50 Greatest Players in NBA History

Players selected

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 , during which the list was announced. All have since retired. O'Neal was the last to be active in the NBA, retiring at the end of the . All of the selected players have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. At the time of the list, only Pete Maravich was deceased.

All 11 members from the 35th anniversary team were selected.

This list is not based on opinion;

Please do not add players who were not part of the team announced by the NBA. This list is not based on opinion; it contains the list that was created by the 50 panelists. Thanks!

Selection process

The list was made through unranked voting completed by 50 selected panelists. Sixteen of the panelists were former players voting in their roles as players, 13 were members of the print and broadcast news media, and 21 were team representatives: contemporary and former general managers, head coaches, and executives. Of the last group, 13 were former NBA players. Players were prohibited from voting for themselves. Only three voting former players (Bill Bradley, Johnny Kerr, and Bob Lanier) were not selected to the team.

Voters

{{anchor|Coaches}} Top 10 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 five of them—Bill Fitch, Phil Jackson, Don Nelson, Pat Riley, and Lenny Wilkens—were then active. Seven have since died: Red Holzman in 1998, Red Auerbach in 2006, Chuck Daly in 2009, Jack Ramsay in 2014, John Kundla in 2017, Bill Fitch in 2022, and Wilkins in 2025. 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. All ten coaches are also members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, with Fitch the last member inducted in 2019.

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 were 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, at the moment, the best single-season record in NBA history with 72 wins.

Six out of the 30 NBA franchises (29 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 Salley with 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.

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

Notes

• 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.
• Each year is linked to an article about the NBA Finals in that year.
• Inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as coach; Bill Sharman was inducted as both a player and a coach
• A sixth player on this team, Sanders, was inducted into the Hall as a contributor in August 2011.
• Having been injured in the second game, Baylor missed the remainder of the . He retired at the beginning of the next season.

Notes

References

General

Specific

References

1. Jackson, James. (October 22, 2021). "James Harden, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony among greats celebrating place on NBA's Top 75 list".
2. "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
3. Banks, Lacy. (February 10, 1997). "Real dream team steals show". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
4. Bembry, Jerry. (October 29, 1996). "Unseld gets NBA top 50 tip Former Bullets great takes honor in stride". The Baltimore Sun.
5. Aschburner, Steve. (October 23, 2021). "How I voted players to NBA's 75th Anniversary Team". Sporting News.
6. Aboy, Agustín. (September 3, 2021). "NBA 75: Taking a trip down memory lane to revisit the NBA 50 years ago".
7. {{cite basketball-reference. (June 16, 2009)
8. {{cite basketball-reference. (June 16, 2009)
9. {{cite basketball-reference. (June 16, 2009)
10. {{cite basketball-reference. (June 16, 2009)
11. {{cite basketball-reference. (June 16, 2009)
12. {{cite basketball-reference. (June 16, 2009)
13. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
14. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
15. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
16. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
17. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
18. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
19. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
20. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
21. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
22. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
23. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
24. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
25. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
26. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
27. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 7, 2009)
28. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
29. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
30. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 11, 2009)
31. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
32. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
33. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
34. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
35. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
36. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
37. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
38. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
39. {{cite basketball-reference. basketball-reference.com
40. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
41. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
42. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
43. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
44. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
45. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
46. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
47. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
48. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
49. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
50. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
51. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
52. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
53. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
54. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
55. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
56. {{cite basketball-reference. (August 28, 2009)
57. "Red Auerbach Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
58. "Chuck Daly Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
59. "Bill Fitch Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
60. "Red Holzman Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
61. "Phil Jackson Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
62. "John Kundla Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
63. "Don Nelson Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
64. (April 2, 2012). "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2012". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
65. "Jack Ramsay Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
66. "Pat Riley Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
67. "Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com.
68. Lawrence, Mitch. (February 27, 2010). "Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson amazes Knick legends with his hoops longevity". [[New York Daily News]].
69. "1964–65 Boston Celtics Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
70. "1966–67 Philadelphia 76ers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
71. "1969–70 New York Knicks Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
72. "1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
73. "1982–83 Philadelphia 76ers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
74. "1985–86 Boston Celtics Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
75. "1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
76. "1988–89 Detroit Pistons Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
77. "1991–92 Chicago Bulls Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
78. "1995–96 Chicago Bulls Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
79. (April 4, 2011). "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2011 – Mullin, Rodman, Gilmore and VanDerveer Headline Distinguished Group". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
80. "Elgin Baylor Bio". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.