Top 100 NBA Players: #3 - Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Teams

Chicago Bulls - 1984-93, 1995-98

Washington Wizards - 2001-03

Playoffs

Appearances - 13 (1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1995,1996,1997,1998)

Conference Finals - 8 (1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)

NBA Finals - 6 (1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)

Championships - 6 (1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)

Awards and Honors

Rookie of the Year - 1985

MVP - 5 (1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1998)

Finals MVP - 6 (1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)

Defensive Player of the Year - 1 (1988)

All-NBA First Team - 10 (1985,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)

All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1985)

Hall of Fame - 2009

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Points Per Game - #1

Total Steals - #3

Steals Per Game - #4

Total Points - #5

Total Assists - #47

Assists Per Game - #100

League Leads

Total Points (#1-1985,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998)

Points Per Game (#1-1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998, #3-1985)

Total Steals (#1-1988,1990,1993, #2-1987,1989, #3-1991,1996, #4-1985,1992)

Steals Per Game (#1-1988,1990,1993, #2-1987, #3-1989,1991,1996, #4-1985)

After hitting the championship-winning shot as a freshman at North Carolina, then winning the College Player of the Year award as a junior, Michael Jordan entered the NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the #3 overall pick.

As a rookie, Jordan finished with the third-highest scoring average in the league, pouring in 28.2 per game, along with 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.4 steals, which earned him the Rookie of the Year award despite solid play from Hakeem Olajuwon that year as well. He was able to help the Bulls make the playoffs for the first time in 4 years, but they lost in the first round to Milwaukee.

Jordan broke his foot in the third game of his second season, and ended up missing 64 games while recovering, but returned for the end of the regular season and the playoffs. In Game 2 of the first round, he scored a playoff-record 63 points against the Boston Celtics, but they lost that game and were swept in the series.

He was fully healthy the next season, and led the league by scoring 37.1 points per game, becoming only the second player to score 3000 points in a season, but the playoffs brought more disappointment, as Jordan and the Bulls were swept by the Celtics in the first round, the third year in a row that they failed to win a playoff series.

Scottie Pippen joined the team the next year as a rookie, and Jordan had another great year, leading the league with 35.0 points per game and 3.2 steals, and won both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards. He also won a playoff series for the first time, but the Bulls lost to Detroit in the second round in 5 games.

He led the league in scoring again the next year, but his averaged dropped to 32.5, but he averaged career highs in rebounds and assists, averaging 8.0 of each for the season. That year he was able to lead the Bulls one step farther in the playoffs, reaching the Conference Finals, but the Pistons ended their season again, knocking them off in 6 games.

He raised his scoring average back up to 33.6 the next year, and led the league in steals for the second time, with 2.8 per game, and set a career high by scoring 69 points in a March game against Cleveland. He took the Bulls back to the Conference Finals, where they met the Pistons again, and once again Detroit ended their season, this time in 7 games. 

Jordan won his second MVP the next year after averaging 31.5 points per game to lead the league for the 5th year in a row, and he led the Bulls to 61 wins. They reached the Conference Finals for the third year in a row and met the Pistons there again, but this time they swept their rivals to reach their first Finals. They faced Magic Johnson and the Lakers in that series, winning in 5 games with Jordan averaging 31.2 points per game to win his first Finals MVP.

His scoring dropped to 30.1 the next year, but was still good for the league lead, and the Bulls won 67 games, earning Jordan another MVP, the third of his career. The Bulls faced a tough path the to Finals, barely getting past the Knicks in the second round before beating Cleveland in 6 games in the Conference Finals, but Jordan averaged 35.8 in the Finals to knock off Portland in 6 games, winning his second Finals MVP.

Jordan played better the next year, finishing with 32.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, but lost the MVP award to Charles Barkley of the Suns, who finished with the league's best record. He led the Bulls back to the Finals for the third year in a row, where they faced those Suns, and Jordan set a Finals record by averaging 41.0 points per game in the Finals as they beat Phoenix in 6 games.

Shortly before the start of the next season, Jordan surprised everyone by announcing his retirement after only 9 seasons in the NBA. He played minor league baseball during his time away, and the Bulls fell short of the Finals for the first time in 4 years. Near the end of the next season, with the Bulls struggling to make the playoffs, Jordan decided to return to the Bulls.

It took a few games to shake off the rust, but by the end of the regular season he was pretty much back to his former self, and the Bulls went 13-4 after his return to make the playoffs comfortably. They reached the second round of the playoffs, where they faced Shaq and the Magic, but despite Jordan's 31.0 points per game in the series, the Bulls lost a series with Jordan on the court for the first time since 1990.

Following that playoff loss, Jordan and the Bulls came back with a vengeance, setting a new record by winning 72 games that next season, with Jordan scoring 30.4 points per game to win his record 8th scoring title. The Bulls lost only one game on their way to the NBA Finals, where they beat the SuperSonics in 6 games to earn Jordan his 4th Finals MVP.

The Bulls won "only" 69 games the next year, and Jordan averaged "only" 29.6 points, but it was enough for the scoring title and the league's best record again. Karl Malone won that season's MVP, and just like in 1993, Jordan met the man who had beaten him for MVP in the Finals, and led the Bulls to a 6-game defeat of the Jazz for a 5th championship.

The next year, Chicago won only 62 games, and Jordan only scored 28.7 per game, but he won his 10th scoring title anyway. He led the Bulls to the Finals yet again, surviving a tough 7-game series against Indiana in the Conference Finals before knocking off Utah in 6 games for the second straight year, earning Jordan his record 6th Finals MVP (though Bill Russell did not have the chance to win any during his career).

He retired again before the start of the next season, and a year later joined the Washington Wizards as President of Basketball Operations. After a couple of years in the role, Jordan decided that he still wanted to play, and unretired once again to join the Wizards.

Jordan injured his knee in his first season with the Wizards, missing 22 games as a result, only the second time he had suffered a major injury in his career. He averaged 22.9 points per game, but wasn't able to lead the team to the playoffs, missing out on the postseason for the first time in his career. He played one more season with the team, averaging a career-low 20 points per game, and once again fell short of the playoffs. Following that season, he retired for the final time.

Jordan has the highest scoring average of any player in history, ahead of Wilt Chamberlain by a fraction of a point, and won more scoring titles than any other player ever. He also led the league in steals 3 times and is #3 on the all-time list for total steals. He won 6 championships and was the best player on each of those teams, an accomplishment eclipsed by only Bill Russell, and won 5 MVP awards, second to only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 6, though he probably deserved to have 7. He is definitely one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Top 100 NBA Players: #6 - Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson

Teams

Los Angeles Lakers - 1979-91, 1995-96

Playoffs

Appearances - 13 (1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1996)

Conference Finals - 10 (1980,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1991)

NBA Finals - 9 (1980,1982,1983,1984,1985,1987,1988,1989,1991)

Championships - 5 (1980,1982,1985,1987,1988)

Awards and Honors

Rookie of the Year - 1980

MVP - 3 (1987,1989,1990)

Finals MVP - 3 (1980,1982,1985,1987,1988)

All-NBA First Team - 9 (1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991)

All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1980,1982)

Hall of Fame - 2002

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Assists Per Game - #1

Total Assists - #6

Steals Per Game - #23

Total Steals - #24

Free Throw Percentage - #71

Field Goal Percentage - #72

Points Per Game - #79

Total Points - #85

League Leads

Total Assists (#1-1983,1986,1987, #2-1982,1985,1990,1991, #3-1984,1988,1989)

Assists Per Game (#1-1983,1984,1986,1987, #2-1982,1985,1988,1989,1990,1991)

Steals Per Game (#1-1981,1982, #5-1980,1984)

Total Steals (#3-1982, #5-1980)

Free Throw Percentage (#1-1989, #5-1991)

Three-Pointers Made (#5-1990)

After leading Michigan State to the national championship and winning the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament award as a sophomore, Magic Johnson entered the NBA Draft, where he was the #1 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Magic was an immediate success in the NBA. He averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists as a rookie, finishing as the runner-up to Rookie of the Year Larry Bird. He helped Kareem Abdul-Jabbar lead the Lakers all the way to the NBA Finals, where they faced Julius Erving and the 76ers. They took a 3-2 lead before Kareem was forced to miss Game 6 with a sprained ankle, so Johnson started at center instead of his usual point guard, recording 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists in the deciding game, which earned him the Final MVP. He is still the only rookie ever to win the Finals MVP, and joined Bill Russell as the only players ever to win an NBA title the year after being named MOP of the NCAA Tournament.

Magic suffered a knee injury early in his second season, causing him to miss 45 games, but he still led the league in steals that year with 3.4 per game. The Lakers lost to Houston in the first round of the playoffs that year, one of only 3 times in his career that he wouldn't reach at least the Conference Finals.

Fully healthy the next year, Johnson led the league in steals again, with 2.7 per game, and nearly averaged a triple-double for the season, recording 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game. He led them back to the NBA Finals, where they faced Philadelphia again, and after Magic recorded 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists in Game 6, the Lakers won another championship, and Magic earned another Finals MVP.

The next year, Johnson led the league in assists for the first time, averaging 10.5 per game to go with his 16.8 points, a career low at the time. The Lakers reached the Finals again, facing Philadelphia for the 3rd time in 4 years, but this time they fell to the dominant 76ers, who swept the Lakers in 4 games.

He averaged a career high 13.4 assists the next year, leading the league again, and led the Lakers to the Finals for the third year in a row, this time facing Larry Bird and the Celtics for the first time. After the ball was stolen from Magic in the final minute of Game 7, the Lakers lost the game and the series, giving Bird payback for losing to Magic's Spartans in the 1979 NCAA title game.

Magic continued his high level of play the next season, recording 12.6 assists per game, which was only good for second place that year. He led the Lakers to the Finals once again, where they had a rematch with Boston, and even though Magic set a Finals record by averaging 14.0 assists per game, Kareem was named the Finals MVP after leading the team with 25.7 points per game at age 38.

The following season Magic led the league in assists for the third time, again averaging 12.6 per game, but the season ended in disappointment when the Rockets knocked them off in the Conference Finals, ending their streak of consecutive Finals appearances at 4. It was the only time between 1982 and 1989 that Magic's season would not end in the Finals.

Magic averaged a career high 23.9 points per game the next season, and led the league with 12.2 assists per game, the fourth and final time in his career that he would win the assist title, and was named the league MVP for the first time. He led the Lakers back to the Finals, where they faced the Celtics for the 3rd time in 4 seasons, and Magic won his 3rd Finals MVP after averaging 26.2 points, 13.0 assists, and 8.0 rebounds in the 6-game series win.

At that point, no team had repeated as champions in 18 years, but the Lakers were able to end that trend. They were stretched to 7 games in the second round and the Conference Finals, then went the full 7 in the Finals as well. Magic averaged 21.1 points, 13.0 assists, and 5.7 rebounds in the Finals, but the Finals MVP went to James Worthy after he recorded a triple-double in the final game.

The next season, Magic averaged 22.5 points, 12.8 assists, and 7.9 rebounds, while leading the league by shooting .911 from the line, and was named the MVP for the second time. He led the Lakers back to the Finals yet again, but after injuring his hamstring in Game 2, the Lakers fell to the Pistons in 4 games to end their season.

Kareem retired after that season, and Magic won yet another MVP in his first season without his star teammate. Even though the regular season went well, the Lakers were upset in the second round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, making it the first time since 1981 that the Lakers wouldn't reach the Conference Finals.

He had another strong season in 1990-91, averaging 19.4 points, 12.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game, and he was able to lead the Lakers to the Finals for the 9th time in his career. They met up with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, and even though Magic played well, it wasn't enough to stop the Bulls, who beat the Lakers in 5 games to win their first-ever title.

Right before the start of the next season, Magic discovered that he had tested positive for HIV in a routine physical, and he announced his retirement from the game immediately. He was still voted to the All-Star team, so he unretired to play in the game, winning the All-Star MVP award, then played in that summer's Olympics before retiring again. After 3.5 seasons away from playing, Magic returned for the second half of the 1995-96 season, playing 32 games as a power forward, averaging 14.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game before retiring for good.

Magic finished in the top 2 in assist average in the NBA for 10 straight seasons from 1981-91, leading the league 4 times, and his 11.2 per game for his career is the highest average of all time. He won 3 Finals MVPs and should have had a 4th, and was also a 3-time regular season MVP. He led the league in triple-doubles 10 times in his 13 seasons, and is still #3 on the all-time list, behind only Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. Even though he only played 13 years, he was always one of the best players in the league during his career, and is easily one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Top 100 NBA Players: #12 - John Stockton

John Stockton

Teams

Utah Jazz - 1984-03

Playoffs

Appearances - 19 (1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003)

Conference Finals - 5 (1992,1994,1996,1997,1998)

NBA Finals - 2 (1997,1998)

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

All-NBA First Team - 2 (1988,1989,1991,1992,1994,1995,1996,1997)

All-NBA Second Team - 6 (1988,1989,1990,1992,1993,1996)

All-NBA Third Team - 3 (1991,1997,1999,2000,2001,2002)

Hall of Fame - 2009

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Total Assists - #1

Total Steals - #1

Assists Per Game - #2

Steals Per Game - #8

Total Points - #53

Field Goal Percentage - #86

League Leads

Total Assists (#1-1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996, #2-1997,2001, #4-2000, #5-2002,2003)

Assists Per Game (#1-1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996, #2-1997,2001, #5-1998,2002,2003)

Total Steals (#1-1989,1992, #2-1991, #3-1988,1990,1993, #4-1994,1995)

Steals Per Game (#1-1989,1992, #2-1990,1991, #3-1988,1993, #4-1994,1995)

Field Goal Percentage (#4-1988, #5-2002)

Three-Point Percentage (#2-2001, #5-1995)

As a senior at Gonzaga, John Stockton averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 3.9 steals per game, which led the Utah Jazz to select him with the #16 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Stockton came off the bench in his first 3 seasons, raising all of his statistical averages each year, up to 7.9 points, 8.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in 1987. He was named the starting point guard the next season, and he immediately shot to the top of the league, leading all players in assists with 13.8 per game, the second-highest average of all time at that point, while scoring 14.7 points per game and recording 3.0 steals per game, #3 in the league. 

The Jazz made the playoffs in all 19 seasons with Stockton, and this year was no exception, with Utah making it to the second round, where they lost to the Lakers in 7 games, with Stockton averaging 19.3 points, 16.4 assists, and 4.0 steals per game in the series, but they couldn't beat the defending champs, and they wouldn't make a deep playoff run for several more years.

In his second year as a starter, he led the league in both assists and steals, with 13.6 and 3.2 per game respectively, along with 17.1 points per game. Despite that, he still wasn't named to the All-NBA First Team, instead being relegated to the Second Team for the second year in a row.

The next year, he set the all-time record for most assists per game in a season, dishing out 14.5 per game, along with a career high 17.2 points per game and 2.7 steals. He missed 4 games that season, the first time in his career that he sat out a single game.

The next year, he set the all-time record for most total assists in a season, getting 1164 for an average of 14.2 per game, giving him his 4th straight assist title. He also matched his career high with 17.2 points per game that season while taking 2.9 steals per game as well.

Stockton had his best overall season the next year. His averages were slightly down, to 15.8 points, 13.7 assists, and 3.0 steals per game, the latter two of which led the league. He also helped lead the Jazz to the Conference Finals for the first time in their history, but the Portland Trail Blazers stopped their run there, ending their season.

Stockton led the league in assists in each of the next 4 seasons as well, making it 9 years in a row by 1996, breaking Bob Cousy's record of 8 straight seasons leading the league. The team also made their 3rd Conference Final that year, but Seattle beat the Jazz this time, marking the 12th straight year that Stockton had failed to reach the Finals.

That ended the next year, when Stockton lost the assist title for the first time in a decade, averaging only 10.5 per game, but the Jazz finally broke through in the playoffs, beating the Rockets in the Conference Finals after Stockton hit a buzzer-beater over Charles Barkley to win the series. They met the Bulls in the Finals, but were unable to unseat the defending champs, losing in 6 games.

Stockton missed the first 18 games of the next season with a knee injury, only the second time in his career that he had missed any time, and when he came back, the team cut down his playing time a little in order to preserve him, keeping him around 30 minutes per game for the remainder of his career instead of the 35-36 he had usually played before. The Jazz returned to the Finals that year, but lost again in 6 games in a rematch with Chicago.

Stockton played 5 more years with the Jazz, averaging at least 10 points and 7 assists per game each season, and continued as their starting point guard past the age of 40. He finally retired in 2003, after playing 19 seasons, all with Utah, missing only 22 games in his career, and never missing the playoffs.

Stockton is the all-time leader in both steals and assists in NBA history, with Jason Kidd behind him in both categories. He has 581 more steals than Kidd, and is 933 ahead of Chris Paul, the active leader in the category, so he is in no danger of losing his lead. The same applies even more to the assist lead, where he is 3715 ahead of Kidd and 5531 ahead of Paul, who is the active leader.

In addition to those all-time leads, Stockton has the second-highest assist average in history, behind only Magic Johnson, and holds the records for most assists in a season, assist average in a season, and most seasons leading the league. He's also in the top 10 in steals per game for his career, so even though he was never able to win a championship, he's obviously one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Top 100 NBA Players: #20 - Chris Paul

Chris Paul

Teams

New Orleans Hornets - 2005-11

Los Angeles Clippers - 2011-17

Houston Rockets - 2017-19

Oklahoma City Thunder - 2019-20

Phoenix Suns - 2020-current

Playoffs

Appearances - 13 (2008,2009,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021)

Conference Finals - 2 (2018,2021)

NBA Finals - 1 (2021)

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

Rookie of the Year - 2006

MVP - 0 (2008)

All-NBA First Team - 4 (2008,2009,2012,2013,2014,2015)

All-NBA Second Team - 5 (2009,2011,2013,2015,2016,2020,2021)

All-NBA Third Team - 1 (2011,2017)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Assists Per Game - #4

Total Assists - #5

Total Steals - #5

Steals Per Game - #10

Free Throw Percentage - #25

Three-Pointers Made - #40

Total Points - #51

League Leads

Assists Per Game (#1-2008,2009,2014,2015, #2-2010,2013, #3-2012,2019,2021, #4-2007,2011,2016,2017)

Steals Per Game (#1-2008,2009,2011,2012,2013,2014, #3-2006,2016,2017,2019, #5-2015)

Total Assists (#1-2008,2009,2015, #2-2011,2013,2021, #3-2012, #4-2014,2016, #5-2006)

Total Steals (#1-2006,2008,2009,2011,2012, #2-2013,2015, #3-2014, #4-2020)

Free Throw Percentage (#1-2021, #2-2018, #4-2016,2020, #5-2015)

After a sophomore season in which he averaged 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 2.4 steals per game and was named First Team All-American, Chris Paul was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets with the #4 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

Paul was already a star in his rookie season, averaging 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.2 steals. He was the second rookie in history to lead the league in total steals, and was one vote away from being the unanimous Rookie of the Year. 

He posted slightly better averages in his second year, then exploded in his third year, averaging 21.1 points and leading the league in assists with 11.6 per game and steals with 2.7 per game. He finished #2 in the MVP voting behind Kobe Bryant, but I believe his dominant league-leading averages should have trumped Kobe's 7-point scoring margin over Paul. He also made his playoff debut that year, and posted a triple double in the final game of the first round, but they fell to the Spurs in the second round.

Paul averaged a career high 22.8 points the next year, and again led the league with 11.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game, but the team fell in the first round of the playoffs. He missed more than a month during the next year with a knee injury that required surgery, and the Hornets missed the playoffs as a result of missing their star.

Paul was back at full strength the next year, leading the league in steals for the third time, and he averaged 22.0 points, 11.5 assists, and 6.7 rebounds in the playoffs, but it wasn't enough for the Hornets to beat the Lakers, who eliminated them in 6 games in the first round.

Paul was traded to the Clippers before the next season, as the Hornets feared that he would leave in free agency the next year. He had another great season, averaging 19.8 points, 9.1 assists, and 2.5 steals, which again led the league, and led the Clippers to the playoffs for the first time in 6 years, even getting them to the second round, but that's as far as he would get in Los Angeles.

After leading the league in steals for the fifth time in 2013, but again losing early in the playoffs, the Clippers switched coaches, and Paul had another great season, even after missing more than a month with a shoulder injury, averaging 19.1 points and leading the league in both assists and steals in the same season for the third time, with 10.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game. It was also the sixth time he had led the league in steals, which is the most of any player in history.

He led the league in assists for the 4th time in 2014-15 while again averaging 19.1 points per game, and in the playoffs he hit the series-winning shot in Game 7 in the first round, but they fell in the second round to Houston. The next year, he had the Clippers up 2-1 in the first round before breaking his hand in Game 4, and the team lost the series in 6 games. He played just one more year with the Clippers before they decided to trade him to Houston, again fearing that he would leave as a free agent the next year.

He missed 14 games at the beginning of his first season in Houston with a knee injury, but once he returned he was able to help Houston finish with the best record in the league while James Harden won the MVP. He closed out the Jazz in the second round of the playoffs with 41 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists to reach the Conference Finals for the first time in his career. In the Conference Finals, he led Houston to a Game 5 win that gave them a 3-2, but also injured his hamstring in the process, and was forced to miss the next 2 games while his team was eliminated by the Warriors in 7 games.

He suffered another hamstring injury the next year, which caused him to miss 17 games, and he ended up having the worst season of his career, averaging a career-low 15.6 points per game. He was traded after the season to Oklahoma City, where he dragged a rebuilding team to the playoffs, but the result was another first round exit.

Paul was traded last summer to the Phoenix Suns, and for the third time he took a team that had not made the playoffs in a while back to the postseason. He led the league in free throw percentage, shooting .934 from the line for the season, and was great in the playoffs, scoring 37 points with 7 assists to eliminate Denver in the second round, then 41 points with 8 assists to eliminate the Clippers in the Conference Finals, earning him his first-ever trip to the Finals. Unfortunately, they weren't able to close it out, losing to the Bucks in 6 games.

Chris Paul has led the league in steals more times than any other player in history, and also led the league in assists 4 times. He is already ranked #5 in league history in both categories, and is still playing at near-peak level despite being 36 years old. He is the leader among active players in both assists and steals, both total and per game, and has averaged at least 15 points in each of his 16 NBA seasons, in addition to averaging over 8 assists 15 times and over 2 steals 11 times. Judging on last year's performance, he could still move up several spots in this countdown before he hangs it up, but no matter what he is one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Top 100 NBA Players: #21 - Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd

Teams

Dallas Mavericks - 1994-96, 2008-12

Phoenix Suns - 1996-01

New Jersey Nets - 2001-08

New York Knicks - 2012-13

Playoffs

Appearances - 17 (1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013)

Conference Finals - 3 (2002,2003,2011)

NBA Finals - 3 (2002,2003,2011)

Championships - 1 (2011)

Awards and Honors

Rookie of the Year - 1995

All-NBA First Team - 5 (1999,2000,2001,2002,2004,2007)

All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1996,2003,2008,2010)

All-NBA Third Team - 0 (1998,2000,2001,2004,2006,2009,2011)

Hall of Fame - 2018

All-Time Ranks

Total Assists - #2

Total Steals - #2

Assists Per Game - #8

Three-Pointers Made - #11

Steals Per Game - #22

Total Rebounds - #65

Total Points - #89

League Leads

Assists Per Game (#1-1999,2000,2001,2003,2004, #2-1996,1998,2002, #3-2005,2007, #4-1997,2008, #5-2006,2009,2010)

Total Assists (#1-1999,2001,2003, #2-1998,2002, #3-1996,2004,2007, #4-2006,2008,2009,2010, #5-2000)

Total Steals (#1-2002, #3-1999,2009,2010, #4-1996,2001, #5-2003,2006)

Steals Per Game (#3-2002,2009, #4-1996,1999,2001, #5-2000,2003,2010)

Three-Pointers Made (#3-2010)

After leading the nation in assists as a junior at California with 9.1 per game to go along with his 16.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.1 steals, Jason Kidd was drafted #2 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1994 NBA Draft.

As a rookie, he averaged 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game, and led the league in triple doubles, the first of 11 times he would do that, which helped him win the Rookie of the Year award, tied with Grant Hill. He helped Dallas improve by 23 games over the previous season, though they still fell short of making the playoffs.

Kidd blossomed into a star in his second season, averaging 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 9.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He was #2 in the league in assists, and it was the first of 15 consecutive seasons where he would finish in the top 5 in the league in that category. Even though he was playing well, there were issues between him and the team's other star players, and Kidd was traded to the Phoenix Suns during the early part of the following season.

Kidd was injured in his very first game with the Suns, causing him to miss 6 weeks, but he returned  to lead the Suns to the playoffs, a huge accomplishment after starting the season 0-13. It was Kidd's first playoff appearance, and he wouldn't miss the playoffs again in his career.

In his second full season in Phoenix, Kidd led the league in assists for the first time, averaging 10.8 per game, while also averaging 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game. He was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time, but for the third time in a row, Phoenix was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.

The next year, Kidd missed the final 15 games of the season after breaking his ankle, but he still led the league in assists again, and he returned during the playoffs, just in time to help the Suns advance past the first round for the first time in his career, though they wouldn't get any farther.

Kidd led the league in assists for the third straight season in 2000-01, but after the distraction caused by Kidd's arrest for domestic violence and the team losing in the first round of the playoffs yet again, Kidd was traded to New Jersey after the season.

Kidd made an immediate impact in New Jersey. He helped them double their win total from 26 to 52, made the All-NBA First Team, and led the Nets to the NBA Finals for the first time in their history after he averaged a triple double of 17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 10.2 assists in beating the Celtics in the Conference Finals. The Nets ended up being swept in the Finals by the Lakers, ending their season without a title.

Kidd was even better the next year, averaging a career-high of 18.7 points per game and leading the league in assists for the 4th time with 8.9 per game. He led them all the way back to the NBA Finals, including sweeps of Boston and Detroit, but Tim Duncan and the Spurs knocked them off in 6 games.

Kidd led the league in assists for the 5th time in 6 seasons in 2003-04, and the Nets looked like they were headed for a third straight Finals before Kidd severely injured his knee in the second round of the playoffs. He continued to play, but was unable to score a single point in the team's Game 7 loss to Detroit.

After recovering from knee surgery, Kidd returned to join the Nets and his new teammate, Vince Carter, who had been traded to New Jersey while Kidd was out. The team had struggled in his absence, but they were able to rally enough to make the playoffs as the final seed, but they lost in the first round. 

After two more seasons with the Nets, in which the team was good in the regular season but disappointing in the playoffs, Kidd was ready to move on. In the 2007 playoffs he had become the second player ever to average a triple double for an entire playoff run, but he still couldn't get New Jersey past the second round, and midway through the 2007-08 season, he was traded back to his original team, the Dallas Mavericks.

After three more early playoff exits with Dallas, Kidd was finally able to reach the ultimate goal in 2011, when the Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals and finally won a championship, with Kidd averaging 9.3 points and 7.3 assists during the postseason run, becoming the oldest starting point guard to ever win a championship.

Kidd played one more season with the Mavericks, averaging career lows across the board, before signing with the New York Knicks for one final season before retiring at age 40. Kidd had been well-known, especially early in his career, as a poor shooter, but at the time of his retirement, he was #3 in career three-pointers made, a major improvement considering where he started.

Kidd averaged at least 8 assists per game in 16 straight seasons, and finished in the top 5 in 15 straight seasons. By the time he retired, he was #2 on the all-time leaderboard in both assists and steals, trailing only John Stockton in each category. He led New Jersey to the Finals twice during his prime, then played an important role on a championship team when he was 38 years old, and he is one of the best to ever play the game.

Top 100 NBA Players: #25 - Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry

Teams

Golden State Warriors - 2009-present

Playoffs

Appearances - 7 (2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019)

Conference Finals - 5 (2015,2016,2017,2018,2019)

NBA Finals - 5 (2015,2016,2017,2018,2019)

Championships - 3 (2015,2017,2018)

Awards and Honors

MVP - 2 (2015,2016)

Finals MVP - 0 (2015,2017)

All-NBA First Team - 4 (2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2019,2021)

All-NBA Second Team - 2 (2014,2017,2018,2019,2021)

All-NBA Third Team - 1 (2018)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Free Throw Percentage - #1

Three-Pointers Made - #2

Three-Point Percentage - #7

Points Per Game - #21

Assists Per Game - #40

Steals Per Game - #50

Total Assists - #70

Total Points - #74

Total Steals - #80

League Leads

Free Throw Percentage (#1-2011,2015,2016,2018, #2-2013,2019, #5-2021)

Three-Pointers Made (#1-2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2021, #2-2019)

Three Point Percentage (#2-2016, #3-2011,2012,2013,2015, #4-2019)

Total Steals (#1-2015,2016, #2-2010, #5-2017)

Total Points (#1-2021, #2-2015,2016)

Points Per Game (#1-2016,2021, #5-2019)

Steals Per Game (#1-2016, #3-2010, #4-2015)

Total Assists (#3-2014, #4-2015)

Assists Per Game (#5-2014)

After leading Davidson on a Cinderella run to the Elite Eight as a sophomore, then leading the nation in scoring with 28.6 per game as a junior, Stephen Curry was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the #7 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

He had a strong start to his career, averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists as a rookie, finishing as the runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting. In his second season he raised his scoring up to 18.6 per game and led the league in free throw percentage, hitting .934 from the line, breaking Rick Barry's single-season team record.

He had ankle surgery right after that season ended, but his issues persisted, causing him to miss 40 games the next year and requiring a second surgery at the end of that season. He signed a new 4-year contract before the next season, which seemed risky at the time, but it turned out to be a great move for the Warriors.

That year, Curry averaged 22.9 points and 6.9 assists per game, set a new record for 3-pointers made in a season with 272, and led the Warriors to the playoffs, where they reached the second round before falling to the Spurs in 6 games. He led the league in three pointers again the next season, but fell just short of breaking his own record, and the Warriors fell in the first round of the playoffs that year.

In 2014-15, Golden State got a new coach, Steve Kerr, who emphasized faster-paced play and more opportunities for Curry to shoot, and the result was amazing. The Warriors won 67 games and Curry was named the MVP after putting up 23.8 points and 7.7 assists per game while breaking his three-pointer record with 286 made and leading the league in free throw percentage for the second time. 

In the playoffs, Curry was able to lead the Warriors all the way to the NBA Finals, breaking the record for most threes made in a single postseason in Game 3 of the Conference Finals. He struggled in the first two games of the NBA Finals, but rebounded in the next 4 games, leading the Warriors to a championship in Game 6. Andre Iguodala was named the Finals MVP because of his defense on LeBron James, but Curry's averages of 26 points and 6.3 assists per game in the Finals should have been enough to get him the award.

The next season, Curry became the only player in history to win the MVP award unanimously after leading the Warriors to a record 73 wins and leading the league in scoring with 30.1 per game, steals with 2.1 per game, free throw shooting at .908, and setting a new record for three-pointers made again with 402, becoming the first player ever to reach 300 or 400. He also became the seventh member of the 50-40-90 club, shooting a career-high of .504 from the field and .454 from three in addition to his league-leading free throw percentage. He was able to lead the Warriors back to the NBA Finals, but LeBron James and the Cavaliers were able to overcome a 3-1 deficit to knock them off and stop them from finishing their historic season on a high note.

Kevin Durant joined the Warriors the next year, and Curry happily took on a slightly smaller role despite being the 2-time defending MVP, dropping his scoring to only 25.3 per game, but the result was a 3rd straight trip to the NBA Finals, where they knocked off the Cavaliers in 5 games. Kevin Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in the Finals and was named the MVP, but Curry may have been better, averaging 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 9.4 assists.

The next year he missed quite a bit of time due to injury, 11 games early in the season with an ankle injury and then 22 games with an MCL injury that kept him out through the first round of the playoffs, but he returned in full health in the second round, and helped lead the Warriors to their 4th straight Finals, where they again beat the Cavaliers, this time in a sweep to earn Curry his 3rd championship in 4 years, this time with 27.5 points per game in the Finals.

Curry averaged 27.3 points per game the next season, the second-highest of his career at the time, and once again led Golden State all the way to the NBA Finals, making it 5 years in a row. He averaged over 30 points per game in the Finals for the first time in his career, but the Warriors fell to Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors in 6 games after losing Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to injuries.

Curry was expected to take on a huge load the next year with Durant gone to Brooklyn and Klay Thompson out with injury, but just 4 games into the season he broke his hand, which practically ended his season. He returned in March for one game before the season was shut down for COVID, and the Warriors record was bad enough that they weren't invited to participate in the bubble that finished off the season.

Back at full health last year, Curry led the league in scoring for the second time, finishing with a career high 32.0 points per game and leading the league in 3-pointers made for the 6th time. Golden State narrowly missed the playoffs, but Curry still finished #3 in the MVP voting.

As the reigning league scoring leader, Curry is obviously still at the top of his game and has a lot of potential to continue moving up the list of all-time greats. He is currently the best free throw shooter in the history of the league, and is #2 in 3-pointers made, a record he will likely take from Ray Allen this coming season. He has led the league in scoring twice, steals once, and won 2 MVPs, and he is easily one of the greatest players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #27 - James Harden

James Harden

Teams

Oklahoma City Thunder - 2009-12

Houston Rockets - 2012-21

Brooklyn Nets - 2021-present

Playoffs

Appearances - 12 (2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021)

Conference Finals - 4 (2011,2012,2015,2018)

NBA Finals - 1 (2012)

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

MVP - 1 (2018,2019)

Sixth Man of the Year - 1 (2012)

All-NBA First Team - 6 (2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020)

All-NBA Second Team - 0 (2013,2014,2021)

All-NBA Third Team - 1 (2013)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Three-Pointers Made - #5

Points Per Game - #10

Total Points - #38

Total Assists - #42

Assists Per Game - #42

Free Throw Percentage - #49

Total Steals - #67

Steals Per Game - #75

League Leads

Points Per Game (#1-2018,2019,2020, #2-2015,2016,2017, #5-2013,2014)

Total Points (#1-2015,2016,2019,2020, #2-2017,2018, #4-2013)

Three-Pointers Made (#1-2018,2019,2020, #3-2016,2017, #4-2015)

Total Assists (#1-2017, #4-2018, #5-2019)

Total Steals (#1-2020, #2-2019, #3-2015)

Assists Per Game (#1-2017, #3-2018)

Steals Per Game (#2-2019, #5-2020)

After being named the Pac 10 Player of the Year as a sophomore with averages of 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, James Harden entered the NBA Draft, where he was taken with the #3 overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Harden played with the Thunder for 3 seasons, all in a reserve role, but that role increased each season, and in 2012 he was named the Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He was also a big part of the Thunder's push to the NBA Finals, though he averaged only 12.4 points in the Finals once they got there, losing in 5 games to the Miami Heat.

Oklahoma City offered him an extension after that season, but Harden wanted to be a starter, so he was traded to the Houston Rockets just days before the next season began. He immediately showed that he belonged, averaging 25.9 points in his first season as a starter and being named to the All-NBA Third Team.

After posting nearly identical numbers the next year, he was named to the All-NBA First Team, but the next big step happened the next year. That season he averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game and led the Rockets to the Conference Finals, the first time getting that far as a star, but the team fell to the Warriors in 5 games, and Harden had a terrible final game, with 14 points and 13 turnovers.

Two years later, he had his best individual season after being moved to point guard for the first time in his career, setting career highs with 8.1 rebounds and 11.2 assists, which also led the league, along with 29.1 points per game. The Rockets reached the second round, but Harden again struggled in the decisive game, scoring only 10 points before fouling out.

Harden moved back to shooting guard the next year, and after three seasons finishing as the runner-up in the scoring race, Harden finally won his first scoring title, pouring in 30.4 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Houston finished with the league's best record, and Harden won the MVP, but they were again turned back in the Conference Finals by the Warriors, this time in 7 games, though Harden redeemed himself somewhat by scoring 32 in the final game.

The next year Harden was a scoring machine, averaging 36.1 per game, ending up winning the scoring title by 8.1 points, the largest margin in 56 years, but he lost the MVP to Giannis Antetokounmpo. For the 4th time in 5 seasons, the Warriors ended Houston's season, this time in the second round, once again keeping Harden from reaching the Finals as a star player.

Harden won his third consecutive scoring title in 2020, finishing the season with 34.3 per game, but Houston fell to the eventual champion Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, which led to coach Mike D'Antoni being fired, which led Harden to ask for a trade. He began last season in Houston, but was traded early in January to the Brooklyn Nets.

In Brooklyn Harden was able to reduce his scoring load, and he finished the season with only 24.6 per game, his lowest since leaving Oklahoma City, but he also averaged 7.9 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game, and was in the MVP race before he went down with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss over a month. He came back in the playoffs, but was ineffective in the team's second round loss to the Bucks.

Harden is one of the best scorers in the game today, but he also puts up numbers across the board. He has averaged at least 5 rebounds in 7 straight seasons, which is very solid for a guard, and has also averaged at least 7 assists in each of those seasons, including the one where he led the league. He also led the league in total steals in 2020, and in scoring and 3-pointers made in each of his last 3 seasons in Houston. He is still only 32 years old and not far removed from his best seasons, so there is a good chance he will eventually win a championship, and he should also continue to climb this list of the best players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #36 - Rick Barry

Rick Barry

Teams

San Francisco/Golden State Warriors - 1965-67, 1972-78

Oakland Oaks/Washington Caps (ABA) - 1968-70

New York Nets (ABA) - 1970-72

Houston Rockets - 1978-80

Playoffs

Appearances - 10 (1967,1970,1971,1972,1973,1975,1976,1977,1979,1980)

Conference Finals - 5 (1967,1972,1973,1975,1976)

ABA/NBA Finals - 3 (1967,1972,1975)

Championships - 1 (1975)

Awards and Honors

Rookie of the Year - 1966

Finals MVP - 1 (1975)

All-ABA/NBA First Team - 9 (1966,1967,1969,1970,1971,1972,1974,1975,1976)

All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1966,1969,1970,1971,1973,1976,1977,1978)

Hall of Fame - 1987

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Free Throw Percentage - #8

Points Per Game - #15

Steals Per Game - #15

Total Points - #24

Total Assists - #71

League Leads

Free Throw Percentage (#1-1969,1973,1975,1976,1978,1979,1980, #2-1966,1967,1971,1974,1977, #3-1970,1972)

Total Points (#1-1967, #2-1975, #3-1972, #4-1966, #5-1974)

Points Per Game (#1-1967, #2-1972,1975, #4-1966, #5-1974)

Total Steals (#1-1975, #3-1976, #5-1974)

Steals Per Game (#1-1975, #4-1976, #5-1974)

Three-Pointers Made (#2-1980, #4-1972)

Total Assists (#5-1976)

Assists Per Game (#5-1976)

Rick Barry led the nation in scoring as a senior at the University of Miami, scoring 37.4 per game, and also averaged 18.3 rebounds that season, which led the San Francisco Warriors to draft him with the 4th overall pick in the 1965 NBA Draft.

Barry was originally from New York City, and didn't want to play in California, but he went anyway, and he won the Rookie of the Year award that season with averages of 25.7 points and 10.6 rebounds, and the Warriors fell just one game short of making the playoffs after winning only 17 games the year before.

In his second season, he led the league in scoring with 35.6 points per game, while also hauling in 9.2 rebounds per game. Barry was able to lead the Warriors all the way to the NBA Finals that season, where they faced Wilt Chamberlain and the 76ers, but despite Barry scoring 40.8 per game in the Finals, a record that would last for 26 years, they fell to Philadelphia in 6 games.

The ABA was created after that season, and Barry, unhappy that the Warriors' owner was not paying him incentive money he felt he was owed, decided to take a huge offer to move to the Oakland Oaks of the ABA, who were coached by Bruce Hale, his father-in-law and college coach. The Warriors sued because he was still under contract, and he was forced to sit out the next season.

When he was finally allowed to play for Oakland, he picked up right where he left off. He was leading the ABA in scoring when he injured his knee in December, forcing him to sit out for a month, then he attempted a comeback briefly in late January before being forced to miss the rest of the season. He ended up averaging 34.0 points per game, which would have led the league if he had played in enough games, and his team ended up going on to win the championship without him.

Even after winning a championship, the Oaks were losing money, so the team was sold and moved to Washington DC, and Barry did not want to join them. After missing 32 games, he was ordered by the court to report to the team or sit out the season, so he decided to play, and he was able to help the team make the playoffs, where they lost in the first round, despite Barry scoring 52 Game 7, still the most ever scored by any player in a Game 7.

The team moved again after that season, becoming the Virginia Squires, and Barry once again did not want to join them, so they traded him to the New York Nets, allowing him to play in his hometown. He missed time with a knee injury again that year, but still averaged 29.4 points per game, and led the Nets to the playoffs, where they lost to his old team, the Squires, in 6 games.

Barry finished #2 in the league in scoring the next season, putting up 31.5 per game, then upset the #1 seed Kentucky Colonels in the first round and the Virginia Squires in the Conference Finals to reach the ABA Finals, where they fell to the Pacers in 6 games. After the season, a court ruled that Barry's ABA contract was void and that he was not allowed to play for anyone but the Warriors, so he returned to California to rejoin his old team.

In his third season back in the NBA with the Warriors, Barry led the league with 2.9 steals per game and a .904 free throw percentage to go along with 30.6 points, and the Warriors surprised everyone by reaching the NBA Finals, where they faced the #1 seed Washington Bullets in what was viewed as a huge mismatch, but Golden State swept the Bullets behind Barry's 29.5 points per game, which earned him the Finals MVP award.

The Warriors brought in Gus Williams in the draft that year to help take the load off Barry, and it resulted in Barry averaging only 21.0 points per game that season, his career low at the time, but the Warriors had the best record in the league and was expected to repeat as champions. The repeat didn't happen, however, as the Warriors were upset by the Phoenix Suns in the Conference Finals, keeping Barry from his best shot at another title.

Barry played 2 more seasons with the Warriors, continuing to score over 20 points per game, before leaving as a free agent to join the Houston Rockets in 1978. In his first season with Houston, he set a new record for free throw percentage with a season average of .947, which has been beaten only 7 times since. After 2 seasons with the Rockets, he retired from the NBA.

Barry's biggest claim to fame is his free throw shooting prowess and unusual style. He shot free throws underhanded, but it worked incredibly well, as he finished in the top 3 in free throw shooting in every season he played, leading the league 7 different times. He was the all-time leader in free throw shooting percentage when he retired, though he has now fallen to #8 on that list.

Besides his free throw shooting, Barry was also a great scorer. He won a scoring title in the NBA in just his second season, and he is the ABA's all-time leader in scoring average, despite never officially winning a single-season scoring title in the ABA. His career scoring and steals averages both place him at #15 on the all-time list, and he was the only star player on the 1975 championship team, and he is definitely one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Top 100 NBA Players: #38 - Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson

Teams

Philadelphia 76ers - 1996-06, 2009-10

Denver Nuggets - 2006-08

Detroit Pistons - 2008-09

Memphis Grizzlies - 2009

Playoffs

Appearances - 8 (1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2005,2007,2008)

Conference Finals - 1 (2001)

 NBA Finals - 1 (2001)

Championships - 0

Awards and Honors

Rookie of the Year - 1997

MVP - 1 (2001)

All-NBA First Team - 3 (1999,2001,2005,2006)

All-NBA Second Team - 3 (1999,2000,2002,2003,2008)

All-NBA Third Team - 1 (1997,1998,2006,2007)

Hall of Fame - 2016

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Points Per Game - #7

Steals Per Game - #9

Total Steals - #15

Total Points - #30

Total Assists - #48

Assists Per Game - #52

League Leads

Total Points (#1-2005, #2-1999,2001, #3-2003,2006,2008, #4-2000, #5-2002)

Points Per Game (#1-1999,2001,2002,2005, #2-2000,2006, #3-2003,2008)

Steals Per Game (#1-2001,2002,2003, #2-2005, #3-1999, #4-2000, #5-1998)

Total Steals (#1-2003,2005, #2-2001, #3-2002, #4-2008, #5-1998)

Total Assists (#3-2005)

Assists Per Game (#5-2005)

After Allen Iverson averaged 25.0 points per game as a sophomore at Georgetown, he entered the NBA Draft, where he was selected with the #1 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers, becoming the shortest player ever (at 6'0") to be the top overall pick.

Iverson proved immediately that he was ready for the NBA, averaging 23.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game in his first season, making him an easy choice for Rookie of the Year in one of the best rookie classes in history. The 76ers, however, were still not very good, winning only 22 games on the season.

In his third season, Iverson led the league in scoring with an average of 26.8 per game and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and Philadelphia made the playoffs, even pulling off a first-round upset, but they lost to the Pacers in the second round in 6 games. He finished as the runner-up in the scoring race the next year, and the season ended the same way, with a loss to the Pacers in the second round in 6 games.

Iverson saw his greatest personal and team success in 2000-01. He led the league in scoring at 31.1 per game, steals at 2.5 per game, led the Sixers to the best record in the East, and was given the MVP award. In the playoffs, they were able to fight their way to the NBA Finals, the only one Iverson would reach in his career, where they ran into the Lakers, who had swept through each of the first 3 rounds. Iverson scored 48 in Game 1 to help hand the Lakers their only loss of the playoffs, but without another star, the 76ers didn't have a chance at winning the series.

Iverson won his third scoring title the next year, along with his second steals title, but he missed 22 games during the season, and the 76ers barely made the playoffs, where they lost in the first round. He played in every game the next season and led the league in steals for the third year in a row, but a second-round playoff exit was all they could muster.

The 76ers switched coaches twice in the next season, and Iverson did not get along well with either of them, leading to several suspensions in addition to many games lost to injury, resulting in the worst season of his career to that point and the 76ers missing the playoffs for the first time in 6 years.

After another coaching change, Iverson had his best overall season in 2004-05, winning his 4th scoring title with 30.7 per game and setting a career high with 7.9 assists per game. The addition of Chris Webber helped them reach the postseason, and he played even better in the playoffs, averaging 31.2 points and 10.0 assists, but the team fell to the Pistons in the first round.

He averaged a career-high 33.0 points per game the next year, but that wasn't enough to win a scoring title or earn a playoff berth, and after he was suspended for the team's final home game, it was clear that his time with the team was coming to an end. After starting the next season 5-10, the team announced that they would not play Iverson any more and were looking to trade him.

He was traded a couple weeks later to the Denver Nuggets, where he joined Carmelo Anthony to form a potent scoring duo. Anthony was leading the league in scoring at the time of the trade, and Iverson was #2, but his averaged dropped from 31.2 when he arrived to 26.3 by the end of the season, his lowest since 1998.

Iverson's next season was underappreciated, as he averaged 26.4 points, 7.1 assists, and led the league in minutes played for the 7th time, but he wasn't named to an All-NBA Team. The playoffs were a disappointment again, with Denver losing in the first round, and he was traded just 3 games into the next season to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups.

His time with Detroit started well, but a lingering back injury eventually caused him to miss a month, and when he returned, the team wanted to bring him off the bench, which he did not want. After 3 games as a reserve, the team announced that he would not play any more that season.

He signed with Memphis before the next season, but after coming off the bench in his first 3 games, he and the team decided to part ways, with Iverson feeling he should still be a starter. He signed again with the 76ers, and started for them for a couple of months before leaving the team to deal with his daughter's health issues. He never returned, and never played another NBA game, though he did not officially retire for more than 3 years.

Iverson averaged at least 20 points per game in each of his first 12 NBA seasons, winning 4 scoring titles along the way and coming in #2 twice. He was also a 3-time steals leader, but his weakness was the playoffs, where he was only able to get past the second round once in his career, that one magical season where he led a team with no other stars all the way to the NBA Finals. Iverson's career scoring average is #7 all time, and his steals average is #9, and there is no doubt that he was one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Top 100 NBA Players: #44 - Gary Payton

Gary Payton

Teams

Seattle SuperSonics - 1990-03

Milwaukee Bucks - 2003

Los Angeles Lakers - 2003-04

Boston Celtics - 2004-05

Miami Heat - 2005-07

Playoffs

Appearances - 15 (1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,2000,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007)

Conference Finals - 4 (1993,1996,2004,2006)

NBA Finals - 3 (1996,2004,2006)

Championships - 1 (2006)

Awards and Honors

All-NBA First Team - 2 (1998,1999,2000,2002)

All-NBA Second Team - 5 (1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2001,2002)

All-NBA Third Team - 2 (1994,2001,2003)

Defensive Player of the Year - 1 (1996)

Hall of Fame - 2013

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Total Steals - #4

Total Assists - #10

Steals Per Game - #29

Assists Per Game - #32

Total Points - #40

Three-Pointers Made - #91

League Leads

Total Steals (#1-1996, #2-1995, #3-1997,1998,2000, #4-1993)

Total Assists (#1-2000, #2-2003, #3-1999,2002, #5-1998)

Assists Per Game (#3-2002,2003, #4-1999,2000, #5-2001)

Steals Per Game (#1-1996, #3-1995,1997, #4-1998)

Total Points (#5-1999,2000)

Three-Pointers Made (#1-2000)

Gary Payton played 4 years of college basketball at Oregon State, where he set nearly every school record, and averaged 25.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 3.4 steals during his senior season, which led the Seattle SuperSonics to draft him #2 overall in the 1990 Draft.

Payton wasn't a great scorer right away, scoring only 7.2 per game as a rookie, but he averaged 6.2 assists and 2.0 steals that year, so his other skills were already NBA-ready. He improved over the next couple of years, raising his scoring average to 13.5 per game in his third season, and he helped the Sonics reach the Conference Finals that year, where the team fell to Phoenix in 7 games, but Payton earned his nickname "the Glove" for his tough defense during the series.

The next year, Payton was named to the All-Defensive First Team for the first time, an honor he would receive in each of the next 8 seasons as well, tying him for the record for most appearances on that list with 9. He also made the All-NBA Third Team that year, the first of 9 straight seasons he would be named to one of the All-NBA teams.

In 1995-96, he led the league in steals with 2.9 per game and was named the Defensive Player of the Year, and is still the only point guard to ever win the award. He also averaged 19.3 points and 7.5 assists that year, and Seattle finished with the best record in the West, then went all the way to the NBA Finals, where they faced the Chicago Bulls. Payton guarded Michael Jordan during that series, and Jordan averaged only 27.3 points per game, the lowest he would ever average in the Finals, but the Sonics would still lose in 6 games.

The Sonics were not able to repeat that level of success over the next several years, but Payton continued to improve each year, having his best individual season in 1999-00, when he averaged career-highs of 24.2 points and 6.5 rebounds, along with 8.9 assists, which was his best at the time as well, and he was named to the All-NBA First Team for the second time in 3 seasons.

Payton had two more great individual seasons with Seattle, but the team continued to struggle, and Payton did not get along with the team's new owner, who decided to trade his star, sending him to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2003 in exchange for Ray Allen. He finished out the season with the Bucks, then left as a free agent in search of a championship.

He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, joining Kobe, Shaq, and Karl Malone on a superteam, and Payton was the only one of the stars to play in every game. They reached the NBA Finals as expected, but were upset by the Pistons in 5 games, with Payton averaging only 4.2 points per game in the series. He was traded to the Boston Celtics after the season.

Payton's averages had started to drop off, and he was traded at the deadline to the Atlanta Hawks for Antoine Walker, but the Hawks waived him later that week, and he then resigned with the Celtics to finish out the season, but that season ended in another first-round playoff disappointment.

He signed with the Miami Heat for the next season, playing as a backup for the first time in his career, and averaged only 7.7 points per game, his lowest since his rookie year. That team, led by Dwyane Wade and Shaq, were able to reach the NBA Finals, and this time Payton finally won his title, though he had little to do with it, scoring only 2.7 points per game in the Finals. He played one more season with Miami before retiring from the game.

Payton was one of the best defensive guards of all time, and was always a good passer, making him a perfect point guard. As his career went on, he became a very good scorer as well, scoring over 20 points per game 7 times as well. He also rarely missed a game, missing only 11 games in his first 16 seasons, with 3 of those happening because he had been traded and hadn't arrived with his new team yet. He only reached the NBA Finals once during his prime years, and didn't win a title until he was well past his prime, but he is still one of the greatest to ever play the game.