The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History (also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team or NBA's Top 50) were chosen in 1996 to honor the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). These fifty players were selected through a vote by a panel of media members, former players and coaches, and current and former general managers. In addition, the top ten head coaches and top ten single-season teams in NBA history were selected by media members as part of the celebration.[1] The fifty players had to have played at least a portion of their careers in the NBA and were selected irrespective of position played.
The list was announced by NBA commissioner David Stern on October 29, 1996, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City, the former site of the Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed on June 6, 1946. The announcement marked the beginning of a season-long celebration of the league's anniversary.[1] Forty-seven of the fifty players were later assembled in Cleveland, Ohio, during the halftime ceremony of the 1997 All-Star Game.[1] Three players were absent: Pete Maravich, who had died in 1988, at forty;[2] Shaquille O'Neal, who was recovering from a knee injury; and Jerry West, who was scheduled to have surgery for an ear infection and could not fly.[3] At the time of the announcement, eleven players were active. Only O'Neal remained active as of the 2008–09 season.
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Players selected
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who voted as a player, was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
Larry Bird, who voted as a team representative, was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
Wilt Chamberlain, who voted as a player, was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
Michael Jordan was active at the time of the announcement of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
Shaquille O'Neal is the only active member of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as of 2009.
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Selection process
The list was compiled through unranked voting completed by fifty selected panelists. Sixteen of the panelists were former players voting in their roles as players, thirteen were members of the print and broadcast news media, and twenty-one were team representatives: contemporary and former general managers, head coaches, and executives. Of the last group, thirteen were former NBA players. Players were prohibited from voting for themselves. Only three voting veterans (Bill Bradley, Johnny Kerr, and Bob Lanier) were not selected to the team.
Voters
| * | Denotes voter who was selected to the 50 Greatest Players list |
| Voter category | As categorized by the NBA |
| Name | Voter category |
|---|---|
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* | Player |
| Marv Albert | Media member |
| Al Attles | Team |
| Red Auerbach | Team |
| Elgin Baylor* | Team |
| Dave Bing* | Player |
| Larry Bird* | Team |
| Marty Blake | Team |
| Fran Blinebury | Media member |
| Bill Bradley | Player |
| Hubie Brown | Team |
| Wilt Chamberlain* | Player |
| Mitch Chortkoff | Media member |
| Bob Cousy* | Player |
| Billy Cunningham* | Team |
| Chuck Daly | Team |
| David DuPree | Media member |
| Wayne Embry | Team |
| Julius Erving* | Player |
| Joe Gilmartin | Media member |
| Sam Goldaper | Media member |
| Alex Hannum | Team |
| Lester Harrison | Team |
| John Havlicek* | Player |
| Chick Hearn | Media member |
| Red Holzman | Team |
| Phil Jasner | Media member |
| Magic Johnson* | Player |
| Johnny Kerr | Player |
| Leonard Koppett | Media member |
| Bob Lanier | Player |
| Frank Layden | Team |
| Leonard Lewin | Media member |
| Jack McCallum | Media member |
| Dick McGuire | Team |
| George Mikan* | Player |
| Bob Pettit* | Player |
| Harvey Pollack | Team |
| Jack Ramsay | Team |
| Willis Reed* | Team |
| Oscar Robertson* | Player |
| Bill Russell* | Player |
| Bob Ryan | Media member |
| Dolph Schayes* | Player |
| Bill Sharman* | Player |
| Gene Shue | Team |
| Isiah Thomas* | Team |
| Wes Unseld* | Team |
| Peter Vecsey | Media member |
| Jerry West* | Team |
List
Eleven players (Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Robert Parish, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson and John Stockton) were active in the 1996–97 season, during which the team was announced. Only O'Neal is active as of the 2008–09 season. All of the selected players except Karl Malone, O'Neal and Pippen have, as of 2009, either been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame or announced as inductees by the Hall. Lenny Wilkens was the only member of the players list to have been selected as a member of the coaches list.
| Italics | Denotes player who was active at the time of induction | |||||
| ^ | Denotes player who is still active | |||||
| * | Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame | |||||
| Year | Denotes year of Basketball Hall of Fame induction | |||||
| G | Guard | F | Forward | C | Center | |
| Pos | Position | Pts | Points | Reb | Rebounds | |
| Ast | Assists | MVP | Most Valuable Player | |||
Top 10 Coaches in NBA History
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Red Auerbach (left) and Phil Jackson (right) both made the 1996 list of the top ten coaches in NBA history.
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Alongside the selection of the 50 greatest players, was the selection of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History. The list was compiled based upon unranked selection undertaken exclusively by members of the print and broadcast media who regularly cover the NBA. Four of the coaches—Phil Jackson, Don Nelson, Pat Riley, and Lenny Wilkens—were active at the time of the list's announcement. Only Jackson and Nelson coached teams during the 2008–09 season. Nelson was the only member to have never won a championship as a coach, even though he won five as a player. Wilkens was the only member of the coaches list to have been selected as a member of the players list.
| ^ | Denotes coach who is still active |
| * | Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| *^ | Active coach who has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Year | Denotes year of Basketball Hall of Fame induction |
Top 10 Teams in NBA History
Also included in the NBA's 50th-anniversary celebration was the selection of the Top 10 Teams in NBA History. The list was compiled based upon unranked selection undertaken exclusively by members of the print and broadcast media who regularly cover the NBA. Teams are chosen from among all single-season individual teams. Each team won the NBA championship, and they combined to average 66 wins per season. The 1995–96 Chicago Bulls had the best single-season record in NBA history with 72 wins. Six out of thirty NBA teams were selected (twenty-nine teams at the time of announcement); the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers were selected twice. Players whose names are italicized were inducted after the announcement of the ten best teams.
See also
Notes
- a American Basketball Association (ABA) teams other than those admitted into the NBA in 1976 are not included; each year is linked to an article about that particular NBA season.
- b Each year is linked to an article about the NBA Finals in that year.
- c Italicized record and winning percentage reflect all games played through the 2008–09 season; the preceding record is that of the coach at the time of his selection.
- d Inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame as coach; Bill Sharman was inducted as both a player and a coach
- e Having been injured in the second game, Baylor missed the remainder of the 1971–72 season. He retired at the beginning of the next season.[74]
References
- General
- "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. http://www.nba.com/history/50greatest.html. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
- "Top 10 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. http://www.nba.com/history/top_10_coaches.html. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
- "Top 10 Teams in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. http://www.nba.com/history/toptenteams_index.html. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
- Specific
- ^ a b c "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. http://www.nba.com/history/50greatest.html. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
- ^ Rogers, Thomas (January 6, 1988). "Pete Maravich, a Hall of Famer Who Set Basketball Marks, Dies". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/06/obituaries/pete-maravich-a-hall-of-famer-who-set-basketball-marks-dies.html. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
- ^ Banks, Lacy (February 10, 1997). "Real dream team steals show". Chicago Sun-Times: p. 96.
- ^ "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/abdulka01.html. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Nate Archibald". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/architi01.html. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Paul Arizin". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/arizipa01.html. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Charles Barkley". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barklch01.html. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Rick Barry". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barryri01.html. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Elgin Baylor". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bayloel01.html. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Dave Bing". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bingda01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Larry Bird". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/birdla01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Wilt Chamberlain". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/chambwi01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Bob Cousy". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cousybo01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Dave Cowens". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cowenda01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Billy Cunningham". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cunnibi01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Dave DeBusschere". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/debusda01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Clyde Drexler". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/drexlcl01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Julius Erving". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/ervinju01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Patrick Ewing". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/ewingpa01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Walt Frazier". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/fraziwa01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "George Gervin". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gervige01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Hal Greer". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greerha01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "John Havlicek". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/havlijo01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Elvin Hayes". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hayesel01.html. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Magic Johnson". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsma02.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Sam Jones". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jonessa01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Michael Jordan". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
- ^ "Jerry Lucas". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lucasje01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Karl Malone". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/malonka01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Moses Malone". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/malonmo01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Pete Maravich". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/maravpe01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Kevin McHale". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mchalke01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "George Mikan". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mikange01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Earl Monroe". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/monroea01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Shaquille O'Neal". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/onealsh01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Hakeem Olajuwon". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/olajuha01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Robert Parish". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/parisro01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Bob Pettit". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pettibo01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Scottie Pippen". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pippesc01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Willis Reed". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/reedwi01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Oscar Robertson". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/roberos01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "David Robinson". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/robinda01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Bill Russell". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/russebi01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Dolph Schayes". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/schaydo01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Bill Sharman". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sharmbi01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "John Stockton". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stockjo01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Isiah Thomas". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thomais01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Nate Thurmond". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thurmna01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Wes Unseld". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/u/unselwe01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Bill Walton". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/waltobi01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Jerry West". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/westje01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Lenny Wilkens". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wilkele01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "James Worthy". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/worthja01.html. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Red Auerbach Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/auerbre99c.html. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
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- ^ "Pat Riley Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/rileypa01c.html. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/wilkele01c.html. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "1964–65 Boston Celtics Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1965.html. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1966–67 Philadelphia 76ers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/1967.html. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1969–70 New York Knicks Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NYK/1970.html. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
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External links
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