The Ten Most Exciting Players The NBA Has Ever Seen
Who were the masters of the jaw dropping, talked about three days afterward, better call a timeout to settle down their fans kind of play? Which players brought in fans because they just had to see them play?
Who are the most exciting players the NBA has ever seen?
Honorable Mention:
1 of 11
Earl Monroe
When you have three different nicknames, and those nicknames are "The Pearl," "Magic," and "Black Jesus," there is a pretty good chance people enjoyed watching you. I mean, it’s not like people were calling him “Big Baby,” they were nicknaming him after: A: a rare treasure, B: someone with supernatural abilities, and C: a messiah! Just his nicknames alone show how exciting his game was to people.
He was the master of the spin and the hesitation. He had smooth changes of direction that just embarrassed defenders. He was a highlight machine in an era when highlights weren’t shown every night. He was an idol to generations of ballers from all walks of life. Just listening to old timers passing along Black Jesus stories is exciting. Unfortunately, secondhand stories are all we have to appreciate the best of The Pearl’s highlights, and that has hurt him historically.
Most exciting aspect of his game:
His unbelievable spin moves.
#10
2 of 11
Elgin Baylor
They called him "The Godfather of Hang Time" but he would just mutter, "I didn't hang in the air any longer than anybody else; that's impossible. I just shot it on the way down."
Regardless of the physics, Baylor was a true pioneer. Nobody had seen anything quite like him. Others had dunked before, but nobody used the vertical game to their advantage like Baylor. We've seen so many great jumpers that it's hard to remember what a shock it had to have been in the late '50s. Back then, many players didn't even jump when they took shots.
Along came Baylor, and it all changed. He didn't have a huge vertical, but he had a way of using his body to block off defenders in the air and make it seem like he was hanging there, like he turned off gravity for a moment until everyone else had come back to earth.
When you watch Elgin Baylor tapes, it doesn't really seem all that exciting.
For people watching Baylor with fresh eyes in 1958, it was a sensation.
Most Exciting Aspect of His Game
The way he used his apparent hang time to create space.
#09
3 of 11
Shawn Kemp
You could make a legitimate argument for Kemp as the greatest dunker of all time.
He ran the floor and played above the rim unlike any big man to that point besides perhaps Barkley and Tom Chambers. Like Dominique, he didn’t do anything revolutionary, but he finished with such flair that he could shift a game’s momentum with one play.
He played the role of the finisher on the most prolific alley oop team that the NBA has ever seen. Kemp didn’t have the longevity or career impact that others on the list enjoyed, but in his short prime he was a force of nature that was fun to watch.
Most Exciting Aspect of His Game:
His powerful dunks.
#08
4 of 11
Allen Iverson
I’m taking some liberties here because Iverson may very well play in the NBA this year …but he is not on an NBA roster, and thus he’s eligible for the list.
Think what you want of Iverson the person, but as a player he was incredibly fun to watch. Seeing him zip in and out of a lane stuffed with taller defenders and then gracefully lay it in never got old. His crossover was just disgusting, (even if that Michael Jordan play has been vastly overrated) and his quickness and tenacity was freakish.
He was / is a warrior.
He bounced around the lane like a pinball, and when he would get knocked over he would just pull himself right back up. He never needed a wheelchair or teammates to carry him off the court, he was just a ferocious competitor, and it was fun to watch.
As a player, his size may have been a hindrance, but in highlights it’s amazing to behold.
Most Exciting Aspect of His Game
His jitterbug scampers to the rim.
#07
5 of 11
Bob Cousy
Cousy doesn’t get as much love as he should. Keep in mind that his no looks and behind the back passes were absolutely cutting edge stuff back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. He really did revolutionize the guard position and brought in a whole new, “Hey, maybe this basketball sport might be fun to watch” excitement.
Some of his highlight plays are still impressive to watch (which is saying more than you think considering we live in a post And 1 Tour world that is routinely flooded with flashy young point guards). He was a prototype for countless hall of famers (Magic, Maravich, and Steve Nash to name a few) and a true champion.
The “Bob Cousy couldn’t play in today’s NBA" sentiment has been ongoing since the late ‘70s, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that The Houdini of the Hardwood was a trendsetter and a fan favorite in his day.
Most Exciting Aspect of His Game
His flashy passes
#06
6 of 11
Pete Maravich
Like Earl Monroe, Maravich has a grass roots, loyal legion of fans who still whisper stories about him. They’re stories full of outlandish tall tale flair, things like: The Pistol throwing a full court pass behind his back to a teammate in stride, how he got kicked out of a movie theater because he wanted to practice his mesmerizing dribbling during a film, and how he obliterated college records with his legendary jumper. Like Monroe, he played in an era when the NBA was not as visible, and some of his best plays have been lost to posterity.
If you have ever watched Maravich on tape, you realize how unique a player he was. It’s hard to compare what he could do with a basketball to a modern player. (The closest example? Ricky Rubio, but only if he had a world class jumpshot and even better court vision).
He wasn’t just some streetball sideshow, he was an effective performer who could add polish to simple plays while still being incredibly effective. Maravich never won much, and that has hurt him historically, but to be fair, it’s important to remember he spent the majority of his career toiling away on untalented basement contenders.
Most Exciting Aspect of His Game
His misdirection passes.
#05
7 of 11
Dominique Wilkins
Nique wasn’t the first.
He wasn’t the first one to shock the crowd with his gravity defying play (that was Baylor), he wasn’t the first to excite the nation with his dunks, (that was Dr. J), and he wasn’t the first high scoring, no defense small forward (they were all over the place in the ‘80s).
But man, was he fun to watch.
He was perhaps the best in traffic dunker the game has ever seen. He could jump off two feet, bring the ball up to dunk, get bumped by a defender, bring the ball back down, and then slam the ball through so violently that the defender would get knocked over. What he did wasn’t exactly new, but he put his own stamp on the dunk and was incredibly memorable.
Most Exciting Aspect of His Game
His dunks in traffic, on people.
#04
8 of 11
Larry Bird
Hard to believe that a slow, unathletic, self described hick, who sported a Spencer Pratt style blonde ‘stache could be one of the most entertaining athletes in sports history.
Right from the start though, Bird put perceptions aside and people in the stands.
His amazing court vision, clutch shooting, and pithy one liners made him an absolute must follow. I still hear people saying things like: “Did you see that time he shot it from behind the backboard,” or “What about that pass where he was just dribbling along and then batted it on the money to McHale?”
He may have been slow, and he may have had some Joe Dirt style facial hair, but he had a surprisingly electric game.
Most Exciting Aspect of his Game:
His he-must-have-eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head passing
#03
9 of 11
Magic Johnson
Magic was the maestro of “Showtime” and the master of the fast break. He wasn’t an athletic specimen, but his decision making and court awareness made him a highlight factory. He was a born showman, and was the first point guard since Cousy to remind people that you can win championships AND put on a show for fans.
Nobody ran a fast break quite like Magic, and you could always count on him making a pass that seemed impossible. He and Bird were so exciting that they ushered in a new Renaissance of NBA popularity.
What separates him from other guards is the fact that he did it night in and night out while winning games.
Most Exciting Aspect of His Game:
His unmatched fast break, no look passes.
#02
10 of 11
Dr. J
Doc had huge hands.
When he cupped the ball it looked like he was holding an apple. (Can you imagine if he was a real doctor and he walked around the hospital palming babies like he palmed basketballs, freaking all the parents out? Okay, I’m done.) Watch any Dr. J highlight and you can see how he used those monstrosities of human appendages to great effect.
In our modern era it’s really hard to get our head around what the doctor meant to America and the NBA in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. He wasn’t just some dude with a big afro who could dunk the ball. He was a charismatic, well spoken showman who made the coked out, too black (that was the unfair perception) NBA fun to watch again. He was a street legend, and a corporate friendly spokesman.
He was just cool.
When he played at a park fans flocked from blocks around to see what he might do. When he played for the 76ers, the Spectrum was a rowdy Mecca of pro hoops excitement. He redefined the dunk as a weapon, and for better or worse, ushered in a new dunking is hip era.
Like one typically corny ‘70s headline would say, “Julius will operate on your nerves and deliver the excitement.” Sounds like he deserves his place on the list.
Most Exciting Aspect of his Game:
Cupping the ball like a softball, waving it around, then dunking it with grace
#01
11 of 11
Michael Jordan
Does anyone have more SportsCenter highlight reels still run about them from plays that happened 20 years ago? Seriously, it’s shameless how they use obscure excuses to run a five minute tribute to His Airness. During his hall of fame induction week, ESPN showed more MJ highlights than the Discovery Channel shows Great Whites chewing seals during Shark Week.
Why is this?
Because MJ had an amazingly fan friendly game.
He may not have dunked with the ferocity of Nique or Kemp, nor did he have the devastating Iversonian cross over, but his in-air body control was unmatched. Everyone has seen Jordan clips where he takes off from a distance, seemingly changes direction in midair, avoids several defenders, and then lays it in on the opposite side of the rim. There have been dunkers who are on or near his level: Nique, Kemp, Drexler, one or maybe even two modern players in their prime, but nobody was a better or more creative finisher.
That the NBA's best player was also it's most exciting shows one of the main reason why pro basketball's popularity soared to still unmatched during Jordan's regime.
Most Exciting Aspect of His Game
Hanging in the air, twisting, dodging, and then laying it in.
