My thoughts on the NBA’s Top 75, the dozen greatest players ever, and another 10 for good measure
Clyde Drexler (courtesy Portland Trail Blazers)
The All-Star Weekend’s cavalcade of events in Cleveland will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the NBA.
Part of the celebration will be to honor the top 75 players in the league’s history, selected by a panel of current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers, team and league executives, WNBA player and members of the media.
I covered the 50th All-Star Weekend — also in Cleveland — in 1997, when the top 50 players up to that time were feted. (I still have a T-shirt commemorating the event). Forty-seven of the former stars attended and were introduced at halftime. The ones who didn’t make it were Pete Maravich, who died in 1988 at age 40, and Shaquille O’Neal (recovering from a knee injury) and Jerry West (facing surgery for an ear infection).
This week’s top 75 includes all 50 of the original top 50, plus 26 more (because of a tie). I recall that the most controversial omissions in 1997 as Dominique Wilkins and Bob McAdoo — especially Wilkins. Both are included on the top 75 list.
Six former Trail Blazers made the 75th anniversary team: Carmelo Anthony, Clyde Drexler, Damian Lillard, Scottie Pippen, Bill Walton, Lenny Wilkens. Only three of them — Drexler, Lillard and Walton — did their most important work while in Portland, however.
Damian Lillard (courtesy Bruce Ely/Portland Trail Blazers)
Eleven current players made the top 75 — Anthony, Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
I believe the criteria was left to the judgement of the 88 members of the voting panel. The guess here is that statistics were considered as well as All-Star Game appearances, All-NBA teams and MVP awards, NBA championships and Finals appearances and, at least to some degree, longevity.
The list is as much subjective as it is based on numbers. You may have perused the list as I did and had your quarrels with a few of the picks. I’m going to tell you mine, while emphasizing that all 76 players qualify as greats in their own right.
I raised eyebrows at the selection of Lillard and Kawhi Leonard — not because I don’t think they’ll be among the top 75 some day, but because I’m not sure they’re there yet. Antetokounmpo might have been in that category, too, if not for the two MVP awards, the Finals MVP award and the championship he won last season with Milwaukee.
To be fair to Lillard, he has averaged 24.6 points and 6.6 assists and shot .373 from 3-point range through his 10 NBA seasons, and has stepped that up to 25.7 points and 6.2 assists in 61 playoff games. Lillard has six All-Star Game selections and has been among the first three All-NBA teams six times. He has piled up 17,510 points and 4,726 assists and will one day be a member of the Hall of Fame — but he has never made a trip to The NBA Finals.
Walton would not have been on my list. During the Blazers’ championship season of 1976-77 and especially the following season, when he was named the league’s MVP, he was at the very top of the game. Due to injuries, though, his star shone brightly for a very short time. He rallied to earn the Sixth Man of the Year award in helping Boston to the 1986 championship, so he won two titles, but he made only two All-Star Game appearances and made the playoffs only four times, playing only 49 postseason games. Nobody among the top 75— not even Rodman (6,683) — scored fewer than his 6,215 career regular-season points. Nobody else was under 10,000, in fact.
Rodman is a unique specimen, a 7.3-point-per-game scorer but a player who, at 6-7 and 220, averaged 13.1 rebounds and won the league rebounding title seven times. He was Defensive Player of the Year twice and a seven-time first-team All-Defensive Team choice. He also was a member of five NBA championship squads — two in Detroit and three in Chicago. Even so, a top-75 player? I’m not convinced.
The others on the list I question: Jerry Lucas, Dave DeBusschere and Sam Jones. Great players all, but I’m not sure they deserve top-75 recognition.
Four players who probably do:
• Walt Bellamy, center, who played for six teams from 1961-75. Bellamy, a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, scored 20,941 points (38th all-time) and grabbed 14,241 rebounds (12th) in 13 seasons plus one game. He averaged 20.1 points and 13.7 rebounds while shooting .516 from the field. Bellamy of Rookie of the Year in 1961-62, averaging 31.6 points and 19 rebounds. Playing during the Chamberlain/Russell/Unseld/Abdul-Jabbar/Reed years, he played in only four All-Star games and won only two playoff series during a period when the Celtics ruled the NBA.
• Bob Lanier, center, who played 14 seasons for Detroit and Milwaukee from 1970-84. A member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, he scored 19,248 points (59th) and hauled in 9,698 rebounds (43rd), averaging 21 points or more in eight straight seasons and more than 11 rebounds in seven straight seasons. He was an eight-time All-Star and averaged 18.6 points and 9.6 rebounds in 67 playoff games, but never made the Finals and was plagued by injuries in the latter half of his career.
• Vince Carter, guard, who played an NBA-record 22 seasons before retiring in 2020 at age 43. Carter scored 21,339 points (19th) to go with 6,606 rebounds and 4,714 assists while spending time with eight teams. He averaged 16.7 points in 1,541 regular-season games — third on the all-time list for games played behind Robert Parish and Abdul-Jabbar — and 18.1 points in 88 playoff games. He was Rookie of the Year in 1999, was an eight-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA selection. His teams won six playoff series but never made it to the Finals.
• Dwight Howard, center, who currently is a 36-year-old reserve for the Lakers. Howard has scored 19,329 points (57th) and snared 14,494 rebounds (10th), averaging 15.8 points, 11.8 boards and 1.8 blocks in 1,224 games. He holds averages of 15.3 points and 11.8 rebounds in 125 playoff games and ranks ninth in career offensive rebounds and 15th in career blocked shots. Howard is an eight-time All-Star, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a five-time All-Defensive Team choice who won his first championship with the Lakers in 2020.
I’ll finish with my list of the top dozen players in NBA history (along with eight more to fill out a top 20), done more on feel than statistics or analytics. I saw all but Chamberlain, Robertson and Russell play in person. I await your angry rebuttals.
12. Larry Bird. Bird’s extraordinary 13-year career was marred by injuries at the back end. He led the Celtics to three titles and five NBA Finals, was MVP three straight seasons (1984-86), was named to a dozen All-Star games, was first-team all-league nine times and averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Just wish he could have played a little longer.
11. Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk was the “new” Bird, a durable 7-footer who excelled through 21 seasons, all with Dallas. He scored 31,560 points, sixth on the all-time list, and averaged 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting .380 from 3-point range. Nowitzki was MVP in 2006-07, made 14 All-Star teams, was all-league first, second or third team 12 times and won one championship. He wasn’t the passer Bird was, but longevity allows him to slip past Larry on this list.
10. Hakeem Olajuwon. The greatest international player ever, edging Nowitzki, the pride of Nigeria had a remarkable 18-year run as one of the game’s greatest pivots from 1984-2001, all but one season with Houston. “The Dream” averaged 21.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks and led the Rockets to back-to-back titles in 1994 and ’95. Olajuwon was the 1993-94 MVP, a two-time Finals MVP, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, a 12-time All-Star and 12 times an all-league first, second or third team selection.
9. Karl Malone. The greatest power forward in NBA history roamed the courts for 19 seasons from 1985-2004, all but the last one with Utah. “The Mailman” averaged 25.0 points and 10.1 rebounds while shooting .516 from the field and was one of the most durable superstars ever, never missing more than two regular-season games through his first 18 campaigns. Malone was a two-time MVP, made 14 All-Star teams, was first-team all-league 11 straight years (1988-99) and reached the NBA Finals three times, though a championship eluded him.
8. Magic Johnson. Stats don’t tell the entire story of the magnitude of Johnson’s 13-year career, all with the Lakers as a not-great shooting, not-very-fast 6-9 point guard with eyes in the back of his head. Magic’s regular-season numbers were good — 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds, .520 field-goal percentage (though only .303 from the 3-point line). But Johnson’s overall play and leadership skills helped carry the Lakers to five NBA championships in nine seasons (1980-88). Magic was a three-time MVP, a three-time Finals MVP, a two-time All-Star Game MVP and a 12-time All-Star who earned first-team all-league recognition nine times.
7. Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq goes down as the most powerful and one of the most athletic big men in history, though the athleticism left him during the final five seasons of his 19-year career (1992-2011). O’Neal averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds, shot .582 from the field (though a pitiful .527 from the foul line) and wound up with four championship rings — three with the Lakers (2000-02) and one with Miami (2006). He was MVP only once but Finals MVP three times and All-Star Game MVP four times. Shaq played in 15 All-Star games and earned all-league recognition 14 times.
6. Kobe Bryant. The second coming of Michael Jordan wasn’t quite Michael, but he was damn close through a stellar 20-year career that lasted from 1996-2016, all with the Lakers on his way to five NBA titles. Kobe averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists and was consistent with that in 220 playoff games, averaging 25.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Bryant was MVP just once but was All-Star game MVP six times while being selected for the All-Star team 18 times. Kobe was mentioned among the top three all-league teams 15 times and was All-Defensive first or second team 12 times. The latter distinction nudges him ahead of Shaq on this list — albeit barely.
5. Oscar Robertson. Before Russell Westbrook made the triple-double his personal statistic, Robertson mastered it during a sterling 14-year career from 1960-74. Before it was even called a triple-double, the “Big O” averaged one in his second season, coming up with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per contest as a 6-5 guard. His rebounds waned as his career wound down and he finished with averages of 25.7 points, 9.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds, making him the first truly great all-around player in NBA history. A trade from Cincinnati to Milwaukee in 1970 gave him the opportunity to pair with Lew Alcindor to claim the NBA title in 1971. Oscar finished his career teaming with Alcindor (by then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to reach the 1974 Finals, losing in seven games to Boston. Robertson was first-team all-league his first nine seasons, played in the All-Star Game his first 12 seasons, was the 1963-64 MVP and was All-Star Game MVP three times.
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The 7-2 master of the “sky hook” entered the league as Lew Alcindor in 1969 and exited as Abdul-Jabbar after a 20-year career in 1989 at age 41, finishing as the NBA’s career scoring leader. Jabbar averaged at least 20 points in each of his first 17 seasons and finished with averages of 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds while shooting .559 from the field. Jabbar played in 49 playoff series, winning 37, and 237 playoff games, averaging 24.3 points and 10.5 rebounds on his way to six NBA championships. He was named to the All-Star team in all but one of his seasons, was a six-time MVP, twice a Finals MVP and is third all-time in career blocked shots. That’s one hell of a resume.
3. Michael Jordan. Many people — especially those 50 and younger — consider Jordan the greatest of them all. Jordan was great, all right — so great that after three years on the retired list, he came back to average more than 20 points in back-to-back seasons with the Washington Wizards, playing all 82 games his final campaign. Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists during his 15-year career, the first 13 with Chicago. He was at his best during the postseason, going 30-7 in playoff series and 119-60 in 179 playoff games while averaging 33.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Jordan was an All-Star in each of his full seasons, a five-time MVP, a six-time Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 1987-88. He was an 11-time scoring leader, a 10-time first-team all-league selection and a nine-time first-team all-Defensive Team selection. That enough for you?
2. LeBron James. LeBron has been moving up this list in recent years, only recently passing Jordan, and this is as far as he goes — but what a career he has had through 18 seasons with Cleveland, Miami and the Lakers. There has never been a 6-8, 255-pound wrecking ball with such all-around skills in NBA history, and it’s not close. His career averages are 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists with a .505 field-goal percentage on his way to four NBA championships with three teams (two with the Heat, one with the Cavaliers, one with the Lakers). His numbers in 266 postseason contests (the most ever) are even better — 28.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists. James has been an All-Star every season, is a four-time MVP, a four-time Finals MVP and a three-time All-Star Game MVP. Next to the greatest, he is the greatest.
1. Wilt Chamberlain. There’s never been one like Wilt, and there never will be. The “Big Dipper” dominated like the game will never see again through his 14-year career from 1959-73. The 7-1 Chamberlain averaged 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds while playing 45.8 minutes per game in an era of great centers (Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, Walt Bellamy, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Dave Cowens, Bob Lanier). With the Philadelphia Warriors in 1961-62, Wilt averaged 50.4 points, 25.7 rebounds and a nearly impossible 48.5 minutes a game. During his last two seasons with the 76ers, he turned passer and averaged 7.8 and 8.6 assists per game, ranking third and second in the league, respectively. He should have kept playing instead of retiring at age 36. His last season, he averaged 13.2 points, a league-best 18.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists. His last two seasons, he was chosen to the All-Defensive first team. Wilt was a 13-time All-Star and a four-time MVP. During a time when Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics dominated the NBA, Chamberlain’s teams made it to the Finals six times, winning twice (1967 and ’72). What’s more, he never fouled out in 1,205 regular-season and postseason games. Alas, his free throw percentage was .511. You can’t have it all.
The Next Ten (in alphabetical order): Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, David Robinson, Bill Russell and Jerry West.
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