Perhaps thats why he was such a valuable commodity. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, 1950-51 rebounding champ, 1955 NBA champion. You dont find many players who didnt average double figures in scoring or rebounding for their career that can say they were a two-time All-Star and five-time pick for the All-NBA Defensive Team. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, 1966-67 Rookie of the Year, 1976 All-Star MVP, 1967-68 scoring champ. Accomplishments: 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 15-time All-Defensive team, two-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, 2000 All-Star MVP, 1997-98 Rookie of the Year, five-time NBA champion. His obvious passion for the game was clear, and he went hard no matter what the scoreboard read. Key stats: 1,504 G, 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 51.5 FG%. Stats: 23.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 8.5 APG in 13 seasons with Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-09 to 2018-19), Houston Rockets (2019-20) and Washington Wizards (2020-21)*. 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. One stat stands out more than any other. Its not often a point guard is as feisty as Thomas showed throughout his career. 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. Check. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, 1969-70 All-Defensive team, 1969-70 NBA MVP, 1964-65 Rookie of the Year, 1970 All-Star MVP, two-time Finals MVP, two-time NBA champion. His father, Stan, was an NBA player, and he had his son study tapes of Hall of Famer Wes Unseld as part of learning to play the game the right way. Bottom line: Nate Thurmond was as ferocious of a rebounder as anyone in NBA history, and just as good at blocking shots and defense. 1 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1991 out of UNLV. Boston Celtics (2015-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18), Los Angeles Lakers (2018), Denver Nuggets (2018-19), Washington Wizards (2019-present), Key stats: 525 G, 18.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 43.6 FG%. 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. 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. When Sprewell choked out former head coach P.J. 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. Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1986-87), Indiana Pacers (1987-89), Orlando Magic (1989-94), Washington Bullets (1994-95), Philadelphia 76ers (1995-96), Key stats: 600 G, 11.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 43.5 FG%. Pettit also was the first NBA Most Valuable Player in 1958 and is tied with Kobe Bryant for most NBA All-Star MVP awards with four. Throughout his NBA career, Bill Lambier drilled over 200 Three-pointers. 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%. Bottom line: There is one statistic that underlines Alvin Robertsons toughness better than all others he is still the NBAs career leader with 2.7 steals per game. One little-known fact about Havlicek, an 11-time All-NBA pick and eight-time All-NBA Defensive pick, is that he was also drafted as a wide receiver by the Cleveland Browns and briefly contemplated a career in the NFL. Stats: 18.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.4 APG in 16 seasons with New Orleans Hornets (2005-06 to 2010-11), LA Clippers (2011-12 to 2016-17), Houston Rockets (2017-18 to 2018-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20) and Phoenix Suns (2020-21)*. Teams: Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Key stats: 1,217 G, 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 49.0 FG%. And he only played one season, his rookie year, with the Baltimore Bullets. NBA Odds: Grizzlies vs. Nuggets prediction, pick, how to watch - 3/3/2023. Key stats: 1,018 G, 16.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 4.5 APG, 46.0 FG%. Stats: 17.0 PPG, 15.6 RPG, 3.3 APG in 11 seasons with Cincinnati Royals (1963-64 to 1969-70), San Francisco Warriors (1969-70 to 1970-71) and New York Knicks (1971-72 to 1973-74). Stats: 27.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.2 APG in 14 seasons with Seattle SuperSonics (2007-08), Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-09 to 2015-16), Golden State Warriors (2016-17 to 2018-19) and Brooklyn Nets (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. Cowens was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive Team, 2013 All-Star MVP, 2005-06 Rookie of the Year, six-time steals champ, four-time assists champ. The complete list of players is in alphabetical order below. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? During halftime of the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, 47 of the 50 members of that team were honored in person. 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. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1974 Finals MVP, eight-time NBA champion. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, 1963-64 MVP, 1960-61 Rookie of the Year, three-time All-Star MVP, six-time assists champ, 1971 NBA champion. Beverley was a two-time NBA All-Defensive Team pick two times in his first six seasons and has become a staple of highlight-reel clips for his ability to get under the skin of opponents none more so than 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook. 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. Pettit only played 11 seasons in the NBA and was a first-team All-NBA pick 10 times. Stats: 17.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG in 12 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1982-83 to 1993-94). 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. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. RANKED: The 14 best players in the NBA right now. Scott Davis. The infamous finger wag. Sixth Man of the Year. Green is one of the more outspoken players in the game today, and its tough to see his legacy as not having his Game 6 suspension from the 2016 NBA Finals front and center alongside his titles. While Barkleys attitude and off-the-court antics had their detractors, one thing no one ever questioned was his toughness. 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. Bottom line: Buck Williams was the definition of an NBA player bringing his lunch pail to work. Stats: 17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 APG in 12 seasons with Boston Celtics (1957-58 to 1968-69). Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1979-89), Atlanta Hawks (1989-91), Key stats: 767 G, 15.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 50.2 FG%. 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. Seriously, 11 championships in 13 seasons is arguably the most intense thing to ever be accomplished in league history. Bottom line: Opponents underestimated John Stocktons toughness at their own peril throughout his 18 seasons, including 11 in which he was selected first-, second- or third-team All-NBA. 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. But Washington was also tough as nails and came from one of the worst backgrounds imaginable, pulling himself up and out of a nightmare home situation to become a college star and then an NBA first-round pick. Passion. 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. Havlicek died in April 2019 at 79 years old. He also always stayed in Detroits lineup because of his versatility, as he could sub easily for starting point guard Isiah Thomas or shooting guard Joe Dumars. Teams: San Antonio Spurs (1984-1989), Milwaukee Bucks (1989-1993), Detroit Pistons (1993), Toronto Raptors (1995-1996), Key stats: 779 G, 14.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 42.7 FG%. The Celtics won the title in seven games. 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. Robertson was found not guilty of human trafficking in 2015, five years after he was arrested and after authorities discovered the accuser made up the whole story. Stats: 19.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.9 APG in 10 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (2011-12 to 2017-18), Toronto Raptors (2018-19) and LA Clippers (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. Still one of the most underrated centers of all time despite his production, Ewing is one of the best to ever play the position. Sixth Man of the Year. Being tough is more than just being physical. Instead, he broke them. Bottom line: NBA fans who got to know Dennis Rodman in the 1980s, when he first joined the league, were able to appreciate his innate toughness before his life off the court overshadowed his game. 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: 15.1 PPG, 22.5 RPG, 4.3 APG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1956-57 to 1968-69). "This is the most passive aggressive relationship I've ever seen in my life," former NFL player Bart Scott said Wednesday on ESPN's "First Take," referring to both Rodgers and Packers management . NBA Player Earnings Listing the top earnings for all active NBA players. Stats: 22.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.9 APG in 11 NBA seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1976-77 to 1986-87); also played five ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1971-72 to 1972-73) and New York Nets (1973-74 to 1975-76). Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (1985-90), Phoenix Suns (1990-91), New York Knicks (1991-92), Boston Celtics (1992-95), New Jersey Nets (1996-98), Key stats: 870 G, 15.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 48.5 FG%. Stats: 24.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.5 APG in 11 seasons with Golden State Warriors (2009-10 to 2020-21)*. In the NBA, some of the greatest players of all time have also been some of the toughest as well as some of the most beloved. Mainly because he wasnt a bully. 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. In high school, he awoke at 4:30 a.m. to do farm chores and walk two miles to school, where he had basketball practice at 7 a.m. O'Neal became an All-Star 15 times and earned the 1999-2000 MVP . By playing ferocious defense, first of all, and also by having what could only be described as a throwback attitude to decades past when it comes to the competition. Theres a mental aspect to being tough thats just as important. Bottom line: Kevin Garnett is the highest-paid player in NBA history, with $326 million in career earnings. McDaniel combined toughness with intimidation to a maximum degree. Bottom line: If you want to know about toughness and making something out of nothing, just look at what John Starks went through just to make it to the NBA. Accomplishments: Two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1977-78 MVP, 1977 Finals MVP, 1985-86 Sixth Man of the Year, 1976-77 rebounding champ, 1976-77 blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. When he played, there werent a lot of players who wanted to challenge him, because it was a battle that they were likely to lose. Nash was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2018. 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. Later in his career, Payton managed to shake off his reputation for being brash and became a steady presence in the locker room. He was once singled out by NBA career leading-scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the toughest defender he ever faced and is regarded as the only post player of that era who could stand toe-to-toe with both Wilt Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar. And even 40 years after one of the most infamous incidents in pro sports, his name still invokes a certain feeling of uneasiness. Lanier, at 6-foot-11, was one of the best all-around big men in NBA history and averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds for his career.
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