New 50 Greatest Players in NBA History Presented with NBA 2K12

Brian MaziqueOct 26, 2011

It has been 15 years since the original 50 Greatest Players in NBA History honors were given out by a blue-ribbon panel of media, former players and coaches, current and former general managers and team executives.

Many people criticized the inclusion of Shaquille O'Neal on that list because at that point he was only 24 years old and had been in the league only four years.

Needless to say, that turned out alright.

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Another lightning rod for controversy was the omission of players like Dominique Wilkins. While 'Nique was clearly one of the most exciting and dynamic scorers, the panelists were not enamored enough to include him.

This list was the source of great debate amongst basketball fans and I've taken a peek at it several times since then.

Recently, I decided to compile the new 50 greatest players list. Some of this was based on the formula I created to judge overall value to a franchise.

It was pretty simple to convert this for each player's entire career with all teams.

Of course, I didn't use numbers alone to complete my list. I consider ability as well as their impact on the game.

Next, I decided to put an even more current spin on the list by unveiling it via NBA 2K12, the new virtual basketball simulation for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The game pays homage to legends and Hall of Famers from every era.

It is a basketball and video games fan's paradise and served as my inspiration to do my list in this way.

I will say this, there have been 14 omissions and some shuffling from the original list. I narrate the piece in my best mixtape voice so, you're free to laugh as you are so moved.

Here is the original list, just in case you've forgotten, and the people that made up the voter's panel:

Centers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1969-1989
Wilt Chamberlain, 1959-73
Dave Cowens, 1970-80, 1982-83
Patrick Ewing, 1985-2001
Moses Malone, 1974-95
George Mikan, 1946-54, 1955-56
David Robinson, 1989-2003
Bill Russell, 1956-69
Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002 (forward/center)
Shaquille O'Neal, 1992-2011
Robert Parish, 1976-97
Willis Reed, 1964-74
Nate Thurmond, 1963-77 (forward/center)
Wes Unseld, 1968-81 (forward/center)
Bill Walton, 1974-88

Forwards

Charles Barkley, 1984-2000
Rick Barry, 1965-80
Elgin Baylor, 1958-72
Larry Bird, 1979-92
Dave DeBusschere, 1962-74
Julius Erving, 1971-87
John Havlicek, 1962-78 (forward/guard)
Elvin Hayes, 1968-84
Jerry Lucas, 1963-74 (forward/center)
Karl Malone, 1985-2004
Kevin McHale, 1980-93
Bob Pettit, 1954-65 (forward/center)
Scottie Pippen, 1987-2003
Dolph Schayes, 1948-64 (forward/center)
James Worthy, 1982-94

Guards

Nate Archibald, 1970-84
Paul Arizin, 1950-61 (forward/guard)
Dave Bing, 1966-78
Bob Cousy, 1950-63, 1969-70
Billy Cunningham, 1965-76
Clyde Drexler, 1983-98
Walt Frazier, 1967-80
George Gervin, 1972-86
Hal Greer, 1958-73
Magic Johnson, 1979-91, 1996
Sam Jones, 1957-69
Michael Jordan, 1984-93, 1995-98
Pete Maravich, 1970-80
Earl Monroe, 1967-80
Oscar Robertson, 1960-74
Bill Sharman, 1950-61
John Stockton, 1984-2003
Isiah Thomas, 1981-94
Jerry West, 1960-74
Lenny Wilkens, 1960-75

Here are the people who voted. They were broken down into three categories: players (none active), team executives (coaches, general managers, etc.) and media personnel. They were not allowed to vote for themselves.