With one of the more incredible crossovers Ive ever seen at his peak, it was tough to stop him even when everybody knew he was getting the rock. Stats: 25.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.5 APG in 12 seasons with Oklahoma City Thunder (2009-10 to 2011-12), Houston Rockets (2012-13 to 2020-21) and Brooklyn Nets (2020-21)*. Perkins wasnt just hired muscle, though. Defensive Player of the Year. Eastern Conference Finals MVP. 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. A big part of that came from Paytons father, Al, who famously had "Mr. Accomplishments: 15-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1999-2000 MVP, 1992-93 Rookie of the Year, three-time All-Star MVP, three-time Finals MVP, two-time scoring champ, four-time NBA champion. Johnson went to work as a forklift driver after he graduated, while he grew to 6-foot-3 over the next year, and was spotted during a pickup game by a junior college coach because of the intense way he played defense. 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. Teams: Detroit Pistons (1970-1980), Milwaukee Bucks (1980-1984), Key stats: 959 G, 20.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 51.4 FG%. He brought immediate toughness and stability to the roster. Carlesimo, he pretty much cemented his place on this compilation. 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. Whether it was his clampdown defense, a proclivity to rise to the occasion or just the words that come out of his mouth, World Peaces intensity is one thing people will never question about him. 15 15. Stats: 20.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 4.5 APG in eight seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (2013-14 to 2020-21)*. Despite being an effective defensive player, Bill was also an efficient Outside scoring Centre. Trash talking, stealing the rock, facilitating the flow of the offense, it was all just part of Paytons routine on a game-by-game basis. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? Stemming from his incredible work ethic, which was started at a young age by his father, the dedication to the game of basketball paid off, as Pistol Pete averaged 44.2 ppg during his college career with LSU. 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%. Bottom line: Zach Randolph is perhaps the most durable, underrated and, to be honest, the most intimidating player of his generation. 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. Stats: 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.8 APG in 10 seasons with New York Knicks (1964-65 to 1973-74). Rookie of the Year. Most Improved Player. Home; . McHale was always thought of as a uniquely gifted offensive player, but his reputation as being tough or intimidating was centered around just one famous play. Stats: 17.6 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.8 APG in 11 seasons with Boston Celtics (1970-71 to 1979-80) and Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83). Teammate of the Year. Double check. "You'd have a fight a week," Johnson told Sports Illustrated in 1992. Stats: 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG in 19 seasons with Utah Jazz (1984-85 to 2002-03); NBA's career leader in total assists and steals. Or the likes of Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter. Its kind of incredible to think of now, but McHale didnt even become a full-time starter until five years into his career, winning NBA Sixth Man of the Year twice in that stretch. If you ever happened to catch a game that Skiles played in, you know thats spotting him at least 2-3 inches. Weve already watched it a half-dozen times today, in fact. He had game-changing skills, and thats not something we talk about when discussing point guards very often. It will be interesting to see how the second half of his career plays out. Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest player that the NBA has seen and won six championships with the Chicago Bulls. Key stats: 1,018 G, 16.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 4.5 APG, 46.0 FG%. instead of being the 2001 NBA Most Valuable Player and an 11-time All-Star. 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. Accomplishments: Four-time All-Star, six-time All-BAA/NBA, 1953 All-Star MVP, three-time scoring champ, 1952-53 rebounding champ, five-time BAA/NBA champion. 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. Before turning his focus to basketball, the two-time Most Valuable Player grew up in Canada playing hockey, and his family lived in the same neighborhood as future NHL stars Russ and Geoff Courtnall. His aggressiveness was something that he asserted as a strength, and theres no questioning the obvious impact it had in his success. A legitimate presence in the middle, Robinson embodied all of the characteristics that make up an ideal center. Bottom line: Steve Nash seemed like he was made of pure scrap iron for most of his NBA career, bouncing around the court and off of other players like he was inside of a pinball machine. "I taught the kid the look, the intimidation, yeah, the meanness. Check. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time NBA champion. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, four-time NBA champion. Even in the 1970s, at 6-foot-9, Cowens was thought to be too small to play center in the NBA. Kemp was unreal during his days in Seattle, and there was a reason that his nickname was Reign Man. He was so intense that he even scared some of his teammates, so just imagine how the opposition felt about lining up against him. Hes also one of just four players to win both Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Unseld wasted little time putting the league on notice, and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to win Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season. When Sprewell choked out former head coach P.J. Bottom line: How tough was Jerry Sloan? Mark Jackson can make an argument for being one of the toughest. Jordan scored 38 points despite playing with a fever and recovering from a stomach virus. The Admiral led the ships path for San Antonio by example, and he lived by the idea of no easy buckets for the opponent. Sixth Man of the Year. You can also point directly to Bryants introduction to the league, when he got the sort of welcome outside of Los Angeles that you might expect for a 13th-century leper, as other teams' stars tried to "put him in his place.". Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. Abdul-Jabbars skyhook just wasnt fair, as it remains one of the most unguardable moves in all of basketball history. The moment Thomas toughness was no longer in doubt was at the end of his tenure with the Celtics, when he was on the verge of getting close to a max contract in free agency in the offseason. 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). Stats: 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG in 20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1996-97 to 2015-16). NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. For someone who made a career for himself as a player who was feared on the court, hes pretty much done the opposite as an executive. Accomplishments: 19-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 11-time All-Defensive Team, six-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 1969-70 Rookie of the Year, two-time scoring champ, four-time blocks champ, 1975-76 rebounding champ, six-time NBA champion. The nine-time All-Star and 1996 NBA Defensive Player of the Year credited learning the game on the streets of Oakland for creating his toughness. 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. The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year averaged 13.1 rebounds per game, which stands among the NBAs best career marks. Teams: St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1964-69), Phoenix Suns (1969-72), Boston Celtics (1972-76), Denver Nuggets (1976-77), Seattle Supersonics (1977-80), Key stats: 1,254 G, 9.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 43.2 FG%. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, 1966-67 Rookie of the Year, 1976 All-Star MVP, 1967-68 scoring champ. Along with Detroits Joe Dumars, NBA legend Michael Jordan said Moncrief was one of the two toughest defensive players he ever faced. The toughness of the 6-foot-7 Silas came from what he was asked to do for every team he played on in his 16-year career guard players 4-5 inches taller than him. The NBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary throughout the 2021-22 season, and part of that celebration includes the unveiling of the list of the greatest players in NBA history. Stats: 27.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 7.4 APG in 18 seasons with Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-04 to 2009-10; 2014-15 to 2017-18), Miami Heat (2010-11 to 2013-14) and Los Angeles Lakers (2018-19 to 2020-21)*. Teams: Houston Rockets (2013-17), Los Angeles Clippers (2017-present), Key stats: 397 G, 9.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 41.0 FG%. English's nightly offensive assaults made him an exciting player to watch. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, 1971 All-Star MVP, 1969-70 assists champ. Stats: 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 BPG in 14 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1989-90 to 2002-03). Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum top NBA quotes of the week. Accomplishments: Four-time All-Star, 1968-69 All-NBA, 1967-68 Rookie of the Year, 1973 NBA champion. 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). Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, 1995 NBA champion. Or how much you can dole out. Whether a mean stare, a suffocating style of play or a general ability to send electricity. There are just not players like Sprewell who come along everyday, and his stint with the Knicks came with the vow that he was a changed man. He never got in another fight after what happened with Tomjanovich, but hes currently doing six years in federal prison for embezzling money meant for children in Africa. Nash was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2018. Mason suffered a massive heart attack and died in 2015 at age 48. Bottom line: Whats amazing about Rick Mahorns career is that, on paper, it appears to have been pretty average. 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. Oakley squared up with a whos who of NBA tough guys and had an epic series of throwdowns with Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. NBA Player Earnings Listing the top earnings for all active NBA players. 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. Starks may have been a little short on height, but he was never short on heart. There was a reason he was the No. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, three-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, four-time assists champ, two-time steals champ, five-time NBA champion. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, five-time All-Defensive team, nine-time assists champ, two-time steals champ, 1993 All-Star MVP. To put it in perspective, Foust scored the winning basket for the Fort Wayne Pistons in the lowest-scoring NBA game of all-time, a 19-18 win over the Minneapolis Lakers, a year in which he averaged 13.5 points. Some players have a signature that highlights exactly why they're on this list, while others bring a quiet approach to their complete and total dominance. Barkley was never shy about getting into a scrappy brawl if it was warranted, but he was far more than just an agitator. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, seven-time All-Defensive team, 1975 All-Star MVP, two-time NBA champion. RANKED: The 14 best players in the NBA right now. 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. 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. 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. Rookie of the Year. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 2008 Finals MVP, 2008 NBA champion. With an undisputed World Champion record from 1985 to 1993, Garry Kasparov has also been the Classical . Many people know about Sloans legacy as a coach, but his intensity arrived long before his stint on the sidelines. Bottom line: Bill Russell was the centerpiece of the greatest dynasty in NBA history, winning 11 NBA championships in his 13 seasons. 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. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. As long as were not talking about practice, Iversons on-court performance was riddled with intensity on a nightly basis early on his career. 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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