The Mouthy Hall-of-Famers

In the beginning, they were anomalies: Eminem was a white, shockingly dexterous rapper more akin to Ice Cube than Vanilla Ice; KG was a towering high-school phenom with an inside/outside game that would change the way we think about big men. Both eventually became storied figures in their respective games — Em as one of hip-hop's greats alongside Jay-Z and Lil Wayne, while KG (with his Platonic jumper and ferocious, Rodman-esque rebounding ability) dominated the NBA in the years between Jordan and LeBron, culminating in a 2008 championship with Boston. They're both fiery and abrasive, unyielding and intense, two titans in the twilight of their careers, but monuments nonetheless. DANIEL KREPS

The Unknowable Geniuses

Unearthly is perhaps the best way to describe Rondo and Weezy's mesmerizing, mercurial games. In part, because both of them possess the ability, and the inclination, to perform feats that no one else would ever think to try. And because they can take otherwise banal scenarios — like a Playaz Circle track or a Tuesday night against the Raptors — and turn them into jaw-dropping, highlight-reel moments. Of course, they can also go into alien-nation mode, drifting through surreal bouts of rage or flights of fancy, like going for a header after tip-off or Wayne's lean-inspired musing "I Feel Like Dying." Either way, these two men are sui generis — no matter which one of them shows up. CLAIRE LOBENFELD