The Best NBA Players Of All Time, Ranked By Their Records
To celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2021 the NBA decided to honor those it believed were the 75 greatest players ever to grace the basketball court. But in a bit of a cop out, it decided against putting them in any particular order. Based on their number of accolades and statistics such as points, assists, and rebounds per game, we’ve now done the hard work for them…
40. Walt Frazier
Teams: New York Knicks (1967-77); Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-79)
Points Per Game (PPG): 18.9
Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 5.9
Assists per Game (APG): 6.1
Main accolades: Two NBA titles, seven All-Defensive 1st Team selections, seven All-Stars, four All-NBA 1st Team selections
Few NBA stars have oozed as much cool as Walt Frazier. The New York Knicks legend combined aggressive defense with silky offensive skills throughout his 12-year career. And Frazier helped to guide the franchise to its inaugural NBA title in 1970 thanks to his 19 assists and 36 points in the legendary “Willis Reed Game.”
39. Bob Pettit
Teams: Milwaukee Hawks (1954-55); St. Louis Hawks 1955-65)
PPG: 26.4
RPG: 16.2
APG: 3.0
Main accolades: One NBA title, ten All-NBA 1st Team selections, 11 All-Stars, two MVPs
A true force to be reckoned with in the post-war era, Bob Pettit began his career with the Milwaukee Hawks. But he reached true greatness during his ten-year stint with the St. Louis Hawks, steering the franchise all the way to the 1958 NBA title. Pettit’s list of achievements also includes ten All-NBA first team selections and two MVP awards.
38. Patrick Ewing
Teams: New York Knicks (1985-2000); Seattle SuperSonics (2000-01); Orlando Magic (2001-02)
PPG: 21.0
RPG: 9.8
APG: 2.4
Main accolades: One NBA title, 11 All-Stars, ten All-NBA 1st Team selections, two MVPs
Patrick Ewing spent 15 years with the New York Knicks toward the end of the 20th century. His tally of career points, blocks, and rebounds still remain the franchise’s highest, too. Ewing also guided the team to 13 consecutive postseasons before showcasing his fallaway jumping talents with both the Seattle SuperSonics and the Orlando Magic.
37. Kevin McHale
Team: Boston Celtics (1980-93)
PPG: 17.9
RPG: 7.3
Blocks Per Game (BPG): 1.7
Main accolades: Three NBA titles, seven All-Stars, one All-NBA 1st Team selection, six All-Defensive selections
Renowned for his abnormally long arms, Kevin McHale used his physical stature to his advantage throughout his 13-year spell with the Boston Celtics. The power forward was named as an All-Star on seven occasions and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside teammates Robert Parish and Larry Bird. You may remember this was the trio hailed as one of the NBA’s most potent front lines.
