My Top 50 NBA Players of All-Time

[AboveAverage484 0]

First off, this is not my opinion. Second of all, I may come across as a complete and utter nerd with no time on his hands, but I created a formula which I then used to create this list. Basically, it's a weighted formula that I've made test lists on here with in the past, awarding players for career achievement in both stats and awards, which I will list here:

 

Stats:

Career points scored

Career rebounds

Career assists

Career points per game

 

Awards:

MVP's

All-NBA selections

All-Star Game selections

All-NBA Defense selections (1st team only taken into consideration)

 

Miscellaneous:

NBA Anniversary Teams

 

One thing I should note about the formula; it tends to reward players who had longer careers, while somewhat shafting players who made a big impact during short tenures (Walton, some of the active players on the list). So I suppose a thesis question could be made out of this; "What NBA player had the best career?"

 

I'm still working on a formula that would rank them more towards what they achieved during the peak years of their career, though I seem to have hit a standstill in that area, mainly because I keep redoing it until I get a list that has Jordan at no. 1

 

Enough nerdy blabbering from me, here's the list:

 

50. Pete Maravich

 

49. Steve Nash

 

48. Alex English

 

47. Jason Kidd

 

46. Lenny Wilkens

 

45. Dave Bing

 

44. Bill Sharman

 

43. Wes Unseld

 

42. Kobe Bryant

 

41. Tiny Archibald

 

40. Paul Arizin

 

39. Jerry Lucas

 

38. Dominique Wilkins

 

37. Walt Frazier

 

36. Robert Parish

 

35. Willis Reed

 

34. Dave Cowens

 

33. Rick Barry

 

32. Allen Iverson

 

31. George Gervin

 

30. Scottie Pippen

 

29. Kevin Garnett

 

28. Hal Greer

 

27. Clyde Drexler

 

26. Gary Payton

 

25. Isiah Thomas

 

24. Patrick Ewing

 

23. Tim Duncan

 

22. Julius Erving

 

21. Elvin Hayes

 

20. Dolph Schayes

 

19. Elgin Baylor

 

18. David Robinson

 

17. John Havlicek

 

16. Jerry West

 

15. John Stockton

 

14. Bob Cousy

 

13. Charles Barkley

 

12. Hakeem Olajuwon

 

11. Shaquille O'Neal

 

10. Bob Pettit

 

9. Oscar Robertson

 

8. Moses Malone

 

7. Larry Bird

 

6. Magic Johnson

 

5. Karl Malone

 

4. Bill Russell

 

3. Michael Jordan

 

2. Wilt Chamberlain

 

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

 

There you have it. I personally don't agree with the entire thing, but I'm pretty satisfied overall with the results. Thanks for reading and enduring my nerdiness. Any questions on missing players (my master list is almost 150, why a particular player is ranked, etc, just ask. (And for those thinking I have too much time on my hand, it took me less than a day to compile, so nyah)

[Guest]

As an aside, is that list close at all to your actual opinion? I don't want to jack your thread, so I won't post mine, which would take forever to compile.

[AboveAverage484 0]

As an aside, is that list close at all to your actual opinion? I don't want to jack your thread, so I won't post mine, which would take forever to compile.

 

Close, but I'm also one of those people who uses to stats to form his own opinion so an opinionated list by me would be negatively influenced by this particular list I just made, if that makes sense

 

And feel free to post your own list, maybe we could argue stats vs. opinion or something to that effect.

[naiwf 0]

Too much weight is placed on being an MVP. Aside from that, Nash's stats wouldn't even put him in the discussion for top 100 of all time. There should be more weight put on All-NBA 2nd and 3rd teams than All-Star teams assuming you only meant All-NBA 1st team nods. Other than that I don't really see too much to complain about.

[Maztinho 0]

How many players from the 84 draft are on that list? 5? 6?

[Guest]

Ok, here goes. I don't have the attention span to do a 50, so I'll do a 25, and I'll keep Kobe out of it because I'm very biased. It'll probably be heavily slanted towards the 80's and 90's too.

 

25. Pete Maravich

 

24. Dolph Schayes

 

23. Patrick Ewing

 

22. John Havlicek

 

21. Elvin Hayes

 

20. Tim Duncan

 

19. Moses Malone

 

18. Isiah Thomas (This debacle in New York has ruined his legacy)

 

17. Julius Erving (He was an ENTIRE LEAGUE)

 

16. Charles Barkley

 

15. Bob Pettit

 

14. Bob Cousy

 

13. Jerry West

 

12. David Robinson

 

11. Shaquille O'Neal

 

10. John Stockton

 

9. Hakeem Olajuwon

 

8. Karl Malone

 

7. Elgin Baylor

 

6. Oscar Robertson

 

5. Larry Bird

 

4. Bill Russell

 

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Most dominant player ever)

 

2. Wilt Chamberlain

 

1b. Magic Johnson

 

1a. Michael Jordan

 

If I did a 50, David Thompson would definitely be on it. Also, it would take me hours to do a 50 that I could feel comfortable with.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

It was a nice effort and it's cool that you took the time to do this, but the list didn't turn out that well. It sways too hard towards players from the 80s and 90s, which must be a flaw in the way things are calculated.

 

Some suggestions:

 

-More emphasis on postseason success. Try factoring in playoff appearances, Finals MVPS, postseason numbers, etc.

-Other awards should count. What about ROY, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year? Factor in the top 5 in MVP voting, not just just the winner

-Where are the corrections across eras? There were about 20% more rebounds per game in the 70s. Scoring before the shot clock? The fact that George Mikan didn't make the top 50 shows something is wrong

-What about blocks and steals? I know those stats haven't always been kept, but they are important.

 

I'm not trying to put down your list, but if you really are this nerdy and have the time to do it, make the best list possible. It's too one dimensional.

[dh86 0]

Ok, here goes. I don't have the attention span to do a 50, so I'll do a 25, and I'll keep Kobe out of it because I'm very biased. It'll probably be heavily slanted towards the 80's and 90's too.

 

25. Pete Maravich

 

24. Dolph Schayes

 

23. Patrick Ewing

 

22. John Havlicek

 

21. Elvin Hayes

 

20. Tim Duncan

 

19. Moses Malone

 

18. Isiah Thomas (This debacle in New York has ruined his legacy)

 

17. Julius Erving (He was an ENTIRE LEAGUE)

 

16. Charles Barkley

 

15. Bob Pettit

 

14. Bob Cousy

 

13. Jerry West

 

12. David Robinson

 

11. Shaquille O'Neal

 

10. John Stockton

 

9. Hakeem Olajuwon

 

8. Karl Malone

 

7. Elgin Baylor

 

6. Oscar Robertson

 

5. Larry Bird

 

4. Bill Russell

 

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Most dominant player ever)

 

2. Wilt Chamberlain

 

1b. Magic Johnson

 

1a. Michael Jordan

 

If I did a 50, David Thompson would definitely be on it. Also, it would take me hours to do a 50 that I could feel comfortable with.

 

wtf the debacle in NY have to do with Isiah's 13 year playing career?.....I dont see you punishing MJ for his Wizards days or Elgin Baylor for his Clippers days...people put entirely way too much into stats...Isiah Thomas was to me far better than John Stockton

[Guest]

I didn't punish him for it, or I wouldn't have had him on the list at all.

[Brett Favre 0]

Too much weight is placed on being an MVP. Aside from that, Nash's stats wouldn't even put him in the discussion for top 100 of all time. There should be more weight put on All-NBA 2nd and 3rd teams than All-Star teams assuming you only meant All-NBA 1st team nods. Other than that I don't really see too much to complain about.

 

You can definitely put him in the top 100 of all time; he's already good enough to be a top 10 PG of all time. His career numbers are 13 and 7, very good FG%, one of the best all time FT%, 2 time All-NBA Third Team, 2 time All-NBA First Team, 2 time MVP, and a 4 time All-Star. He's had 6 straight all-star type years; his first few years bring his numbers down. Compared to Lenny Wilkens, a Hall of Famer, who put up 16 and 7, was a one time MVP, and a 9 time All-Star. Steve Nash is easily in the top 100 of all time.

[naiwf 0]

Too much weight is placed on being an MVP. Aside from that, Nash's stats wouldn't even put him in the discussion for top 100 of all time. There should be more weight put on All-NBA 2nd and 3rd teams than All-Star teams assuming you only meant All-NBA 1st team nods. Other than that I don't really see too much to complain about.

 

You can definitely put him in the top 100 of all time; he's already good enough to be a top 10 PG of all time. His career numbers are 13 and 7, very good FG%, one of the best all time FT%, 2 time All-NBA Third Team, 2 time All-NBA First Team, 2 time MVP, and a 4 time All-Star. He's had 6 straight all-star type years; his first few years bring his numbers down. Compared to Lenny Wilkens, a Hall of Famer, who put up 16 and 7, was a one time MVP, and a 9 time All-Star. Steve Nash is easily in the top 100 of all time.

 

13 & 7 is not top 100 of all time. The 2 MVP's is the only thing that puts him in the discussion and cases can be made that he really didn't deserve either. I don't even go as far back as the pre-Jordan era but I have a hard time putting Nash in the top 50 players of the last 20-25 years. That's all I'm saying.

[Brett Favre 0]

John Stockton is 13 and 10. 13 and 7, great FG%, great FT%, numerous All-NBA Teams, multiple time All-Star, and a two time MVP award winner should put him in the top 100. And enough with the cases that he didn't deserve them. If we're going to do that, lets do it for every single player in NBA History. He won them. End of story.

[Guest]

I believe that his point is that Nash hasn't played at this level, the level he's playing at in Phoenix, for an extremely long time. Yeah, I think he's definitely top 100, but I think that's his point.

[Brett Favre 0]

Yeah he hasn't, but that's not what i'm arguing. I'm just arguing that he's Top 100 of all time.

[naiwf 0]

John Stockton is 13 and 10. 13 and 7, great FG%, great FT%, numerous All-NBA Teams, multiple time All-Star, and a two time MVP award winner should put him in the top 100. And enough with the cases that he didn't deserve them. If we're going to do that, lets do it for every single player in NBA History. He won them. End of story.

 

Stockton is only the ALL-TIME leader in NBA history in steals and assists by MILES (~5,500 assists which in and of itself would make him top 35, and 750 steals). Nash has had 2 "all-time" seasons and will not end up with an all-time career because he's already on the wrong side of 30 and has back problems. To rate him as a top 50 talent in NBA history is absurd because nothing backs it up besides two MVP trophies which are heavily disputed. If Shaq had won it two years ago and Dirk/Kobe/LeBron/Wade had this year Nash isn't in anyone's mouth when picking the top 50 of all-time as evidenced by his omission on the list that added the next 10 guys this year.

 

In case you missed it here are the guys that were picked

 

Tim Duncan

Kobe Bryant

Dominique Wilkins

Allen Iverson

Bob McAdoo

Kevin Garnett

Reggie Miller

Connie Hawkins

Jason Kidd

Gary Payton

 

That doesn't even take into account the guys who will obviously join that list barring injury like the 4 guys I mentioned as better MVP candidates this year. Two "great" seasons doesn't make you one of the best 50 players in the history of your sport.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

There have only been 11 players in the history of the NBA to win multiple MVP awards, let alone back-to-back trophies and Steve Nash is one of them. He's had a short peak, but that peak has been phenomenal. Think about that... amongst those who are paid to analyze the NBA, he was considered to be the best player in the entire league... twice. That's enough to put him in the conversation for the top 50.

[naiwf 0]

There have only been 11 players in the history of the NBA to win multiple MVP awards, let alone back-to-back trophies and Steve Nash is one of them. He's had a short peak, but that peak has been phenomenal. Think about that... amongst those who are paid to analyze the NBA, he was considered to be the best player in the entire league... twice. That's enough to put him in the conversation for the top 50.

 

He was deemed the MOST VALUABLE. Many people who voted for Nash have said that others were the BEST in the league during both seasons, which is why I don't understand the purpose of the award when others won it simply for being the BEST (Duncan) in a year when someone else was clearly more VALUABLE (Kidd).

 

The fact that Nash will retire with more MVP's than Shaq is just the height of idiocy.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Well as far as most valuable or best player, it's arguing semantics really. The basis for the award seems to change every year, so we really have to argue it at face value. The majority of voters considered this player to be the most indespensible in winning ballgames, or something like that.

[Brett Favre 0]

You're just pissed that he did win them. You can't change what already happened. He's a two time MVP, get over it. Because of that, he's definitely in the top 100. I don't know if he's in the top 50, I wasn't arguing that. Maybe you can make a case for it, and against it, but it's not what i'm trying to debate here.

 

And those guys were picked by the TNT people. It's nothing official.

 

Steve Nash has already had his two best seasons in the NBA after the age of 30, so who are you to say that he won't have an all-time career? His prime has been different from mostly everyone else's. And it's not like he sucked ass before. He was an all-star before coming to Phoenix, and now he's an All-NBAer. Who are you to say that he can't keep it up for a few more years?

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

18. Isiah Thomas (This debacle in New York has ruined his legacy)

 

You gotta be fuckin kidding me.

 

 

If you think what he has done as a General Manger ruined his legacy as a PLAYER, then you really shouldn't be making lists.

 

If we go by that, then MJ ruined his legacy by drafting Kwame Brown, and trading Richard Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse.

[naiwf 0]

Steve Nash

9,495 points

13.5 PPG

5,006 assists

7.1 APG

 

Mark Jackson

12,489 points

9.6 PPG

10,334 assists

8.0 APG

 

Rod Strickland

14,463 points

13.2 PPG

7,987 assists

7.3 APG

 

Tim Hardaway

15,373 points

17.7 PPG

7,095 assists

8.2 APG

 

Are any of those others all-time greats?

 

Nash would need at least two more full seasons to match Jackson's point total and the assists are out of reach. Nash = Strickland statistically if he can last maybe 4 or 5 more seasons. Hardaway's numbers are also likely to be unreachable in either category. I don't think anyone in their right mind thinks any of the other three guys deserve to be in this discussion, and I don't think Nash does either.

[Guest]

Wow, you missed the other post I made. It was just a point I was saying to supplant the fact that many UNDERRATE him because of what's happened there.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Wow, you missed the other post I made. It was just a point I was saying to supplant the fact that many UNDERRATE him because of what's happened there.

 

My mistake...

 

I have Isiah Thomas in my top 10, but that's just my opinion. I'll just my Top 50 problay this weekend, or if I have time today.

[Brett Favre 0]

Steve Nash

9,495 points

13.5 PPG

5,006 assists

7.1 APG

 

Mark Jackson

12,489 points

9.6 PPG

10,334 assists

8.0 APG

 

Rod Strickland

14,463 points

13.2 PPG

7,987 assists

7.3 APG

 

Tim Hardaway

15,373 points

17.7 PPG

7,095 assists

8.2 APG

 

Are any of those others all-time greats?

 

Nash would need at least two more full seasons to match Jackson's point total and the assists are out of reach. Nash = Strickland statistically if he can last maybe 4 or 5 more seasons. Hardaway's numbers are also likely to be unreachable in either category. I don't think anyone in their right mind thinks any of the other three guys deserve to be in this discussion, and I don't think Nash does either.

 

Nash has had two straight years with over 800 assists. You're telling me in that offense, that he won't be able to rack up over 800 assists for the next four years? You don't lose the ability to pass when you get older. That's 3200 assists right there, putting him past Hardaway and Strickland. Hardaway and Jackson are two guys you can argue for, for the top 100. We're talking 100 players over here. Not 10, not 5. 100. It's silly to think that Nash can't crack the top 100.

 

Now, between all three guys, they have 6 all-stars, 1 All-NBA Team, 4 2nd all NBA Teams, and 1 3rd All-NBA Team. In the prime of his career, Steve Nash has 4 all-stars, 2 All-NBA Teams, and 2 All-NBA 3rd Teams, not to mention two MVP Awards. He's already had a better career than Mark Jackson and Rod Strickland (they played 17 seasons, Nash is in his 10th), and you can make an argument that he's already had a better career than Tim Hardaway with the MVP Awards. Without the MVP Awards, Hardaway had a better career, AS OF NOW. Nash had his two best seasons these past two years. So it's not like he's declining.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Dammit, Cena's Writer beat me to it. Steve Nash has had more accomplishments in his career than Tim Hardaway, Rod Stickland and Mark Jackson COMBINED. Counting stats are bullshit unless you are comparing already great players. None of those guys are at Nash's level (Hardaway would be closest, but not really in the same ballpark).

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

It was a nice effort and it's cool that you took the time to do this, but the list didn't turn out that well. It sways too hard towards players from the 80s and 90s, which must be a flaw in the way things are calculated.

 

I think that approach is closer to right than wrong. First off, Bill Russell and his ilk dominated a league that had anywhere from 8-12 teams in its infancy. It was simply easier to dominate the game back then. The NBA today is harder to dominate, as more players compete from high school on up, and the teams adjust to face the caliber of competition.

[Ripper 0]

Naiwf just hate steve nash. His arguments are never going to support his points because they are based on illogical hate.

 

Fact of the matter is, Nash's numbers are 13 - 7 only because he got drafted to a team that had Kevin Johnson(fringe hall of famer) and Jason Kidd(hall of famer) at the same position for his first few years in the league. Only count the years he had major minutes.

 

In the last 6 years he is at around 16 points and 9 assist. And you can expect those numbers to be around the same next year.

 

And since you asked, Tim Hardaway and Mark Jackson are all time greats. Remove the Jordan bulls and/or ALonzo mourning fightling like a bitch with Larry Johnson, and they both have rings. (Mark Jackson would probably have two). Tim Hardaway is one of the few players to average 20 and 10 for 3 seasons in a row or more. (Nate Archibald, Kevin Johnson, Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson were the others). Mark Jackson is number 2 all time in assist.

 

But any list that removes Bill Walton (hands down the most overrated player in the history of the NBA) and adds Dominique is alright with me.

[AboveAverage484 0]

I'll do some fun STAT DORKING~! later on for you guys.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Never knew Ripper was such a racist. If you hate Nash that much maybe these people should just have their own league.

 

As for the list itself, it's harmless enough. However, I'd only do the Top 50 since 1980 or something. When doing "All-Time" lists I just break it down by generation because there are way too many factors to consider when going that far back in time.

[alfdogg 0]

I prefer to rank players by their position, rather than just one big list like this one. Perimeter players generally are more talented than big men.