The NBAs All-Time 50 Greatest Players

It is early August and an impending lockout has led basketball fans to believe that the NBA season may start late or not be around this upcoming season. For all we know, all of the NBA's best players will soon call Turkey, China or Spain home.

This reality causes me to reflect on the good old North American game of basketball and the one league, the NBA, which has stood the test of time...so far...

The way I chose this list was by naming the top 100 probable players in NBA history and then picking them in order as if it were a draft. I was born in 1975, and I am obviously pretty old. I have seen at least three major eras pass before my eyes: the 1980's (Lakers, Celtics, 76ers), the 1990's (MJ and Olajuwon) and the 2000's (Lakers, Spurs, no college).

Through my life experience and my study habits, I have now materialized a non-biased list of great players. When you saw a little man like Isiah do what he did in the 1980's, it makes the league today seem kind of...well...weak.

The shooters back then were so on target that it was unbelievable. Nowadays, shooting under 50 percent is acceptable. In the 1980's all the big stars (Magic, Kareem, Bird, Olajuwon, both Malones, Stockton, Jordan, Barkley, English, Dantley, Gervin and many more) shot over 50 percent from the field.

All these facts went into this 50 greatest players list.

Oh, by the way, these guys barely missed the cut: (55) Paul Pierce, (54) Marques Johnson, (53) George Mikan, (52) Kevin Johnson and (51) Bernard King.

#50 Adrian Dantley

A 6'5" powerhouse scorer and foul shot maker, he was fouled so much because he took it to the hole hard. His main weakness was probably defense.

#49 Steve Nash

The quick guard may now seem overrated, but in his defense, this is a big man's league. Also, a passer who isn't verbally forceful or a dominant scorer (a la Stockton) has probably never won a ring.

Great career, though.

#48 Alonzo Mourning

One thing I have truly seen fall since the 1980's is defense (and shooting).

Mourning earns his spot here because he could score 20 a night, but the dude was so focused on defense that it was beautiful to watch. Remember the 2006 NBA Finals when Mourning came in and simply dominated on D?

Mourning was, and still is, underappreciated.

#47 Walt Bellamy

Yes, Bellamy truly earns his spot here, despite the fact that millions of NBA fans have never heard of him.

That is precisely why I didn't ask a modern era fan for their list because they are usually so, so, so, so unaware and biased toward the 2000's, which may be the weakest era since the 1970's.

This guy was amazing, and I will make you study him on your own.

#46 Pete Maravich

Pistol Pete was like Jordan and Bird because he was simply born to play basketball, at least on the offensive end. This guy was a hoops genius, and he didn't even have to try hard to be better than most everyone, but he should have tried harder.

#45 Robert Parish

Parish didn't make this list because it is just normal to have him on the list. He played more games than any player ever, and he was way above average until he was over 40 years old.

He played like a true center should: down low with some gritty defense and intelligence.

The Chief!

#44 Bill Walton

He constantly makes top 50 lists, and I cannot stand it.

He annoys me so much, but I picked this list like a draft and believe me, when Walton was at his peak, he was an amazing center, who could pass, score and play defense, and he won a title when I was two years old in 1977.

Just imagine if he had not been so injury prone....and imagine if he had never been a commentator. That would be so awesome.

#43 Gary Payton

Defense is so important in basketball that the people who didn't play much D probably didn't make the list, with the exception of a few.

Payton, on the other hand, was known as the Glove, because he stuck on his man while playing defense, and he won a title in 2006 as a career capper.

#42 Jerry Lucas

Another hugely amazing and awesome player who today's fans know nothing about, which is so sad.

In the picture he is fearlessly defending against Wilt. Lucas was always a fearless player since his college days when he was the most famous basketball player in the USA.

He also grabbed over 20 rebs and 20 points per game in the same NBA season once!

#41 Alex English

It sucks that he is not higher on this list, but the guy who scored more points in the 1980's than ANY other player was always missing something in my opinion.

He was a shooter the likes of which does not exist in the NBA today, because no one now is that precise. He also put up good defensive numbers, but I suppose he lacked a true killer instinct, and he played for the Nuggets and the Mavs (when they sucked).

#40 Dirk Nowitzki

I know many people have him in the top 20 or 15, but that is just because they finally won it, which I am happy about. I am from Texas as it is.

The thing is, despite all his great offense, he was never a great or committed defender and that alone made me pick many more well-rounded players over him.

I truly do love Dirk, but he should be happy forever to be at No. 40.

#39 Spencer Haywood

Yes, Haywood was actually better than Dirk. No he couldn't shoot the three like Dirk, but they didn't have the three when he played.

Overall, he was a much greater defender than Dirk and a great scorer, too. NBA fans of today have probably never heard of him, which is precisely why they will argue to the death that Dirk was better, but they couldn't say such a thing with authority like I am...because they don't really know...do they?

#38 Paul Westphal

Yes, Westphal.

The reason he was so good was not seen necessarily in his numbers, but he encompassed the true essence of the game every night: he hustled, he sacrificed, he played team ball, he played defense and he had no big time weaknesses.

There is no one in the league like him today....except, probably Duncan.

#37 Kevin McHale

He was never that exciting, which it seems many fans nowadays equate with greatness.

They are wrong.

McHale wasn't exceptionally exciting, but he was exceptionally efficient as a scorer down low and as a defender. I personally witnessed many games that McHale saved for the Celtics, even though Bird and Parish were available.

This guy was truly great.

#36 Mark Aguirre

Another overlooked great player by todays fans.

Sad, because if more current NBA players scored and played like Mark, the league would be of higher quality shooting and knowledge of the game.

Study Mark's career and get back to me.

#35 Dave Cowens

"Dave who?" asks a young NBA 2K11 fan. 

Man, this guy played basketball like every single night was his last night on the floor. He was ONLY great because of his desire, willingness to sacrifice his body, desire to play defense and his tenacity after the ball.

Physically, he was way short for the post and he couldn't jump, but he won titles and shut down many many more athletic but less legendary players throughout his career.   

#34 Allen Iverson

Just from personality and attitude alone I did not want him on the list, but he was undeniably one of the most amazing little men to ever play the game, especially as a scorer while injured.

This dude was just nasty for a while, until he was traded to Detroit.

#33 Scottie Pippen

I was there when Pippen was a rookie, and I promise you all—he would not be in the top 50 of all time if he hadn't landed with Jordan.

Why?

I specifically remember Jordan MAKING Pippen play how he wanted him to play, or he would be gone like so many other players. Thing is, Pippen's unusual all-around skills were made great by actually doing what MJ said to do at all time: PLAY HARD!!!

That is the simple difference between a guy who never did a thing and a guy with six rings.

#32 Bob Cousy

Truly, I tell you Cousy would have made it in today's NBA even though he came in at a developmental stage of basketball and the NBA.

He was born to play basketball like Jordan, Bird and Maravich. His genius was greater than Nash's and Pippen's.

Read about him today!!!

#31 Patrick Ewing

A true seven-footer with every skill that a center could ever have in his arsenal.

Not a one man team, though, he truly could have used a few more quality players on his teams over the years. No rings, but he is an Olympic gold medal winner (Dream Team).

#30 George Gervin

So you think Durant or Kobe can shoot? You must have never seen what a truly awesome 50 percent plus CAREER shooter Gervin was.

The difference between today and the 1980's was this guys shooting. No comparison.

#29 Bob McAdoo

Yes, I know, McAdoo is so overlooked and unknown that it is hard for fans today to realize how unstoppable he was, and if he were in his prime in the NBA today, he would easily lead the league in scoring.

You just don't know.

#28 Kevin Garnett

He is now one of the greatest ever because he has a title, and he always played defense and always scored.

Truly, he has always been a phenom since he came straight out of high school and played with a certain uniqueness that no one else had or has.

#27 Elvin Hayes

Hayes was amazing at scoring and amazing at defense and no one really knows him nowadays.

Wow, sad.

Look at this picture and imagine what he would do to todays league. He'd win another title for sure.

#26 Dwyane Wade

Yes, the Heat lost but Wade did a lot in the series. He's done much in his career, and it will be hard to see it all until he retires.

#25 Nate Archibald

Only player EVER to lead the NBA in assists and scoring in the same season. There's so much more, but I will let you study it.

#24 Clyde Drexler

It kind of sucks how Drexler is seen by todays fans. I guess you had to watch the NBA night after night for years and years to truly remember how great of a player he was.

He is a great person, too.

#23 LeBron James

He has not won a title, but he's only 26. He will either stay around this spot or shoot way, way up the list if he wins one.

#22 John Stockton

He was the perfect point guard, but he had to deal with MJ, and so no title. He is a Olympic gold medal winner, though.

NBAs all-time assist leader.

#21 Julius Erving

He was an innovator and a scorer and a defender and a winner. He had an amazing and great career, which shows you just how good the top 20 are!

#20 David Robinson

He had an amazing basketball body, and he did everything he could with it for as long as he was in the league.

Truly an NBA legend.

#19 Karl Malone

He was almost a perfect player. His main problem was decision making skills in clutch moments. Other than that, Malone was an unstoppable and fun force to watch.

#18 Charles Barkley

Unless you saw his career like I did, you probably will never know how amazing Barkley was as a player. He was really too great to explain here.  

#17 (tie) Rick Barry

Another shooter like no one sees today.

He was good at every facet of the game. He won a title the year I was born 1975!

#17 (tie) Elgin Baylor

He was an all-around great who once averaged over 38 point per game for a season. He retired right before his team won the title, but he is the greatest player ever with no title.

#16 Kobe Bryant

In my opinion, Kobe Bryant is stuck at spot 16. After being swept by the Mavs, much light was shed on the guy they tried to compare with MJ. At age 33, Kobe is playing old, and when MJ was 33, he took his team to 72-10 and led the NBA in scoring and was the NBA MVP, All-Star MVP and Finals MVP.

I am actually glad that it is all over now. We ALL know he will never be as good as MJ. That was an impossible dream from the beginning.

Kobe secures his spot at 16, because I personally would never pick him over any of these top 15 guys left. Sorry to those of you who think he is greater than this, but I have watched the NBA for 30 straight years in a row, and he truly is actually no higher than 16.

Let's get real here. He shot 45 percent for his career.

#15 Tim Duncan

When it comes to the fundamentals of high percentage shooting, awesome defense and team spirit, I would start my team with Duncan over Bryant 100 out of 100 times.

He's not really exciting as a player but an unstoppable force regardless. The essence of his playing style is purely and simply BASKETBALL at its best.

#14 Bob Pettit

Before you start to hate, realize how little you know about the man who interrupted the Celtics dynasty almost singlehandedly and the guy who had virtually no weakness whatsoever.

Truly, Pettit would be an NBA All-Star and possible NBA MVP if he played today with his style and shooting back then. Truly the most underrated NBA player ever. This guy was always amazing.

#13 Isiah Thomas

He is still hated across the country, but believe me, if you would of seen this dude play you would see why he is at this spot.

He was the first player to pass for over 1,000 assists in a season, and he could score 24 points in a quarter in the playoffs while injured.

He played defense with a toughness unseen today and was smart, quick, fast, intelligent, wily and absolutely difficult to contain or stop or deal with.

Believe me, if you hate on Thomas being here you need to get rid of the bias and deal with reality.

#12 Jerry West

West would be a great in today's game.

I do not like him, but after studying his career for the last 15 years, I have come to realize just how great he was. West did everything well and played defense like a madman.

His shooting skills were greater than Bryant's, and he could run the show better with no selfishness involved. A true NBA pro—a.k.a. the freakin LOGO!!!

#11 Oscar Robertson

Triple double for an entire season and almost his entire career. This guy was just straight SICK!

#10 Moses Malone

It's funny how people try to make other players seem better than Moses on these lists. The fact is, there is no current NBA player better than Moses Malone was.

He was everything to his team, especially winning. It would take a whole book to explain how great Moses was, so you should go learn on your own time.

#9 Bill Russell

Eleven rings—no great offense but greatest defender ever. His offense is not as good as his defense.

#8 Shaquille O'Neal

I hate how people try and degrade Shaq (never in his face).

Truthfully, he is one of the most dominant and unstoppable forces of all-time who had no weaknesses except free throw shooting.

Three-time Finals MVP while playing with Bryant says a whole lot to me as to how great this dude truly was. So long Shaq, and thanks for the powerful and sometimes scary memories.

#7 John Havlicek

Havlicek never stopped moving and never stopped shooting and never stopped passing and never stopped rebounding and never stopped being clutch and never stopped until he won EIGHT championships.

Havlicek will always be underrated because he was soft spoken. On the court, if you got lazy, he would fu@# your basketball life up.

#6 Hakeem Olajuwon

The Dream was one of the most complete players of all time.

It was amazing what Olajuwon did, especially since he was 6'10". He moved like no other center ever. He shot over 50 percent every season (except when really old). His defense was astonishing and he could pass and steal the ball. He even won two titles when MJ was retired.

That's why he is at this spot.

#5 Larry Bird

This guy was born to play basketball.

He had an innate ability to see the game from many angles and his shooting ability would shame Ray Allen, Kobe, Reggie Miller and basically anyone else.

Bird did everything.

For being 6'9", he played like a point guard, and his anticipation was radical. If you never got to see Bird play, it is like missing the entire heart and soul of the NBA.  

#4 Magic Johnson

The most amazing point guard of all time, he played all five positions and setup his teammates in a fun and exciting and efficient way.

He could also shoot, and he was an infectious person. His defense compared to the top three was kind of crappy. Other than that, he was perfect.

#3 Kareem Abdul Jabbar

He was a quiet person, but for over 20 seasons straight, he was unstoppable.

At 7'2", he was way tall and his defense was great, and so was his offense. He was a great passer and team player. He also won six titles. Without him, his teams (Bucks/Lakers) would probably have zero.

#2 Wilt Chamberlain

Unbelievable player who did everything well, except for one thing: free throw shooting. Because of a 50 percent career from the line, there is no way he can be the greatest ever.

From 15 feet away, he couldn't shoot. That is the only factor that separates No. 1 from No. 2. You can't be the greatest player of all time and not be able to hit your free throws.

Other than that he was astonishing while averaging 50 points per game and 27 rebounds per game. He probably averaged eight blocks a game, too, but they didn't keep the stat back then.

Wilt also has the greatest individual game ever when he scored 100 points by himself!!!

#1 Michael Jordan

The most perfect player of all time, he went 6-for-6 in the Finals with six Finals MVP's. He earned 10 scoring titles, which is absolutely unfathomable, but he was also a defensive mastermind who won a defensive player of the year IN THE SAME SEASON as winning a scoring title.

He was so good he literally embarassed the league. Even when he was 40, he averaged 20 and scored over 40 in a few games. Shoot, when he was 38 he scored 51 on the Nets.

This guy truly is the greatest player ever and anyone who says any different is obviously a foolish person. His personality now sucks, but that isn't what this list is about.

Jordan will always rule.