Top 50 NBA players of all-time

One hundred and seven NBA championship rings. More than 400 hundred NBA All-Star Game selections. Nearly one million points scored. At the start of the 1996-97 season the 50 players had accumulated 107 NBA Championships, 49 Most Valuable Player Awards, 17 Rookie of the Year honors, 447 All-Star Game selections, 36 scoring titles, 923,791 total points and 410,327 total rebounds.

 

1. Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is a ten-time scoring champ, six-time NBA champion, and we could go on-and-on about his accolades. The five MVPs is also something to note. Jordan goes down as one of the greatest of all-time, even though his fashion choices were highly questionable.

2. LeBron James

Each era has that one player, and in this generation we have been blessed with a handful of world class players. James is a three-time NBA Champion, and has been a Finals MVP three times as well. Many will want to talk about the finals record, but his production should overshadow it.

3. Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain averaged some ridiculous numbers. He was a four-time MVP, two-time NBA champion, and a seven-time scoring champ. This is also one of those era conversations; in the early 60s, these guys were playing over 45 minutes per game.

4. Magic Johnson

Johnson was part of those magical Lakers teams in the 80s, winning five championships, and in three of them, he was a Finals MVP. He was an all-star in 12 of his 13 seasons, and All-NBA in ten of them.

5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the best to do it. In his career, he was a six-time MVP and NBA champion and finished as a Finals MVP twice in his career. Kareem was induced in the Hall of Fame in 1995 and was an all-star 19 times.

6. Larry Bird

So many greats have come through Boston over the years, and Larry Bird is the more iconic one. He is a three-time NBA Champion and a two-time Finals MVP. He was a Rookie Of The Year over Magic Johnson, who battled each other as rivals throughout their careers.

7. Shaquille O’Neal

Actor, rapper, basketball player, Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most dominant players of all-time. He was a first overall pick out of LSU, and after a few years in Orlando, he made his presence felt in Los Angeles. He was a 15-time all-star and four-time NBA Champion. Shaq also dominated finals with three MVP awards as well.

8. Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant is currently third on the all-time scoring list, and 15th in steals. We saw peak Bryant in those 2005 and 2006 seasons, where he averaged over 30 points per game. Bryant is a two-time scoring champ and will go down as one of the greats in terms of playoff production. He is a five-time NBA Champion, and something that gets overlooked is the fact he was named to the All-Defensive team 12 times.

9. Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan’s game has played across almost three eras of basketball. Playing from the age of 21 to 39, all with San Antonio, he is someone we will likely not see again.  Duncan was also a two-time MVP and was named to the All-Defensive team 15 times. Being drafted number one overall back in 1997, Duncan was everything as advertised.

10. Bill Russell

Russell was the cream of the crop at his time, leading the Celtics to 11 championships, and also tallied five MVP awards. Russell is a Celtic great, and the consistency over his career was something that bumps him up into these rankings.

11. Oscar Robertson

Robertson played his time with Cincinnati and Milwaukee, and was a part of that championship team with Milwaukee. Averaging 25 and 9 over 1,000 games in a career is going to put you up on this list. He was averaging near triple-doubles in his first five-six seasons in the league.

12. Hakeem Olajuwon

Olajuwon managed to win two rings before his time was up, but probably should have had more. Both times he was the Finals MVP. Olajuwon played out his career with Houston until his last season, where he landed with Toronto.

13. Jerry West

West was a volume shooter, and the career 47% field goal percentage says a lot. He played over ten seasons with the Lakers, and the only season he scored under 20 points per game was in his rookie season.

14. Moses Malone

Moses Malone played 20 years professionally, and won the NBA Finals in the 1982-83 season. He was also Finals MVP. Malone is a three-time MVP and dominated the boards as a rebound champ six times.

15. Karl Malone

Karl Malone will go down as one of the greatest athletes to never win a championship. He is a 14-time all-star and currently number two on the all-time scoring list. Malone is also 7th in overall rebounds and tenth in steals. Malone dominated year in and year out with the Jazz, but they could never get that title.

16. Julius Erving

Julius Erving has a couple of titles, although two came playing during the ABA years. Erving is a 16-time all-star and a four-time MVP. He spent his entire NBA career with Philly, going down as possibly the greatest 76er of all-time.

17. Kevin Durant

He is a four-time scoring champ and a two-time NBA champ.

Durant is still one of the best of this era. He is a versatile scorer, currently averaging over 25 points per game in his career. Durant’s defensive ability is often overlooked as a lengthy defender who is tough to get around or shoot over.

18. Kevin Garnett

Garnett was a huge edge on both sides of the ball, and was named to the All-Defensive team 12 times. He won a championship with Boston after a long stretch with Minnesota. His 2003-04 season was an MVP one, and he set a career high in points per game and rebounds per game.

19. Elvin Hayes

Hayes is was inducted in the Hall of Fame back in 1990, and was an NBA Champion in the 1977-98 season. Hayes was in the league still when blocks were not counted, so he had five seasons with no recorded blocks, and still sits within the top 25 of all-time.

20. Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley is another Hall of Fame power forward who didn’t win a ring, and had a couple of chances to do so. Barkley is mainly known for his time in Philly and Phoenix, but also still produced double-doubles during the end of his career in Houston.

21. Walt Frazier

Walt Frazier was as cool as they come, and a strong scoring point guard during his time. His time with the Knicks was part of a bright spot for the franchise, and gave them a core piece for about an entire decade.

22. Dirk Nowitzki

He won a title late in his career, and was a Finals MVP over LeBron James. Nowitzki is top ten in scoring, and will finish his career shooting over 47%. Dallas has themselves an iconic face of the franchise, staying there for nearly 20 years.

23. John Havlicek

Havlicek played in a time where you were seeing around 40 minutes a night, which helped his overall numbers. He is currently 16th all-time in points, although he will be pushed down over years to come. Boston sure did know how to draft them back then.

24. Scottie Pippen

LeBron needed Wade, Kobe needed Shaq, and Jordan needed Pippen. He was tremendous on both sides of the ball, and while he will go down as the sidekick, Pippen is a Hall of Famer that was also a seven-time all-star.

25. Dwyane Wade

We are looking at a future Hall of Famer as we wind down Dwyane Wade’s career. Wade will go down as one of the best shooting guards over the last few decades and will be remembered as a Miami Heat legend. He is a three-time NBA Champion and was the Finals MVP of that 2005-06 championship.

26. Stephen Curry

Curry is already a three-time NBA Champion, and this number should go up. He is also a two-time MVP, and has changed the game as one of the best pure shooters in NBA history. Curry is currently shooting 44% from three in his career, and is also averaging over 1.5 steals per game. If Curry can maintain good health, he will up there with some of the greats for scoring and steals.

27. George Gervin

George Gervin was a prominent scorer during his time. Gervin played most of his ball with the Spurs before they put together their championship run, so unfortunately he did not end up with a ring when his career was over. He will go down as a great scorer that won’t ever get the recognition deserved.

28. Rick Barry

Rick Barry is another ABA and NBA player from that generation, and in the NBA averaged 23.2 points per game. He was the Finals MVP, and went on to be a six-time All-NBA player. Barry was induced into the Hall of Fame in 1987.

29. David Robinson

David Robinson is one of the block kings of the NBA, currently ranking 6th on the all-time list. Robinson is a two-time NBA champion, and was also a Scoring Champion in the 1993-94 season. He will go down as a Rookie of the Year, and a League MVP. Robinson cooled off a bit in his later stages of his career, but early on he was an automatic double-double on a nightly basis.

30. Isiah Thomas

Currently 7th on the all-time assists list is Isiah Thomas. He played his entire NBA career with the Detroit Pistons and won two championships during the “Bad Boys” era. Thomas averaged a shade under ten assists per game, and also shot 45% from the field.

31. John Stockton

He was also a menace on the defensive side, averaging 2.2 steals per game in his career. Stockton logged over 15,000 assists, and 3,000 steals. He ranks first in both on the all-time leaderboards. He played his entire career with the Jazz, but failed to knock off some of the elite teams in that era.

32. Alex English

Alex English will go down as one of the better scorers in the game, as he ranks 18th in points. The only knock on English is the defensive stats were not there, but he would chip in with other peripheral stats. He doesn’t quite have the accolades of some of the other names on this list, but he is a Hall of Famer, and an underrated scorer.

33. Clyde Drexler

Drexler averaged 20.4 points per game in his career, and the peripheral stats also followed with over five assists and six rebounds per game. Drexler is also seventh all-time in steals, and found his way on the All-NBA team five times.

34. Patrick Ewing

Ewing was one of the greats who didn’t win a ring, but racked up seven All-NBA appearances, and was the Rookie of the Year when he came into the league. He currently inside the top 25 all-time there as well.

35. Willis Reed

He played his entire career as a New York Knick, and we saw a bit of a drop off in production just a few seasons before he retired. Reed was a dominant center during this era, and some career longevity would help his case in the rankings, but still a top tier player.

36. Steve Nash

Nash is a five-time assist champion, and a two-time league MVP. He won it in back-to-back seasons. Nash was on a few outstanding Suns teams, but failed to get over the hump against the Lakers and Spurs.

37. Jason Kidd

Kidd is second all-time in assists and steals. He will go down as one of the best passing point guards, but his defense was what gives him an edge among some other names who draw comparisons.

38. Allen Iverson

Iverson is currently 13th all-time in steals, 25th all-time in points. While we might see numbers like Iverson down the road, we will never see the combination with his personality.

39. Bob Cousy

Cousy stayed in Boston for about 99% of his career, as he retired and later came back at the age of 41 to play with Cincinnati for seven games. Cousy is currently 17th all-time in assists.

40. George Mikan

George Mikan is a historical player in basketball history, as he dominated in the short time that he played. Across all league’s he won seven titles, and the one year he was injured was the one year he did not win a championship.

41. Gary Payton

Payton was a nine-time all-star, and also a nine-time all-defensive player. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 2013, and currently sits fourth all-time in steals. He is also 8th overall in assists.

42. Kevin McHale

McHale was a monster at power forward, leading his way to seven all-star appearances, and was named to six All-Defensive teams. He was a part of three Boston championships, during those 80s runs. While, McHale isn’t going to jump out on any all-time leaderboards, but was a stout all-around player.

43. Bob Pettit

He averaged over 20 points in every season of his career, and did not once fall under double-digit rebounds on a season. While he logged 39 minutes per game, Pettit was the class of this era. He was a two-time scoring champ, and won the NBA title in the 1957-58 season. Hard to find a ten year stretch of this time of dominance.

44. Ray Allen

One of the best shooting strokes in the game was Ray Allen. He was a ten-time all-star, and also a two-time NBA champion. Allen dominated across two decades of basketball, playing with some truly historic teams as well. Allen was recently inducted in the Hall of Fame, which was an easy vote.

45. Reggie Miller

Miller spent his entire career with the Pacers, which is an impressive accomplishment as well. He came close to a few rings, but Miller is one of the greats who never accomplished a title. He was an excellent scorer, ranking 20th all-time in points. Miller was a three-time All-NBA player and a five-time all-star.

46. Dominique Wilkins

Wilkins made the All-NBA team seven times, and was a nine-time all-star. Wilkins often found himself averaging over 25 points in a season, and twice he managed to crack 30 points per game. Even towards the end of Wilkins career, his scoring was still around 18 per game.

47. Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard was drafted and later traded by the Indiana Pacers, ending up with San Antonio who sent George Hill their way. Not a good trade by any means, as Leonard has developed into one of the best already. He is a two-time NBA champ and counting, recently giving the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA championship.

48. Chris Paul

Paul was the Rookie of the Year in 2005-06, and has also been named to nine all-star teams and eight All-NBA teams. Paul is still searching for that title that would be icing on the cake to a hell of a career, but that is looking less likely these days.

49. Vince Carter

His last eight years have dropped his career average, but he is a future Hall of Famer, and has cracked the top 25 in the all-time scoring list. Carter will likely surpass a few names as he rides out his time in the NBA.

50. Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce gets a lot of flack from the NBA world, but hard to deny what he has done on the court. Pierce had sneaky athleticism mainly because his body weight was a bit deceiving. He is currently 15th overall in points, and 20th all-time in steals. Pierce was a long time Celtic, where he won his lone championship with the help of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. He was the Finals MVP that year.

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