The 12 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time

Here’s a list of the greatest NBA players based on the MVP awards they achieved including other statistical data. Most of the players included on the list are very tall players. Height is truly a might in the game of Basketball.

1.) Kareem Abdul Jabbar

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Profile

“One of the greatest players in the history of the NBA”

Height: 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)

Position played: Center

Original name: Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.,

Born: April 16, 1947

Place of birth: New York City

Other Occupation: coach, actor, and author.

College: UCLA

NBA Team(s): Milwaukee Bucks (1969-75), Los Angeles Lakers (1975-1989)

Nickname: “Cap or Captain”

NBA Accomplishments:

• 6 NBA Championships – 1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988
• 6 regular season MVP awards – 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980
• NBA's all-time leader in points scored - 38,387
• NBA's all-time leader in defensive rebounds - 17,440
• NBA's all-time leader in minutes played - 57,446
• NBA's all-time leader in field goals made - 15,837
• NBA's all-time leader in field goal attempts - 28,307
• NBA Most All-Star selections -19
• NBA Most All-Star games played - 18
• NBA Rookie of the Year – 1970
• NBA Finals MVP – 1971 & 1985
• NBA all-time Games played – 1560 (2^nd most in NBA history)
• NBA's all-time leader in blocked shots - 3,189 (3^rd most in NBA history)
• Named one of the 50 Greatest Players of All Time

2.) Bill Russell

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William Felton Russell’s Profiles

“One of the greatest players in the history of the NBA”

Height: 6'10" (2.08 m)

Position played: Center

Original name: William Felton Russell

Born: February 12, 1934

Place of birth: Monroe, Louisiana, USA

Other Occupation: Coach

College: University of San Francisco

NBA Team(s): Boston Celtics

Nickname: "Bill"

NBA Accomplishments:

• 5 Time NBA Most Valuable Player
• 12 Time All-Star
• 11 NBA Championships
• Holds the record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league
• First African American player to achieve superstar status in the NBA
• First African American NBA coach
• Member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History

3.) Michael Jordan

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Michael Jeffrey Jordan’s Profiles

“The greatest players in the history of the NBA”

Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)

Position played: Shooting guard/Small forward

Born: February 17, 1963

Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York

Other Occupation: Baseball player, Businessman, Actor

College: University of North Carolina

NBA Team(s): Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards

Nickname:  Air Jordan, His Airness

NBA Accomplishments:

• Considered as the greatest basketball player of all time
• One of the best defensive players in basketball
• Holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game)
• Holds highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game
• Named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN
• Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009 and was inducted on September 11, 2009.
• 5 NBA Most valuable Player Awards
• 6 NBA Championships – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
• NBA-record of 72 regular season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season
• 10 ALL-NBA First Team designation 
• 9 All-Defensive First Team honors
• 14 NBA All-Star Game appearances
• 3 All-Star Game MVP awards – 1988, 1996, 1998
• 6 NBA Finals MVP awards
• 10 Scoring titles
• 2 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion 1987, 1988

4.) Wilt Chamberlain

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Wilton Norman Chamberlain’s Profile

“One of the greatest and most dominant players in the history of the NBA”

Height: 7 ft 1 in

Position played: Center

Born: August 21, 1936

Died: October 12, 1999

Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Other Occupation: Volleyball player, Businessman, Actor, Author

College: University of Kansas

NBA Team(s): Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers

Nickname: "Wilt", The Big Dipper, Dipper or Dippy, Chairman of the Boards (He hated Goliath and Wilt the Stilt)

NBA Accomplishments:

• He is the only player in NBA history to average more than 40 and 50 points in a season He is the only player in NBA history to score 100 points in a single NBA game
• 4 NBA Most Valuable Player awards – 1960, 1966, 1967, 1968
• 7 NBA Scoring Champion
• 9 NBA field goal percentage
• 11 NBA rebounding titles
• 2 NBA Championships
• 4 regular season Most Valuable Player awards
• NBA Rookie of the Year award
• 13 NBA All-Star Games
• 10 All-NBA First and Second teams
• Member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
• (Have had sex with over 20,000 women)

5.) Moses Malone

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Moses Eugene Malone’s Profile

“One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History”

Height: 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)

Born: March 23, 1955

Place of birth: Petersburg, Virginia, USA

NBA Team(s): Philadelphia 76ers, LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs

NBA Accomplishments:

• 3 NBA Most Valuable Player awards – 1979, 1982, 1983
• 1 NBA Championship – 1983
• 13 NBA All-Star
• 4 All-NBA First Team
• 4 All-NBA Second Team
• NBA All-Defensive First Team
• NBA All-Defensive Second Team
• One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
• Member of American Hall of Fame basketball player

6.) Larry Bird

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Larry Joe Bird’s Profile

“One of the Greatest Players in NBA History”

Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

Position played:  Small Forward/Power Forward

Born: December 7, 1956

Place of birth: West Baden, Indiana, USA

Other Occupation: Coach

College: Indiana State University

NBA Team(s): Boston Celtics

NBA Accomplishments:

• 3 NBA Championships – 1981, 1984, 1986
• 3 NBA Most Valuable Player awards – 1984, 1985, 1986
• 12 NBA All-Star
• 2 NBA Finals MVP
• 9 All-NBA First Team
• NBA Rookie of the Year – 1980
• NBA All-Star Game MVP - 1982
• NBA Coach of the Year - 1998
• 3 Three-point Shootout Champion – 1986, 1987, 1988One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
• Member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

7.) Earvin Magic Johnson

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Earvin Johnson Jr.’s Profile

“Greatest Point Guard of All-Time”

Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

Position played:  Point Guard/Forward

Born: August 14, 1959

Place of birth: Lansing, Michigan

Other Occupation: Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Motivational Speaker

College: Michigan State University

NBA Team(s):

Los Angeles Lakers

Nickname: "Magic"

NBA Accomplishments:

• 3 NBA MVP Awards
• 5 NBA Championships
• NBA Finals MVP award – rookie year
• All-Star MVP award – 1992
•  12 All-Star Games
• 10 All-NBA First and Second Team
• 4 Regular-season assist leader
• NBA’s all-time leader in assist per game – average 11.2
• NBA’s greatest point guard of all-time by ESPN
• One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
• Member of the Basketball Hall of Fame

8.) Robert E. Lee "Bob" Pettit Jr.

Robert E. Lee Pettit Jr.’s Profile

“First Recipient of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award”

Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

Position played:  Forward

Born: December 12, 1932

Place of birth: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

College: Louisiana State University

NBA Team(s): Milwaukee St. Louis Hawks

Nickname: "Bob", “Dutch”

NBA Accomplishments:

• He was the first recipient of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award
• 4 NBA All-Star MVP award
• 11 NBA All-Star games
• 10 All-NBA First Team ten times
• NBA Rookie of the Year
• Member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Holds the top two NBA All-Star Game rebounding performances with 26 in 1958 and 27 in 1962
• Second highest All-Star Game points per game average with 20.4
• No other retired player in NBA history other than Pettit and Alex Groza has averaged more than 20 points per game in every season they've played (note: Michael Jordan averaged exactly 20 points per game in his final season).

9.) Karl Malone

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Karl Anthony Malone’s Profile

“One of the Greatest Power Forwards in NBA History”

Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

Position played:  Power Forward

Born: July 24, 1963

Place of birth: Summerfield, Louisiana, USA

Other Occupation: Businessman

College: Louisiana Tech

NBA Team(s): Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers

Nickname: “The Mailman”

NBA Accomplishments:

• 2 NBA Most Valuable Player awards – 1997, 1999
• 2 NBA All-Star Games MVP – 1989, 1993
• 11 All-NBA First Team
• 2 All NBA Second Team
• 3 All-Defensive First Team
• All-Defensive Second Team
• Considered one the greatest power forwards in NBA history
• Scored the second most points (36,928) in NBA history

10.) Tim Duncan

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Timothy Theodore Duncan

“One of the Greatest Power Forwards in NBA History”

Height: 6-foot 11-inch (2.11 m)

Position played:  Power Forward, Center

Born: April 25, 1976

Place of birth: US Virgin Island

Other Occupation: Philanthropist

College: Wake Forest University Demon Deacons

NBA Team(s): San Antonio Spurs

Nickname: "Tim"

NBA Accomplishments:

• 4 NBA Championships – 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007
• 2 NBA Most Valuable Player awards
• 3 NBA Finals MVP
• NBA Rookie of the Year
• 13 NBA All-Star
• The only player in NBA history to be selected both All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams during each of his first 13 seasons.

11.) Steve Nash

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Stephen John Nash’s Profile

“One of the Greatest Point Guard of All Time”

Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

Position played:  Point Guard

Born: February 7, 1974

Place of birth: Johannesburg, South Africa

Other Occupation: Philanthropist

College: Santa Clara University

NBA Team(s): Phoenix Suns,

Dallas Mavericks

Nickname: "Steve"

NBA Accomplishments:

• 2 NBA Most Valuable Player awards – 2005, 2006
• 7 NBA All-Star 
• 3 All-NBA First Team
• 2 All-NBA Second Team
• 2 Skills Challenge Champion
• Named as the 9^th greatest point guard of all time by ESPN
• Ranked as one of the top players in NBA league history for 3-point shooting, free-throw shooting, total assists and assists per game
• Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world

12.) LeBron James

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LeBron Raymone James’ Profile

“One of the Greatest Players in NBA History”

Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)

Position played:  Small Forward

Born: December 30, 1984

Place of birth: Akron, Ohio, USA

NBA Team(s): Miami Heat (2010 – present), Cleveland Cavaliers (2003 -2010)

Nickname: “King James”

NBA Accomplishments:

• NBA Rookie of the Year – 2004
• 2 NBA Most Valuable Player awards – 2009, 2010
• 5 All-NBA First Team 
• 2 All-NBA Second Team
• 3 All-Defensive First Team
• 2 All-Star Games MVP – 2006, 2008

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