He played at least 80 of 82 regular-season games seven times, and only missed a handful of games in three other seasons. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 2006 Finals MVP, 2010 All-Star MVP, 2008-09 scoring champ, three-time NBA champion. Paytons reputation was made by his skill as much as by his fearlessness, talking trash and backing it up to everyone. He was teased and bullied mercilessly as a child and through high school because he stuttered, and it got so bad he had to leave several schools. Are you kidding me? Kevin Johnson 15 of 50 Career stats: 17.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 9.1 apg, 1.5 stl, 0.2 blk, 84.1 FT %, 49.3 FG % Johnson's contributions aren't readily discussed among the most productive point guards of. Third Quarter Dubs Strike Again as Warriors Defeat Clippers | NBA.com Bottom line: Norm Van Lier had one of the more modest, accomplished careers in NBA history in almost total anonymity. Chiu/AP Images. Bottom line: LeBron James could be in the Top 30 NBA career games played at the end of the 2019-20 season and likely will break Robert Parrishs career record of 1,611 games if he plays four more seasons, which hes openly said he wants to do. He always seemed to be giving it his all, and rarely did anyone see a smile creep across his face when he was in the midst of battle. Bottom line: Dave DeBusschere was one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history, making the All-NBA Defensive Team six times in his career. A ridiculous shot-blocker in his own right, Rollins really knew how to bring it when his opposition tried to challenge him. Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-2007, 2015-16), Boston Celtics (2007-13), Brooklyn Nets (2013-15), Key stats: 1,462 G, 17.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 49.7 FG%. After he went undrafted in 2002 following a standout career at the University of Florida, Haslem found his only pro opportunity was playing in France, and he showed up weighing almost 300 pounds. 50 Most Intense NBA Players of All Time - Bleacher Report You know who else thought McDaniel was tough? Bottom line: In 12 NBA seasons, Bobby Jones earned a reputation as one of the classiest players of all time. 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. Bottom line: Willis Reed isnt just one of the toughest players in NBA history. Stats: 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG in 20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1996-97 to 2015-16). Ranking the greatest 75 NBA players of all time: Nos. 25-1 - USA Today Being tough on the basketball court isn't only a physical thing. One of the most prolific forwards to ever play, Barkley stuck to his beliefs when it came to what he believed to be rightfully his on the hardwood. Key stats: 1,504 G, 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 51.5 FG%. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, eight-time assists champ, 1956-57 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, six-time NBA champion. First with his play and then with his legendary trash talk. 50 Greatest Players in NBA History | Basketball-Reference.com 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%. He really knew how to leave his mark. Stats: 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 BPG in 14 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1989-90 to 2002-03). Rodman always was willing to do that little extra to get a rebound or make a defensive play, which usually meant sacrificing his body by diving for a loose ball. He has the most regular-season. The most incredible rebounder weve ever seen for someone of his size, The Worm was never afraid to show his true colors. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1968-69 scoring champ, two-time rebounding champ, 1978 NBA champion. Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum top NBA quotes of the week. Listed at 6'6" and 250 lbs, but in truth closer to 6'4", Barkley is the shortest player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding, averaging 14.6 rebounds per game during the 1986-87 season. And thats fair, because he almost killed Houstons Rudy Tomjanovich with one punch during a game in December 1977. Perhaps thats why he was such a valuable commodity. He may have often looked out of place when he played, but thats because he was far ahead of his time. 2022 NBA Playoffs, 2021 NBA Playoffs, 2020 NBA Playoffs, 2019 NBA Playoffs, 2018 NBA Playoffs, 2017 NBA Playoffs, Playoffs Series History. Stats: 26.4 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Milwaukee/St. NBA: Ranking top 10 point guards ever - ESPN.com Stats: 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG in 13 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1979-80 to 1990-91; 1995-96). Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Stats: 20.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 4.5 APG in eight seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (2013-14 to 2020-21)*. Bottom line: Whats most remarkable about Udonis Haslem has been his staying power. 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. Every referee that has ever been a part of one of Wallaces game would attest that he should be even higher. Top 10 best NBA players of all time - Sportskeeda Most Improved Player. That included a career-high 18.7 rebounds in 1991-92. Hes also one of just four players to win both Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Accomplishments: 12-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, two-time NBA All-Defensive team, three-time NBA MVP, 1983 Finals MVP, six-time NBA rebounding champ, 1983 NBA champion. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 2013-14 MVP, 2007-08 Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star MVP, two-time Finals MVP, four-time scoring champ, two-time NBA champion. Bryants infamous stare is one that the opposition never wants to see, because it means hes about to enter Black Mamba mode. Kick a cameraman in the crotch? If you want to see a player who never doubted his ability at any moment, look no further than Miller. McDaniel combined toughness with intimidation to a maximum degree. He helped lead the Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA title and set the tone in the NBA Finals by squaring off with Darryl Dawkins (!) Live stream: Grizzlies 97, Nuggets 113 | HoopsHype 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. He averaged 28.2 ppg, (third . Its a shame that he was never able to capture a ring, as there were few who dedicated themselves to a craft as thoroughly as Malone. Bottom line: John Havlicek is one of just four players in NBA history to win eight NBA titles. Whether a mean stare, a suffocating style of play or a general ability to send electricity into the building, there is no questioning what these currently bring or have brought to the table. Stats: 19.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 3.0 APG in 19 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1997-98 to 2015-16). Parish might not get the love that he deserves for being intense, but theres no questioning his commitment. Although hes turned around his reputation and now does heralded work within the community, Washingtons intensity will never be forgotten. Bottom line: There wasnt a better role player to put on your roster in the 1970s than Paul Silas, who won two titles with the Celtics and one with the SuperSonics over the last six years of the decade. There might just be a surprise in one of the top spots. Defensive Player of the Year. 2002, 2009, 2010). Exercise is best method to increase vertical jump. There was no player like him during the era in which he played, and there isnt likely to be another one with his championship success. There might not be anyone in NBA history with a sports background quite like Nash, which helps explain why he always seemed to have blood on his jersey. Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1973-77), Boston Celtics (1977-78), San Diego Clippers (1978-79), Portland Trail Blazers (1979-82), Golden State Warriors (1987), Key stats: 507 G, 9.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 52.6 FG%. His Pistons' teams of the late 1980s were made up of some of the toughest players in NBA history, and Mahorn was the undisputed "baddest" of the "Bad Boys.". Jordan retired for the first time at the . Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1950-51 Rookie of the Year, 1952 All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, 1956 NBA champion. Key stats: 792 G, 26.4 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, 43.6 FG%. Williams spent his first eight seasons with the Nets but became a household name during his seven seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. Steve Nash. The five-time NBA Most Valuable Player needed to define toughness to succeed in his era, with his direct counterpart none other than Wilt Chamberlain, the only other player besides Russell to grab 50 rebounds in a single game. The Celtics won the title in seven games. in Game 2, swinging an elbow at Dawkins head and changing the tone of the series as the Blazers rallied for the championship. Mason was known for the wild designs he would have shaved into his head, sure, but he was more known for a bruising, physical style of play that used every square inch of his 6-foot-7, 250-pound frame. He played in an age where African-American players were fighting for equal rights on and off the floor and was one of the leaders of that movement. His father died when he was 4 years old, and he was the youngest of 10 children raised by a single mother in rural Illinois. Despite being an effective defensive player, Bill was also an efficient Outside scoring Centre. Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard are deserving, but what separates them from Nikola Joki (an MVP winner), Paul George, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler? In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work as a pioneer for civil rights. Answer (1 of 21): Scrolling through the answers I see different takes on what the word means. He has won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2014, four NBA scoring . His career has been yeoman-like, with six teams over 11 seasons, but hes been steady and his toughness is unmatched for some pretty incredible reasons. All Time Leaders - The official site of the NBA for the latest NBA 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. With an undisputed World Champion record from 1985 to 1993, Garry Kasparov has also been the Classical . Stats: 17.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Washington Capitols (1950-51) and Boston Celtics (1951-52 to 1960-61). He had a very riled up rivalry against Bill Laimbeer, and neither sought to back down from the other, which only heightened the distaste between them. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, 1950-51 rebounding champ, 1955 NBA champion. His aggressiveness was something that he asserted as a strength, and theres no questioning the obvious impact it had in his success. It seems hard to be one without people thinking youre not also the other. Roundfield earned a reputation for being a physical, tough player, but he had a kind nature that opponents and teammates alike were drawn to. And that's what makes Trae an outlier; he's the smallest, and probably the frailest player on this list, yet he's behind only SGA and Luka in drives per game. Stats: 20.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 4.0 APG in nine seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1965-66 to 1971-72; 1974-75 to 1975-76); also played two ABA seasons with Carolina Cougars (1972-73 to 1973-74). Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, 2012-13 scoring champ. He continued to play, leading his team to the 2017 Eastern Conference finals before being sidelined with a debilitating hip injury. Hes already a five-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection (in just eight seasons), NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and has won three NBA titles. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 2000-01 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, 1996-97 Rookie of the Year, four-time scoring champ, three-time steals champ. NBA Player Earnings | Spotrac The complete list of players is in alphabetical order below. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, 2006-07 MVP, 2011 Finals MVP, 2011 NBA champion. Check. But that was nothing compared to how he treated opponents. Famously, he played center in place of the injured Abdul-Jabbar in the title-clinching game six of the 1980 NBA finals as a 20-year-old rookie. Teams: Chicago Bulls (1984-93, 1995-98), Washington Wizards (2001-03), Key stats: 1,072 G, 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 49.7 FG%, NBA titles: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998). Havlicek died in April 2019 at 79 years old. They didn't get that way because they could score or rebound. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. This season, he's averaging 14.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 26.5 DraftKings points per game. He brought immediate toughness and stability to the roster. Bottom line: For the entirety of his career, Scott Skiles was listed at 6-foot-1. Marches to the beat of his own drum? All Time Leaders. Stats: 17.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.7 APG in 21 seasons with Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-96 to 2006-07; 2014-15 to 2015-16), Boston Celtics (2007-08 to 2012-13) and Brooklyn Nets (2013-14 to 2014-15). Two of the top teams in the Western Conference will go head-to-head in a rematch from last Saturday as an epic matchup . Perhaps one of the most searched for athletes on YouTube thanks in large part due to the fights he found himself in, Johnson didnt do anything to eschew his reputation of being a tough guy around the league. Post-career, Johnson has been an even bigger success. The NBA had little luck doing anything close to that over the next 20 years. But no one who ever watched the man play would classify it as such. Bottom Line: Dennis Johnson was only 5-foot-9 when he graduated from Dominguez Hills High School in Compton, California, where he said he only played "one or two minutes," each game.