Because of that positional change, Duncan became arguably the greatest power forward to play basketball.Don’t let his unassuming demeanor fool you. He’s one of the best we’ve seen period.Career Averages: 22.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assistsThe greatest gift that the ABA gave to the NBA is none other than Julius Erving.
ESPN has ranked its Top 74 NBA Players of All-Time, and four Hoyas have made the list. The Dream Shake is ballet-like in its beauty and grace, leaving opponents scratching their heads in amazement and embarrassment.Though Olajuwon won “only” two championships, the way he dismantled premier centers such as David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O’Neal on his way to those titles propelled him to the top of the elite big men of his day.Career Averages: 25.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 9.5 assistsOne of the most difficult decisions of ranking the top 50 players was booting Oscar Robertson out of the top 10. Whether they have a famous jumper that just won't quit or ball-handling skills that leave their opponents spinning, these top 100 NBA players rule the hoop and the hardwood, and this list is a celebration of those skills. Additionally, he exhibited coolness both on and off the court.To this day, Frazier is a legend in New York and is the epitome of Knicks greatness.Career Averages: 21.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.8 assistsConsidered one of the greatest power forwards in the game, Elvin Hayes was both a scoring and rebounding machine. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29105801/ranking-top-74-nba-players- He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He’s a 14-time All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA team member. The Diesel led the league in scoring twice (1994-95, 1999-2000) and is currently eighth in all-time scoring.Career Averages: 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.3 assistsIf you want to show a kid how to play basketball, you show him Larry Bird.
If he had been healthier, Barkley would have been in the top ten on this list and could take the title of the greatest power forward ever.Career Averages: 25.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assistsAll-NBA: 11x First Team, 2x Second Team, 1x Third TeamMalone is second all-time to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in career scoring with 36,928 points and seventh in career rebounds with 14,968. He didn’t pattern his game after Jordan the same way Kobe Bryant did since Drexler came to the NBA ahead of His Airness, but Glide played above the stratosphere as well.
This list includes the best basketball players in NBA history, … His focus was in taking care of the paint and making sure that everyone was involved in the offense.There are those who regard Russell as the greatest player in the game because of his unprecedented 11 titles.
The 6-foot-7 forward is one of the toughest and strongest forwards during his playing days.He led the Syracuse Nationals to the NBA championship in 1955 and was chosen to play in a dozen All-Star Games.Career Averages: 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assistsIt took years before anyone was worthy of becoming a Boston Celtics legend after Larry Bird retired until Paul Pierce landed on their laps as the 10th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. Ewing’s career shouldn’t be defined by his lack of championship rings and the fact that his Knicks team lost several times to Michael Jordan’s Bulls. Regardless of a player’s position, if he is better than another player in the top 10 of another position, he can make it to this prestigious list.Without further ado, here are my 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked and updated for everyone to debate:Career Averages: 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assistsCuriously missing from the NBA’s official 50th Anniversary All-Time Team was a certain former MVP named Bob McAdoo. Who knows how much more he could have accomplished had he played five or more seasons?Career Averages: 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists13 years. A player who was at number 12 at the center spot, for example, made the cut while my ninth best shooting guard was left out. But, honestly, we’ve seen versions of these two great players in Kobe Bryant and Ben Simmons, respectively.