NBA All Time Top 100 Players 75-51
- Jordan Ennis
- Jul 25, 2020
- 21 min read
In the first part of this I explained my 10 Position formula, it’s not super important but it will maybe come up a few times. I also explained that ABA/BAA/NBL stats all count towards a players career totals but that I still account for era. I also explained this list takes into account a players historical impact not just their ability. With that out of the way let’s begin.
75- Pau Gasol
7’0 Combo Big Grizzlies, Lakers (Bulls, Spurs, Bucks)
2x Champion, 6x All Star, 4x All NBA, ROY
Career Stats: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Prime Stats: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Pau was was just flat out better than his stats say. 4 assists isn’t enough to describe his hockey assists. 10 rebounds a game isn’t enough to describe his knack for getting the important ones. 19 points isn’t enough to show how he sacrificed touches playing next to the second most selfish superstar of all time. 6 All Stars don’t take into account he was a Power Forward in the 00s Western Conference. 4 All NBA teams forget that he was up against Dirk, Duncan, LeBron, Melo, KG, Pierce, KD, and the list goes on. No, Pau was never the best player in the league. No, Pau wasn’t the best player on a championship contender— he might have been the best in a finals though— but he honestly single handily saved Kobe’s legacy. Pau was a Side Kick but he was much more Robin than Aqualad. Pau was someone I wanted on my teams.
74- Tony Parker
6’2 Pure Point Spurs (Hornets)
4x Champion, FMVP, 6x All Star, 4x All NBA.
Career Stats: 16 points, 3 Rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal.
Prime Stats: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal.
The Parisian Torpedo was lightning quick. He had probably the greatest acrobatic display of layups ever (this is probably bias but I’m going with it.) He was a winner, a leader, and an entertainer. Parker was the prototype drive and dish point guard. Yes, his finals MVP is kinda stolen from Duncan, yes he wasn’t as willing of a passer as he should have been. But, TP was energy exploding into a basketball. Words aren’t enough to explain how he changed the league. Dirk and Pau get a lot of credit for bringing the European game to the NBA, and rightly so, but Parker played a huge role in that as well. The sad thing about his per game stats and his career accolades is the fact he was on a super team. Parker only tops 34 minuets once. He sacrificed to win and to be laser focused on perfecting his role in the offense. Duncan was the heart and sole of the Spurs, Manu was the brain, Parker was the Bugatti that sped them to victory.
73- Neil Johnston
6’8 Hall of Fame Pivot Warriors.
Champion, 6x All Star, 5x All NBA, 3x Scoring Title, Rebounding Title, 3 Time FG% leader, 2x Minuets Leader.
Career Stats: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists.
Prime Stats: 22 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists.
After a failed career as a minor league pitcher Ol’ Hoss tried out for the Warriors training camp. He had a decent rookie year playing 15 minutes a game. Then Paul Arizin had to miss time due to his commitment to the Marines (yes both Warriors forwards at the time were Marines) and Johnston exploded. He used his one handed shot, underhanded free throws, and his sweeping hook shot to become the best center between Mikan and Russell. He won a championship and was probably the best player in the league for a while, he would have multiple MVPs if they gave out the award back then. However a knee injury derailed his career ending it before he turned 30. A short prime for Johnston meant we were robbed from an all time great who would have maybe made the 60s Pivot position even better.
72- Robert Parish
7’1 Hall of Fame Pivot Celtics (Warriors, Hornets, Bulls)
4x Champion, 9x All Star, 2x All NBA, 50th anniversary team,
Career Stats: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Prime Stats: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
There is longevity, and then there is a guy who played over 100 more games than John Stockton. The Chief just decided he wasn’t going to retire. Ever. He averaged over 14.9 points for 13 straight seasons. He never was the best, or second best player on his team but he just never, ever quit. Being a part of Boston’s original (and better, yes better) Big 3 he was a silent stoic leader who honestly benefited from Birds passing and allowed McHale to thrive by not demanding touches. His Mid-Range high arching (and I mean high arching, seriously that’s too high for some gyms) mid range shot was deadly. He was a great role player and honestly I feel like him and Pau are similar to each other in both role and impact. Slim started his career playing against Bob Lanier, Wes Unseld, and Dave Cowens; he ended his career against Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace, Jermaine O’Neil.
71- Pete Maravich
6’5 Hall of Fame Combo Guard Jazz, Hawks (Celtics)
5x All Star, 4x All NBA, Scoring Title, 50th Anniversary Team.
Career Stats: 24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal.
Prime Stats: 27 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals.
Pistol started out playing for the Hawks as the second option behind Hall of Fame snub Lou Hudson. Paired with a ball dominant guard in Walt Hazard and 2 slow down bigs in Walt Bellamy and Bill Bridges. He averaged 23 points per game but his style clashed with the team. Injuries hindered him in his sophomore year to only 66 games and under 20 points, the team barely made the playoffs. However Pistol went off demanding to take charge and though the Hawks were eliminated his 28 points in that series let them hang with the veteran Celtics squad. Pistol Pete had arrived in the NBA. For the next few years he had success in Atlanta but team success evaded the All NBA guard. It was at this point the New Orleans Jazz (See that makes sense Utah does not) traded their entire future for Maravich. Pistol started playing extremely well but his team left a lot to be desired. Also his body again began to betray him. In his 10 year career Maravich played 75 games 4 times. The Jazz again tried to swing for a home run and traded half their team and a pick (It would be Magic Johnson) for a Shooting Guard that also had knee problems, Gail Goodrich. This was a nail in the coffin. The Jazz then traded Truck Robinson for picks and later waved pistol who spent a few games as a backup on the Celtics. One has to wonder if the wizardry of Pistol could have ended up differently. In his Atlanta days Dr J tried to sign with the team, a move the league blocked because he had been drafted by Kareem’s Milwaukee Bucks. In New Orleans he never had any quality teammates in years he wasn’t injured. Pistol isn’t the perpetual looser people claim he was, he was a generational Combo Guard who could have changed the world but his body, and his teammates let him down.
70- Nate Thurmond
6’11 Hall of Fame Combo Big Warriors, (Cavs, Bulls)
7x All Star, 5x All NBA, 50th Anniversary Team.
Career Stats: 15 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks.
Prime Stats: 21 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists.
First off Thurmond was considered one of the best defensive big men of his era. He definitely suffered from not having the DPOY award in this career and probably would have 9 more all defensive teams if they had those in his prime. A big man known for being able to score inside and shoot from the mid range and out, he was an incredible rebounder (18 rebounds in one quarter) and a ferocious shot blocker (he had the first quadruple double officially recorded) after the Warriors traded Wilt Chamberlain Thurmond became their big man and he proved he belonged hanging with Wilt and Kareem and paired nicely with Rick Barry. Thurmond wasn’t flashy he just played his role to perfection. Kareem said Nate The Great was the best defender he ever played against (it’s worth noting that as soon as Kareem was drafted Russell retired). Walt Hazard said of him “I’ve seen people get offensive rebounds then go back 15 feet” because they were afraid of Thurmond’s rim protection. He was an all around big who didn’t get the team success his game deserved.
69- Bill Sharman
6’1 Hall of Fame Off Guard Celtics. (Washington)
4x Champion, 8x All Star, 7x All NBA, 7x FT% leader.
Career Stats: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Prime Stats: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Shooting. Guard. Who else in history is so perfectly defined by their position name? There was 0 chance “Willie” was going to play defense on a Forward, but “Bullseye Bill” could shoot the basketball. Teaming up with Bob Cousy to make an almost perfect offensive back court he was the best shooter of the 50s. He played for both the Celtics (and one season in Washington) and the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league for 5 years until he decided to focus solely on basketball. He was also known for his aggressive defense and sometimes even intimidated opponents into missed shots. He was known as a bully on defense and he took a pounding on offense (career average of 5 FT attempts a game. Even averaged almost 4 in 10 minuets a game his rookie year). Eventually the Celtics added 3 Hall of Famers in one draft (Russell, Heinsohn, and Frank Ramsey) and the Dynasty was born. With the Celtics having 7 hall of fame players in the 56-57 season Sharman lead the team with 22.2 points and the team won their first title. Sharman loved winning championships 15 NBA championships as a player/coach/GM/consultant and an ABA championship as a coach. He also won a championship as a coach in a re-tried ABL. Just like with shooting Sharman had championship touch.
68- Hal Greer
6’2 Hall of Fame off Guard Philadelphia
Champion, 10x All Star, 7x all NBA, 50th Anniversary Team.
Career Stats: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists.
Prime Stats: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists.
High Gear Greer was always trying his hardest, he beloved he didn’t have a secure spot. In fact he didn’t even unpack his bags when he first got to Syracuse, NY to come off their bench. Greer had a great midrange game, was a good driver and talented defender for the Nationals who later became the 76ers. Eventually Wilt Chamberlain arrived to take the reigns as the best player on the team and Greer thrived as the number 2 guy. His ability to catch and shoot as well as cut to the basket paired well with the big mans passing from the low and high post pairing with Billy Cunningham and Chet Walker to become what many called the greatest team of all time. Later Chamberlain left and Greer wasn’t quite able to be the best player on a championship team, though him and Cunningham put in valiant efforts. Finally after a season as an assistant player coach the 15 year vet retired as the best guard, to date (yes this is foreshadowing, yes it is AI, yes the good AI, no Simmons isn’t a Guard), in franchise history. Dolph Schayes, the first Superstar Hal was sidekick for after Greer’s Hall of Fame enshrinement said this, “Greer always came to play.” That is probably exactly how he wanted to be remembered.
67- Ray Allen
6’5 Hall of Fame Wing Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston, (Miami)
2x Champion, 10x All Star, 2x All NBA.
Career Stats: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal.
Prime Stats: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal. 7 poster dunks and 4-4 from 3 point range (the last 2 are fake).
Walter Ray Allen was the best off ball shooter in NBA history. There is only one other option (Klay Thompson) and I’m gonna stand by this statement. He was a 3nD specialist, but “D” stands for Dunk instead of Defense here. He had a lot of success in Milwaukee (and probably should have made a finals over a certain overrated guy with cornrows) but blossomed in Seattle. He was an amazingly athletic sniper that presented modern offensive ideas to the early 2000s NBA known for its slow pace and low scoring. Eventually as the worst member of the most overrated trio in NBA history he won one title, literally one so you guys can quit acting like a dynasty. Later on he went to Miami where honestly the most clutch shot in NBA history won Dwayne Wade another title he didn’t deserve. Ray Allen was good, in fact he was great. So great that his myth makes other people look better than they are. Which leads to quite possibly the most confusing thing about Allen. He was a bad teammate. He demanded shots, treated teammates poorly, left 3 teams angry with him when he left, and feuded with coaches. However, on the court he was the perfect team player. It’s a really interesting dynamic that to this day confuses me.
66- Kevin McHale
6’10 Hall of Fame Front Court Boston
3x champion, 7x All Star, All NBA, 6x All Defense, 2x 6th Man, 50th Anniversary Team.
Career Stats: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks.
Prime Stats: 23 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks.
The Black Hole was amazing to watch. He would bring people into “The Torture Chamber” and go to work. Call “The man of 1000 moves” for good reason he was a master at the post up, probably the second best player at posting up in NBA history. He had incredible length and athleticism basically he was similar to Anthony Davis but a little smaller and slower. Being the second guy in the really good Boston Big 3, he was a great complement to Parish liking to shoot from mid range and Bird’s shooting, it left the low post as the easel for McHale’s masterpiece. McHale wasn’t even a real basketball player till high school when a growth spurt moved him off the hockey ice and onto the hardwood. It’s therefore even more amazing that a guy who’s dad (5’10) wasn’t a post player and who picked up the game late became that good at a skill that requires a lot of practice. I LOVE McHale highlights and old Celtics games. That’s why I was surprised in my rankings that McHale dropped this low. Before my deep dives I had him in the 30s but his accolades and spot in the “front court” position ranking brought him down quickly. The 80s Forward position is deeper than the 90s but not enough to justify only one All NBA selection. So the biggest shock to me in my rankings is Keven McHale this low.
65- George McGinnis
6’8 Hall of Fame Front Court, Pacers, Sixers, Nuggets
2x Champion, 6x All Star 5x all NBA/ABA, MVP, ABA all time team.
Career Stats: 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.
Prime Stats: 24 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.
Big Mac was the Best Player of the ABA’s Dynasty. Those Pacers teams were so good they couldn’t be stopped, they had already won a title before he arrived and he just made it better. McGinnis the Magnificent was their leading scorer by bullying his way to the paint and using his size and strength to score down low. He also had a deep range one handed shot which is absolutely hilarious to watch. The teams built around him in Indiana fit him perfectly, A rim protector in Mel Daniels, the scoring wing to pass to in Roger Brown and a guard to try to keep his turnovers lower in Freddie Lewis. They almost stole Earl Monroe from the Knicks to make 4 Hall of Famers on that team. In the NBA it didn’t quite work as well. A paring of World B. Free, Doug Collins and Dr J with another ball Handler should have been stopped before it happened. The idea that switching him for Bobby Jones made Philly better is true but also splitting up Dr J and him was a must for the Dr to operate. Eventually the minutes and Baby Bull’s style of play caught up to him and he had to retire but McGinnis was really good and shouldn’t be remembered for the bad fit on the Sixers but for his dominance in the Hoosier state.
64- Bob McAdoo
6’9 Hall of Fame Combo Big, Braves, Knicks (Celtics, Pistons, Nets, Lakers, Sixers)
2x Champion, MVP, 5x All Star, 2x All NBA, ROY, 3x Scoring champion
Career Stats: 22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Prime Stats: 30 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Mac was the original KAT. You can’t watch his highlights and not be surprised by a Center in the 70s with his level of handle, shooting and completely disregard for real defense in order to get stats. Winning 3 straight scoring titles by his jumper where he almost brought his heels into his butt (seriously it’s super distracting to watch) and the fact that big men couldn’t guard him on a fast break. He made his way into MVP contention but had little team success. Doo (a nickname I assume will never come back) was very reluctant to admit he wasn’t a superstar and it led to him almost falling out of the league till he became a bench guy for the show time lakers. McAdoo was interesting and unique at the time and honestly probably would have been a better player today.
63- Ben Wallace
6’9 (this is most definitely a lie) Combo Big Pistons (Bulls, Magic, Wizards, Cleveland)
Champion, 4x All Star, 5x All NBA, 6x All Defense, 4x DPOY, 2x Rebound Title, Block Title.
Career Stats: 6 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Prime Stats: 8 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks.
There are some people who say if you don’t play offense you aren’t really a good player. Those people didn’t watch Ben Wallace. Big Ben was the most incredible player to watch especially when he was probably 6’6. His strength and athleticism were incredible. His passion and defensive IQ were inspiring. His tenacity and grit were amazing. His Afro was glorious. Ben Wallace was the 3rd center in the 2000s according to most, here is the thing— at this point I want all of my rockets fans to close their eyes and maybe skip this sentence. Ben Wallace was way better than Yao Ming. You can’t in any way understand how the dominant pistons teams were his team. I know they still made the conference finals without him. I don’t care. He was the man on those teams. Ben Wallace is a Hall of Famer and one of probably the top 10 defenders of all time.
62- Billy Cunningham
6’6 Hall of Fame Small Forward Sixers, Cougars
Champion, MVP, 5x All Star, 5x All NBA/ABA, 50th Anniversary Team. ABA All TimeTeam.
Career Stats: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Prime Stats: 24 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, probably a block (we don’t have that stat)
The Kangaroo Kid or “Kang” was a great role player he was basically a left handed pogo stick with a lethal midrange game and acrobatic finishes around the hoop. He also could flat out JUMP hence the Kangaroo name. Ironically one of the best forwards from the college game was tried out a guard because he was only 6’6, thankfully they stoped that failed experiment and he became one of the greatest small forwards ever. It’s really nice to be able to point to his influence on Dr J who he eventually coached. He played with Wilt and Greer dominating on his way to a title and was really good as the best player for the Sixers but never a one man title contender.
61- Connie Hawkins
6’8 Hall of Fame Front Court Pipers, Suns, (Lakers, Hawks)
Champion, MVP, 5x All Star, 3x All ABA, ABA All Time Team.
Career Stats: 19 Points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Prime Stats: 24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, steals and blocks not recorded.
In 1960 Cornelius Lance Hawkins was the #1 recruit in the nation. An absolute legend for Boys High School in NYC, the next year he was preparing for his Freshman Season at Iowa his coach, the man who should have protected him, told him he needed a lawyer, sent him with FBI agents back to New York. The Agents, starved and basically tortured a confession out of Connie, that he fixed games in high school, a confession proven false in a court of law later. The NBA decided to blackball Hawkins Because they were afraid of him throwing games, even though the courts proved he didn’t. Connie played 2 years for the Pittsburgh Rens of the NBL, a minor league that folded. 4 years as the star of the Harlem Globetrotters. 2 years as the best player in the ABA for the Pittsburgh (and later) Minnesota Pipers. Before finally at the age of 27 he was able to play in the NBA, most of his other worldly athleticism was taken away by the multiple knee surgeries he had because of the subpar courts the Globetrotters had him playing on. Still he made 4 All star teams and one All NBA team (Beating out Hall of Famers John Havlicek and Gus Johnson). Hawk remains the biggest what if in NBA history. He was going to be in the GOAT conversation you can’t convince me otherwise.
60- Manu Ginobili
6’6 Combo Guard Spurs
4x Champion, 2x All Star, 2x All NBA, 6th Man,
Career Stats: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal.
Prime Stats: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals.
El Contusione was electrifying. He was Pistol for my generation, he was perfection on the fast break. Manu came off the bench to eviscerate defenses every night as his black mullet became a graying circlet of championship spirit. I admit his stats don’t look amazing, that’s fine he embraced the needs of the team and was the second best Shooting Guard of the 00s. Never will I ever accept Manu slander. He was by far the most terrifying player on those Spurs team. Duncan was the best player but Manu would beat your team in heartbreaking fashion and make you root for him to keep going because it was so beautiful to watch. It. Was. Devastating. There is no way that anyone who actually watched the Spurs play would think he wasn’t a Hall of Famer.
59- Allen Iverson
6’0 (praying God doesn’t strike me down for this lie) Hall of Fame Combo Guard Sixers, Nuggets, (Pistons, Grizzlies)
MVP, 11x All Star, 7x All NBA, ROY, 4x Scoring Champ, 3x Steals Champ,
Career Stats: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals.
Prime Stats: 29 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals.
Who is the most overrated player in NBA history? In “The Answer” you have your answer. Look I’ll be completely honest if this was up to me and how much I would want this player on my team AI is probably in the 90s on that list. However I don’t think you can tell the history of the NBA and get to this point on your list and not mention Allen Ezail Iverson. Yes, he was selfish. Ye, he never once met a shot and thought “this is probably a bad shot.” Yes, his defense was extremely overrated. But, he was so fun to watch. He could go for like 1000 points and I as a pre teen would have believed it, I would have also assumed he shot 1.6 million times, but hey he was fun to watch. The problem with AI is for him to really thrive you couldn’t have good offensive players with him. Therefore it made it hard for team success. I loved watching him but knew he wasn’t the best player in the league.
58- Dave Debusschere
6’6 Hall of Fame Small Forward Pistons, Knicks
2x Champion, 8x All Star, All NBA, 6x All Defense, 50th Anniversary Team.
Career/Prime Stats: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, steal, block.
The original Scottie Pippen. He could guard multiple positions, shoot from distance, a decent passer and was the toughest player of his time. He was from hard working Detroit and he played like those people worked, hard nosed and professional. He also played 4 seasons of baseball including pitching for the White Sox with a 3.09 ERA. He eventually gave it up to play full time in the NBA and that attention worked his way towards stardom. At the age of 24 he became the youngest coach in NBA history. However, he remembered asking other coaches and GMs “Who on our team would you like to coach or trade for?” Every time they had one answer “You” after a trade to the Knicks he became a part of the super team at old MSG and won 2 rings. He would do the little things slide around off ball picks to get an open jumper, tap in offensive rebounds, and shut down the other teams best forward.
57- Jerry Lucas
6’8 Hall of Fame Combo Big Royals, Warriors, Knicks
Champion, 7x All Star, 5x All NBA, ROY, 50th Anniversary Team.
Career Stats: 17 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists.
Prime Stats: 20 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if Kevin Love also had one of the highest I.Q. Scores in the country? No? Well... there goes that analogy. Ok Jerry Lucas was a big man who wasn’t the strongest, biggest or most athletic, but he was super intelligent and decided he would just out shoot guards and make big men upset they had to guard him. Even in the low percentage era of the 60-70s and shooting from range he still averaged .499 from the field. His one handed push shot was so accurate they called it “The Lucas Layup” he and Oscar Robertson were awesome for the Royals but unfortunately they didn’t have the rest of the team fit together, (it’s worth noting that if Maurice Stokes hadn’t had his tragic paralysis that team probably wins several titles). He won a title using his all around efforts to help the Knicks as a role player, one has to wonder if this self proclaimed lazy and out of shape big could have had a better career.
56- George Gervin
6’7 Hall of Fame Wing Spurs (Squires, Bulls)
12x All Star, 9x All NBA/ABA, 4x Scoring Title, ABA all time team, 50th Anniversary Team.
Career Stats: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block.
Prime Stats: 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block.
First of “Iceman” or just “Ice” is flat out one of the coolest nicknames of all time (yes I used “cool” on purpose). 2 players have more scoring title than Iceberg Slim: Chamberlain, Wilt and Jordan, Michael. The fact that we talk about greatest scorers and AI is usually mentioned before GG is flat out disgusting. He had a smooth jumper and the deadliest fingerroll in history, he also just got to the basket with footwork and head fakes. Look Gervin wasn’t a one man army. He should have been paired with another star and been given a chance to win a title. I dare you to watch Ice and not think of KD eviscerating opponents. He had back to back MVP runner up seasons and that could have easily changed his perception and maybe moved him higher up this list. Just as he had entered the league tying to learn from Dr J, Gervin left the league teaching things to MJ. It’s a cool bridge that really could have made something awesome.
55- Bob Lanier
6’11 Hall of Fame Pivot Pistons, Bucks
8x All Star.
Career Stats: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Prime Stats: 24 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
A absolute monster in college his NBA career started slow because of knee surgery, but he then averaged 20/10 for 7 straight seasons. If his knee would have held up (8 surgeries) Milwaukee could have had a championship team at the end of his career, or if he had more coaching stability in Detroit (7 coaches in 10 years) his story might be different. He and his size 22 shoes filled the paint as he jostled for position for a nice hook, and a decent mid ranger. I placed him here because injuries kept him from going higher. In 14 years he played 73 games 6 times. If his body didn’t betray him I would say it’s safe to assume he would have had a much better career.
54- Bill Walton
6’11 Hall of Fame Pivot, Blazers (Clippers, Celtics)
2x Champion, FMVP, MVP, 2x All NBA, 2x All Defense, 6th Man, Rebound Title, Blocks Title, 50th Anniversary Team.
Career Stats: 13 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Prime Stats: 19 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks.
Ok let’s face it Walton has the shortest prime on this list. Big Red would have had 2 DPOYs if they had that award back then and he was amazing in what he did by being his teams entire offense from the high post while being the teams entire defense as well. He was the next Bill Russell and then his body betrayed him. It’s ironic that I have him and Lanier right next to each other but it really fits. Both of them are so good but lose their careers. I feel like Walton is one of the most controversial players on this list. I’ve had people vehemently argue he should be way lower or even off this list and other scoff at how I don’t know anything having him this low. That makes me feel kinda great about this ranking because if everyone is mad at me I’m probably right.
53- Patrick Ewing
7’ Hall of Fame Pivot. Knicks (Sonics, Magic)
11x All Star, 7x All NBA, 3x All Defense, ROY, 50th Anniversary Team.
Career Stats: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Prime Stats: 25 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks.
Ok I’m gonna say it, if it wasn’t for the Cult of Michael Jordan Patrick Ewing wouldn’t be this high on my list. He was on the dream team but was the worst center on that team. He played in New York but wasn’t the best center in Knicks history. He’s not even the second best player in Knicks history. He could spread the floor and play good defense but he wasn’t a DPOY ever and his defensive prime was short. Literally they named a Theory about your team being better without you about the Hoya Destroya. That being said in a vacuum I think Ewing was great. He probably would have maybe won a ring in a different era, maybe. But of all the players who’s legend is grown because they lost to MJ his is the one that bothers me the most. MJ was awesome, he’s the *redacted because you will find out his ranking later* player of all time! So you don’t have to pretend Ewing was better to say he was Awesome.
52- Reggie Miller
6’7 Hall of Fame Wing Pacers.
5x All Star, 3x All NBA, 5x FT% Title.
Career Stats: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal.
Prime Stats: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal.
Uncle Reg was the best shooter of all time... the Steph Curry happened. However we are talking about Mighty Mouth. The brother of the greatest female hooper of all time (I know I am not an expert on this but I do feel pretty confident in this) Reggie was the King of Clutch or “Miller Time.” Reggie was born with a hip defect and had to wear a corrective brace till he was 4 and was tiny till a massive growth spurt. Reggie was so fun to watch dominate and score from everywhere. He was definitely 2 decades early for the small ball, 5 out game that was coming, the game he is at least partially responsible for sparking. By far the best Pacer ever he was capable going toe to toe with Jordan, but not beating him. Still Reggie was one of the best shooters, trash talkers, and Jordan opponents he had.
51- Garry Payton
6’4 Hall of Fame Pure Point Sonics, (Bucks, Lakers, Celtics, Heat)
Champion, 9x All Star, 9x All NBA, 9x All Defense, DPOY, Steals leader.
Career Stats: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals.
Prime Stats: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals.
The Glove is the best defensive pure point on this list, counting only defense. Payton was capable of locking up anyone even making Jordan actually work for his points. Now isolation defenders aren’t as valuable as rim protectors and switchable wings but he was probably the best iso defender of the 90s. And he still remains the only Point Guard to win DPOY. Payton and Shawn Kemp were like Stockton and Malone if they were cool like actual Jazz, from New Orleans where that name makes sense. He was probably the best scoring point guard of the 90s and a better defender than Stockton. His passing was underrated but not the best. Look, Payton was incredible but he just misses the cut for being the top 50 which will be coming soon.
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