NBA at 75: 2000s saw MJ-LBJ shift, ‘Malice at the Palace’

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP National Writer

Michael Jordan gave way to LeBron James in the NBA of the 2000s, just as traditional forms of communication began to yield to the birth and growth of new media. Those are significant ways in which that decade was all about making transitions on and off the court for the league and its fans. Other central themes of the 2000s were the sources of talent teams pursued, bringing aboard youngsters and looking abroad. And of no small significance was the fallout from “The Malice at the Palace” brawl, viewed by some as reflective of a disconnect between players and spectators that Commissioner David Stern sought to remedy.