peal of the film that in 2006 the sequelBasic Instinct
IIappeared, with Stone again playing crime novelist
Catherine Tramell, and with Michael Glass starring
in the Douglas role of a detective obsessed with a pos-
sible murderess.
Further Reading
Dugan, Andy.Michael Douglas: Out of the Shadows—
The Unauthorized Biography. London: Robson,
2003.
Keesey, Douglas. Paul Verhoeven. Los Angeles:
Taschen, 2005.
Munn, Michael.The Sharon Stone Stor y. London:
Robson, 1997.
Thomas L. Erskine
See also Film in the United States; Homosexuality
and gay rights; NC-17 rating;Showgirls.
Basketball
Definition Team sport
The sport was notable throughout the decade at various lev-
els. Professionally, the popularity of Michael Jordan, widely
considered one of the best basketball players ever, and the
dominance of his Chicago Bulls were special. At the colle-
giate level, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s
championship tournament increased in popularity. Fur-
thermore, for the first time, the United States fielded profes-
sional players for Olympic Games in 1992.
In 1989, the International Basketball Federation
(FIBA) allowed professionals to participate in the
Olympics, opening the door for the United States to
form a formidable team for the 1992 Games. During
the 1990’s, the National Basketball Association
(NBA) was dominated by the Chicago Bulls, who
won six championships. At the amateur level, the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
tournament produced many great games through-
out the decade and the first team to win back-to-back
championships since 1973. In women’s basketball,
the development of the Connecticut-Tennessee col-
legiate rivalry facilitated a rise in interest in the
sport, leading to the creation of two professional
leagues.
The Chicago Bulls Dynasty Some analysts have ex-
pressed the view that the popularity of professional
sports heavily depends on the presence of great
teams and great individual players. During the
1990’s, the NBA possessed both. These factors
helped the NBA maintain a high level of popularity
that had been regained during the 1980’s with the
dominance of and rivalry between the Los Angeles
Lakers and the Boston Celtics, led respectively by
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
By 1990, it appeared that the Celtics and the
Lakers were declining, and Johnson and Bird retired
within the following two seasons. For the first time
since 1979, neither team made the finals. In 1990,
the Detroit Pistons won their second consecutive
NBA championship, defeating the Portland Trail
Blazers four games to one. Known as the “bad boys”
for their rough style, the Pistons featured Isiah
Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Joe Dumars, John Salley,
and Dennis Rodman.
Multiple events on and off the basketball court
occurred in 1991, however, that signified the begin-
ning of a new era in the NBA. On the court, the Bulls
defeated the Pistons four games to none in the East-
ern Conference Finals, thus ending the latter’s reign
as champions. In the NBA Finals, the Bulls beat the
Lakers four games to one, giving the franchise its
first championship. This was the first of three con-
secutive and six total titles for the Bulls during the
1990’s. Unfortunately, an event off the court became
a major story for the NBA. Magic Johnson an-
nounced in November, 1991, that he had contracted
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which
forced him to retire (although he returned to the
NBA later). Nevertheless, he was able to compete in
the 1992 Olympics and became a powerful advocate
for HIV/AIDS awareness.
In 1992, the Bulls won their second champion-
ship in a row with a victory over the Trail Blazers
four games to two. They won their third straight ti-
tle the following season by beating the Phoenix
Suns four games to two. After the 1993 NBA Play-
offs, however, an off-the-court event would once
again affect the game. Michael Jordan’s father died
tragically. Not long after the incident, Jordan de-
cided to retire.
Without Jordan, the Bulls’ attempt at four consec-
utive championships failed. In 1994, the New York
Knicks knocked off the Bulls four games to three
in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Houston
Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, defeated the
Knicks four games to three to win the champion-
ship. Approximately halfway through the next sea-90 Basketball The Nineties in America