50 Greatest Players in NBA History
The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association. These 50 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. 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 former site of the Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed on June 6, 1946. The announcement marked the beginning of a season-long celebration of the league's anniversary. Forty-seven of the fifty players were later assembled in Cleveland, during the halftime ceremony of the 1997 All-Star Game. Three players were absent: Pete Maravich, who had died in 1988, at 40; Shaquille O'Neal, who was recovering from a knee injury; and Jerry West, who was scheduled to have surgery for an ear infection and could not fly. At the time of the announcement, 11 players were active; all have subsequently retired. O'Neal was the last to be active in the NBA, retiring at the end of the.
Players selected
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 veterans were not selected to the team.Voters
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List
Eleven players were active in the, during which the team 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. Lenny Wilkens was the only member of the players list to have been selected as a member of the coaches list. At the time of the list, only Pete Maravich was deceased., Wilt Chamberlain, Dave DeBusschere, Paul Arizin, Hal Greer, John Havlicek, George Mikan, Bill Sharman, Moses Malone, Dolph Schayes, Nate Thurmond and Wes Unseld have all died.Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the, the last in which any player on the 50 Greatest list was active.
| Name | Team played for | Pos | Pts | Reb | Ast | Championships won | MVP won | Finals MVP won | All Star | Year | Ref. |
| Milwaukee Bucks Los Angeles Lakers | C | 38,387 | 17,440 | 5,660 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 1995 | ||
| Cincinnati Royals / Kansas City-Omaha / Kansas City Kings New York Nets Boston Celtics Milwaukee Bucks | G | 16,481 | 2,046 | 6,476 | 1 | None | None | 6 | 1991 | ||
| Philadelphia Warriors | F | 16,266 | 6,129 | 1,665 | 1 | None | None | 10 | 1978 | ||
| ' | Philadelphia 76ers Phoenix Suns Houston Rockets | F | 23,757 | 12,546 | 4,215 | None | 1 | None | 11 | 2006 | |
| San Francisco / Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets | F | 18,395 | 5,168 | 4,017 | 1 | None | 1 | 8 | 1987 | ||
| Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers | F | 23,149 | 11,463 | 3,650 | None | None | None | 11 | 1977 | ||
| Detroit Pistons Washington Bullets Boston Celtics | G | 18,327 | 3,420 | 5,397 | None | None | None | 7 | 1990 | ||
| Boston Celtics | F | 21,791 | 8,974 | 5,695 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 1998 | ||
| Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors Philadelphia 76ers Los Angeles Lakers | C | 31,419 | 23,924 | 4,643 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 1979 | ||
| Boston Celtics Cincinnati Royals | G | 16,960 | 4,786 | 6,955 | 6 | 1 | None | 13 | 1971 | ||
| Boston Celtics Milwaukee Bucks | C | 13,516 | 10,444 | 2,910 | 2 | 1 | None | 7 | 1991 | ||
| Philadelphia 76ers | F | 13,626 | 6,638 | 2,625 | 2 | None | None | 4 | 1986 | ||
| Detroit Pistons New York Knicks | F | 14,053 | 9,618 | 2,497 | 2 | None | None | 8 | 1983 | ||
| ' | Portland Trail Blazers Houston Rockets | G | 22,195 | 6,677 | 6,125 | 1 | None | None | 10 | 2004 | |
| Philadelphia 76ers | F | 18,364 | 5,601 | 3,224 | 1 | 1 | None | 11 | 1993 | ||
| ' | New York Knicks Seattle SuperSonics Orlando Magic | C | 24,815 | 11,607 | 2,215 | None | None | None | 11 | 2008 | |
| New York Knicks Cleveland Cavaliers | G | 15,581 | 4,830 | 5,040 | 2 | None | None | 7 | 1987 | ||
| San Antonio Spurs Chicago Bulls | G | 20,708 | 3,607 | 2,214 | None | None | None | 9 | 1996 | ||
| Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers | G | 21,586 | 5,665 | 4,540 | 1 | None | None | 10 | 1982 | ||
| Boston Celtics | F/G | 26,395 | 8,007 | 6,114 | 8 | None | 1 | 13 | 1984 | ||
| San Diego / Houston Rockets Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets | F/C | 27,313 | 16,279 | 2,398 | 1 | None | None | 12 | 1990 | ||
| Los Angeles Lakers | G | 17,707 | 6,559 | 10,141 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 2002 | ||
| Boston Celtics | G | 15,411 | 4,305 | 2,209 | 10 | None | None | 5 | 1984 | ||
| ' | Chicago Bulls Washington Wizards | G | 32,292 | 6,672 | 5,633 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 2009 | |
| Cincinnati Royals San Francisco Warriors New York Knicks | F | 14,053 | 12,942 | 2,732 | 1 | None | None | 7 | 1980 | ||
| ' | Utah Jazz Los Angeles Lakers | F | 36,928 | 14,968 | 5,248 | None | 2 | None | 14 | 2010 | |
| Buffalo Braves Houston Rockets Philadelphia 76ers Washington Bullets Atlanta Hawks Milwaukee Bucks San Antonio Spurs | C | 27,409 | 16,212 | 1,796 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 2001 | ||
| Atlanta Hawks New Orleans / Utah Jazz Boston Celtics | G | 15,948 | 2,747 | 3,563 | None | None | None | 5 | 1987 | ||
| Boston Celtics | F | 17,335 | 7,122 | 1,670 | 3 | None | None | 7 | 1999 | ||
| Minneapolis Lakers | C | 10,156 | 4,167 | 1,245 | 5 | None | None | 4 | 1959 | ||
| Baltimore Bullets New York Knicks | G | 17,454 | 2,796 | 3,594 | 1 | None | None | 4 | 1990 | ||
| ' | Houston Rockets Toronto Raptors | C | 26,946 | 13,748 | 3,058 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 2008 | |
| ' | Orlando Magic Los Angeles Lakers Miami Heat Phoenix Suns Cleveland Cavaliers Boston Celtics | C | 28,596 | 13,099 | 3,026 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 2016 | |
| ' | Golden State Warriors Boston Celtics Charlotte Hornets Chicago Bulls | C | 23,334 | 14,715 | 2,180 | 4 | None | None | 9 | 2003 | |
| Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks | F | 20,880 | 12,849 | 2,369 | 1 | 2 | None | 11 | 1971 | ||
| ' | Chicago Bulls Houston Rockets Portland Trail Blazers | F | 18,940 | 7,494 | 6,135 | 6 | None | None | 7 | 2010 | |
| New York Knicks | C/F | 12,183 | 8,414 | 1,186 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1982 | ||
| Cincinnati Royals Milwaukee Bucks | G | 26,710 | 7,804 | 9,887 | 1 | 1 | None | 12 | 1980 | ||
| ' | San Antonio Spurs | C | 20,790 | 10,497 | 2,441 | 2 | 1 | None | 10 | 2009 | |
| Boston Celtics | C | 14,522 | 21,620 | 4,100 | 11 | 5 | None | 12 | 1975 | ||
| Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers | F | 18,438 | 11,256 | 3,072 | 1 | None | None | 12 | 1973 | ||
| Washington Capitols Boston Celtics | G | 12,665 | 2,779 | 2,101 | 4 | None | None | 8 | 1976 | ||
| Utah Jazz | G | 19,711 | 4,051 | 15,806 | None | None | None | 10 | 2009 | ||
| Detroit Pistons | G | 18,822 | 3,478 | 9,061 | 2 | None | 1 | 12 | 2000 | ||
| San Francisco / Golden State Warriors Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers | C | 14,437 | 14,464 | 2,575 | None | None | None | 7 | 1985 | ||
| Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets | C | 10,624 | 13,769 | 3,822 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1988 | ||
| Portland Trail Blazers San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers Boston Celtics | C | 6,215 | 4,923 | 1,590 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1993 | ||
| Los Angeles Lakers | G | 25,192 | 5,366 | 6,238 | 1 | None | 1 | 14 | 1980 | ||
| St. Louis Hawks Seattle SuperSonics Cleveland Cavaliers Portland Trail Blazers | G | 17,772 | 5,030 | 7,211 | 1 | None | None | 9 | 1989 | ||
| Los Angeles Lakers | F | 16,320 | 4,708 | 2,791 | 3 | None | 1 | 7 | 2003 |
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. Five have since died: Red Holzman in 1998, Red Auerbach in 2006, Chuck Daly in 2009, Jack Ramsay in 2014, and John Kundla in 2017. 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.| * | Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Year | Denotes year of Basketball Hall of Fame 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 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.
Players whose names are italicized were inducted after the announcement of the ten best teams. The Hall of Famers listed for each individual team are solely those inducted as players, and do not include those inducted in other roles.