National Basketball Association

Top 50 NBA players from last 50 years: Nick Wright's list

Updated Aug. 10, 2022 11:18 a.m. ET

The NBA is a league whose history is best understood through its players. More so than in any other team sport, the very best in basketball account for the majority of its championships and MVPs.

Last October, the league announced its 75th Anniversary Team. The players were not ranked, however, and the entire 50th Anniversary Team made the cut, along with 25 players from the past 25 seasons.

NBA aficionado Nick Wright, who has studied the game closely and shared his perspective on "First Things First," has devised his own list: The top 50 NBA players of the past 50 years.

Each member was ranked, and their inclusion broken down as part of a podcast series on Wright’s show, "What’s Wright with Nick Wright."

Some of the notable NBA greats not eligible for the list include Bob Pettit, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. There’s also no Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor or Jerry West. John Havlicek? Still a bit too old.

"Anybody who’s Willis Reed’s generation or older doesn’t make this list," Wright explained. "That’s kind of the cutoff. … From Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) to now."

Here are Wright’s parameters: "I’m not worried about off-the-court stuff, I’m not worried about the Olympics, I’m not worried about international ball. I’m worried about how many All-NBA teams did you make? Did you ever win an MVP? What did you do in the playoffs? What did you do in the biggest moments? What were your biggest accolades and awards?"

All 50 spots are open for debate, and they feature some players who weren’t on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary squad.

Here's how the list shakes out. Click through for Wright's explanation for each.

10 Honorable mentions

50. Bernard King

49. Carmelo Anthony

48. Nate "Tiny" Archibald

47. Dennis Rodman

46. Dominique Wilkins

45. James Worthy

44. Sidney Moncrief

43. Dwight Howard

42. Anthony Davis