Tonight we’ll see the NBA’s 50 Greatest Player’s relative rankings after averaging all six statistical categories previously discussed to produce a numerical average where, like golf, the lowest score equals the best rank. There aren’t any surprises on this list, and the “top ten” includes three centers, four guards, and three forwards.
Author’s notes.
1) Rankings such as this one have the basic supposition that all data categories are equally important. That supposition may or may not be true.
2) The players “per game” averages were ranked from 1 to 50, with 1 being the best rank and 50 being the lowest rank in any category.
3) If two or more players were tied with the same raw data, they were all given the best rank possible. Thus, there are 30 players ranked at #21 in the MVP category because none of these 30 players won an MVP award. Also, in points per game (PPG) MJ and Wilt both earned a “#1” (the best score) because they had identical 30.1 averages.
4) The numerical average (NUM AVG) shows the average of all six categories of data, with the lowest score being the best rank. All six data categories were added together and then divided by 6 to arrive at the NUM AVG.
5) And, just to make sure we’re all on the same court: PPG = points per game, RPG = rebounds per game, APG = assists per game, MPG = minutes per game, Rings = championships won, and MVP = MVP awards won.
Interestingly, there is only one NBA MVP award winner prior to 2000 who is not on this list of the NBA’s 50 greatest players – Bob McAdoo, MVP 1n 1975. And finally, I am reminded of a quote popularized by in the US by Missouri native Mark Twain and widely attributed to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
| # | NAME | PPG
Rank |
RPG
Rank |
APG
Rank |
MPG
Rank |
“Rings”
Rank |
MVP
Rank |
NUM
AVG |
|
| 1 | Wilt Chamberlain | C | 1 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 16 | 4 | 6.83 |
| 2 | Michael Jordan | G | 1 | 34 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 11.17 |
| 3 | Larry Bird | F | 10 | 23 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 11.50 |
| 4 | Bill Russell | C | 45 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11.83 |
| 5 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | C | 9 | 15 | 28 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 12.33 |
| 6 | Oscar Robertson | G | 7 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 10 | 12.67 |
| 7 | Bob Pettit | F | 5 | 3 | 33 | 6 | 26 | 8 | 13.50 |
| 8 | Magic Johnson | G | 27 | 29 | 1 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 14.67 |
| 9 | Elgin Baylor | F | 3 | 8 | 19 | 4 | 42 | 21 | 16.17 |
| 10 | Jerry West | G | 4 | 37 | 7 | 5 | 26 | 21 | 16.67 |
| 11 | Dave Cowens | C | 39 | 7 | 27 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 17.83 |
| 12 | John Havlicek | G | 22 | 33 | 17 | 20 | 3 | 21 | 19.33 |
| 13 | Hakeem Olajuwon | C | 12 | 16 | 40 | 25 | 16 | 10 | 19.83 |
| 14 | Karl Malone | F | 8 | 21 | 28 | 14 | 42 | 8 | 20.17 |
| 15 | Bob Cousy | G | 35 | 38 | 5 | 30 | 4 | 10 | 20.33 |
| 16 | Charles Barkley | F | 16 | 14 | 23 | 18 | 42 | 10 | 20.50 |
| 17 | George Mikan | C | 14 | 9 | 37 | 36 | 8 | 21 | 20.83 |
| 18 | Walt Frazier | G | 30 | 36 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 21 | 21.00 |
| 19 | Jerry Lucas | F | 41 | 4 | 31 | 6 | 26 | 21 | 21.50 |
| 19 | Shaquille O’Neal | C | 18 | 18 | 40 | 33 | 10 | 10 | 21.50 |
| 21 | Rick Barry | F | 13 | 31 | 16 | 23 | 26 | 21 | 21.67 |
| 22 | Elvin Hayes | F | 20 | 11 | 46 | 9 | 26 | 21 | 22.17 |
| 23 | Wes Unseld | C | 50 | 6 | 23 | 21 | 26 | 10 | 22.67 |
| 24 | David Robinson | C | 19 | 19 | 40 | 33 | 16 | 10 | 22.83 |
| 25 | Billy Cunningham | F | 22 | 21 | 21 | 38 | 16 | 21 | 23.17 |
| 25 | Isiah Thomas | G | 28 | 47 | 4 | 23 | 16 | 21 | 23.17 |
| 27 | Paul Arizin | F | 15 | 26 | 44 | 9 | 26 | 21 | 23.50 |
| 28 | Willis Reed | C | 33 | 10 | 46 | 28 | 16 | 10 | 23.83 |
| 29 | Julius Erving | F | 17 | 30 | 23 | 38 | 26 | 10 | 24.00 |
| 30 | Pete Maravich | G | 11 | 44 | 13 | 16 | 42 | 21 | 24.50 |
| 30 | Scottie Pippen | F | 43 | 32 | 15 | 32 | 4 | 21 | 24.50 |
| 32 | Clyde Drexler | G | 25 | 35 | 12 | 35 | 26 | 21 | 25.67 |
| 33 | Moses Malone | C | 24 | 12 | 49 | 41 | 26 | 5 | 26.17 |
| 34 | Dave DeBusschere | F | 43 | 17 | 36 | 25 | 16 | 21 | 26.33 |
| 35 | Nate Archibald | G | 31 | 50 | 6 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 26.83 |
| 36 | Dolph Schayes | F | 34 | 13 | 32 | 36 | 26 | 21 | 27.00 |
| 37 | Hal Greer | G | 28 | 40 | 21 | 28 | 26 | 21 | 27.33 |
| 38 | Dave Bing | G | 26 | 46 | 11 | 21 | 42 | 21 | 27.83 |
| 38 | Nate Thurmond | C | 46 | 5 | 39 | 14 | 42 | 21 | 27.83 |
| 40 | Lenny Wilkens | G | 42 | 42 | 7 | 30 | 26 | 21 | 28.00 |
| 41 | Bill Walton | C | 48 | 20 | 30 | 49 | 16 | 10 | 28.83 |
| 42 | James Worthy | F | 39 | 39 | 33 | 43 | 13 | 21 | 31.33 |
| 43 | Bill Sharman | G | 37 | 45 | 33 | 44 | 10 | 21 | 31.67 |
| 43 | Patrick Ewing | C | 20 | 24 | 45 | 38 | 42 | 21 | 31.67 |
| 45 | George Gervin | G | 6 | 43 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 21 | 31.83 |
| 46 | Sam Jones | G | 38 | 41 | 40 | 50 | 2 | 21 | 32.00 |
| 47 | Earl Monroe | G | 31 | 48 | 23 | 44 | 26 | 21 | 32.17 |
| 47 | Kevin McHale | F | 36 | 28 | 48 | 47 | 13 | 21 | 32.17 |
| 49 | Robert Parish | C | 47 | 25 | 49 | 48 | 10 | 21 | 33.33 |
| 50 | John Stockton | G | 49 | 49 | 2 | 46 | 42 | 21 | 34.83 |
It is important to put the information on this list into context. Remember, “there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” So, draw your own conclusions from this table.
About the author – BILL HARVEY, Call Sign “Stats”, is the Editor of Hoops Business. He is a former basketball player, basketball referee, Army officer, and college instructor in technical writing with a public relations and journalism background. He is also the editor of the Net Set blog at http://thenetsetblog.com. BA degree from Xavier University and MA degree in Information Management.
