Favorite All-Time NBA Players

[Mike Schutz]

This is not a discussion of who is the best. It is simply your list of your favorite players of all time. You set the criteria.

Here are my Top Ten Favorite NBA Players

1. Larry Bird
2. John Havlicek
3. Bill Russell
4. Wes Unseld
5. Dave Cowens
6. Jerry West
7. Ray Allen
8. Dennis Johnson
9. David Robinson
10. John Stockton

Six of my favorite players are/were Celtics. However, only three - Cowens, Bird, and Dennis Johnson, played for the Cs during the time I lived in Boston (1974 - 2002.) Ray Allen came after I left, and Havlicek and Russell were there before I moved there. However, if any of you were around in the 1960s, when the NBA was only on TV on Sunday afternoons, you know that more often than not the Celtics were on. I was a Celtics fan even in Baltimore, and that's why there is only one Baltimore/Washington player on my list - Wes Unseld.

Who is on your list?

[Greg Farra]

1) Magic Johnson
2) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3) Doctor J
4) James Worthy
5) Mark Price
6) Darrell Dawkins
7) World B. Free
8) Bob Lanier
9) Hakeem Olajuwon
10) Kurt Rambis

[David Morris]

David Robinson
Tim Duncan
A.C. Green
Pistol Pete Maravich
Spud Webb
Jimmy Chitwood

[Ryan Plott]

1.Shaquille 0'Neal
2.Hakeem Olajuwon
3.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Bill Russel
5. Patrick Ewing
6.George Mikan
7.Karl Malone
8.Kevin McHale
9.Alonzo Mourning
10.Dikembe Mutombo

and just to jump out of the box...

11. Dirk Nowitzki

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Wow, Hank...all big guys, eh?

First off, I really do root for teams. There are a number of Celtics of the past that I loved watching, for various reasons (hard play, unique personality, etc.) like Walter McCarty, Antoine Walker, Bruce Bowen (what a defender), Ron Mercer, Eddie House, Dana Barros, and Dino Radja. I'm limiting mine to players who have played 10+ years in the NBA. I'm really pulling for guys like Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, & Kevin Love. And Rondo will more than likely be on this list in a few years. I love watching the guy play.

Paul Pierce
Ray Allen
Patrick Ewing
Michael Jordan
Larry Bird
David Robinson
Allen Iverson
Carmelo Anthony
Bill Russell

[Ryan Scott]

My favorite players to watch: Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller. The 1998 Eastern Conference Finals was the greatest playoff series I ever got to see - just incredible.

Guys I loved watching, but only got to see recording of: Larry Bird, Pete Maravich.

My favorite players: Scot Pollard and Mario Chalmers - the fact that they both went to Kansas is really just a coincidence, albeit an odd one.

[Ryan Plott]

Wow, Hank...all big guys, eh?

When I was 13, I was 6'4'' and thought I was going to be at least 6'10'' or 6'11''. The players I listed were the ones that I patterned my game after and researched continuously since I figured they'd have the best skills that would get me to the next level. However I stopped growing at 13 also. Kind of a bummer, but that's life.

[Jim Poteet]

This is not a discussion of who is the best. It is simply your list of your favorite players of all time. You set the criteria.

Here are my Top Ten Favorite NBA Players

1. Larry Bird
2. John Havlicek
3. Bill Russell
4. Wes Unseld
5. Dave Cowens
6. Jerry West
7. Ray Allen
8. Dennis Johnson
9. David Robinson
10. John Stockton

Six of my favorite players are/were Celtics. However, only three - Cowens, Bird, and Dennis Johnson, played for the Cs during the time I lived in Boston (1974 - 2002.) Ray Allen came after I left, and Havlicek and Russell were there before I moved there. However, if any of you were around in the 1960s, when the NBA was only on TV on Sunday afternoons, you know that more often than not the Celtics were on. I was a Celtics fan even in Baltimore, and that's why there is only one Baltimore/Washington player on my list - Wes Unseld.

Who is on your list?

Let's go for a little history.

1. Bob Cousy
2. Slater Martin
3. Dolph Schayes
4. Dick McGuire
5. Bob Pettit
6. Sam Jones
7. Elgin Baylor
8. Tom Gola
9. Lenny Wilkins
10. Gail Goodrich

Basketball did exist before 1990. Actually it was invented in 1891.

[David Morris]

Let's go for a little history.

1. Bob Cousy
2. Slater Martin
3. Dolph Schayes
4. Dick McGuire
5. Bob Pettit
6. Sam Jones
7. Elgin Baylor
8. Tom Gola
9. Lenny Wilkins
10. Gail Goodrich

Basketball did exist before 1990. Actually it was invented in 1891.

And I only existed for 8 years prior to 1990. I have a feeling you have been around a little longer

[Mike Schutz]

Let's go for a little history.

1. Bob Cousy
2. Slater Martin
3. Dolph Schayes
4. Dick McGuire
5. Bob Pettit
6. Sam Jones
7. Elgin Baylor
8. Tom Gola
9. Lenny Wilkins
10. Gail Goodrich

Basketball did exist before 1990. Actually it was invented in 1891.

Jim,
Thanks. It is difficult to have favorite players whom you never saw play. I can't really say that I'm a fan of Cousy or Pettit, even though I am aware of how great they were. As I was born in 1956, I have no memory of the NBA prior to the late 1960s.

[Benjamin Burch]

When I was 13, I was 6'4'' and thought I was going to be at least 6'10'' or 6'11''. The players I listed were the ones that I patterned my game after and researched continuously since I figured they'd have the best skills that would get me to the next level. However I stopped growing at 13 also. Kind of a bummer, but that's life.

I can vouch for this

[Benjamin Burch]

1) Alonzo Mourning
2) Dwyane Wade
3) Jason Kidd
4) Kevin Garnett
5) Tim Hardaway
6) John Stockton



7) Gary Payton
8) Tim Duncan
9) Rajon Rondo
10) Paul Pierce

[Benjamin Burch]

1.Shaquille 0'Neal
2.Hakeem Olajuwon
3.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Bill Russel
5. Patrick Ewing
6.George Mikan
7.Karl Malone
8.Kevin McHale
9.Alonzo Mourning
10.Dikembe Mutombo

and just to jump out of the box...

11. Dirk Nowitzki

Patrick Ewing over Alonzo Mourning? Shame, shame, shame.

[Steven Martinez]

Magic Johnson was basketball. To see him play in his prime when I was growing up was amazing. I still remember the baby hook against the Celtics. Saw it live and it was great.

[Ryan Plott]

Patrick Ewing over Alonzo Mourning? Shame, shame, shame.

I'll gladly admit Shaq is my favorite player of all time but the rest are in no specific order or ranking. However, if I offended you, I guess you'll just have to deal with it.

[James Johnson]

Any list without Wilt Chamberlain on it is void, and please let's not forget Nate "Tiny" Archibald, he was entertainment!

[David Morris]

Any list without Wilt Chamberlain on it is void, and please let's not forget Nate "Tiny" Archibald, he was entertainment!

This is not a discussion of who is the best. It is simply your list of your favorite players of all time. You set the criteria.

[Jim Poteet]

And I only existed for 8 years prior to 1990. I have a feeling you have been around a little longer

And that is true!

[Thomas Oord]

I like these lists, and my own all-time favorites appear on them often. But when I think about my own personal favorites, I also tend to think of the lesser stars like...

Downtown Freddie Brown of the Seattle Supersonics
Chocolate Thunder Darryl Dawkins
Jack Sikma

And a few greater stars listed occassionally above but whom I admired like...

Rick Barry
Pistol Pete Maravich
George Iceman Gervin
James Worthy

And finally a person I have only seen on highlight films but am surprised does not get listed more often as all-time great:

Oscar Robertson -- a man who AVERAGED a triple double for a season.

[Benjamin Burch]

Oscar Robertson -- a man who AVERAGED a triple double for a season.

One thing that I really like about advanced statistics is that they take context into account.

Before we discuss LeBron’s qualifications of averaging at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for a full season, let’s run through a quick history lesson. Oscar Robertson is the only player in NBA history to achieve the league’s version of the triple crown, scoring 30.8 points, piling up 11.4 assists and grabbing 12.5 rebounds per game in 1962. Eye-popping numbers. Also eye-popping? How many missed shots there were to collect.

As a result of breakneck pace and horrid shooting proficiency, the average team in 1962 missed 61.8 shots per game, which means that there were approximately 120 missed field goal attempts available to be hauled in.

The modern game is dramatically slower and more efficient, leading to far fewer rebounding opportunities for today’s basketball player. Just looking strictly at field goal attempts, there are, on average, about 40 fewer live balls to be collected now compared to Robertson’s era. And that’s before we get into missed free throws. That’s a lot of missed rebounding opportunities.

Robertson’s record still stands for primarily two reasons: (A) not many players with Robertson’s extraordinary skill set have come around, and (B) when they do, they don’t play in a climate that breeds triple-doubles. While LeBron may qualify for the first criterion, he has never played on a fast-paced team and he's never played in a league chock-full of 35 percent shooters.

This is a big reason why LeBron has a better shot at winning the next mayoral election in Cleveland than averaging a triple-double in today’s game. It’s about opportunity as much as it is skill.

Full Article

Also helpful:

Robertson benefited, especially in the rebounding category. Remember, you can get a rebound only if somebody misses a shot. With so many more missed shots to gather, there were nearly 70 percent more chances for a rebound than there are today. With teams shooting early in the clock and mostly missing, four different players averaged over 18 rebounds a game that season -- in an eight-team league!

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...-double-season

[Bob Hunter]

Here's my peculiar list:

1) Michael Jordan
2) Scottie Pippen
3) Larry Bird
4) Kurt Rambis (overachieving underdog)
5) Magic Johnson (Oh yes, I remember the Laker/Knicks days)
6) Dennis Rodman (Even though I despised his last few years)
7) Steve Kerr (amazing 3 point shooter)
8) Clyde Drexler
9) Steve Nash (current)
10) Karl Malone

[Kevin Rector]

1.Shaquille 0'Neal
2.Hakeem Olajuwon
3.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Bill Russel
5. Patrick Ewing
6.George Mikan
7.Karl Malone
8.Kevin McHale
9.Alonzo Mourning
10.Dikembe Mutombo

and just to jump out of the box...

11. Dirk Nowitzki

Hank likes the Big Men

[Kevin Rector]

So I'm not a big basketball fan in general and especially not much of an NBA fan. But here's my list (not sure I can get to 10):

1. Michael Jordan
2. Larry Bird
3. Magic Johnson
4. Scottie Pippen
5. Horace Grant
6. John Paxson
7. B.J. Armstrong
8. Steve Kerr
9. Toni Kukoc
10. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

From the above names can you discern what era of basketball I watched and which team I liked? Hint (not that you need it): I was born in Chicago and grew up in Illinois.

So, I know you guessed it, so I'll lay out my criteria. Numbers 1, 2, & 3 were far and away the best players of the era that I followed NBA basketball. After that, is the more important Bulls of the 90s dynasty (excepting Rodman who I can't vote for because he just all around turns my stomach). Finally I round out my top ten with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar primarily for being in Airplane.

[Bradley Grinnen]

jeremy gave a shout out to walter mccarty...

ok, here is my all time favorite basketball list period... any league...

1. Larry Bird
2. Michael Jordan
3. Jeff Seabron
4. Coy Overpeck
5. Correy Loftus
6. TJ Lokey
7. Eric Heizer
8. Kip Caldwell
9. JJ Schimko (on pure hustle, grit, and ability to knock out his own teamates)
10. Jody Gardner

[Tinker Boyd]

Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon and I know no one will go with me on my next choice but Sam Cassell. He could really fire up a team and get them going. When he was in Houston, he would often work twice as hard as anyone else on the court.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Jody Gardner

I indeed had a great time watching Jody and her teammates too. She was quite the shooter. I think that I can say that I've never traveled as far to watch a sports team play than I did that 1999-2000 ENC Girls Team. Good times.

Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon and I know no one will go with me on my next choice but Sam Cassell. He could really fire up a team and get them going. When he was in Houston, he would often work twice as hard as anyone else on the court.

Good one! Cassell was fun to watch.

[Marcus Kibbe]

1) Detlef Schrempf
2) Chris Mullin
3) Scott Skiles
4) Bill Laimbeer
5) Jack Sikma
6) Jeff Hornacek
7) Rex Chapman
8) Craig Ehlo
9) Tom Gugliotta
10) Kurt Rambis

Honorable mention: Chris Kaman

[James Johnson]

1) Detlef Schrempf
2) Chris Mullin
3) Scott Skiles
4) Bill Laimbeer
5) Jack Sikma
6) Jeff Hornacek
7) Rex Chapman
8) Craig Ehlo
9) Tom Gugliotta
10) Kurt Rambis

Honorable mention: Chris Kaman

Marcus, how does Tom Chambers not make this list?

[James Johnson]

Charles Barkley, Paul Pierce, Pistol Pete, Tiny Archibald, Otis Birdsong, Oscar Robertson, Doctor J, Larry Bird, Majic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlin, John Havlicek, James Worthy, Jo Jo White and Scott Wedman (I included Scott because I blocked his shot one time and let him know about it, so the next time down court he shoots from 30' nothing but net looks at me and says, block that!)

[Stu Weber]

Interestingly enough, no one had Kobe in their list.... no love for the best player ever?

[James Johnson]

Interestingly enough, no one had Kobe in their list.... no love for the best player ever?

Who is this Kobe you speak of?