Mourning doesnt get the love among the new generation of hoop-heads that he should, as some of his numbers are mind-boggling. 11. He always seemed to be giving it his all, and rarely did anyone see a smile creep across his face when he was in the midst of battle. Want to learn how to continue to get better every season while simultaneously carrying the load? Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, five-time All-Defensive team, 1969 Finals MVP, 1972 All-Star MVP, 1969-70 scoring champ, 1971-72 assists champ, 1972 NBA champion. Accomplishments: 12-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, two-time NBA All-Defensive team, three-time NBA MVP, 1983 Finals MVP, six-time NBA rebounding champ, 1983 NBA champion. Pete Maravich was one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. He made the All-NBA Defensive Team nine times, including eight first-team picks, and was known as a player who would never resort to "dirty" tactics. Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.7 APG in 15 seasons with St. Louis Hawks (1960-61 to 1967-68), Seattle SuperSonics (1968-69 to 1971-72), Cleveland Cavaliers (1972-73 to 1973-74) and Portland Trail Blazers (1974-75). Teams: Chicago Bulls (1985-88, 2001-02), New York Knicks (1988-98), Toronto Raptors (1999-2001), Washington Wizards (2002-03), Houston Rockets (2004), Key stats: 1,282 G, 9.7 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 47.1 FG%. Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG in 18 seasons with Phoenix Suns (1996-97 to 1997-98; 2004-05 to 2011-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-99 to 2003-04) and Los Angeles Lakers (2012-13 to 2013-14). Dumars showed no fear when it came to his play on the defensive end, and he wasnt afraid to go hard against anyone who he was lined up against on any given night. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, five-time MVP, six-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year, 1984-85 Rookie of the Year, 10-time scoring champ, three-time steals champ, six-time NBA champion. Legends profile: Michael Jordan | NBA.com He had a very riled up rivalry against Bill Laimbeer, and neither sought to back down from the other, which only heightened the distaste between them. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1994-95 MVP, 1991-92 Defensive Player of the Year, 1989-90 Rookie of the Year, 1993-94 scoring champ, 1990-91 rebounding champ, 1991-92 blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. Havlicek died in April 2019 at 79 years old. Seventeen years and three NBA titles later, hes a legend in Miami. The 50 Greatest NBA Players of All Time - Sports Illustrated Bottom line: At one point in NBA history, no player was tougher or more intimidating than Larry Johnson, the No. Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (1976-80), Phoenix Suns (198-83), Boston Celtics (1983-90), Key stats: 1,100 G, 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 44.5 FG%. And he only played one season, his rookie year, with the Baltimore Bullets. Johnson was 6-foot-2 and built more like an NFL defensive back than an NBA guard, but even on the Bad Boys, he was intimidating. Or how much you can dole out. Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1986-87), Indiana Pacers (1987-89), Orlando Magic (1989-94), Washington Bullets (1994-95), Philadelphia 76ers (1995-96), Key stats: 600 G, 11.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 43.5 FG%. Its not just defined by how much punishment you can sustain. He was dominant at both ends of the floor, and his mean mug was enough to scare the opposition before he entered the lane. Mahorn certainly wasnt afraid to body up; that is what earned him his nickname. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 2000-01 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, 1996-97 Rookie of the Year, four-time scoring champ, three-time steals champ. When a player is seen as an enforcer on one of the most physical teams in league history, you know hes got to be intense. Most Improved Player. Before turning his focus to basketball, the two-time Most Valuable Player grew up in Canada playing hockey, and his family lived in the same neighborhood as future NHL stars Russ and Geoff Courtnall. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2020 All-Star MVP, 2014-15 steals champ, two-time NBA champion. Havlicek simply wore opponents out with his conditioning, and if you want to teach a young player how to move without the ball in their hands, all you need is to cue up old Havlicek highlights on YouTube. Green is one of the more outspoken players in the game today, and its tough to see his legacy as not having his Game 6 suspension from the 2016 NBA Finals front and center alongside his titles. Mahorns toughness seemed to flow directly from his inability to jump very well and what he had to do to make up for that. He also was routinely voted among the NBAs dirtiest players during his career. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 2016-17 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, three-time assists champ. Jordan Poole scored a game-high 34 points, 22 coming in the third quarter, the most points scored in that quarter in his career (prev. Stats: 16.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.2 APG in 17 season with Chicago Bulls (1987-88 to 1997-98; 2003-04), Houston Rockets (1998-99) and Portland Trail Blazers (1999-00 to 2002-03). His aggressiveness was something that he asserted as a strength, and theres no questioning the obvious impact it had in his success. There was a reason he was the No. Jones can place his name among the most admired NBA players of al -time for his class and demeanor, and he was finally elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. Stats: 23.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.8 APG in 18 seasons with Denver Nuggets (2003-04 to 2010-11), New York Knicks (2010-11 to 2016-17), Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-18), Houston Rockets (2018-19), Portland Trail Blazers (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. Most Improved Player. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1950-51 Rookie of the Year, 1952 All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, 1956 NBA champion. 75 greatest NBA players ever: The HoopsHype list | HoopsHype Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, two-time All-Star MVP, 1990 Finals MVP, 1984-85 assists champ, two-time NBA champion. Rollins thought he owned the lane, and anyone who came in, he treated as an intruder into his own home. Stats: 23.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.1 APG in 10 NBA seasons with San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1965-66 to 1966-67; 1972-73 to 1977-78) and Houston Rockets (1978-79 to 1979-80); also played four ABA seasons with Oakland Oaks (1968-69), Washington Capitols (1969-70) and New York Nets (1970-71 to 1971-72). "I am mean," said Payton's father, who died in 2015. How tough is Adams? Unseld wasted little time putting the league on notice, and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to win Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season. Bottom line: Say what you will about Draymond Green, if his career ended tomorrow, you would have to put him in the discussion as the best defensive player of his era. Bottom line: LeBron James could be in the Top 30 NBA career games played at the end of the 2019-20 season and likely will break Robert Parrishs career record of 1,611 games if he plays four more seasons, which hes openly said he wants to do. Bottom line: Michael Jordans toughness was the stuff of legend, and the five-time NBA Most Valuable Player was legendarily hard on teammates. Teams: Cincinnati Royals (1969-71), Chicago Bulls (1971-78), Milwaukee Bucks (1978-79), Key stats: 746 G, 11.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 7.0 APG, 41.4 FG%. Jones toughness meant playing through a variety of debilitating health problems, including asthma, a chronic heart condition and epileptic seizures that once caused a serious injury when he fell in his kitchen. White Men Can Jump. Ranking the 10 greatest white players | by Brad Laimbeer also was durable. Washington wouldnt make this list if it werent for his infamous punch, but that intensity has resonated well into the future. Sloans toughness came from his hardscrabble background. "This is the most passive aggressive relationship I've ever seen in my life," former NFL player Bart Scott said Wednesday on ESPN's "First Take," referring to both Rodgers and Packers management . They got there because they were tough, and thats something that fans have appreciated since the league first began play. Stats: 17.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1980-81 to 1992-93). In high school, he awoke at 4:30 a.m. to do farm chores and walk two miles to school, where he had basketball practice at 7 a.m. Johnson died of a massive heart attack in 2007 at the age of 52 and was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. John Stockton is the NBA's leader in assists and steals; he's a 10-time All-Star, made 11 All-NBA teams, was a five-time All-Defensive squad, and obviously earned inclusion on the. The mental aspect is just as important. His fight with future TNT co-host Shaquille ONeal during their playing days will be watched by generations of basketball fans to come. NBA Odds: Grizzlies vs. Nuggets prediction, pick, how to watch - 3/3/2023. Other accolades include the 2007 College Player of the Year, 2008 NBA Rookie of the Year, 2014 NBA MVP, 11-time All-Star, and 6-time All NBA 1st team selection. He made one of the most dynamic combinations in the game alongside his towering teammate, Shaquille O'Neal. He has won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2014, four NBA scoring . While Barkleys attitude and off-the-court antics had their detractors, one thing no one ever questioned was his toughness. Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1979-89), Atlanta Hawks (1989-91), Key stats: 767 G, 15.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 50.2 FG%. Stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG in 14 seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1996-97 to 2006-07; 2009-10), Denver Nuggets (2006-07 to 2008-09), Detroit Pistons (2008-09) and Memphis Grizzlies (2009-10) . Stats: 18.5 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 3.1 APG in 15 seasons with Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1949-50 to 1963-64). The Celtics won the title in seven games. The 11-time NBA All Star . Watch Dwyane Wade. On the flip side of that, fans across the country got a chance to see what made Jackson such a special player as he took starring turns for the Clippers and Pacers over the next decade. Toughness ran in Stocktons family. List of all the NBA and ABA Players | Basketball-Reference.com 50 Greatest Players in NBA History | Basketball-Reference.com Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, 1971 All-Star MVP, 1969-70 assists champ. He may have often looked out of place when he played, but thats because he was far ahead of his time. Bottom line: One of 18 children, Steven Adams had a rough childhood in New Zealand after his father died in 2006, but basketball took him off the streets of his hometown and put him in a gym. Bottom line: Bill Russell was the centerpiece of the greatest dynasty in NBA history, winning 11 NBA championships in his 13 seasons. Key stats: 857 G, 7.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 48.9 FG%. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, 1968-69 All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, two-time NBA champion. With one of the more incredible crossovers Ive ever seen at his peak, it was tough to stop him even when everybody knew he was getting the rock. All-NBA & All-ABA Selections by Player | Basketball-Reference.com Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, 1995-96 Defensive Player of the Year, 1995-96 steals champ, 2006 NBA champion. It will be interesting to see how the second half of his career plays out. Pete Maravich 49. His Pistons' teams of the late 1980s were made up of some of the toughest players in NBA history, and Mahorn was the undisputed "baddest" of the "Bad Boys.". Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1955 All-Star MVP, four-time NBA champ. Although hes turned around his reputation and now does heralded work within the community, Washingtons intensity will never be forgotten. Key stats: 1,504 G, 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 51.5 FG%. Teams: New Jersey Nets (2000-04), Denver Nuggets (2004-11), Los Angeles Clippers (2012), New York Knicks (2013-14), Milwaukee Bucks (2015), Key stats: 757 G, 12.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 48.3 FG%. Teams: San Antonio Spurs (1984-1989), Milwaukee Bucks (1989-1993), Detroit Pistons (1993), Toronto Raptors (1995-1996), Key stats: 779 G, 14.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 42.7 FG%. Bottom line: Anyone who saw Dave Cowens play back in the day can tell you this was a guy who played with reckless abandon to the point of putting himself in danger. Bottom line: For the entirety of his career, Scott Skiles was listed at 6-foot-1. *All stats/accomplishments for active players are entering the 2021-22 season. Instead, he broke them. His father died when he was 4 years old, and he was the youngest of 10 children raised by a single mother in rural Illinois. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has 6 NBA Championships to his name. Cooper made the All-NBA Defensive Team eight times and was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. Cooper won five NBA titles with the Lakers and was just as good as a coach, winning back-to-back WNBA titles with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002. Hes certainly not short on that trait, as hes well known for being anything but candid with the officials. More importantly, with the Blazers, he acted as the "touch him Ill touch you" guy for star Bill Walton, a fellow vegetarian. He had the ability to circumvent any defensive scheme put on him (outside of Hack a Shaq), and that speaks to how impossible it was to stop him out there. RANKED: The 14 best players in the NBA right now. He continued to play, leading his team to the 2017 Eastern Conference finals before being sidelined with a debilitating hip injury. Teams: Sacramento Kings (2011-14), Phoenix Suns (2014-15). Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, three-time scoring champ, 2016-17 assists champ, 2017-18 MVP, 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year. Seriously, 11 championships in 13 seasons is arguably the most intense thing to ever be accomplished in league history. | Getty Images Bottom line: Patrick Beverley is truly a case study in determination. In 2009, the NBA named its Finals MVP award after Russell. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, three-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, four-time assists champ, two-time steals champ, five-time NBA champion. Defensive Player of the Year. Kick a cameraman in the crotch? Stats: 27.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.2 APG in 14 seasons with Seattle SuperSonics (2007-08), Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-09 to 2015-16), Golden State Warriors (2016-17 to 2018-19) and Brooklyn Nets (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. He invented the famous and devastating skyhook shot. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, three-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 1979-80 Rookie of the Year, 1982 All-Star MVP, three-time NBA champion. And thats fair, because he almost killed Houstons Rudy Tomjanovich with one punch during a game in December 1977. But Washington was also tough as nails and came from one of the worst backgrounds imaginable, pulling himself up and out of a nightmare home situation to become a college star and then an NBA first-round pick. Defensive Player of the Year. Are you kidding me? His most iconic play was a baseline, left-handed dunk over Jordan and Horace Grant in the playoffs. He had game-changing skills, and thats not something we talk about when discussing point guards very often. Some players have a signature that highlights exactly why they're on this list, while others bring a quiet approach to their complete and total dominance. Defensive Player of the Year. Did you really expect to see anyone but the best at the head of this list? If you want to see a player who never doubted his ability at any moment, look no further than Miller. Key stats: 755 G, 14.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 42.7 FG%, NBA titles: 5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988). Stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.7 APG in 17 seasons with Seattle SuperSonics (1990-91 to 2002-03), Milwaukee Bucks (2002-03), Los Angeles Lakers (2003-04), Boston Celtics (2004-05) and Miami Heat (2005-06 to 2006-07). The iconic image of teammate Scottie Pippen helping him off the floor is burned into the memories of basketball fans the world over. Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (1980-82), Detroit Pistons (1982-93), Key stats: 1,068 G, 12.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 49.8 FG%. Stats: 30.1 PPG, 22.9 RPG, 4.4 APG in 14 seasons with Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1959-60 to 1964-65), Philadelphia 76ers (1964-65 to 1967-68) and Los Angeles Lakers (1968-69 to 1972-73). After he went undrafted in 2002 following a standout career at the University of Florida, Haslem found his only pro opportunity was playing in France, and he showed up weighing almost 300 pounds. Rookie of the Year. Theyre still the only players to pull off the feat. When he played, there werent a lot of players who wanted to challenge him, because it was a battle that they were likely to lose. Paytons reputation was made by his skill as much as by his fearlessness, talking trash and backing it up to everyone. Bottom line: Possibly the greatest enforcer in NBA history, Charles Oakley was a first-round pick of the Chicago Bulls in 1985 out of NCAA Division II Virginia Union. Throughout his NBA career, Bill Lambier drilled over 200 Three-pointers. 15 15. Accomplishments: Nine-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1980 All-Star MVP, four-time NBA scoring champ. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time NBA champion. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Stats: 26.4 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Milwaukee/St. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, two-time scoring champ, 2015-16 steals champ, three-time NBA champion. Western Conference Finals MVP. You dont find many players who didnt average double figures in scoring or rebounding for their career that can say they were a two-time All-Star and five-time pick for the All-NBA Defensive Team. I've got great results with it. Home; . The stories of Z-Bos toughness are legendary in NBA circles and the fact that he played at least 70 games in 12 of 18 seasons cannot be overlooked. Teams: St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1964-69), Phoenix Suns (1969-72), Boston Celtics (1972-76), Denver Nuggets (1976-77), Seattle Supersonics (1977-80), Key stats: 1,254 G, 9.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 43.2 FG%. Hes got the alpha male mentality and continues to improve his attack, and the idea that people still undervalue him is scary. Searches on headlines surrounding McDaniel joining the Suns, Knicks, Celtics and Nets all said the teams were "adding toughness.". Bottom line: The mystery behind Chauncey Billups career lies within the mulitude of inexplicable trades that let him play on seven different teams over his 14-year career. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Stats: 27.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 6.7 APG in 14 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1960-61 to 1973-74). Sixth Man of the Year. But no one who ever watched the man play would classify it as such. These guys are big, strong, athletic - they look a lot different than Trae Young. Hes already a five-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection (in just eight seasons), NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and has won three NBA titles. And that's what makes Trae an outlier; he's the smallest, and probably the frailest player on this list, yet he's behind only SGA and Luka in drives per game. A great rebounder, a fantastic shot-blocker and a solid player, Thurmonds intensity isnt one to be looked past. He also was durable, ranking in the Top 25 in games played. Accomplishments: Two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, seven-time rebounding champ, five-time NBA champion. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 10-time All-Defensive team, 1994 All-Star MVP, 1994-95 steals champ, six-time NBA champion. The Admiral led the ships path for San Antonio by example, and he lived by the idea of no easy buckets for the opponent. And even 40 years after one of the most infamous incidents in pro sports, his name still invokes a certain feeling of uneasiness. Cowens won two NBA titles with the Celtics and was named the NBAs Most Valuable Player in 1973. Isaiah Rider Guard Isaiah Rider of the Portland Trailblazers stands on the court. Most Valuable Player. The NBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary throughout the 2021-22 season, and part of that celebration includes the unveiling of the list of the greatest players in NBA history. Games. When McHale clotheslined Lakers forward Kurt Rambis during Game 4 of the 1984 NBA Finals, it shocked teammates and opponents alike and arguably turned the tide of the series. Jordan, coming off a gold medal performance at the 1984 Olympics, prospered in the pro game with a fabulous first season, earning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1985-86 Rookie of the Year. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. In an alternate universe, Van Lier wouldve been able to pursue his first love of playing quarterback for a big-time college football program, but all of the schools that recruited him wanted him to play defensive back, a throwback to a racist, ignorant era. Bottom line: In 12 NBA seasons, Bobby Jones earned a reputation as one of the classiest players of all time. Jordan scored 38 points despite playing with a fever and recovering from a stomach virus. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1968-69 scoring champ, two-time rebounding champ, 1978 NBA champion. Teams: Denver Nuggets (1974-78), Philadelphia 76ers (1978-86), Key stats: 941 G, 12.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 56.0 FG%. The most intense players to ever play in the NBA brought a 110 percent effort on every single night. Ranking the greatest 75 NBA players of all time: Nos. 25-1 - USA Today Anyone who has watched him play has taken note of his pre-game ritual of talking to the basket while simultaneously pouring sweat off of him like hes already played a full 48. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 2013-14 MVP, 2007-08 Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star MVP, two-time Finals MVP, four-time scoring champ, two-time NBA champion. A ridiculous shot-blocker in his own right, Rollins really knew how to bring it when his opposition tried to challenge him. Grandfather Hust Stockton won an NFL championship with the Frankfort Yellow Jackets in 1926. These are the toughest players in NBA history. Teams: Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Key stats: 1,217 G, 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 49.0 FG%. Stats: 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG in 13 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1981-82 to 1993-94). He has the most regular-season. Parish might not get the love that he deserves for being intense, but theres no questioning his commitment. By playing ferocious defense, first of all, and also by having what could only be described as a throwback attitude to decades past when it comes to the competition. Where Love is toughest has been in his approach to the mental aspects of the game, where hes been open about his struggles with anxiety, rage and depression bringing widespread awareness to an issue that still is considered taboo in some corners. Even in the 1970s, at 6-foot-9, Cowens was thought to be too small to play center in the NBA. Despite going undrafted, Wallace won an NBA-record four Defensive Player of the Year awards (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) and helped lead the Pistons to the 2004 NBA title and back into the finals in 2005. Teams: Houston Rockets (2013-17), Los Angeles Clippers (2017-present), Key stats: 397 G, 9.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 41.0 FG%.

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