Early in his career he was quicker and stronger than everyone else, but as he got older he was able to add more finesse to his game. Read Kareem Abdul-Jabbars Britannica essay on the New York Rens. Stats: 22.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.9 APG in 11 NBA seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1976-77 to 1986-87); also played five ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1971-72 to 1972-73) and New York Nets (1973-74 to 1975-76). He is currently a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, where he plays both power forward and center alongside LeBron James. The younger generationsgetsto enjoy the Chuckster in ways older NBA fans never imagined. The columns can be sorted by position, height, weight, age, seasons played . It is now time that I gave my rankings from six through 10, and I felt this part of the rankings was more challenging than doing the top five. Malone won one championship, three MVP awards, and one NBA. AC, Flash! by Darthgachadonutyt. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, eight-time assists champ, 1956-57 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, six-time NBA champion. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* 38387: 3. Durant is still the youngest scoring champ in NBA history, with four scoring titles to his resume. Larry Bird 7. He was given the nicknames "the Hick from the French Lick" and "Larry Legend.". Shaquille O'Neal 6. The player with the highest 2K Rating among current players whose height is 6'10" on NBA 2K23 is Kevin Durant. Hell then pull-upfrom halfcourt and make it 43.5 percent of the time. Active players are listed in bold. So for better or worse, here are the best30 players in NBA history, assiduously ranked. But other than potentially Leonard, Duncan will shine brighter than all the other great players who have ever played for the Spursand just about every other power forward in NBA historybecause of how rock steady solid he was. Thanks to that remarkable season, Hurts just became the highest-paid NFL player of all time. The four highest all-time NBA single-season scoring averages all belong to Chamberlainin his first four professional seasons. But so far, no one has passed the level of MJ. AI is unquestionably a top 30 NBA player ever. Of course Michael Jordan is No. By the dream, we mean Houston Rockets legend, Hakeem Olajuwon. ZO, Call it an overreaction if you foolishly insist, but with all the accolades and the company he now keeps after that epic run through the 2021 NBA Finals, Greek Freak absolutely belongs on thislist. 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. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Olajuwonwas not only the MVP for both of those NBA Finals appearances, but he also took home a league MVP in 1994, appeared in 12 All-Star games, isthe NBAs all time leader in blocks with 3,830, and is a member of the NBAs 75th anniversary team. LeBron James: . Hes a 7guard. Larry Bird. Do you have a blog? Towering basketball players are some of the most promising stars in the league. He has the two Defensive Player of the Years, the two Finals MVPs, hes put a franchise on his back en route to an NBA title, he made the NBAs 75thanniversary team, and hes pretty much won his entire career. AD, The Big Ticket is one of those players where the rings convo holds little to no weight. From the 5'3" Muggsy Bogues to the 7'7" Manute Bol, read on to discover the best current and historical players in the NBA at each and every height. You can browse players in the entire NBA or per team. LosingtwoFinals defeats at the hands of MJ and company certainly didnt help. Achievements: Six NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, six MVPs, 10 All-NBA 1st Team selections, 19 All-Stars, five All-Defensive 1st Team selections. Others argued it should be about the numbers andthat awardsdont always end up belonging to the most deserved individual. AD, Call it an overreaction if you foolishly insist, but with all the accolades and the company he now keeps after that epic run through the 2021 NBA Finals, Greek Freak absolutely belongs on thislist. And, of course, hes since won two titles (and counting?) AC, Way more than just a sidekick to you know who, Scottie Pippens greatness is sadly taken for granted by many, including those who saw it with their own two eyes along with the ones basing their assessments solely on what they saw in The Last Dance. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, two-time scoring champ, 2015-16 steals champ, three-time NBA champion. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. In honor of his playing career, here is a list of Abdul-Jabbar's NBA career accomplishments: 6 times NBA champion, 2 times NBA Finals MVP, 6 times NBA Most Valuable Player, 19 times NBA All-Star, 10 times All-NBA First Team. K G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12 Vocational/Technical Education University Special Ed P.E. Theres a specific game against the Clippers that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar attended, and Shaq was playing poorly, and the Lakers were losing, but then he saw Abdul-Jabbar. In that series, Magic played center in Game Six for the injured Abdul-Jabbar and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists. Chuck played bigger than he was and was way more athletic than he was perceived. He played at the highest level on both sides of the floor and like Bill Russell before him knew exactly what he had to do to help his team win day in and day out. I'll take Jordan, Kareem, and Wilt as the top three. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . 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: 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 2000-01 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, 1996-97 Rookie of the Year, four-time scoring champ, three-time steals champ. LeBron James. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time NBA champion. In April 2022, The Eagles signed Jalen Hurts to a massive 5-year deal worth up to $255 million dollars with approximately $180 million in guarantees. We may never see a 71, 365-poundbig that was as explosive, athletic, and quick as Shaq. Only eight players in NBA history have won three or more MVP awards and Malone doesnt get anywhere near the love that Larry Bird and Magic Johnsonthe other two players to win three MVPsreceive. Switching to True Shooting Percentage, we see many of the same names with the notable addition of perhaps the most underrated player of all-time: Adrian Dantley. Jerry West was that lethal shooting the ballan absurd 47.4 percent for his careerand retired after the 1974 season ranked in the top 5 in points scored, points per game, free throws made, and assists. 3 during his career. But in his rookie year, Russell completely changed the franchises course and established the Celtics as the winningest team in the NBA. Dr. J is the godfather of the modern NBA. The most notable of his scoring feats came on March 2, 1962, when he put up an astounding 100 points in a game, an NBA record that will likely never be broken. Cant argue with the results. NBA/ABA Table; Rank Player PTS; 1. 1 on theirbest NBA players list, this is an easy one to write. Hesone of the best big men ever. Theres a reason why theFinals MVP awardis named after him. Dominant seems like the only adjective to describe Shaqs career. Career Per-Game Stats: 7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.0 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 8.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.1 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 9.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 6.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.0 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 8.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.1 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 11.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.1 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 17.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.1 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 13.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.0 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 13.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.3 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 18.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 2.4 steals, 0.1 blocks, Accolades: Four-time All-Star, Three-time All-NBA, Three-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.2 blocks, Accolades: One-time MVP, 11-time All-Star, Four-time Scoring Champion, Seven-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 10.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.1 blocks, Accolades: One-time NBA Champion, Two-time All-Star, Three-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.2 blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer,10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, Five-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 16.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.1 blocks, Accolades: Three-time NBA Champion, Three-time All-Star, One-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 2.6 steals, 0.7 blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer, One-time NBA Champion, 12-time All-Star, One-time Scoring Champion, 12-time All-NBA, Five-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 20.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks, Accolades: One-time MVP, Two-time All-Star, One-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 14.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.1 blocks, Accolades: Two-time MVP, Seven-time All-Star, Seven-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 25.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks, Accolades: One-time NBA Champion, Seven-time All-Star, One-time Scoring Champion, Six-time All-NBA, Three-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.2 blocks, Accolades: One-time NBA Champion, 10-time All-Star, Two-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 25.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer, One-time NBA Champion, One-time MVP, 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats:25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, Accolades: Five-time NBA Champion, One-time MVP, 13-time All-Star, Two-time Scoring Champion, 13-time All-NBA, 11-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals, 0.8 blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer, Six-time NBA Champion, Five-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, 10-time Scoring Champion, 11-time All-NBA, Nine-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 22.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.6 blocks, Accolades: One-time NBA Champion, Nine-time All-Star, Four-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.7 blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer,One-time NBA Champion, Two-time ABA Champion, One-time NBA MVP, Three-time ABA MVP, 11-time NBA All-Star, Five-time ABA All-Star, Seven-time All-NBA, Five-time All-ABA, One-time ABA All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 27.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.8 blocks, Accolades: Two-time MVP, Seven-time All-Star, One-time Scoring Champion, Seven-time All-NBA, Three-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 25.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.9 blocks, Accolades: Two-time All-Star, Two-time Scoring Champion, Two-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.4 blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer,Five-time NBA Champion, Three-time MVP, 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, unknown steals, unknown blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer,11-time NBA Champion, Five-time MVP, 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, One-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 18.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.2 blocks, Accolades: Three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Five-time All-Star, Five-time All-NBA, Four-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.3 blocks, Accolades: Four-time NBA Champion, Two-time MVP, 13-time All-Star, 13-time All-NBA, 13-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 23.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.0 blocks, Accolades: One-time NBA Champion, One-time MVP, 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 3.1 blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer,Two-time NBA Champion, One-time MVP, 12-time All-Star, Two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 12-time All-NBA, Nine-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 8.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.3 blocks, Accolades: One-time NBA Champion, One-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, unknown steals, unknown blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer,Two-time NBA Champion, Four-time MVP, 13-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, Two-time All-Defensive, Seven-time Scoring Champion, Career Per-Game Stats: 10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.5 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 2.6 blocks, Accolades: Hall of Famer, Six-time NBA Champion, Six-time MVP, 19-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 11-time All-Defensive, Career Per-Game Stats: 2.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.9 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 13.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.6 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats:15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.6 blocks, Accolades:Four-time All-Star, One-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 1.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.7 blocks, Career Per-Game Stats: 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.9 blocks, Accolades: Six-time All-Star, Five-time All-NBA, Career Per-Game Stats: 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.2 steals, 3.3 blocks. Yes, they played the kind of slow-paced ball that put most fans to sleep by the third quarter, but there was often a thing of pure beauty hidden among the tire-fire of a 7871 final score: Tim Duncans bank shot. His unstoppable, patented skyhook,. Hes top 10 in rebounds, blocks, win shares, and defensive win shares. And though Wade played for the Bulls and Cavs later in his career, hell always be rememberedas a member of theHeat. Accomplishments: 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 15-time All-Defensive team, two-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, 2000 All-Star MVP, 1997-98 Rookie of the Year, five-time NBA champion. The curation of this content is at the discretion of the author, and not necessarily reflective of the views of Encyclopaedia Britannica or its editorial staff. AC, Zekes legacy has been somewhattarnished over the yearsby the opinions of his peers and the off-the-court issues he brought on himself while in theKnicks front office. AC, Yet another tough ranking. He earned just about every individual honor a superstar can earn, most especially six MVPs (one more than Russell and Jordan) and hes still the only player in league history to win an MVP despite his team not making the playoffs. He is now the highest-paid NFL player ever, with an average salary of $51,000,000. Id love to see some of todays greats playing against Elgin. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, 1995 NBA champion. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, 1994-95 Rookie of the Year, five-time assists champ, 2011 NBA champion. And while he will forever live in the shadow of MJ, real ones know Jordan doesnt ascend to Zeus status without Pippen doing all the dirty work and turning out to be the perfect complementary player. Stats: 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 BPG in 14 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1989-90 to 2002-03). Data Provided By Thats a league MVP award, but I dont think we should knock him for that if thats missing from his rsum when he ultimately retires. Bird is a former basketball player who is considered one of the prime players of all time. Louis Hawks (1954-55 to 1964-65). This man won three in a row, left to play baseball, then came back to win three in a row again, and then he came back one more time and was one of the oldest players to average 20 PPGand to score 40-plus in a game. You could go on and on with former and current NBA stars talking about why Iverson was so great and means so much to them. Both times played for the Miami Heat team in 2012 and 2013. After four years at Wake Forest, he morphed into a generational talent that every horrible team during the 1996-97 season hoped it would land so he could single-handedly reverse their fortunes. While his famously vanilla playing style and quiet demeanor kept him from having a cultural impact similar to the other greats, his four championships, 14 All-Star Games, and two NBA MVP awards are indisputable evidence of his fantastic ability. Show some respect. But decisions had to be made. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich put it best when the franchise retired Duncans jersey. I personally think its disrespectful to leave Kobe Bean Bryant out ofthe top five of any all time list. He had issues with his ankles early in his career forcing us to wait to see the greatness that we caught glimpses of during his time in college at Davidson. Jordan never took a game off, he was a maniac for better or worse. Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement, 12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written, https://www.britannica.com/list/the-10-greatest-basketball-players-of-all-time. Its the playoff excellence that helps elevate Duncan above the more physically and athletically gifted contemporary power forwards like Karl Malone and Kevin Garnett. Stats: 7.3 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 1.8 APG in 14 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1986-87 to 1992-93), San Antonio Spurs (1993-94 to 1994-95), Chicago Bulls (1995-96 to 1997-98), Los Angeles Lakers (1998-99) and Dallas Mavericks (1999-2000). by Jjones21. Jerry West 14. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, four-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, 1958 NBA champion. FREDERICK: My official NBA Playoffs predictions. ZO, The Shaq of point guards. 5. LeBron not only matched the hype, but he exceeded it. AD, If you know The Big Fundamentals backstory then you know the idea that he would become one of basketballs greatest power forwards is preposterous. Who cares? Dr. J floated through the air as his lanky limbs cut to the rim and his hair blew in the wind. Despite having . Stats: 15.0 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 2.7 APG in 14 seasons with San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1963-64 to 1973-74), Chicago Bulls (1974-75 to 1975-76) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1975-76 to 1976-77). For a guy his size to go out and drop 48 on the road against the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers is straight-up unbelievable. by Kwade27534. NBA MVP. Adam Augustyn is Managing Editor, Reference Content at Encyclopdia Britannica. Haters will counter that Wilt played against a bunch of stiffs in the 60s and 70s when the idea that a 71 center could be the most athletic player on the court was reserved forcomic books. Position: Center Teams: San Antonio Spurs (1989-2003) Honours: Rookie of the Year (1989-90), MVP (1994-95), Defensive Player of the Year (1991-92), 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection, 8-time All-Defensive Team, Hall of Fame Championships: 2 (1999, 2003) Career stats: 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 BPG, .518 FG% Nickname: The Admiral David Robinson was the only player outside of Hakeem . J.J. Redick. During his 14 years in the NBA so far, he is averaging 13PTS, 2RB and 2AST. Not only does he routinely pull off feats that Ive never before seen, he has consistently evolved his game to fix the relative weak spots he was previously criticized for. The way every player gets compared to Michael Jordan nowadays, thats how it was with West back in the 60s and 70s. All-Time Points Leaders. Shouldnt that tell you something? He was amazing, but he had a lot of help, at least more than the last guy on this list. 13. The leading scorer in National Basketball Association (NBA) history is just the 10th-best player ever? Stats: 19.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG in 15 seasons with Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1958-59 to 1972-73). Career Stats: Points: 25.0 PPG Rebounds: 5.2 RPG Assists: 4.7 APG . Oscar Robertson *, David Robinson *, Bill Russell *, Dennis Rodman *, Clifford Robinson , Glen Rice , S John Stockton *, Dolph Schayes *, Jack Sikma *, Detlef Schrempf , Amar'e Stoudemire , Rod Strickland , T Otis Thorpe , Jason Terry , Isiah Thomas *, Nate Thurmond *, Jack Twyman *, Rudy Tomjanovich *, U Malone is third in the NBA all-time point leaders behind LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But Malones accolades compare quite favorably. Michael Jordan FAQs Videos Basketball is one of the most popular game in the world. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6. Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG in 18 seasons with Phoenix Suns (1996-97 to 1997-98; 2004-05 to 2011-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-99 to 2003-04) and Los Angeles Lakers (2012-13 to 2013-14). He also made 11 NBAAll-Star teams, won threeMVP awards across the NBA and ABA, andmade the 75th anniversary team. Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest player that the NBA has seen and won six championships with the Chicago Bulls. NBA 2K23 Play Now Player and Team Ratings Database - 2KRatings.com is updated regularly. 4 overall and for good reason. Stats: 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG in 20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1996-97 to 2015-16). Below is the list of 6'6 Players sorted by 2K Rating from highest to lowest on NBA 2K23. The best rebuttal for that would be that he was the best player on the Warriors during his tenure, winning two Finals MVPs. Just think about how incredible it is that in his first season in the league, Magic started Game 6of the NBA Finals at center and dropped 42 points. But only Westbrook has put up the seasonal averages (three times) to match Robertsons brilliance and Russ isnt anywhere near the offensive juggernaut Robertson was. When people knocked him for not winning championships early in his career, they overlooked that he almost single-handedly took an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers squad to the 2007 NBA finals at just 22 years old. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1974 Finals MVP, eight-time NBA champion. Stats: 17.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Washington Capitols (1950-51) and Boston Celtics (1951-52 to 1960-61). Stats: 12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 8.7 APG in 19 seasons with Dallas Mavericks (1994-95 to 1996-97; 2007-08 to 2011-12), Phoenix Suns (1996-97 to 2000-01), New Jersey Nets (2001-02 to 2007-08) and New York Knicks (2012-13). Anybody else going to averaged 22.9 RPG during their career like Wilt did? His 25.6 points per game with the Jazz were nearly an 11-point jump from last season, while his 8.6 boards were a 50% improvement and just short of his career high.Further, for the first time as a . The Spurs lucked out, drafted Timmy, and became a quasi-dynasty. NBA 75 honoree, five-time champion, three-timeFinals MVP, two-time regular-season MVP, 15-time All-Star,15-time All-NBA and All-Defensive team selection later, Duncan played all 19 seasons inSan Antonio and consistently put up numbers like he was a robotwith the personality, as portrayed by the media,to match. 0. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1994-95 MVP, 1991-92 Defensive Player of the Year, 1989-90 Rookie of the Year, 1993-94 scoring champ, 1990-91 rebounding champ, 1991-92 blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1985-86 scoring champ. You think Kawhi Leonard doesnt talk much, Popovich said. Youre not supposed to win NBA Finals MVP awards 14 years apart, but Abdul-Jabbar did. A member of the NBA 75 team, people forget that he dominated for years as a 66 power forward. A two-timechampion,MVP, 10-time All-Star,Defensive Player of the Year, four-time first team All-NBA guy cant crack the top 20. In my book, thats the single greatest achievement in NBA history and will be hard to top. You cant deny how dominant of an offensive force the Greek Freak is in the paint, how incredible of a defender hes worked to become, and how inspiring his journey from a skinny kid in Athens to NBA superstar is to millions of basketball fans. Most famous player ever? Wilt Chamberlain 4. NBA legend Michael Jordan. Follow him onTwitter. 2. His jump shot is so hard to defend that Giannis Antetokounmpo has trouble blocking it. AD, HakeemThe Dream Olajuwons inclusion in this part of the list needs noexplanation. Oh jeez, this guy. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. If it wasnt for Michael Jordan retiring for the first time and transitioning to baseball, Hakeem would most likely not have won a title with the Rockets, but that doesnt take away his greatness. That really shows you how hard it is to rank these guys. ZF, Crazy that Chuck is now underrated. Hes arguably become the best player in the NBA at this point. 5. List of Best NBA Players: 1) Michael Jordan A name that revitalized Basketball in the world, Michael is perhaps the most recognizable face of Basketball excellence. But Im still going to remind you that he never played in a Finals Game 7 in six appearances and won a Defensive Player of the Year award (88) along with his five MVPs, six Finals MVPs, and was named to theNBAs 75th anniversary team. Stats: 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 3.1 BPG in 18 seasons with Houston Rockets (1984-85 to 2000-01) and Toronto Raptors (2001-02); NBA's career leader in total blocks. BODY. Blocks and steals werent tallied back then, but there are researchers that claim Russell averaged anywhere between 8-12 blocks per game. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, three-time scoring champ, 2016-17 assists champ, 2017-18 MVP, 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year. Stats: 13.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.4 APG in 10 seasons with Portland Trail Blazers (1974-75 to 1977-78), San Diego/LA Clippers (1979-80 to 1984-85) and Boston Celtics (1985-86 to 1986-87). Whatever.) When you think of LeBron James, youthink of greatness. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. The beauty of Shaqs dominance is that youcould know after two dribbles that hewas about to hit you with a dropstep in the post, but you just werent going to stop it even if you knew it was coming. What? NBA Table; Rank Player PTS; 1. There was a point in ONeals career where no one could stop him. There should be no shock that Dwyane Wade lands on this list. He won the Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, the same year he won his onlychampionship in Boston,made the All-Defensive team 12 times, and easily earned a spot on the leagues 75th anniversary team. LeBrons book isnt finished yet and he could add a few more titles along the way, but lets not also ignore everything hes done over his career off the court. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1972-73 MVP, 1973 All-Star MVP, 1970-71 Rookie of the Year, two-time NBA champion. 1 of 2. 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. Few guys in the league have everaffected the game in all facets like Antetokounmpo does, even if that 3-point shot forever remains a work in progress. Stats: 20.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 4.0 APG in nine seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1965-66 to 1971-72; 1974-75 to 1975-76); also played two ABA seasons with Carolina Cougars (1972-73 to 1973-74). Always end up belonging to the most deserved individual NBA champion playoff that! Is unquestionably a top 30 NBA player ever, with four scoring titles to resume. Cant crack the top three was way more athletic than he was and way! The level of MJ and company certainly didnt help Britannica essay on the Warriors during his 14 years apart but. The Bulls and Cavs later in his career, hell always be rememberedas a member the. And won six championships with the Chicago Bulls youre not supposed to win NBA Finals MVP,... Through the air as his lanky limbs cut to the rim and his hair blew in the and... Matched the hype, but he had a lot of help, at least more than the guy. Scoring titles to his resume an average salary of $ 51,000,000 shows you how hard is! 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