The Top 5 Brooklyn Nets Players in Franchise History

The Brooklyn Nets organization has spanned five decades, amassing two ABA championships. The Nets have retired the jersey numbers of several iconic basketball figures such as Julius Erving, Drazen Petrovic and Jason Kidd. 

Throughout its existence, the franchise has been home to prominent NBA talent. Besides the aforementioned trio, the team was the first stomping ground for Hall of Famer and native New Yorker Bernard King. As a whole, Nets teams over the last several decades have featured elite floor generals, explosive scorers, spectacular shooters and dynamic big men. 

The criteria used to come up with these rankings take into account player importance, accolades and wins. Here are the top five Brooklyn Nets players in franchise history, but before that, let's take a look at those who deserve an honorable mention.  

Honorable Mentions

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John Williamson played roughly five full seasons in a Nets uniform. He was a gifted shooter—back when the NBA had the resemblance of a mid-range game—and had the ball-handling to go with it. The late Williamson, who passed away at the age of 45 in 1996, rose to prominence on a team that was looking for a scoring presence following the departure of Erving.

Although his tenure was marred by injury to start out, Rick Barry was a prolific force on the offensive end of Lou Carnesecca's Nets. Barry led the league in scoring during his two seasons with the club. In his initial season with the Nets, he was bounced from the Eastern Conference playoffs by his former team, the Virginia Squires, and in his last season the Nets lost in the ABA Finals to the Indiana Pacers. 

Richard Jefferson had the best years of his career with the Nets. In seven seasons with the team, he averaged 18 points and helped lead the team to two NBA Finals appearances and six consecutive playoff berths overall. Jefferson's career in New Jersey was hampered by injury; he missed a total of 81 games during his tenure. 

5. Buck Williams (1981-1989)

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Williams, famous for his rebounding ability and goggles, played a large role in the Nets' playoff run through the mid-'80s. Drafted third overall by New Jersey, he is still the team leader in a series of categories including points, rebounds and games played. 

Williams sports career averages of 19 points and 12 rebounds for New Jersey in the playoffs. The Nets retired his No. 52 jersey in April 1999. 

What made Williams so special was that he put up gaudy numbers against some of the best front lines in NBA history, like Robert Parish and Kevin McHale in Boston. Williams wasn't just a rebounder but a defensive force, averaging one block per game during his Nets tenure—something he wasn't recognized nearly enough for early in his career. 

4. Drazen Petrovic (1991-1993)

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Petrovic was a highly successful Croatian basketball player who played several years in Europe before being drafted in the third round of the 1986 NBA draft. A prolific shooter, the Croatian won several FIBA championships and was an Olympic competitor.

After a slow start to his career in Portland, he was traded midway through his second season in the league to New Jersey, where he flourished. With great ball-handling skills to complement his shooting touch, Petrovic became a starter the next two seasons, averaging more than 20 points per game and 45 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

His life was tragically cut short in a car accident in Germany in the summer of 1993. Petrovic's legacy would live on, as several NBA players remembered battling with him and his jersey No. 3 was retired by the Nets following the accident.

"I felt that the whole year that I was with him went by too fast, and I really never got to know him the way I would have liked to," said former coach Chuck Daly, according to DrazenPetrovic.com.

Petrovic was also renowned for his tireless work ethic by the likes of Clyde Drexler and Michael Jordan. He was the leading scorer on the Nets his last two years in the league and averaged 37 minutes per game. 

3. Bernard King (1977-1979, 1992-1993)

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While the marriage only lasted two years, it was still a pretty successful one. King was drafted by the Nets with the seventh pick in the 1977 NBA draft. 

King averaged just about a double-double in his rookie season but only helped the Nets to 24 wins. He also racked up a Nets record, scoring 1,909 points in a single season. The following year, he helped the team increase its win total by 13 games. After being ousted in the first round, New Jersey traded him in the offseason, likely because of continuing substance abuse off the court. 

His impact was small but nonetheless felt in New Jersey. King was as gifted a scorer as anyone in the league at the time. Who knows how his career might have turned out if he was more careful off the court? His best years arguably came on the Nets, where he later returned and retired. 

King was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2013.

2. Jason Kidd (2001-2008)

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Kidd became one of the best point guards of all time and helped the Nets make the playoffs six straight seasons, including two NBA Finals appearances. During his time in New Jersey, he was selected to five All-Star games and average nearly a triple-double for his career. Look at this stat line: 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists per game.

The Nets were Kidd's third stop in his career, as he previously played for the Sun and the Mavericks, who drafted him. It's safe to say that Kidd enjoyed some of the best seasons of his career in New Jersey, but he never won a championship. He finally one that elusive Larry O'Brien Trophy a few years later, with Dallas, in 2010-11. 

Kidd made all-defensive teams nine times, was a 10-time All-Star and had his No. 5 jersey retired by the Nets during a preseason game last season. His importance to the Nets was paramount; he played in 80 games or more four out of the five-and-a-half seasons he was there.

"Those three years with Jason was great. He made me an All-Star. I worked at it, but without him probably wouldn't have been the turnaround and the numbers I had. I owe him a lot," said former teammate Kenyon Martin, per ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk.

He also, for all intents and purposes, was the engine that drove the Nets to the playoffs. Others around him thrived, such as Richard Jefferson, Martin and Kerry Kittles. That's the mark of a great player: consistency and leadership.

1. Julius "Dr. J" Erving (1973-1976)

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Erving was regarded as the best player in the ABA and helped the league come to prominence. Dr. J helped the New York Nets win two championships. He averaged 28 points and 11 rebounds in 254 games. One of the biggest facets of his game was the dunk.

An aerial specialist, Erving threw down dunks from the free-throw line. He is responsible for bringing dunking into the mainstream, as it used to only be a style of play suited for big men. However, he wasn't just about offense. Erving averaged two blocks and two steals for his career.

Later on, in 1976, the ABA merged with the NBA, and Erving's contract was bought by the Philadelphia 76ers after Nets owner Roy Boe reneged on a promise to raise his salary. Erving's Nets tenure, while short-lived, was highly successful. He had the best seasons of his career with the Nets.