Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, 1963-64 Rookie of the Year, 1965 All-Star MVP, 1973 NBA champion. Bottom line: Owner of one of the NBAs all-time greatest nicknames, Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson was known for his instant offense off the bench former Boston Celtics guard Danny Ainge actually gave Johnson the nickname. The iconic image of teammate Scottie Pippen helping him off the floor is burned into the memories of basketball fans the world over. All Time Leaders - The official site of the NBA for the latest NBA "You exemplify the very best that the human spirit has to offer," Cosell told Reed. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. 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. Perkins wasnt just hired muscle, though. He brought immediate toughness and stability to the roster. 50 Most Intense NBA Players of All Time - Bleacher Report Throughout his NBA career, Bill Lambier drilled over 200 Three-pointers. Mournings play was the bottom line when it came to his toughness, but he also had a world-class scowl that went with it, and his glare became synonymous with the rough-and-tumble play of the 1990s. With an undisputed World Champion record from 1985 to 1993, Garry Kasparov has also been the Classical . 1 overall and started off his career as a player who made his name by living above the rim. Teammate of the Year. Chiu/AP Images. Famed broadcaster Howard Cosell summed up Americas feelings toward Reed in the winning locker room after the game. An absolute mountain of a man, Eaton was a dominant shot blocker before the term was readily used to describe players. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1985-86 Rookie of the Year. Teams: Philadelphia 76ers (1984-92), Phoenix Suns (1992-96), Houston Rockets (1996-2000), Key stats: 1,073 G, 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 54.1 FG%. He averaged 7.4 rebounds per game over 11 NBA seasons, and hes only 6-foot-5. Rookie of the Year. 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. Hes also one of just four players to win both Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Cowens was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. He had a presence on defense that he rarely gets credit for, but its worth noting because its just not something that all players can achieve. This was at a time when the 76ers guard acted in a way that stood out from many of the other, more straight-laced, stars such as Michael Jordan, Grant Hill, Tim Duncan, and Ray Allen. In no small way, he carried the defensive load for some of the greatest teams of all time, and thats not an offhand remark. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, 1993-94 MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, two-time Finals MVP, two-time rebounding champ, three-time blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. Stats: 21.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 1.8 APG in 16 season with San Diego/Houston Rockets (1968-69 to 1971-72; 1981-82 to 1983-84) and Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets (1972-73 to 1980-81) . Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA. The Dallas Mavericks are in a funk and have a lot of things to figure out if they want to make the playoffs. Nash was the featured player on one of the most exciting Offensive teams to watch in NBA History. "You'd have a fight a week," Johnson told Sports Illustrated in 1992. 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. Adams found a home on a basketball court, where he developed his game based on physicality and tenacity and quickly established himself as one of the toughest players in the NBA. Teammate of the Year. The 20 Richest NBA Players of All-Time - Money Inc 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. Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1973-77), Boston Celtics (1977-78), San Diego Clippers (1978-79), Portland Trail Blazers (1979-82), Golden State Warriors (1987), Key stats: 507 G, 9.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 52.6 FG%. NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Player Efficiency Rating 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. Rookie of the Year. 1 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1991 out of UNLV. Stats: 19.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG in 15 seasons with Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1958-59 to 1972-73). Consider also that James has played in three Summer Olympics, two FIBA World Championships and, in 17 years of professional basketball, has never had a major injury. It will be interesting to see how the second half of his career plays out. "I am mean," said Payton's father, who died in 2015. Stats: 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 BPG in 14 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1989-90 to 2002-03). "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 . O'Neal became an All-Star 15 times and earned the 1999-2000 MVP . Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He may have often looked out of place when he played, but thats because he was far ahead of his time. And thats fair, because he almost killed Houstons Rudy Tomjanovich with one punch during a game in December 1977. Rodman always was willing to do that little extra to get a rebound or make a defensive play, which usually meant sacrificing his body by diving for a loose ball. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, 1971 All-Star MVP, 1969-70 assists champ. | Getty Images Bottom line: Kendrick Perkins was basketballs version of a hockey enforcer on some truly great teams the Celtics in the late 2000s that included an NBA title in 2008 and several almost-great Oklahoma City Thunder teams with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the early 2010s. With a psychotic work ethic and completely unafraid to call out anyone (including his teammates), it doesnt get more intense than Bryant among modern day players. Or the likes of Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter. When I played, I liked to hurt people.". NBA History: The Top 50 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time 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. Weve already watched it a half-dozen times today, in fact. The two were unexpectedly caught in rough waters, and he was swept away by the current after getting her to safety. Stats: 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.8 APG in 10 seasons with New York Knicks (1964-65 to 1973-74). Rollins thought he owned the lane, and anyone who came in, he treated as an intruder into his own home. Stats: 25.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.5 APG in 12 seasons with Oklahoma City Thunder (2009-10 to 2011-12), Houston Rockets (2012-13 to 2020-21) and Brooklyn Nets (2020-21)*. 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. Bottom line: Whats amazing about Rick Mahorns career is that, on paper, it appears to have been pretty average. Key stats: 1,270 G, 20.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 43.9 FG%, NBA titles: 8 (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976). 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. Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. Pettit only played 11 seasons in the NBA and was a first-team All-NBA pick 10 times. "I taught the kid the look, the intimidation, yeah, the meanness. Bottom line: Theres always going to be some dispute about what Charles Barkleys actual height and weight were during his playing days, but its safe to say it was an inch or two below the 6-foot-6 he was listed at. Bottom line: Norm Van Lier had one of the more modest, accomplished careers in NBA history in almost total anonymity. Some might think hes a little delusional at times, but theres no questioning Martins passion for the game. 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. 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. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, four-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, 1958 NBA champion. 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%. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has 6 NBA Championships to his name. 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 Bottom line: Michael Jordans toughness was the stuff of legend, and the five-time NBA Most Valuable Player was legendarily hard on teammates. Stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG in 16 seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1984-85 to 1991-92), Phoenix Suns (1992-93 to 1995-96) and Houston Rockets (1996-97 to 1999-00). Key stats: 525 G, 9.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 58.9 FG%. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 2006 Finals MVP, 2010 All-Star MVP, 2008-09 scoring champ, three-time NBA champion. Home; . He also was durable, ranking in the Top 25 in games played. Rodman was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. Bottom line: Patrick Beverley is truly a case study in determination. Teams: Detroit Pistons (1970-1980), Milwaukee Bucks (1980-1984), Key stats: 959 G, 20.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 51.4 FG%. Lets quickly point out that what gets lost in all of this debate is how talented he was a four-time All-Star who averaged almost 10 rebounds per game for his career and led the NBA in rebounding in 1986. There was a reason he was the No. His career has been yeoman-like, with six teams over 11 seasons, but hes been steady and his toughness is unmatched for some pretty incredible reasons. 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)*. NBA Odds: Grizzlies vs. Nuggets prediction, pick, how to watch - 3/3/2023. Were going to need to see that killer instinct from James long before hes even considered for elevation when it comes to intensity. He never played less than 79 games in his first 13 NBA seasons before abruptly retiring early in the 1993-94 season after a fight with teammate Isiah Thomas. Accomplishments: 11-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1980-81 MVP, two-time NBA All-Star MVP, 1983 NBA champion.
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