The Melo Backpedal

Now that the NBA Off-season is in full effect and activity is relatively slow, it’s seems like the appropriate time to release a few pieces that we’ve been working on that have little to do with the regular season, the playoffs, the draft, free agency, or training camp. This one is sure to cause some debate.

TMB presents the top white boys ever to play in the NBA, and yes, Bird stands alone at the top. This has nothing to do with college statistics or acolades, just professional. Be sure to comment if you take issue…

#15 – Billy Cunningham, 6’7” 210, Philadelphia 76ers (1965-72), Carolina Cougars (Carolina Cougars 1972-76)
NBA champion (1967)
4-time All-Star
3-time All-NBA First Team
1-time All-NBA Second Team
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1986 Hall of Fame inductee

Nicknamed the “The Kangaroo Kid” for his prodigious leaping ability, Cunningham became a playground regular, a gym rat, and a high school star, leading Erasmus Hall to the New York City Championship in 1961. After high school he accepted a scholarship to play for the University of North Carolina, and went on to become an All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection three times and a two-time All-American.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Cunningham in the first round of the 1965 NBA Draft. As a rookie in 1965-66, he pulled down 7.5 rebounds per game, scored 14.3 points per contest and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. As Cunningham was adjusting to the professional game, the 76ers were becoming a powerhouse. Midway through the previous season the club had acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the San Francisco Warriors, and in his first full campaign with the Sixers, he helped them to the Eastern Division title.

In 1966-67, the 76ers dominated the NBA. They annihilated the opposition all season long and finished with a 68-13 regular-season record. Then they took out Boston in the Eastern Division Finals in five games, and San Francisco in the NBA Finals in six. That Sixers team has since been hailed as the greatest ever assembled. It was so good that Cunningham, a future Hall of Fame selection, came off the bench. As a rebounder and jump shooter he averaged 18.5 points and 7.3 rebounds.

The following season Philadelphia won 62 games and Cunningham averaged 18.9 points per game and grabbed 7.6 rebounds per contest. In 1968-69, he scored 24.8 points per game and yanked down 12.8 rebounds per contest. His performance earned him the first of four consecutive All-Star appearances and the first of three successive berths on the All-NBA First Team.

In 1969-70, Cunningham averaged a career-best 26.1 points, fourth highest in the league. Cunningham again led the team in scoring in 1970-71, ranking ninth in the NBA with 23.0 points per game. After the 1971-72 season, Cunningham jumped from the NBA to the ABA to join the Carolina Cougars. His departure had a disastrous effect on the 76ers, who posted a 9-73 record in 1972-73, the worst mark in NBA history.
In 1974-75, Cunningham returned to the 76ers. Philadelphia fans showed surprisingly little bitterness toward Cunningham, who rewarded them with 19.5 points per game in 1974-75. Then his career ended abruptly on one play. In a contest only 20 games into the 1975-76 season, Cunningham had just snared a defensive rebound and was dribbling to the Sixers’ free-throw line when, as he later recounted, his knee “just exploded.” Cunningham would never play again.

Cunningham began his second basketball career on Nov. 4, 1977, when he was hired as head coach of the 76ers. He guided the 76ers for eight years, reaching the 200- and 300-victory levels faster than any coach before him. In those eight seasons, the team posted a 454-196 record, reached the NBA Finals three times and captured a championship in 1983.

Among his numerous career achievements, he was named to the 1966 NBA All-Rookie Team and three All-NBA First Teams. In 1972-73, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the American Basketball Association. His list of honors continued in 1986 when he was elected to the Hall of Fame, in 1990 when he was one of the 10 initial inductees to the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and in 1996, he was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

#14 – Bill Walton, 6’11” 235, Portland Trailblazers (1974-79), San Diego Clippers (1979-85), Boston Celtics (1985-87)
1978 NBA MVP
2-time NBA Champion
4-time All-Star
1977 Finals MVP
1986 NBA Sixth Man of the Year
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)

“The Big Redhead” dominated the collegiate ranks while starring for legandary coach John Wooden at UCLA from 1971 to 1974. During his time at UCLA, his teams won the national title in 1972 and in 1973, during which he made an impressive 21 of 22 field goal attempts and scored 44 points in the title game. Some regard this as the greatest ever offensive performance in American college basketball history. He was the backbone of two consecutive 30-0 seasons and was also part of UCLA’s NCAA record 88 game winning streak.

Walton was the 1973 recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. He also received the USBWA College Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year as the top college basketball player in the country three years in a row, at the same time earning Academic All-American honors three times. Some college basketball historians rate Walton as the greatest who ever played the game at the college level.

In 1974, Walton was drafted number one overall by the Portland Trail Blazers and was hailed as the savior of the franchise. However, it was not until the 1976-77 season that he was fully healthy, and the Trail Blazers became the Cinderella team of the NBA.

Walton led the NBA in both rebounds per game and blocked shots per game in 1976-77, and was selected to the NBA All-Star Game. He was named to the NBA’s First-All Defensive Team and the All-NBA Second Team for his regular season accomplishments. In the post-season, Walton led Portland to a 4-0 sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals, and went on to help the Trail Blazers to the NBA title in 1977 over the favored Philadelphia 76ers. Walton was named the Finals MVP.

The following year, the Blazers won 50 of their first 60 games before Walton suffered a broken foot in what turned out to be the first in a string of foot and ankle injuries that cut short his career. He was nonetheless named the league MVP that season. He played in the All-Star Game in 1978, and was named to both the NBA’s First-All Defensive Team and the All-NBA First Team.

Walton spent several seasons alternating between the court and the disabled list with both Portland and his hometown San Diego Clippers. After the 1984-85 campaign Walton went shopping. He called on two of the league’s premier teams, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. After several Celtics said they liked the idea of having Walton as a teammate backing up workhorses Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, Red Auerbach made the deal happen. In Boston, he once again had the chance to play for a world champion, and his childhood hopes of playing for the Celtics were realized. Providing a reliable backup to Bird’s fellow front-liners Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, Walton would receive the NBA Sixth Man Award that season, becoming the only player to have ever won both the Sixth Man Award and MVP.

#13 – Dave DeBusschere, 6’6” 235, Detroit Pistons (1962-68), New York Knicks (1968-74)
2-time NBA champion
6-time All-Defensive First Team
1963 All-Rookie team
8-time NBA All-Star
1-time All-NBA Second Team
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1983 Hall of Fame inductee

“Big D” was a smart, hard-nosed, tenacious forward, and one of the game’s all-time best defenders. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in each of the award’s first six years of existence. DeBusschere was average in size at 6-6 and 225 pounds, but he possessed a work ethic that was second to none. During his 12-year NBA career he represented the epitome of the blue-collar basketball star.

“There’s not one other guy in this league who gives the 100 percent DeBusschere does, every night, every game of the season, at both ends of the court,” Bill Bridges of the Atlanta Hawks once said.

Highly recruited out of high school, DeBusschere decided to stay in his hometown and attend the University of Detroit. There he played baseball and basketball, and averaged 24.8 points for a Detroit team that went to the NCAA Tournament one year and the National Invitation Tournament twice.
Upon graduation in 1962, DeBusschere decided to try his hand at both sports. He signed with the Chicago White Sox and his hometown Detroit Pistons. He played professional baseball for four seasons. Meanwhile, his NBA career got off to an auspicious start. During the 1962-63 season he averaged 12.7 points and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team. Although he battled for many of his points under the basket, he also proved that he could score with a good, if inconsistent, long-range shot. He handled the ball well for a big man, and occasionally the Pistons used him at guard.

In November, Pistons owner Fred Zollner made a dramatic move — he appointed DeBusschere player-coach. At age 24, DeBusschere became the youngest coach in NBA history. It was speculated that DeBusschere had been given coaching duties to entice him away from baseball. If so, the stratagem worked. Although he played one more season of minor-league baseball, DeBusschere ended his dual-sport career shortly after.

He was later traded to the Knicks where his chief role was to collect key rebounds and shut down the opposing team’s best forward. A defensive catalyst, DeBusschere put his coaching experience to good use for New York, leading a smart, cagey Knicks unit that sacrificed individual achievements for team goals.

During that 1969-70 season, DeBusschere and his teammates roared through the league to a 60-22 record. During the playoffs they shut down the Baltimore Bullets in seven games, then blew past the Milwaukee Bucks and Lew Alcindor in five games to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
DeBusschere distinguished himself with stellar defense and reliable offense right up to his retirement at the end of the 1973-74 season. He was the top rebounder and second-leading scorer for the 1972-73 Knicks, who again won a championship. That year he scored 16.3 points per game and made key contributions in a dramatic playoff win in the conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. With the series knotted at three games apiece, New York traveled to Boston to face the Celtics, who were minus an injured John Havlicek. The Knicks rolled over the feisty Celtics as DeBusschere’s defense thwarted Boston center and NBA MVP Dave Cowens.

DeBusschere was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983, and was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.

#12 – Pete Maravich – 6’5” 195, Atlanta Hawks (1970-74), New Orleans/Utah Jazz (1974-79), Boston Celtics (1979-80)
2-time All-NBA First Team selection
2-time All-NBA Second Team selection
7-time NBA All-Star selection
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1987 Hall of Fame inductee

Also known as “Pistol Pete”, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University and for three NBA teams. He’s still the all-time leading NCAA scorer, averaging a staggering 44.2 points per game, without the benefit of a three-point line.

known for his dazzling ballhandling, incredible shooting abilities, and creative passing, he learned at a very young age fundamental basketball and ball handling drills from his father coach Press Maravich, who later became his coach at LSU.

Noted for his mop of brown hair and droopy socks , Maravich set 11 NCAA and 34 Southeastern Conference records, as well as every LSU record in points scored, scoring average, field goals attempted and made, and free throws attempted and made, and assists.

After graduating from LSU in 1970, Maravich was the third selection in the first round of the NBA draft and made league history when he signed a $1.6 and 2 million contract — one of the highest salaries at the time — with the Atlanta Hawks. He wasted little time becoming a prime time player by averaging 23.2 points per game his rookie season. After spending four seasons in Atlanta, Maravich was traded to the New Orleans Jazz for 6 players, where he peaked as an NBA showman and superstar.

He made the All-NBA First Team in 1976 and 1977 and the All-NBA Second Team in 1973 and 1978. He led the NBA in scoring in 1976-1977 with 31.1 points per game. Prior to the 1979-80 season, Maravich moved with the team to Utah. He was waived by the Jazz on January 18, 1980 and was quickly picked up by the Boston Celtics where he played the rest of the season alongside Larry Bird. Maravich retired in the fall of 1980.

In ten NBA seasons, Maravich, a seven time NBA All-Star, scored 19,948 points in 658 games for a 24.2 points per game average (15th All Time). He led the league in scoring with 31.1 points per game in 1976-1977. His NBA single game high, a 68-point explosion, came against the New York Knicks on February 25, 1977.

Maravich was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in May 1987. He is the youngest player ever to be inducted. In 1996, he was named one of the 50 greatest NBA players in history by a panel made up of NBA historians, former players, and coaches. He was the only deceased player on the list.

#11 – Dave Cowens, 6’9” 230, Boston Celtics (1970-81), Milwaukee Bucks (1981-82)
2-time NBA champion
1973 NBA MVP
1-time All-Defensive First Team
2-time All-Defensive Second Team
1971 NBA co-Rookie of the Year
7-time All-Star (1973 All-Star Game MVP)
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1990 Hall of Fame inductee

Following a solid career at Newport Catholic High School in Newport, Kentucky, Cowens was recruited by smaller Conferences, but he was not actively pursued by the University of Kentucky. Feeling snubbed, Cowens went against the advice of his father, who wanted him to stay in Kentucky, and chose Florida State University, a school not known for producing NBA-level talent.

During his collegiate career, Cowens was a rebounding machine, pulling down 1,340 boards during his three varsity seasons in Tallahassee. He also scored 19.0 points per game and shot .519 from the floor. In addition, Cowens ran the court, meshing perfectly with the Seminoles’ fast-breaking offense and helping the team improve from 11-15 to 18-8 to 23-3 during Cowens’ senior year.

Celtics General Manager Red Auerbach realized that he needed someone to at least attempt to fill the shoes of Bill Russell, whose retirement after the 1968-69 championship season left the Celtics a team that could only muster 34 wins the following year, so Boston made Cowens the fourth overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft.

As a rookie, Cowens averaged 17.0 points and 15.4 rebounds, the most ever by a first-year Celtics player besides Bill Russell. His achievements earned him a share of the NBA Rookie of the Year honors, with Geoff Petrie of the Portland Trail Blazers. The Celtics improved to 44-38, and Cowens quickly won accolades for his hustle, mobility, tenacity and unselfish approach to the game.

Cowens ran baseline to baseline, set picks, made heady passes, blocked seemingly unblockable shots, dived into the crowd after loose balls, muscled through the paint for tip-ins, and generally made himself a nuisance to Celtics opponents. He showed tenacity and work ethic as a mainstay of the Boston Celtics in the 1970s, helping the team to NBA Championships in 1974 and 1976.

Playing in the era of Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Wilt “the Stilt” Chamberlain, and “Pistol Pete” Maravich, Cowens didn’t possess the flash and glitz of those high-profile superstars. Instead, it was Cowens’ consistency, work ethic, unselfishness, versatility and energy that established him as one of the most solid and respected players of his era.

Of his 11 years in the league, all but one was spent with the Boston Celtics. An unlikely hero in a sport dominated by men of greater size and natural ability, the red-haired lefthander relied on hustle and heart to achieve NBA greatness. His determination helped to resurrect a Celtics dynasty presumed dead after the departure of legend Bill Russell. Cowens ultimately joined his venerated predecessor in the Hall of Fame, a feat he never dreamed of achieving.

While Cowens’ name doesn’t appear near the top of career statistical charts, those who recognized his skills and what they meant to the game elected him to the Hall of Fame in 1991.

#10 – Steve Nash, 6’3” 195, Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-Present)
2-Time NBA MVP
5-time All-Star
4-time All-NBA First Team
1-time All-NBA Second Team
2-time All-NBA Third Team

Following an outstanding high school basketball career in Canada, Nash received little attention from US College recruiters. During his senior season, he averaged nearly a triple-double per game—more than 21 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds—and led his team to the British Columbia AAA provincial championship title, and was named the province’s player of the year.

Nash was eventually awarded a scholarship by Santa Clara, and as a freshman, he helped lead the Broncos to West Coast Conference title and an upset win over No. 2 seeded Arizona Wildcats in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament.

Following his senior year at Santa Clara, he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft, but his impact in his first two years was minimal. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998, and by his third season with the Mavericks, he had established himself as one of the top point guards in the league. In 2001, he was voted into his first All-Star game and earned his first All-NBA selection. Together with Dirk Nowitzki, Nash brought the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals the following season, which was the biggest achievement in the Mavericks’ franchise history.

In the 2001-02 season, Nash posted career-highs in points and assists and earned a spot in the NBA All-Star Game and on the All-NBA Third Team. Nash closely replicated his previous season’s performance in 2002-03, again earning All-Star and All-NBA Third Team honors. Nowitzki and Nash led the Mavericks from an incredible 14-game winning streak to open the season all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs in six games.

Nash became a free agent after the 2003-04 NBA season and signed a lucrative contract with the team that drafted him, the Phoenix Suns. He was instrumental in dramatically transforming the fortunes of the Suns, leading them to an NBA-best 62-20 win-loss record as well as into the Western Conference Finals. For his efforts, he was named the league MVP. He became the first Canadian and the second foreign-born player to earn the honor. Nash is just the third point guard ever to be named MVP — along with Magic Johnson and Bob Cousy — and only the sixth guard. Nash became the first white player to win the award since Larry Bird in 1986. Nash is also the lowest drafted player to win the award.

In 2006, Nash won the MVP award for the second year in a row. Nash is only the second point guard, along with Magic Johnson, to win the MVP award multiple times. Nash joined eight other NBA players with back-to-back MVP awards. On May 11, 2006, ESPN.com rated Nash as the 9th greatest point guard in NBA history. During the 2006 playoffs, Nash tied Magic Johnson and Doc Rivers for the most assists in a half in a playoff game with 15.

#9 – Rick Barry, 6’7” 220, San Francisco Warriors (1965-67) Oakland Oaks/Washington Capitols (1967-69), New York Nets (1970-1971), Golden State Warriors (1972-1977), Houston Rockets (1978-1979)
NBA champion (1975)
NBA Finals MVP (1975)
4-time All-NBA First Team
1-time All-NBA Second Team
1966 NBA Rookie of the Year
8-time NBA All-Star (1967 All-Star Game MVP)
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1987 Hall of Fame inductee

Nicknamed the “Greyhound” because of his slender physical build and remarkable quickness and instincts. During the his senior season at Miami in 1964-65, he was the NCAA Division I scoring champion with 37.4 points per game.

As an NBA rookie, with the San Francisco Warriors, he made the All-Star Team and was named NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 25.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Barry was a nearly unstoppable offensive juggernaut, a passionate competitor with a desire to win.

In his only second year, Barry scored a career-high 2,775 points and led the league in scoring with an average of 35.6 points. That year he also won the NBA All-Star Game MVP award with a 38 point outburst. Barry helped take the San Francisco Warriors to the NBA Finals that same season, where they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. Including a 55-point outburst in Game 3, Barry averaged 40.8 points per game in the series, an NBA Finals record at the time. At season’s end, Barry earned a second consecutive selection to the All-NBA First Team.

Upset that he was not compensaded like he believed he should be, Barry jumped to the ABA’s Oakland Oaks. His league jumping was perceived by fans as being driven by greed, even though other players were also taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the upstart ABA. Barry made an immediate impact in the ABA, leading the Oaks to the Championship in 1969 and finishing second for the ABA Most Valuable Player Award. Although a knee injury limited him to 35 games, Barry averaged 34 points per game to become the first player to win scoring titles in both leagues.

Before the 1969-70 season, the Oakland team announced plans to move to Washington and change its name to the Capitols. After one season in Washington, the Caps moved again, to become the Virginia Squires. Barry made some comments to sportswriters about Virginians, saying “I don’t want my sons coming home saying ‘Howdy, y’all”, and he was soon dealt to the New York Nets. He averaged 29.4 and 31.5 points in two seasons with the Nets.

Upon his return to the NBA, with the Golden State Warriors in 1972, he was a different, but better player. In 1975, he led a bunch of young Warriors no-names to an epic four-game sweep of the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals, and was later named Finals MVP. Decades later, the series remains one of the the greatest upsets in basketball history. He averaged 30.6 points per game, led the league in both free throw percentage and steals per game and ranked sixth in the NBA in assists.

He played seven seasons with the Warriors, they made the playoffs four times, and he nabbed three consecutive All-NBA First Team selections, to go with the two honors he had won in 1966 and 1967.

He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be the greatest pure small forward in history as a result of his lethal shot, uncanny court vision, knowledge of the game, tenacious spirit, and highly accurate style of underhand free throw shooting, often called the “Granny Shot”. Barry is the only player ever to lead the NCAA, NBA, and ABA in scoring. His name appears near the top of every all-time offensive list. He scored more than 25,000 points in his professional career.

When he left the game, Barry was sixth on the NBA-ABA all-time scoring list with 25,279 points. And although his defense was sometimes criticized for being less than intense, his 1,104 career steals ranked 10th. He was a deadly free-throw shooter, using an odd, outdated underhand style. In one season, 1978-79, he missed only 9 free-throw attempts.

#8 – Kevin McHale, 6’10” 230, Boston Celtics (1981-93)
3-time NBA Champion
7-Time All-Star
2-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award (1984 and 1985)
3-time All-NBA First Team selection
3-time All-NBA Second Team selection
NBA 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1999 Hall of Fame inductee

If ever there were a player who possessed the ideal physique for the game of basketball, it was Kevin McHale. He used his physical gifts to excellent advantage during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics, becoming one of the best inside players the game has ever seen and forming, with Larry Bird and Robert Parish, one of the greatest front lines in NBA history, known as the original ” Big Three”.

McHale’s stay in Boston got off to a rocky start as he held out for a large contract, even threatening to play in Italy, before signing a three-year deal with the Celtics. Backing up Bird and Cedric Maxwell at forward McHale made an immediate impact and was named to the All-Rookie First Team as Boston finished with the NBA’s best record.

Possessing a wide variety of offensive moves close to the basket, the agile, long-armed McHale played in seven NBA All-Star Games between 1984 and 1991 and lead the NBA in field goal percentage in 1987 and 1988, shooting 60.4 percent each season. Also a standout defensive player, McHale was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First or Second Team six times and twice blocked nine shots in a game, the most ever by a Boston Celtics’ player.
McHale won the first of his consecutive NBA Sixth Man Awards as Boston won a league-best 62 games in the 1983–84 season. On March 3 versus the Detroit Pistons McHale had his greatest scoring night with 56 points. Two nights later McHale scored 42 points against the Knicks, the only other time in his career he topped 40 points in a game. The 98 points in consecutive games is still a Celtics’ record.

The team set an NBA record by finishing with an 82–18 win-loss record (including playoffs), breaking the record of 81 victories by the 1971–72 Lakers. Boston also set the NBA mark for most home victories in one season, finishing 50–1 (including playoffs) in 48 games in the Boston Garden and three games in Hartford, Connecticut.

McHale would eventually help lead the Celtics to five NBA Finals appearances and three NBA Championships (1981, 1984, and 1986) during his career.
McHale’s number 32 jersey was retired by the Celtics on January 30, 1994, during a halftime ceremony at the Boston Garden.He was chosen one of the NBA’s fifty greatest players and was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996. McHale was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

#7 – Bob Cousy, 6’1” 175, Boston Celtics (1950-63), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70)
9-time All-NBA First Team selection
2-time All-NBA Second Team selection
1958 NBA MVP
13-time NBA All-Star selection (1954 and 1957 All-Star Game MVP)
6-time NBA Champion
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1971 Hall of Fame inductee

“Houdini of the Hardwood,” Cousy played point guard for the Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1963 and briefly for the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969-1970 season, being recognized as one of the greatest to ever play his position in the history of the game.

Cousy was drafted in 1950 by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, immediately traded to the Chicago Stags, then drawn by the Celtics in a dispersal draft of the Stags franchise. In the NBA, he led his team to six championships, including the 1957 one and five consecutive titles, from 1959 to 1963, after which he retired. The five consecutive titles towards the end of his career were part of a Celtics’ streak of eight consecutive championships.

Cousy is the Celtics’ all-time leader in assists with 6,955. He led the NBA in assists from 1953 to 1960 including a career high 9.5 per game in 1960. He also scored 16,960 points, and participated in the NBA All-Star game thirteen consecutive times, picking up the All-Star Game MVP award at that game in 1954 and 1957. He was named the league’s MVP in the 1957-58 season, was named to the All-NBA First Team from 1952 to 1961, and an All-NBA Second Team selection in 1962 and 1963. Cousy still owns the following two NBA records: most assists in one half (19 in a February 27, 1959 game against the Minneapolis Lakers) and most free throws in an NBA playoff game (or in any NBA game, for that matter) when he made 30 out of 32 free throw attempts on March 21, 1953 against Syracuse.

Cousy originally retired after the Celtics’ 1962-63 season, but returned seven years later and played seven games for the Cincinnati Royals, now the Sacramento Kings. He then coached the Royals from 1969 to 1974, but was never able to help the team improve their record above 36-46. During the 1973-74 NBA season, the Royals’ second in Kansas City, Missouri, he was replaced after the team’s 6-16 start.

His number 14 was retired by the Boston Celtics and ESPN chose him at number 94 of the 20th century sports century 100 greatest athletes.

#6 – John Havlicek, 6’5” 205, Boston Celtics (1962-197
8-time NBA champion
1974 NBA Finals MVP
4-time All-NBA First Team
7-time All-NBA Second Team
5-time All-Defensive First Team
3-time All-Defensive Second Team
13-time All-Star
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1984 Hall of Fame inductee

Even though “Hondo” Havlicek is considered one of the best players in NBA history, he was mostly overlooked as a college player playing on the same team as Jerry Lucas at Ohio State University. That team, which also had future coaching legend Bobby Knight as a reserve, won the 1960 NCAA title.

Havlicek was drafted by both the Celtics and the NFL’s Cleveland Browns in 1962. After competing briefly as a wide receiver in the Browns’ training camp that year, he focused his energies on playing for the Celtics, with head coach Red Auerbach later describing him as the “guts of the team”. He was also known for his stamina, with competitors saying that it was a challenge just to keep up with him.

The 6-5 Boston Celtics star was a perpetual-motion machine, a human dynamo who was legendary for wearing out opponents with his relentless baseline-to-baseline efforts. A star at both forward and guard, Havlicek’s versatility made him the finest all-around player in the history of the NBA, according to Sports Illustrated.

A key member of two generations of Celtics, Havlicek provided the spark off the bench during the Celtics’ dynasty years of the 1960’s. During the 1970’s he was the trusted veteran who captained youthful teams to championships in 1974 and 1976.

Known for clutch performances in big games, Havlicek posted impressive numbers during his illustrious career. In 1,270 regular-season games he scored 26,395 points and averaged 20.8 points. He also grabbed 8,007 rebounds, recorded, and 6,114 assists. He appeared in 13 consecutive NBA All-Star Games, earned 11 selections to the All-NBA First or Second Team and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First or Second Team eight different times.

He is the Celtics all-time leader in points and games played, scoring 26,395 points (20.8 points per game, 6th all-time in points scored in the NBA), and playing in 1,270 games (4th all-time). He became the first player to score 1,000 points in 16 consecutive seasons, with his best season coming during the 1970-71 NBA season when he averaged 28.9 points per game.

Havlicek played in the NBA for 16 seasons, all with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles. Only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones won more championship rings during their playing careers. He is considered one of the best players in NBA history, especially on defense, and was inducted as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984. He retired in 1978 and his number 17 jersey was immediately retired at the Boston Garden. Havlicek was ranked #15 on SLAM Magazine’s Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.

#5 – Bob Pettit, 6’9” 235, Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954-65)
NBA Champion (195
11-time All-Star
2–Time NBA MVP (1956, ‘59)
10–time All-NBA First Team (1955-64)
All-NBA second team (1965)
1955 Rookie of the Year
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1970 Hall of Fame inductee

Pettit’s basketball career had humble beginnings. At Baton Rouge High School, he was cut from the varsity basketball team as both a freshman and sophomore. His father pushed him to practice in the backyard until he improved his skills. It worked: Pettit became a starter as a junior, and led Baton Rouge High to the State Championship during his senior year.

After high school, Pettit accepted a scholarship to play at Louisiana State University. He led the SEC in scoring for three consecutive seasons, averaging 25.5 points per game. He also averaged 13.1 rebounds per game. In 1954, while he was still in school, his number 50 was retired at LSU. He was the first Tiger athlete in any sport to receive this distinction.

In 1954, the Milwaukee Hawks selected Pettit in the first round of the NBA Draft. Many were skeptical about Pettit making the transition from college to the rough-and-tumble NBA. However, the scouts failed to factor in his willingness to work harder than anyone else on the court in order to succeed. In 1955 he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 20.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. After this season, the Hawks moved to St. Louis.

In his second season, Pettit won his first scoring title with a 25.7 average, and led the league in rebounding (1164 for a 16.2 average). He was also named MVP of the NBA All-Star Game after scoring 20 points with 24 rebounds; he would win subsequent MVP All-Star Game honors in 1958, 1959, and 1962. He also won his first of two NBA regular season MVP awards.

In 1958, Pettit led the Hawks to an NBA Championship, defeating the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. He put an exclamation point on the Hawks’ 110-109 game 6 victory by scoring a then-playoff record of 50 points. Both teams would also meet in the 1957, 1960 and 1961 Finals, with Boston winning each time.

Pettit’s league leading scoring average of 29.2 points per game in the 1958-59 season was an NBA record at the time, that season he was also named NBA MVP. In the 1960-61 season, Pettit pulled down 20.3 rebounds per game, making him one of only five players to ever break the 20 rpg barrier. In the following season, he scored a career best 31.1 points per game.

Pettit was an NBA All-Star in each of his 11 seasons, was named to the All-NBA First Team ten times, and was name to the All-NBA Second Team once. Pettit still holds the top two NBA All-Star Game rebounding performances with 26 in 1958 and 27 in 1962, and has the second highest All-Star Game points per game average with 20.4 (behind only Oscar Robertson). Pettit averaged at least 20 points per game and at least 12 rebounds per game in each of his 11 NBA seasons.

He retired as the greatest forward of his era. He never finished below seventh in the NBA scoring race, and he left with two Most Valuable Player Awards and an NBA championship ring. When he ended his career in 1965, he was the first NBA player to eclipse the 20,000 points mark (20,880 for a 26.4 average). His 12,849 rebounds were second most in league history at the time he retired, and his 16.2 rebounds per game career average remains third only to Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. In 1971, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

#4 – George Mikan, 6’10” 245, Chicago American Gears, Minneapolis Lakers (1946-1956)
7 NBL, BAA and NBA championships
Member of the first four NBA All-Star Teams (1953 All-Star Game MVP)
Greatest Player of the First Half-Century (1950)
NBA 50 Greatest Players (1996)
1959 Hall of Fame inductee

Nicknamed “Mr. Basketball”, Mikan played for the Chicago American Gears of the National basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Invariably playing with thick, round spectacles, Mikan is seen as one of the pioneers of professional basketball. He was the original center, who scored 11,764 points, an average of 22.6 per game, retired as the all-time leading scorer and averaged 13.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 520 NBL, BAA and NBA games.

In the 1947-48 NBL season, Mikan donned his trademark number 99 Minneapolis Lakers jersey. Powered by his strong play, the Lakers dominated the Western Division. They charged through the playoffs and defeated the Rochester Royals 3-1 in the 1948 NBL Finals. In that series, Mikan averaged an impressive 27.5 points per game.

On December 14, 1949, the Lakers visited Madison Square Garden to play against the New York Knicks. On that day, the marquee of the Garden advertised the game with “GEORGE MIKAN VS KNICKS”. So when Mikan walked into the locker room before the game, he was surprised to see his teammates still sitting in their street clothes, joking: “They’re advertising you’re playing against the Knicks, so go play them. We’ll wait here.”
The Lakers stormed all the way to the 1949 BAA Finals, where Mikan’s team played against the Washington Capitols, coached by Red Auerbach. The Lakers quickly took a 3-0 edge, but then, Mikan broke his wrist in Game 4. The Capitols escaped with the win, and also won Game 5, despite Mikan scoring 22 points with his hand in a cast. However, in Game 6, the Lakers convincingly won 77-56 and won the BAA championship. In that playoffs series, Mikan averaged 30.3 points per game, despite playing half the series with a broken hand.

After that season, the BAA and NBL merged to form the NBA. The new league started the inaugural 1949-50 NBA season with 17 teams. Mikan again was dominant, averaging 27.4 points per game and 2.9 assists per game and taking another scoring title. Mikan’s team played the 1950 NBA Finals against the Syracuse Nationals. In Game 6, the Lakers won 110-95 and won the first-ever NBA championship.

Under his leadership, the Lakers won another NBA title in the 1954 NBA Finals, making it their fifth title in six years; the only time they lost had been when Mikan fractured his leg. From an NBA perspective, the Minneapolis Lakers dynasty has only been convincingly surpassed by the great eleven-title Boston Celtics dynasty of 1957-69.

After the season, Mikan stunned the sports world when he announced his retirement. Mikan was inducted into the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame class of 1959 and was declared the greatest player of the first half of the century by the The Associated Press, and was elected one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1996. Since April 2001, a statue of Mikan shooting his trademark hook shot graces the entrance of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Target Center.

#3 – John Stockton, 6’1” 175, Utah Jazz (1984-2003)
2-time All-NBA First Team selection
6-time All-NBA Second Team selection
3-time All-NBA Third Team selection
5-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection
10-time NBA All-Star selection (1993 NBA All-Star Game MVP)
2-time Olympic gold medalist (1992 and 1996)
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)

“Stock” was known for his unassuming, no-nonsense approach to the game, hard-nosed defense, and fanatical work-ethic, which resulted in his extreme durability. He played 1,504 of 1,526 possible games in his 19-season career. In his first 13 seasons, he missed only four games until he missed the first 18 games of the 1997-98 season due to an injured MCL in his left knee sustained in the preseason. That was the only major injury in his career and he never missed another game after returning.

Stockton, a 10-time NBA All-Star commandingly holds the NBA record for career assists with 15,806 (10.5 per game), and had 5,483 more career assists than Mark Jackson, who is second all-time. He had five of the top six assists seasons in NBA history. To put this tremendous margin in context, only 33 (including Stockton and Jackson) players in NBA history have recorded more than 5,483 assists in their entire careers. As a point of comparison, he played in 34 games where he tallied 20 or more assists. He also holds the record for assists-per-game average over one season (14.5 in 1990), and is one of three players who have logged more than 1,000 assists in one season. Stockton did this seven times during his career.

On defense, Stockton holds the NBA record for career steals with 3,265, nearly 30 percent more than second placed Michael Jordan, who had 2,514. Similar to his career-long partner Karl Malone, Stockton was considered a “dirty” defender by some, but he was certainly effective, earning five NBA All-Defensive Second Team nominations.

He appeared in 10 All-Star games, and was named co-MVP of the game in 1993 with Jazz teammate Karl Malone. He played with the 1992 and 1996 US Olympic basketball teams, known as Dream Team I and II. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team twice, the All-NBA Second Team six times, the All-NBA Third Team three times, and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team five times. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996.

Stockton’s career highlight came in Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals, in which he hit the winning 3-point shot over Houston’s Charles Barkley to send the Jazz to its first NBA Finals. The Jazz also played in the 1998 NBA finals but have not reached the Western Conference Finals since. Barkley later said that Stockton was one of the “top five” players he ever played with or against.

He and Karl Malone are regarded as the quintessential pick and roll duo. Apart from his passing skill, Stockton was also known for being a capable scorer (13.1 points per game career average, with a .515 shooting percentage) with a reliable three-point shot (.384 lifetime average). He is 30th on the all-time NBA scoring list with 19,711 career points.

On May 2, 2003, Stockton announced his retirement. The Jazz later held a retirement ceremony for him, in which Salt Lake City renamed the street in front of Energy Solutions Arena, where the Jazz play, “John Stockton Drive.” His number-12 jersey was retired by the Jazz during a game on November 22, 2004. A statue of Stockton can be seen in front of the Energy Solutions Arena; an accompanying statue of Karl Malone was placed nearby on March 23, 2006.

#2 – Jerry West, 6’3” 180, Los Angeles Lakers (1960-1974)
10-time All-NBA First Team (1962-67, 1970-73)
13-time All-Star selection (1961-73)
1969 NBA Finals MVP (1972 All-Star Game MVP)
1979 Hall of Fame inductee
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)

His nicknames included “Mr. Clutch,” for his skill and ability to make a shot in a clutch situation, “Zeke from Cabin Creek,” given to him by teammate Elgin Baylor, and “The Logo”, referring to the official NBA logo featuring his silhouette.

Drafted in the NBA, West spent his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although he was teamed with Hall-of-Fame scorer Elgin Baylor for most of his career, West still averaged more than 30 points per game in four different seasons and led the league in scoring during the 1969-70 season. An excellent playmaker, West also led the league in assists per game during the 1971-72 season. Although steals weren’t recorded by the NBA until West’s final season, at age 35 West became the first player in the league to ever record 10 steals in a single game — still the Lakers franchise record.

Heralded as one of the most legendary clutch shooters in the NBA’s history, West averaged 29.1 points per game in 153 playoff games, including 40.6 in 11 playoff games in 1965, and sank one of the most famous shots in NBA history: a 60-footer with no time remaining to send Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks into overtime (the shot was only worth two points since the NBA did not have three-point field goals at this time), a game the Lakers ultimately lost.

West played in nine NBA Finals, but finished his career with only one championship, won in the 1971-72 season, the year the Lakers established a modern North American professional sports record of 33 straight wins. He retired two years later, after leading the Lakers to yet another Pacific Division title in the 1973-74 season — this, in spite of the loss of legendary center Wilt Chamberlain to retirement. As a testimony to West’s on-court leadership and presence, the Lakers fell to the Pacific Division cellar the year after he retired, posting a 30-52 record.

When he retired, West had scored 25,192 points, averaged 27.0 points per game. During his career, West was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team four times (the NBA All-Defensive Team did not exist until West’s ninth season), to the All-NBA First Team 10 times, and played in the All-Star Game 13 times. West is still the only player ever to be named NBA Finals MVP when on a losing team. He accomplished this in the 1969 NBA Finals against Boston, the first year the award was given. In 1980 he was named to the NBA’s 35th Anniversary All-Time Team and in 1996 was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980, and his dribbling silhouette has long been used as the NBA’s official logo. He also played for, and co-captained with Oscar Robertson, the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team in Rome. He is still considered one of the best players never to win an MVP award.

#1 – Larry Bird, 6’9” 225, Boston Celtics (1979-92)
3-time NBA MVP
3-time NBA Champion
2-time NBA Finals MVP
12-time All-Star (1982 All-Star Game MVP)
1980 NBA Rookie of the Year
1992 Olympic gold medalist
1998 Hall of Fame inductee
NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (1996)

Nicknamed “Larry Legend” and “The Hick from French Lick”, Bird is not only considered the greatest white guy to ever play in the NBA, but he’s widely considered one of the five greatest players to ever play, and one of the best clutch performers in the history of sports.

Bird was a member of the original Dream Team, was voted to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.

Statistics aside, Bird was perhaps best known as a fierce competitor and outstanding team leader. His former teammates frequently said that he elevated their level of play through his selflessness and leadership.

Bird’s competitive nature often emerged in nearly constant trash-talking on the court. One example is on a night in 1984 versus Philadelphia where he was outscoring Julius Erving by a margin of 42–6, he continuously informed Erving of their tallies every chance he got, which resulted in first a shoving match, then swings taken by both players and culminated in a bench-clearing brawl.

During the three-point shooting contest on All-Star Weekend 1986, Bird entered the locker room, looked around without saying a word, then finally said “I’m just looking around to see who’s gonna finish second.” He indeed won the contest without even so much as taking off his warm-ups.

On February 18, 1985, Bird registered a triple double (30 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) in only three quarters of play against the Utah Jazz. Despite being only one steal shy of recording a quadruple-double, Bird sat out the fourth quarter.

On April 1, 1987, Bird registered a triple double (17 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) by halftime against the Washington Bullets. He would finish the game with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 15 assists prompting then-Bullets coach Kevin Loughery to say “He’s playing in his own league. Maybe it’s a league other guys can’t get to.”

In Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Boston trailing the Pistons 107–106, Bird stole an inbound pass, and with the clock ticking down and with his momentum carrying him out of bounds, Bird turned and fired the ball to teammate Dennis Johnson, who converted a layup with 1 second left to win the game for Boston. The dramatic play saved the series for the Celtics, who, had they lost Game 5, would have had to win Game 6 in Detroit (where they were winless in the series) to force a decisive seventh game. Instead, after losing in Detroit, Boston won Game 7 and advanced to the Finals.

In the last seconds of his a nationally-televised regular season game with the Portland Trail Blazers in March 1992, Bird saved the Celtics as his desperation one-handed three-point shot went in and sent the game into overtime. He tallied 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals for his 59th and final career triple-double in what many fans called his last great game in the NBA.

Michael Jordan was once asked who he would want to take a shot with the game on the line, other than himself. Before the question could be finished, Jordan quickly responded, “Larry Bird.” [Sports Illustrated, June 21, 2005]

Notable Omissions:

Dolph Schayes, Jerry Lucas, Bill Sharman, Paul Arizin, Dirk Nowitzki, Tom Chambers, Chris Mullin, Jack Sikma, Gail Goodrich, Tom Heinsohn, Red Kerr