-- Bontemps, 1985-2000 New York Knicks; 2000-01 Seattle SuperSonics; 2001-02 Orlando Magic, This Knicks big man endeared himself to generations of New Yorkers because of his ability to perform and produce under the brightest of spotlights. He was mocked as "Ason" early in his career, when he lacked a jump shot. He delivered the 2011 title to Dallas as the lone All-Star for the Mavs, who defeated the Heat's superteam in the Finals, avenging a loss in 2006. Wade gave Heat Culture its championship pedigree while earning a Finals MVP and leading the league in scoring (2008-09 when he averaged 30.2 points per game). NBA. All-Time #NBArank: The greatest players ever, 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, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. She leads the squad in made threes per game, connecting on 1.9 treys per contest with a 38 percent shooting percentage from deep. -- 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. Early in the 2021-22 season, the NBA unveiled its 75th Anniversary Team, a squad full of iconic players representing different points in the evolution of basketball. He's so clutch that his performance in the final stretches of games has garnered its own nickname: Dame Time. Published February 5, 2023 50 Best NBA players of 2023: New Mavericks star Kyrie Irving lands in the. Stats: 17.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Washington Capitols (1950-51) and Boston Celtics (1951-52 to 1960-61). In that same post, we provided the sports network's rankings from their 2016 list to see which new players made an appearance on the list (Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard), which player jumped the most spots (James Harden and Allen . In the NBA Finals with the Knicks, Reed tore a thigh muscle that forced him to miss Game 6 of the series, but he wanted to be on the floor for Game 7. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, five-time MVP, 1963 All-Star MVP, four-time rebounding champ, 11-time NBA champion. Pettit was named to the All-NBA first team in each of his first 10 seasons and was an All-NBA second-team selection in his final year. It's clear why he is part of this list at age 27. He found a way to make seven All-Star teams and gave the Pistons their first taste of success after moving from Fort Wayne to Detroit. -- Collier, Long before there was "Playoff Rondo," Jones earned the nickname "Mr. Redick . Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 2016-17 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, three-time assists champ. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, 1986-87 All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, two-time Sixth Man of the Year, three-time NBA champion. The four-time MVP and three-time champion has reinvented how an athlete's prime should be viewed; he had the Lakers in the thick of a title hunt as a 35-year-old playing in his 17th season. He played like a swingman, shooting midrange shots and becoming just one of three players in NBA history to have at least 20,000 career points, 10,000 career rebounds and 5,000 career assists. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, five-time All-Defensive team, 1969 Finals MVP, 1972 All-Star MVP, 1969-70 scoring champ, 1971-72 assists champ, 1972 NBA champion. The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars (8-21, 7-11 OVC) will try to halt a four-game losing streak when they host the Tennessee State Lady Tigers (11-17, 2-6 OVC) on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at Ford Center. He led the league in assists for a record eight consecutive seasons; his flair and playmaking helped usher in a new era of the sport after the shot clock was instituted in the mid-1950s. Stephen Curry vs. Larry Bird? He won Rookie of the Year after Boston made him the No. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA championships, was a 13-time NBA All-Star, an 8-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a 3-time member of the All-Defensive Team. As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th anniversary team includes 76 players. -- 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. 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. Being in the conversation as the best player of all time means being part of an exclusive club -- no disrespect to those who just missed out on the top 10. Off it, he was always one of the league's biggest enigmas. Fantasy Incarnate Word Cardinals. Stats: 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 3.1 BPG in 18 seasons with Houston Rockets (1984-85 to 2000-01) and Toronto Raptors (2001-02); NBA's career leader in total blocks. -- Pelton, 1967-77 New York Knicks; 1977-79 Cleveland Cavaliers, Known as much for his inimitable style off the court as his play on it, Frazier became the face of the Knicks' iconic championship teams in the 1970s, thanks to his long post-playing career with the franchise. We did. Old school vs. new school? Stats: 17.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1980-81 to 1992-93). Until LeBron James came along, Bird was hailed as the best small forward ever. Sports Illustrated unveils its sixth annual Top 100 list. The Vermont Catamounts (22-6, 14-2 America East) look to continue a 14-game winning streak when they host the Bryant Bulldogs (9-20, 3-13 America East) at 5:00 PM ET on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at . Paul also holds the NBA record for consecutive games with a steal (108), a streak that took part over three seasons (April 13, 2007, to Dec. 23, 2008). Kawhi Leonard vs. Gary Payton? ESPN's NBA expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head player matchups, taking into consideration the quality and quantity of their NBA contributions. The 6-foot-10 Mikan was so imposing inside, the league had to widen the lane from 6 to 12 feet, aka the "Mikan rule." Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, three-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 1979-80 Rookie of the Year, 1982 All-Star MVP, three-time NBA champion. Chris Bosh Championships: 2 Career Stats: 19.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG TrueHoop TV: Steph Curry the fourth-best PG of all time? Westbrook also holds the record for consecutive triple-doubles (11 in a row). 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 . Fantasy. -- Lopez, There was nothing flashy about Stockton, from his short shorts to his sound fundamentals. -- McMenamin, 1960-70 Cincinnati Royals; 1970-74 Milwaukee Bucks, The "Big O" was the player who originally defined the triple-double. A man of few words, Leonard's legacy speaks volumes already for helping deliver the first NBA championship to Canada. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 2006 Finals MVP, 2010 All-Star MVP, 2008-09 scoring champ, three-time NBA champion. 49. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, five-time assists champ, two-time MVP. -- Ohm Youngmisuk, The greatest winner in basketball history, Russell claimed 11 titles in 13 years by turning the Celtics into a defensive juggernaut. In 1995-96, the season Payton became the most recent guard to win Defensive Player of the Year, Seattle pushed the 72-10 Bulls to six games in the NBA Finals. 10. Behind Magic's unparalleled playmaking at 6-foot-9, the Lakers won four more titles, eclipsing the rival Celtics in the decade as Johnson won both MVP and Finals MVP three times before an HIV diagnosis forced him to (mostly) retire at age 32. But there's no question that Harden is at or near the top of the list of the best isolation scorers in the history of the game. He is one of the last players of his era who didn't start ring chasing at the end of his career. He was, to put it simply, a winner. The crowd at Madison Square Garden went wild seeing Reed walk onto the floor, and although he finished with just four points and three rebounds, the Knicks won the championship. "The Mailman" is the most decorated ringless player in NBA history, earning 14 All-Star nods and two MVPs and ranking as the second all-time leading scorer with 36,928 career points. What set Allen apart wasn't just his dominance from the outside, it was the work ethic that helped achieve that level of basketball greatness. MLB. Boxing. 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. Steve Nash. 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. ESPN+. Stats: 16.1 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.9 APG in 12 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1962-63 to 1968-69) and New York Knicks (1968-69 to 1973-74). Some say Durant is the best scorer of all time as a 7-foot player who plays like a guard and can get his shot off anytime he wants. -- Pelton, 1992-96 Orlando Magic; 1996-2004 Los Angeles Lakers; 2004-08 Miami Heat; 2008-09 Phoenix Suns; 2009-10 Cleveland Cavaliers; 2010-11 Boston Celtics, When Shaq arrived on the scene with the Magic in 1992, the league had never seen a center move up and down the floor with the strength and speed that O'Neal possessed. Andrew D Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images. Here's where the NBA's very best check in on our list, running from No. Stats: 27.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.2 APG in 14 seasons with Seattle SuperSonics (2007-08), Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-09 to 2015-16), Golden State Warriors (2016-17 to 2018-19) and Brooklyn Nets (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, 1963-64 Rookie of the Year, 1965 All-Star MVP, 1973 NBA champion. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1976-77 scoring champ. If not, you surely must have caught the response when John Stockton (#19) and Scottie Pippen (#25) appeared before Isiah Thomas (#26)? However, he led the league in scoring at 31.1 PPG in 1976-77 while playing for the New Orleans Jazz, earning one of his four All-NBA honors. Completing 10 incredible seasons, Maravich would make 5 All-Star appearances and lead the NBA in scoring in 1977 at 31.1 PPG. Accomplishments: 17-time All-Star, 17-time All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 2003-04 Rookie of the Year, 2007-08 scoring champ, 2019-20 assists champ, four-time NBA champion. -- Friedell, 1972-76 Buffalo Braves; 1976-79 New York Knicks; 1979 Boston Celtics; 1979-81 Detroit Pistons; 1981 New Jersey Nets; 1981-85 Los Angeles Lakers; 1986 Philadelphia 76ers, It didn't take long for McAdoo to start dominating, getting off to one of the best individual starts an NBA scorer can have. -- Andrews, Adding Magic, the top pick of the 1979 draft, catalyzed the Lakers' dynasty. -- 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. He would eventually win the rebounding title twice and help future teammate Wes Unseld take the Bullets to three Finals appearances, including the championship in 1978. -- Lopez, 1950-63 Boston Celtics; 1969-70 Cincinnati Royals, Cousy helped define the point guard position with his terrific passing skills. In 1962, he chose to retire rather than move with the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco. Past that, we could have a robust discussion on how Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird are positioned from the #4-7 spots, but that also feels right. Accomplishments: Four-time All-Star, six-time All-BAA/NBA, 1953 All-Star MVP, three-time scoring champ, 1952-53 rebounding champ, five-time BAA/NBA champion. Stats: 17.0 PPG, 15.6 RPG, 3.3 APG in 11 seasons with Cincinnati Royals (1963-64 to 1969-70), San Francisco Warriors (1969-70 to 1970-71) and New York Knicks (1971-72 to 1973-74). The fun-loving big man used his outsize personality to become a global pitchman and analyst after retiring. ESPN+. In 1969, he became the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP on a losing team. He won the dunk contest in 1985 and 1990 (and maybe 1988 if you ask a few people) and participated in five contests overall. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, 1968-69 All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, two-time NBA champion. Bird led Boston to five NBA Finals and three championships with a blend of shot-making, passing and his feel for the game. Fantasy. Stats: 18.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 7.4 APG in 13 seasons with Cincinnati Royals/KC-Omaha/Kansas City Kings (1970-71 to 1975-76), New York Nets (1976-77), Boston Celtics (1978-79 to 1982-83) and Milwaukee Bucks (1983-84). Nash, a career 42.8% 3-point shooter, admits he wonders what could have been if he had the shot-hunting mentality of some of today's elite point guards. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, two-time scoring champ, 2015-16 steals champ, three-time NBA champion. His 11 NBA championships stand alone as the most for a player all time. -- Youngmisuk, 1987-98, 2003-04 Chicago Bulls; 1999 Houston Rockets; 1999-2003 Portland Trail Blazers, Pippen carved out a career for himself with unbelievable consistency on both ends of the floor. And he's not done. His mobility and physicality changed the expectations for modern-day big men. Tim Duncan. NBA. Stats: 22.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.9 APG in 11 NBA seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1976-77 to 1986-87); also played five ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1971-72 to 1972-73) and New York Nets (1973-74 to 1975-76). In fact, he owns three of the top four such streaks. His signature, yet funky, underhand free throw routine caught people's attention, but it was also nearly automatic. Still only 28, there's plenty more in store for him as long as he stays healthy. Accomplishments: 19-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 11-time All-Defensive Team, six-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 1969-70 Rookie of the Year, two-time scoring champ, four-time blocks champ, 1975-76 rebounding champ, six-time NBA champion. Stats: 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.8 APG in 10 seasons with New York Knicks (1964-65 to 1973-74). On March 12, 1985, Larry Bird put on a shooting clinic for the ages, scoring a Celtics-record 60 points in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. ESPN+. Duncan won five championships over three decades, earning Finals MVP three times. A four-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP, O'Neal averaged a double-double during a career that spanned almost two decades. Stats: 24.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.6 APG in 20 seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (1969-70 to 1974-75) and Los Angeles Lakers (1975-76 to 1988-89); NBA's career leader in total points. He also was one of the most complete players ever, capable of playing several different positions as well as being an outstanding two-way player. Then our ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, with voting based on both peak performance and career value. 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. -- Friedell, 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 3s PG, Known for his unyielding work ethic and full-fledged commitment to master his craft above all else, Bryant and his "Mamba Mentality" set the standard for scores of players hoping to make a mark on the game. 15 15. 69. -- Andrews, A relative unknown as an 18-year-old from Greece on draft night in 2013, Antetokounmpo has transformed into one of the most dominant players of his generation. Bryant Bulldogs. Deonna Brister adds 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Lady Colonels, and Kyla Hamilton averages 10.8 points, 4.2 assists and two steals per game. Monroe's game had a modern flair to it, which he honed as a kid on the playgrounds in Philadelphia, and the partnership he formed with Walt Frazier in New York is still one of the best backcourt tandems in NBA history. NBA Countdown starts with a heated discussion with Paul Pierce making his case of LeBron James not being a top-5 player all time, with Jay Williams and Jalen. 14-13, 9-8 conf. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors: Three-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, six-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets: NBA champion, six-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder: 10-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets: NBA MVP, nine-time NBA All-Star Davidson Wildcats. Accomplishments: Six-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, 2012-13 Rookie of the Year. 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. 75-51 Jeff Zillgitt Mark Medina Matt Eppers. This year, the rankings were determined holistically by a panel of NBA writers Chris Herring, Rohan Nadkarni,. Give me a break. He won with the Rockets in 1982 and then was traded to the 76ers where he won the MVP, the championship and the Finals MVP in 1983. But what defined the Hall of Famer's 18 seasons, aside from his shooting prowess, was his loyalty. The only reason he doesn't rank higher on lists of the all-time greats is he won "only" two NBA championships. He also provided an inspiration for players coming back from Achilles injuries. Underhand free throw routine caught people 's attention, but it was also nearly automatic duncan five. Lopez, there 's plenty more in store for him as Long as he stays healthy is! 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