Top 50 Basketball Players of All-Time: Honorable Mentions
Well, it is finally here! Something that I have worked extremely hard on and has finally come to reality. Here is my list of the top 50 basketball players of all-time! Today, I will be releasing the honorable mentions in alphabetical order to give you an idea of how the list will look in the upcoming weeks. You will see the name of the player, how long they played in the NBA, what was their position, and a brief summary of their career.
Now I spent about a month creating this list and I based it off of a number of factors. Some of those factors include stats, awards, championships, and their impact on the game of basketball. It is also worth noting that I also factor in college achievements and other basketball leagues (such as the ABA); since this list is not called the top NBA players of all-time. But it will only be a minor factor as the NBA is far and away the best league in the world. Now before we begin, THIS IS MY PERSONAL LIST AND IT IS OK FOR YOU TO DISAGREE WITH IT. All I ask is that you be civil about it and post your opinions down in the comments below. Without further ado, let the list begin with the players that just missed the cut.
Carmelo Anthony (2003–Present) SF/PF- Despite scoring of 25,000 career points, Carmelo’s lack of postseason success keep him off out of the top 50.
Adrian Dantley (1976–1991) SF- In the two years he led the league in scoring, he averaged over 30 points per game in each of those seasons.
Dave DeBusschere (1962–1974) PF/SF- Winning two championships with the New York Knicks, DeBusschere was a defensive stud as he was on the NBA All-Defensive Team 6 years in a row.
Alex English (1976–1992) SF- Being an 8-time All-Star, English is a Denver Nuggets legend as he ranks 18th on the all-time scoring list with 25,613 points.
Dwight Howard (2004–Present) C- It’s hard to remember now but when he was with the Magic, Howard was a top 5 player in the league. He’s a 5-time All-NBA 1st Teamer and a 3x Defensive Player of the Year. But his career has gone in a downward spiral since he left the Magic.
Bernard King (1977–1993) SF- When he was healthy, King was a fantastic scorer who averaged over 22 points for his career. For the Knicks during the 1985 season, his points per game average was over 32 a night.
Pete Maravich (1970–1980) SG- Pistol Pete was one of the greatest talents the game has ever seen. His career average in points is over 24 a game and is considered one of the best ball-handlers ever. He’s also the all-time leading scorer in the history of college basketball. But injuries derailed his career at the end as he just misses the cut here.
Reggie Miller (1987–2005) SG- As one of the greatest 3 point shooters ever, Miller played his entire 18-year career with the Indiana Pacers. But the 5-time All-Star was never able to get over the hump as he only reached the Finals once and lost.
Dikembe Mutombo (1991–2009) C- With his iconic finger wag, Mutombo was one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the league. He was a 4-time Defensive Player of the Year and is 2nd all-time in career blocks. But you can’t be one of the 50 greatest players of all-time if you don’t average over 10 points per game.
Bill Walton (1974–1987) C- Maybe more than any other player, Bill Walton could never recover from his injuries. He only played 468 NBA games with his devastating back injuries. But when he played, he was a 3-time college basketball player of the year and an NBA MVP. He was also the 1st person to win 6th Man of the Year for the 1986 World Champion Boston Celtics.
See you next week for the beginning of the list.
Steve Santoro (SVS_1993)
