He has scored the most points in NBA history. "You exemplify the very best that the human spirit has to offer," Cosell told Reed. Maxwell was called a lot of different things during his career, but it was clear that his intensity was never to be questioned. Stats: 10.8 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 3.9 APG in 13 seasons with Baltimore/Capitol/Washington Bullets. Teams: Cincinnati Royals (1969-71), Chicago Bulls (1971-78), Milwaukee Bucks (1978-79), Key stats: 746 G, 11.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 7.0 APG, 41.4 FG%. Most Improved Player. Exercise is best method to increase vertical jump. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, 2012-13 scoring champ. Jordan Poole scored a game-high 34 points, 22 coming in the third quarter, the most points scored in that quarter in his career (prev. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? Do I even need to elaborate? Teams: Detroit Pistons (1962-1968), New York Knicks (1968-1974), Key stats: 875 G, 16.1 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.9 APG, 43.2 FG%. He made the All-NBA Defensive Team nine times, including eight first-team picks, and was known as a player who would never resort to "dirty" tactics. I've got great results with it. He had his number retired by two of the three places he played in his college and pro career, the University of Evansville and Chicago Bulls. Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1969-77, 1981), Washington Bullets (1977-81), Key stats: 839 G, 18.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 48.4 FG%. Bottom line: There arent a lot of NBA players that come out of Wyoming, but James Johnson is one of them. He may have often looked out of place when he played, but thats because he was far ahead of his time. He wouldnt let anybody take him out of his style of game, and if any opposition tried, he made sure to send his message loudly and clearly. Despite going undrafted, Wallace won an NBA-record four Defensive Player of the Year awards (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) and helped lead the Pistons to the 2004 NBA title and back into the finals in 2005. Teams: New Jersey Nets (2000-04), Denver Nuggets (2004-11), Los Angeles Clippers (2012), New York Knicks (2013-14), Milwaukee Bucks (2015), Key stats: 757 G, 12.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 48.3 FG%. Stats: 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG in 15 seasons with Chicago Bulls (1984-85 to 1992-93; 1994-95 to 1997-98) and Washington Wizards (2001-02 to 2002-03); NBA's career leader in points per game. Skiles languished on the bench, somewhat unfairly, for his first three seasons before going to the expansion Orlando Magic, where he set the NBA record with 30 assists in one game and was named NBA Most Improved Player in 1991. An absolute force in the lane, he had very little trouble positioning himself to provide a competitive advantage. Accomplishments: 17-time All-Star, 17-time All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 2003-04 Rookie of the Year, 2007-08 scoring champ, 2019-20 assists champ, four-time NBA champion. Teammate of the Year. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1985-86 Rookie of the Year. Jackson has bounced around the league throughout his career, but it hasnt been because of his intensity. With an undisputed World Champion record from 1985 to 1993, Garry Kasparov has also been the Classical . Three teams are well situated (Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings), and Bottom line: Aside from putting together one of the greatest careers in NBA history, Kobe Bryant also had perhaps the most legendary pain tolerance in the history of the game. His size, 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, was more NFL defensive end than power forward but also may have been the cause of back problems that ended his career. He brought an intensity to the court that is highly unlikely to ever be harnessed within another player ever again. Key stats: 1,270 G, 20.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 43.9 FG%, NBA titles: 8 (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976). Teammate of the Year. Mark Jackson can make an argument for being one of the toughest. Stats: 21.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 1.8 APG in 16 season with San Diego/Houston Rockets (1968-69 to 1971-72; 1981-82 to 1983-84) and Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets (1972-73 to 1980-81) . They got there because they were tough, and that's something that fans have appreciated since the league first began play. Barkley was never shy about getting into a scrappy brawl if it was warranted, but he was far more than just an agitator. 13 Kevin Durant Top accolades: Two NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, six All-NBA 1st Team selections, 11 All-Stars NBA rank: 26th. But as his skills declined, he extended his career by turning into a tough-minded enforcer for the teams he played on. Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest player that the NBA has seen and won six championships with the Chicago Bulls. "I taught the kid the look, the intimidation, yeah, the meanness. LeBron may very well be the most physically gifted athlete weve seen come into the league, but that doesnt make him the best, and certainly doesnt make him the most intense. Havlicek simply wore opponents out with his conditioning, and if you want to teach a young player how to move without the ball in their hands, all you need is to cue up old Havlicek highlights on YouTube. Most Improved Player. He had the ability to circumvent any defensive scheme put on him (outside of Hack a Shaq), and that speaks to how impossible it was to stop him out there. Iverson grew up in abject poverty and was sentenced to five years in prison as a senior in high school for a bowling alley assault, serving four months before he was granted clemency by the governor of Virginia. He averaged 28.2 ppg, (third . Stats: 24.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.5 APG in 11 seasons with Golden State Warriors (2009-10 to 2020-21)*. Bottom line: Xavier McDaniel set a baseline for what it meant to be tough when he was still playing for Wichita State University and became the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in points and rebounds in 1984-85. Whether a mean stare, a suffocating style of play or a general ability to send electricity. Stats: 24.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.6 APG in 20 seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (1969-70 to 1974-75) and Los Angeles Lakers (1975-76 to 1988-89); NBA's career leader in total points. Lucas also could ball. I started that training with a 28 i. The NBA's 75th anniversary team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of media, current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives. Stats: 23.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.1 APG in 10 NBA seasons with San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1965-66 to 1966-67; 1972-73 to 1977-78) and Houston Rockets (1978-79 to 1979-80); also played four ABA seasons with Oakland Oaks (1968-69), Washington Capitols (1969-70) and New York Nets (1970-71 to 1971-72). In Moncriefs 10 seasons with the Bucks, his teams lost in the conference finals or conference semifinals eight times. He became tough growing up in Dallas and playing basketball on the playgrounds. Which threw even more fuel on his fire. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1985-86 scoring champ. All Time Leaders. Searches on headlines surrounding McDaniel joining the Suns, Knicks, Celtics and Nets all said the teams were "adding toughness.". In case you hadn't noticed, the Wiz from Wuerzburg has been outscored by only five playersAbdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. Teams: Charlotte Hornets (1991-96), New York Knicks (1996-2001), Key stats: 707 G, 16.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, 48.4 FG%. He also was unselfish as a mentor and widely credited as having been the man who taught Dennis Rodman the ins and outs of the NBA game and helped make him good enough that the Pistons left Mahorn unprotected in the 1989 expansion draft. He has won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2014, four NBA scoring . On the flip side of that, fans across the country got a chance to see what made Jackson such a special player as he took starring turns for the Clippers and Pacers over the next decade. Key stats: 525 G, 9.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 58.9 FG%. In no small way, he carried the defensive load for some of the greatest teams of all time, and thats not an offhand remark. Bottom line: In 12 NBA seasons, Bobby Jones earned a reputation as one of the classiest players of all time. Jones can place his name among the most admired NBA players of al -time for his class and demeanor, and he was finally elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. Chamberlain didnt just find success when he played; he enjoyed sheer and utter dominance. Paytons reputation was made by his skill as much as by his fearlessness, talking trash and backing it up to everyone. He has the most regular-season. Stats: 20.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.6 APG in 15 seasons with Portland Trail Blazers (1983-84 to 1994-95) and Houston Rockets (1994-95 to 1997-98). Over two decades after his retirement, Abdul-Jabbars 1,797 career games (including the playoffs) is more than anyone in NBA history. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1976-77 scoring champ. An absolute mountain of a man, Eaton was a dominant shot blocker before the term was readily used to describe players. Career Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 AST, 49.0 FG%, 42.8 FG3%, 90.4 FT% The . Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, two-time All-Star MVP, 1990 Finals MVP, 1984-85 assists champ, two-time NBA champion. LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Bottom line: Sidney Moncrief was the first NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1986, then won it again in 1987. He ruined his own best chance at playoff success when he punched Oklahoma Citys Steven Adams in the jaw in Game 6 of a 2014 NBA playoff series and was suspended for Game 7, which the Grizzlies lost. Bottom line: Whats amazing about Rick Mahorns career is that, on paper, it appears to have been pretty average. If any other player had dressed up like grandmamma, they probably wouldnt have been able to live it down, but nobody dare challenged Johnson like that. Bottom line: Kevin Garnett is the highest-paid player in NBA history, with $326 million in career earnings. With the NBA celebrating its 75th anniversary this season, USA TODAY assembled a panel of NBA experts to rank the greatest 75 NBA players of all time. PER since 1951-52 Rate statistic requirements NBA/ABA Share & Export Modify, Export & Share Table Get Link to Table About Sharing Tools Video: SR Sharing Tools & How-to Accomplishments: 15-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 12-time All-Defensive Team, 2003-04 MVP, 2007-08 Defensive Player of the Year, 2003 All-Star MVP, four-time rebounding champ, 2008 NBA champion. "If you played Monday through Saturday and didn't have a fight, you knew you had to be ready for Sunday because you'd surely have a fight. In an interesting, amazing aside, Debusschere pitched two seasons for the Chicago White Sox in 1962 and 1963 before deciding to turn his focus to his basketball career after the Detroit Pistons agreed to make him the youngest player-coach in NBA history at just 24 years old.
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