Who Is the Most Aggressive Player in the NBA? - Analytic City Stats: 22.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.9 APG in 11 NBA seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1976-77 to 1986-87); also played five ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1971-72 to 1972-73) and New York Nets (1973-74 to 1975-76). Instead, he broke them. Seriously, 11 championships in 13 seasons is arguably the most intense thing to ever be accomplished in league history. Were going to need to see that killer instinct from James long before hes even considered for elevation when it comes to intensity. Starks worked his way up from 10-day contracts with the Warriors to the CBA to finally landing a shot with the Knicks in 1990, where he spent almost a decade as a key foil to Michael Jordan and the Bulls. A four-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP, O'Neal averaged a double-double during a career that spanned almost two decades. The nine-time All-Star and 1996 NBA Defensive Player of the Year credited learning the game on the streets of Oakland for creating his toughness. Chiu/AP Images. Hes got the alpha male mentality and continues to improve his attack, and the idea that people still undervalue him is scary. He also was durable, ranking in the Top 25 in games played. He ruined his own best chance at playoff success when he punched Oklahoma Citys Steven Adams in the jaw in Game 6 of a 2014 NBA playoff series and was suspended for Game 7, which the Grizzlies lost. 15 15. The Dallas Mavericks are in a funk and have a lot of things to figure out if they want to make the playoffs. The most important thing to remember about Dumars as far as gauging his toughness is that Michael Jordan called him the best defender he ever faced and the "Jordan Rules" established by Pistons coach Chuck Daly in the 1990s centered around Dumars unique defensive ability. You can also point directly to Bryants introduction to the league, when he got the sort of welcome outside of Los Angeles that you might expect for a 13th-century leper, as other teams' stars tried to "put him in his place.". The toughness wasnt just an act. Stats: 23.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.1 APG in 10 NBA seasons with San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1965-66 to 1966-67; 1972-73 to 1977-78) and Houston Rockets (1978-79 to 1979-80); also played four ABA seasons with Oakland Oaks (1968-69), Washington Capitols (1969-70) and New York Nets (1970-71 to 1971-72). Stats: 20.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.8 APG in 16 seasons with Boston Celtics (1962-63 to 1977-78). Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, two-time scoring champ, 2015-16 steals champ, three-time NBA champion. Bottom line: Michael Jordans toughness was the stuff of legend, and the five-time NBA Most Valuable Player was legendarily hard on teammates. 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.
Legends profile: Michael Jordan | NBA.com In 2009, the NBA named its Finals MVP award after Russell. Havlicek simply wore opponents out with his conditioning, and if you want to teach a young player how to move without the ball in their hands, all you need is to cue up old Havlicek highlights on YouTube. Bottom line: NBA connoisseurs can appreciate what Michael Cooper brought to the Los Angeles Lakers' "Showtime" dynasty of the 1980s.
All Time Leaders - The official site of the NBA for the latest NBA There are just not players like Sprewell who come along everyday, and his stint with the Knicks came with the vow that he was a changed man. His father, Stan, was an NBA player, and he had his son study tapes of Hall of Famer Wes Unseld as part of learning to play the game the right way. Bottom line: At just 5-foot-9, Isaiah Thomas is one of the most dominant, under 6-foot players in NBA history. Stemming from his incredible work ethic, which was started at a young age by his father, the dedication to the game of basketball paid off, as Pistol Pete averaged 44.2 ppg during his college career with LSU. NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Player Efficiency Rating All-Time Player Efficiency Rating Leaders Active players are listed in bold * Indicates member of the Hall of Fame. The 2020-21 NBA season is about halfway through. He wouldnt let anybody take him out of his style of game, and if any opposition tried, he made sure to send his message loudly and clearly. Accomplishments: 17-time All-Star, 17-time All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 2003-04 Rookie of the Year, 2007-08 scoring champ, 2019-20 assists champ, four-time NBA champion. While Barkleys attitude and off-the-court antics had their detractors, one thing no one ever questioned was his toughness. In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work as a pioneer for civil rights. Stats: 19.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG in 15 seasons with Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1958-59 to 1972-73). Stats: 21.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.4 BPG in 17 seasons with New York Knicks (1985-86 to 1999-00), Seattle SuperSonics (2000-01) and Orlando Magic (2001-02). Bottom line: For the entirety of his career, Scott Skiles was listed at 6-foot-1. Bottom line: Whats most remarkable about Udonis Haslem has been his staying power. Its kind of incredible to think of now, but McHale didnt even become a full-time starter until five years into his career, winning NBA Sixth Man of the Year twice in that stretch. Western Conference Finals MVP. Bottom line: NBA fans who got to know Dennis Rodman in the 1980s, when he first joined the league, were able to appreciate his innate toughness before his life off the court overshadowed his game. "You exemplify the very best that the human spirit has to offer," Cosell told Reed. Defensive Player of the Year. He also was routinely voted among the NBAs dirtiest players during his career. Fifty players were selected through a vote by a panel of media members, former players and coaches, and current and former general managers. "If you played Monday through Saturday and didn't have a fight, you knew you had to be ready for Sunday because you'd surely have a fight. Do I even need to elaborate? Bottom line: Anyone who saw Dave Cowens play back in the day can tell you this was a guy who played with reckless abandon to the point of putting himself in danger. Stats: 17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 APG in 12 seasons with Boston Celtics (1957-58 to 1968-69). Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 2013-14 MVP, 2007-08 Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star MVP, two-time Finals MVP, four-time scoring champ, two-time NBA champion. Apart from handing out aggressive fouls, Bill Lambier was also at the center of most flagrant splays at the time. He did all of this by just not being good, but by playing with a unique brand of intensity and skill a combination that was light years ahead of where the NBA was at when he broke in as a 19-year-old in 1995. This season, he's averaging 14.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 26.5 DraftKings points per game. Most Improved Player. Martins innate toughness came from a pretty awful place. Answer (1 of 21): Scrolling through the answers I see different takes on what the word means. He had the ability to circumvent any defensive scheme put on him (outside of Hack a Shaq), and that speaks to how impossible it was to stop him out there. He won the 2016-17 Most Improved Player award and the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year award. Foust, an eight-time All-Star, died in 1984 of a heart attack at 59 years old. That makes the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player and 15-time All-NBA pick one of the toughest and most durable players of all time. Whether it was through his play, his quotes or just his general presence on the floor, Oakley embodied the idea of intensity. One stat stands out more than any other. Over two decades after his retirement, Abdul-Jabbars 1,797 career games (including the playoffs) is more than anyone in NBA history. Accomplishments: Two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1977-78 MVP, 1977 Finals MVP, 1985-86 Sixth Man of the Year, 1976-77 rebounding champ, 1976-77 blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-2007, 2015-16), Boston Celtics (2007-13), Brooklyn Nets (2013-15), Key stats: 1,462 G, 17.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 49.7 FG%. Navigation Toggle NBA. Kick a cameraman in the crotch? "I am mean," said Payton's father, who died in 2015.
Top 20 Most Hated NBA Players of All Time - Info Copse Stats: 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1979-80 to 1991-92).
Toughest NBA Players of All Time | Stadium Talk Post-career, Johnson has been an even bigger success. PER since 1951-52 Rate statistic requirements NBA/ABA Share & Export Modify, Export & Share Table Get Link to Table About Sharing Tools Video: SR Sharing Tools & How-to Whether a mean stare, a suffocating style of play or a general ability to send electricity. But that was nothing compared to how he treated opponents. Bottom Line: Bob Lanier is one of the most well-respected NBA players of all time and has his iconic No. Stats: 26.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG in 10 NBA seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1976-77 to 1984-85) and Chicago Bulls (1985-86); also played four ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1972-73 to 1973-74) and San Antonio Spurs (1973-74 to 1975-76). A big part of that came from Paytons father, Al, who famously had "Mr. Let us know more about the 5 most aggressive chess players of all time- Garry Kasparov; Garry Kasparov, currently the chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer and much more. I started that training with a 28 i. Hes also one of just five players, along with LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Scottie Pippen and Giannis Antetoukompo, to lead an NBA team in all five top statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) in the same season.
Top 10 best NBA players of all time - Sportskeeda Mourning, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014, averaged 2.8 blocks per game over a 16-year career and was a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.