Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1974 Finals MVP, eight-time NBA champion. There was a reason he was the No. 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%. His father, Stan, was an NBA player, and he had his son study tapes of Hall of Famer Wes Unseld as part of learning to play the game the right way. Dubs' Curry (leg) could return as soon as Sun. Which threw even more fuel on his fire. He never, ever thought a call that went against him was the right one, and he sought to rise to the occasion whenever his number was called. The NBA is a point guard's paradise these days, so let's start All-Time #NBArank with our pantheon points. Teams: Boston Celtics (1970-80), Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83), Key stats: 766 G, 17.6 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 46.0 FG%. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, 2006-07 MVP, 2011 Finals MVP, 2011 NBA champion. He did all of this by just not being good, but by playing with a unique brand of intensity and skill a combination that was light years ahead of where the NBA was at when he broke in as a 19-year-old in 1995. 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). McDaniel combined toughness with intimidation to a maximum degree. Garnett has had a reputation of trash talking since he came into the league, and that is something that has followed him to this day. Stats: 25.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.6 APG in 19 seasons with Utah Jazz (1985-86 to 2002-03) and Los Angeles Lakers (2003-04). If any other player had dressed up like grandmamma, they probably wouldnt have been able to live it down, but nobody dare challenged Johnson like that. Key stats: 963 G, 15.1 PPG, 22.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 44.0 FG%, NBA titles: 11 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969). If you want to watch a highlight reel of how to haul in an offensive rebound, just look up Malones tape. Oakleys best seasons were with the Knicks, including two NBA All-Defensive Team selections and his lone All-Star appearance, in 1994. Former 76ers general manager Pat Williams probably described Jones the best: "He gives you two hours of his blood, showers and goes home.". Teams: Fort Wayne Pistons (1950-57), Minneapolis Lakers (1957-60), St. Louis Hawks (1960-62), Key stats: 817 G, 13.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 40.5 FG%. 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. 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. Chamberlain didnt just find success when he played; he enjoyed sheer and utter dominance. 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%. Rating: 65. How Haslem ended up with the Heat in the first place speaks to his toughness. Hes got the alpha male mentality and continues to improve his attack, and the idea that people still undervalue him is scary. Key stats: 650 G, 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 47.6 FG%. Johnson won three NBA titles in his career, which is almost entirely associated with his time with the Boston Celtics, but that was his third team after he was run off in Seattle and Phoenix because of clashes with coaches. Stats: 20.6 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 1.3 BPG in 19 NBA seasons with Buffalo Braves (1976-77), Houston Rockets (1976-77 to 1981-82), Philadelphia 76ers (1982-83 to 1985-86; 1993-94), Washington Bullets (1986-87 to 1987-88), Atlanta Hawks (1988-89 to 1990-91), Milwaukee Bucks (1991-92 to 1992-93) and San Antonio Spurs (1994-95); also played two ABA seasons with Utah Stars (1974-75) and Spirits of St. Louis (1975-76). Foust, an eight-time All-Star, died in 1984 of a heart attack at 59 years old. Jordan retired for the first time at the . In no small way, he carried the defensive load for some of the greatest teams of all time, and thats not an offhand remark. And thats fair, because he almost killed Houstons Rudy Tomjanovich with one punch during a game in December 1977. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive Team, 2013 All-Star MVP, 2005-06 Rookie of the Year, six-time steals champ, four-time assists champ. 2002, 2009, 2010). The 2022 All-Star Game is once again slated to return to Cleveland as a nod to that moment. Throughout his NBA career, Bill Lambier drilled over 200 Three-pointers. Stats: 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 BPG in 14 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1989-90 to 2002-03). His most iconic play was a baseline, left-handed dunk over Jordan and Horace Grant in the playoffs. You can also point directly to Bryants introduction to the league, when he got the sort of welcome outside of Los Angeles that you might expect for a 13th-century leper, as other teams' stars tried to "put him in his place.". Jackson has bounced around the league throughout his career, but it hasnt been because of his intensity. 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. Accomplishments: 15-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1999-2000 MVP, 1992-93 Rookie of the Year, three-time All-Star MVP, three-time Finals MVP, two-time scoring champ, four-time NBA champion. Teammate of the Year. Bottom line: NBA fans who got to know Dennis Rodman in the 1980s, when he first joined the league, were able to appreciate his innate toughness before his life off the court overshadowed his game. Accomplishments: 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 15-time All-Defensive team, two-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, 2000 All-Star MVP, 1997-98 Rookie of the Year, five-time NBA champion. Stats: 21.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.4 BPG in 17 seasons with New York Knicks (1985-86 to 1999-00), Seattle SuperSonics (2000-01) and Orlando Magic (2001-02). I started that training with a 28 i. Old-school NBA fans might remember McDaniels signature move on opponents who tried him his gigantic hands around their throats. 15 15. He won the 2016-17 Most Improved Player award and the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year award. Each of the last three seasons, NBA players voting in an anonymous poll have listed Adams as one of the three players they would least like to fight in the entire league. There might not be anyone in NBA history with a sports background quite like Nash, which helps explain why he always seemed to have blood on his jersey. The toughness of the 6-foot-7 Silas came from what he was asked to do for every team he played on in his 16-year career guard players 4-5 inches taller than him. Perhaps thats why he was such a valuable commodity. Boston Celtics (2015-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18), Los Angeles Lakers (2018), Denver Nuggets (2018-19), Washington Wizards (2019-present), Key stats: 525 G, 18.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 43.6 FG%. Bottom line: NBA connoisseurs can appreciate what Michael Cooper brought to the Los Angeles Lakers' "Showtime" dynasty of the 1980s. To put it in perspective, Foust scored the winning basket for the Fort Wayne Pistons in the lowest-scoring NBA game of all-time, a 19-18 win over the Minneapolis Lakers, a year in which he averaged 13.5 points. Not only was Dawkins downright crazy on the court, but he seemingly thrived off of breaking the backboard. A ridiculous shot-blocker in his own right, Rollins really knew how to bring it when his opposition tried to challenge him. Teams: New York Knicks (1987-92, 2001-02), Los Angeles Clippers (1992-94), Indiana Pacers (1994-96, 1997-2000), Denver Nuggets (1996-97), Toronto Raptors (2000-01), Utah Jazz (2002-03), Houston Rockets (2003-04), Key stats: 1,296 G, 9.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 8.0 APG, 44.7 FG%. Accomplishments: Four-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1967 NBA champion. He has scored the most points in NBA history. The 6'9" Johnson (making him the NBA's tallest point guard) not only posted the best assists-per-game mark in league history (11.2) but had a tremendous all-around game, as well. He played on some great teams, but they were during the heyday of both the 76ers with Dr. J and the Celtics with Larry Bird running the Eastern Conference. Sloans toughness came from his hardscrabble background. 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.". Stats: 27.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 7.4 APG in 18 seasons with Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-04 to 2009-10; 2014-15 to 2017-18), Miami Heat (2010-11 to 2013-14) and Los Angeles Lakers (2018-19 to 2020-21)*. He had his number retired by two of the three places he played in his college and pro career, the University of Evansville and Chicago Bulls. Stats: 22.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.9 APG in 11 NBA seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1976-77 to 1986-87); also played five ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1971-72 to 1972-73) and New York Nets (1973-74 to 1975-76). All-Star Games 2022 All-Star Game , 2021 All-Star Game , 2020 All-Star Game , 2019 All-Star Game , 2018 All-Star Game . An enforcer, McDaniel did well when it came to boosting the energy of whatever roster he was on. 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. Stats: 17.6 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.8 APG in 11 seasons with Boston Celtics (1970-71 to 1979-80) and Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83). Stats: 26.4 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Milwaukee/St. Laimbeer is easily the most hated NBA player of all-time. Accomplishments: 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 12-time All-Defensive team, 2007-08 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, four-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, five-time NBA champion. There was no player like him during the era in which he played, and there isnt likely to be another one with his championship success. There was a time during Wallaces career when he was the most feared defender in the NBA. During halftime of the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, 47 of the 50 members of that team were honored in person. Bottom line: If you want to know about toughness and making something out of nothing, just look at what John Starks went through just to make it to the NBA. The 2020-21 NBA season is about halfway through. Stats: 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG in 13 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1979-80 to 1990-91; 1995-96). Bottom line: Steve Nash seemed like he was made of pure scrap iron for most of his NBA career, bouncing around the court and off of other players like he was inside of a pinball machine. Stats: 19.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG in 15 seasons with Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1958-59 to 1972-73). 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%. As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th anniversary team includes 76 players. That makes the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player and 15-time All-NBA pick one of the toughest and most durable players of all time. Steve Nash. 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. He averaged 28.2 ppg, (third . The most intense players to ever play in the NBA brought a 110 percent effort on every single night. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, five-time assists champ, two-time MVP. The 11-time NBA All Star . Stats: 22.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.3 APG in 14 seasons with Buffalo Braves. Unseld, known for bone-rattling picks, played for a decade before helping lead the Bullets to the NBA title in 1978, when he was named Finals MVP. 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. Teams: Portland TrailBlazers (1976-80, 1987-88), New Jersey Nets (1980-81), New York Knicks (1981-82), Phoenix Suns (1982-85), Los Angeles Lakers (1985-86), Seattle SuperSonics (1986-87), Key stats: 1,021 G, 14.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 47.1 FG%. Stats: 17.0 PPG, 15.6 RPG, 3.3 APG in 11 seasons with Cincinnati Royals (1963-64 to 1969-70), San Francisco Warriors (1969-70 to 1970-71) and New York Knicks (1971-72 to 1973-74).
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