All-time NBArank: Nos. -- Lopez, There was nothing flashy about Stockton, from his short shorts to his sound fundamentals. Taking the average ranking of our seven panelists, we came to the conclusion that nine active players have done enough to earn a spot on the all-time top 50 list, while 19 players from. His chase-down block in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals to help complete a 3-1 comeback against a Warriors team that won 73 games will forever encapsulate his will to win. 9 on the all-time points list. Stats: 17.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG in 12 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1982-83 to 1993-94). -- Pelton, 1992-96 Orlando Magic; 1996-2004 Los Angeles Lakers; 2004-08 Miami Heat; 2008-09 Phoenix Suns; 2009-10 Cleveland Cavaliers; 2010-11 Boston Celtics, When Shaq arrived on the scene with the Magic in 1992, the league had never seen a center move up and down the floor with the strength and speed that O'Neal possessed. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1968-69 scoring champ, two-time rebounding champ, 1978 NBA champion. -- Kevin Pelton, 1958-73 Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers, Greer was overshadowed by spending a large chunk of his career playing alongside the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, but he goes down in history as not only the first player to have his number retired by the 76ers but also remaining as the franchise's leader in a host of categories, including games, minutes and points. Stats: 18.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 7.4 APG in 13 seasons with Cincinnati Royals/KC-Omaha/Kansas City Kings (1970-71 to 1975-76), New York Nets (1976-77), Boston Celtics (1978-79 to 1982-83) and Milwaukee Bucks (1983-84). The Morehead State Eagles (10-19, 1-7 OVC) will try to stop a three-game losing streak when they visit the UT Martin Skyhawks (13-16, 8-9 OVC) at 2:00 PM ET on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at Ford Center. -- Ohm Youngmisuk, The greatest winner in basketball history, Russell claimed 11 titles in 13 years by turning the Celtics into a defensive juggernaut. -- Andrews, 1996-98, 2004-12 Phoenix Suns; 1998-2004 Dallas Mavericks; 2012-14 Los Angeles Lakers, Nash pushed the pace -- and the NBA into the modern era of up-tempo play -- and it's sort of a shame he didn't play in this generation. Stats: 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG in 15 seasons with Chicago Bulls (1984-85 to 1992-93; 1994-95 to 1997-98) and Washington Wizards (2001-02 to 2002-03); NBA's career leader in points per game. Boxing. His game transcended the sport. -- McMenamin, 1960-70 Cincinnati Royals; 1970-74 Milwaukee Bucks, The "Big O" was the player who originally defined the triple-double. He had a Rookie of the Year and MVP trophy by his fourth season. -- Youngmisuk, One of the NBA's greatest point guards and one of the leaders of the "Bad Boy" Pistons, Thomas was one of the best players of the 1980s. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, 10-time NBA champion. 1. The Bullets/Wizards haven't come close to that kind of success since. -- Lopez, 1950-63 Boston Celtics; 1969-70 Cincinnati Royals, Cousy helped define the point guard position with his terrific passing skills. He would eventually win the rebounding title twice and help future teammate Wes Unseld take the Bullets to three Finals appearances, including the championship in 1978. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, three-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, four-time assists champ, two-time steals champ, five-time NBA champion. Stats: 18.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.0 APG in 18 seasons with Indiana Pacers (1987-88 to 2004-05). Stats: 19.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.9 APG in 10 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (2011-12 to 2017-18), Toronto Raptors (2018-19) and LA Clippers (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. Stats: 15.1 PPG, 22.5 RPG, 4.3 APG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1956-57 to 1968-69). He became the face of a generation of big men and was dominant down low as he helped push the Lakers to three straight NBA titles from 2000 to 2002. The list of 10 through 1 crowns the exceptional . He loved being the face of the Pacers and he loved that he played his whole career in Indianapolis. Not only has Curry hit 3,083 3s (and counting), he broke Ray Allen's record in nearly 500 fewer games. NBA. Pelton: Isiah Thomas underrated or overrated? Westbrook owns the record for career triple-doubles -- 193 -- beating out Oscar Robertson's previous mark. MLB. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, five-time All-Defensive team, 1969 Finals MVP, 1972 All-Star MVP, 1969-70 scoring champ, 1971-72 assists champ, 1972 NBA champion. Fantasy. Cricket. In that same post, we provided the sports network's rankings from their 2016 list to see which new players made an appearance on the list (Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard), which player jumped the most spots (James Harden and Allen . His unstoppable, patented skyhook,. Chamberlain is one of them, amassing 100 points in a single game on March 2, 1962, against the Knicks. -- Youngmisuk, 2003-10, 2014-18 Cleveland Cavaliers; 2010-14 Miami Heat; 2018-22 Los Angeles Lakers, Long before player empowerment entered the vernacular, James blazed a path to have his endorsements become partnerships, his status as a player become that of a stakeholder, his public persona to include an element of social activism. -- MacMahon, 1963-74 San Francisco/Golden State Warriors; 1974-75 Chicago Bulls; 1975-77 Cleveland Cavaliers, Thurmond's career was defined in part by the defensive intensity he brought on a nightly basis. TrueHoop TV: Is small forward a dying position in the NBA? -- Bontemps, 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 3.0 BPG, The Admiral was a defensive force who owns one of just four quadruple-doubles in NBA history, when he had 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks against the Pistons on Feb. 17, 1994. Traya Bruce is the best bet for Nicholls from beyond the arc. Wade gave Heat Culture its championship pedigree while earning a Finals MVP and leading the league in scoring (2008-09 when he averaged 30.2 points per game). -- Youngmisuk, 1974-79 Portland Trail Blazers; 1979-84 San Diego Clippers, 1984-85 LA Clippers; 1985-87 Boston Celtics, Every time we talk about the role of health in winning MVP, we're forced to caveat Walton's 1977-78 season, when he won the award playing just 58 games. Players received 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for second and so on down to one point for a 10th-place vote. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, 1986-87 All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, two-time Sixth Man of the Year, three-time NBA champion. With his hook shot, Mikan led the league in scoring in his first three seasons. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 2006 Finals MVP, 2010 All-Star MVP, 2008-09 scoring champ, three-time NBA champion. -- McMenamin, 1984-93, 1995-98 Chicago Bulls; 2001-03 Washington Wizards, The greatest player of all time. Pettit was named to the All-NBA first team in each of his first 10 seasons and was an All-NBA second-team selection in his final year. Using his strength, Unseld averaged 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds as a rookie for the Bullets, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players to ever win Rookie of the Year and MVP in one season. Why he rose three spots. Then our ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, with voting based on both peak . Stats: 21.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.4 BPG in 17 seasons with New York Knicks (1985-86 to 1999-00), Seattle SuperSonics (2000-01) and Orlando Magic (2001-02). Accomplishments: Six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, 1972-73 scoring and assists champ, 1981 All-Star MVP, 1981 NBA champion. -- MacMahon, 2007-08 Seattle SuperSonics, 2008-16 Oklahoma City Thunder; 2016-19 Golden State Warriors; 2019-22 Brooklyn Nets, Durant's move to the Warriors in 2016 dramatically shifted the league's balance of power. Stats: 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1979-80 to 1991-92). ESPN's 100 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time Quiz Stats Popular Quizzes Today 1 Find the US States - No Outlines Minefield 2 Countries of the World 3 Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield 4 Name Just One - 10 to 1: History Sports NBA Random Sports or NBA Quiz ESPN's 100 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time Stats 22-6, 14-2 conf. Louis Hawks (1954-55 to 1964-65). Stats: 16.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.2 APG in 17 season with Chicago Bulls (1987-88 to 1997-98; 2003-04), Houston Rockets (1998-99) and Portland Trail Blazers (1999-00 to 2002-03). Perhaps the greatest two-way player of his generation, Leonard dissects defenses with robotic midrange precision while disrupting offenses with his long arms and physical defense. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1950-51 Rookie of the Year, 1952 All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, 1956 NBA champion. Rodman won Defensive Player of the Year twice and was a five-time NBA champion as a centerpiece for dynasties in Detroit and Chicago. As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th anniversary team includes 76 players. In 1969, he became the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP on a losing team. Stats: 26.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG in 10 NBA seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1976-77 to 1984-85) and Chicago Bulls (1985-86); also played four ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1972-73 to 1973-74) and San Antonio Spurs (1973-74 to 1975-76). And once in the NBA, Garnett helped modernize the way big men play the game. Fantasy. The man they call "The Human Highlight Film" was one of the greatest dunkers of all time. He was one of the best rebounders in NBA history (second in total rebounds and second in career rebounding average behind only Wilt Chamberlain). 6-25, 3-13 conf . -- MacMahon, 1985-2003 Utah Jazz; 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers, "The Mailman" is the most decorated ringless player in NBA history, earning 14 All-Star nods and two MVPs and ranking as the second all-time leading scorer with 36,928 career points. All-Time #NBArank: The 10 greatest power forwards in NBA history, Photos: Classic action shots of league's best power forwards. Being in the conversation as the best player of all time means being part of an exclusive club -- no disrespect to those who just missed out on the top 10. The 30 Best NBA Players of All Time, Ranked By Adam Caparell, Zion Olojede, Angel Diaz, Zach Frydenlund Jun 17, 2022 Image via Complex Original The toughest debates may not be the obvious ones.. -- Friedell, 1963-69 Cincinnati Royals; 1969-71 San Francisco Warriors; 1971-74 New York Knicks, Lucas averaged 15.6 rebounds a game during his illustrious career -- while shooting 49.9% from the field -- but what seemed to set Lucas apart was his brain. His skyhook was an unstoppable weapon, becoming one of the most iconic shots the game has ever seen. -- Friedell, 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 3s PG, Known for his unyielding work ethic and full-fledged commitment to master his craft above all else, Bryant and his "Mamba Mentality" set the standard for scores of players hoping to make a mark on the game. Accomplishments: 12-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, two-time NBA All-Defensive team, three-time NBA MVP, 1983 Finals MVP, six-time NBA rebounding champ, 1983 NBA champion. His 34.0 points per game that season is also the highest point total for a player at that height in NBA history. New Orleans Players to Watch. -- Youngmisuk, 1996-2003 Milwaukee Bucks, 2003-07 Seattle SuperSonics; 2007-12 Boston Celtics; 2012-14 Miami Heat, 18.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 2.3 3PG, Before Stephen Curry came along and broke his all-time 3-point record, Allen was regarded as the smoothest shooting player of all time. It was brought to the NBA 70 years ago by Arizin, the sweet-shooting forward from Villanova who went on to become one of the game's early prolific scorers with his hometown team. Russo said Bird qualifies as a top three-point shooter all-time. He was, to put it simply, a winner. Vote up the best basketball player ever, and those who follow close behind. West is also the definition of being loyal to a franchise, working with the Lakers as a player, coach and front-office member. Give me a break. 5-on-5: Will James Harden be a top-5 all-time shooting guard? Garnett played with legendary passion and a gift of trash talk that rivaled the greatest in the game. Using references from famous and reliable sports channels and websites like ESPN, Complex, Bleacher Report, and Clutch Points, here is our top 10 basketball players list. -- Lopez, 1954-55 Milwaukee Hawks, 1955-65 St. Louis Hawks, Pettit was the first player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points and was a dominant force throughout his 11 seasons. Rob Mahoney. -- MacMahon, Before Dec. 14, Curry was hesitant to call himself the greatest shooter of all time despite having changed the game of basketball. Fantasy Liberty Flames. Top 75 NBA Players of All Time (NBA 75) Quiz - By NBAA Popular Quizzes Today 1 Find the US States - No Outlines Minefield 2 Ballon d'Or Winners by Age 3 Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield 4 Countries of the World Sports NBA QUIZ LAB SUBMISSION Random Sports or NBA Quiz Top 75 NBA Players of All Time (NBA 75) McHale always seemed to find a way to make a play on the blocks and helped lead the storied Larry Bird-led teams with a toughness that defined his career. -- Pelton, 1994-96, 2008-12 Dallas Mavericks; 1996-2001 Phoenix Suns; 2001-08 New Jersey Nets; 2012-13 New York Knicks, Kidd managed to be a dominant force for almost two decades without ever scoring like a star, finishing his career second all time in both assists and steals. Boxing. -- McMenamin, 2003-16, 2018-19 Miami Heat; 2016-17 Chicago Bulls; 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers, The greatest player in Heat history, Wade did it all with flair, toughness and clutch play. Miami basketball was well represented as former Heat players . O'Neal became an All-Star 15 times and earned the 1999-2000 MVP award. TrueHoop TV: Steph Curry the fourth-best PG of all time? You might have seen the articles being passed around over the last several weeks. Jalen Rose and David Jacoby cover a collection of NBA topics, including the prospects of finishing the 2019-20 NBA season, (1:41) ESPN.com's list of the 10 b. If not, you surely must have caught the response when John Stockton (#19) and Scottie Pippen (#25) appeared before Isiah Thomas (#26)? 9-21, 5-12 . Vermont Catamounts. Some say Durant is the best scorer of all time as a 7-foot player who plays like a guard and can get his shot off anytime he wants. The NBA's 75th anniversary team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of media, current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives. NBA75: Meet the best players in league history, What NBA Finals runs from LeBron, Giannis can teach Jayson Tatum, Sources: Warriors eye Curry return next week, Lakers' Davis out vs. OKC with right foot injury, V. Bryant settles crash photos suit for $28.85M, Sources: Lakers to reassess LeBron in 2 weeks, Benner, longtime Pacers PR director, dies at 67, Irving: Need to scale back self-imposed pressure, Jokic sixth player in 100 career triple-double club, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, Meet the man scouring Nigeria for the next generation of NBA and NFL talent, Roundtable: Early takeaways from Kyrie Irving joining Luka Doncic in Dallas. The voting pool included 76 players, as there was a tie during the NBA's voting for its 75th Anniversary Team. Stats: 21.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 1.8 APG in 16 season with San Diego/Houston Rockets (1968-69 to 1971-72; 1981-82 to 1983-84) and Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets (1972-73 to 1980-81) . 9. He was the league MVP in three consecutive seasons (1984-86), something only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell had accomplished. ESPN+. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 10-time All-Defensive team, 1994 All-Star MVP, 1994-95 steals champ, six-time NBA champion. Drexler's 2,615 offensive rebounds are the most by a player who primarily played guard in NBA history. The rings. Although they come from different eras, each of these players changed the game. 5-on-5: Which player should have made the top 50? Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, 1988 Finals MVP, three-time NBA champion. Sports Illustrated 's annual Top 100 list is back, aiming to answer that question. In 1962, he chose to retire rather than move with the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco. He won a record six MVP awards and was a 19-time All-Star. Boxing. -- Pelton, 1969-75 Milwaukee Bucks; 1975-89 Los Angeles Lakers, Before MJ and LeBron, Kareem ruled basketball. 9-20, 3-13 conf. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, four-time NBA champion. 5-on-5: Will Carmelo Anthony crack top-10 small forward list? Here's the entire list, 1-74: Michael Jordan LeBron James Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bill Russell Magic Johnson Wilt Chamberlain Larry Bird Tim Duncan Kobe Bryant Shaquille O'Neal Oscar Robertson Hakeem Olajuwon Stephen Curry Kevin Durant Julius Erving Jerry West Karl Malone Moses Malone Dirk Nowitzki Kevin Garnett Scottie Pippen Elgin Baylor 4x NBA Season MVP, 1972 NBA Finals MVP, 13x NBA All-Star, 2x NBA Champion, 1960 Rookie of the Year. In 1995-96, the season Payton became the most recent guard to win Defensive Player of the Year, Seattle pushed the 72-10 Bulls to six games in the NBA Finals. He was an All-Star in his first season in the league, which began a year of 12 straight appearances. Stats: 22.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.4 APG in 16 seasons with Miami Heat (2003-04 to 2015-16; 2017-18 to 2018-19), Chicago Bulls (2016-17) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18). All-Time #NBArank: The 10 greatest centers in NBA history, Photos: Classic action shots of league's best centers, 5-on-5: Debating the NBA's top centers of all time, TrueHoop TV: The "power forwardization" of the center position, All-Time #NBArank 91-100: Harden, Love make the Top 100 cut, All-Time #NBArank 81-90: Yao, Billups, Bosh, Mullin make list, All-Time #NBArank 71-80: Blake's place among the greats, All-Time #NBArank 61-70: T-Mac, C-Webb, Vinsanity, Dwight, All-Time #NBArank 51-60: Melo, Reggie, Pau, TP miss Top 50, All-Time #NBArank 46-50: Iverson, Westbrook land in Top 50, All-Time #NBArank 41-45: Payton, Pierce and Nique, All-Time #NBArank 36-40: Clyde The Glide, Frazier and Cousy, All-Time #NBArank 31-35: Kidd, Ewing, McHale among greats, All-Time #NBArank 26-30: Isiah, Wade, Hondo, CP3, Nash. America East Playoffs - Quarterfinal. In 1970, Reed became the first player in NBA history to win MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP in the same year. Drexler is also one of four players in league history to have at least 2,000 offensive rebounds and 2,000 steals (Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone). All-Time #NBArank: The greatest players ever, What NBA Finals runs from LeBron, Giannis can teach Jayson Tatum, Sources: Warriors eye Curry return next week, Lakers' Davis out vs. OKC with right foot injury, V. Bryant settles crash photos suit for $28.85M, Sources: Lakers to reassess LeBron in 2 weeks, Benner, longtime Pacers PR director, dies at 67, Irving: Need to scale back self-imposed pressure, Jokic sixth player in 100 career triple-double club, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, Meet the man scouring Nigeria for the next generation of NBA and NFL talent, Roundtable: Early takeaways from Kyrie Irving joining Luka Doncic in Dallas, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG in 14 seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1996-97 to 2006-07; 2009-10), Denver Nuggets (2006-07 to 2008-09), Detroit Pistons (2008-09) and Memphis Grizzlies (2009-10) . Stats: 23.1 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 2.8 APG in seven seasons with Minneapolis Lakers (1948-49 to 1955-56). He was a legendary winner, a transcendent passer, an instant highlight and a triple-double waiting to happen. Chris Bosh Championships: 2 Career Stats: 19.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG Without Johnson and his rivalry for the ages with Bird and the Celtics, the NBA may not be where it is today. My first hoops hero, but this is no loyalty vote. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, 1968-69 All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, two-time NBA champion. Bellarmine Knights. But he also was a dynamic two-way player, who in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals -- remembered for Willis Reed playing on an injured leg -- had 36 points and 19 assists in one of the greatest performances of all time to lead the Knicks to their first title. Just like Paul Arizin, Maravich was one of the pioneers for making the NBA more renowned. After averaging 20.4 points as a rookie, he didn't average fewer than 22.5 points in any season. Anthony . He played his entire career in Detroit and won back-to-back championships in 1989 and '90, winning Finals MVP in 1990. 14-13, 9-8 conf. He remains a legend in the D.C. area for delivering the franchise's only NBA championship. Davidson Wildcats. At the time Walton went down with a broken foot in February, the defending champs were 50-10 behind their center's rim protection and legendary playmaking. 10. Stats: 23.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 8.5 APG in 13 seasons with Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-09 to 2018-19), Houston Rockets (2019-20) and Washington Wizards (2020-21)*. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, 1950-51 rebounding champ, 1955 NBA champion. The MVPs. Top accolades: Four NBA titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP, eight All-NBA 1st Team selections, 15 All-Stars, three All-Defensive 2nd Team selections NBA rank: 8th in scoring and. Stats: 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG in 14 seasons with Cincinnati Royals (1960-61 to 1969-70) and Milwaukee Bucks (1970-71 to 1973-74). Cowens helped lead the Celtics to championships in 1974 and 1976. ESPN's 100 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time Quiz Popular Quizzes Today 1 2 Ballon d'Or Winners by Age 3 Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield 4 Countries of the World Sports NBA Random Sports or NBA Quiz ESPN's 100 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, two-time All-Star MVP, 1990 Finals MVP, 1984-85 assists champ, two-time NBA champion. -- Bontemps, 1969-75 Milwaukee Bucks; 1975-89 Los Angeles Lakers, No one in NBA history can match Abdul-Jabbar's lengthy list of achievements. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, three-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 1979-80 Rookie of the Year, 1982 All-Star MVP, three-time NBA champion. An instant Highlight and a gift of trash talk that rivaled the greatest dunkers of all.. Two-Time All-NBA, two-time rebounding espn best nba players of all time, two-time Sixth Man of the and... 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