NBA 75: Top 75 NBA players of all time, from MJ and LeBron to Lenny Wilkens - The Athletic
It began on Nov. 1, and has run every day through Feb. 18, 2022 — we published a player profile on each player as we counted down our list of the top 75 players in NBA history, voted on by our panel. What you have below are the final rankings, and deep profiles on every player in our final ranking, from the GOAT Michael Jordan down through players that define the NBA's history more than you might realize (see: George Mikan).
Dig in below for a deep dive on the best 75 of all time.
David Aldridge: Explaining the criteria behind our selection process.
NBA 75 panel: And they're revealed … The Athletic's panel's ballots for best all-time players
No. 1: Michael Jordan
This ranking is not in dispute. It's a formality, a wave of the hand, a tip of the cap, an admittance of the obvious. The sky is blue. The earth is round. Michael Jordan, No. 1 on The Athletic's NBA 75. The best player in the 75-year history of the NBA. Case closed. There is no next. There is only one, and it's Jordan. MORE
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No. 2: LeBron James
For years, as James stockpiled NBA Most Valuable Player trophies in Cleveland and Miami, and championships in Miami, Cleveland and Los Angeles, we've watched him score like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, pass like Magic and captivate like Jordan. We've known how good LeBron is. MORE
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No. 3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
For 38 years, Abdul-Jabbar has remained the NBA's all-time leading scorer. His staggering total of 38,387 points has looked unbreakable for decades. His unstoppable, patented skyhook, combined with the blessing of good health for 20 seasons, allowed him to put up figures the game has rarely witnessed. MORE
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No. 4: Bill Russell
Russell's accolades are unmatched. He won an NBA record 11 championships. He captured the MVP award five times, trailing only Abdul-Jabbar's six. Russell led the NBA in rebounding five times, averaging 22.5 rebounds per game throughout his career. He made the All-Star Game in 12 of his 13 seasons, falling short of the honor only during his rookie year when he missed part of the campaign to play on the 1956 Olympic team. He led the United States to the gold medal that year and then guided the Celtics to their first NBA title months later. MORE
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No. 5: Magic Johnson
Over 12 seasons — before an HIV diagnosis abruptly ended his career in 1991 before a 32-game comeback five years later — Johnson was the maestro of the Showtime Lakers, re-establishing L.A. as the center of the basketball universe and positioning the Lakers as the league's glamour franchise. He guided them to five NBA championships, including their first over the hated Boston Celtics in 1985. He was the NBA Most Valuable Player three times in four years and a 12-time All-Star, and he was named to the All-NBA First Team nine times. MORE
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No. 6: Wilt Chamberlain
Chamberlain's 23,924 rebounds are the most in NBA history. His 55 rebounds in November 1960 against the Celtics — and one William Felton Russell — remain the single-game record for boards in league history. Implausibly, in his 14-year career, spanning 1,205 regular season and playoff games, Chamberlain never fouled out of a game. MORE
No. 7: Larry Bird
Larry Bird's childhood home still stands, a small, gray bungalow on 983 Washington Street, just outside of French Lick's downtown area. There is a sizable driveway, and there's a rim and backboard affixed to the top of the detached garage. It's not the original rim and backboard; the Bird family long ago left the house, but the new setup still serves the same purpose it once did when Larry was shooting every day until dark. MORE
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No. 8: Shaquille O'Neal
O'Neal is a top-10 player because he was the most dominant physical force of his generation. His combination of size, strength and basketball IQ made him a once-in-a-lifetime talent. From his NBA arrival in 1992 in Orlando until his retirement in 2011, O'Neal was a larger-than-life personality and player who took entertaining the fans as seriously as overpowering opponents. MORE
No. 9: Tim Duncan
The NBA has seen great players before, but few as good as Duncan, for as long as Duncan and as unique as Duncan. He was dominant without being overwhelming. He was remarkable without seeming remarkable. He was unceasingly consistent without drawing much attention — a Patek Philippe with all the hype of a calculator watch from Best Buy. MORE
No. 10: Kobe Bryant
If you talk to today's stars, the ones whose childhoods were full of Bryant moments and who would lean on him for lessons during his later years, it's almost as if he's not gone at all. They talk about the "Mamba Mentality" as if he's still preaching the power of perseverance with that fiery look upon his face. His defiant spirit, that irrational confidence in one's self that served him so well during those two decades of dominance, is carried on now by premiere players who started studying him when they were young. MORE
No. 11: Hakeem Olajuwon
Jim Petersen was the first of many victims in Olajuwon's story of dominance in the NBA, which included 12 All-Star berths, two NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, a regular-season MVP and two Defensive Player of the Year awards. But that story begins long before Olajuwon, No. 11 on The Athletic's NBA 75, got to Houston, on the other side of the globe. MORE
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No. 12. Oscar Robertson
Robertson didn't dunk, but he was the original perimeter scoring force. The league is position-ambiguous now, but Robertson, listed at 6-foot-5, was the original "big guard." Before Kobe Bryant was a four-time All-Star Game MVP as a guard, Robertson was a three-time All-Star Game MVP. Before Tim Duncan was "The Big Fundamental," there were the fundamentals of "The Big O." MORE
No. 13: Kevin Durant
Durant's early explosion into superstardom sent everything into overdrive. He became globally recognized, bringing that OKC logo into the mainstream. Locals tell stories of traveling abroad and seeing a stranger's face light up in recognition of their home state: "Oh, yes. Kevin Durant." MORE
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No. 14: Jerry West
You can't talk about Jerry West without the Lakers being in the same sentence, of course. Between his 14-year playing career and his front-office tenure in which he was the architect of five Lakers titles, one could argue that there has never been a more impactful Laker. MORE
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No. 15: Stephen Curry
Curry is of their ilk. A mere mortal in stature who slays giants from a distance. And the trademark of his greatness, the autograph authenticating his legend, is his look-away 3. Nothing trumpets his unique brilliance like being so sure a long-distance shot is going in that he doesn't even see it go in. He stamps his mastery of basketball's most pivotal act by declaring the absence of doubt when he shoots. MORE
No. 16: Karl Malone
Malone didn't miss games. At least not for injuries. In 18 seasons with the Jazz, he played in all 82 regular-season games 10 times and never missed more than two games in any season. And that was often the result of the pain he inflicted, rather than the pain he endured. His elbows were as much a weapon as his elbow jumper. MORE
No. 17: Kevin Garnett
Widely considered one of the very best and most versatile defenders of his or any generation, Garnett was the MVP in 2004 after leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals, their only trip outside of the first round in franchise history. He was a 15-time All-Star, the Defensive Player of the Year in 2007-08 and a nine-time member of the first team All-Defense, the rare player capable of guarding any position on the floor and shutting him down. MORE
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No. 18: Moses Malone
There was little subtlety to Malone's game and not much artistry or guile. He didn't rain down crowd-pleasing 3-pointers, cross over helpless defenders with an electric dribble or fly through the air creating indelible memories. What you remember Malone for as a player is the most unsexy of accomplishments — securing a rebound, or drawing fouls. His was the nightly pursuit of the basketball once a shot, whether by his team or the opposition's, was unsuccessful. MORE
No. 19: Julius Erving
Erving was the telegenic, genial face of two leagues during his 16-year professional career, carrying the ABA for five seasons with the Virginia Squires and New York Nets before going to Philly and the NBA in 1976 as part of the NBA-ABA merger. Afterward, Dr. J became one of the first Black athletes tapped for national endorsements and seemed to have time for everyone, from fans to media, off the floor. MORE
No. 20: David Robinson
Without Robinson, the Spurs might have different colors and a different name in a different city, playing in front of people who had no idea what the Spurs meant to their region. For all those reasons and more, David Robinson, a two-time NBA champion, a 10-time NBA All-Star, a former MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist is No. 20 in The Athletic's all-time NBA 75 list. MORE
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No. 21: Dirk Nowitzki
Nowitzki's career changed forever in 2011 when he twice led the Dallas Mavericks back from one-game deficits to beat the Miami Heat in six games. It lifted the weight off his shoulders, solidifying him as one of the league's most distinguished players. MORE
No. 22: Charles Barkley
There are several signature Charles Barkley performances from his 16-year NBA career. But the easiest to find — or at least the one with the clearest footage — is from Game 3 of the 1993 NBA Finals. Barkley went for 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. His Phoenix Suns won on Chicago's home floor. MORE
No. 23: Elgin Baylor
Baylor became the patriarch of a legacy of high-flyers in the decades to come. From Julius Erving to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to Giannis Antetokounmpo, they all can be traced to Baylor. "I've stolen so many of your moves, it's not even funny," Bryant said at the unveiling of Baylor's statue in front of the then-Staples Center in 2018. MORE
No. 24: Giannis Antetokounmpo
To help explain how a skinny, unknown 18-year-old from Greece turned into one of the league's all-time great players in just eight-plus seasons, Antetokounmpo took time to reflect on his journey. Slowly working through each year of his career, Antetokounmpo broke down things to give insight into how he has gotten to this point in his career. This is Antetokounmpo's career, through his own eyes. MORE
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No. 25: John Stockton
Today, Stockton is almost universally recognized as one of the top five point guards to ever play the game. The order sometimes varies. Isiah Thomas is certainly in this group. Magic Johnson is almost universally recognized as the best. Stephen Curry, Oscar Robertson, Chris Paul … these arguments can go on forever. The subjectivity of it all is what makes for an amazing conversation. MORE
No. 26: Isiah Thomas
Pistons legend Isiah Thomas carried himself like a sweetheart. You'd see him in commercials, in interviews and magazines and wonder how anyone could dislike him. He was small. The voice that accompanied that all-too-perfect smile was soft and infectious. He was the common man. Then he'd step onto the court. MORE
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No. 27: Rick Barry
Barry, the son of a basketball coach from Elizabeth, N.J., was voted the 27th-best player as part of The Athletic's NBA project documenting the top 75 players in league history. He was 1966 NBA Rookie of the Year and led the league in scoring in 1967. He was voted to eight All-Star games and was the 1975 NBA Finals MVP. MORE
No. 28: Dwyane Wade
Often, a work ethic determines how high one's ceiling is. And Wade's ability to work and his desire to consistently improve became the linchpin to one of the best careers from a shooting guard in NBA history. It was the humility that got him in the gym, nightly. He had a challenging childhood and came from a broken home. Wade spent the early part of life navigating the South Side of Chicago. Nothing came easy. MORE
No. 29: John Havlicek
He joined the Celtics as a rookie from a highly successful college program, evolved into one of the NBA's great sixth men and grew into the franchise's all-time leading scorer. He was "Hondo," a nickname he picked up after a John Wayne movie by that title. He was a giant in Boston sports and NBA history. MORE
No. 30: Chris Paul
Paul's prime was mostly spent in Los Angeles, the star point guard and vocal leader of those Lob City Clippers teams. Next to Blake Griffin, he turned a floundering franchise into a playoff regular and fringe contender. The Clippers didn't make the playoffs in 13 of the 14 seasons before his arrival. They went to the playoffs in all six of his seasons there. MORE
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No. 31: Bob Pettit
But certain things aren't up for debate. They're crystal clear. Facts only. The greatest or hardest? Subjective. The first? There's only one. And when the topic is NBA Most Valuable Players, that "first" is Bob Pettit, No. 31 on The Athletic's NBA 75. "That was great because you were recognized by the fellas you played with and against," Pettit told The Athletic. MORE
No. 32: Scottie Pippen
So what is Pippen's legacy? A six-time NBA champion? A Hall of Famer? A top-75 player? A rags-to-riches, only-in-America story? Is he a star on his own merit? Or is he "just" one of the greatest complementary players in NBA history? All of those things, of course. Scottie contains multitudes, that's always been his strength and his weakness. MORE
No. 33: James Harden
As with any player on this NBA 75 list, there will be detractors. But for eight seasons in a Rockets uniform, Harden dominated games. He dominated weeks. He dominated months. His goofy, weird energy was contagious to anyone who stepped foot inside the locker room or building. Mike D'Antoni's Rockets tenure featured hard work, fun nights and competitive games, and Harden was at the center of it all. MORE
No. 34: Kawhi Leonard
Leonard is already a legend. Despite his injury, the Clippers hold him in high regard and proved that by re-signing him to a four-year, $176 million contract. A blue-ribbon panel of current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers, team and league executives, WNBA legends, sportswriters and broadcasters named Leonard to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October. MORE
No. 35: George Mikan
This is not about whether you'd rather have Mikan instead of Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This list is as much about the impact of that player...
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