4x NBA Season MVP, 1972 NBA Finals MVP, 13x NBA All-Star, 2x NBA Champion, 1960 Rookie of the Year. Cowens helped lead the Celtics to championships in 1974 and 1976. In fact, "Wilt the Stilt" has six of the highest 11 single-game point totals in NBA history and seven scoring titles, including a mythical 50.4 PPG in 1961-62. -- Bontemps, 1969-75 Milwaukee Bucks; 1975-89 Los Angeles Lakers, No one in NBA history can match Abdul-Jabbar's lengthy list of achievements. Stats: 24.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.4 APG in 10 seasons with Atlanta Hawks (1970-71 to 1973-74), New Orleans/Utah Jazz (1974-75 to 1979-80) and Boston Celtics (1979-80). -- McMenamin, 1976-87 Philadelphia 76ers; also played five ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1971-73) and New York Nets (1973-76), Dr. J took dunking from something big men did around the basket and turned it into an art form. Stats: 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 BPG in 14 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1989-90 to 2002-03). 75-51 Jeff Zillgitt Mark Medina Matt Eppers. He changed the game with his step-back 3 -- and the NBA changed the rules due to his foul-drawing tactics. His mobility and physicality changed the expectations for modern-day big men. The 50 Greatest NBA Players of All Time 50 Paul Arizin Paul Vathis/AP Stalwart jump shooter from the Philadelphia Warriors. Stats: 27.4 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 4.3 APG in 14 seasons with Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1958-59 to 1971-72). Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, 1968-69 All-NBA, 1968-69 MVP, 1968-69 Rookie of the Year, 1978 Finals MVP, 1974-75 rebounding champ, 1978 NBA champion. -- McMenamin, When you are the logo of the NBA, it means you have done something special in your career. NFL. Still only 28, there's plenty more in store for him as long as he stays healthy. NCAAW. Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG in 15 seasons with St. Louis Hawks (1960-61 to 1967-68), Seattle SuperSonics (1968-69 to 1971-72), Cleveland Cavaliers (1972-73 to 1973-74) and Portland Trail Blazers (1974-75). New Orleans' top scorer, Pryor, averages 15.8 points and 2.7 steals per game. Using his strength, Unseld averaged 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds as a rookie for the Bullets, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players to ever win Rookie of the Year and MVP in one season. -- Bontemps, 1970-74 Atlanta Hawks; 1974-79 New Orleans Jazz; 1979-80 Utah Jazz; 1980 Boston Celtics, Famed for his record-setting scoring playing for his father at LSU, Maravich never quite reached those same heights during an NBA career cut short by injury. -- Dave McMenamin, 1948-64 Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers, One of the best players in the NBA's early years, Schayes was one of the last players to use a two-handed set shot and was a high-impact center during his 16 seasons with the Nationals and 76ers. His 34.0 points per game that season is also the highest point total for a player at that height in NBA history. -- Bontemps, 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 3.0 BPG, The Admiral was a defensive force who owns one of just four quadruple-doubles in NBA history, when he had 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks against the Pistons on Feb. 17, 1994. Just like Paul Arizin, Maravich was one of the pioneers for making the NBA more renowned. 1. But so long as he's included, it doesn't make much sense to drop anyone who soared as high as Leonard recently did out of the top 10. NCAAW. Then head over and vote on the best NBA players of the 2010s. Atlantic 10 Championship - 1st Round . Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, two-time scoring champ, 2015-16 steals champ, three-time NBA champion. Stats: 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG in 20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1996-97 to 2015-16). But his legacy is so much more than just basketball. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time NBA champion. All-time NBArank: Nos. The Spurs had a winning record and made the playoffs in every single season of Duncan's 18-year career. Traya Bruce is the best bet for Nicholls from beyond the arc. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, 1974-75 MVP, 1972-73 Rookie of the Year, three-time scoring champ, two-time NBA champion. 52 - The record for the most points in an All Star Game is 52, set by Anthony Davis for the Western Conference in 2017. Top accolades: Four NBA titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP, eight All-NBA 1st Team selections, 15 All-Stars, three All-Defensive 2nd Team selections NBA rank: 8th in scoring and. Alright we're straying a bit off subject, the reason why we bring up the upcoming season is because it's getting to that time of year when predictions, NBA odds for the championship, NBA2K player ratings, talking heads make bold claims, podcasts come back from vacation, and all types of other rankings come out of the woodwork.In order words, the NBA media and content machine is revving . Davidson Wildcats. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, 1958-59 Rookie of the Year, 1959 All-Star MVP. Sep 12, 2019. 1. ESPN's Malika Andrews and Kendrick Perkins the latter a Celtics alumnus himself dove into all things Boston basketball in a clip produced for the day's focus on the Celtics, getting . Visit ESPN for the game preview of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies vs. Davidson Wildcats NCAAW basketball game on 1 March 2023 . After averaging 20.4 points as a rookie, he didn't average fewer than 22.5 points in any season. Stats: 27.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 6.7 APG in 14 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1960-61 to 1973-74). Doc Rivers: 'Nique could get to the penthouse', Dwyane Wade: 'I never thought I'd be Top 100 all time', All-Time #NBArank 21-25: Curry and Durant among top 25, All-Time #NBArank 16-20: Mailman, Dirk and Sir Charles, All-Time #NBArank 11-15: Kobe, Big O, Logo, Dr. J, Moses, Strauss: How Steph stormed into top-25 status. By the time he hangs up his jersey, he will have obliterated the record. Stats: 15.1 PPG, 22.5 RPG, 4.3 APG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1956-57 to 1968-69). Pelton: Is Steph Curry already a Hall of Famer? From the five championships to the 81 points against the Raptors and the 60-piece in his sendoff, few to lace them up have had more legendary careers than Bryant. -- Friedell, Paul J. Maguire/The Boston Globe/Getty Images, What NBA Finals runs from LeBron, Giannis can teach Jayson Tatum, Sources: Warriors eye Curry return next week, Lakers' Davis out vs. OKC with right foot injury, V. Bryant settles crash photos suit for $28.85M, Sources: Lakers to reassess LeBron in 2 weeks, Benner, longtime Pacers PR director, dies at 67, Irving: Need to scale back self-imposed pressure, Jokic sixth player in 100 career triple-double club, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, Meet the man scouring Nigeria for the next generation of NBA and NFL talent, Roundtable: Early takeaways from Kyrie Irving joining Luka Doncic in Dallas, the NBA unveiled its 75th Anniversary Team. TrueHoop TV: Steph Curry the fourth-best PG of all time? He was known as "The Big Fundamental," dominating for nearly two decades on both ends of the floor with textbook simplicity, such as his midrange bank shot and perfect position defense. Eleven players ( Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Robert Parish, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson and John Stockton) were active in the 1996-97 season, during which the list was announced. -- McMenamin, 1960-70 Cincinnati Royals; 1970-74 Milwaukee Bucks, The "Big O" was the player who originally defined the triple-double. Robertson averaged a triple-double for an entire season in 1961-62 and finished with what was then a record number of career triple-doubles, performances that would not be matched until Westbrook's recent peak. McHale always seemed to find a way to make a play on the blocks and helped lead the storied Larry Bird-led teams with a toughness that defined his career. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, 1963-64 Rookie of the Year, 1965 All-Star MVP, 1973 NBA champion. TrueHoop TV: Is Kevin Garnett too low in all-time PF rankings? 14 PTS, 11 REB, 10 ASTNikola Jokic became only the 6th player in NBA history to record 100 career triple . Stats: 21.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.4 BPG in 17 seasons with New York Knicks (1985-86 to 1999-00), Seattle SuperSonics (2000-01) and Orlando Magic (2001-02). Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1968-69 scoring champ, two-time rebounding champ, 1978 NBA champion. Preview; Bellarmine Knights vs Liberty Lady Flames Stats, Game Time, and more. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, five-time MVP, six-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year, 1984-85 Rookie . -- Youngmisuk, One of the NBA's greatest point guards and one of the leaders of the "Bad Boy" Pistons, Thomas was one of the best players of the 1980s. His game transcended the sport. More quiz info >> Start Quiz Comments (119) Nowitzki spent his entire 21-year career in Dallas, setting a record for length of a tenure with one franchise, and is the highest-scoring international player in NBA history. Give me a break. Consider the hardware he has collected since entering the league: MVP (twice), Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player and Finals MVP. 1959-62 Philadelphia Warriors, 1962-65 San Francisco Warriors; 1965-68 Philadelphia 76ers; 1968-73 Los Angeles Lakers. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, 1988 Finals MVP, three-time NBA champion. Ranked by votes from thousands of fans, this list features the all time NBA GOATs, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird. -- Friedell, 1963-69 Cincinnati Royals; 1969-71 San Francisco Warriors; 1971-74 New York Knicks, Lucas averaged 15.6 rebounds a game during his illustrious career -- while shooting 49.9% from the field -- but what seemed to set Lucas apart was his brain. In the 1980 Finals, his reverse baseline scoop layup against the Lakers became a staple of highlight reels. -- Pelton, 1994-96, 2008-12 Dallas Mavericks; 1996-2001 Phoenix Suns; 2001-08 New Jersey Nets; 2012-13 New York Knicks, Kidd managed to be a dominant force for almost two decades without ever scoring like a star, finishing his career second all time in both assists and steals. A four-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP, O'Neal averaged a double-double during a career that spanned almost two decades. 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