The Most Underrated Players in NBA History

1. Bernard King: He may not have won a championship, but why isn't he a Hall of Famer? In fact, why wasn't he one of the NBA's 50 greatest players, or even added to the new list of the NBA's greatest? I have no clue.

King was a great player and an explosive scorer. He suffered a knee injury that set him back two years, but when he came back he still played at an all-NBA Team level.

During his comeback he still made all-NBA teams and all-star teams. He is 22nd all time on the NBA scoring list.  The man should at least be a Hall of Famer.

3. Sam Cassell: You might have heard of him, considering he is the only player on this list that is currently in the league.  Cassell is a proven winner who won NBA championships his first two years in the league.

He was brought into a good situation with Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.  He was a big part in those two championship runs.  Coming off the bench behind Kenny Smith, he brought instant energy and instant scoring, especially in the clutch.

4. Dennis Johnson: R.I.P. to D.J., one the best scoring point guards ever.  Before his days as a Boston Celtic he was a multiple all-star and all-NBA Team player.  He won a championship with the Seattle Supersonics in 1979 and was named the Finals MVP.

Once in Boston, he was out-shined by Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale.  However, the Celtics would never have gotten past the Pistons and Lakers if it weren't for the contributions of Dennis Johnson.

5. Dennis Rodman: Not known for his scoring, he was arguably the best physical rebounder in the mid '80s and the '90s.  Rodman was very physical under the boards and was also a defensive stopper when it came to guarding forwards and centers.

When you hear about the Bad Boy Pistons that won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990, you mainly hear about Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, and Vinny "Microwave" Johnson.  You don't hear much Rodman because he wasn't a scoring threat, but if you know anything about the game, then you know that the Pistons needed him for other reasons.

Let's not forget about his days with the Bulls. He helped the Bulls win 72 games in 1996 and make their way to three championships in '96, '97, and '98.  Rodman averaged 13.1 rebounds for his career.