7.Wilt Chamberlain
Admittedly, Chamberlain played at a time when post players were significantly smaller and basketball wasn’t drawing the types of athletic marvels we see today, but the man was so incredibly dominant that he deserves a spot in the top five regardless of context. The four highest all-time NBA single-season scoring averages all belong to Chamberlain…in his first four professional seasons. The most notable of his scoring feats came on March 2, 1962, when he put up an astounding 100 points in a game, an NBA record that will likely never be broken. 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). The one time in his 14-year career that he was not an All-Star was in 1970, a season in which an injured Chamberlain was limited to just 12 regular-season games and yet he still managed to will his team to the NBA finals upon his return.
8.Magic Johnson
One of the most ebullient personalities to ever play in the NBA, Johnson’s charm was a major factor in the massive increase in the league’s popularity during the 1980s. But he was so much more than a dazzling smile. Johnson’s otherworldly passing set the stage for the “Showtime” L.A. Lakers teams that captured five championships during his 13 years with the franchise. The 6’9” Johnson (making him the NBA’s tallest point guard) not only posted the best assists-per-game mark in league history (11.2) but had a tremendous all-around game, as well. 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. Oh, and while this has nothing to do with his ranking on this list, it’s still incredibly awesome and noteworthy that he has successfully fought off HIV for over two decades, helped de-stigmatize AIDS through his high-profile advocacy, and launched a second career as an entrepreneur who opens businesses predominantly in poverty-stricken areas in efforts to spur urban revitalization. So, yeah, Magic Johnson—neat guy.
