The 75 Greatest NBA Players of All Time

During the 1997 All Star Weekend, the NBA came out with their list of the greatest 50 players of All Time. I agreed with most of the players they chose, but I feel that some players got ripped off (Dominique Wilkins, Maurice Cheeks, Gary Payton). Ever since then, I have wondered what criteria should be used to determine the greatest players. Is it winning championships, being an All-Star, holding league records or just having a long and successful career?

As suspected, many of the old timers no longer qualify for the top 50 spots since it has been 14 years and younger players have climbed the ranks and taken their place since then. I don't mean to disrespect any of the legends who had previously been voted in, but some of them simply did not belong to begin with. Billy Cunningham and David Bing? Come on! I also thought Shaq was awarded the honor prematurely, but has obviously earned it by now.

In an attempt to measure the great players, I've messed around with formulas that give credit for how long someone played in the NBA, every year they were selected as an All-Star, each championship they earned, each MVP, and for being in the top all time leaders for Points, Rebounds, Blocks, Assists, and Steals.

After compiling my spreadsheet results I still did not agree with some of the rankings because there are just some intangibles that are hard to quantify. Kareem actually came out with the highest total of all players according to my formula. So I have listed my "gut' version of the 75 All time greatest NBA players. The players highlighted in yellow were not listed in the NBA's original top 50 players list.

1. Michael Jordan *
2. Wilt Chamberlain *
3. Bill Russell *
4. Kareem Abdul Jabbar *
5. Magic Johnson *
6. Shaquille O'Neal *
7. Oscar Robertson *
8. Larry Bird *
9. Hakeem Olajuwon *
10. Kobe Bryant *
11. Moses Malone *
12. Julius Erving *
13. Karl Malone *
14. Charles Barkley *
15. Elgin Baylor
16. Elvin Hayes
17. Bob Cousy *
18. John Havlicek
19. John Stockton
20. Bob Pettit*
21. Jerry West
22. Tim Duncan *
23. Lebron James * 
24. David Robinson *
25. Patrick Ewing
26. Dave Cowens *
27. Allen Iverson *
28. Scottie Pippen
29. Wes Unseld *
30. Hal Greer
31. Rick Barry
32. Dirk Nowitzki *
34. George Mikan
34. Kevin Garnett *
35. Clyde Drexler
36. Isiah Thomas
37. Kevin McHale
38. Willis Reed
39. George Gervin
40. Walt Frazier
41. Sam Jones
42. Pete Maravich
43. Bill Walton *
44. James Worthy
45. Lenny Wilkins
46. Dominique Wilkins
47 Alex English
48. Nate Thurmond
49. Robert Parrish
50. Bob Mcadoo *
51. Earl Monroe
52. Nate Archibald
53. Walt Bellamy
54. Jerry Lucas
55. Jason Kidd
56. Gary Payton
57. Dennis Rodman
58. Maurice Cheeks
59. Dwayne Wade
60. Steve Nash *
61. Reggie Miller
62. Alonzo Mourning
63. Dave DeBusschere
64. Paul Arzin
65. Bernard King
65. Dolph Schayes
67. Paul Pierce
67. Dikembe Motumbo
69. Adrian Dantley
70. Ray Allen
71. Kevin Durrant
72. Chris Paul
73. Bill Sharman
74. David Bing
75. Billy Cunningham

I'm sure many people would disagree with some of these rankings. I'd love to discuss any suggestions you might have for this list.

* Named as league MVP at least once.

Nice Recovery

I remember seeing Andrew Bogut mess up his arm really bad in 2010 and I remember thinking how that could have been a career ending injury. Here is the clip. (warning-it is pretty nasty to watch)



I was impressed to see him come back so quickly. Here is a clip of him taking it to Amare who just happened to be the player he injured it against. I love the hard dunk at the end.

The Enforcers

I'd like to review some of the bad boys of the NBA who have reputations for being very physical and tough. Some of these guys may have been known for being cheap hatchet men, others may be known for starting fights and others for never backing down to an opponent. One thing they all have in common was their preference for physical play.

I'd like to differentiate between tough as in gritty, hard working, physical players like Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Kobe, or Rondo as opposed to tough (most likely to have a physical altercation with their opponent). This post is for the men who developed reputations as intimidating enforcers. Here is my list.

Bill Lambier
Rasheed Wallace

Kenyon Martin
Charles Oakley
Karl Malone
Shaquille O'Neal
Ben Wallace
Rick Mahorn
Charles Barkley
Xavier McDaniel
Ron Artest

Dennis Rodman
Maurice Lucas

Some Great Highlights

If you are like me and have been missing your usual fix of NBA highlights, I found a nice clip featuring both recent and classic highlights from years ago. Enjoy.

The Oldest NBA Players

With Shaq recently retiring, it got me thinking of some of the older players in the league. The NBA season can take a toll on an athlete's body so I am always impressed when I see some of the older players still competing.

Here are just some of the guys who extended their careers into their 40's. Kevin Willis 44, Robert Parrish 43, Dikembe Mutombo 42, Kareem  Abdul Jabbar 42, John Stockton 41, and Karl Malone 40. I'm surprised that so many big men were able to hold up for so many years.

Here is a list of last seasons oldest players. It will be intersting to see which ones will be retiring first from this group. Any predictions?

Jason Kidd
Derek Fisher
Marcus Camby
Theo Ratliff
Steve Nash
Juwan Howard
Ben Wallace
Grant Hill
Kurt Thomas

FYI- Andrew Bynum holds the record for being the youngest player to ever play in the NBA.