Tell the story of the NBA with only 15 players

[CitySushi]

You're ignoring an entire decade of the league. George Mikan is probably the guy from that decade to include?

Feel free to make your own list. I obviously made some errors in mine, but I tended to go with guys who more or less were revolutionary type players who altered the NBA in some facet. I had Mikan and Pettit on my just missed list. I just didn't know who to drop off.

 

[Wamu]

Mikan
Russell
Wilt
West
KAJ
Bird
Magic
MJ
Olajuwon
Shaq
Kobe
Duncan
LeBron
KD
Steph


Tough to pick just 15. Five more I would have added. The Big O, Dr. J, KG, AI & Dirk (greatest European player)

 

[tducey]

1. Jordan
2. Wilt
3. Kareem
4. Magic
5. Bird
6. Lebron
7. Duncan
8. Kobe
9. Shaq
10. Hakeem
11. Russell
12. Oscar
13. Erving
14. West
15. Durant

 

[logic]

Mikan
Russel
Wilt
Oscar
Kareem
Dr J
Bird
Magic
MJ
AI
Dirk
Shaq
Kobe
LeBron
Steph

Which is pretty much what everyone else said.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

No love for Craig Ehlo?

 

[RobToxin]

You left out Vlade Divac and the evolution of The Flop.

Which has absolutely changed how the game is played.

 

[msgkings322]

Mikan
Russel
Wilt
Oscar
Kareem
Dr J
Bird
Magic
MJ
AI
Dirk
Shaq
Kobe
LeBron
Steph

Which is pretty much what everyone else said.

I'd swap Hakeem for Kobe but otherwise pretty much my list

 

[logic]

I'd swap Hakeem for Kobe but otherwise pretty much my list

I was torn. I'm a bigger Hamden can than Kobe fan. And if Kobe hasn't won with Pau he wouldn't have made the list as he didn't necessarily change the game.

 

[shopson67]

Mikan
Russel
Wilt
Oscar
Kareem
Dr J
Bird
Magic
MJ
AI
Dirk
Shaq
Kobe
LeBron
Steph

Which is pretty much what everyone else said.

I feel the 60s/70s are a little under-represented, maybe Elgin should fit in there instead of Dirk. Tough to leave Olajuwon out too...

 

[buckalis]

Tell the story of the NBA with only 15 players...

I can tell you an unspoken story with only one player involved instead, that beats them all... GIANNIS!

 

[R.J. MacReady]

Yeah AI is another one that should definitely be on the list, this could easily be a 20 player list though.

This.

Allen Iverson ... 6 ft 170 pounds soaking wet. 25th all time scoring against men who were all giant genetic freaks of nature.

One of the most underrated accomplishments in all of pro sports.



.

 

[logic]

I feel the 60s/70s are a little under-represented, maybe Elgin should fit in there instead of Dirk. Tough to leave Olajuwon out too...

It is tough to leave Olajuwan out, but while he had a huge impact he didn't really change the game. No one could really copy his style to move forward. Whereas Dirk not only opened the floodgate to foreign players he was also responible for the flurry of stretch 4s.

Russel, Wilt, Oscar, Kareem...how many guys do you want on a 15 player list from those eras when the league was smaller time and clearly still developing?

 

[shopson67]

It is tough to leave Olajuwan out, but while he had a huge impact he didn't really change the game. No one could really copy his style to move forward. Whereas Dirk not only opened the floodgate to foreign players he was also responible for the flurry of stretch 4s.

Russel, Wilt, Oscar, Kareem...how many guys do you want on a 15 player list from those eras when the league was smaller time and clearly still developing?

You could say Hakeem is the precursor to AD and Giannis though...and there were multiple foreign all-star players before Dirk: Blackman (if you count Panama), Olajuwon, Schrempf, Smits, Vlade, and Peja (Peja's AS first was the same year as Dirk's), and that's leaving out Dikembe, Kukoc, Petrovic, Sabonis, etc.

As far as the early guys, how about one that wasn't a center like Baylor? He's arguably the first superstar scorer in the league.

 

[Mookie]

George Mikan
Bob Cousy
Wilt Chamberlain
Bill Russell
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Dr. J
Larry Bird
Magic Johnson
Michael Jordan
Hakeem Olajuwon
Kevin Garnett
Dirk Nowitzki
Lebron James
Kevin Durant
Steph Curry

 

[WiggyRuss]

I feel the 60s/70s are a little under-represented, maybe Elgin should fit in there instead of Dirk. Tough to leave Olajuwon out too...

id actually leave out more guys in the 60's and 70's.

this was an era of half the # of teams, blatant racism, the NBA Finals being broadcast on tape delay instead of live, no 3 point line.

Essentially irrelevant in many many ways.

I also think that Steve Nash probably has to be included. In some ways he was Curry before Curry in how he changed the game. The 7 second Suns changed the whole future of the NBA. Without those teams there are no Lineups of Death or Warriors.

Nash is more essential than Curry.

 

[DrewScott]

Other possible guys to consider:

Walt "Clyde" Frazier
Havlicek
Rodman
Walton

They weren't the best, but helped define the league.

 

[shopson67]

id actually leave out more guys in the 60's and 70's.

this was an era of half the # of teams, blatant racism, the NBA Finals being broadcast on tape delay instead of live, no 3 point line.

Essentially irrelevant in many many ways.

I also think that Steve Nash probably has to be included. In some ways he was Curry before Curry in how he changed the game. The 7 second Suns changed the whole future of the NBA. Without those teams there are no Lineups of Death or Warriors.

Nash is more essential than Curry.

No ring Nash? He didn't deserve the MVPs he won either. OVERRATED.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

Hakeem did not do nearly as much in changing the game as other foreign born players such as Dirk or Manu.

Hakeem was great, but he never really opened up similar players from similar development.
Hakeem developed as a youth player in american college ball. He did not even touch a ball until age 17.
He wasnt a product of Nigerian development at all.

Manu was the very first superstar who was completely developed overseas.
He proved that a polished overseas player could dominate in the NBA. Somebody had to be the first and Manu was it.
He is also arguably the key player to lead the Latin American NBA revolution.

Dirk was less developed overseas, but he was still a product of entirely foreign development.
His European Big Man style was also a trend setter in establishing a wave of talented Euro players.

Manu and Dirk would be Hall of Fame candidates simply because of their impact on overseas hoops and the NBA.

Hakeem would not.

 

[lebron23james]

no

 

[wazzu31]

George Karl, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Nate McMillian. Tell the stories of those 4 and it will give every potential NBA fan the greatest and drama of basketball. Had twitter been around then Michael Jordan wouldn’t been Pete Rose and the Sonics would be the original Kardashians.