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The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History (commonly referred to as the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team) were chosen in 1996 on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to comprise the fifty best and most influential players of the first half-century of the NBA, with respect not only to performance at the professional level but in consideration of sportsmanship, team leadership, and contributions to the growth of basketball and irrespective of positions played; only players to have played at least a portion of their careers in the NBA were eligible for selection. Selected and announced in conjunction with the 50th anniversary team were a list of the ten best head coaches and ten best single season teams in NBA history.

Contents 1 Players 1.1 NBA team 1.1.1 Players selected 1.1.1.1 A 1.1.1.2 B 1.1.1.3 C 1.1.1.4 D 1.1.1.5 E 1.1.1.6 F 1.1.1.7 G 1.1.1.8 H 1.1.1.9 J 1.1.1.10 L 1.1.1.11 M 1.1.1.12 O 1.1.1.13 P 1.1.1.14 R 1.1.1.15 S 1.1.1.16 T 1.1.1.17 U 1.1.1.18 W 1.2 TNT addendum 1.2.1 Players selected 2 Coaches 2.1 Coaches selected 3 Teams 3.1 Teams selected 4 External links 5 Notes

[edit] Players

[edit] NBA team

The list was compiled based upon unranked voting completed by fifty selected panelists, of whom sixteen were former players voting in their roles as players, of whom thirteen were members of the print and broadcast news media, and of whom twenty-one were team representatives—contemporary and former general managers, head coaches, and executives—of whom seven were also former players; even as players, whether representing players or teams, were proscribed from voting for themselves, only three voting players—Bill Bradley, John Kerr, and Bob Lanier—were not themselves selected to the team.

The announcement of the team, undertaken by commissioner David Stern in New York City, New York, United States on October 29, 1996, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which occupied the site of the former Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed on June 6, 1946, began a season-long celebration of the league's anniversary. The players were assembled in Cleveland, Ohio, during the 1997 All-Star Game Weekend, and only three—Pete Maravich, Jerry West, and Shaquille O'Neal—were absent; Maravich, having, aged just 40 years, died in 1988, was represented by two sons, whilst O'Neal was injured and could not attend and West elected not to participate.

At the time of the announcement of the team, ten of the fifty players were active, but only one— Shaquille O'Neal—played during the 2005-06 season.

[edit] Players selected

[edit] A

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* <ref name=star> Starred players have, as of the close of the 2005-06 season been inducted as players into the Basketball Hall of Fame. </ref>
• Nate Archibald*
• Paul Arizin*

[edit] B

• Charles Barkley* <ref name=italics> Italicized players were active upon the announcement of the team and thus played at least as recently as the 1996-97 season. </ref>
• Rick Barry*
• Elgin Baylor*
• Dave Bing*
• Larry Bird*

[edit] C

• Wilt Chamberlain*
• Bob Cousy*
• Dave Cowens*
• Billy Cunningham*

[edit] D

• Dave DeBusschere*
• Clyde Drexler*

[edit] E

• Julius Erving*
• Patrick Ewing

[edit] F

• Walt Frazier*

[edit] G

• George Gervin*
• Hal Greer*

[edit] H

• John Havlicek*
• Elvin Hayes*

[edit] J

• Magic Johnson*
• Sam Jones*
• Michael Jordan

[edit] L

• Jerry Lucas*

[edit] M

• Karl Malone
• Moses Malone*
• Pete Maravich*
• Kevin McHale*
• George Mikan*
• Earl Monroe*

[edit] O

• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Shaquille O'Neal

[edit] P

• Robert Parish*
• Bob Pettit*
• Scottie Pippen

[edit] R

• Willis Reed*
• Oscar Robertson*
• David Robinson
• Bill Russell*

[edit] S

• Dolph Schayes*
• Bill Sharman* <ref name=hofpc>Inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Apart from Wilkens and Sharman, the only other person so honored is John Wooden.</ref>
• John Stockton

[edit] T

• Isiah Thomas*
• Nate Thurmond*

[edit] U

• Wes Unseld*

[edit] W

• Bill Walton*
• Jerry West*
• Lenny Wilkens* <ref name=hofpc />
• James Worthy*

[edit] TNT addendum

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the release of the fiftieth anniversary team, fourteen broadcasters employed by the American television network Turner Network Television, a broadcaster of NBA games and the network on which the programs The NBA on TNT and Inside the NBA air, including four former players and two panelists who voted on the initial NBA list, released a list of the Next 10 Greatest Players, considering for selection contemporary players who were unestablished in 1996 and historical players whom voters originally omitted. Released on February 18, 2006, the ranked list was presented in conjunction with the NBA's 2006 All-Star Weekend.

[edit] Players selected

• Tim Duncan <ref name=italics2> Italicized players in the "Next 10" were active upon the announcement of the team and thus played at least as recently as the 2005-06 season. </ref>
• Kobe Bryant
• Dominique Wilkins* <ref name=star/>
• Allen Iverson
• Bob McAdoo*
• Kevin Garnett
• Reggie Miller
• Connie Hawkins*
• Jason Kidd
• Gary Payton

[edit] Coaches

Concomitant to the selection of the NBA's fifty greatest players was the unranked selection, undertaken exclusively by members of the print and broadcast media, of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History, of whom four—Phil Jackson, Don Nelson, Pat Riley, and Lenny Wilkens—were active at the time of the list's announcement; only two—Jackson and Riley—coached teams during the 2005-06 season. Wilkens was also the only member of the coaches list to have been a member of the players list.

[edit] Coaches selected

Coach	Professional team(s) coached	Overall regular season coaching record (winning percentage in parentheses)	League championships won as coach	Coach of the Year Awards won	Year of Hall of Fame induction as coach
Red Auerbach	Washington Capitols (of the Basketball Association of America; 1946-47–1948-49) Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1949-50) Boston Celtics (1950-51–1965-66)	938–479 (.662)	1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966	1964-65	1969
Chuck Daly	Cleveland Cavaliers (1982) Detroit Pistons (1983-84–1991-92) New Jersey Nets (1992-93–1993-94) Orlando Magic (1997-98–1999)	605–420 (.590) [638–437 (.593)]<ref name=bracket>Bracketed record and winning percentage reflect all games played through the 2005-06 NBA season; the preceding record is that of the coach at the time of his selection.</ref>	1989, 1990	None	1994
Bill Fitch	Cleveland Cavaliers (1970-71–1978-79) Boston Celtics (1978-79–1982-83) Houston Rockets (1983-84–1987-88) New Jersey Nets (1989-90–1991-92) Los Angeles Clippers (1994-95–1997-98)	944–1106 (.460)	1981	1975-76, 1979-80	None
Red Holzman	Milwaukee Hawks (also as St. Louis Hawks; 1954–1956) New York Knicks (1967-68–1981-82)	696–604 (.535)	1970, 1973	1969-70	1986
Phil Jackson	Chicago Bulls (1989-90–1997-98) Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2000–2003-04, 2005-06–present)	545–193 (.738) [877–353 (.713)] <ref name=bracket/>	1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002	1995-96	None <ref name=ineligible> To be considered for induction, a head coach must have been retired for at least five calendar years or must have been a coach at the professional, collegiate, or secondary level for no fewer than 25 years; coach is ineligible for induction. </ref>
John Kundla	Minneapolis Lakers (1948-49 [in Basketball Association of America]), 1949-50–1958-59	423–302 (.583)	1949 (in Basketball Association of America), 1952, 1953, 1954	None	1995
Don Nelson	Milwaukee Bucks (1976-77–1986-87) Golden State Warriors (1988-89–1994, present) New York Knicks (1995-96) Dallas Mavericks (1997-98–2004-05)	867–679 (.575) [1190–880 (.575)] <ref name=bracket/>	None	1982-83, 1984-85, 1991-92	None
Jack Ramsay	Philadelphia 76ers (1968-69–1971-72) Buffalo Braves (1972-73–1975-76) Portland Trail Blazers (1976-77–1985-86 Indiana Pacers (1986-87–1988)	864–783 (.525)	1977	None	1992
Pat Riley	Los Angeles Lakers (1981-82–1989-90) New York Knicks (1991-92–1994-95 Miami Heat (1995-96–2002-03, 2005-06–present)	914–387 (.703) [1151-589 (.661)] <ref name=bracket/>	1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006	1989-90, 1992-93, 1996-97	None <ref name=ineligible/>
Lenny Wilkens<ref name=hofpc />	Seattle SuperSonics (1969-70–1971-72, 1977-78–1984-85) Portland Trail Blazers (1974-75–1975-76) Cleveland Cavaliers (1986-87–1992-93) Atlanta Hawks (1993-94–1998-99 Toronto Raptors (2000-01–2002-03) New York Knicks (2004–2004-05)	1120-908 (.526) [1332-1155 (.536)] <ref name=bracket/>	1979	1993-94	1998

[edit] Teams

Concomitant to the selection of the NBA's fifty greatest players was the unranked selection, undertaken exclusively by members of the print and broadcast media, of the Top 10 Teams in NBA History, chosen from amongst all single season individual teams. Each won its league championship, and the teams combined to average 66 wins per season.

[edit] Teams selected

Team and season	Regular season record (winning percentage in parentheses)	NBA Playoffs result	Head coach	Most common starting lineup and sixth man	Players inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame <ref> Italicized players were inducted subsequent to the announcement of the ten best teams. </ref>	Players placed on the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
1964-65 Boston Celtics	62-18 (.775)	Won 1965 championship	Red Auerbach <ref name=hofc> Inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame as coach. </ref>	Point guard K.C. Jones, shooting guard Sam Jones, small forward Tom Heinsohn, power forward Tom Sanders, center Bill Russell, small forward John Havlicek	Five (K. Jones, S. Jones, Heinsohn, Russell, Havlicek)	Three (S. Jones, Russell, Havlicek)
1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers	68-13 (.840)	Won 1967 championship	Alex Hannum	point guard Wali Jones, shooting guard Hal Greer, small forward Chet Walker, power forward Luke Jackson, center Wilt Chamberlain, combo forward Billy Cunningham	Three (Greer, Chamberlain, Cunningham)	Three (Greer, Chamberlain, Cunningham)
1969-70 New York Knicks	60-22 (.732)	Won 1970 championship	Red Holzman	Point guard Walt Frazier, shooting guard Dick Barnett, small forward Bill Bradley, power forward Dave DeBusschere, center Willis Reed, small forward Cazzie Russell	Four (Frazier, Bradley, DeBusschere, Reed)	Three (Frazier, DeBusschere, Reed)
1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers	69-13 (.841)	Won 1972 championship	Bill Sharman<ref name=hofpc />	Point guard Gail Goodrich, shooting guard Jerry West, small forward Jim McMillian, power forward Happy Hairston, center Wilt Chamberlain, shooting guard Flynn Robinson	Four (Goodrich, West, Chamberlain, combo forward Elgin Baylor<ref>Having been injured during the ninth game of the season, Baylor did not play for the team after November 11, 1971, and retired from professional basketball soon after the completion of the season.</ref>)	Three (West, Chamberlain, Baylor)
1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers	65-17 (.793)	Won 1983 championship	Billy Cunningham	Point guard Maurice Cheeks, shooting guard Andrew Toney, small forward Julius Erving, power forward Marc Iavaroni, center Moses Malone, power forward Bobby Jones	Two (Erving, Malone)	Two (Erving, Malone)
1985-86 Boston Celtics	67-15 (.817)	Won 1986 championship	K.C. Jones	Point guard Dennis Johnson, shooting guard Danny Ainge, small forward Kevin McHale, power forward Larry Bird, center Robert Parish, center Bill Walton	Four (McHale, Bird, Parish, Walton)	Four (McHale, Bird, Parish, Walton)
1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers	65-17 (.793)	Won 1987 championship	Pat Riley <ref name=hofci> Having neither been fully retired for five years nor an active head coach for at least 25 years, coach is as yet ineligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as coach. </ref>	Point guard Magic Johnson, , shooting guard Byron Scott, small forward James Worthy, power forward A.C. Green, center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, small forward Michael Cooper	Three (Johnson, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar)	Three (Johnson, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar)
1988-89 Detroit Pistons	63-19 (.768)	Won 1989 championship	Chuck Daly <ref name=hofc/>	Point guard Isiah Thomas, shooting guard Joe Dumars, small forward Mark Aguirre, power forward Rick Mahorn, center Bill Laimbeer, shooting guard Vinnie Johnson	Two (Thomas, Dumars)	One (Thomas)
1991-92 Chicago Bulls	67-15 (.817)	Won 1992 championship	Phil Jackson <ref name=hofci/>	Point guard John Paxson, shooting guard Michael Jordan, small forward Scottie Pippen, power forward Horace Grant, center Bill Cartwright, point guard B.J. Armstrong	Zero <ref> A player is not eligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame until he has been fully retired for five calendar years; of the six, Jordan, Pippen, and Grant are, as of the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, ineligible for induction. </ref>	Two (Jordan, Pippen)
1995-96 Chicago Bulls	72-10 (.878)	Won 1996 championship	Phil Jackson <ref name=hofci/>	Point guard Ron Harper, shooting guard Michael Jordan, small forward Scottie Pippen, power forward Dennis Rodman, center Luc Longley, small forward Toni Kukoc	Zero <ref> A player is not eligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame until he has been fully retired for five calendar years; of the six, only Rodman, having retired after the 1999-2000 season is, as of the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, eligible for induction. </ref>	Two (Jordan, Pippen)

[edit] External links

• National Basketball Association 50th Anniversary Team page
• National Basketball Association Top 10 Coaches page
• National Basketball Association Top 10 Teams page
• TNT article detailing "Ten Next" selection process

[edit] Notes

<references/>fr:Meilleurs joueurs du cinquantenaire de la NBA id:NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team it:50 migliori giocatori del cinquantenario della NBA lt:NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team pl:NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team zh:NBA50大巨星