The list is back! This time it's back to the pen for me and I'm putting away the microphone this week. I'm also doing ten players this time instead of just five. That means you get double the amount of players and twice the amount of teams. So, let's not ramble on too much! Here's 40-31 of the Top 50 Players of All-Time. For the other rankings, click here:
8th All-Time NBA Team
40. George Mikan
The OG, an icon, the player named for the drill that always hurt my hands and shoulders (if you don't do this drill, look it up on YouTube and do it). He was the most dominant glasses wearing (not google wearing) player ever. He averaged 23 and 14 for his career, is a 5x champion, and the first dominant giant to rule the NBA. At 6-10 and 245 he could play today with his size. Also the first gunner. He was top 5 in the league in FGAs almost every year. George Mikan is a basketball pioneer and the 40th best player ever.
Finally, if you want to know why certain rules exist today, look no farther than George Mikan. He is responsible for goal-tending in the NCAA, the shot clock and a larger lane in the NBA, and 3-Pointers in the ABA. Like I said; he's a mogul.
39. James Harden
The beard. The third best SG of all time, an MVP (he finished top five 4 times), 7x All-Star, 6x All-Nba, and led league in scoring 2 times. He created an offensive move that’s actually unstoppable. Last season in the playoffs, he forced the Jazz to literally guard him from behind because they were so scared of his offensive skillset. He’s the ultimate Iso-ball player and arguably the greatest scorer in NBA history. He will reach 20,000 points by end of this year which will put him in the top 50 of All-Time. He averaged 36 per game last year and averaged 40.5 ppg from December 13 to March 08. He’s a flat out dominating scorer and will be much higher on this list once his career ends.
38. Willis Reed
When you think of the Mecca and the Garden, you think of two players – Walt Fraizer (and his phenomenal suits) and Willis Reed. Especially Willis Reed. Close your eyes and think of the time he hobbled out of the locker room in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals against the Lakers. He tore his thigh muscle before, and no one thought he would play. Despite the injury, he averaged 23 points and 10.5 rebounds in those finals. Seeing him come out and give it his all, inspired his team to win Game 7 and capture the second title in Knicks’ franchise history. He and Kirk Gibson have two of the most iconic injury moments of all time and that’s just part of the reason why Willis Reed is number 38 on this list.
In terms of his resume, he’s a Hall of Famer, 7x All-Star, 5 time All-NBA, all defense, 2x Finals MVP and league MVP in 1970. He’s one of the best centers of all time and thus he’s 38 on the list.
T-Mac. Like Willis Reed he has one of the most iconic moments in NBA history. 13 points in 33 seconds is the perfect anatomy of what never to do with the lead and also the reason why we should never give up. T-Mac had an iconic career from the beginning when he was picked by the newly former Toronto Raptors straight out of high school. He went on to average 32 points per game for Orlando and then 25 for Houston. He was a 7x All-Star and 7x All-NBA while being either the best or second best SG in the league from 2000-2007 as he shared that honor with Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant.
36. Karl Malone
I don’t like putting him here because he’s not the best person (you can google his problematic issues), but if you look at his stats and resume, he is in a stratosphere that almost no one else is in. He’s a top 3 all-time scorer and was the model of consistency on the offensive end of the ball for over a decade. He also was one of the two players primarily responsible for the Jazz’ most successful decade in the history of their franchise.
7th All-Time NBA Team
35. Anthony Davis
It may seem like its a little soon in his career to name him the 35th best player of all time, but when you look at his total career then its pretty obvious. For the past five years of his career, he’s averaged 26 point per game, 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks with 1.4 steals. During that time he’s been 3x All-NBA, 2x All-Defense, a 6 time All-Star, and a 3x block champion. This is all while missing games because of injury. Over the past 3 years though he has played 75 games twice and would have played that many again if not for the Pelicans resting him in order to maintain his trade value.
He had one of the most dominant single college seasons of ever while leading Kentucky to a national title. His handle is like a guard with the skills of a big man. His skillset is truly unique. I think now that he’s on a team with one of the greatest of all time and he is in his prime, he’s going to get even better and the next 5 years may be his best years ever.
34. Isiah Thomas (Pistons)
Not the Wizards’ Isaiah Thomas. This is Detroit’s Isiah Thomas who was part of the Bad Boy Pistons – a team that ruled the Eastern Conference in the late 80s. Their team was single handedly responsible for keeping Jordan out of the Finals multiple years in a row and they helped create the beast Jordan is today. With players like Bill Lambier, Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley, Dennis Rodman, and Isiah Thomas, this team was one of most physical teams of all time. He was the heart and soul of the team though. He also has undisputably, one of the best handles of all time.
His post-playing career has a been a bit controversial and a little problematic at times, but his playing career put him in the pedestal as one of the best PGs ever. His career achievements are this: 2x NBA Champ, 12 time All-Star, Hall of Famer, and 1990 Finals MVP
CP3. The Point God. He’s been ripped and ridiculed the past couple years because of his health and temper tantrums, but he’s still one of the smartest players ever and was the consensus best PG in the league from 2008-2013. Any time you’re one of the best in the league for that long of a stretch you will be a top 50 player. He never won an MVP, but he was voted top 10 seven different times finishing 2nd after Kobe in 2008. He led the league in assists 3 times and finished top 5 nine times. He also led the league in steals 5 times. As far as point guards go, he’s one of the best two-way guards ever.
Additionally, his time in lob city made the Clippers relevant and one of the most popular teams in the NBA. Overall in his whole career, he made throwing lobs an integral part of NBA offenses and changed the game from just being spread out horizontally (corner to corner) to vertically as well because of how he threw quick, accurate lobs to Centers like DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler.
Finally, despite his reputation of not winning anything, he is top 20 in Win Shares all time.
I’m putting Giannis here because once he wins another MVP or two in his career, he’ll end up around top 25 all time when it’s all said and done. In only 6 years in the league, he’s averaged 27 and 12 per game; plus he’s an MVP, 3x All-NBA, a 3x All-Star, and 2x All-Defensive player. Even if he doesn’t win another MVP in his career, I don’t see a scenario where he doesn’t make All-NBA at least 8 more times. If he reaches ten total All-NBA teams, he’ll be in the company of only 20 other players ever. He is only going to get better and he’ll end his career higher on this list. Until then though he’s 32.
31. Allen Iverson
One of the coolest players in NBA history, Allen Iverson changed a generation of future NBA players. His fashion sense affected how fans still dress today and his size inspired players at 6’0” and under that they can make it in the NBA too.
So while his legacy didn’t end with a title, his impact on the game of basketball is so much larger than most champions.
He also has one of the most famous Finals moments in the history of the NBA when he stepped over Ty Lue after crossing him up. In terms of regular season achievements, he played over 40 minutes per game 10 times and he sold out his body for the game of basketball every time he played. He truly loved the sport and while his rant about “practice” is his most famous line, his story from high school to being one of the greatest players ever is a true underdog story about how you can overcome adversity despite everything and everyone being against you.
He averaged 26.7 ppg for his career, 30 ppg from 2000 to 2006 and is one of the only players in NBA history to ever cross up Michael Jordan. Allen Iverson rounds out the 7th All-Time NBA team as the 31st best player ever.
Those are 40-31. Be ready for the next ten players sometime next week. The countdown continues!