500 all-time greatest players (2019 edition): #50 to #1

Every year we rank the 500 greatest players in NBA (and ABA) history based on various tranches of empirical data and historical context (breakdown of ranking criteria can be found here). The following is numbers 50 through 1 for the year 2019.

50) Paul Arizin, F, 1950-1962

• Played just 10 seasons in the NBA, all of them with the Philadelphia Warriors, and unfortunately lost two years in his prime due to serving in the U.S. Marines 
• Led the NBA in scoring twice, with 25.4 points per game in ’51-’52 (making him the second player to ever average 25+ points in a season after George Mikan) and 25.6 in ’56-’57 
• Had a longtime rivalry with Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals, with the two facing off regularly in the postseason 
• Led the Warriors to the 1956 title with 28.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game during the playoffs 
• 1st-Team All-NBA three times, 2nd-Team All-NBA once; finished second in MVP voting in ’55-’56 and third in ’56-‘57 
• Became just the second player to be named to 10 All-Star teams (Schayes had accomplished it just two years before) and is one of just three players to play in 10 or more seasons and make the All-Star team every year of his career (along with Jerry West and Bob Pettit) 
• Averaged 20+ points per game in every season except his rookie one and could have continued playing effectively into the mid ‘60s, but opted to retire instead of leaving his native Philadelphia when the Warriors moved to San Francisco in 1962 

49) Willis Reed, C, 1964-1974

• Had his signature moment in game seven of the 1970 NBA Finals, when he hobbled out of the locker room to play the first few minutes on a severe thigh tear, sparking the Knicks to their first title in franchise history 
• Won both MVP and Finals MVP in 1970, one of just 10 players in league history to do so; was also Finals MVP in 1973, becoming the first player to win the award multiple times 
• During his brief prime, which lasted just five seasons starting in '66-'67, he averaged 21.1 points and 14.0 rebounds per game and was an underrated defender 
• Also won Rookie of the Year in '64-'65, All-Star Game MVP in 1970, and finished second in MVP voting in '68-'69 
• 1st-Team All-NBA just once, in his '69-'70 MVP year, 2nd-Team All-NBA four times, and an All-Star seven times 
• New York arguably could have also won the 1972 NBA Finals if he hadn't missed most of the season with a knee injury 
• Played just 650 career games over 10 seasons, the lowest total of any player in the top 50 of our list, including the active ones 

48) Walt Frazier, G, 1967-1980

• Arguably the catalyst and true heart of early '70s Knicks, even though Willis Reed is the one that won MVP and Finals MVP awards 
• Led Southern Illinois to a surprise NIT championship in 1967, catching the eye of pro scouts at Madison Square Garden and leading to the Knicks drafting him fifth overall 
• Averaged 20+ points and six-plus assists per game for six straight seasons in his prime, peaking in '71-'72 with 23.2 points and 6.7 assists per game 
• Definitively the premier point guard of the '70s, he was 1st-Team All-NBA four times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, a seven-time All-Star (and was MVP of the 1975 edition), and finished as high as fourth in MVP voting in '69-'70 
• Named 1st-Team All-Defensive seven straight seasons, second all-time amongst point guards behind only Gary Payton; probably would have won Defensive Player of the Year at least once if it existed in his era 
• Played in three NBA Finals with the Knicks, winning titles in 1970 and 1973, and arguably could have won Finals MVP in 1970 but was overlooked in favor of Reed's heroic comeback from injury 
• Part of the famed "Rolls Royce Back Court" with Earl Monroe, he was truly a stylistic icon, also gaining the nickname "Clyde" for his affinity for Clyde Darrow-style hats

47) Sam Jones, G, 1957-1969

• Only player in NBA history from North Carolina Central University, and didn't reach the league until age 24 due to military obligations 
• Drafted by the Celtics in 1957 when they were fresh off their first title, and in his 12-year career played in 11 NBA Finals, winning 10 titles 
• Took over Boston's starting shooting guard position from Bill Sharman during the '60-'61 season and held it for the rest of the decade 
• Nicknamed "Mr. Clutch" for his big game heroics, most notably in game four of the 1969 NBA Finals, when he hit the game winner and possibly saved the series for the Celtics, who were on the verge of falling behind three games to one 
• 2nd-Team All-NBA three times, an All-Star five times, and finished in the top five of MVP voting twice; also had a reputation as one of the best defenders of his era 
• Averaged 20+ points per game for three straight seasons late in his career, peaking at 25.9 per game in '64-'65 
• Boston's leading playoff scorer in the 1964, 1965, and 1966 title seasons 
• His 10 championships stand second only to his longtime teammate, Bill Russell

46) Dave Cowens, C, 1970-1983

• Had an aloof mien and oddball off-court behavior that belied an on-court intensity that few others could match 
• Wasn't considered a first round talent by most teams out of Florida State in 1970, but Red Auerbach, on a recommendation from Bill Russell, rightfully recognized a potential heir to Russell's center position 
• MVP in '72-'73, and finished in the top five in voting in each of the three subsequent seasons 
• 2nd-Team All-NBA three times (including his MVP season), 1st-Team All-Defensive in '75-'76, an All-Star eight times, and Rookie of the Year for '70-'71 
• Teamed up with Jo Jo White and John Havlicek to lead the Celtics back to prominence after a two-year post-Russell swoon, winning championships in 1974 and 1976 
• Averaged 16+ points and 10+ rebounds per game in each of his first eight seasons, peaking with career highs in his '72-'73 MVP season with 20.5 points and 16.2 rebounds per game; also averaged four-plus assists per game six times 
• Never led the NBA in rebounding, but finished in the top three in the category five times 
• Sat out the beginning of the '76-'77 season in protest of managerial decisions by the Celtics, and managed his family Christmas Tree farm in Kentucky until management balked; could have continued with the Celtics past 1980 and won some more titles, but didn't want to be Robert Parish's backup 

45) Dominique Wilkins, F, 1982-1999

• Spent 15 seasons in the NBA, and was one of the league's best players almost the entire time, but never played in the Conference Finals, let alone the NBA Finals 
• In fact, his teams reached the second round of the playoffs just three times, in three straight years with Atlanta starting in 1986 
• His performance in the 1988 second round series against the Celtics is legendary, almost single-handedly willing the Hawks to a huge upset by outplaying Larry Bird 
• 1st-Team All-NBA once, 2nd-Team All-NBA four times, a nine-time All-Star, and finished second in MVP voting in '85-'86 
• Drafted by the Jazz third overall in 1982, but refused to play in Salt Lake City and was traded to the Hawks, with whom he spent the next 11 seasons (one can only imagine what a Wilkins-Karl Malone-John Stockton team might have accomplished) 
• Averaged 25+ points per game for nine straight seasons, including his scoring title with 30.3 points per game in '85-'86, and his career high 30.7 points per game in '87-'88 (he finished second in scoring that year to Michael Jordan) 
• 13th in NBA history in total points, with over 26,000, and surpassed Bob Pettit for the Hawks franchise record in the category 

44) Clyde Drexler, G, 1983-1998

• First came to prominence with the Phi Slamma Jamma team at Houston, and played limited minutes in the 1983 NCAA Championship Game upset at the hands of N.C. State, due to foul trouble 
• Fell to the 14th pick in the 1983 NBA Draft, as teams were concerned about him skipping his senior year 
• Spent his first 11 seasons with the Trail Blazers team that drafted him, and is the franchise's all-time leader in points and steals, and is second in assists and rebounds 
• Known now as a scorer first, he was actually well-rounded his entire career, averaging 20.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.0 steals per game over the course of his 15 seasons with the Blazers and Rockets 
• 1st-Team All-NBA once, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, an All-Star 10 times, and finished in the top five in MVP voting twice, in '87-'88 and '91-'92 
• Played in two NBA Finals with Portland, a loss to the Pistons in 1990 (where he was shut down throughout the series by Joe Dumars) and a loss to the Bulls in 1992 (where he played well head-to-head against Michael Jordan, but his teammates struggled) 
• Asked for a trade when the Blazers were rebuilding, and was dealt to Houston in 1994, where he reunited with his college teammate Hakeem Olajuwon and finally won a title in 1995 

43) James Harden, G, 2009-Active (2018 rank: #52)

• League MVP in '17-'18, he also finished second in voting in '14-'15, '16-'17, and '18-'19 
• Named Sixth Man of the Year in '11-'12 
• Became the 13th player in NBA history to win back-to-back scoring titles in '17-'18 and '18-'19; also finished second in the NBA in scoring in the three seasons prior
• His 36.1 points per game in '18-'19 was the second-highest post-merger mark, trailing only Michael Jordan's 37.1 points per game in '86-'87
• Led the NBA in assists in '16-'17 with a career high 11.2 per game, almost becoming just the second player in league history after Tiny Archibald to lead the league in scoring and assists in the same season 
• After three years as a tertiary option off the bench for the Thunder, he was traded to the Rockets in 2012 and became a superstar, averaging 25+ points per game in each of the seven seasons since 
• Played in the 2012 NBA Finals with Oklahoma City, and has led the Rockets to Conference Finals in 2015 and 2018 
• 1st-Team All-NBA five times, and an All-Star seven times 
• Has led the NBA in win shares each of the last three seasons, and in free throw attempts each of the last five seasons

42) George Gervin, G, 1972-1986

• Listed as 6'7" and only 180 pounds, he was overlooked by NBA scouts due to his svelte stature and getting out of Eastern Michigan for punching an opponent during a game 
• In a possibly apocryphal story, he was signed by the Virginia Squires of the ABA after attending one of their games, criticizing their lack of long range shooting to the team's general manager, then stepping onto the court after the game and hitting 18-of-20 three-pointers 
• Spent just shy of two seasons with the Squires before getting dealt in a shady deal to the Spurs, with whom he'd play for the next 11 seasons, three in the ABA and eight in the NBA 
• 1st-Team All-NBA five times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, 2nd-Team All-ABA twice, a 12-time All-Star across both leagues, and finished in the top three in NBA MVP voting for three consecutive seasons starting in '77-'78 
• Could score from basically anywhere on the floor, including his patented finger roll, and won the NBA scoring title four times, peaking at 33.1 points per game in '79-'80 (he clinched the scoring title in '77-'78 by scoring 63 points in his final game to edge out David Thompson) 
• Nicknamed "Ice" for his calm demeanor under pressure, but never reached the NBA Finals, making it as far as the Conference Finals in 1979, 1982, and 1983 (he was the greatest player never to reach the Finals for a long time before getting passed recently by Steve Nash and Chris Paul) 

41) Isiah Thomas, G, 1981-1994

• A career defined by so many successes, but also three key failures: his errant in-bounds pass that was stolen by Larry Bird and swung the 1987 Conference Finals to the Celtics, his refusal to shake Michael Jordan's hand after losing in the 1991 Conference Finals, and his lack of invitation to join the Dream Team 
• Named to the All-Star team in his first 12 seasons, he was also 1st-Team All-NBA three times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, and finished as high as fifth in MVP voting in '83-'84
• Led the NBA in assists per game in '84-'85 with 13.9, a single season mark that only John Stockton has surpassed in NBA history; his 9.3 assists per game for his career is fourth in league history behind only Stockton, Magic Johnson, and Oscar Robertson 
• Averaged 18+ points per game nine times in his career, peaking at 22.9 per game in '82-'83; averaged 20+ points and 10+ assists per game for four straight seasons starting in '83-'84 
• Heart and soul of the "Bad Boy" Pistons, he led them to five consecutive Conference Finals, three NBA Finals, and titles in 1989 and 1990, winning Finals MVP in the latter when he averaged 27.6 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game in a series victory over Portland 
• Detroit's all-time franchise leader in points, assists, steals, field goals, and free throws 
• One of just seven members of the 9,000 career assists club 
• Also missed out on a chance to play on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team due to the boycott, and the 1994 U.S. World Championship team due to an Achilles' tear that ended his career 

40) Russell Westbrook, G, 2008-Active (2018 rank: #47)

• Achieved the seemingly impossible in '16-'17, becoming just the second player in league history, joining Oscar Robertson in '63-'64, to average a triple-double over the course of a season 
• He then repeated the feat in '17-'18 and '18-'19, becoming the first player in league history to do it multiple times 
• MVP of the '16-'17 season and has finished in the top five in voting in three other seasons; 1st-Team All-NBA twice, 2nd-Team All-NBA five times, and an eight-time All-Star 
• Won the scoring title in '14-'15 with 28.1 points per game and in '16-'17 with a career high 31.6 points per game, and has led the NBA in assists per game each of the last two seasons
• Helped the Thunder reach the NBA Finals in 2012 but his teams have struggled in the postseason ever since; will look to break from that pattern with the Rockets in '19-'20 after a trade reunited him with James Harden
• Led UCLA to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2007 and 2008, and was a member of the gold medal winning U.S. Olympic team in 2012 

39) Stephen Curry, G, 2009-Active (2018 rank: #46)

• Won league MVP in '14-'15 and '15-'16, becoming just the fourth guard in league history to win it in back-to-back seasons, joining Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Steve Nash 
• Even though he was the son of a former Sixth Man of the Year award winner (Dell) and a star at his North Carolina high school, he went ignored by the major college programs and spent his NCAA career at Davidson 
• Has averaged 20+ points per game each of the last seven seasons, with a career high of 30.1 in '15-'16 that led the league 
• Electrifies fans with his dribbling and passing skills, and has basically rewritten the sport with his long range shooting; has already annihilated several three-point shooting records, including the most three-point field goals in one season, and is already third in NBA history in total three-point field goals heading into the '19-'20 season and will almost assuredly soon pass Reggie Miller for second
• Teaming up with Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and later Kevin Durant, he's led the Warriors to five consecutive NBA Finals, winning titles in three of them 
• 1st-Team All-NBA three times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, and an All-Star six times 
• Led the NBA in three-point field goals for five straight seasons, and has also led the league in free throw percentage four times, and his 90.5% career mark is first in league history

38) Elvin Hayes, F, 1968-1984

• Played exactly 50,000 minutes in 1,303 NBA games over 16 years, never missing more than two games in any season, compiling 27,313 points (10th all-time) and 16,279 rebounds (fourth all-time)
• Named to the All-Star team in each of his first 12 NBA seasons, he was also 1st-Team All-NBA three times and 2nd-Team All-NBA three times
• Was a focused honor student early on and didn't even pick up a basketball until 8th grade, but dominated on his high school team and starred at Houston, where he dueled Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1968 "Game of the Century"
• Led the NBA in scoring with 28.4 points per game in his rookie season with the San Diego Rockets, but missed out on the Rookie of the Year award to his future Bullets teammate Wes Unseld
• Averaged 25+ points and 14+ rebounds per game in each of his first four NBA seasons, and averaged 19+ points and 11+ rebounds per game in each of his first 12 seasons
• Traded to the Bullets in 1972 and played in three NBA Finals with the franchise, including a title win in 1978 when he arguably should have won Finals MVP over Unseld
• Led the NBA in rebounds per game twice, including a career-high 18.1 in '74-'75; he's one of just four players in league history to average 18+ rebounds in a season
• Finished third in MVP voting in '74-'75 and '78-'79

37) Dwight Howard, C, 2004-Active (2018 rank: #38)

• We're not excited about this either, but the numbers don't lie 
• Placed in the top five in MVP voting for four straight seasons starting in '07-'08, finishing as high as second behind Derrick Rose in '10-'11 
• 1st-Team All-NBA five times, 2nd-Team All-NBA once, 1st-Team All-Defensive four times, and an All-Star eight times 
• The only player to win Defensive Player of the Year three straight seasons 
• Led the NBA in rebounds per game five times, peaking at 14.5 per game in '11-'12, in blocks per game twice, in defensive win shares four times, and in field goal percentage once
• Only 18 years old when he debuted with the Magic in 2004, but was good enough already to be named 1st-Team All-Rookie
• Spent his first eight seasons with Orlando and was undoubtedly the face of the franchise and arguably the greatest player in its history; he is their all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocks
• Carried the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals with an incredible playoff performance, averaging 20.3 points and 15.3 rebounds per game
• Averaged 20+ points and 14+ rebounds per game in three different seasons
• Later career stops with the Lakers, Rockets, Hawks, Hornets, and Wizards have brought diminishing returns and sullied his reputation

36) Gary Payton, G, 1990-2007

• "The Glove" was arguably the greatest defensive point guard of all time, depending on your feelings on Sidney Moncrief's natural position, and won Defensive Player of the Year in '95-'96
• 1st-Team All-NBA twice, 2nd-Team All-NBA five times, 1st-Team All-Defensive nine times (tied for the all-time record) and an All-Star nine times
• Never finished higher than third in MVP voting, but did place in the top 10 for seven consecutive seasons, starting in '93-'94
• Had a stretch of eight consecutive seasons where he averaged 19+ points, seven-plus assists, four-plus rebounds, and 1.5+ steals per game
• Led the NBA in steals per game in '95-'96
• Reached the NBA Finals with Seattle in 1996, where he put on arguably the toughest defensive performance Michael Jordan ever faced in a Finals; after a failed attempt to win an elusive ring with the Lakers in 2004, he finally earned it age 37 with the Heat in 2006
• Eighth in NBA history in career assists, and fourth in career steals, compiled over a 17-year career with the Sonics, Bucks, Lakers, Celtics, and Heat 

35) Jason Kidd, G, 1994-2013

• Second behind John Stockton in career assists and one of just two players to compile over 12,000; also second behind Stockton in career steals with 2,684 
• Led the NBA in assists per game five times in a six-year stretch, peaking at 10.8 per game in '98-'99; maybe most impressively averaged double-digit assists at age 34, with 10.1 per game in '07-'08
• Drafted second overall by the Mavericks in 1994 and won Rookie of the Year but struggled to gel with fellow stars Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn; part of three blockbuster trades during his long prime, from Dallas to Phoenix in 1996, from Phoenix to New Jersey in 2001, and from New Jersey back to Dallas in 2008
• Finished as high as second in MVP voting in '01-'02, was 1st-Team All-NBA five times, 2nd-Team All-NBA once, 1st-Team All-Defensive four times, and an All-Star 10 times
• Carried the Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003, and later won a title late in his career as the starting point guard for the '10-'11 Mavericks
• Shot just 40% from the field in his career, and averaged 18+ points per game just one in his career, in '02-'03 with New Jersey

34) Steve Nash, G, 1996-2014

• Won back-to-back controversial MVP awards in '04-'05 (just barely ahead of Shaquille O'Neal) and '05-'06 (edging out LeBron James), and arguably deserved it a third time in '06-'07 but finished in second just behind Dirk Nowitzki
• The NBA's assist leader five times and finished with 11+ assists per game in four of those seasons, peaking at 11.6 per game in '06-'07
• Shot 90.4% from the free throw line in his career, passing up Mark Price for the all-time league record; led the NBA in the category just twice, but finished in the top five 11 times
• Suffering a seemingly endless string of playoff woes, starting with a loss with Dallas in the 2003 Conference Finals (when Nowitzki missed half the series with an injury), losses with Phoenix in the 2005 Conference Finals against the Spurs (with Joe Johnson hurt), the 2006 Conference Finals against his former Mavs teammates (with Amare Stoudemire hurt), the 2007 second round again against the Spurs (with a controversial suspension of Stoudemire), and the 2010 Conference Finals against the Lakers
• 1st-Team All-NBA there times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, and an eight-time All-Star
• Was passed up just this last season by Chris Paul as the greatest player in NBA history to never reach the NBA Finals

33) Rick Barry, F, 1965-1980

• Made a curious decision in 1967, right as he was establishing himself as the NBA's newest superstar, sitting out a season (due to the reserve clause) so that he could join the Oakland Oaks of the ABA in '68-'69; probably would be at least in the top 25 of this list if he had just stayed with the Warriors 
• The NBA scoring champion for '66-'67 with 35.6 points per game, the seventh-highest total of all-time, and the highest by any player besides Wilt Chamberlain or Michael Jordan 
• Also finished second in the ABA in scoring in '71-'72 (with 31.5 points per game) and second in the NBA in '74-'75 (with 30.6 points per game) 
• Never won MVP in either league, but finished in the top five in voting in the NBA and ABA three times apiece 
• NBA Finals MVP in 1975 when he averaged 29.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.5 steals per game as the Warriors upset the Bullets in a sweep; also led the Warriors to the 1967 NBA Finals and the New York Nets to the 1972 ABA Finals 
• 1st-Team All-NBA five times, 2nd-Team All-NBA once, 1st-Team All-ABA four times, and a 12-time All-Star across both leagues 
• With a unique under-hand style, he led the NBA in free throw percentage six times, including a 94.7% shooting mark in '78-'79 that set the league single-season record (it's since been knocked down to seventh all-time) 
• Has five sons that have played basketball professionally, three of them in the NBA: Jon (#802 on this list), Brent (#503), and Drew (#2785) 

32) John Stockton, G, 1984-2003

• Mr. Unspectacular but Reliable, he was never the league's best or most exciting player, but for 19 seasons he was a consistent force, missing just 22 total games 
• 2nd-Team All-NBA six times, but 1st-Team All-NBA just twice, in the two seasons that Michael Jordan was playing baseball; never finished higher than seventh in MVP voting 
• Led the NBA in assists per game for nine straight seasons (breaking Bob Cousy's record of eight straight seasons), and in steals per game twice 
• Holds five of the six highest assists per game totals in a single season, including his NBA record 14.5 per game in '89-'90; he's the only player to average 14+ assists per game in a season and the only one to average 13+ per game in multiple seasons 
• The all-time NBA assist king with 15,806 in his career, and is also the league's all-time leader in steals with 3,265 
• Teamed up with Karl Malone to lead Utah to 19 straight playoff appearances, three of which ended with Conference Finals losses (1992 to the Blazers, 1994 to the Rockets, and 1996 to the Sonics) and two with NBA Finals losses (1997 and 1998 to the Bulls) 
• Named to 10 All-Star teams 

31) Chris Paul, G, 2005-Active (2018 rank: #31)

• Fell to the Hornets with the fourth pick in 2005, which was a surprise then that has only exacerbated every year since
• Won Rookie of the Year and brought legitimacy to a Hornets franchise struggling in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; he eventually led them to their first playoff series victory in 2008 (they've had just one more since)
• Led the NBA in assists per game four times, peaking at 11.6 in '07-'08, and in steals per game six times, peaking at 2.8 in '08-'09
• Averaged 21.9 points, 11.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game over a two year stretch in '07-'08 and '08-'09, one of the best by a point guard in league history
• 1st-Team All-NBA four times, 2nd-Team All-NBA three times, 1st-Team All-Defensive seven times, an All-Star nine times, and finished as high as second in MVP voting in '07-'08
• Traded to the Clippers in 2011 after a deal with the Lakers fell through, and led the once moribund franchise to six straight playoff appearances but never past the second round
• Traded again to the Rockets in 2017 and finally reached the Conference Finals in 2018 when a hamstring injury held him out of the last two games of the series as Houston fell to the Warriors
• Seventh in NBA history in total assists, and ninth in steals

30) Dolph Schayes, F, 1949-1964

• Doesn't usually get mentioned in the same breath as George Mikan, but had an empirically more impressive career and was arguably just as influential on the power forward position
• Unlike most of his peers, he lasted 15 seasons in the NBA and was able to remain effective even after Bill Russell entered the league and changed everything
• The first player to total over 10,000 career rebounds and the first player to total over 15,000 career points, he held the NBA all-time record in both categories for several years (broken by Russell and Bob Pettit, respectively)
• 1st-Team All-NBA six times, 2nd-Team All-NBA six times, an All-Star 12 times, and finished in the top five in MVP voting for three consecutive seasons, including second place behind Russell in '57-'58
• When rebounds started getting counted in '50-'51, he was the first player to lead the league in the category, with 16.4 per game
• Averaged 17+ points and 12+ rebounds per game in 10 of his 15 NBA seasons
• Spent his entire career with the Syracuse Nationals, including one final season in Philadelphia after they moved there and became the 76ers, and the team reached the playoffs in each season except the last one
• Would have won Finals MVP in 1955 if the award existed, as he dominated the Pistons to lead the Nationals to their first title; also led the team to tough NBA Finals losses against Mikan's Lakers in 1950 and 1954, and to the Conference Finals in 1951, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1959, and 1961 

29) Dwyane Wade, G, 2003-2019

• Almost immediately galvanized the Heat into title contenders after they drafted him fifth overall out of Marquette in 2003, he led them to the Conference Finals in just his second season in 2005, but suffered from the flu and muscle strains as they lost to the Pistons
• Dominated the 2006 NBA Finals, averaged 39.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.7 steals per game as the Heat defeated the Mavericks (with an obvious assist from the referees)
• Eventually played in five NBA Finals with the Heat, winning titles in three of them
• Led the NBA in scoring in '08-'09 with a career high 30.2 points per game (he also averaged 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.2 steals per game); finished in the top five in points per game in three other seasons
• 1st-Team All-NBA twice, 2nd-Team All-NBA three times, an All-Star 12 times, and finished third in MVP voting in '08-'09
• Accepted his role as second banana to LeBron James for four years but is no doubt the ultimate Heat star; he's the franchise's all-time leader in games played, points, assists, and steals

28) Scottie Pippen, F, 1987-2004

• Could be argued to be the most overrated player of all-time or the most underrated player of all-time, depending on who you ask, but is definitively a prototype for the current crop of two-way superstar small forwards 
• Incredibly well-rounded, his stat lines include a nine-year stretch in his prime when he averaged 16+ points, five-plus rebounds, five-plus assists, and 1.5+ steals per game each season 
• Part of six Bulls titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998, and was undeniably the second best player on each of those teams after Michael Jordan 
• Had his best season in '93-'94 in the wake of Jordan's retirement, finishing third in MVP voting, winning the All-Star Game MVP, leading the NBA in steals, and carrying Chicago to a second round playoff appearance (that was sullied by his refusal to re-enter a playoff game after Phil Jackson drew up a play for Toni Kukoc) 
• 1st-Team All-NBA three times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, 1st-Team All-Defensive eight times (only Kevin Garnett has more appearances as a forward), and a seven-time All-Star 
• Almost reached the NBA Finals one more time in 2000 with the Trail Blazers, losing a tough seven-game Conference Finals series against the Lakers 
• Never won Defensive Player of the Year but was arguably the best wing defender of all time 

27) Allen Iverson, G, 1996-2010

• One of the most exciting players in history and also one of the most communal, he never won a title at the NCAA or NBA level but forever endeared himself to fans 
• First came to prominence after carrying his high school team to the Virginia state title, then getting arrested and sentenced to 15 years (it was soon commuted to four months) for his alleged involvement in a bowling alley brawl 
• After a star career at Georgetown he was drafted first overall overall by the 76ers in 1996, a perfect match for the city and franchise 
• Won four NBA scoring titles, with 26.8 points per game in '98-'99, 31.1 in '00-'01, 31.4 in '01-'02, and 30.7 in '04-'05; actually had a career-high of 33.0 points per game in '05-'06 but finished second in the league behind Kobe Bryant 
• Won MVP in '00-'01, Rookie of the Year in '96-'97, and All-Star MVP in 2001 and 2005 
• Put on a clinic in the 2001 playoffs, carrying the otherwise pedestrian Sixers to the NBA Finals with 32.9 points, 6.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game, while averaging over 46 minutes per game 
• Led the NBA in steals per game three times, and despite his kamikaze style of play also led the league in minutes per game seven times 
• 1st-Team All-NBA three times, 2nd-Team All-NBA three times, and an All-Star 11 times 
• Struggled in late career stops with the Nuggets, Pistons, and Grizzlies before ultimately returning to the Sixers to finish out his career in 2010 

26) Patrick Ewing, C, 1985-2002

• It's been 18 years since his time with the Knicks ended with a trade to Seattle, but he's still far-and-away the franchise's all-time leader in games played, points, rebounds, blocks, and steals 
• Came into the league with a rookie hype that can maybe only be matched by Magic Johnson and LeBron James, with the Knicks selected him first overall in 1985 after winning the first-ever lottery 
• Averaged 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and two-plus blocks per game for nine straight seasons starting in '89-'90; peaked in scoring and blocks in '89-'90 with 28.6 points and 4.0 blocks per game (which somehow didn't lead the league, as he finished second behind Hakeem Olajuwon), and in rebounding in '92-'93 with 12.1 per game 
• Joined a Knicks team in total disarray and eventually carried them to 13 consecutive playoff appearances 
• 1st-Team All-NBA in '89-'90, 2nd-Team All-NBA six times, finished in the top five of MVP voting six times, and played in 11 All-Star Games 
• One of the best shot blockers of his era and led the NBA in defensive win shares three times, but was never named 1st-Team All-Defensive 
• Made his only NBA Finals appearance in 1994 when he was outplayed by Olajuwon as the Knicks fell to the Rockets; lost to Michael Jordan's Bulls in the postseason in 1989 (second round), 1991 (first round), 1992 (second round), 1993 (Conference Finals), and 1996 (second round)

25) Dirk Nowitzki, F, 1998-2019

• Easily the greatest foreign-born player with no NCAA experience in NBA history and will be for a long time, with Tony Parker a distant second (but Giannis tracking)
• MVP of the '06-'07 season, after finishing third in voting the two years prior 
• Led the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history in 2006, then to their first title in 2011, when he was named Finals MVP after a masterful performance in an upset of LeBron James and the Heat 
• Played several seasons professionally in his native Germany before getting drafted ninth overall in 1998, but struggled to adapt in his rookie year with Dallas 
• Starting in his third season, '00-'01, he averaged 20+ points and seven-plus rebounds per game for 11 straight years
• With his patented step-back jumper that has influenced countless other stars, he's one of just seven players in NBA history to compile over 30,000 career points
• 1st-Team All-NBA four times, 2nd-Team All-NBA five times, and a 14-time All-Star
• Has spent all 21 seasons and counting of his career with the Mavericks and has obliterated the franchise records for total points, rebounds, and blocks
• Led the Mavericks to the playoffs for 12 straight seasons, with one title, one NBA Finals loss, one Conference Finals loss, three second round losses, and six first round losses

24) David Robinson, C, 1989-2003

• With a chiseled physique that looked like the Roman ideal of the Olympic athlete, a bevy of skills, and preternatural leadership, he was tailor-made for NBA stardom but ultimately his accomplishments all have an asterisk to varying degrees
• Of note: his MVP award in '94-'95 was overshadowed by his destruction at the hands of Hakeem Olajuwon in that season's Conference Finals, his two titles came as second banana to Tim Duncan, and his Rookie of the Year award was won at the age of 24
• Played all four years at Navy and then served two years of duty before winning Rookie of the Year in '89-'90
• 1st-Team All-NBA four times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, an All-Star 10 times, and finished in the top five in MVP voting four times aside from his victory in 1995
• Averaged 23+ points and 10+ rebounds per game in his first seven seasons, including winning the scoring title in '93-'94 with a career high 29.8 points per game and leading the league in rebounding in '90-'91 with 13.0 per game
• Defensive Player of the Year in '91-'92 when he led the NBA in blocks per game, and was 1st-Team All-Defensive four times
• As the Spurs' best player he only led them as far as the Conference Finals once, in 1995, but won titles in 1999 and 2003 after Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich joined the franchise

23) John Havlicek, F, 1962-1978

• Joined the Celtics machine as a first round pick in 1962, and over the next 14 seasons played in eight NBA Finals, winning all of them 
• Peaked statistically right after Bill Russell's retirement, averaging 26.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists over a three-year stretch starting in '69-'70 
• Finished as high as second in the NBA in scoring, with his career high 28.9 points per game in '70-'71 
• Finals MVP in 1974 when he did a little bit of everything to help the Celtics defeat the Bucks, at the age of 34 
• Likely would have won Finals MVP in 1968 as well if the award existed (it was introduced one year later), and undoubtedly would have won multiple Sixth Man of the Year awards (it was introduced six years after his 1977 retirement) as he spent his early career coming off the bench behind Sam Jones and Tommy Heinsohn 
• Seemingly endlessly tireless on the court, he averaged 40+ minutes per game in five different seasons, and led the NBA in the category twice 
• 1st-Team All-NBA four times, 2nd-Team All-NBA seven times, 1st-Team All-Defensive five times, an All-Star 13 times, and finished in the top five in MVP voting twice 
• Russell called him the greatest "all-around" player he ever saw

22) Charles Barkley, F, 1984-2000

• MVP of the '92-'93 season, he also finished second in voting in '89-'90, which was objectively one of the most talent-laden seasons in NBA history 
• Drafted fifth overall by the 76ers in 1984, thanks to a fleecing trade with the Clippers from years earlier, and reached the Conference Finals in his rookie season but wouldn't return until 1993 with Phoenix
• With Julius Erving and Moses Malone both quickly aging, he took over as Philly's leading star by '86-'87, when he led the NBA with a career high 14.6 rebounds per game
• Averaged 25+ points and 10+ rebounds in five seasons
• Traded to the Suns in a blockbuster 1992 deal, he carried the team to the NBA Finals in his first season with the team but couldn't overcome Michael Jordan and the Bulls despite a valiant effort (averaged 27.3 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game in the series)
• Suffered tough losses to the Rockets in second round series in 1994 and 1995, and then as a member of the Rockets lost to the Jazz in the 1997 Conference Finals
• Third greatest player of all time never to win a title (trailing only Karl Malone and Elgin Baylor) and the greatest player of all time to play in just one NBA Final
• 1st-Team All-NBA five times, 2nd-Team All-NBA five times, and an All-Star 11 times
• Perpetually popular for his brash style of play and personality, most fans choose to remember him as better than his power forward rival, Karl Malone, but Malone had the empirically superior career 

21) Kevin Durant, F, 2007-Active (2018 rank: #25)

• MVP of the '13-'14 season, and finished second in voting to LeBron James in '09-'10, '11-'12, and '12-'13 
• Has averaged 25+ points per game in every season except for his rookie one (where he still averaged 20.3), peaking at 32.0 points per game in '13-'14 
• One of just six players to win back-to-back Finals MVP awards (along with James, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Hakeem Olajuwon) in 2017 and 2018 with the Warriors, he also played in the NBA Finals in 2012 with Oklahoma City 
• 1st-Team All-NBA six times, 2nd-Team All-NBA three times, a 10-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year in '07-'08, and the All-Star MVP in 2012 and 2019
• Winner of four scoring titles in a five-year stretch starting in '09-'10, and the one season he didn't win it he finished second behind Carmelo Anthony 
• An incredibly deadly shooter for his size (listed at 6'9"), he's shot 38.1% from three-point range in his career, and actually led the NBA in free throw percentage in '12-'13 
• In the last eight playoff appearances for which he's been healthy, his teams have reached at least the Conference Finals seven times 
• Enters another new stage of his career after an Achilles' tear that is likely to cost him the '19-'20 season, which he'll spend as a member of the Brooklyn Nets

20) Kevin Garnett, F, 1995-2016

• Certainly would not have made it this high on the list if not for his 2007 trade to the Celtics, ending 12 years of toiling for usually subpar Timberwolves teams 
• MVP of the '03-'04 season, when he had his best Minnesota supporting cast and finally won his first playoff series, making it to the Conference Finals 
• Won Defensive Player of the Year in '07-'08, and was 1st-Team All-Defensive nine times, which ties him for the all-time record 
• Led the NBA in rebounds per game for four straight seasons starting in '03-'04, when he peaked with a career high of 13.9 per game; finished his career ninth in NBA history in total rebounds
• For nine consecutive seasons starting in '98-'99, at the age of just 22, he averaged 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and four-plus assists per game
• Reached the NBA Finals twice with the Celtics, winning the title in 2008 and losing to the Lakers in 2010; his 2009 knee injury probably cost the team an Eastern Conference three-peat
• His 15 All-Star appearances is tied for the third-most in NBA history, and he was MVP of the 2003 edition
• 1st-Team All-NBA four times, 2nd-Team All-NBA three times, and finished in the top five in MVP voting five times, including his 2004 winning season
• Never got the best of his longtime rival Tim Duncan, but did go down as a legend for two separate franchises (especially Minnesota, where he's still the all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks), and the third greatest player ever to join the league straight from high school 

19) Bob Cousy, G, 1950-1963

• His ambidexterity was due to a childhood injury that forced him to play lefty for a while, and it was the ultimate asset for the league's first dynamic play maker 
• Led the NBA in assists per game for eight consecutive seasons, and essentially smashed every assist record possible; he was the first player to total over 6,000 career assists (and he held the record for 10 years before Oscar Robertson broke it, and is still 17th on the all-time list) and first to average over nine assists per game in a season
• Could do some scoring too, averaging 18+ points per game for 10 straight seasons
• Named to the All-NBA team 12 times (1st-Team 10 times, 2nd-Team twice) and to the All-Star Game in all 13 seasons he played (not counting an ill-fated, brief 1970 comeback with the Royals)
• MVP of the '56-'57 season, his first with Bill Russell as a teammate, and finished in the top five in voting in four other seasons
• Teaming up in a killer back court with Bill Sharman, he carried Boston to six consecutive playoff appearances starting in his rookie year, but never to the NBA Finals until Russell arrived; eventually played in seven straight NBA Finals, winning six titles, which is still the record for a point guard
• So beloved by his hometown fans that his retirement ceremony in the Garden was dubbed the "Boston Tear Party" 

18) Moses Malone, C, 1974-1995

• Played in 1,455 NBA and ABA games over a 21-year career, and is fifth in career rebounds and ninth in points
• Led the NBA in rebounds per game six times, peaking at 17.6 per game in '78-'79, and had a stretch of 10 straight seasons finishing in the top five in the league in that category
• One of just eight players to win three or more MVP awards, getting the trophy as a member of the Rockets in 1979 and 1982, and for the 76ers in 1983; also one of just 10 players to win MVP and Finals MVP in the same season
• Averaged 24+ points and 11+ rebounds per game in seven seasons, peaking in his scoring in '81-'82 with 31.1 points per game, good for second in the NBA
• Reached the 1981 NBA Finals with the undermanned Rockets and lost valiantly to the Celtics, then won the title in 1983 with the Sixers, averaging 25.8 points and 18.0 rebounds per game in a sweep of the Lakers that closed out the famed "fo', fo', fo'" run
• Easily the most prolific offensive rebounder in NBA history, he led the league in the category eight times, and his 6,731 for his career is far-and-away the all-time record (second place Robert Parish had 4,598)
• 1st-Team All-NBA four times, 2nd-Team All-NBA four times, 1st-Team All-Defensive once, and an All-Star 13 times

17) Elgin Baylor, F, 1958-1972

• Played in eight NBA Finals, all with the Lakers, but never won a title, retiring early in the '71-'72 season right before Los Angeles rattled off 33 straight wins en route to the championship; including reaching game seven of the NBA Finals four times, in 1962, 1966, 1969, and 1970 
• Had one of the greatest rookie campaigns of all time, with 24.9 points and 15.0 rebounds per game, winning Rookie of the Year and named 1st-Team All-NBA while leading the Lakers to the NBA Finals (their last appearance as the Minneapolis Lakers)
• The first "above the rim" star, his athleticism was unmatched until a 1964 knee injury robbed him of much of his explosiveness
• Averaged 24+ points per game in 11 seasons, and 30+ points per game in two, peaking at 34.8 per game in '60-'61, one of the highest totals of all-time that didn't lead the league (he finished second behind Wilt Chamberlain); finished with a career average of 27.4 points per game, which is third in NBA history behind Chamberlain and Michael Jordan
• Also averaged 12+ rebounds per game nine different times, and had five different seasons where he finished in the top 10 in the NBA in points, rebounds, and assists per game
• 1st-Team All-NBA 10 times, an All-Star 11 times, and finished in the top five in MVP voting seven times, including second place in '62-'63
• Still holds the NBA Finals single game record with 61 points scored in a game five win in the 1962 series (the Lakers would then lose games six and seven in close contests against Boston); he was also the first player (and still one of only six) to score 70+ points in a game, finishing with 71 in a regular season matchup against the Knicks in 1960
• The second greatest player of all time to never win a title, and his eight Finals appearances without a championship is by far the record (Larry Foust is second with five appearances)

16) Julius Erving, F, 1971-1987

• There were great dunks and dunkers before him, but he literally put the "slam" in slam dunk 
• Joined the Virginia Squires of the ABA in 1971 after going un-drafted in the NBA after leaving Massachusetts early 
• ABA accolades in two seasons with the Squires and three with the Nets: three consecutive league MVPs (1974, 1975, 1976), two playoff MVP awards (1974, 1976) as the Nets won two titles, three scoring titles, 1st-Team All-ABA four times, five All-Star appearances, won the inaugural 1976 Slam Dunk Contest 
• Sold by the Nets to 76ers after the merger (New York couldn't afford their entry fee while still retaining him) and spent all 11 NBA seasons with them 
• His stats took a hit, as expected, but still averaged 20+ points per game in his first nine NBA seasons, peaking at 26.9 per game in '79-'80 
• Carried the Sixers to NBA Finals appearances in 1977, 1980, and 1982, before finally winning a title in 1983 as the team's second best player behind Moses Malone 
• MVP of the '80-'81 season, and finished in the top five in voting in four other seasons, including second place in '79-'80
• 1st-Team All-NBA five times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, and an 11-time NBA All-Star
• Reached the playoffs in all 16 seasons he played across both leagues, with three championships, three Finals losses, and four Conference Finals losses

15) Hakeem Olajuwon, C, 1984-2002

• Won Defensive Player of the Year twice and was a dominant force on that end, but was also a revolutionary offensive post player, with a set of skills that are still considered the elite standard
• Named both MVP and Finals MVP of the '93-'94 season, when he propelled the Rockets to their first title in franchise history, following it up with another title in 1995 and another Finals MVP award
• Averaged 10+ rebounds per game in his first 12 NBA seasons, and led the league in the category twice, peaking at 14.0 per game in '89-'90
• 1st-Team All-NBA six times, 2nd-Team All-NBA three times, 1st-Team All-Defensive five times, an All-Star 12 times, and finished in the top five in MVP voting six times, including winning the award in 1994
• Also led the NBA in blocks per game three times, and his 4.6 per game in '89-'90 are the fourth-highest single-season total in league history; led the NBA in defensive win shares four times and defensive rating five times
• Seemed to always play his best in the postseason, from leading the Rockets to a surprise 1986 NBA Finals appearance to averaging an incredible 37.5 points and 16.8 rebounds per game in a first round loss in 1988, to absolutely decimating David Robinson in the 1995 Conference Finals, leading the Rockets to another surprise NBA Finals appearance as the #6 seed
• The NBA's all-time block king, with 3,830 in his career; he's also Houston's all-time franchise leader in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals 

14) Bob Pettit, F/C, 1954-1965

• Played in four NBA Finals, winning one title in 1958, but would have added more to both tallies if not for his prime coinciding with Bill Russell reaching the league
• Drafted second overall by the Hawks in 1954 and played on year in Milwaukee with the franchise before it relocated to St. Louis for the rest of his career
• Winner of the league's first MVP award in '55-'56, then again in '58-'59, and finished in the top five in voting in six other seasons; also won Rookie of the Year in '54-'55, and was named MVP of four All-Star Games
• Averaged 20+ points and 12+ rebounds per game in all 11 seasons he played, peaking at 31.2 points per game in '61-'62 and 20.3 rebounds per game in '60-'61
• Two-time NBA scoring champion, in '55-'56 and '58-'59 (when he became the first player to average 29+ points per game in a season), led the league in PER four times, and finished in the top five in rebounding 10 times, though he never led in the category
• Led the Hawks to nine playoff appearances, reaching at least the Conference Finals in eight of them
• 1st-Team All-NBA 10 times, 2nd-Team All-NBA once, and an All-Star 11 times
• Third in NBA history in career rebounds per game, seventh in career PER, and eighth in career points per game
• Dominated the 1958 Finals, including a then-record 50-point performance in the clinching game six and would have won Finals MVP if it was awarded back then; was also incredible in the 1957 Finals loss, but missed a tip-in at the end of game seven that would have given St. Louis the championship 

13) Oscar Robertson, G, 1960-1974

• MVP of the '63-'64 season, but finished third in voting in '61-'62 despite becoming the first player (and only one has done it since, Russell Westbrook) to average a triple-double in a season, with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game
• Actually managed to average a composite triple-double over his first five NBA seasons, with 30.3 points, 10.6 assists, and 10.4 rebounds per game
• 1st-Team All-NBA nine times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, an All-Star 12 times, MVP of the All-Star Game three times, Rookie of the Year in '60-'61, and finished in the top five in MVP voting nine times
• Carried the Cincinnati Royals to the Conference Finals in 1963 and 1964, but after losing both of those series to Bill Russell's Celtics, he and the team struggled in the postseason for the rest of the decade, including a three-year stretch of missing the playoffs entirely
• Led the NBA in assists per game seven times, and broke Bob Cousy's record for career assists, one which he held for 22 years before Magic Johnson just barely squeezed past him
• Traded to the Bucks in 1970 for pennies on the dollar, and revived his career playing second fiddle behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on a title contender
• Played in two NBA Finals with Milwaukee, including a championship in 1971
• Also won the scoring title in '67-'68, led the NBA in free throw percentage twice, and in offensive win shares four times 

12) Jerry West, G, 1960-1974

• Only 23 years old when he played in his first NBA Finals in 1962, he scored 35 points in an overtime game seven loss, and would lose six more Finals with the Lakers before finally winning his one and only title in 1972
• Narrowly edges out his longtime rival Oscar Robertson as the greatest player of all time to win just one title
• Averaged 25+ points per game for 11 consecutive seasons, including 30+ points per game four times, peaking at 31.3 per game in '65-'66
• Led the NBA in scoring in '69-'70 with 31.2 points per game, in assists in '71-'72 with 9.7 per game, in PER twice, and in offensive win shares three times
• Greatest player of all time to never win MVP, he finished second in voting four times, third in voting once, and fifth in voting three times
• Played in nine NBA Finals with the Lakers, losing in 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1973, and winning the first title in Los Angeles in 1972; named MVP of the 1969 Finals by averaging 37.9 points and 7.4 assists per game, and is still the only player to win the award in a losing effort
• 1st-Team All-NBA 10 times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, 1st-Team All-Defensive four times, and an All-Star 14 times

11) Karl Malone, F, 1985-2004

• Maybe the most controversial placement on this list, but consider that if it was built purely on regular seasons statistics he would place third after only Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and if it was based on just MVP voting results and All-NBA appearances, he would place fourth behind only Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and LeBron James
• The greatest player of all time to never win a title, he appeared in NBA Finals with the Jazz in 1997 and 1998, and with the Lakers in 2004
• Second in NBA history in total points with 36,928, seventh in career rebounds, and 10th in steals
• 1st-Team All-NBA 11 times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, 1st-Team All-Defensive three times, and a 14-time All-Star (only Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal have more appearances)
• Both of his MVPs are somewhat controversial, as many consider it unfair that he beat out Michael Jordan in 1997 and Tim Duncan in 1999, but those were part of a string of 14 straight seasons when he finished in the top 10 in voting
• Averaged 25+ points and nine-plus rebounds per game for 11 consecutive seasons, starting in '87-'88
• Led Utah to the playoffs in all 18 seasons he played with the team, with two NBA Finals appearances, plus Conference Finals appearances in 1992, 1994, and 1996

10) Shaquille O'Neal, C, 1992-2011

• Considering how dominant he was, it's surprising in retrospect that he won just one MVP award, in '99-'00, as he finished in the top five in voting in seven other seasons
• One of just two players, along with Michael Jordan, to win three consecutive Finals MVP awards, in 2000, 2001, and 2002
• Selected first overall by the Magic in 1992, he was expected to dominate immediately and did so, winning Rookie of the Year putting up 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per game
• 1st-Team All-NBA eight times, 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, and was named to 15 All-Star Games, the third highest total in history
• After Orlando missed the playoffs in his rookie season, he would lead his team to the postseason in 17 of his remaining 18 years in the NBA, including four titles (with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and with the Heat in 2006), two other NBA Finals appearances (with the Magic in 1995 and with the Lakers in 2004), and three other Conference Finals appearances (with the Magic in 1996, with the Lakers in 1998, and with the Heat in 2005)
• Led the NBA in field goal percentage 10 times, and is second in NBA history amongst non-active players with a career 58.2% from the field; also led the league in PER five times and finished with a career mark of 26.4, third all-time behind Michael Jordan and LeBron James
• Averaged 25+ points and 10+ rebounds per game for 10 straight seasons, starting in '93-'94

9) Larry Bird, F, 1979-1992

• His time in the league was brief for such a legend, really just 10 legitimate seasons, but brilliant
• One of just three players, along with Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, to win three consecutive MVP awards, in 1984, 1985, and 1986; during that same stretch he also won two Finals MVP awards, and he's one of just two players, along with LeBron James and Michael Jordan, to win MVP and Finals MVP in the same season multiple times
• Averaged 21+ points (peaking at 29.9 per game in '87-'88), nine-plus rebounds (peaking at 11.0 per game in '82-'83), and five-plus assists (peaking at 7.6 per game in '86-'87) per game for eight straight seasons, starting in '80-'81
• 1st-Team All-NBA nine times, 2nd-Team All-NBA once, an All-Star 12 times, Rookie of the Year in '79-'80, MVP three times (1984, 1985, 1986), Finals MVP twice (1984, 1986), and finished in the top three in MVP voting in eight seasons
• Led the league in free throw percentage four times, peaking at 93.0% in '89-'90, PER twice, VORP four times, and win shares twice
• Underrated as a defender, he was 2nd-Team All-Defensive three times and led the NBA in defensive win shares four times
• Led the Celtics to the playoffs in all 12 seasons he played, winning three titles (1981, 1984, 1986), losing in two NBA Finals (1985, 1987), and losing in three Conference Finals (1980, 1982, 1988) in arguably the most competitive era in Eastern Conference history

8) Tim Duncan, F/C, 1997-2016

• Earned the nickname "The Big Fundamental" for his boring ability to methodically break down opponents with bank shots, rebounds, and un-flashy defense
• Spent 19 seasons in the NBA and is fifth in league history in total blocks, sixth in rebounds, and 14th in points
• Owns five championship rings, the most of any player that never played for the Celtics, Lakers, or Bulls, winning titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named Finals MVP in the first three
• Back-to-back league MVP in '01-'02 and '02-'03, part of a streak of eight straight seasons where he finished in the top five in voting
• Eerily consistent statistically in his first 12 seasons, averaging 19+ points and 11+ rebounds per game every year, peaking in both categories in his '01-'02 MVP season, with 25.5 points and 12.9 rebounds per game
• 1st-Team All-NBA 10 times (including at age 36 in '12-'13), 2nd-Team All-NBA three times, 1st-Team All-Defensive eight times, and a 15-time All-Star
• Played his entire career with the Spurs, and will stand as the franchise record holder in points, rebounds, and blocks for a long time

7) Kobe Bryant, G, 1996-2016

• Had the most proverbial "growing up before our very eyes" career of any modern player, as he hit the league at age 18 in 1996, went through some highly visible growing pains with the Lakers, then developed into one of the greatest of all time
• Finished in the top five of MVP for 11 consecutive seasons starting in '01-'02, which was just shy of Kareem's record of 12 straight years; won the award in '07-'08
• Baptized by fire in the postseason, he air-balled a potential game-winning three-pointer in a second round series against the Jazz in his rookie year, as the Lakers bowed out in five games
• Teaming up with Shaquille O'Neal, he helped lead the Lakers to four NBA Finals, winning titles in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and arguably could have won Finals MVP in 2002, averaging 26.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game in a sweep of the Nets
• Named 1st-Team All-NBA 11 times (only LeBron James has more), 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, 1st-Team All-Defensive nine times (tying the all-time record), and an All-Star 18 times (only Abdul-Jabbar has more)
• Led to the Lakers to three straight NBA Finals again in 2008, 2009, and 2010, winning titles in the last two and Finals MVP
• Won back-to-back scoring titles in '05-'06 (35.4 points per game) and '06-'07 (31.6 points per game); averaged 25+ points, five-plus rebounds, and five-plus assists per game in nine different seasons
• Third in NBA history in career points, with 33,643, and scored the second-most points in a single game in history, with 81 against the Raptors in 2006 

6) Magic Johnson, G, 1979-1996

• Still maybe the most unique player in NBA history, a 6'9" point guard who redefined running the fast break but also possessed the size and skill set to ably fill in at center for an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1980 NBA Finals
• One of just three players, along with Michael Jordan and LeBron James, to win three or more league MVPs (in 1987, 1989, and 1990), and three or more Finals MVPs (in 1980, 1982, and 1987)
• Led the NBA in assists per game four times, peaking at 13.1 per game in '83-'84, averaged 10+ assists per game in each of his final nine seasons, and his career average of 11.2 per game is the all-time record
• Also led the league in steals per game twice and free throw percentage once
• Immediately took over as the Lakers' leader as a rookie, and led the team to 12 straight playoff appearances, reaching the NBA Finals nine times during that stretch (only Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and Sam Jones have more career appearances), and winning five titles in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988
• 1st-Team All-NBA for nine straight seasons, 2nd-Team All-NBA once, an All-Star 12 times, and finished in the top three in MVP voting for nine straight seasons, including winning the award three times

5) LeBron James, F, 2003-Active (2018 rank: #5)

• One of just two players, along with Bill Russell, to win four MVP awards in a five-year stretch, doing so in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013
• Also one of just two players, along with Michael Jordan to win both league MVP and Finals MVP in back-to-back seasons ('11-'12 and '12-'13)
• Has averaged 25+ points per game for 15 straight seasons, peaking at 30.0 per game in '07-'08 when he won the scoring title
• Over 239 playoff games (the fourth-highest total in NBA history) has averaged an unreal 28.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game
• 1st-Team All-NBA 12 times (breaking Karl Malone's record in '17-'18), 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, 1st-Team All-Defensive five times, an All-Star 15 times, and finished a record 13 straight seasons in the top five of MVP voting (a streak that finally broke in '18-'19)
• Led the NBA in PER six times, and his career mark of 27.68 is second only to Jordan in league history
• Reached the NBA Finals an unprecedented (post-merger) eight straight times, four with the Heat and four with the Cavaliers; only Russell, Sam Jones, and Tom Heinsohn have more consecutive Finals appearances
• Won two titles with Miami and one with Cleveland, and was named Finals MVP all three times
• Struggled with injuries in '18-'19 with the Lakers, leaving his ability to pass the four players ahead of him on this list in doubt

4) Wilt Chamberlain, C, 1959-1973

• Shattered the record books in '61-'62, when he scored a record 100 points in one game, and averaged a record 50.4 points per game for the season
• In fact, starting in his rookie year, '59-'60, he averaged 37.6, 38.4, 50.4, 44.8, and 36.9 points per game over his first five seasons, which are the fourth, third, first, second, and sixth highest single season averages in NBA history
• Also holds the record for rebounds per game in a season, with 27.2 per game in '60-'61, and holds six of the seven highest single season averages
• 1st-Team All-NBA seven times, 2nd-Team All-NBA three times, 1st-Team All-Defensive twice, and an All-Star 13 times
• Inexorably linked with his longtime rival and playoff tormentor Bill Russell, the two players' teams met in the postseason eight times, with Chamberlain's team prevailing just once
• Led the NBA in field goal percentage nine times, points per game seven times (he's second all-time with 30.1 per game for his career), rebounds per game 11 times (he's the all-time career leader with 22.9 per game), PER eight times, and win shares eight times
• MVP of the '59-'60 (when he also won Rookie of the Year), '65-'66, '66-'67, and '67-'68 seasons, and finished in the top five in voting in six other seasons
• Played in six NBA Finals, winning titles in 1967 with the 76ers and 1972 with the Lakers (when he was named Finals MVP)
• Despite playing in just 14 seasons, he's fifth in NBA history in total points and still the rebound king, with 23,924 for his career

3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, C, 1969-1989

• Won his first Finals MVP in 1971 with the Bucks, and his second in 1985 with the Lakers, an astonishing 14-year difference that highlights the incredible consistency and longevity of his greatness
• The NBA's all-time points leader with 38,387 compiled over 20 seasons, he's also third all-time in career rebounds, third in career blocks, second in games played, and first in total minutes played
• 1st-Team All-NBA 10 times (the record amongst centers), 2nd-Team All-NBA five times (his 15 total All-NBA selections is the record), 1st-Team All-Defensive five times, and named to a record 19 All-Star Games
• Averaged 29.5 points, 15.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.5 blocks per game over his first eight seasons
• Won scoring titles in '70-'71 and '71-'72 (with a career high 34.8 points per game), led the league in rebounding once (a career high 16.9 per game in '75-'76), blocks per game four times, field goal percentage once, PER nine times, and win shares nine times
• His teams dominated at every level, starting with three high school New York City championships, three NCAA titles at UCLA, then 10 NBA Finals appearances (third all-time behind Bill Russell and Sam Jones), with titles for the Bucks in 1971 and for the Lakers in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988
• His six league MVP awards (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, and 1980) are a record, as are his 15 times finishing in the top five in voting and his 17 times finishing in the top 10

2) Bill Russell, C, 1956-1969

• In a level of dominance unprecedented in any other team sport, he led the Celtics to 12 NBA Finals in his 13 seasons, winning the title in 11 of them (and the one they lost was due to him being injured); the players he matched up against were also legends, taking on the #4, #12, #13, #14, and #17 players on this list, in their respective primes
• The first player to win three straight MVP awards (only Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird have matched it since), and the first player to win five total in his career (only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has more); after finishing seventh in MVP voting in his rookie season, he finished in the top four in the next nine seasons
• Led the NBA in rebounds per game five times, and had the nine best single-season rebounding totals of any player besides Wilt Chamberlain, including a career high 24.7 per game in '63-'64; averaged at least 18 rebounds per game in all 13 seasons he played and despite playing in less than 1,000 career games he's second behind Chamberlain in career total rebounds
• Also led the NBA in defensive win shares 11 times, and perhaps most impressively for a center, finished in the top 10 in assists per game four times
• A victim of the lack of awards in his day, he would have won at least six or seven Finals MVP awards (they eventually named it after him), and just as many, if not more, Defensive Player of the Year awards
• 1st-Team All-NBA just three times, 2nd-Team All-NBA eight times (including in three of his MVP seasons), and an All-Star 12 times
• The ultimate winner, he's the record holder for most Finals appearances with 12, most titles with 11, and even won two titles as the player-coach

1) Michael Jordan, G, 1984-2003

• Many Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain purists argued against it for a while, but by the end of his career he was easily the consensus greatest player of all time, including in any holistic approach to quantifying career quality
• MVP five times, in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998, and probably deserved to also win in 1993 and 1997
• The only player to win MVP and Finals MVP in the same season four times, doing so in '90-'91, '91-'92, '95-'96, and '97-'98 (no one else has done it more than twice), and the only player to win Finals MVP six times (no one else has more than three)
• Won 10 scoring titles, and it was basically 10 in a row starting in '87-'88 if you discount his baseball sabbatical seasons; averaged 30+ points per game in eight seasons, peaking at 37.1 per game in '86-'87, the highest total ever by a player besides Wilt Chamberlain; finished with a career average of 30.1 points per game, which is the NBA record
• Led the Bulls to six NBA Finals, winning the title in all of them, plus two additional Conference Finals appearances in 1989 and 1990
• 1st-Team All-NBA 10 times, 2nd-Team All-NBA once, 1st-Team All-Defensive nine times, Rookie of the Year in '84-'85, Defensive Player of the Year in '87-'88, and finished in the top three in MVP voting 10 times
• Holds the NBA record for most points in a single playoff game, scoring 63 in a losing effort in a second round series against Boston in 1986
• Led the NBA in steals per game three times, PER seven times, and win shares nine times