Accomplishments: 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 12-time All-Defensive team, 2007-08 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, four-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, five-time NBA champion. The Jazz's arena sits at the intersection of Stockton and Malone, honoring the duo that's practically synonymous with the pick-and-roll. The list of 10 through 1 crowns the exceptional . -- Lopez, There was nothing flashy about Stockton, from his short shorts to his sound fundamentals. Although they come from different eras, each of these players changed the game. 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. SLAM 500 Greatest NBA Players of All Time Bill Simmons Hall of Fame Pyramid ABA All-Time Team NBA & ABA All-Star Game All-Star Game Selections by Player All-NBA and All-NBA Team Selections by Player All-Defensive Team Selections by Player NBA Referee Awards Greg Willard Spirit Award NCAA Season Awards AP Player of the Year Award The NBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary throughout the 2021-22 season, and part of that celebration includes the unveiling of the list of the greatest players in NBA history. He was, to put it simply, a winner. -- MacMahon, 1984-92 Philadelphia 76ers; 1992-96 Phoenix Suns; 1996-2000 Houston Rockets, Despite being listed at 6-foot-6 his entire career, and eventually admitting he was shorter, Barkley was a rebounding machine. For the most part, it would be hard to argue that Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar aren't the top three players in NBA history. These debates rage on endlessly in every corner of NBA fandom, and our experts have done their best to answer them, ranking the greatest players in the league's 74-year history. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, 1995-96 Defensive Player of the Year, 1995-96 steals champ, 2006 NBA champion. On March 12, 1985, Larry Bird put on a shooting clinic for the ages, scoring a Celtics-record 60 points in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. On March 12, 1985, Larry Bird put on a shooting clinic for the ages, scoring a Celtics-record 60 points in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. Sports Illustrated 's annual Top 100 list is back, aiming to answer that question. But there's no question that Harden is at or near the top of the list of the best isolation scorers in the history of the game. Deonna Brister adds 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Lady Colonels, and Kyla Hamilton averages 10.8 points, 4.2 assists and two steals per game. Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain? Alright we're straying a bit off subject, the reason why we bring up the upcoming season is because it's getting to that time of year when predictions, NBA odds for the championship, NBA2K player ratings, talking heads make bold claims, podcasts come back from vacation, and all types of other rankings come out of the woodwork.In order words, the NBA media and content machine is revving . Stats: 26.4 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Milwaukee/St. Stats: 23.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.3 BPG in 19 seasons with Orlando Magic (1992-93 to 1995-96), Los Angeles Lakers (1996-97 to 2003-04), Miami Heat (2004-05 to 2007-08), Phoenix Suns (2007-08 to 2008-09), Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-10) and Boston Celtics (2010-11). Players such as Allen Iverson, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, and others have left their mark on the franchise and the NBA as a whole. After an Achilles injury ended his third Finals run with Golden State, Durant has come back as good as ever in Brooklyn. 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. -- Bontemps, 2012-13 New Orleans Hornets, 2013-19 New Orleans Pelicans; 2019-22 Los Angeles Lakers, Taking the torch from Kevin Garnett as a near 7-footer who can completely dominate a game defensively with the offensive skill set to operate outside of the low post on the other end, Davis continues to redefine what a big man can do. He changed the game with his step-back 3 -- and the NBA changed the rules due to his foul-drawing tactics. Eleven players ( Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Robert Parish, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson and John Stockton) were active in the 1996-97 season, during which the list was announced. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2020 All-Star MVP, 2014-15 steals champ, two-time NBA champion. -- 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. Preview; Bellarmine Knights vs Liberty Lady Flames Stats, Game Time, and more. -- Andrews, 1970-80 Boston Celtics; 1982-83 Milwaukee Bucks, One of the most dominant centers of his era, Cowens averaged a double-double in eight straight seasons. "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. Something has to give when a pair of streaking teams hit the court. Stats: 17.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG in 12 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1982-83 to 1993-94). On the court, his play was relentless. He was an All-Star in his first season in the league, which began a year of 12 straight appearances. -- Collier, The jump shot has become an essential part of the NBA -- and especially today's 3-point-happy version of the sport. Schayes' shot was so iconic that it even earned its own nickname: Sputnik, named after the first satellite orbiting the planet. 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. 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. 21-7, 15-2 conf. LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan? He was one of the NBA's all-time great defenders, a player-coach for the Pistons in just his third season who then became a defining member of the Knicks' championship teams in the 1970s. And he's not done. He won Rookie of the Year after Boston made him the No. 5-on-5: Will James Harden be a top-5 all-time shooting guard? 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. Johnson helped the team to a championship as a rookie, filling in for the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the clinching win. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1976-77 scoring champ. 40-11 | 5-on-5 debate, 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, The Hall of Fame center transformed the game with a combination of agility and explosiveness and size, the likes of which the league had never seen. Accomplishments: Nine-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1980 All-Star MVP, four-time NBA scoring champ. Boxing. Before, however, Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a point guard who excelled as both a scorer and a playmaker -- including twice as player-coach for the SuperSonics. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, 2012-13 scoring champ. He missed a total of 22 games in 19 seasons, all with the Jazz, and set career assists and steals records that seem to be unbreakable. -- McMenamin, 1984-93, 1995-98 Chicago Bulls; 2001-03 Washington Wizards, The greatest player of all time. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, five-time assists champ, two-time MVP. 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. Accomplishments: Four-time All-Star, six-time All-BAA/NBA, 1953 All-Star MVP, three-time scoring champ, 1952-53 rebounding champ, five-time BAA/NBA champion. Russo said Bird qualifies as a top three-point shooter all-time. -- Collier, Long before there was "Playoff Rondo," Jones earned the nickname "Mr. In 1962, he chose to retire rather than move with the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco. The fun-loving big man used his outsize personality to become a global pitchman and analyst after retiring. Stats: 17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 APG in 12 seasons with Boston Celtics (1957-58 to 1968-69). His footwork was phenomenal -- many players since have gone to him in the offseasons to learn -- and Olajuwon also had strength, athleticism and touch. -- Bontemps, 1976-80 Golden State Warriors; 1980-94 Boston Celtics; 1994-96 Charlotte Hornets; 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, Don't reduce Parish to the trivia of playing an NBA-record 1,611 games over a 21-season career he capped by winning a fourth title at age 43 with the Bulls in 1997. The rings. Jordan's brilliance on both ends of the court defined a generation of basketball and set a new standard for players following in his footsteps. With his hook shot, Mikan led the league in scoring in his first three seasons. Traya Bruce is the best bet for Nicholls from beyond the arc. Best NBA players of all time: Ranking the Top 75 - Nos. Visit ESPN for the game preview of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies vs. Davidson Wildcats NCAAW basketball game on 1 March 2023 . Consider the hardware he has collected since entering the league: MVP (twice), Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player and Finals MVP. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA, four-time All-Defensive team, two-time MVP, two-time All-Star MVP. Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant? Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time -- he changed so many different facets of the league -- but maybe most of all, he showed players they could grow themselves into a global brand on and off the floor with stellar play and the right marketing machine behind it all. His fast breaks and no-look passes catapulted the NBA from an era when Finals games weren't televised live to the global game it is today. As a five-time All-Star, Jones was hardly ineffective during the regular season, but he increased his scoring average in the playoffs every year from 1961-62 through 1966-67 -- peaking at 28.6 PPG in 1965 -- as the Celtics won five championships during that span. 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. He was mocked as "Ason" early in his career, when he lacked a jump shot. Andrew D Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images. Stats: 22.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.3 APG in 10 NBA seasons with Philadelphia Warriors (1950-51 to 1961-62). All-time NBArank: Nos. 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.. Gamecast; Preview; Vermont Catamounts vs Bryant Bulldogs Stats . 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. If not, you surely must have caught the response when John Stockton (#19) and Scottie Pippen (#25) appeared before Isiah Thomas (#26)? In 1970, Reed became the first player in NBA history to win MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP in the same year. -- Nick Friedell, 2009-2012 Oklahoma City Thunder; 2012-2021 Houston Rockets; 2021-2022 Brooklyn Nets; 2022 Philadelphia 76ers, Harden might be the most polarizing player of his generation. Oh yeah: Along the way, he was a six-time NBA Finals champ, six-time NBA Finals MVP, five-time NBA MVP and 14-time NBA All-Star. Stats: 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.8 APG in 10 seasons with New York Knicks (1964-65 to 1973-74). Stats: 16.1 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.9 APG in 12 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1962-63 to 1968-69) and New York Knicks (1968-69 to 1973-74). So, yeah, he definitely played. -- Andrews, A relative unknown as an 18-year-old from Greece on draft night in 2013, Antetokounmpo has transformed into one of the most dominant players of his generation. -- 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. We saw peak Bryant in those 2005 and 2006 seasons, where he averaged over 30 points per game. 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. 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). Stats: 27.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 7.4 APG in 18 seasons with Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-04 to 2009-10; 2014-15 to 2017-18), Miami Heat (2010-11 to 2013-14) and Los Angeles Lakers (2018-19 to 2020-21)*. NBA All-Time Points Leaders - National Basketball Association - ESPN NBA History - Points Leaders Leaders: Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks Leaders Awards *Active players. His staggering total of 38,387 points has looked unbreakable for decades. 26 . 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. First season in the league in scoring in his career, when he lacked a jump shot has an. Looked unbreakable for decades with Golden State, Durant has come back as good as ever in Brooklyn NBA. Outsize personality to become a global pitchman and analyst after retiring 8.6 RPG, 1.8 APG 12... And 2006 seasons, where he averaged over 30 points per game espn best nba players of all time first satellite the. 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