An innovator in above-the-rim play, who was NBA MVP once and ABA MVP three times, an All-Star 16 times across the two leagues, and winner of the fabled 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest
FEATURED LISTS
You’re the best around: 80 greatest NBA players of the 1980s
We conclude our Totally ’80s series by ranking the 80 greatest players of the decade, based solely on statistics, accolades, and awards compiled between the ’80-’81 and ’88-’89 seasons.
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- Appearance in The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
- Appearance in One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird
- Earning league MVP and then getting eliminated early in the playoffs (1975)
- Earning league MVP in a controversial voting (1981)
- Feud with Larry Bird
- Fight with Larry Bird
- In the 1977 NBA Finals
- Never played in the NCAA Tournament
- Nicknamed “Dr. J”
- On ’82-’83 Philadelphia 76ers (greatest teams)
- One of the greatest players of the ’80s
- Wearing jersey #6
- Winning the ABA Slam Dunk Contest
FULL archive
Can’t blame me: 15 greatest individual NBA Finals performances in a losing effort
The NBA Finals is where legends are truly made and the 15 performances below are no exception. However, in these cases, the mythologizing was earned in a losing effort.
Noms de plume: 75 greatest NBA and ABA player nicknames
From the iconic to the cool to the slightly derisive, we count down the 75 greatest player nicknames in NBA history.
Basket-brawl: 26 memorable on-court fights in NBA games
For better or worse, we don’t really see big fights on the court anymore in the NBA. But in the past, they’ve been just as threaded into the fabric of the sport as anything that gets logged into the box score. Today, we take a look at the 26 most memorable examples of on-court melees, presented below in chronological order.
Hollow trophies: 14 early playoff exits by reigning league MVPs
The reigning MVP has led their team to the NBA or ABA championship 26 times in the history of the two leagues. But in these 15 examples, the ultimate regular season honor was sullied by subsequent postseason disappointment. Can Nikola Jokic avoid a similar fate in 2021?
Fraudulent voting: 20 controversial NBA league MVP decisions
As is bound to be the case whenever humans are making objective decisions based on subjective criteria, the NBA MVP winners have not always made sense in retrospect. Sometimes, they don’t even make sense as they’re being awarded. These are the 20 most notable cases.
I can’t dance: 15 greatest NBA players who (played in Division I but) never reached the NCAA Tournament
Several likely 2020 lottery picks, like Obi Toppen, Cole Anthony, and Vernon Carey, were denied an opportunity to experience March Madness before reaching the NBA when the 2020 NCAA Tournament was cancelled. At least they’ll be in good company, joining these 15 NBA superstars who played Division I college basketball but never in the ultimate postseason.