The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team in the league.[1] 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.[2] The 50 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 hotel Grand Hyatt New York, the site of the Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed in 1946. The announcement marked the beginning of a season-long celebration of the league's anniversary.[2] Forty-seven of the fifty players were later assembled in Cleveland, during the halftime ceremony of the 1997 All-Star Game.[2][nb 1] At the time of the announcement, 11 players were active; all have subsequently retired.
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 1996–97 season, during which the list was announced.[4] All have since retired. O'Neal was the last to be active in the NBA, retiring at the end of the 2010–11 season. 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.[5]
All 11 members from the 35th anniversary team were selected.[5] Eight of the 10 players from the 25th anniversary team were chosen, with Bob Davies and Joe Fulks—who both last played in the 1950s—being omitted.[6]
Italics | Denotes player who was active in the NBA at the time of induction | |||||
All Star | Denotes number of All-Star appearances | |||||
HOF 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 |
![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar_Lipofsky.jpg/170px-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar_Lipofsky.jpg)
![A white person with brown hair, wearing a gray suit and a blue shirt, smiles.](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Larry_Bird_Lipofsky.jpg/170px-Larry_Bird_Lipofsky.jpg)
![A basketball player, wearing a light-colored jersey with the number "13", is holding a basketball in front of another basketball player who is wearing a dark-colored jersey with the number "6".](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Wilt_Chamberlain_Bill_Russell.jpg/170px-Wilt_Chamberlain_Bill_Russell.jpg)
![A black mustached player who is bald, wearing an earring on his left ear, looks toward the left.](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Jordan_by_Lipofsky_16577.jpg/170px-Jordan_by_Lipofsky_16577.jpg)
![A bald, bearded black person looks toward the left, his mouth open.](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lipofsky_Shaquille_O%27Neal.jpg/170px-Lipofsky_Shaquille_O%27Neal.jpg)
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
* | Denotes voter who was selected to the 50 Greatest Players list |
Voter category | As categorized by the NBA |
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. Six have since died: Red Holzman in 1998, Red Auerbach in 2006, Chuck Daly in 2009, Jack Ramsay in 2014, John Kundla in 2017, and Bill Fitch in 2022. 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.
Italics | Denotes coach who was active in the NBA at the time of 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 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.[68]
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
- 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.
- d Inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as coach; Bill Sharman was inducted as both a player and a coach
- e A sixth player on this team, Sanders, was inducted into the Hall as a contributor in August 2011.[79]
- f 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.[80]
See also
Notes
- ^ Three players were absent: Pete Maravich, who had died in 1988; Shaquille O'Neal, who was recovering from a knee injury; and Jerry West, who was scheduled to have surgery and could not fly.[3]
References
General
- "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
- "Top 10 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
- "Top 10 Teams in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on May 2, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
Specific
- ^ Jackson, James (October 22, 2021). "James Harden, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony among greats celebrating place on NBA's Top 75 list". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ a b c "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
- ^ Banks, Lacy (February 10, 1997). "Real dream team steals show". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 96.
- ^ Bembry, Jerry (October 29, 1996). "Unseld gets NBA top 50 tip Former Bullets great takes honor in stride". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Aschburner, Steve (October 23, 2021). "How I voted players to NBA's 75th Anniversary Team". Sporting News. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Aboy, Agustín (September 3, 2021). "NBA 75: Taking a trip down memory lane to revisit the NBA 50 years ago". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Nate Archibald Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Paul Arizin Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Charles Barkley Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Rick Barry Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Elgin Baylor Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Dave Bing Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Larry Bird Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Wilt Chamberlain Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Bob Cousy Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Dave Cowens Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Billy Cunningham Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Dave DeBusschere Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Clyde Drexler Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Julius Erving Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Patrick Ewing Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Walt Frazier Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "George Gervin Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Hal Greer Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "John Havlicek Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Elvin Hayes Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "Magic Johnson Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Sam Jones Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Michael Jordan Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
- ^ "Jerry Lucas Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Karl Malone Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Moses Malone Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Pete Maravich Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Kevin McHale Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "George Mikan Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Earl Monroe Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Hakeem Olajuwon Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Shaquille O'Neal Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
- ^ "Robert Parish Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Bob Pettit Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Scottie Pippen Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Willis Reed Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Oscar Robertson Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "David Robinson Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Bill Russell Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Dolph Schayes Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Bill Sharman Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "John Stockton Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Isiah Thomas Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Nate Thurmond Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Wes Unseld Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Bill Walton Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Jerry West Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Lenny Wilkens Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "James Worthy Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Red Auerbach Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Chuck Daly Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Bill Fitch Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Red Holzman Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Phil Jackson Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "John Kundla Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Don Nelson Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2012" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Jack Ramsay Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Pat Riley Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ Lawrence, Mitch (February 27, 2010). "Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson amazes Knick legends with his hoops longevity". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 2, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
- ^ "1964–65 Boston Celtics Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1966–67 Philadelphia 76ers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1969–70 New York Knicks Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1982–83 Philadelphia 76ers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1985–86 Boston Celtics Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1988–89 Detroit Pistons Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1991–92 Chicago Bulls Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "1995–96 Chicago Bulls Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2011 – Mullin, Rodman, Gilmore and VanDerveer Headline Distinguished Group" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 7, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
- ^ "Elgin Baylor Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
External links
- NBA.com: The 50 Greatest Players page Archived November 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- NBA.com: Top 10 Coaches page Archived October 23, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
- NBA.com: Top 10 Teams page Archived October 25, 2021, at the Wayback Machine