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NBA 50 Greatest Basketball Players

As selected in 1996 by a blue-ribbon panel of media; former players and coaches; current and former general managers; and team executives.

50 Players

Glossary ▪ CSV ▪ PRE
Totals Shooting Per Game
Player From To G MP PTS TRB AST STL BLK FG% 3P% FT% MP PTS TRB AST STL BLK
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1970 1989 1560 57446 38387 17440 5660 1160 3189 .559 .056 .721 36.8 24.6 11.2 3.6 0.9 2.6
Tiny Archibald 1971 1984 876 31159 16481 2046 6476 719 81 .467 .224 .810 35.6 18.8 2.3 7.4 1.1 0.1
Paul Arizin 1951 1962 713 24897 16266 6129 1665 .421 .810 38.4 22.8 8.6 2.3
Charles Barkley 1985 2000 1073 39330 23757 12546 4215 1648 888 .541 .266 .735 36.7 22.1 11.7 3.9 1.5 0.8
Rick Barry 1966 1980 794 28825 18395 5168 4017 1104 269 .449 .330 .900 36.3 23.2 6.5 5.1 2.0 0.5
Elgin Baylor 1959 1972 846 33863 23149 11463 3650 .431 .780 40.0 27.4 13.5 4.3
Dave Bing 1967 1978 901 32769 18327 3420 5397 483 89 .441 .775 36.4 20.3 3.8 6.0 1.3 0.2
Larry Bird 1980 1992 897 34443 21791 8974 5695 1556 755 .496 .376 .886 38.4 24.3 10.0 6.3 1.7 0.8
Wilt Chamberlain 1960 1973 1045 47859 31419 23924 4643 .540 .511 45.8 30.1 22.9 4.4
Bob Cousy 1951 1970 924 30165 16960 4786 6955 .375 .803 35.3 18.4 5.2 7.5
Dave Cowens 1971 1983 766 29565 13516 10444 2910 599 488 .460 .071 .783 38.6 17.6 13.6 3.8 1.1 0.9
Billy Cunningham 1966 1976 654 22406 13626 6638 2625 115 45 .446 .720 34.3 20.8 10.1 4.0 1.2 0.5
Dave DeBusschere 1963 1974 875 31202 14053 9618 2497 67 39 .432 .699 35.7 16.1 11.0 2.9 0.9 0.5
Clyde Drexler 1984 1998 1086 37537 22195 6677 6125 2207 719 .472 .318 .788 34.6 20.4 6.1 5.6 2.0 0.7
Julius Erving 1977 1987 836 28677 18364 5601 3224 1508 1293 .507 .261 .777 34.3 22.0 6.7 3.9 1.8 1.5
Patrick Ewing 1986 2002 1183 40594 24815 11607 2215 1136 2894 .504 .152 .740 34.3 21.0 9.8 1.9 1.0 2.4
Walt Frazier 1968 1980 825 30965 15581 4830 5040 681 63 .490 .000 .786 37.5 18.9 5.9 6.1 1.9 0.2
George Gervin 1977 1986 791 26536 20708 3607 2214 941 670 .511 .297 .844 33.5 26.2 4.6 2.8 1.2 0.8
Hal Greer 1959 1973 1122 39788 21586 5665 4540 .452 .801 35.5 19.2 5.0 4.0
John Havlicek 1963 1978 1270 46471 26395 8007 6114 476 117 .439 .815 36.6 20.8 6.3 4.8 1.2 0.3
Elvin Hayes 1969 1984 1303 50000 27313 16279 2398 864 1771 .452 .147 .670 38.4 21.0 12.5 1.8 1.0 2.0
Magic Johnson 1980 1996 906 33245 17707 6559 10141 1724 374 .520 .303 .848 36.7 19.5 7.2 11.2 1.9 0.4
Sam Jones 1958 1969 871 24285 15411 4305 2209 .456 .803 27.9 17.7 4.9 2.5
Michael Jordan 1985 2003 1072 41010 32292 6672 5633 2514 893 .497 .327 .835 38.3 30.1 6.2 5.3 2.3 0.8
Jerry Lucas 1964 1974 829 32131 14053 12942 2732 28 24 .499 .783 38.8 17.0 15.6 3.3 0.4 0.3
Karl Malone 1986 2004 1476 54852 36928 14968 5248 2085 1145 .516 .274 .742 37.2 25.0 10.1 3.6 1.4 0.8
Moses Malone 1977 1995 1329 45071 27409 16212 1796 1089 1733 .491 .100 .769 33.9 20.6 12.2 1.4 0.8 1.3
Pete Maravich 1971 1980 658 24316 15948 2747 3563 587 108 .441 .667 .820 37.0 24.2 4.2 5.4 1.4 0.3
Kevin McHale 1981 1993 971 30118 17335 7122 1670 344 1690 .554 .261 .798 31.0 17.9 7.3 1.7 0.4 1.7
George Mikan 1950 1956 379 8350 8458 4167 1027 .401 .784 34.4 22.3 13.4 2.7
Earl Monroe 1968 1980 926 29636 17454 2796 3594 473 121 .464 .807 32.0 18.8 3.0 3.9 1.0 0.3
Shaquille O'Neal 1993 2010 1119 39980 27641 12583 2921 708 2629 .582 .048 .528 35.7 24.7 11.2 2.6 0.6 2.3
Hakeem Olajuwon 1985 2002 1238 44222 26946 13748 3058 2162 3830 .512 .202 .712 35.7 21.8 11.1 2.5 1.7 3.1
Robert Parish 1977 1997 1611 45704 23334 14715 2180 1219 2361 .537 .000 .721 28.4 14.5 9.1 1.4 0.8 1.5
Bob Pettit 1955 1965 792 30690 20880 12849 2369 .436 .761 38.8 26.4 16.2 3.0
Scottie Pippen 1988 2004 1178 41069 18940 7494 6135 2307 947 .473 .326 .704 34.9 16.1 6.4 5.2 2.0 0.8
Willis Reed 1965 1974 650 23073 12183 8414 1186 12 21 .476 .747 35.5 18.7 12.9 1.8 0.6 1.1
Oscar Robertson 1961 1974 1040 43886 26710 7804 9887 77 4 .485 .838 42.2 25.7 7.5 9.5 1.1 0.1
David Robinson 1990 2003 987 34271 20790 10497 2441 1388 2954 .518 .250 .736 34.7 21.1 10.6 2.5 1.4 3.0
Bill Russell 1957 1969 963 40726 14522 21620 4100 .440 .561 42.3 15.1 22.5 4.3
Dolph Schayes 1950 1964 996 29800 18438 11256 3072 .380 .849 34.4 18.5 12.1 3.1
Bill Sharman 1951 1961 711 21793 12665 2779 2101 .426 .883 32.0 17.8 3.9 3.0
John Stockton 1985 2003 1504 47764 19711 4051 15806 3265 315 .515 .384 .826 31.8 13.1 2.7 10.5 2.2 0.2
Isiah Thomas 1982 1994 979 35516 18822 3478 9061 1861 249 .452 .290 .759 36.3 19.2 3.6 9.3 1.9 0.3
Nate Thurmond 1964 1977 964 35881 14437 14464 2575 125 553 .421 .667 37.2 15.0 15.0 2.7 0.5 2.1
Wes Unseld 1969 1981 984 35832 10624 13769 3822 628 367 .509 .500 .633 36.4 10.8 14.0 3.9 1.1 0.6
Bill Walton 1975 1987 468 13250 6215 4923 1590 380 1034 .521 .000 .660 28.3 13.3 10.5 3.4 0.8 2.2
Jerry West 1961 1974 932 36571 25192 5366 6238 81 23 .474 .814 39.2 27.0 5.8 6.7 2.6 0.7
Lenny Wilkens 1961 1975 1077 38064 17772 5030 7211 174 26 .432 .774 35.3 16.5 4.7 6.7 1.3 0.2
James Worthy 1983 1994 926 30001 16320 4708 2791 1041 624 .521 .241 .769 32.4 17.6 5.1 3.0 1.1 0.7