espn best nba players of all time
-- Collier, Long before there was "Playoff Rondo," Jones earned the nickname "Mr. Player stats reflect 28 of 28 games this season. Rob Mahoney. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive Team, 2013 All-Star MVP, 2005-06 Rookie of the Year, six-time steals champ, four-time assists champ. 34 of the Miami Heat, during Game Five of the 2014 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on June 15, 2014, in San Antonio. Stats: 23.1 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 2.8 APG in seven seasons with Minneapolis Lakers (1948-49 to 1955-56). 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. Stephen A. Smith ranks his top-5 NBA players all-time and shares his reasoning why Steph Curry didn't make his list. Jordan revolutionized the way players could expand their corporate portfolios -- and dominate well after their playing careers end. -- MacMahon, 1990-2003 Seattle SuperSonics; 2003 Milwaukee Bucks; 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers; 2004-05 Boston Celtics; 2005-07 Miami Heat, Remembered as one of the NBA's greatest defenders in the backcourt, "the Glove" teamed up with Shawn Kemp to lead the brash, young Sonics to five consecutive seasons of 55+ wins. -- McMenamin, When you are the logo of the NBA, it means you have done something special in your career. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, two-time All-Star MVP, 1990 Finals MVP, 1984-85 assists champ, two-time NBA champion. Accomplishments: 12-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, two-time NBA All-Defensive team, three-time NBA MVP, 1983 Finals MVP, six-time NBA rebounding champ, 1983 NBA champion. Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA championships, winning six Finals MVP awards and five regular-season MVP honors while becoming a global icon on and off the floor. Stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.7 APG in 17 seasons with Seattle SuperSonics (1990-91 to 2002-03), Milwaukee Bucks (2002-03), Los Angeles Lakers (2003-04), Boston Celtics (2004-05) and Miami Heat (2005-06 to 2006-07). -- Bontemps, 1960-68 St. Louis Hawks; 1968-72 Seattle SuperSonics; 1972-74 Cleveland Cavaliers; 1974-75 Portland Trail Blazers, "Coach, you played?" He was, to put it simply, a winner. 26 . -- Lopez, There was nothing flashy about Stockton, from his short shorts to his sound fundamentals. -- Ohm Youngmisuk, The greatest winner in basketball history, Russell claimed 11 titles in 13 years by turning the Celtics into a defensive juggernaut. Stats: 19.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 3.0 APG in 19 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1997-98 to 2015-16). He became the face of a generation of big men and was dominant down low as he helped push the Lakers to three straight NBA titles from 2000 to 2002. Pelton: Isiah Thomas underrated or overrated? He was mocked as "Ason" early in his career, when he lacked a jump shot. -- Andrew Lopez, 1968-71 San Diego Rockets, 1971-72, 1981-84 Houston Rockets; 1972-73 Baltimore Bullets, 1973-74 Capital Bullets, 1974-81 Washington Bullets, The "Big E" made an immediate impact, averaging 28.4 points and 17.1 rebounds as a rookie in 1968-69. No other player in NBA history has those scoring and assist averages in the same season (only Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook also had 30-point, 10-assist seasons). -- Tim MacMahon, 18.2 PPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 Steals PG, 1.8 3s PG, The Pacers' legend became one of the greatest shooters in NBA history with one of the fastest releases the game has seen. Northwestern State Lady Demons . ESPN's NBA expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, taking into consideration both total career value and peak performance. Tony Parker. He was a five-time MVP, including winning three in a row from 1960 to '62. But Malone had the misfortune of matching up with Michael Jordan's Bulls in both of his NBA Finals appearances. Stats: 24.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.6 APG in nine seasons with Portland Trail Blazers (2012-13 to 2020-21)*. 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. Stats: 13.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.4 APG in 10 seasons with Portland Trail Blazers (1974-75 to 1977-78), San Diego/LA Clippers (1979-80 to 1984-85) and Boston Celtics (1985-86 to 1986-87). Stats: 22.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.3 APG in 14 seasons with Buffalo Braves. Accomplishments: Two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1977-78 MVP, 1977 Finals MVP, 1985-86 Sixth Man of the Year, 1976-77 rebounding champ, 1976-77 blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. Stats: 17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 APG in 12 seasons with Boston Celtics (1957-58 to 1968-69). 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. -- 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. Stats: 18.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.4 APG in 16 seasons with New Orleans Hornets (2005-06 to 2010-11), LA Clippers (2011-12 to 2016-17), Houston Rockets (2017-18 to 2018-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20) and Phoenix Suns (2020-21)*. Bryant is a two-time scoring champ and will go down as one of the greats in terms of playoff production. He won six championships -- with the first and last coming 17 years apart -- and was named to 15 All-NBA teams, with 10 first-team selections. He was one of the NBA's all-time great defenders, a player-coach for the Pistons in just his third season who then became a defining member of the Knicks' championship teams in the 1970s. Chamberlain is one of them, amassing 100 points in a single game on March 2, 1962, against the Knicks. Cricket. Steve Nash. Cricket. Those qualities also helped him earn five MVP awards and 11 All-NBA selections. The charismatic Johnson took the "Showtime" Lakers to nine NBA Finals, and they won five titles. He also was one of the game's great early shooters, setting a record for free throw percentage (93.2) during the 1958-59 season that lasted nearly two decades. -- Bontemps, Johnson revolutionized the game, entering the league as the tallest point guard in league history at 6-foot-9. Stats: 23.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.3 BPG in 19 seasons with Orlando Magic (1992-93 to 1995-96), Los Angeles Lakers (1996-97 to 2003-04), Miami Heat (2004-05 to 2007-08), Phoenix Suns (2007-08 to 2008-09), Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-10) and Boston Celtics (2010-11). 14-13, 9-8 conf. LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan? It's clear why he is part of this list at age 27. 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 . Stats: 19.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG in 15 seasons with Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1958-59 to 1972-73). All-Time #NBArank: The 10 greatest centers in NBA history, Photos: Classic action shots of league's best centers, 5-on-5: Debating the NBA's top centers of all time, TrueHoop TV: The "power forwardization" of the center position, All-Time #NBArank 91-100: Harden, Love make the Top 100 cut, All-Time #NBArank 81-90: Yao, Billups, Bosh, Mullin make list, All-Time #NBArank 71-80: Blake's place among the greats, All-Time #NBArank 61-70: T-Mac, C-Webb, Vinsanity, Dwight, All-Time #NBArank 51-60: Melo, Reggie, Pau, TP miss Top 50, All-Time #NBArank 46-50: Iverson, Westbrook land in Top 50, All-Time #NBArank 41-45: Payton, Pierce and Nique, All-Time #NBArank 36-40: Clyde The Glide, Frazier and Cousy, All-Time #NBArank 31-35: Kidd, Ewing, McHale among greats, All-Time #NBArank 26-30: Isiah, Wade, Hondo, CP3, Nash. His fast breaks and no-look passes catapulted the NBA from an era when Finals games weren't televised live to the global game it is today. Bellarmine Knights. Stats: 25.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.5 APG in 12 seasons with Oklahoma City Thunder (2009-10 to 2011-12), Houston Rockets (2012-13 to 2020-21) and Brooklyn Nets (2020-21)*. 29.0 - The highest average points per game in the All Star Game is 29.0, held by Giannis Antetokounmpo. 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. But his legacy is so much more than just basketball. 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). 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. In 2009, then-NBA commissioner David Stern announced the Finals MVP award would be named after Russell. -- Tim MacMahon, Bird and Magic Johnson revitalized the NBA -- and the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. Stats: 15.0 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 2.7 APG in 14 seasons with San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1963-64 to 1973-74), Chicago Bulls (1974-75 to 1975-76) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1975-76 to 1976-77). 5-on-5: Will James Harden be a top-5 all-time shooting guard? Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, four-time All-Defensive team, 2017 All-Star MVP, three-time blocks champ, 2020 NBA champion. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, two-time scoring champ, 2015-16 steals champ, three-time NBA champion. 22-6, 14-2 conf. -- Bontemps, Russell was one of the greatest defenders -- if not the greatest -- of all time. Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA championships, winning six Finals MVP awards and five regular-season MVP honors while becoming a global icon on and off the floor. His mobility and physicality changed the expectations for modern-day big men. Miami basketball was well represented as former Heat players . -- Tim Bontemps. St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Vote up the best basketball player ever, and those who follow close behind. Sep 12, 2019. His 11 NBA championships stand alone as the most for a player all time. Preview; Bellarmine Knights vs Liberty Lady Flames Stats, Game Time, and more. 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 His 71-point effort in the regular-season finale in 1994 to win the scoring title trails only Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant and David Thompson in all-time single-game scoring efforts. Stats: 20.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.4 APG in 21 seasons with Dallas Mavericks (1998-99 to 2018-19). Boxing. Payton would make nine consecutive All-Defensive First Teams and finished fourth in career steals. NCAAW. 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). 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. Off it, he was always one of the league's biggest enigmas. NBA. -- Ohm Youngmisuk, The legend of Reed's performance in 1970 alone could earn him inclusion on this list. Stats: 26.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG in 10 NBA seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1976-77 to 1984-85) and Chicago Bulls (1985-86); also played four ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1972-73 to 1973-74) and San Antonio Spurs (1973-74 to 1975-76). The Spurs had a winning record and made the playoffs in every single season of Duncan's 18-year career. The logo of the greats in terms of Playoff production players could their! 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