50 Greatest Players in NBA History

The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team in the league.^[1] Fifty 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.^[2] 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 site of the Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed in 1946. The announcement marked the beginning of a season-long celebration of the league's anniversary.^[2] Forty-seven of the fifty players were later assembled in Cleveland, during the halftime ceremony of the 1997 All-Star Game.^{[2][nb 1]} At the time of the announcement, 11 players were active; all have subsequently retired.

Players selected

List

Eleven players (Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Robert Parish, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton) were active in the 1996–97 season, during which the list was announced.^[4] All have since retired. O'Neal was the last to be active in the NBA, retiring at the end of the 2010–11 season. All of the selected players have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. At the time of the list, only Pete Maravich was deceased.^[5]

All 11 members from the 35th anniversary team were selected.^[5] Eight of the 10 players from the 25th anniversary team were chosen, with Bob Davies and Joe Fulks—who both last played in the 1950s—being omitted.^[6]

Key

Italics		Denotes player who was active in the NBA at the time of induction
All Star		Denotes number of All-Star appearances
HOF Year		Denotes year of Basketball Hall of Fame induction
G	Guard		F	Forward	C	Center
Pos	Position		Pts	Points	Reb	Rebounds
Ast		Assists		MVP	Most Valuable Player

Name	Team(s) played for (years)[a]	Pos	Pts	Reb	Ast	Championships won[b]	MVP won	Finals MVP won	All Star	HOF Year	Ref.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	Milwaukee Bucks (1969–1975) Los Angeles Lakers (1975–1989)	C	38,387	17,440	5,660	6 (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)	6 (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)	2 (1971, 1985)	19	1995	[7]
Nate Archibald	Cincinnati Royals / Kansas City-Omaha / Kansas City Kings (1970–1976) New York Nets (1976–1977) Boston Celtics (1978–1983) Milwaukee Bucks (1983–1984)	G	16,481	2,046	6,476	1 (1981)	None	None	6	1991	[8]
Paul Arizin	Philadelphia Warriors (1950–1952, 1954–1962)	F	16,266	6,129	1,665	1 (1956)	None	None	10	1978	[9]
Charles Barkley	Philadelphia 76ers (1984–1992) Phoenix Suns (1992–1996) Houston Rockets (1996–2000)	F	23,757	12,546	4,215	None	1 (1993)	None	11	2006	[10]
Rick Barry	San Francisco / Golden State Warriors (1965–1967, 1972–1978) Houston Rockets (1978–1980)	F	18,395	5,168	4,017	1 (1975)	None	1 (1975)	8	1987	[11]
Elgin Baylor	Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers (1958–1971)	F	23,149	11,463	3,650	None	None	None	11	1977	[12]
Dave Bing	Detroit Pistons (1966–1975) Washington Bullets (1975–1977) Boston Celtics (1977–1978)	G	18,327	3,420	5,397	None	None	None	7	1990	[13]
Larry Bird	Boston Celtics (1979–1992)	F	21,791	8,974	5,695	3 (1981, 1984, 1986)	3 (1984, 1985, 1986)	2 (1984, 1986)	12	1998	[14]
Wilt Chamberlain	Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors (1959–1965) Philadelphia 76ers (1965–1968) Los Angeles Lakers (1968–1973)	C	31,419	23,924	4,643	2 (1967, 1972)	4 (1960, 1966, 1967, 1968)	1 (1972)	13	1979	[15]
Bob Cousy	Boston Celtics (1950–1963) Cincinnati Royals (1969–1970)	G	16,960	4,786	6,955	6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963)	1 (1957)	None	13	1971	[16]
Dave Cowens	Boston Celtics (1970–1980) Milwaukee Bucks (1982–1983)	C	13,516	10,444	2,910	2 (1974, 1976)	1 (1973)	None	7	1991	[17]
Billy Cunningham	Philadelphia 76ers (1965–1972, 1974–1976)	F	13,626	6,638	2,625	1 (1967)	None	None	4	1986	[18]
Dave DeBusschere	Detroit Pistons (1962–1968) New York Knicks (1968–1974)	F	14,053	9,618	2,497	2 (1970, 1973)	None	None	8	1983	[19]
Clyde Drexler	Portland Trail Blazers (1983–1995) Houston Rockets (1995–1998)	G	22,195	6,677	6,125	1 (1995)	None	None	10	2004	[20]
Julius Erving	Philadelphia 76ers (1976–1987)	F	18,364	5,601	3,224	1 (1983)	1 (1981)	None	11	1993	[21]
Patrick Ewing	New York Knicks (1985–2000) Seattle SuperSonics (2000–2001) Orlando Magic (2001–2002)	C	24,815	11,607	2,215	None	None	None	11	2008	[22]
Walt Frazier	New York Knicks (1967–1977) Cleveland Cavaliers (1977–1979)	G	15,581	4,830	5,040	2 (1970, 1973)	None	None	7	1987	[23]
George Gervin	San Antonio Spurs (1976–1985) Chicago Bulls (1985–1986)	G	20,708	3,607	2,214	None	None	None	9	1996	[24]
Hal Greer	Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers (1958–1973)	G	21,586	5,665	4,540	1 (1967)	None	None	10	1982	[25]
John Havlicek	Boston Celtics (1962–1978)	F/G	26,395	8,007	6,114	8 (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976)	None	1 (1974)	13	1984	[26]
Elvin Hayes	San Diego / Houston Rockets (1968–1972, 1981–1984) Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets (1972–1981)	F/C	27,313	16,279	2,398	1 (1978)	None	None	12	1990	[27]
Magic Johnson	Los Angeles Lakers (1979–1991, 1996)	G	17,707	6,559	10,141	5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)	3 (1987, 1989, 1990)	3 (1980, 1982, 1987)	12	2002	[28]
Sam Jones	Boston Celtics (1957–1969)	G	15,411	4,305	2,209	10 (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969)	None	None	5	1984	[29]
Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls (1984–1993, 1995–1998) Washington Wizards (2001–2003)	G	32,292	6,672	5,633	6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)	5 (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)	6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)	14	2009	[30]
Jerry Lucas	Cincinnati Royals (1963–1969) San Francisco Warriors (1969–1971) New York Knicks (1971–1974)	F	14,053	12,942	2,732	1 (1973)	None	None	7	1980	[31]
Karl Malone	Utah Jazz (1985–2003) Los Angeles Lakers (2003–2004)	F	36,928	14,968	5,248	None	2 (1997, 1999)	None	14	2010	[32]
Moses Malone	Buffalo Braves (1976) Houston Rockets (1976–1982) Philadelphia 76ers (1982–1986, 1993–1994) Washington Bullets (1986–1988) Atlanta Hawks (1988–1991) Milwaukee Bucks (1991–1993) San Antonio Spurs (1994–1995)	C	27,409	16,212	1,796	1 (1983)	3 (1979, 1982, 1983)	1 (1983)	12	2001	[33]
Pete Maravich	Atlanta Hawks (1970–1974) New Orleans / Utah Jazz (1974–1980) Boston Celtics (1980)	G	15,948	2,747	3,563	None	None	None	5	1987	[34]
Kevin McHale	Boston Celtics (1980–1993)	F	17,335	7,122	1,670	3 (1981, 1984, 1986)	None	None	7	1999	[35]
George Mikan	Minneapolis Lakers (1948–1954, 1956)	C	10,156	4,167	1,245	5 (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954)	None	None	4	1959	[36]
Earl Monroe	Baltimore Bullets (1967–1971) New York Knicks (1971–1980)	G	17,454	2,796	3,594	1 (1973)	None	None	4	1990	[37]
Hakeem Olajuwon	Houston Rockets (1984–2001) Toronto Raptors (2001–2002)	C	26,946	13,748	3,058	2 (1994, 1995)	1 (1994)	2 (1994, 1995)	12	2008	[38]
Shaquille O'Neal	Orlando Magic (1992–1996) Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2004) Miami Heat (2004–2008) Phoenix Suns (2008–2009) Cleveland Cavaliers (2009–2010) Boston Celtics (2010–2011)	C	28,596	13,099	3,026	4 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006)	1 (2000)	3 (2000, 2001, 2002)	15	2016	[39]
Robert Parish	Golden State Warriors (1976–1980) Boston Celtics (1980–1994) Charlotte Hornets (1994–1996) Chicago Bulls (1996–1997)	C	23,334	14,715	2,180	4 (1981, 1984, 1986, 1997)	None	None	9	2003	[40]
Bob Pettit	Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965)	F	20,880	12,849	2,369	1 (1958)	2 (1956, 1959)	None	11	1971	[41]
Scottie Pippen	Chicago Bulls (1987–1998, 2003–2004) Houston Rockets (1999) Portland Trail Blazers (1999–2003)	F	18,940	7,494	6,135	6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)	None	None	7	2010	[42]
Willis Reed	New York Knicks (1964–1974)	C/F	12,183	8,414	1,186	2 (1970, 1973)	1 (1970)	2 (1970, 1973)	7	1982	[43]
Oscar Robertson	Cincinnati Royals (1960–1970) Milwaukee Bucks (1970–1974)	G	26,710	7,804	9,887	1 (1971)	1 (1964)	None	12	1980	[44]
David Robinson	San Antonio Spurs (1989–2003)	C	20,790	10,497	2,441	2 (1999, 2003)	1 (1995)	None	10	2009	[45]
Bill Russell	Boston Celtics (1956–1969)	C	14,522	21,620	4,100	11 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969)	5 (1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965)	None	12	1975	[46]
Dolph Schayes	Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers (1949–1964)	F	18,438	11,256	3,072	1 (1955)	None	None	12	1973	[47]
Bill Sharman	Washington Capitols (1950–1951) Boston Celtics (1951–1961)	G	12,665	2,779	2,101	4 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961)	None	None	8	1976	[48]
John Stockton	Utah Jazz (1984–2003)	G	19,711	4,051	15,806	None	None	None	10	2009	[49]
Isiah Thomas	Detroit Pistons (1981–1994)	G	18,822	3,478	9,061	2 (1989, 1990)	None	1 (1990)	12	2000	[50]
Nate Thurmond	San Francisco / Golden State Warriors (1963–1974) Chicago Bulls (1974–1975) Cleveland Cavaliers (1975–1977)	C	14,437	14,464	2,575	None	None	None	7	1985	[51]
Wes Unseld	Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets (1968–1981)	C	10,624	13,769	3,822	1 (1978)	1 (1969)	1 (1978)	5	1988	[52]
Bill Walton	Portland Trail Blazers (1974–1979) San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers (1979–1985) Boston Celtics (1985–1988)	C	6,215	4,923	1,590	2 (1977, 1986)	1 (1978)	1 (1977)	2	1993	[53]
Jerry West	Los Angeles Lakers (1960–1974)	G	25,192	5,366	6,238	1 (1972)	None	1 (1969)	14	1980	[54]
Lenny Wilkens	St. Louis Hawks (1960−1968) Seattle SuperSonics (1968–1972) Cleveland Cavaliers (1972–1974) Portland Trail Blazers (1974–1975)	G	17,772	5,030	7,211	None	None	None	9	1989	[55]
James Worthy	Los Angeles Lakers (1982–1994)	F	16,320	4,708	2,791	3 (1985, 1987, 1988)	None	1 (1988)	7	2003	[56]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who voted as a player, was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Larry Bird, who voted as a team representative, was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Bill Russell (left) and Wilt Chamberlain (center), who voted as players, were selected as two of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Michael Jordan was active at the time of the announcement of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Shaquille O'Neal was the last active member of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

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 former players (Bill Bradley, Johnny Kerr, and Bob Lanier) were not selected to the team.

Voters

*	Denotes voter who was selected to the 50 Greatest Players list
Voter category	As categorized by the NBA

Name	Voter category
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*	Player
Marv Albert	Media member
Al Attles	Team
Red Auerbach	Team
Elgin Baylor*	Team
Dave Bing*	Player
Larry Bird*	Team
Marty Blake	Team
Fran Blinebury	Media member
Bill Bradley	Player
Hubie Brown	Team
Wilt Chamberlain*	Player
Mitch Chortkoff	Media member
Bob Cousy*	Player
Billy Cunningham*	Team
Chuck Daly	Team
David DuPree	Media member
Wayne Embry	Team
Julius Erving*	Player
Joe Gilmartin	Media member
Sam Goldaper	Media member
Alex Hannum	Team
Lester Harrison	Team
John Havlicek*	Player
Chick Hearn	Media member
Red Holzman	Team
Phil Jasner	Media member
Magic Johnson*	Player
Johnny Kerr	Player
Leonard Koppett	Media member
Bob Lanier	Player
Frank Layden	Team
Leonard Lewin	Media member
Jack McCallum	Media member
Dick McGuire	Team
George Mikan*	Player
Bob Pettit*	Player
Harvey Pollack	Team
Jack Ramsay	Team
Willis Reed*	Team
Oscar Robertson*	Player
Bill Russell*	Player
Bob Ryan	Media member
Dolph Schayes*	Player
Bill Sharman*	Player
Gene Shue	Team
Isiah Thomas*	Team
Wes Unseld*	Team
Peter Vecsey	Media member
Jerry West*	Team

Top 10 Coaches in NBA History

Phil Jackson (left) and Red Auerbach (right) both made the 1996 list of the top ten 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. Six have since died: Red Holzman in 1998, Red Auerbach in 2006, Chuck Daly in 2009, Jack Ramsay in 2014, John Kundla in 2017, and Bill Fitch in 2022. 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.

Key

Italics

Denotes coach who was active in the NBA at the time of induction

Coach	Team(s) coached (years)[a]	Coaching record	Championships won as coach[b]	Coach of the Year award(s) won	Year of Basketball Hall of Fame induction	Ref.
Red Auerbach	Washington Capitols (1946–1949) Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1949–1950) Boston Celtics (1950–1966)	938–479 (.662)	9 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966)	1 (1965)	1969	[57]
Chuck Daly	Cleveland Cavaliers (1982) Detroit Pistons (1983–1992) New Jersey Nets (1992–1994) Orlando Magic (1997–1999)	638–437 (.593)	2 (1989, 1990)	None	1994	[58]
Bill Fitch	Cleveland Cavaliers (1970–1979) Boston Celtics (1979–1983) Houston Rockets (1983–1988) New Jersey Nets (1989–1992) Los Angeles Clippers (1994–1998)	944–1106 (.460)	1 (1981)	2 (1976, 1980)	2019	[59]
Red Holzman	Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks (1954–1956) New York Knicks (1967–1982)	696–604 (.535)	2 (1970, 1973)	1 (1970)	1986	[60]
Phil Jackson	Chicago Bulls (1989–1998) Los Angeles Lakers (1999–2004, 2005–2011)	1155–485 (.704)	11 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)	1 (1996)	2007	[61]
John Kundla	Minneapolis Lakers (1948–1959)	423–302 (.583)	5 (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954)	None	1995	[62]
Don Nelson	Milwaukee Bucks (1976–1987) Golden State Warriors (1988–1995, 2006–2010) New York Knicks (1995–1996) Dallas Mavericks (1997–2005)	1335–1063 (.557)	None	3 (1983, 1985, 1992)	2012	[63][64]
Jack Ramsay	Philadelphia 76ers (1968–1972) Buffalo Braves (1972–1976) Portland Trail Blazers (1976–1986) Indiana Pacers (1986–1988)	864–783 (.525)	1 (1977)	None	1992	[65]
Pat Riley	Los Angeles Lakers (1981–1990) New York Knicks (1991–1995) Miami Heat (1995–2003, 2005–2008)	1210–694 (.636)	5 (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006)	3 (1990, 1993, 1997)	2008	[66]
Lenny Wilkens	Seattle SuperSonics (1969–1972, 1977–1985) Portland Trail Blazers (1974–1976) Cleveland Cavaliers (1986–1993) Atlanta Hawks (1993–2000) Toronto Raptors (2000–2003) New York Knicks (2004–2005)	1332–1155 (.536)	1 (1979)	1 (1994)	1998	[67]

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 (29 franchises at the time of announcement) 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.^[68]

The Hall of Famers listed for each individual team are solely those inducted as players, and do not include those inducted in other roles. Players whose names are italicized were inducted after the announcement of the ten best teams.

Season	Team	Record	Roster and head coach	Players in the Hall of Fame	Players on the 50 Greatest Players list	Ref.
1964–65	Boston Celtics	62–18 (.775)	Ron Bonham, Mel Counts, John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, Willie Naulls, Bevo Nordmann, Bill Russell, Tom Sanders, Larry Siegfried, John Thompson, Gerry Ward, coach Red Auerbach[d]	5 (K. Jones, S. Jones, Heinsohn, Russell, Havlicek)[e]	3 (S. Jones, Russell, Havlicek)	[69]
1966–67	Philadelphia 76ers	68–13 (.840)	Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Costello, Billy Cunningham, Dave Gambee, Hal Greer, Matt Guokas, Luke Jackson, Wali Jones, Bill Melchionni, Chet Walker, Bob Weiss, coach Alex Hannum[d]	4 (Greer, Chamberlain, Cunningham, Walker)	3 (Greer, Chamberlain, Cunningham)	[70]
1969–70	New York Knicks	60–22 (.732)	Dick Barnett, Nate Bowman, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Walt Frazier, Bill Hosket, Don May, Willis Reed, Mike Riordan, Cazzie Russell, Dave Stallworth, John Warren, coach Red Holzman[d]	5 (Reed, Bradley, DeBusschere, Frazier, Barnett)	3 (Frazier, DeBusschere, Reed)	[71]
1971–72	Los Angeles Lakers	69–13 (.841)	Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Jim Cleamons, LeRoy Ellis, Keith Erickson, Gail Goodrich, Happy Hairston, Jim McMillian, Pat Riley, Flynn Robinson, John Trapp, Jerry West, coach Bill Sharman[d]	4 (Goodrich, West, Chamberlain, Baylor[f])	3 (West, Chamberlain, Baylor)	[72]
1982–83	Philadelphia 76ers	65–17 (.793)	J. J. Anderson, Maurice Cheeks, Earl Cureton, Franklin Edwards, Julius Erving, Marc Iavaroni, Clemon Johnson, Reggie Johnson, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, Mark McNamara, Clint Richardson, Russ Schoene, Andrew Toney, coach Billy Cunningham	4 (Erving, Malone, Cheeks, Jones)	2 (Erving, Malone)	[73]
1985–86	Boston Celtics	67–15 (.817)	Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Rick Carlisle, Dennis Johnson, Greg Kite, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Jerry Sichting, David Thirdkill, Sam Vincent, Bill Walton, Scott Wedman, Sly Williams, coach K. C. Jones	5 (McHale, Bird, Parish, Walton, Johnson)	4 (McHale, Bird, Parish, Walton)	[74]
1986–87	Los Angeles Lakers	65–17 (.793)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Adrian Branch, Frank Brickowski, Michael Cooper, A.C. Green, Magic Johnson, Wes Matthews, Kurt Rambis, Mike Smrek, Byron Scott, Billy Thompson, Mychal Thompson, James Worthy, coach Pat Riley[d]	4 (Cooper, Johnson, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar)	3 (Johnson, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar)	[75]
1988–89	Detroit Pistons	63–19 (.768)	Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley, Darryl Dawkins, Fennis Dembo, Joe Dumars, James Edwards, Steve Harris, Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, John Long, Rick Mahorn, Pace Mannion, Dennis Rodman, Jim Rowinski, John Salley, Isiah Thomas, Micheal Williams, coach Chuck Daly[d]	4 (Thomas, Dumars, Dantley, Rodman)	1 (Thomas)	[76]
1991–92	Chicago Bulls	67–15 (.817)	B. J. Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, Bob Hansen, Craig Hodges, Dennis Hopson, Michael Jordan, Stacey King, Cliff Levingston, Chuck Nevitt, John Paxson, Will Perdue, Scottie Pippen, Mark Randall, Rory Sparrow, Scott Williams, coach Phil Jackson[d]	2 (Jordan, Pippen)	2 (Jordan, Pippen)	[77]
1995–96	Chicago Bulls	72–10 (.878)	Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, James Edwards, Jack Haley, Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, Toni Kukoč, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Dickey Simpkins, Bill Wennington, coach Phil Jackson[d]	4 (Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Kukoč)	2 (Jordan, Pippen)	[78]

Notes

• ^a American Basketball Association (ABA) teams other than those admitted into the NBA in 1976 are not included; each year is linked to an article about that particular NBA season.
• ^b Each year is linked to an article about the NBA Finals in that year.
• ^d Inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as coach; Bill Sharman was inducted as both a player and a coach
• ^e A sixth player on this team, Sanders, was inducted into the Hall as a contributor in August 2011.^[79]
• ^f Having been injured in the second game, Baylor missed the remainder of the 1971–72 season. He retired at the beginning of the next season.^[80]

See also

• Sports portal
• Basketball portal

• ABA All-Time Team
• NBA anniversary teams

Notes

1. Three players were absent: Pete Maravich, who had died in 1988; Shaquille O'Neal, who was recovering from a knee injury; and Jerry West, who was scheduled to have surgery and could not fly.^[3]

References

General

• "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
• "Top 10 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
• "Top 10 Teams in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on May 2, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2009.

Specific

1. Jackson, James (October 22, 2021). "James Harden, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony among greats celebrating place on NBA's Top 75 list". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
2. "The NBA's 50 Greatest Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
3. Banks, Lacy (February 10, 1997). "Real dream team steals show". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 96.
4. Bembry, Jerry (October 29, 1996). "Unseld gets NBA top 50 tip Former Bullets great takes honor in stride". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
5. Aschburner, Steve (October 23, 2021). "How I voted players to NBA's 75th Anniversary Team". Sporting News. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
6. Aboy, Agustín (September 3, 2021). "NBA 75: Taking a trip down memory lane to revisit the NBA 50 years ago". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
7. "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
8. "Nate Archibald Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
9. "Paul Arizin Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
10. "Charles Barkley Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
11. "Rick Barry Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
12. "Elgin Baylor Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
13. "Dave Bing Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
14. "Larry Bird Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
15. "Wilt Chamberlain Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
16. "Bob Cousy Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
17. "Dave Cowens Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
18. "Billy Cunningham Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
19. "Dave DeBusschere Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
20. "Clyde Drexler Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
21. "Julius Erving Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
22. "Patrick Ewing Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
23. "Walt Frazier Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
24. "George Gervin Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
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External links

• NBA.com: The 50 Greatest Players page Archived November 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
• NBA.com: Top 10 Coaches page Archived October 23, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
• NBA.com: Top 10 Teams page Archived October 25, 2021, at the Wayback Machine