Most importantly, he led a very weak team in the New Orleans Jazz. He also happens to be one of the top five in-game dunkers ever. (LogOut/ Dave Cowens 9. He averaged 20+ points, 6+ rebounds, and 6+ assists per game during the decade while guiding the New York Knicks to a pair of championships. Richardson was a four-time All-Star in the NBA. He made eight All-Star games in the seventies, only missing out in his rookie year and in 1978-79 when he was injured. reserve clause similar to that which existed in Major League Baseball. Plus, he was hilarious in Airplane! I put Pistol Pete on the first team over Jerry West primarily because my father raised me to believe Pistol Pete was the most exciting player ever. How Many Championships Does Kobe Bryant Have? Arguably the greatest college basketball player of all time, Christian Laettner's success didn't translate well to the NBA. Im going to pressure you with three-quarters, half-court defense. David Thompson and Dr. J. Parish was drafted in 1976 by the Golden State Warriors and didnt retire until 1997, capping off a 21-year career. The history of basketball uniforms shows more coordination among players between 1920 and 1940 as they began wearing mid-length shorts and jerseys made of wool. (All this said, it's pretty clear that Kobe eclipsed him as the second best Laker guard ever right around 2009 or 2010. To learn more about the top ten players of the decade, keep reading below. The Top 10 Best Basketball Players of the 1970's, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. See our ethics statement. Previous Decade > Next Decade . When people knocked him for not winning championships early in his career, they overlooked that he almost single-handedly took an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers squad to the 2007 NBA finals at just 22 years old. Regardless of the cigar-chomping coachs recommendation, the league introduced the three-point shot in 1979 and never looked back. His free-throw shooting, on the other hand. Oh my, yes. In his prime, Duncan, nicknamed The Big Fundamental by no less a nickname authority than Shaquille ONeal, was one of the most sound players of all time. Check this out: http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/bpm.html, Pingback: Review of Tall Tales and Short Shorts | Sport in American History. Now players could subsist without off-season work and, for the first time in league history, make life-changing money playing pro basketball. Oh, and the 12-time All-Star also helped initiate true free agency into the NBA through a landmark antitrust suit, an accomplishment just as impressive as his jaw-dropping on-court exploits. Hayes averaged 23+ points and 14+ rebounds per game during the 1970s, he gets lost in the conversation when people talk about the greatest players in NBA history, but the Big E should always be in that conversation. Impressive, right? In addition to his unprecedented prowess at putting up points, Chamberlain was also the only person to grab more rebounds per game than Bill Russell (22.9), all while averaging more minutes played per game than any player in league history (45.8). Olympic Games Anthropometry for other sports in 2012. In fact, there has been no college basketball player in history as dominant as Pistol Pete. In 1971, the San Francisco Warriors changed cities and names, leaving the Cow Palace. Earvin Magic Johnson, Jr. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The hair, the nickname, the style of carefree, irresponsible play he exhibited: if Dr. J presented what basketball would become, Pistol Pete showed us what basketball could be at its most fun. . The Doctor was the original Dunk king. LeBron James just does things that shouldnt be humanly possible. Its time for BritannicaOK, one editor at Britannicato jump into the perpetually unresolved greatest ever in [insert sport here] fray. He went on to play for Brazil until 1982 before finally calling time on a glittering eighteen-year career in the yellow and green of his home country, retiring as one of the most revered Brazilian . Mel Daniels, drafted by both leagues out of New Mexico, signed with the ABA's Minnesota Muskies (great name, by the way) for $36,000-triple what he was offered to play in the NBA. Rick Barry Career Highlights UNDERRATED! But, well, he played alongside another top-25 talent in Scottie Pippen and was coached by the strategic genius Phil Jackson during his most productive years. Hockey. See the rankings as for this Basketball Player Sets set on 3/2/2023 3:23:10 PM. He's also the best player to ever win a championship while wearing a toupe. PSA . Another player who made his debut after the decade was already underway, Bob Lanier hit the ground running. Billy Cunningham: The Kangaroo Kid didn't win a title in the '70s (he was a Wilt sidekick on that great '67 team) but he cranked out some great seasons with the Sixers and the Carolina Cougars of the ABA. What is the Best Decade of Basketball in NBA History? His pro career essentially spanned the entire decade, and he racked up five All-Star bids, two first team All-NBA nods and a scoring title. The 1970 Draft is also known as the first draft where international players who had never played U.S. high school and college basketball were selected. Cowens was known for his intensity that could get him in trouble with some fights. You can't just change your wiring on stuff like that. It's hard to understand why this is a debate, as great as West was. Ja Morant suspended 2 games after flashing gun on Instagram following allegations, Luka and Kyrie make Mavs history with 40+ point efforts vs. Sixers, How ballscreen-centered sets can help unleash Jordan Pooles potency, LeBron James diagnosed with foot tendon injury, will be re-evaluated in three weeks, surgery not required, NBA Scores: Kevin Durants Suns debut was an easy W. Their mantra was simple: Find the open man. J.. He never averaged fewer than 10 rebounds in the seventies, and also never dipped below two blocks per game.Although Hayes was only 69, he played the center position with more ferocity than nearly anyone else in the game, and was known as one of the toughest competitors in the league. Please play responsibly. Johnsons otherworldly passing set the stage for the Showtime L.A. Lakers teams that captured five championships during his 13 years with the franchise. Why did salaries increase so much during the decade? What about Dr. David Thompson: Thompson was an incredible scorer whose exploits rivaled those of Gervin and Maravich, and is considered one of MJ's chief inspirations. (Or 20. Who Is Better: Lebron James Or Wilt Chamberlain? McAdoo was the 1972-1973 NBA Rookie of the Year; he also won three straight scoring titles mid-decade and averaged 27+ points and 12+ rebounds per game in the 1970s en route to five All-Star Games, two All-NBA selections, and the 1974-1975 MVP. When Bill Walton signed a huge contract with the San Diego (later Los Angeles) Clippers in 1979, his former team received two players and a first-round draft pick in return, essentially gutting Waltons new team. 1. Russell was the ultimate winner in the history of the NBA. Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Rick Barry, a two-time NBA All-Star, made $45,000 in the NBA and jumped leagues for a $75,000 payday. Missouri Valley Tournament 2023: Bracket, schedule, scores, teams, and more. Erving then reeled off 11 straight All-Star bids in the NBA after the merger. Hondo was the original sixth man, but by the 1970s, he was a dominant fixture in the NBA. Although many small changes took place during the seventies, three major changes rocked the very foundation of the league: its embrace of the slam dunk and three-point shot; salary escalation; and the arrival of free agency. [1] To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The United Press International and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The anticipated plateau of salaries never arrived, and continues today. Plus his 30.1 points per game is the NBAs highest career scoring average. $11.45 shipping. Frazier had a flair for style that had been sparsely seen in the league before his debut, but once he arrived, all eyes were glued on him. For his unbelievable scoring and ball-handling ability, Maravich was a three-time SEC Player of the Year and Consensus First-Team All-American and was the National College Player of the Year in 1969 and 1970. He was voted as an all-star five times in the 1970s. 1901. Other Links > Basketball > Visit Our Patreon Page to Create Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See Other Bonus Material . The other big on-court change during the decade was that NBA players began embracing the slam dunk as a form of artistic expression. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. George Gervin: The Ice Man could have been a second-team guard here, but he'll be back on the '80s team thanks to some great work in that decade so I don't feel too bad about elevating West and Tiny. Gambling Problem? My argument was that it was a time of testing new limits, of parity and of transition. Famously, he played center in place of the injured Abdul-Jabbar in the title-clinching game six of the 1980 NBA finals as a 20-year-old rookie. This brought an even greater influx of stars to the NBA, making for a great new era of basketball. He can be reached at acriblez@semo.edu and followed on Twitter at@AdamCriblez. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 6 of 13. From there, its just a short jump to comparing players from the past with present stars. He wasn't just a pure shooter and scorer. One of the most successful franchises in sports history, the Celtics won 11 of 13 National Basketball Association (NBA) championships from 1957 to 1969. Do folks give Jerry credit for building future champions as a GM?). Bob Lanier 8. Quite possibly. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He led all players in the seventies in scoring and blocks, and he was second in both minutes and rebounds.. 6. Part of the merger agreement was the settlement of the Oscar Robertson lawsuit, which ended the dreaded reserve clause. Though the game was still primarily dominated by big men, the seventies saw a number of Hall of Fame wings, as well as exceptional guards. Yes, the NBA consisted of just 8 to 14 teams during this period, so capturing championships was a statistically easier feat for a single franchise, but even that fact doesnt minimize Russells historic accomplishments. Goose Givens won National Player of the Year. They were no strong national rivalries, no dynasties, no epic G.O.A.T. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Also, his career totals were inflated by the fact that he played roughly 10,000 years in the NBA. The decade has some incredible players and good teams, but with how different the game would become in terms of the rules and the way it's played, it is not an easy measurement.