espn best nba players of all time

-- Ohm Youngmisuk, The legend of Reed's performance in 1970 alone could earn him inclusion on this list. Stats: 27.4 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 4.3 APG in 14 seasons with Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1958-59 to 1971-72). Photos: Classic action shots of league's best floor generals, All-Time #NBArank: The 10 greatest shooting guards in NBA history, Photos: Classic action shots of league's best shooting guards. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, 2012-13 scoring champ. He threw down some of the most memorable dunks in NBA history, but one of the plays he's remembered for most is a layup. 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. John Stockton as the top-20 player in NBA history? MLB. Russell's defensive acumen and determination made him the perfect foil for Wilt Chamberlain, as well as one of the players from his era who wouldn't have looked out of place in later generations. 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. Vote up the best basketball player ever, and those who follow close behind. They didn't call him the "Round Mound of Rebound" for nothing, right? Tim Duncan, probably the most incredible power forward of all time, takes the number 10 spot on our list.. Duncan, known as the "The Big Fundamental," ruled both ends . 9-20, 3-13 conf. More than anything, Duncan was one of the best winners, leading the Spurs to five titles and 1,001 regular-season victories, the most for any player with one team in NBA history. 6-25, 3-13 conf . Career Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 AST, 49.0 FG%, 42.8 FG3%, 90.4 FT% The . Accomplishments: 19-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 11-time All-Defensive Team, six-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 1969-70 Rookie of the Year, two-time scoring champ, four-time blocks champ, 1975-76 rebounding champ, six-time NBA champion. -- Bontemps, 2011-2018 San Antonio Spurs; 2018-2019 Toronto Raptors; 2019-22 LA Clippers, With some of the biggest hands the NBA has ever seen, Leonard has hauled in two NBA championship rings, two Finals MVP trophies (he's the second-youngest to ever win one) and two Defensive Player of the Year awards. NBA. Vermont Catamounts. Chamberlain is one of them, amassing 100 points in a single game on March 2, 1962, against the Knicks. 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. -- 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. He was an All-Star in his first season in the league, which began a year of 12 straight appearances. -- 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. 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. But what defined the Hall of Famer's 18 seasons, aside from his shooting prowess, was his loyalty. 5-on-5 debate: Will Curry pass Magic as the best PG ever? -- Dave McMenamin, Perhaps the only perceived knock on Duncan's game was that he was boring. MLB. His footwork was phenomenal -- many players since have gone to him in the offseasons to learn -- and Olajuwon also had strength, athleticism and touch. He won six championships -- with the first and last coming 17 years apart -- and was named to 15 All-NBA teams, with 10 first-team selections. 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. However, he led the league in scoring at 31.1 PPG in 1976-77 while playing for the New Orleans Jazz, earning one of his four All-NBA honors. 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)*. He was mocked as "Ason" early in his career, when he lacked a jump shot. Without Johnson and his rivalry for the ages with Bird and the Celtics, the NBA may not be where it is today. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, 1992-93 MVP, 1991 All-Star MVP, 1986-87 rebounding champ. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, four-time NBA champion. -- Pelton, 1969-75 Milwaukee Bucks; 1975-89 Los Angeles Lakers, Before MJ and LeBron, Kareem ruled basketball. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, seven-time All-Defensive team, 1975 All-Star MVP, two-time NBA champion. -- Collier, Duncan dominated for a generation while rarely showing any emotion, aside from shock when he was whistled for a foul. His skyhook was an unstoppable weapon, becoming one of the most iconic shots the game has ever seen. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA, four-time All-Defensive team, two-time MVP, two-time All-Star MVP. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, 1966-67 Rookie of the Year, 1976 All-Star MVP, 1967-68 scoring champ. Stats: 20.6 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 1.3 BPG in 19 NBA seasons with Buffalo Braves (1976-77), Houston Rockets (1976-77 to 1981-82), Philadelphia 76ers (1982-83 to 1985-86; 1993-94), Washington Bullets (1986-87 to 1987-88), Atlanta Hawks (1988-89 to 1990-91), Milwaukee Bucks (1991-92 to 1992-93) and San Antonio Spurs (1994-95); also played two ABA seasons with Utah Stars (1974-75) and Spirits of St. Louis (1975-76). The Jazz's arena sits at the intersection of Stockton and Malone, honoring the duo that's practically synonymous with the pick-and-roll. Stats: 17.6 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.8 APG in 11 seasons with Boston Celtics (1970-71 to 1979-80) and Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83). 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. 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. Stats: 20.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.0 APG in 12 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1966-67 to 1974-75), Washington Bullets (1975-76 to 1976-77) and Boston Celtics (1977-78). -- Friedell, 1965-67 San Francisco Warriors; 1972-78 Golden State Warriors; 1978-80 Houston Rockets; also played four ABA seasons with Oakland Oaks (1968-69), Washington Capitols (1969-70) and New York Nets (1970-72), Barry was an eight-time NBA All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection, an NBA champion and a scoring champion, but he might be best known for a move that has never been replicated in the league. The list of 10 through 1 crowns the exceptional performers who have their own cases to be the greatest ever. Stats: 22.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.3 APG in 14 seasons with Buffalo Braves. A four-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP, O'Neal averaged a double-double during a career that spanned almost two decades. Stats: 10.8 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 3.9 APG in 13 seasons with Baltimore/Capitol/Washington Bullets. -- 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. Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA championships, winning six Finals MVP awards and five regular-season MVP honors while becoming a global icon on and off the floor. Robertson averaged a triple-double for an entire season in 1961-62 and finished with what was then a record number of career triple-doubles, performances that would not be matched until Westbrook's recent peak. 1. His presence loomed large through 15 NBA seasons as evidenced by the 15 points and 15 rebounds per game he averaged during an NBA career in which he became a beloved member of the Warriors' organization. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1985-86 Rookie of the Year. -- 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. Payton would make nine consecutive All-Defensive First Teams and finished fourth in career steals. That being said, ESPN recently released their top 74 NBA players of all-time, which has caused many heated debates on social media. -- Collier, 1965-72, 1974-76 Philadelphia 76ers; also played two ABA seasons with Carolina Cougars (1972-74), A fixture with the 76ers as both a player and coach, Cunningham was part of one of the most iconic teams in NBA history: the 1967 NBA champion Sixers. He played like a swingman, shooting midrange shots and becoming just one of three players in NBA history to have at least 20,000 career points, 10,000 career rebounds and 5,000 career assists. Also see Top 100 Baseball Players Quiz by Quizmaster Rate: Featured Quiz Last updated: December 14, 2021 You have not attempted this quiz yet. Cricket. 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). Stats: 18.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.4 APG in 18 seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (1996-97 to 2002-03), Seattle SuperSonics (2002-03 to 2006-07), Boston Celtics (2007-08 to 2011-12) and Miami Heat (2012-13 to 2013-14); NBA's all-time leader in career 3-point field goals. -- Pelton, 1970-76 Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City-Omaha Kings/Kansas City Kings; 1976-77 New York Nets; 1978-83 Boston Celtics; 1983-84 Milwaukee Bucks, In 1972-73, in just his third NBA season, the 6-foot-1, 150-pound Archibald averaged 34.0 points and 11.4 assists per game. Garnett played with legendary passion and a gift of trash talk that rivaled the greatest in the game. By Data Skrive. ESPN+. We saw living legends Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, Bob McAdoo, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Isiah Thomas, Julius Erving, Oscar Robertson and Dennis Rodman rub elbows, joke and reminisce then watch the the league's current superstars, future Hall-of-Famers and fellow NBA 75 members LeBron James (24 points and game-winner), Steph Curry (16 threes and Tony Parker. McAdoo would finally win two championships as a role player with the Lakers. Nicknamed "Dr. Memory," Lucas used his mind and his recall of opponents' tendencies to augment all of his physical skills on the floor. Past that, we could have a robust discussion on how Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird are positioned from the #4-7 spots, but that also feels right. 5-on-5: Is Blake Griffin one of the 10 best power forwards ever? 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