NBA Rankings: The 64 Greatest Players in the Game's First 64 Years
The NBA is 64 years old and off of one of my favorite Beatles songs, "When I'm 64", I created this list. People have been reading my list stories and wondering how I got my list of the greatest. They think I'm picking my favorites. Wrong.
To get this list I first added career stats of rebounds plus assists plus steals plus blocks plus points minus personal fouls and minus turnovers and then divided that number by career minutes played. I listed the players in whatever order they fell.
THEN I made another list of NBA championships won and Finals series the players had been in and then I listed them in that order.
THEN I added the two ranked lists together and divided by two and this is how they ended up.
These are the 64 greatest layers by stats AND titles won. No bias, just simple arithmetic. Some of the guys' stats saved them even though they had no titles and some of the guys titles saved them even though they didn't have the greatest stats ever.
But...guys like Fisher and Horry and Rodman missed the top 64 because their stats were so low even though they won multiple titles. They were high on the titles list but so far back on the stats charts that when I added the two up they were not there. That's how the math worked people.
The guys who almost made it are:
#70 - Tony Parker
#69 - Grant Hill
#68 - Chris Paul
#67 - Pau Gasol
#66 - Chris Webber
#65 - Chris Mullin
#64 - Paul Pierce - This long time Celtic put up great numbers his whole career and now has the hardware to certifiably make him one of the all-time greats. Still on a roll.
#63 - Dominique Wilkins - 'Nique' was not only fast, but he was powerful and sleek. He could make shots from anywhere, and was especially mesmerizing while dunking. One of the highest scorers ever, but he never won a title. He played in a hella tough era.
#62 - Kevin Johnson - He was basically everything a point guard could be. He could score like crazy, he passed at an extremely high clip and he made it to the 1993 Finals, and remember when he dunked on Olajuwon?
#61 - Dirk Nowitzki - He still has a chance to make it to the Finals, like he did in 2006, but aside from that he has been a consistent and diverse scorer for his entire career, and he's still at it. He is a big man like no other - ever.
#60 - Nate Thurmond - Nate battled guys like Chamberlain and Jabbar his entire career and was maybe even a better defender than both. Chamberlain said Thurmond was the one guy who could stop him; and that just about explains it all. He never won a title.
#59 - Pau Gasol - The Spanish Armada is what I call him. My fellow Spaniard. Montalbo is in Spain you know. This guy is surely the Lakers 2011 MVP and without him there would be no titles for LA in 2009 or 2010. He is an amazing player who gets better every single year.
#58 - Adrian Dantley - I wish AD were playing now so you would know. He was 6'5" 210 pounds of muscle who could score from anywhere but mostly the middle. He got to the line more than anyone and he did it back when there was no retarded hand check rule. He was a tough dude in a tough era.
#57 - Connie Hawkins - He was one smooth dude. Think of T-Mac with an actual desire to win and with a much better shooting touch. Current NBA fans missed out big-time.
#56 - Alonzo Mourning - The Minister of Defense was undersized for a center but he blocked everyone's shots and also scored too. Won a title in 2006.
#55 - Marques Johnson - This old school forward is all but forgotten by current NBA fans. He could do anything on a basketball court. Check him out kids.
#54 - Dwight Howard - He has put up some nice offensive numbers and some amazing defensive numbers and he is still young, so look out.
#53 - Bob Lanier - A dominant big man who is overlooked by today's fans. He rebounded, played defense and scored. In other words he was the perfect center.
#52 - Alvan Adams - Another forgotten basketball mastermind was undersized for a center (6'9") but he made up for it with ingenuity and pure hustle. We need more of them nowadays. Google him children.
#51 - Kevin McHale - One of the best all--around low post threats who accumulated multiple titles along with his buddy Larry Bird. I miss McHale, the player.
#50 - Mark Aguirre - This wide bodied pro was a surprisingly awesome scorer who won two titles in his career. Look it up little ones.
#49 - Walt Bellamy - This guy was a basketball wizard who was the best player in the NBA in his rookie year! He went on to a stellar career.
#48 - Robert Parish - The Chief was a svelte seven footer who played for so many seasons and got so many titles. One of the greatest big men of all-time. Bird and McHale's running mate. Won a title in 1997 too!
#47 - Bobby Jones - The closest player today who exhibits the kind of hustle that Jones always did is: Wait...there is NO player today who hustles like Jones did. He was an NBA champion too; just ask Dr. J.
#46 - Bernard King - One of the most raw talents to ever play in the NBA. This guy could flat out score on anyone. he averaged 32.9 ppg in 1984-85, not to be outdone by a rookie!
#45 - Gary Payton - This NBA champion played defense like no little man ever did and he could score too, and I loved his attitude and emotion. He is so ghetto, just like me.
#44 - Jerry Lucas - He rules the basketball world while in college and then came to the NBA and had one of the greatest careers ever. You think Wilt and Russell were the only players to average over 20 rebounds in a season?
#43 - Steve Nash - Still running along is Nash. Great passer, great scorer. Two time MVP.
#42 - Bill Walton - One of the best passing centers ever and an NBA champion, but what an annoying announcer.
#41 - Scottie Pippen - Never lost in a Finals series. Defensive mastermind and the greatest sidekick ever.
#40 - Paul Westphal - Yessir, Westphal is one of the most accomplished players ever who is an NBA champion and fantastic all-around player. Recognize!
#39 - Alex English - Man this guy could shoot. he could do everything else too, but man this guy could shoot. One of my favorite players of the 80's and so underrated.
#38 - Spencer Haywood - Before he was with the early 80's championship Lakers, he was one of the greatest individual big men to ever play the game.
#37 - Dave Cowens - Underlooked all-time great was a hustler in the best way possible. He was a short center (6'9") who made absolutely no excuses. A terror to play against because he would not give you an inch and he could score too.
#36 - Pete Maravich - The greatest college player ever turned in an awesome NBA career. He scored and passed and dribbled and just played like someone from another planet. Too good.
#35 - Bob Cousy - He created the modern point guard position and his team won titles that Bill Russell gets all the credit for.
#34 - Billy Cunningham - He played in the NBA's golden era and won titles because he did whatever it took to win, whether it be score, pass or play defense.
#33 - Patrick Ewing - He never won a title but turned out one of the greatest carers ever. He is one of the best centers to ever live.
#32 - Nate Archibald - "Tiny' (6'0" 150) came from UTEP and is the only player ever to lead the league in scoring and assists in the same season! He did more than that too, but you must study to find out.
#31 - George Gervin - This guy led the NBA in scoring four times which is only topped by Jordan and Wilt. He never shot under 50% while doing so. Amazing. Cold as ice.
#30 - Kevin Garnett - Probably the most diverse and selfless big-man to ever play the game.
#29 - Dwyane Wade - The Flash, I guarantee, will one day be way higher on this list.
#28 - Bob McAdoo - One of the best scorers and NBA champions ever. At 6'11" he could do it all; and did.
#27 - Elvin Hayes - One of the most forgotten great players ever. He was not flashy but is the PF prototype.
#26 - Allen Iverson - Pound for pound one of the toughest players ever. You think Kobe plays through injuries? Too bad he never won it all. A scoring machine.
#25 - Clyde Drexler - The Glide is so underrated but he did everything on the court and he did it good. He quietly became one of the NBA's all-time elite.
#24 - Rick Barry - An absolute scoring machine who took the Warriors to the 1975 title, almost singlehandedly. The best free throw shooter ever.
#23 - Isiah Thomas - He was tough, smart, a great passer, a great scorer and a great defender and the leader of one of the greatest title teams ever. The 1989 and 1990 Bad Boys.
#22 - Lebron James - I guarantee he will move up this list each and every year. How could he not?
#21 - John Havlicek - He never ever stopped moving and trying to do anything for his team to win. No one plays with that type of tenacity now. NO ONE! He is an eight time champion because he cared about winning more than anything at all. He didn't look cool, he just won and won and won.
#20 - Julius Erving - Dr. J is being slept on by today's fans. I wish he would be cloned so he could school the NBA today.
#19 - David Robinson - The Admiral is one of the greatest centers to ever live. He had power and grace and could score and play defense like hardly anyone ever.
#18 - Bob Pettit - One of the most unstoppable player to ever play in the NBA. Too bad he played so long ago that many people have never heard of him. It's sad. He is so good that in 1958 he led St. Louis to the title OVER Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and the Celtics, almost by himself.
#17 -John Stockton - The most unselfish player ever in the NBA. Also an absolutely great scorer.
#16 - Oscar Robertson - He wanted to and did do everything on an NBA court. He averaged a triple double once.
#15 - Charles Barkley - Too bad he played when he did. He was amazing and way better than today's fans know.
#14 - Jerry West - The NBA logo could score and play defense and..well...he's the logo for a reason.
#13 - Moses Malone - An unstoppable force down low.
#12 - Elgin Baylor - One of the best all-around players ever and it is such a tragedy that he retired from the Lakers early in the season that they would go on to win the title, which would have been his first and only.
#11 - Karl Malone - Only Kareem has scored more total points than this powerhouse who should have won a title. I can't believe he didn't -but he played MJ twice in the Finals and the 2004 Pistons beat him Shaq, GP and Kobe in the finals.
#10 - Kobe Bryant - Prolific scorer who's will to be seen as the best and to win went answered. Basically did live up to the hype.
#9 - Tim Duncan - Four titles with no Finals losses. One of the most fundamental and winning players ever. he never showed off but when you add his personal stats and his championships together he is one of the top ten players ever. Amazing.
#8 - Larry Bird - He could shoot like no one else in the world and his basketball brain was huge.
#7 - Hakeem Olajuwon - Turned out to be one of the best defenders and offensive players of all time. Quietly greater than many of the most hyped players of all time. Olajuwon was the perfect player.
#6 - Magic Johnson - The most enthusiastic player who ever lived. One of the greatest ever, who showed that caring about your teammates is greater than caring about yourself.
#5 - Bill Russell - Eleven time champion who is brought lower on the list because of his stats. He is the biggest winner ever and the best defender ever, His offense was worse though than anyone else in the top 35.
#4 - Shaquille O'Neal - His days of utter dominance shall not be tainted by his current old man status. Shaq dominated and won for a long time.
#3 - Kareem Abdul Jabbar - Kareem is underrated by fans who think other Lakers are greater. They know nothing. A six time champion who was only stopped by age, and even then, barely.
#2 - Wilt Chamberlain - The guy finished first on the statistical list but further down on the titles list. Which do modern fans go by? They go by titles right? It is a good way for them to bring modern players up who can't hang statistically. That is why I created this list - I combined stats plus titles and therefore Chamberlain is the second greatest player of all time.
#1 - Michael Jordan - Highest scoring average in NBA history for regular season AND playoffs. Six title wins in six tries. Six time finals MVP. Five time NBA MVP. Defensive Player of the Year. When I added the two lists up (stats and titles) Michael Jordan indeed did come out on top as the greatest player of all time.
Jordan put it out of reach in basically every way. I am still amazed by MJ, not by choice but by reality.
The NBA - I love this game
