Our criteria are simple: statistics,
championships and influence on the
game.
We did not recruit any basketball great or call
any expert to give us their opinion. We did our own
research, primarily on NBA.com and magicmetric.com, to
ascertain our findings. NBA.com is the
league’s sanctioned website, complete with relevant
stats and information. Magicmetric.com
is a website that takes statistical information and
processes to create a list of the greatest basketball
players of all time. We surveyed the
information, threw in a little common sense and some
old-school memories.
(Check back: Player photos
coming soon)
1.
Michael
Jordan:
Considered
by many to be the best basketball player of all time,
Jordan is our #1 pick f
or shooting guards, as well.
Jordan joined the
Chicago Bulls in 1984 and quickly rose to the top with
his awesome slam dunks, often from the foul line,
earning him nicknames like “Air
Jordan.” Probably the
most marketed athlete ever, Jordan won his NBA
championship with the Bulls in 1991, then followed with
titles in 1992 and 1993, securing him what is known as a
“three-peat.”
Jordan left the
NBA to play baseball in 1993, but was back with the
Bulls by 1995, winning them three more
championships.
He again retired in 1999, but was back in 2001
and played two seasons with the Washington
Wizards.
Honors: Five
NBA MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations,
1988 Defensive Player of the Year Award, fourteen NBA
All-Star game appearances, nine All Defensive First Team
honors, three stealing titles, ten scoring titles, and
still holds the NBA record for highest career scoring
average in a regular season with 30.1 points.
2. Jerry
West:
Widely regarded as the one of the
best 
clutch shooters of all
time, Jerry West spent his entire career with the LA
Lakers. He
averaged 29.1 points per game in 153 playoff games, 40.6
points per game in 11 playoff games in 1965, during one
of which he sank perhaps the most famous shot of all
time – a 60 footer with no time remaining in Game 3 of
the NBA finals in 1970 against the New York Knicks,
sending the game into overtime (the Lakers lost that
game). West
retired with only one championship (1971-72 season) and
retired in 1974.
He coached the Lakers to the playoffs for three
years (1976-79), then became an executive for the team
in various positions.
Honors: All-Star
selection 13 times, from 1961-73, 1969 NBA Finals MVP,
All-NBA First Team choice ten times (1962-67, 1970-73),
NBA All-Star MVP in 1972, Naismith Memorial Basketball
Hall of Fame Player Inductee in 1979, named one of NBA’s
50 Greatest Players in 1996.
3.
George
Girvin:
Prior to
Michael Jordan, George “The Iceman” Gervin had the most
scoring titles of any guard in the history of the
NBA. He
first played for the ABA’s Virginia
Squires and San Antonio Spurs, then for NBA’s San
Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls. He averaged at
least 14 points in all of his seasons and finished his
career with an average of 26.2 points per game. He retired with
the second most blocks of any other shooting guard in
the NBA.
Honors: ABA All Rookie
team, ABA All-Star 3 times, ABA All Time Top 30 Team,
All-NBA team 7 times, NBA All-Star 9 times, 1980 NBA
All-Star MVP, named one of NBA’s 50 Greatest Players,
entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.
4.
Kobe
Bryant:
The only son
of former Philadelphia 76ers
player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant,
Kobe is an
All-Star shooting guard who plays for the LA Lakers. He was the
first guard in the history of the NBA to be drafted
straight out of high school. Along with
Shaquille O’Neal, he led the Lakers to three consecutive
NBA championships from 2000-2002. Since
Shaq's departure in 2004, he has been the leading player for the
Lakers.
Honors: 9 time All Star,
8 time All-NBA Selection, 7 time All-Defensive
Selection, 2 time NBA All-Star MVP, 2 time NBA Scoring
Champion, 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Champion, 1996 Naismith
Prep Player of the Year
5.
Reggie
Miller:
Miller spent
the entire 14 years of his career with the Indiana
Pacers. He
had awkward form, but was deadly accurate and one of the
greatest clutch shooters of all time. He holds the NBA
record for career three-pointers made with
2,560.
Honors: Five time NBA
All-Star (1990, ’95,’96,’98,’2000); All NBA Third-Team
(1995,’96,’98); NBA All Rookie Second Team (1988);
Olympic Gold Medalist (1996); World Championship Gold
Medalist (1994); J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award
(2004).
6.
Dave
Bing:
Non-assuming
sharpshooter who overcame poverty, injuries, and
personal tragedies who spent most of his career with the
Detroit Pistons from 1966-1975, then played for the
Washington Bullets and retired from the Boston
Celtics.
Honors: Elected to
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990; All
NBA First Team (1968,’70); All NBA Second Team (1974);
Rookie of the Year (1967); J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship
Award (1977); Named One of the 50 Greatest Players in
NBA History in 1996.
7.
“Pistol”
Pete Maravich:
Though he
was known more for his stylish passing, shooting, and
dribbling, he was an outstanding scorer, averaging more
than 43 points per game in his collegiate career and 24
ppg for his professional career. Dropped 68 on
Walt Frazier in one game in 1977.
Honors: Elected to
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987; All
NBA First Team (1976,’77); All NBA Second Team
(1973,’78); All Rookie Team (1971); Five-time NBA
All-Star; Named One of the 50 Greatest Players in
History in 1996.
8.
Clyde
Drexler:
Drexler was
a slasher/scorer with a ready smile and an assortment of
high-flying dunks.
His successful career included two trips to the
Final Four as a collegiate and three trips to the NBA
Finals. He
was a member of the original Dream Team.
Honors: Elected to
Niasmith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004; NBA
Champion in 1995; All NBA First Team in 1992; All NBA
Second Team in 1988,’91; All NBA Third Team in 1990,’95;
NBA All Star (1986, 1988-1994, ’96,’97); Olympic Gold
Medalist in 1992; Named One of the 50 Greatest Players
in History in 1996.
9.
Bill
Sharman:
Tough and
gritty, Sharman was one of the first guards to shoot
more than .400 in a season and has a .883 lifetime free
throw percentage for shooting. He is a
three-time All NBA First Teamer who helped drive the
Celtic dynasty bus that Cousy drove. Sharman invented
the “shoot around” and was one the best shooters of his
era.
Honors: Elected to
Basketball Hal of Fame (Player 1976, Coach 2004); NBA
Champion (1957,’59-’61); All NBA First Team (1956-’59);
All NBA Second Team (1953,’55,’60); 8 time NBA Al-Star
(1953-’60); NBA All-Star MVP (1955); NBA 25th
Anniversary Team (1970); Named One of the 50 Greatest
Players in History in 1996.
10.
Sam
Jones:
Jones spent
all 12 of his professional seasons with the Boston
Celtics and was known as a clutch scorer, amassing over
15,000 points in his career. He also scored
2,909 points in 154 play-off games. Jones had
perfect form when executing a jump shot, earning him the
nickname “The Shooter.”
Honors:
Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984; NBA
25th Anniversary in 1970; Named One of the 50
Best Players in History in 1996.