughout his career without possessing what was considered prototypical size for a post player through the first decade of the 21st century. Despite a nontraditional shooting form, he developed into a passable three-point shooter, hitting on 33.1% of his attempts for his career. He averaged more than 20 points per game twice and recorded a career average of 15.2 points per game

So whether or not you agree with Marion’s statement, it’s safe to say that there have been a lot more similar players in the NBA since his 1999 pro debut than before he entered the league.