Top 50 Basketball Players of All-Time

By Jake

I have created a top 50 list for each of the four major sports. I encourage you to read my criterion for creating this list at some point. It will shed some light on how I came to my conclusions. I tried to address situations that I felt might cause the biggest objections. I have provided summaries for each rated player in an attempt to rationalize why I rated them where I did. If you want just a list of the rankings without the summary, click here.

I enjoyed making the basketball list more so than any of the others. I think it’s because I’ve actually seen the majority of the great players play. As a result, I can tell for myself who the best players are without solely focusing on stats. Obviously, I’ll have to rely on numbers and second-hand information for players like Wilt Chamberlain etc. The list was designed to rate the top 50 players in NBA history. There is no question that the NBA had far superior talent than the ABA. It was close to the difference between the NFL and USFL. That doesn’t mean an ABA player could not be rated. In fact, there are quite a few players on this list that played in the ABA. What I tried to do was decide if a player’s career statistics were bloated enough from having played in the ABA that they really weren’t as good as the numbers might indicate. However, if a player dominated in the ABA and then dominated in the NBA for just as long, I gave that player the benefit of the doubt.

Top 50 Basketball Players of All-Time

1) Michael Jordan

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player in NBA history. He was so good that he didn’t win MVP awards because of it. People got tired of voting for him so they started passing the award around to other NBA stars. In all, Jordan won six NBA Championships, six Finals MVPs, five NBA MVPs, and three All Star game MVPs. He was even selected to nine first team All-Defensive teams. Had Jordan not retired for three years the first time around, his career accomplishments would have been even more ludicrous. He almost surely would have won three more NBA Championships as well as countless additional MVP awards. Luckily for the Houston Rockets, that never happened. Even with multiple retirements, Jordan is easily the best player in NBA history.

2) Shaquille O’Neal

I can’t say that I’m thrilled to have Shaq at #2. The majority of his skills are below average. He can’t shoot free throws. He can’t shoot outside of eight feet. He can’t drive to the rim. The things he can’t do significantly outweigh the things he can do. However, the one thing that he has going for him makes him the most unstoppable force in NBA history. No player has ever been able to successfully guard Shaq straight up. In fact, defensive ploys such as the “hack a’ Shaq” were used to avoid having to play defense against him. Shaq benefits from being the biggest man to ever play the game. He has received the benefit of doubt on thousands of uncalled offensive fouls due to “his size”. Right or wrong, Shaq’s size has allowed him to get away with liberties. Those liberties, combined with his relative size and athleticism make him un-guardable. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell had similar success but the difference is that Shaq would have bullied Chamberlain and Russell too.

3) Wilt Chamberlain

More than a few people probably think that Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest NBA player of all-time. I can respect that viewpoint. I just don’t agree with it. He dominated the competition like nobody before or after him. The reason I can’t rate Chamberlain higher than third is twofold. First, his competition wasn’t anywhere near what Jordan and Shaq had to play against. There is no way to quantify the differences in competition levels but I am fully confident that Chamberlain wouldn’t have fared as well as Jordan and Shaq had he played in their era. Second, Jordan and Shaq were as unstoppable as an NBA player can be. At the very minimum, they would be tied with Chamberlain. Throw in the significant difference in competition and it’s pretty clear to me that “The Stilt” is the third best player ever. Bill Simmons (“The Sports Guy”) recently said that revisionist history has caused Chamberlain to be rated higher than Bill Russell. He also said that back when both men were playing, it was common knowledge that Russell was the better player. If that is the case, then why was Wilt selected to the first team All-NBA team ahead of Russell in seven of the nine seasons that they played together? Also, Chamberlain was 7′1 while Russell was only 6′9. That is a signifcant difference in height. The edge goes to Chamberlain.

4) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

I always knew Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was good. You don’t hold the record for most points in NBA history by being average. What I didn’t know was just how good Kareem was. I only got to see the end of his career when he was more “brains” than “brawn”. In his prime, Kareem was unstoppable. He amassed six MVP awards (most all-time), six NBA Championships, two Finals MVPs, and 19 All-Star appearances. His patented “skyhook” was an un-blockable weapon. His defensive skills earned him five selections to first team All-Defense. His all-around skills made him the perfect big man for Pat Riley’s up-tempo offense. The only question I have is whether I should have rated Kareem ahead of Chamberlain. His resume is equally impressive. I gave the nod to Chamberlain because he was simply un-guardable in his day.

5) Bill Russell

I am a big fan of taking into consideration championships when analyzing a career. That’s not to say that a player who never won a championship can’t be better than a player that did win a championship. Nobody, in any sport, has won more championships than Bill Russell. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Unfortunately, I can’t justify rating him above the players ahead of him on this list. Winning that many championships takes a good amount of skill and an absurd amount of good fortune. Russell played along side Bob Cousy and John Havlicek who are among the top 50 NBA players of all-time. He also had the “Chamberlain factor” of matching up against much weaker competition than Shaq and Kareem. Russell was awesome. I almost feel like I need to justify ranking him only 5th all-time. Eleven championships will do that to you. He was great, but he was vastly inferior offensively to the players above him on the list. His Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is also, by far, the lowest of any player that I have rated in the top 20.

6) Magic Johnson

Magic’s greatness can be quantified by citing a lot of statistics. But, I think the single most compelling evidence of his greatness is that there hasn’t been a player since that has been able to do the things he did. He was a 6′8 point guard who could run the break, drive to the hole, shoot the three-pointer, rebound and post up. His excellence produced five NBA Championships and three MVPs. He accomplished all of that despite the fact that his career ended at 31 years of age. One can only imagine what he could have done with five to ten more years added to his career.

7) Larry Bird

I went into the Magic/Bird comparison with an open mind. After looking over everything seemingly a million times and recalling what I saw from each personally, I can’t rate Bird higher than Magic. They both won three MVPs but Magic won more NBA Championships (5-3) and more NBA Finals MVPs (3-2). Magic was also a more dynamic player with his ability to play point guard at 6′8. I just have to give Magic the edge by the thinnest of margins. I love watching old footage of Bird. He doesn’t miss. Regardless of his standing behind Magic, I do not feel bad about ranking Bird 7th all-time.

8 ) Tim Duncan

It’s amazing to me that Duncan rates this high after only eight seasons. However, his resume justifies it and then some. His career accomplishments already stand up pretty good to Magic and Bird. Duncan has won three NBA Championships, two MVPs, and three NBA Finals MVPs. He has been equally good on both offense and defense. He has been selected first team All-Defense six of his eight seasons. His PER is the 6th best in NBA history. Nobody knows how his career will finish but Duncan could easily jump to third by the time he’s finished.

9) Oscar Robertson

I never had the luxury of seeing Robertson play as I’m sure that most people haven’t. But, his numbers speak for themselves. He is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double over an entire season. He barely missed in four other seasons with assist averages of 9.7 and 9.5 and rebound averages of 9.9 and 9.0. His team success doesn’t match that of some of the other greats but he did manage to win an NBA Championship and an MVP.

10) Karl Malone

If this list was “championship or bust” then Karl Malone would be out. Malone had a remarkable career that famously produced zero championships. He came close twice but was upended by Michael Jordan’s Bulls both times. Thanks to Jordan, there were a lot of great players that never won an NBA Championship including Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, and Patrick Ewing. Malone came close but it never happened. He ranks second on the all-time scoring list behind Kareem. He won two MVPs and was selected to the All-NBA first time a league record 11 times. That last statistic is why Malone got the nod over the players just below him. He was essentially Tim Duncan minus three inches.

11) Elgin Baylor

Elgin Baylor is the only player in my top 40 (George Mikan played before MVPs were handed out) not to have won an MVP award. In a league where MVP awards are “measuring sticks” for greatness, that doesn’t sound too impressive. However, it’s important to remember that during Baylor’s playing career (1959-1972) Bill Russell won four MVPs, Wilt Chamberlain won four MVPs, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won two MVPs. Those three players just happen to be rated in my top five of all-time. Baylor’s statistics are eye-popping. Over his career, he averaged 27.4 points and 14 rebounds per game. He was selected first-team All-NBA ten times which is the second best mark in NBA history.

12) Hakeem Olajuwon

I view Hakeem Olajuwon on two different fronts. First, I think he might have been the most “skilled” center that has ever played. His repertoire of offensive moves was second to none. He was superb on defense and was an excellent passer. His domination of Shaq (and everyone else) in the 1995 NBA Championship was shocking. However, I do think that Hakeem’s legacy was greatly enhanced by the first retirement of Michael Jordan. Because of Jordan’s retirement, Hakeem managed to finally win an NBA Championship (back to back) as well as winning an MVP and two NBA Finals MVPs. Hakeem was a fantastic player but he was definitely in the right place at the right time. Had Jordan retired two seasons later, Karl Malone and John Stockton would have likely gotten those two rings. Nonetheless, Hakeem was indeed a “Nightmare” for the opposition.

13) Kobe Bryant

Where Kobe winds up on this list remains to be seen. He could end up in the top five or stay right where he is at. It all depends on whether he can become a better “team” player and whether he can bring the Lakers back to Championship glory without Shaq. As it stands now, Bryant’s career has been spectacular. There is no question that his career was greatly enhanced by Shaq’s presence but it’s important to remember that Shaq never won anything with the Orlando Magic. Shaq needed Kobe as much as Kobe needed Shaq. Together they won three straight NBA Championships. Kobe’s stellar combination of offensive and defensive brilliance is rarely seen in the NBA. In fact, the only guard that I can recall that played both sides as well is Michael Jordan.

14) Julius Erving

Based on his NBA numbers alone, Dr. J probably doesn’t deserve to be rated this high. However, he was so dominant in the ABA that it would be a shame to penalize him for coming from the wrong league. Erving won three MVP’s in the ABA which is an impressive feat but shouldn’t be confused with winning an NBA MVP where the competition was second to none. Erving won two ABA Championships and one NBA Championship. His spectacular aerial displays are still legendary.

15) Moses Malone

Moses Malone’s career was a lot like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s. There were better players during his time but nobody played better for longer. Malone averaged a double-double for 15 straight seasons which is more than Russell, Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar. All told, Malone collected three MVPs, an NBA Championship and an NBA Finals MVP.

16) David Robinson

David Robinson was my favorite player growing up. I had several posters of “The Admiral” up in my room. He was equally smart as he was exceptional on the court. He single-handedly rejuvenated the San Antonio Spurs organization. The Spurs improved an astounding 35 games from the previous season in Robinson’s first year. He led the Spurs to two NBA Championships. He also won an MVP and a Defensive Player of the Year award. He missed three seasons to start his career while serving his commitment in the Navy. Had Robinson not missed that time, his resume would have been even more impressive.

17) Bob Pettit

I don’t know much about Bob Pettit but what I do know is that he was awesome. He won two MVPs while being selected to the All-NBA first team ten times (second most all-time). His PER was through the roof for a player from his time. He helped lead his team to the NBA Championship in 1958 as well as Finals appearances in 1957, 1960 and 1961. He is the only player in NBA history to average more than 20 points in every season that he played.

18) Kevin Garnett

KG rates higher than Barkley simply because I would take KG in his prime over Barkley. Both were saddled with average teammates throughout their careers. Both won an MVP award. Both were overshadowed by better players at the same position (Malone for Barkley and Duncan for KG). KG’s career actually resembles Elgin Baylor’s. Both had awesome stats for teams that never had much of a shot at winning an NBA Championship. Both were overshadowed by other larger than life stars (Shaq and Wilt).

19) Charles Barkley

I thought Malone and Charles Barkley would have been harder to differentiate but I think the difference between the two is bigger than the difference between Magic and Bird by a large margin. As I stated above, Malone was selected first team All-NBA 11 times. Barkley, playing the same position at the same time, only made the first team five times. Malone won two MVPs and reached the NBA Finals twice, Barkley won one MVP and reached the NBA Finals once. Barkley was fantastic. He was one of my favorite players to watch when I was younger. I still remember watching his 56-point performance in the 1994 NBA playoffs.

20) George Mikan

I had a rough time rating George Mikan. The fundamental question that I tried to answer was whether or not Mikan was as good as his numbers and legend indicates or whether his vast size contributed to most of his dominance. I think the answer is a mixture of both but I leaned towards Mikan being that good. There is no question that he had a huge advantage by being bigger and taller than everyone else. Size counts for a lot. However, the fact that nobody had ever been that big and that skillful before means Mikan had something special. Nobody had ever seen that level of agility from a man that size. He was the predecessor to Wilt, Russell, and Kareem. His skills and athleticism probably wouldn’t match up well against those players but he was no doubt the best of his time.

21) Jerry West

Jerry West was a fantastic basketball player. He is literally the face of the NBA as he is the silhouette portrayed on the league’s logo. West was a first team All-NBA selection ten times (second all-time). He had the luxury of playing with Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor during his career. That may be the greatest collection of talent on one team the league has ever seen. West was also a stellar defensive player being named first team All-Defense four times. West didn’t win an MVP award for the same reasons Baylor didn’t. Chamberlain and Russell made it virtually impossible for anyone else to win the award.

22) Bob Cousy

Bob Cousy is a tough player to rate because he literally played on an All-Star team his entire career. When he wasn’t playing with Bill Russell and Sam Jones, it Bill Sharman and John Havlicek. Cousy played for six NBA Championship teams. He also won an MVP award and was selected to the All-NBA first team 10 times (second all-time). His PER is the second lowest (Russell is the only one lower) of anyone that I have rated in the top 26. I can only guess that Cousy’s career was greatly enhanced by the talent around him. That’s not meant to discredit his abilities. Being the 22nd best player in NBA history is nothing to scoff at. I just wanted to make it clear why he wasn’t rated higher.

23) Dolph Schayes

Dolph Schayes was one of the early “greats”. When he retired, he was the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. The main reason that I can’t justify ranking him higher is that he was only selected to six All-NBA first teams in 15 seasons in an era when the talent around the league was relatively thin. He was a member of an NBA Championship team but never won an MVP.

24) Rick Barry

Rick Barry was a great “scorer”. As far as career accomplishments go, he fell just short of Jerry West in just about every measurable statistic.

25) George Gervin

I can’t make a great case as to whether Barry or George Gervin was the better player. Their numbers are eerily similar and frustratingly indiscernible. However, I do think there is a big discrepancy in a statistic that puts Barry just ahead of Gervin. Both players played four seasons in the ABA and ten seasons in the NBA. In those seasons, Barry was selected to All-League first teams nine times while Gervin only managed five selections. In a tight comparison that is enough to give the edge to Barry.

26) Dirk Nowitzki

Unless you live in Boston, the Dirk Nowitzki-Larry Bird comparisons are legit. Both were highly-skilled three point shooters with impressive offensive games. Dirk has three inches on Bird which gives him a big advantage in the post. Both were superb at getting to the free throw line. The only differences between the two at this point are Bird’s championships and Bird’s legendary performances. Dirk has time to catch up but last season may end up being his best shot at an NBA Title. I predict Dirk will be in the top 15 by the time his career is finished.

27) John Havlicek

Havlicek probably gets rated a little higher than this on most Top 50 lists but I think that’s because of his good fortune of playing with Bill Russell. Havlicek has the lowest PER of any player in my top 45. He only made four All-NBA first teams in 16 seasons. Those are the reasons why I couldn’t have possibly rated him higher. However, he was also selected to seven All-NBA second teams, five All-NBA defensive teams and played for eight NBA Championship teams. His legend probably precedes his resume slightly but he undoubtedly had a stellar career.

28) John Stockton

While it may seem obvious to some, I am not 100% certain as to who was more pivotal for the Utah Jazz; Karl Malone or John Stockton? Maybe it’s a tie. Most summaries of either player won’t go a paragraph without bringing up the other player. I didn’t even make it one sentence. Stockton was the “prototypical” point guard. He was often considered a “dirty” player for his aggressive play. He was quite possibly the greatest passer the league has ever seen. He was deadly from behind the arc. I have suspicions that Stockton was better than Cousy. The only difference is that Cousy won an MVP and six NBA Titles while Stockton came up empty in both.

29) LeBron James

LeBron James is the closest thing to Magic Johnson that the league has seen since Magic retired. Unlike most “pie in the sky” comparisons, I actually think LeBron will end up being better than Magic. In fact, I think LeBron has the potential to end up being the best player the league has ever seen. He is physically dominant at the ripe age of 21. At 6’8, LeBron can do everything Magic could do and more. He is bigger and stronger than Magic already. Barring a career-ending injury, LeBron will dominate the NBA like few have ever seen.

30) Dwyane Wade

Even though Wade is considered by most to be one of the best players in the NBA, I think he is vastly underrated. He gets to the rim better than any player I have ever seen and that’s saying something. Any coach who doesn’t give Wade the ball every possession over the last five minutes in a close game should be fired. When Wade takes the ball to the rim late in a game, he will either make it or get fouled. Once Shaq retires, Wade’s individual numbers will skyrocket. He is as physically gifted as any player in the league. His jump shot is so deadly and precise that the net barely moves on his swishes. I can’t say enough about Wade. His place in the top 15 of all-time is a mere formality along with LeBron’s.

31) Walt Frazier

If anything, I may have overrated Frazier just a tad but I am comfortable were he’s at. Frazier was a fantastic two-way guard. He was selected to the first team All-Defense seven times and first team All-NBA four times. He also helped lead the New York Knicks to two NBA Championships. There were betters players on offense and better players on defense but there weren’t many who had his level of proficiency on both ends.

32) Neil Johnston

I had a difficult time separating Dolph Schayes and Neil Johnston from one another. Schayes only got the edge on Johnston because of his longevity. Johnston only played eight seasons to Schayes’ 15. Although Johnston has the better PER of the two, Schayes’ PER would have been better had he only played eight seasons like Johnston.

33) Isiah Thomas

Out of all of the NBA greats, Isiah Thomas probably has the biggest fluctuation in perception from one person to the next. Some people think he was the greatest player six feet or under to ever play the game. Others think he tarnished the game of basketball by bringing a more physical style of play to the court as a member of the “Bad Boys”. Michael Jordan even went as far as to keep him off of the 1992 Dream Team. His image may not be the best but there is no doubting his dominance on the basketball court. He led the Pistons to two NBA Championships beating some of the great players the league had ever seen including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. He was a highly proficient shooter who took the ball to the hole with a big-man’s ferocity. His PER isn’t all that impressive which is one of the reasons why I can’t rate him higher but few players had his drive and determination to go along with superior talent.

34) Allen Iverson

I could see someone rating Iverson anywhere from the top 15 to outside of the top 50. His enigmatic persona and style of play are hard to put a finger on. He had the misfortune of playing for untalented teams throughout his career. As a result, he took it upon himself to shoot the ball often. The results on the stat sheet have been nothing short of impressive. The results on the court have been a different story. The question still remains as to whether a team can win a championship with Iverson leading the way. He hasn’t had as much of a chance to play “team” basketball as some of the other greats from his era. He was a tough match-up for anyone but it’s much easier to play defense against one guy than five. Iverson did win an MVP award and has a career average of 28.0 points per game which is third on the all-time list behind only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

35) Elvin Hayes

Hayes averaged a double-double for thirteen straight seasons. That would have been 16 straight seasons had he not averaged 9.9 rebounds per game in 1982. He was a solid player throughout his entire career but he was never the best. Hayes did his best work in the playoffs averaging a double-double in every postseason that he played in. He led his teams to three NBA Finals and one NBA Championship. His PER is the third worst of the top 50 which is one of the reasons I can’t rate him much higher.

36) Clyde Drexler

If a great player plays the same position at the same time as Michael Jordan, does anyone notice? Not really. Drexler is probably one of the least known stars in NBA history. Playing in Portland didn’t help his cause much but that didn’t have near the impact as playing in Jordan’s era. Let’s just say that if a shooting guard was going to win the MVP during Drexler’s career it wasn’t going to be Drexler. His career numbers are impressive. Not coincidentally, Drexler was finally able to win an NBA Championship when Michael Jordan retired. Drexler was a 10-time All-Star who led three teams to the NBA Finals. He also had an impressive PER at 21.4.

37) Bill Sharman

Sharman teamed with Cousy to form a legendary backcourt. Cousy’s production was better across the board and his accolades trumped Sharman’s by a considerable amount. Depending on how much one contributes Sharman’s success on being teamed with Russell and Cousy, I can understand rating him lower. However, he was selected to four All-NBA first teams and three All-NBA second teams so he was accomplished in his own right.

38) Scottie Pippen

Pippen was so hard to rate that I had him outside of the top 50 for the majority of the ranking process. I can fully understand someone not wanting to include him in the top 50. There is no question that, more than any other player who played the game, his career was enhanced by the good fortune of playing with a superstar. While Jordan garnered a ton of individual success early in his career, it wasn’t until Pippen became an effective all-around force that the Bulls started winning. Pippen had a deadly jump shot and the ability to take the ball to the rim. He was also one of the elite defensive players in the league. He made eight All-Defense first teams which is among the highest totals in league history. He was the “perfect” compliment to Michael Jordan.

39) Gary Payton

I had similar problems with rating Gary Payton but for different reasons. Payton has looked like a “washed up” veteran over the last couple seasons. I started to wonder whether or not he was overrated throughout his career. But, I came to my senses. Payton looks like a “washed up” veteran because he is one. Before he got old (as all players do), he was the best two-way point guard in the NBA for more than a decade. During his prime, Payton averaged over 20 points and eight assists per game. He also made nine All-Defense first teams.

40) Patrick Ewing

Ewing is one of those stars that had the misfortune of playing at the same time as Michael Jordan. I remember some of his dominating performances in the playoffs against the Pistons. He was one of the top two centers in the NBA in the late 80’s/early 90’s but he was never able to lead his team to a championship or win an MVP.

41) Jerry Lucas

I almost made a huge mistake by leaving Jerry Lucas off the list. It is easy to overlook deserving players by simply focusing on statistics and career length. I made it a point to look up player reputations and the impact players had on the league to get a better understanding of how good they actually were. Lucas deserves to be in the top 50 and I may have actually underrated him. Lucas averaged over 20 rebounds in two different seasons. Only four players in NBA history ever accomplished that in even one season. Lucas was chosen as an All-NBA first-teamer three times in his career. He ranks fourth on the all-time list in rebounds per game. He didn’t receive the same amount of attention as Chamberlain and Russell but he was almost as good.

42) Tiny Archibald

I found it incredibly difficult to differentiate between the last ten players that made the list and the first ten players that didn’t make it. Archibald made the All-NBA first team three times. There is only one player who had that many first team selections that didn’t make the list and that was Jason Kidd. Odds are that if a guy is the best player at his position for three seasons in his career, then he was probably one of the best 50 players of all-time. Kidd was a tough omission but I have seen Kidd’s entire career and I think the holes in his game keep him just off the list. Considering Kidd has only finished in the top three of the MVP voting once in his career I am probably not alone on that.

43) Paul Arizin

Arizin was one of the great early-NBA players. He made three All-NBA first teams. He averaged 23 points and eight rebounds over his career and led his team to an NBA Championship in 1956. He is probably the least accomplished of the 50’s greats (behind Mikan, Johnston, Pettit, Schayes, Bill Sharman and Bob Cousy) which is why he’s rated this low.

44) Steve Nash

If there’s any pick that’s going to lead to the questioning of my credibility besides Shaq at #2, it might be this one. Then again, I think people know how good Nash is. He is one of only nine players to win back to back MVP awards. Nash’s arrival in Phoenix in 2005 led to a 33 game improvement over the previous season. He is one of the great fast-break point guards in NBA history. Over his career he has shot over 42% from three point range and 90% from the free throw line. There isn’t a team in the NBA that Nash couldn’t lead to the playoffs. He is the ultimate team player in the sense that he makes everyone better. It’s not a coincidence that everyone seems to have a career year when they become his teammate.

45) Willis Reed

Willis Reed may have had the most productive season in sports history in 1970. He was the All-Star game MVP. He was the regular season MVP. He was the playoff MVP. He was also named first team All-NBA and first team All-Defense. That is also the same season in which he made his heroic mid-game return to lead the Knicks to the NBA Championship in game 7 of the Finals. He was also the NBA Finals MVP in 1973. Reed averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds over his career.

46) Hal Greer

Nobody outside of my top 29 had more combined first and second team All-NBA selections than Greer. Of course, none of his seven selections were actually the first team. Greer was one of the finest guards of the 60’s. He also teamed with Wilt Chamberlain to end the eight-year Championship run by the Boston Celtics.

47) Bob McAdoo

McAdoo made one All-NBA first team and one All-NBA second team in 14 seasons. That is one of the lowest totals of any of the 50 players. But, from 1974-1977 McAdoo had one of the greatest four-season stretches in league history highlighted by an MVP award in 1975. McAdoo became a very good sixth man near the end of his career winning two NBA Championships with the Lakers.

48) Nate Thurmond

First, I had Nate Thurmond in the top 50. Then I was certain he was out. I thought the final strike against Thurmond was his zero combined selections to the first and second All-NBA teams. But, I came to find out there was a good reason for Thurmond’s absence on those teams. In 12 of Thurmond’s 14 seasons, either Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made first team All-NBA. Thurmond averaged 15 rebounds per game throughout his career which is 5th on the all-time list. Thurmond was the first NBA player to record a quadruple-double. He is also one of three players to average 21 points and 22 rebounds per game over a two-year stretch. Thurmond didn’t put up the awesome offensive numbers like some of the other greats but few were better defensively.

49) Dominique Wilkins

Like a few of the guys on this list, I didn’t initially include Dominique Wilkins. Then, I came to my senses. ‘Nique might deserve to be rated higher than this but his career is not much different than Vince Carter’s and Carter isn’t on the list at all. In short, ‘Nique was a fantastic offensive player who never had team success, never won individual awards, and was overshadowed by some of the all-time greats like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to name a few.

50) Pete Maravich

I struggled with the question of whether to include “Pistol Pete” or not. He is the talk of legend by millions of people that never saw him play. I have no doubt that he was spectacular but his resume isn’t as impressive as most of the players on the list. Maravich only played ten seasons. He only played in 50+ games in seven of those seasons. His collegiate resume is vastly more impressive. His NBA career was not quite as accomplished but he had a seven-year run worthy of making this list.

Near Misses:

Instead of listing the next ten or twenty players on the list which would essentially create a Top 60 or 70 list, I would like to identify the players that I had the hardest time keeping off. These are in no particular order; Wes Unseld, Kevin McHale, Jason Kidd, Dave Cowens, Billy Cunningham, Artis Gilmore, Connie Hawkins, Mel Daniels, Dan Issel, George McGinnis, Spencer Haywood, Earl Monroe, Robert Parish, Dave Bing, Dave Debusschere, Bill Walton, James Worthy and Bob Lanier. Most appeared in the top 50 before I reached my final decision.

Elton Brand, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard all have great chances of breaking into the Top 50 before their careers are over. The same could have been said for Chris Webber who almost certainly would have made the list had his career not been rocked by a brutal injury.