The NBA Greatest 50 has a total of one hundred and seven NBA championship rings. In addition, more than 400 hundred NBA All-Star Game selections. As well as nearly one million points scored.
So boasts the collective resume of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, selected by a blue-ribbon panel of media, former players and coaches, current and former general managers and team executives. NBA Commissioner David Stern announced the 50 Greatest Players at a press luncheon on October 29, 1996, in New York City.
Joining Stern in the unveiling of the 50 Greatest Players, which tipped off the League’s season-long NBA at 50 celebration, were four prominent members of the list — Wilt Chamberlain, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, George Mikan and Bill Russell.
The announcement was made at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which occupies the site of the former Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed on June 6, 1946.
Panelists were asked to select the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, without regard to position. Voters did not rank their selections and former players were not allowed to vote for themselves.
At the start of the 1996-97 season the 50 players had accumulated 107 NBA Championships, 49 Most Valuable Player Awards, 17 Rookie of the Year honors, 447 All-Star Game selections, 36 scoring titles, 923,791 total points and 410,327 total rebounds.
The 50 greatest players list will be found below with their career stats and averages. The statistics are brought by basketballreference.com.
50 Players
| Per Game | Shooting | Advanced | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | From | To | MP | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | 3P% | FT% | WS | WS/48 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1970 | 1989 | 24.6 | 11.2 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 2.6 | .559 | .056 | .721 | 273.4 | 0.228 | |
| Tiny Archibald | 1971 | 1984 | 18.8 | 2.3 | 7.4 | 1.1 | 0.1 | .467 | .224 | .810 | 83.4 | 0.128 | |
| Paul Arizin | 1951 | 1962 | 22.8 | 8.6 | 2.3 | .421 | .810 | 108.8 | 0.183 | ||||
| Charles Barkley | 1985 | 2000 | 22.1 | 11.7 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 0.8 | .541 | .266 | .735 | 177.2 | 0.216 | |
| Rick Barry | 1966 | 1980 | 23.2 | 6.5 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 0.5 | .449 | .330 | .900 | 93.4 | 0.156 | |
| Elgin Baylor | 1959 | 1972 | 27.4 | 13.5 | 4.3 | .431 | .780 | 104.2 | 0.148 | ||||
| Dave Bing | 1967 | 1978 | 20.3 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 1.3 | 0.2 | .441 | .775 | 68.8 | 0.101 | ||
| Larry Bird | 1980 | 1992 | 24.3 | 10.0 | 6.3 | 1.7 | 0.8 | .496 | .376 | .886 | 145.8 | 0.203 | |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 1960 | 1973 | 30.1 | 22.9 | 4.4 | .540 | .511 | 247.3 | 0.248 | ||||
| Bob Cousy | 1951 | 1970 | 18.4 | 5.2 | 7.5 | .375 | .803 | 91.1 | 0.139 | ||||
| Dave Cowens | 1971 | 1983 | 17.6 | 13.6 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 | .460 | .071 | .783 | 86.3 | 0.140 | |
| Billy Cunningham | 1966 | 1976 | 20.8 | 10.1 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 0.5 | .446 | .720 | 63.2 | 0.135 | ||
| Dave DeBusschere | 1963 | 1974 | 16.1 | 11.0 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.5 | .432 | .699 | 60.8 | 0.093 | ||
| Clyde Drexler | 1984 | 1998 | 20.4 | 6.1 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 0.7 | .472 | .318 | .788 | 135.6 | 0.173 | |
| Julius Erving | 1977 | 1987 | 22.0 | 6.7 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 1.5 | .507 | .261 | .777 | 106.2 | 0.178 | |
| Patrick Ewing | 1986 | 2002 | 21.0 | 9.8 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 2.4 | .504 | .152 | .740 | 126.4 | 0.150 | |
| Walt Frazier | 1968 | 1980 | 18.9 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 1.9 | 0.2 | .490 | .000 | .786 | 113.5 | 0.176 | |
| George Gervin | 1977 | 1986 | 26.2 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.8 | .511 | .297 | .844 | 88.1 | 0.159 | |
| Hal Greer | 1959 | 1973 | 19.2 | 5.0 | 4.0 | .452 | .801 | 102.7 | 0.124 | ||||
| John Havlicek | 1963 | 1978 | 20.8 | 6.3 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 0.3 | .439 | .815 | 131.7 | 0.136 | ||
| Elvin Hayes | 1969 | 1984 | 21.0 | 12.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.0 | .452 | .147 | .670 | 120.8 | 0.116 | |
| Magic Johnson | 1980 | 1996 | 19.5 | 7.2 | 11.2 | 1.9 | 0.4 | .520 | .303 | .848 | 155.8 | 0.225 | |
| Sam Jones | 1958 | 1969 | 17.7 | 4.9 | 2.5 | .456 | .803 | 92.3 | 0.182 | ||||
| Michael Jordan | 1985 | 2003 | 30.1 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 0.8 | .497 | .327 | .835 | 214.0 | 0.250 | |
| Jerry Lucas | 1964 | 1974 | 17.0 | 15.6 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | .499 | .783 | 98.4 | 0.147 | ||
| Karl Malone | 1986 | 2004 | 25.0 | 10.1 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | .516 | .274 | .742 | 234.6 | 0.205 | |
| Moses Malone | 1977 | 1995 | 20.6 | 12.2 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.3 | .491 | .100 | .769 | 167.1 | 0.178 | |
| Pete Maravich | 1971 | 1980 | 24.2 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 1.4 | 0.3 | .441 | .667 | .820 | 46.7 | 0.092 | |
| Kevin McHale | 1981 | 1993 | 17.9 | 7.3 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 1.7 | .554 | .261 | .798 | 113.0 | 0.180 | |
| George Mikan | 1949 | 1956 | 23.1 | 13.4 | 2.8 | .404 | .782 | 108.7 | 0.249 | ||||
| Earl Monroe | 1968 | 1980 | 18.8 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 0.3 | .464 | .807 | 77.4 | 0.125 | ||
| Shaquille O’Neal | 1993 | 2011 | 23.7 | 10.9 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 2.3 | .582 | .045 | .527 | 181.7 | 0.208 | |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | 1985 | 2002 | 21.8 | 11.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 3.1 | .512 | .202 | .712 | 162.8 | 0.177 | |
| Robert Parish | 1977 | 1997 | 14.5 | 9.1 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.5 | .537 | .000 | .721 | 147.0 | 0.154 | |
| Bob Pettit | 1955 | 1965 | 26.4 | 16.2 | 3.0 | .436 | .761 | 136.0 | 0.213 | ||||
| Scottie Pippen | 1988 | 2004 | 16.1 | 6.4 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 0.8 | .473 | .326 | .704 | 125.1 | 0.146 | |
| Willis Reed | 1965 | 1974 | 18.7 | 12.9 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 1.1 | .476 | .747 | 74.9 | 0.156 | ||
| Oscar Robertson | 1961 | 1974 | 25.7 | 7.5 | 9.5 | 1.1 | 0.1 | .485 | .838 | 189.2 | 0.207 | ||
| David Robinson | 1990 | 2003 | 21.1 | 10.6 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 3.0 | .518 | .250 | .736 | 178.7 | 0.250 | |
| Bill Russell | 1957 | 1969 | 15.1 | 22.5 | 4.3 | .440 | .561 | 163.5 | 0.193 | ||||
| Dolph Schayes | 1950 | 1964 | 18.5 | 12.1 | 3.1 | .380 | .849 | 141.8 | 0.191 | ||||
| Bill Sharman | 1951 | 1961 | 17.8 | 3.9 | 3.0 | .426 | .883 | 83.4 | 0.178 | ||||
| John Stockton | 1985 | 2003 | 13.1 | 2.7 | 10.5 | 2.2 | 0.2 | .515 | .384 | .826 | 207.7 | 0.209 | |
| Isiah Thomas | 1982 | 1994 | 19.2 | 3.6 | 9.3 | 1.9 | 0.3 | .452 | .290 | .759 | 80.7 | 0.109 | |
| Nate Thurmond | 1964 | 1977 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 2.1 | .421 | .667 | 78.0 | 0.104 | ||
| Wes Unseld | 1969 | 1981 | 10.8 | 14.0 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 | .509 | .500 | .633 | 110.1 | 0.147 | |
| Bill Walton | 1975 | 1987 | 13.3 | 10.5 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 2.2 | .521 | .000 | .660 | 39.3 | 0.142 | |
| Jerry West | 1961 | 1974 | 27.0 | 5.8 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 0.7 | .474 | .814 | 162.6 | 0.213 | ||
| Lenny Wilkens | 1961 | 1975 | 16.5 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | .432 | .774 | 95.5 | 0.120 | ||
| James Worthy | 1983 | 1994 | 17.6 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 0.7 | .521 | .241 | .769 | 81.2 | 0.130 | |
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