Great Basketball Players Overview
Ask Joe Hoopsfan to name a great basketball legend and he'd probably answer Magic Johnson. Or Larry Bird. Or, if he goes way, way back, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. ©UNC Athletics James Worthy is one of only five Lakers with more than 15,000 total points. See more pictures of basketball. |
James Naismith may have nailed up the first peach basket in 1891, but no legitimate professional league was formed until the Basketball Association of America (later the National Basketball Association) set up shop in 1946. Moreover, the NBA limped along for years -- always a poor second cousin to Major League Baseball and the National Football League. NBA franchises came and went, and teams were still struggling to fill their arenas as late as the early 1980s.
Yet to think there wasn't any great basketball being played in these "dark ages" would be a grave injustice. Of the 75 legends featured in these articles, three enjoyed their glory years in the 1940s, seven in the '50s, 16 in the '60s, and 21 in the '70s.
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Other early legends were as fascinating as the greats of today. Bill Russell was the ultimate defensive presence, rejecting an estimated 8 to 10 shots a game and pulling down as many rebounds as Patrick Ewing scored points. Russell owns an NBA championship ring for every finger, plus one for display.
Everyone knows Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, but did you know that in the three months leading up to that fateful night, Wilt had games of 60, 78, 61, 60, 73, 62, 62, 62, 65, 67, 61, 67, 65 and 61 points? The "Stilt" averaged 50.4 points per game during that 1961-62 season while playing an average of 48.5 minutes a game (yes, a regulation game was 48 minutes).
Many of basketball's great little men also toiled in previous generations. Long before Magic, there was the "Mobile Magician," Bob Cousy. Also known as the "Houdini of the Hardwood," Cousy bedazzled fans with his backward pass, twice-around pass, and behind-the-back dribble. For those who admire long-range bombers, there was none better than Jerry West, who filled it up from the corner, the top of the key, and Section 3, Row 8. Had today's 3-point line been in effect, West's career average of 27.0 would have swelled to near 30.
Not all of these legends were NBA superstars. Some players made it mostly on their college resumes, namely Pete Maravich, Bill Walton, Bill Bradley, Austin Carr, Ralph Sampson, and Tom Gola. At Louisiana State in the late 1960s, fans flocked to the Cow Palace to watch Maravich burn up the bayou. Living every kid's fantasy, Maravich shot and scored from every spot in the halfcourt. His collegiate scoring of 44.2 points per game has never been approached.
 ©University of Southern California Athletics Bill Sharman was described as a near- perfect guard. |
We certainly couldn't exclude certain coaches from these pages. Adolph Rupp, Red Auerbach, John Wooden, Dean Smith, Bob Knight, and Pat Riley are all larger-than-life figures. Interestingly, each of these men coached at least one player featured in the following pages.
There's also plenty of room for more recent superstars. The Mailman, The Admiral, The Dream, The Glide, Air, Shaq, The Pip -- they're all here. The players in the following articles played in thousands of NBA/ABA games, scored more than one million points, were selected more than 500 times to All-Star Games, and own more than 100 NBA/ABA championship rings. They are basketball's all-time Dream Team.
Take a look at these articles for a glimpse at the masters of the court, where America's high-flying athletes trade fast breaks and slam dunks. And for an even more in-depth listing of these basketball legends, continue to the next page to see a list of the greatest basketball guards ever to hit the hardwood.
Great Basketball Guards
 ©Old Dominion University Athletics Nancy Lieberman earned the name "Lady Magic." |
To find out more about these incredible players, check out the links below. Each page is packed with information, statistics, and team data, as well as photos. When you've learned all there is to know about the NBA's and NCAA's greatest guards of all time, continue on to the next page, and take a look at the game's fantastic forwards.
Great Basketball Forwards
 ©University of Tennessee Athletics Bernard King's signature move was the turn-around jump shot. |
Whatever era strikes your fancy, there's plenty to impress among these forwards. And when you've exhausted basketball's legendary forwards, you can continue on to the next page to learn about the record-breaking centers.
Great Basketball Centers
 Bob Lanier had his jersey number retired by two different teams. |
Rap album or no, each of these centers thrilled crowds and broke records. Discover all you ever wanted to know about basketball's legendary centers, then continue on to the next page, where you can learn about the coaches who guided these players to glory.
Great Basketball Coaches
In addition to the great players breaking a sweat (and records!) on the court, there are also those on the sidelines, providing guidance, encouragement, and support. These coaches each have their own approaches, from the military style of Bob Knight to the statistic-driven refinement of Pat Riley. Also included is the founder of the sport, James Naismith, and while he never coached an official team, no discussion of basketball's legends would be complete without him.
| Red Auerbach | Bob Knight | James Naismith |
| Pat Riley | Adolph Rupp | Dean Smith |
| John Wooden |
