"When Stephen Jackson joined the Charlotte Bobcats six months ago, he instinctively understood something - this was Gerald Wallace's team.

Wallace and Raymond Felton were the Bobcats' co-captains, and both were deeply respected. But while Felton was an inherent pleaser, intent on keeping his teammates and head coach happy, Wallace was the team's acknowledged alpha male. Wallace was the last remaining original member of the Bobcats, the nine-year veteran, the team's most athletic player and soon to be the Bobcats' first-ever all-star.

That could have been a problem. Jackson was a 10-year NBA vet who was used to being an alpha male himself - a naturally vocal player who dripped with charisma and attitude.

But what could have been a clash of the titans instead evolved into a basketball version of brothers in arms.

Jackson and Wallace - the Bobcats' two best players - checked their egos at the locker-room door and allowed each other into their lives. They shared the ball - and the team."