A guy this young isnt supposed to have so many accolades on his, , especially after he entered the league as such a project. ZF, Dr. J was everyones Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan. 11 championships in 13 seasons in the NBA and a five-time Most Valuable Player despite never averaging 20 points per game.
He was overshadowed by Duncan, whose numbers are slightly better, but Garnett was by far the more fun player to watch. The Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debatewill never cease, but the fact that LeBronhas already made it to this level is pretty damn amazing. AC, Zekes legacy has been somewhattarnished over the yearsby the opinions of his peers and the off-the-court issues he brought on himself while in theKnicks front office. Oscar Robertson once asked.
44 games into his career Robertson was already the all-time triple-double leader. Few guys in the league have everaffected the game in all facets like Antetokounmpo does, even if that 3-point shot forever remains a work in progress. But just because Baylor technically never won a title in his 14 years with the Lakers, two of which he spent in Minneapolis, dont let that cloud how incredible of an offensive force he was and GOAT candidate during the leagues early days. From the first dribble he took in an NBA game up until now, hes done nothing but live up to the massive hype that was placed on his shoulders coming out of high school in Akron, Ohio. He helped revolutionize the power forward position even more so than Tim Duncan did (hes a center!
Micah Adams is an Assistant Managing Editor at The Sporting News.
The moments he delivered in South Beach will live in basketball infamy. His 170 triple-doubles during the decade are over 100 more than anyone else and in January of his rookie season passed Tom Gola for the most in NBA history. For this list, he lands at No. The Comet Copyright 2022 FLEX WordPress Theme by SNO Log in. The most by any player in a game this season is 25. (LogOut/ 6 or 7, and Nate Thurmond, who was the best defensive center other than Russell. You could go on and on with former and current NBA stars talking about why Iverson was so great and means so much to them. He earned just about every individual honor a superstar can earn, most especially six MVPs (one more than Russell and Jordan) and hes still the only player in league history to win an MVP despite his team not making the playoffs. Hell then pull-upfrom halfcourt and make it 43.5 percent of the time. I could add to that players such as Elgin Baylor and Bob Pettit that averaged more than 30ppg. F: John Havlicek Though far more known for his exploits as a Celtic in the 70s following the retirement of Russell, Havlicek was arguably the best perimeter defender of the 60s. But Malones accolades compare quite favorably. They couldnt guard him. An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Jordan may be the GOAT, and the league most definitely altered some of its laws in his wake,but MJnever altered the rule book the way Chamberlain did. G: Lenny Wilkens One of four players inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and coach, Wilkens was among the best point guards of the 60s during which time he made six All-Star teams. Copyright 2022 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Everyone else did it four times combined. Youre not supposed to win NBA Finals MVP awards 14 years apart, but Abdul-Jabbar did. 8. 9. This section of the list includes a lot of legendary big men from NBA history, but Dirk ultimately lands at No. and almost 20rpg. We all know Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and at least a handful of other stars can mess around and get a triple-double practically whenever they want. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Join our linker program.
Jordan dominated in the 90s, stopping many legends from getting rings such as Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and many more. The GOAT, no question. Though more known as a force in the 50s as a two-time MVP and leader of the only team to beat Russell in the Finals, the Hawks legend retired in 1965 as the NBA's all-time leading scorer before being passes by Chamberlain. In 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain was averaging 50.4ppg., the highest ever; Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double for the whole season with 30.8ppg, 12.5rpg, and 11.4apg. Point guards werent supposed to be 65 scoring machines that could get a bucket from anywhere on the court like The Big O could. ZO, The Shaq of point guards. While the Diesel collapsed defenses, Steph expands them, taking the 3-point philosophy of Mike DAntoni and turning it up a couple notches. Were cool with what we came up with knowing the next time we update it Kevin Durant couldsneakinto the top 10. But as great as he was in the regular-season, West shined in the playoffs. This might shock you: Elgin Baylor. He did things which at the time were simply unheard of. Nor were they expected to rip down double-digit boards on a nightly basis. He played all five positions in the game and led the Lakers to their first title in nearly a decade. During the 70s the leagues talent increased, as did the players skills. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. Ervings career numbers are just as impressive as his plays. LeBrons book isnt finished yet and he could add a few more titles along the way, but lets not also ignore everything hes done over his career off the court. He is, without a doubt, thegreatest shooter of all timeafter becomingthe careerleader in made 3-pointers. I would say something to him and he would stare. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. He helped the Sixers make the Finals during his first season in the modern NBA, but lost to Bill Waltons Blazers in six games. All you really need to know is that Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest center and its not even a debate. Rushmore hill because nobody changed the game like Wilt the Stilt did. Tackling the Biggest Head-to-Head Sports Debates. Just look at the accolades. This week on NBA.com, we're dedicating a different day to take a closer look at each decade in league history. Tim Duncan, the best rebounder the games seen since Moses Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, finished 9,000 boards behind Chamberlain despite playing five more seasons than the legendary lothario. His signature play of tapping the ball to a teammate helped him invent the fast break. AC, As someone who has LeBron James as No.
AVERAGED over 50 points per game during the 1961-62 season and somehow didn't win the MVP, finishing a distant second to Russell. The three-time MVP and 1983 Finals MVP was a 13-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA selection, member of the NBAs 75th anniversary team, and a rebounding machine practically unrivaled during the 70s and 80s. But never forget what the GOAT, Michael Jeffrey Jordan, told us in the documentary: Everybody said I won all these championships, but I didnt win without Scottie Pippen and thats why I considered him my best teammate of all time. If ya dont know, now ya knowwwww.Pippens numbers will likely never wow you because he wasnt the scorer Jordan was. ONeal was physically and statistically unlike any center the NBA has seen. And though Wade played for the Bulls and Cavs later in his career, hell always be rememberedas a member of theHeat. Do you have a blog? Praise or pillar the selections as you see fit. Chamberlain holds the record for most points in a single game with 100; he also won two championships and averaged 50 points for a whole season. I personally think its disrespectful to leave Kobe Bean Bryant out ofthe top five of any all time list. He may not have won a ring until the 1970s but West was always in the mix. Even more impressive for the context of Olajuwonscareer is that he did all of this while big men ran the NBA (outside of Michael Jordan). Im going to break down every decades best player starting in the 1960s since that is as far as our accurate data goes. A member of the leagues 75thanniversary team, he long agoreached a different plane of basketballgreatness that only himself and Jordan occupy. To this day that is still one of the most amazing individual performances on a basketball court that Ive ever seen. H2H 160: Peter Bondra vs. Milan Hejduk Who was Better? (LogOut/ Like Magic Johnson before him, Garnett raised the bar as to what a man of his sizecould do on the court. His first two seasons he led the league with over 27 rebounds per game. And lets be honest, youre being naive if you dont think he has a chance to take the No. Above all of that impact, Dirks numbers and accoladesback up his spot on this list. AC, Bostons had more than its fair share of Hall of Famers roll through the old Boston Garden, but nobody was as lethal a scorer or as clutch at the end of games like Larry Legend. Hal Greer: a 9x All-Star and 7x All-NBA selection in the 1960s, Greer was a dynamic all-around player who posted averages of 21+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 4+ assists per game for the decade while helping lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a title in 1966-1967. Nobody could.AC, The Admiral. Who do I think was the greatest? Magic simply changed the game of basketball when he burst onto the NBA scene out of Michigan State in 1979. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. But among Nos. Blocks and steals werent tallied back then, but there are researchers that claim Russell averaged anywhere between 8-12 blocks per game. He has the two Defensive Player of the Years, the two Finals MVPs, hes put a franchise on his back en route to an NBA title, he made the NBAs 75thanniversary team, and hes pretty much won his entire career. Abdul-Jabbar wasnt physically dominant the way Wilt or Shaquille ONeal was, but his fluidity was something special for someone of his gargantuan size.
Agree/Disagree? I wasnt sure if he was paying attentionfinally I realize he understood everything I was saying. Instead, the politicking and petty attacks on each others basketball intelligence got really heated, over multiple Zoom calls and text threads, when we tried to properly rank Shaq and Kobe and a bunch of point guards toward the bottom of our30 Best NBA Players of All Time list. G: Guy Rodgers Another of Wilt's running mates, Rodgers was a prolific set-up man who ranked second in assists for the decade behind only Robertson. And I didnt even mention how magical he was during the 2011 NBA Finals when his Mavs upset LeBron James and theHeat. as a rookie. His college career is practically unmatched, but since were talking professional basketball here know that he was the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell to win an MVP between 1960 and 68. 4 overall and for good reason. Hes an enigma in some ways. and 19.0rpg. AC, Way more than just a sidekick to you know who, Scottie Pippens greatness is sadly taken for granted by many, including those who saw it with their own two eyes along with the ones basing their assessments solely on what they saw in The Last Dance. Russell led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, and he captained the gold-medal winning U.S. national, Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "The Big O", is an American retired professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. Thats a league MVP award, but I dont think we should knock him for that if thats missing from his rsum when he ultimately retires. Ever. The greatest champion in the history of the sport. Its guaranteed to get hardcore basketball fans in their feelings and, in our humble opinion, do a much better job than some of those other rankings floating around the interwebs that shall remain nameless. Sure, his game has holes, and Bucks haters will say their run to the title wasnt the hardest. C: Bob Pettit Prior to the arrival of Russell, Chamberlain, Robertson and West, you could make the case that Pettit was the most decorated player in league history. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Johnson primarily played point guard but with his length and height he could play any position on the floor and thats why he was so great. And no soulwill ever approach his 23,924 career rebounds. Like Kareems skyhook, Bills knack for keeping balls in play after a block is a lost art as players would rather swat it into the stands and flex on their opponent instead of making the right play. Its the playoff excellence that helps elevate Duncan above the more physically and athletically gifted contemporary power forwards like Karl Malone and Kevin Garnett. 17 because of the way he changed the game. Hesone of the best big men ever. 3 during his career. Ranking the top ten players og the 1960s was not an easy task; how do you rank Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West (the NBAs logo figure)? A Dream Team member andtwo-time gold medal winner who was skilled enough to be considered one of the 50 greatestby the NBA in 1996,andone of the 75 greatest players ever in 2021, Pippen did so much more than his averages indicated (16.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 5.2 APG).
