Stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG in 16 seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1984-85 to 1991-92), Phoenix Suns (1992-93 to 1995-96) and Houston Rockets (1996-97 to 1999-00). 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. -- Collier, Duncan dominated for a generation while rarely showing any emotion, aside from shock when he was whistled for a foul. All-Time #NBArank: The 10 greatest point guards in NBA history. Northwestern State Lady Demons . TrueHoop TV: Kobe, Jerry West and the top shooting guards ever, All-Time #NBArank: The 10 greatest small forwards in NBA history, Photos: Classic action shots of league's best small forwards. McHale's ability to play through pain and injury made him one of the most beloved Celtics players of all time. Stats: 18.5 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 3.1 APG in 15 seasons with Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1949-50 to 1963-64). 9 on the all-time points list. Stats: 23.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.1 APG in 10 NBA seasons with San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1965-66 to 1966-67; 1972-73 to 1977-78) and Houston Rockets (1978-79 to 1979-80); also played four ABA seasons with Oakland Oaks (1968-69), Washington Capitols (1969-70) and New York Nets (1970-71 to 1971-72). Davidson Wildcats. Boxing. 5-on-5: Will James Harden be a top-5 all-time shooting guard? As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th anniversary team includes 76 players. 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. Stats: 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5 APG in 14 seasons with Boston Celtics (1950-51 to 1962-63) and Cincinnati Royals (1969-70). 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. 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. He was a five-time MVP, including winning three in a row from 1960 to '62. The charismatic Johnson took the "Showtime" Lakers to nine NBA Finals, and they won five titles. Gamecast; Preview; Davidson Wildcats vs Saint . Stats: 19.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG in 15 seasons with Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1958-59 to 1972-73). Accomplishments: Two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, seven-time rebounding champ, five-time NBA champion. 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. 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. Known for his steady turnaround jumper, Hayes is Washington's all-time leading scorer and second in rebounding to Unseld. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1985-86 scoring champ. 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. Those qualities also helped him earn five MVP awards and 11 All-NBA selections. 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. 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. -- Lopez, 1948-49 (BAA), 1949-54, 1956 Minneapolis Lakers, The NBA's first giant, Mikan was an NBA pioneer. 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. JJ Redick and Chris Russo battled on ESPN recently over their varying opinions on Larry Bird's three-point marksmanship. He earned respect from his peers by how hard he played and how tough it was to go against him. 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. 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. Adding the former MVP to a team that had gone 73-9 the year before created arguably the greatest team in NBA history, with Durant shining brightest against LeBron James in the NBA Finals to win Finals MVP back-to-back years. Visit ESPN for the game preview of the Incarnate Word Cardinals vs. Northwestern State Lady Demons NCAAW basketball game on 1 March 2023 . But what defined the Hall of Famer's 18 seasons, aside from his shooting prowess, was his loyalty. ESPN put out their own top 75. He delivered the 2011 title to Dallas as the lone All-Star for the Mavs, who defeated the Heat's superteam in the Finals, avenging a loss in 2006. 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. 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). Stats: 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1979-80 to 1991-92). He also was one of the game's great early shooters, setting a record for free throw percentage (93.2) during the 1958-59 season that lasted nearly two decades. Cricket. They didn't call him the "Round Mound of Rebound" for nothing, right? Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, four-time All-Defensive team, two-time MVP, 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year, 2016-17 Most Improved Player, 2021 Finals MVP, 2021 NBA champion. Fantasy. Unsurprisingly, Micahel Jordan comes in as the No. In the NBA Finals with the Knicks, Reed tore a thigh muscle that forced him to miss Game 6 of the series, but he wanted to be on the floor for Game 7. He also averaged at least 12.4 rebounds in every season. -- Tim Bontemps. Boxing. His 11 NBA championships stand alone as the most for a player all time. RB Jim Brown -- Cleveland Browns, 1957-1965 He was called the Kangaroo Kid because of his jumping ability, and though a knee injury cut his career short, he finished it with a 20-10 average, four All-Star appearances and four All-NBA teams. NCAAW. 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). Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, 10-time NBA champion. 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. Julius Erving. But his legacy is so much more than just basketball. 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. -- Bontemps, 1969-75 Milwaukee Bucks; 1975-89 Los Angeles Lakers, No one in NBA history can match Abdul-Jabbar's lengthy list of achievements. The voting pool included 76 players, as there was a tie during the NBA's voting for its 75th Anniversary Team. Hayes missed just nine games over 16 seasons. -- Collier, The jump shot has become an essential part of the NBA -- and especially today's 3-point-happy version of the sport. 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). Stats: 19.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 3.0 APG in 19 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1997-98 to 2015-16). Westbrook also holds the record for consecutive triple-doubles (11 in a row). Kevin Durant vs. Kobe Bryant? To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. The scoring titles. By then, he was better known for his lengthy coaching career. Wilt Chamberlain was considered truly ahead of his time. Accomplishments: Two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1977-78 MVP, 1977 Finals MVP, 1985-86 Sixth Man of the Year, 1976-77 rebounding champ, 1976-77 blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. 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. Tony Parker. 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. Bellarmine Knights. From the five championships to the 81 points against the Raptors and the 60-piece in his sendoff, few to lace them up have had more legendary careers than Bryant. #8: Kobe Bryant is currently third on the all-time scoring list, and 15th in steals. Tony Parker, No. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, five-time MVP, six-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year, 1984-85 Rookie of the Year, 10-time scoring champ, three-time steals champ, six-time NBA champion. -- Lopez, 1995-2007, 2015-16 Minnesota Timberwolves; 2007-13 Boston Celtics; 2013-15 Brooklyn Nets, 17.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.4 BPG, Garnett was the first high school player to go straight to the pros in more than two decades when he was drafted fifth overall by the Timberwolves in 1995, opening the doors for the prep-to-pro pipeline that ensued. Atlantic 10 Championship - 1st Round . ESPN's Malika Andrews and Kendrick Perkins the latter a Celtics alumnus himself dove into all things Boston basketball in a clip produced for the day's focus on the Celtics, getting . Payton would make nine consecutive All-Defensive First Teams and finished fourth in career steals. St. Bonaventure Bonnies. 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). Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, five-time All-Defensive team. She paces the . In the 1980 Finals, his reverse baseline scoop layup against the Lakers became a staple of highlight reels. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, four-time NBA champion. Monroe's game had a modern flair to it, which he honed as a kid on the playgrounds in Philadelphia, and the partnership he formed with Walt Frazier in New York is still one of the best backcourt tandems in NBA history. Stats: 24.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.6 APG in 20 seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (1969-70 to 1974-75) and Los Angeles Lakers (1975-76 to 1988-89); NBA's career leader in total points. NBA. That being said, ESPN recently released their top 74 NBA players of all-time, which has caused many heated debates on social media. He found a way to make seven All-Star teams and gave the Pistons their first taste of success after moving from Fort Wayne to Detroit. 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). Just like Paul Arizin, Maravich was one of the pioneers for making the NBA more renowned. He won Rookie of the Year after Boston made him the No. 1. Why he rose three spots. -- Lopez, 1950-63 Boston Celtics; 1969-70 Cincinnati Royals, Cousy helped define the point guard position with his terrific passing skills. NFL. 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