50 Greatest Players in NBA History

The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History (also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Teamor NBA's Top 50) were chosen in 1996 to honor the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 

The list was announced by NBA commissioner David Stern on October 29, 1996, at the hotel Grand Hyatt New York, the former site of the Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed on June 6, 1946. 

Players selectedEdit

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 was the last active member of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Name	Team(s) played for (years)[a]	Pos	Pts	Reb	Ast	Championshipswon[b]	MVPwon	Finals MVPwon	AllStar	Year	Ref.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*	Milwaukee Bucks(1969–1975) Los Angeles Lakers(1975–1989)	C	38,387	17,440	5,660	6 (1971, 1980,1982, 1985,1987, 1988)	6(1971,1972,1974,1976,1977,1980)	2(1971,1985)	19	1995	[6]
Nate Archibald*	Cincinnati Royals / Kansas City-Omaha / Kansas City Kings(1970–1976) New York Nets (1976–1977) Boston Celtics(1978–1983) Milwaukee Bucks(1983–1984)	G	16,481	2,046	6,476	1 (1981)	None	None	6	1991	[7]
Paul Arizin*	Philadelphia Warriors(1950–1962)	F/G	16,266	6,129	1,665	1 (1956)	None	None	10	1978	[8]
Charles Barkley*	Philadelphia 76ers(1984–1992) Phoenix Suns(1992–1996) Houston Rockets(1996–2000)	F	23,757	12,546	4,215	None	1(1993)	None	11	2006	[9]
Rick Barry*	San Francisco / Golden State Warriors(1965–1967,1972–1978) Houston Rockets(1978–1980)	F	18,395	5,168	4,017	1 (1975)	None	1(1975)	8	1987	[10]
Elgin Baylor*	Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers(1958–1971)	F	23,149	11,463	3,650	None	None	None	11	1977	[11]
Dave Bing*	Detroit Pistons(1966–1975) Washington Bullets(1975–1977) Boston Celtics(1977–1978)	G	18,327	3,420	5,397	None	None	None	7	1990	[12]
Larry Bird*	Boston Celtics(1979–1992)	F	21,791	8,974	5,695	3 (1981, 1984,1986)	3(1984,1985,1986)	2(1984,1986)	12	1998	[13]
Wilt Chamberlain*	Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors(1959–1965) Philadelphia 76ers(1965–1968) Los Angeles Lakers(1968–1973)	C	31,419	23,924	4,643	2 (1967, 1972)	4(1960,1966,1967,1968)	1(1972)	13	1979	[14]
Bob Cousy*	Boston Celtics(1950–1963) Cincinnati Royals(1969–1970)	G	16,960	4,786	6,955	6 (1957, 1959,1960, 1961,1962, 1963)	1(1957)	None	13	1971	[15]
Dave Cowens*	Boston Celtics(1970–1980) Milwaukee Bucks(1982–1983)	C/F	13,516	10,444	2,910	2 (1974, 1976)	1(1973)	None	7	1991	[16]
Billy Cunningham*	Philadelphia 76ers(1965–1972) Philadelphia 76ers(1974–1976)	F/C	13,626	6,638	2,625	2 (1967, 1983)	None	None	4	1986	[17]
Dave DeBusschere*	Detroit Pistons(1962–1968) New York Knicks(1968–1974)	F/G	14,053	9,618	2,497	2 (1970, 1973)	None	None	8	1983	[18]
Clyde Drexler*	Portland Trail Blazers(1983–1995) Houston Rockets(1995–1998)	G/F	22,195	6,677	6,125	1 (1995)	None	None	10	2004	[19]
Julius Erving*	Philadelphia 76ers(1976–1987)	F/G	18,364	5,601	3,224	1 (1983)	1(1981)	None	11	1993	[20]
Patrick Ewing*	New York Knicks(1985–2000) Seattle SuperSonics(2000–2001) Orlando Magic(2001–2002)	C/F	24,815	11,607	2,215	None	None	None	11	2008	[21]
Walt Frazier*	New York Knicks(1967–1977) Cleveland Cavaliers(1977–1980)	G	15,581	4,830	5,040	2 (1970, 1973)	None	None	7	1987	[22]
George Gervin*	San Antonio Spurs(1976–1985) Chicago Bulls (1985–1986)	G/F	20,708	3,607	2,214	None	None	None	9	1996	[23]
Hal Greer*	Syracuse Nationals /Philadelphia 76ers(1958–1973)	G/F	21,586	5,665	4,540	1 (1967)	None	None	10	1982	[24]
John Havlicek*	Boston Celtics(1962–1978)	F/G	26,395	8,007	6,114	8 (1963, 1964,1965, 1966,1968, 1969,1974, 1976)	None	1(1974)	13	1984	[25]
Elvin Hayes*	San Diego / Houston Rockets(1968–1972,1981–1984) Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets(1972–1981)	F/C	27,313	16,279	2,398	1 (1978)	None	None	12	1990	[26]
Magic Johnson*	Los Angeles Lakers(1979–1991,1996)	G/F	17,707	6,559	10,141	5 (1980, 1982,1985, 1987,1988)	3(1987,1989,1990)	3(1980,1982,1987)	12	2002	[27]
Sam Jones*	Boston Celtics(1957–1969)	G/F	15,411	4,305	2,209	10 (1959, 1960,1961, 1962,1963, 1964,1965, 1966,1968, 1969)	None	None	5	1984	[28]
Michael Jordan*	Chicago Bulls(1984–1993,1995–1998) Washington Wizards(2001–2003)	G/F	32,292	6,672	5,633	6 (1991, 1992,1993, 1996,1997, 1998)	5(1988,1991,1992,1996,1998)	6(1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)	14	2009	[29]
Jerry Lucas*	Cincinnati Royals(1963–1969) San Francisco Warriors(1969–1971) New York Knicks(1971–1974)	F/C	14,053	12,942	2,732	1 (1973)	None	None	7	1980	[30]
Karl Malone*	Utah Jazz(1985–2003) Los Angeles Lakers(2003–2004)	F	36,928	14,968	5,248	None	2(1997,1999)	None	14	2010	[31]
Moses Malone*	Buffalo Braves(1976) Houston Rockets(1976–1982) Philadelphia 76ers(1982–1986,1993–1994) Washington Bullets(1986–1988) Atlanta Hawks(1988–1991) Milwaukee Bucks(1991–1993) San Antonio Spurs(1994–1995)	C/F	27,409	16,212	1,796	1 (1983)	3(1979,1982,1983)	1(1983)	12	2001	[32]
Pete Maravich*	Atlanta Hawks(1970–1974) New Orleans / Utah Jazz(1974–1980) Boston Celtics(1980)	G	15,948	2,747	3,563	None	None	None	5	1987	[33]
Kevin McHale*	Boston Celtics(1980–1993)	F/C	17,335	7,122	1,670	3 (1981, 1984,1986)	None	None	7	1999	[34]
George Mikan*	Minneapolis Lakers(1948–1956)	C	10,156	4,167	1,245	5 (1949, 1950,1952, 1953,1954)	None	None	4	1959	[35]
Earl Monroe*	Baltimore Bullets(1967–1971) New York Knicks(1971–1980)	G	17,454	2,796	3,594	1 (1973)	None	None	4	1990	[36]
Hakeem Olajuwon*	Houston Rockets(1984–2001) Toronto Raptors(2001–2002)	C	26,946	13,748	3,058	2 (1994, 1995)	1(1994)	2(1994,1995)	12	2008	[37]
Shaquille O'Neal	Orlando Magic(1992–1996) Los Angeles Lakers(1996–2004) Miami Heat(2004–2008) Phoenix Suns(2008–2009) Cleveland Cavaliers(2009–2010) Boston Celtics(2010–2011)	C	28,596	13,099	3,026	4 (2000, 2001,2002, 2006)	1(2000)	3(2000,2001,2002)	15	—	[38]
Robert Parish*	Golden State Warriors(1976–1980) Boston Celtics(1980–1994) Charlotte Hornets(1994–1996) Chicago Bulls (1996–1997)	C	23,334	14,715	2,180	4 (1981, 1984,1986, 1997)	None	None	9	2003	[39]
Bob Pettit*	Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks(1954–1965)	F/C	20,880	12,849	2,369	1 (1958)	2(1956,1959)	None	11	1971	[40]
Scottie Pippen*	Chicago Bulls(1987–1998,2003–2004) Houston Rockets(1998–1999) Portland Trail Blazers(1999–2003)	F/G	18,940	7,494	6,135	6 (1991, 1992,1993, 1996,1997, 1998)	None	None	7	2010	[41]
Willis Reed*	New York Knicks(1964–1974)	C/F	12,183	8,414	1,186	2 (1970, 1973)	1(1970)	2(1970,1973)	7	1982	[42]
Oscar Robertson*	Cincinnati Royals(1960–1970) Milwaukee Bucks(1970–1974)	G/F	26,710	7,804	9,887	1 (1971)	1(1964)	None	12	1980	[43]
David Robinson*	San Antonio Spurs(1989–2003)	C	20,790	10,497	2,441	2 (1999, 2003)	1(1995)	None	10	2009	[44]
Bill Russell*	Boston Celtics(1956–1969)	C	14,522	21,620	4,100	11 (1957, 1959,1960, 1961,1962, 1963,1964, 1965,1966, 1968,1969)	5(1958,1961,1962,1963,1965)	None	12	1975	[45]
Dolph Schayes*	Syracuse Nationals /Philadelphia 76ers(1949–1964)	F/C	18,438	11,256	3,072	1 (1955)	None	None	12	1973	[46]
Bill Sharman*	Washington Capitols(1950–1951) Boston Celtics(1951–1961)	G	12,665	2,779	2,101	4 (1957, 1959,1960, 1961)	None	None	8	1976	[47]
John Stockton*	Utah Jazz(1984–2003)	G	19,711	4,051	15,806	None	None	None	10	2009	[48]
Isiah Thomas*	Detroit Pistons(1981–1994)	G	18,822	3,478	9,061	2 (1989, 1990)	None	1(1990)	12	2000	[49]
Nate Thurmond*	San Francisco / Golden State Warriors(1963–1974) Chicago Bulls(1974–1975) Cleveland Cavaliers(1975–1977)	C/F	14,437	14,464	2,575	None	None	None	7	1985	[50]
Wes Unseld*	Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets(1968–1981)	C/F	10,624	13,769	3,822	1 (1978)	1(1969)	1(1978)	5	1988	[51]
Bill Walton*	Portland Trail Blazers(1974–1979) San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers(1979–1985) Boston Celtics(1985–1987)	C/F	6,215	4,923	1,590	2 (1977, 1986)	1(1978)	1(1977)	2	1993	[52]
Jerry West*	Los Angeles Lakers(1960–1974)	G/F	25,192	5,366	6,238	1 (1972)	None	1(1969)	14	1980	[53]
Lenny Wilkens*	St. Louis Hawks(1960−1968) Seattle SuperSonics(1968–1972) Cleveland Cavaliers(1972–1974) Portland Trail Blazers(1974–1975)	G	17,772	5,030	7,211	1 (1979)	None	None	9	1989	[54]
James Worthy*	Los Angeles Lakers(1982–1994)	F	16,320	4,708	2,791	3 (1985, 1987,1988)	None	1(1988)	7	2003	[55]

Top 10 Coaches in NBA HistoryEdit

Red Auerbach (left) and Phil Jackson (right) both made the 1996 list of the top ten coaches in NBA history.

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. All 10 coaches named were alive at the time of the list's announcement, and four of them—Phil Jackson, Don Nelson,Pat Riley, and Lenny Wilkens—were then active. Four have since died: Red Holzman in 1998, Red Auerbach in 2006, Chuck Daly in 2009, and Jack Ramsay in 2014. Jackson was the last of the ten to coach in the NBA; he announced his retirement after the 2010–11 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.

*	Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Year	Denotes year of Basketball Hall of Fame induction

Coach	Team(s) coached (years)[a]	Coaching record	Championshipswon as coach[b]	Coach of the Yearaward(s) won	Year	Ref.
Red Auerbach*	Washington Capitols(1946–1949) Tri-Cities Blackhawks(1949–1950) Boston Celtics(1950–1966)	938–479 (.662)	9 (1957, 1959,1960, 1961,1962, 1963,1964, 1965,1966)	1 (1965)	1969	[56]
Chuck Daly*	Cleveland Cavaliers(1982) Detroit Pistons(1983–1992) New Jersey Nets(1992–1994) Orlando Magic(1997–1999)	564–379 (.598) 638–437 (.593)[c]	2 (1989, 1990)	None	1994	[57]
Bill Fitch	Cleveland Cavaliers(1970–1979) Boston Celtics(1979–1983) Houston Rockets(1983–1988) New Jersey Nets(1989–1992) Los Angeles Clippers(1994–1998)	944–1106 (.460)	1 (1981)	2 (1976,1980)	—	[58]
Red Holzman*	Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks(1954–1956) New York Knicks(1967–1982)	696–604 (.535)	2 (1970, 1973)	1 (1970)	1986	[59]
Phil Jackson*	Chicago Bulls(1989–1998) Los Angeles Lakers(1999–2004,2005–2011)	414–160 (.721) 1155–485 (.704)[c]	11 (1991, 1992,1993, 1996,1997, 1998,2000, 2001,2002, 2009,2010)	1 (1996)	2007	[60]
John Kundla*	Minneapolis Lakers(1948–1959)	423–302 (.583)	5 (1949 1950,1952, 1953,1954)	None	1995	[61]
Don Nelson*	Milwaukee Bucks(1976–1987) Golden State Warriors(1988–1995,2006–2010) New York Knicks(1995–1996) Dallas Mavericks(1997–2005)	851–629 (.575) 1335–1063 (.557)[c]	None	3 (1983,1985,1992)	2012	[62][63]
Jack Ramsay*	Philadelphia 76ers(1968–1972) Buffalo Braves(1972–1976) Portland Trail Blazers(1976–1986) Indiana Pacers(1986–1988)	864–783 (.525)	1 (1977)	None	1992	[64]
Pat Riley*	Los Angeles Lakers(1981–1990) New York Knicks(1991–1995) Miami Heat(1995–2003,2005–2008)	798–339 (.702) 1210–694 (.636)[c]	5 (1982, 1985,1987, 1988,2006)	3 (1990,1993,1997)	2008	[65]
Lenny Wilkens*	Seattle SuperSonics(1969–1972,1977–1985) Portland Trail Blazers(1974–1976) Cleveland Cavaliers(1986–1993) Atlanta Hawks(1993–2000) Toronto Raptors(2000–2003) New York Knicks(2004–2005)	1014–850 (.544) 1332–1155 (.536)[c]	1 (1979)	1 (1994)	1998	[66]

Top 10 Teams in NBA HistoryEdit

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 were chosen from among allsingle-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 the thirty NBA franchises (twenty-nine franchises at the time of announcement) had a team named to the list; the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers had two teams selected.

Six players were on the roster of two teams on the list—Wilt Chamberlain with the 1966–67 Sixers and 1971–72 Lakers; James Edwards, Dennis Rodman, and John Salleywith the 1988–89 Pistons and 1995–96 Bulls; and Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen with the Bulls in both 1991–92 and 1995–96. Three other individuals both played for and coached honored teams, all of whom completed this "double" with a single franchise—K. C. Jones with the Celtics as a player in 1964–65 and coach in 1985–86,Billy Cunningham with the Sixers as a player in 1966–67 and coach in 1982–83, and Pat Riley with the Lakers as a player in 1971–72 and coach in 1986–87. Phil Jackson, head coach of the Bulls from 1989 to 1998, was the only man to coach two teams that made the list. Although Jackson was under contract to the Knicks as a player in their 1969–70 championship season, he did not play that season as he was recovering from spinal fusion surgery.^[67]

Players whose names are italicized were inducted after the announcement of the ten best teams. The Hall of Famers listed for each individual team are solely those inducted as players, and do not include those inducted in other roles.

Season	Team	Record	Roster andhead coach	Players in the Hall of Fame	Players on the 50 Greatest Players list	Ref.
1964–65	Boston Celtics	62–18 (.775)	Ron Bonham,Mel Counts,John Havlicek,Tom Heinsohn, K. C. Jones,Sam Jones,Willie Naulls,Bevo Nordmann,Bill Russell,Tom Sanders,Larry Siegfried,John Thompson,Gerry Ward, coach Red Auerbach[d]	5 (K. Jones, S. Jones, Heinsohn, Russell, Havlicek)[e]	3 (S. Jones, Russell, Havlicek)	[68]
1966–67	Philadelphia 76ers	68–13 (.840)	Wilt Chamberlain,Larry Costello, Billy Cunningham,Dave Gambee, Hal Greer, Matt Guokas, Luke Jackson, Wali Jones, Bill Melchionni,Chet Walker,Bob Weiss, coach Alex Hannum[d]	4 (Greer, Chamberlain, Cunningham,Walker)	3 (Greer, Chamberlain, Cunningham)	[69]
1969–70	New York Knicks	60–22 (.732)	Dick Barnett,Nate Bowman, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere,Walt Frazier,Bill Hosket,Don May,Willis Reed,Mike Riordan,Cazzie Russell, Dave Stallworth,John Warren, coach Red Holzman[d]	4 (Frazier, Bradley, DeBusschere, Reed)	3 (Frazier, DeBusschere, Reed)	[70]
1971–72	Los Angeles Lakers	69–13 (.841)	Wilt Chamberlain,Jim Cleamons,LeRoy Ellis,Keith Erickson, Gail Goodrich,Happy Hairston, Jim McMillian,Pat Riley,Flynn Robinson,John Trapp,Jerry West, coach Bill Sharman[d]	4 (Goodrich, West, Chamberlain, Baylor[f])	3 (West, Chamberlain, Baylor)	[71]
1982–83	Philadelphia 76ers	65–17 (.793)	J. J. Anderson,Maurice Cheeks, Earl Cureton,Franklin Edwards,Julius Erving,Marc Iavaroni,Clemon Johnson,Reggie Johnson,Bobby Jones,Moses Malone, Mark McNamara,Clint Richardson,Russ Schoene,Andrew Toney, coachBilly Cunningham	2 (Erving,Malone)	2 (Erving, Malone)	[72]
1985–86	Boston Celtics	67–15 (.817)	Danny Ainge,Larry Bird,Rick Carlisle,Dennis Johnson,Greg Kite,Kevin McHale,Robert Parish, Jerry Sichting,David Thirdkill, Sam Vincent, Bill Walton, Scott Wedman, Sly Williams, coach K. C. Jones	5 (McHale,Bird, Parish, Walton,Johnson)	4 (McHale, Bird, Parish, Walton)	[73]
1986–87	Los Angeles Lakers	65–17 (.793)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,Adrian Branch, Frank Brickowski,Michael Cooper, A. C. Green, Magic Johnson,Wes Matthews,Kurt Rambis,Mike Smrek,Byron Scott,Billy Thompson,Mychal Thompson,James Worthy, coach Pat Riley[d]	3 (Johnson,Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar)	3 (Johnson, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar)	[74]
1988–89	Detroit Pistons	63–19 (.768)	Mark Aguirre,Adrian Dantley,Darryl Dawkins,Fennis Dembo, Joe Dumars,James Edwards,Steve Harris,Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer,John Long,Rick Mahorn,Pace Mannion,Dennis Rodman, Jim Rowinski,John Salley,Isiah Thomas,Micheal Williams, coach Chuck Daly[d]	4 (Thomas,Dumars,Dantley,Rodman)	1 (Thomas)	[75]
1991–92	Chicago Bulls	67–15 (.817)	B. J. Armstrong,Bill Cartwright,Horace Grant,Bob Hansen,Craig Hodges,Dennis Hopson,Michael Jordan,Stacey King,Cliff Levingston,Chuck Nevitt,John Paxson,Will Perdue,Scottie Pippen, Mark Randall, Rory Sparrow,Scott Williams, coach Phil Jackson[d]	2 (Jordan,Pippen)	2 (Jordan, Pippen)	[76]
1995–96	Chicago Bulls	72–10 (.878)	Randy Brown,Jud Buechler,Jason Caffey,James Edwards,Jack Haley,Ron Harper,Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, Toni Kukoč,Scottie Pippen,Dennis Rodman,John Salley,Dickey Simpkins, Bill Wennington, coach Phil Jackson[d]	3 (Jordan,Pippen,Rodman)	2 (Jordan, Pippen)	[77]