Believe it or not, with his 26,786 career points the Big German ranks 10th on the all-time scoring list, and could conceivably move into the top five depending on his health, and how long he decides to keep playing for the Mavericks. 1. Don't trust the colours as they have been manipulated. In the NBA, some of the greatest players of all time have also been some of the toughest as well as some of the most beloved. 10) In 2007, which kicker broke the record for the most field goals in a single game, with 8? Bottom line: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA titles and six NBA Most Valuable Player awards and is in the conversation when it comes to the greatest basketball players of all time, which probably automatically puts him in the conversation for toughest players ever, as well. McDaniel combined toughness with intimidation to a maximum degree. McHale was always thought of as a uniquely gifted offensive player, but his reputation as being tough or intimidating was centered around just one famous play. So whether it's now or in . Whats interesting about World Peaces career is that if hed have been born 10 years earlier, he likely would have been a player with comparable success to Dennis Rodman because his physical, tough style of play was more akin to past generations. His Piston Automotive Group, a global auto parts supplier, does almost $2 billion in business annually and employs 8,300 people. Jim Tucker. in Game 2, swinging an elbow at Dawkins head and changing the tone of the series as the Blazers rallied for the championship. They dont call you Legend for nothing, and were it not for serious back problems later in his career, Larry Bird may well have gone on to become one of the most prolific scorers in league history. Because 16.2 rebounds per game is just insane. Despite never shooting even 50% from the floor in his career, he was able to use his physical talents to pour in just under 27,000 points in his career. We caught up with QB Kurt Benkert to discuss his current plans, the Scouting Combine, his Twitch career, a controversial Mount Rushmore and his predictions for Aaron Rodgers. But as his skills declined, he extended his career by turning into a tough-minded enforcer for the teams he played on. The best way to sum up Allen Iverson is to describe him as a little man with a very big game. 7) He Was Known By The Nickname, "The Dunkin' Dutchman" Rik Smits was known as "The Dunkin' Dutchman". Bottom line: The mystery behind Chauncey Billups career lies within the mulitude of inexplicable trades that let him play on seven different teams over his 14-year career. Its ironic that Dumars, who has the NBA Sportsmanship Award named after him, was such a key part of Detroits "Bad Boys" teams that won NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. Teams: Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Key stats: 1,217 G, 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 49.0 FG%. Teams: Washington Bullets/Wizards (1996-99), Orlando Magic (1999-2000), Detroit Pistons (2000-06, 2009-12), Chicago Bulls (2006-08), Cleveland Cavaliers (2008-09), Key stats: 1,088 G, 5.7 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 1.3 APG, 47.4 FG%. As the first black superstar in NBA history, he had to endure racism at almost every turn but handled it with grace and aplomb. And even 40 years after one of the most infamous incidents in pro sports, his name still invokes a certain feeling of uneasiness. Two more years at $6.5 million. Eric Gordon 4. 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%. Kemba Walker 3. His size, 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, was more NFL defensive end than power forward but also may have been the cause of back problems that ended his career. Say what you will about the perceived lack of killer instinct in LeBron James, the simple fact is hes one of the most physically gifted scorers the game of basketball has ever seen. Guess the most average players - The average NBA height is 6'6" and the average age is 26 years old. tyson jost dad; sean penn parkinson's disease; mockingbirds attacking my cat Key stats: 650 G, 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 47.6 FG%. Johnson went to work as a forklift driver after he graduated, while he grew to 6-foot-3 over the next year, and was spotted during a pickup game by a junior college coach because of the intense way he played defense. In order to play a decade in the NBA like Skiles did, and be that size, it takes some innate toughness. In addition to starting lineups, this tool will also display Vegas odds, positions and salaries for that day's games on FantasyDraft. 06/07/2020, 4:08 pm updated 11/10/2022, 3:28 pm. Ok it Get ya. Whats not a mystery is the impact Billups made on almost every team he played on. 1 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1991 out of UNLV. Teams: Cincinnati Royals (1969-71), Chicago Bulls (1971-78), Milwaukee Bucks (1978-79), Key stats: 746 G, 11.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 7.0 APG, 41.4 FG%. I guess I could buy both Dame and Steph being in kind of a tier 2.5. Bottom line: Theres always going to be some dispute about what Charles Barkleys actual height and weight were during his playing days, but its safe to say it was an inch or two below the 6-foot-6 he was listed at. Officially listed at 6-feet and 160 pounds, both of those were probably a stretch for the diminutive combination guard who nevertheless used his incredible speed and quickness to get wherever he wanted on the floor and score more than 24,000 career points. Teams: Baltimore/Washington Bullets (1968-81), Key stats: 984 G, 10.8 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 50.9 FG%. In the 1970s, it was Bob Dandridge, who scored more points in the NBA Finals in that decade than any NBA player while winning a title in 1971 alongside Oscar Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar on the Bucks, then alongside Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld on the Bullets in 1978. While Barkleys attitude and off-the-court antics had their detractors, one thing no one ever questioned was his toughness. Former 76ers general manager Pat Williams probably described Jones the best: "He gives you two hours of his blood, showers and goes home.". Laimbeer also was durable. He's also well paid with a $5 million AAV for two more seasons. Fortunately for us, the game has evolved over the years and no longer requires us to wait for a guy with a stick to poke the ball out of the bucket after Dwyane Wade makes a layup, and as the game has evolved, so has the manner in which people have been able to put the ball in the goal. The stories of Z-Bos toughness are legendary in NBA circles and the fact that he played at least 70 games in 12 of 18 seasons cannot be overlooked. Teams: San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1963-74), Chicago Bulls (1974-76), Cleveland Cavaliers (1976-77), Key stats: 964 G, 15.0 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 42.1 FG%. Just like Dr. J, George Gervin both started his career in the ABA and boasted one of the best nicknames in sports history. 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. 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%. Never has such a small player impacted the game of basketball the way Iverson did, finishing his long career with a scoring average of 26.7 points. "I taught the kid the look, the intimidation, yeah, the meanness. First with his play and then with his legendary trash talk. Bottom line: NBA connoisseurs can appreciate what Michael Cooper brought to the Los Angeles Lakers' "Showtime" dynasty of the 1980s. Hes not even 30 years old yet and hes already poured in more than 23,000 points, and despite people knocking his jump shot, hes a career 34.1% shooter from long distance. Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (1990-03), Milwaukee Bucks (2003), Los Angeles Lakers (2003-04), Boston Celtics (2004-05), Miami Heat (2005-07), Key stats: 1,335 G, 16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.7 APG, 46.6 FG%. NBA players Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum, and Dominique Wilkins were all born in which country? Approximately $200 million in career earnings. Martins innate toughness came from a pretty awful place. 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. Teams: Washington Bullets (1980-85), Detroit Pistons (1985-89, 1996-98), Philadelphia 76ers (1989-91, 1999), New Jersey Nets (1992-96), Key stats: 1,117 G, 6.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 APG, 49.3 FG%. Nique averaged better than 30 points-per-game twice, and the thing about Wilkins was that he didnt just dunk on you, he threw it down harder than just about any other player in league history. One little-known fact about Havlicek, an 11-time All-NBA pick and eight-time All-NBA Defensive pick, is that he was also drafted as a wide receiver by the Cleveland Browns and briefly contemplated a career in the NFL. They can't add someone like Boeser because of their buyout dead cap space that they have on the books without moving someone else out. Famed broadcaster Howard Cosell summed up Americas feelings toward Reed in the winning locker room after the game. Show answer. Teams: Chicago Bulls (2009-11), Toronto Raptors (2011-12, 2014-16), Sacramento Kings (2012-13), Memphis Grizzlies (2013-14), Miami Heat (2016-20), Minnesota Timberwolves (2020-present), Key stats: 634 G, 8.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 47.7 FG%. But Jokic is immune, why? Magic Johnson, LeBron James. Basketball has developed into the highest scoring of the major sports, and thats one of its great appeals. 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. Its almost unfair that a player could come along with Durants combination of size, measuring in at 6-foot-9, and shooting range. The five-time NBA Most Valuable Player needed to define toughness to succeed in his era, with his direct counterpart none other than Wilt Chamberlain, the only other player besides Russell to grab 50 rebounds in a single game. If Kobe is ever able to get healthy again, hell be able to surpass Jordan for third place on the career scoring list, and is currently one of just five players to ever surpass 30,000 points. The game of basketball had meager beginnings, with a bunch of athletically awkward guys trying to toss a ball into a peach basket. 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%. Randolph toiled away for a lot of his career in obscurity. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and died of leukemia in 2016. But at the end of the day, thats precisely why he was such an unguardable force no one could stop him from physically dominating them and getting those dunks anytime he wanted. The deadliness of Kareems sky hook cannot be overstated, particularly because in all of basketball history, he remains the only player to have ever perfected this truly unblockable shot. In an alternate universe, Van Lier wouldve been able to pursue his first love of playing quarterback for a big-time college football program, but all of the schools that recruited him wanted him to play defensive back, a throwback to a racist, ignorant era. Johnson died of a massive heart attack in 2007 at the age of 52 and was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Bottom line: Owner of one of the NBAs all-time greatest nicknames, Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson was known for his instant offense off the bench former Boston Celtics guard Danny Ainge actually gave Johnson the nickname. If you want a firsthand look at what that meant, feel free to cue up his 2015 documentary, "Muse," which chronicles his comeback from tearing his Achilles tendon. Its a shame that the Knicks decided to trade Jackson to the Clippers in 1992 and split up what was just becoming a playoff contender with a nucleus of Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and Jackson. The simple fact is theres only one other player in NBA history who had the combination of size, power, and athleticism that LeBron James possesses, and thats the guy were about to talk about. DPM favors Curry over both Luka and Dame by a large margin. The moment Thomas toughness was no longer in doubt was at the end of his tenure with the Celtics, when he was on the verge of getting close to a max contract in free agency in the offseason. Later in his career, this was a definite disadvantage. Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (2008-14), Cleveland Cavaliers (2014-present), Key stats: 713 G, 18.2 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 44.2 FG%. 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