50 Greatest Players of My Lifetime – Part 1 – Players 50-40

Looking back at my 25 plus years of basketball fandom got me reminiscing about all the great players I have had the privilege to watch firsthand and about which of these were the best of the best. One thing people who know me probably know about me is that I like to make lists (I guess that’s the type A accountant in me), so naturally I racked my brain and came up with my list of the 50 greatest players I have seen in my lifetime.  And when I talk about my lifetime, I am talking about players who were great post 1990 and who I remember watching on TV.  For instance, James Worthy technically played during this timeframe, but his glory days were behind him at this point and I don’t actually remember watching him play, so he does not make the cut. Over the next few days I will be counting down the top 50 players of my lifetime, and feel free to disagree, because after all, that’s what lists are for (I wrote this last week and I’m already second guessing myself).

50. Mitch Richmond – 3 time 2nd team All-NBA, 2 time 3rd team All-NBA, 1 time champion

49. Tim Hardaway – 1 time 1st team All-NBA, 3 time 2nd team All-NBA, 1 time 3rd team All-NBA

Starting the list off and coming in at 49 and 50 are two players from my youth that were never truly great players, but were consistently solid throughout their careers.  Hardaway teamed up his playmaking with Mitch Richmond’s scoring ability and Chris Mullins shooting touch on the Warriors to form one of the greatest teammate nickname combos in NBA history: Run TMC.  They both went on to have even more success apart, Hardaway with the Heat and Richmond with the Kings, each making five All-NBA teams along the way.  These are two guys that history has kind of forgotten due to being overshadowed by other greats of the era and not making a huge splash in the playoffs, but Richmond had ten consecutive years averaging over 20 points per game and Hardaway was a career 18 point, 8 assist per game player who patented one of the most iconic and devastating moves of his generation: the killer crossover.  I’ll take those careers any day.

 

48. Vince Carter – 1 time 2nd team All-NBA, 1 time 3rd team All-NBA

47. Shawn Kemp – 3 time 2nd team All-NBA

46. Blake Griffin – 3 time 2nd team All-NBA, 1 time 3rd team All-NBA

45. Penny Hardaway – 2 time 1st team All-NBA, 1 time 3rd team All-NBA

These are four players defined by their next level athletic ability and unfulfilled potential.

Kemp, Griffin, and Carter are three high flyers best known for posterizing unsuspecting defenders. But injuries in Griffin’s case, work ethic and weight issues in Kemp’s case, and actively quitting on his team (the Raptors) in Carter’s case, kept them from reaching the all-time great level which their early careers showed promise of.  With that being said, I could watch a Kemp/Griffin/Vinsanity highlight reel on loop all day long.

As an aside, these three are on the short list of greatest dunkers of all time.  What made Kemp’s dunks so spectacular were the post dunk reactions, such as dapping up Chris Gatling and giving the double point to the sprawled out Alton Lister.  Griffin’s dunks lit the internet on fire by being just plain ferocious and embarrassing whoever was underneath him.  But to me, Vince is the greatest dunker of my lifetime as he combined the showmanship of Kemp with the power of Griffin and added a bit of artistry and grace to the equation to put together a highlight reel that nobody can match.

But to me, Penny has the most “what could have been” potential of the four as he came into the league looking like a young Magic Johnson, and teamed up with Shaq on the Magic to form the most fun and likable team of the mid-90s.  When Shaq left for LA, things went downhill as knee injuries made it so that he never could regain that magic from early in his career (and yes, pun intended).  Just think about this:  He made first team All-NBA twice in his first three seasons in the league and never made it again after that.  But at the end of the day I will take a few truly great seasons and unforgettable highlights from these players over 15 unremarkable years from some others because at least these four guys left a mark on the game that won’t soon be forgotten.

 

 

 

44. Ben Wallace – 3 time 2nd team All-NBA, 2 time 3rd team All-NBA, 1 time champion, 4 time DPOY, 2 time rebounding leader

43. Dennis Rodman – 2 time 3rd team All-NBA, 5 time champion, 2 time DPOY, 7 time rebounding leader

These two guys definitely do not land on this list because of their ability to get buckets.  They make this list because they were winners and provided exactly what their teams needed for them to become champions. They were more than just role players, however, with six defensive-player-of-the-year awards (Wallace-4, Rodman-2) and 9 rebounding titles (Rodman-7, Wallace-2) between them.  I give Rodman the edge because of his 5 titles to Wallace’s 1 and the fact that I will always remember how he lived in the head of Karl Malone during the ’97 and ’98 finals turning him into a shell of his MVP self.

 

42. Manu Ginobli – 2 time 3rd team All-NBA, 3 time champion

41. Kevin Johnson – 4 time 2nd team All-NBA, 1 time 3rd team All-NBA

40. Chauncey Billups – 1 time 2nd team All-NBA, 2 time 3rd team All-NBA, 1 time champion, 1 finals MVP

These three players actually aren’t that similar and land on this list for very different reasons.  Ginobli is the ultimate sixth man but is also a guy who can take over when called upon and repeatedly comes through in the clutch.  He was a key component of three Spurs title teams and one of the most fun players to watch of his generation.  Plus, he led Argentina, yes Argentina, to the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, which when you really think about it may be his most remarkable accomplishment of all.

K.J. is often forgotten when all-time great point guards are discussed, but he made 5 All-NBA teams and averaged 20 points and 10 assists three times and got crazy close on four other occasions.  He was a small guard who was not afraid to attack the rim and he teamed up with Barkley on the Suns to form one of the best duos of the 90s to never win a title.

Chauncey may not have had the stats that KJ had, but his nickname of “Mr. Big Shot” sums up his contribution to the league quite nicely.  I personally value winning finals MVP above almost any other accolade that a player can receive because it not only shows that you were on a great team, but that you were the main reason that team was able to win it all.  And that can definitely be said for Billups and his role on the 2004 Pistons.