Top 70 NBA Players of All-Time

[Andrew]

Next season, the NBA celebrates its 70th anniversary. I'm guessing they won't do a Top 70 list - they'll probably wait until their 75th anniversary to compile another list like that - but since almost twenty years have passed since the Top 50 Players were revealed, I thought it might be fun to do our own updated list, including the stars that have come along since, and a few that were snubbed the first time around.

First, to get us in the right mood:

phpBB [video]

Still gives me goosebumps. Anyway, here's my shot at an updated list. Note that the players aren't ranked.

• Michael Jordan
• Magic Johnson
• Larry Bird
• Bill Russell
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Wilt Chamberlain
• LeBron James
• Oscar Robertson
• Shaquille O'Neal
• Kobe Bryant
• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Tim Duncan
• Jerry West
• Moses Malone
• Bob Cousy
• John Stockton
• Karl Malone
• Charles Barkley
• Kevin Garnett
• John Havlicek
• Ricky Barry
• Elgin Baylor
• Julius Erving
• Scottie Pippen
• David Robinson
• Bob Pettit
• Isiah Thomas
• Dominique Wilkins
• Bill Walton
• Patrick Ewing
• Willis Reed
• Walt Frazier
• Earl Monroe
• Nate Archibald
• Dave Cowens
• Clyde Drexler
• George Gervin
• Kevin McHale
• George Mikan
• Pete Maravich
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Gary Payton
• Jason Kidd
• Steve Nash
• Reggie Miller
• Dolph Schayes
• Dwyane Wade
• Hal Greer
• Lenny Wilkens
• Nate Thurmond
• Wes Unseld
• Elvin Hayes
• Vince Carter
• Adrian Dantley
• Robert Parish
• Jerry Lucas
• Sam Jones
• Dave DeBusschere
• Kevin Johnson
• Dennis Rodman
• James Worthy
• Allen Iverson
• Shawn Kemp
• Dennis Johnson
• Paul Pierce
• Robert Parish
• Bernard King
• Bob McAdoo
• Tracy McGrady
• Chris Paul

[NovU]

LoL, little to none cheers(or even boos?) when Shaq name was announced.

Good vid btw.

[Andrew]

Him skipping out on All-Star Weekend probably had a lot to do with that. Also, while it may seem strange to say now, a lot of people felt it was a bit too early to include him. In retrospect, even putting aside what he'd go on to accomplish after that point, the "too soon" talk wasn't really accurate, but I remember him being a bit sullen and sulky around that time. Choosing not to attend the festivities definitely rubbed people the wrong way, so the boos were understandable.

[Moz]

Him skipping out on All-Star Weekend probably had a lot to do with that. Also, while it may seem strange to say now, a lot of people felt it was a bit too early to include him. In retrospect, even putting aside what he'd go on to accomplish after that point, the "too soon" talk wasn't really accurate, but I remember him being a bit sullen and sulky around that time. Choosing not to attend the festivities definitely rubbed people the wrong way, so the boos were understandable.

If you noticed, Karl Malone got the same treatment. I reckon it's more of him being a twat.. Being a dirty and cocky player while tends to mock teams/players/fans giving them names...

[Andrew]

From memory, Malone made some unflattering remarks about Cleveland before the Weekend (or maybe that was Shaq too? It's been a while). Either way, neither player endeared themselves to the Cleveland crowd before the ceremony.

[Jeffx]

Props to Andrew for putting Oscar in his top 10.....so many young cats don't realize how great he was.

My top 10 would be Wilt, Jordan, Russell, Oscar, Kareem, Magic, Larry, Hakeem, Duncan, West. Lebron, Shaq & Kobe would be in my next 10.

[Andrew]

Well, all you hear these days is that he's bitter and shouldn't speak his mind about Stephen Curry.

[Jeffx]

Well, all you hear these days is that he's bitter and shouldn't speak his mind about Stephen Curry.

You can understand why Oscar and other old-timers sound bitter when you see how clueless so many NBA players are on defense and how soft the league is. When the Warriors played the Knicks at the Garden, Clyde noticed Curry wasn't playing defense at all.

[Andrew]

To be fair, I think some of it is sour grapes, and that's kind of inevitable when the old talk about the young. But that doesn't mean they don't have valid points, too.

[benji]

I want to say we did a top 60 "update" thread or top 65 when that came around. Might have been on another forum. Or just something I did alone. Would be interesting to compare if so, see if the last five years had changed anything for a player.

You mind marking or listing who you added/subtracted, I'm feeling lazy about comparing.

One guy missing who I know will be in any such list: Yao.

[benji]

They also selected the top ten coaches: Auerbach, Daly, Bill Fitch, Holzman, Phil Jackson, Kundla, Don Nelson, Ramsay, Riley, Lenny Wilkens
And the top ten teams: 1964-65 Celtics, 1966-67 Sixers, 1969-70 Knicks, 1971-72 Lakers, 1982-83 Sixers, 1985-86 Celtics, 1986-87 Lakers, 1988-89 Pistons, 1991-92 Bulls, 1995-96 Bulls

Bill Fitch and Shaq are the two selections not in the HoF yet.

Wonder what you'd want to do there...either keep it as a top ten, or make it a top fifteen I suppose. 1989 Pistons are first team kicked out. I'd kick out Fitch and Kundla probably, and I know Daly and Ramsay would next on the chopping block. Rick Adelman gets one of those spots.

Also, while it may seem strange to say now, a lot of people felt it was a bit too early to include him.

It's kinda like putting Anthony Davis on the list. Or maybe Stephen Curry before last season.

Shaq was arguably best known for getting swept out of the playoffs two years in a row and then bolting for Los Angeles at that point in time.

Durant doesn't seem like a stretch, it's been almost a decade now. He's got a Finals trip, MVP, etc.

[Andrew]

When I get a moment, I'll make a list of the subtractions. And since I completely forgot about Yao, I probably should take another look at my list, anyway.

I've been meaning to make this thread for a while. I can't remember having the discussion here before, so it might've been another forum.

[benji]

Ha, I'm not entirely crazy!

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=86611

Clear adds are probably: Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki
Also to add: LeBron James, Steve Nash, Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade
Likely: Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul
Worthy: Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups, Gary Payton

Snubs from the past: Adrian Dantley, Dennis Rodman, Bob McAdoo, Dominique Wilkins

To boot: Dave Bing, Lenny Wilkens, James Worthy

Where does Bill Walton stand?

There's also the coaches to revisit: http://www.nba.com/history/top_10_coaches.html
Most likely to boot: Bill Fitch, John Kundla, Jack Rasmay

And the teams: http://www.nba.com/history/toptenteams_index.html
Most likely to boot: 1989 Pistons

ha i wanted to boot the same coaches and team

The biggest glaring missing team and really laughable that they aren't are on there are the 1970-71 Bucks. I would definitely throw the 1989 Pistons off the list for them.
...
Kicking off Bill Fitch for Gregg Popovich is a must. I'd probably dump Ramsay and Kundla for Jerry Sloan and Rick Adelman.

[Andrew]

There you go. Seems I've changed my opinion on a few players since then. As I said though, I'll need to take another at my list.

[Jeffx]

Bill Walton is one of the top 5 greatest college players of all time. He only had one and a half seasons of NBA greatness, due to injuries. But when he was on, he played the center position as well as anyone. Had he stayed healthy, he'd be in my top 15 easily. Go watch his playoff run in 1977 - incredible. And Portland was even better the following season, but injuries wrecked their chances at a second title.

[Sauru]

Him skipping out on All-Star Weekend probably had a lot to do with that. Also, while it may seem strange to say now, a lot of people felt it was a bit too early to include him. In retrospect, even putting aside what he'd go on to accomplish after that point, the "too soon" talk wasn't really accurate, but I remember him being a bit sullen and sulky around that time. Choosing not to attend the festivities definitely rubbed people the wrong way, so the boos were understandable.

there is no way shaq deserved to be in the top 50 over dominique at that time.