Oakley squared up with a whos who of NBA tough guys and had an epic series of throwdowns with Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. He also was unselfish as a mentor and widely credited as having been the man who taught Dennis Rodman the ins and outs of the NBA game and helped make him good enough that the Pistons left Mahorn unprotected in the 1989 expansion draft. Teammate of the Year. He was dominant at both ends of the floor, and his mean mug was enough to scare the opposition before he entered the lane. Bottom line: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA titles and six NBA Most Valuable Player awards and is in the conversation when it comes to the greatest basketball players of all time, which probably automatically puts him in the conversation for toughest players ever, as well. 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. Bottom line: Its safe to say that most point guards who make it from Brooklyn to the NBA are tough. Not only was Dawkins downright crazy on the court, but he seemingly thrived off of breaking the backboard. Old-school NBA fans might remember McDaniels signature move on opponents who tried him his gigantic hands around their throats. Unseld was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. Bottom line: If you want to know about toughness and making something out of nothing, just look at what John Starks went through just to make it to the NBA. Accomplishments: Eight-time NBA All-Star, six-time All-NBA, 1975 Finals MVP, 1965-66 Rookie of the Year, 1966-67 scoring champ, 1974-75 steals champ, 1975 NBA champion. 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). Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, four-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, 1958 NBA champion. Cooper made the All-NBA Defensive Team eight times and was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. Cooper won five NBA titles with the Lakers and was just as good as a coach, winning back-to-back WNBA titles with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002. His most iconic play was a baseline, left-handed dunk over Jordan and Horace Grant in the playoffs. 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. He has won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2014, four NBA scoring . Bottom line: Michael Jordans toughness was the stuff of legend, and the five-time NBA Most Valuable Player was legendarily hard on teammates. Kevin Wayne Durant was born on 29 September 1988. "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? Over the course of one season, Haslem lost 50 pounds, returned home and aced his tryout with the Heat. But Washington was also tough as nails and came from one of the worst backgrounds imaginable, pulling himself up and out of a nightmare home situation to become a college star and then an NBA first-round pick. Bottom line: Kevin Love might not be the first player that comes to mind when we talk about the toughest in NBA history, but he most certainly is. The Memphis Grizzlies (38-24) play against the Denver Nuggets (45-19) at Ball Arena Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free) NBA League Pass: The most live games plus NBA TV. Watch Dwyane Wade. 37 Dirk Nowitzki. Teams: Portland Trail Blazers (2001-07), New York Knicks (2007-08), Los Angeles Clippers (2008-09), Memphis Grizzlies (2009-17), Sacramento Kings (2017-19). He always seemed to be giving it his all, and rarely did anyone see a smile creep across his face when he was in the midst of battle. Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (1976-80), Phoenix Suns (198-83), Boston Celtics (1983-90), Key stats: 1,100 G, 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 44.5 FG%. 1. Whether it was his clampdown defense, a proclivity to rise to the occasion or just the words that come out of his mouth, World Peaces intensity is one thing people will never question about him. Defensive Player of the Year. Key stats: 971 G, 17.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 55.4 FG%. Bottom line: Kendrick Perkins was basketballs version of a hockey enforcer on some truly great teams the Celtics in the late 2000s that included an NBA title in 2008 and several almost-great Oklahoma City Thunder teams with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the early 2010s. The iconic image of teammate Scottie Pippen helping him off the floor is burned into the memories of basketball fans the world over. Teams: Baltimore/Washington Bullets (1968-81), Key stats: 984 G, 10.8 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 50.9 FG%. Stats: 27.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 6.7 APG in 14 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1960-61 to 1973-74). Being tough is more than just being physical. But as his skills declined, he extended his career by turning into a tough-minded enforcer for the teams he played on. He played in an age where African-American players were fighting for equal rights on and off the floor and was one of the leaders of that movement. His father died when he was 4 years old, and he was the youngest of 10 children raised by a single mother in rural Illinois. Before turning his focus to basketball, the two-time Most Valuable Player grew up in Canada playing hockey, and his family lived in the same neighborhood as future NHL stars Russ and Geoff Courtnall. He made the All-NBA Defensive Team nine times, including eight first-team picks, and was known as a player who would never resort to "dirty" tactics. Oakleys best seasons were with the Knicks, including two NBA All-Defensive Team selections and his lone All-Star appearance, in 1994. Stats: 24.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.5 APG in 15 seasons with Atlanta Hawks (1982-83 to 1993-94), LA Clippers (1993-94), Boston Celtics (1994-95), San Antonio Spurs (1996-97) and Orlando Magic (1998-99). Bottom line: Say what you will about Draymond Green, if his career ended tomorrow, you would have to put him in the discussion as the best defensive player of his era. 75 greatest NBA players ever: The HoopsHype list | HoopsHype Wallace was named a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 but somehow wasnt voted in, furthering the notion that the Basketball Hall of Fame is a joke and needs a complete overhaul if it wants to stay relevant. Robertsons specialty was defense, making the All-NBA Defensive Team six times in his career and was NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1986. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, 1969-70 All-Defensive team, 1969-70 NBA MVP, 1964-65 Rookie of the Year, 1970 All-Star MVP, two-time Finals MVP, two-time NBA champion. Bottom line: LeBron James could be in the Top 30 NBA career games played at the end of the 2019-20 season and likely will break Robert Parrishs career record of 1,611 games if he plays four more seasons, which hes openly said he wants to do. Lanier, at 6-foot-11, was one of the best all-around big men in NBA history and averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds for his career. Unseld was never one to back down from anything, and he crafted his attack around the idea that he was fearless. He was once singled out by NBA career leading-scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the toughest defender he ever faced and is regarded as the only post player of that era who could stand toe-to-toe with both Wilt Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar. 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. Teams: Fort Wayne Pistons (1950-57), Minneapolis Lakers (1957-60), St. Louis Hawks (1960-62), Key stats: 817 G, 13.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 40.5 FG%. He is an American basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 2019. Bottom line: Opponents underestimated John Stocktons toughness at their own peril throughout his 18 seasons, including 11 in which he was selected first-, second- or third-team All-NBA. Despite being too short and overweight most of the time (by NBA standards), Barkley dominated almost the entirety of his career and is the shortest player in history to lead the league in rebounds. Stats: 17.0 PPG, 15.6 RPG, 3.3 APG in 11 seasons with Cincinnati Royals (1963-64 to 1969-70), San Francisco Warriors (1969-70 to 1970-71) and New York Knicks (1971-72 to 1973-74). Teams: Boston Celtics (1997-98), Toronto Raptors (1998-99), Denver Nuggets (1999-2000, 2008-11), Minnesota Timberwolves (2000-02), Detroit Pistons (2002-08, 2013-14), New York Knicks (2011), Los Angeles Clippers (2011-13), Key stats: 1,043 G, 15.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 41.5 FG%. Bottom line: Kevin McHale gave opponents nightmares because of his arsenal of low-post offensive moves, which he called "the torture chamber," and for being a rugged, punishing defender. There might not be anyone in NBA history with a sports background quite like Nash, which helps explain why he always seemed to have blood on his jersey. Bottom line: Theres always going to be some dispute about what Charles Barkleys actual height and weight were during his playing days, but its safe to say it was an inch or two below the 6-foot-6 he was listed at. Sixth Man of the Year. in Game 2, swinging an elbow at Dawkins head and changing the tone of the series as the Blazers rallied for the championship. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, five-time All-Defensive team, nine-time assists champ, two-time steals champ, 1993 All-Star MVP. Stats: 23.9 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.3 APG in nine seasons with New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (2012-13 to 2018-19) and Los Angeles Lakers (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. Sixth Man of the Year. Who are the most athletic players in NBA history? We take - Sportskeeda How do you function when everyone is against you? Bottom line: Wes Unseld was only 6-foot-7 but dominated on the boards like few players in NBA history, thanks to being 250 pounds. Western Conference Finals MVP. Teams: New Jersey Nets (1981-1989), Portland Trail Blazers (1989-1996), New York Knicks (1996-1998), Key stats: 1,307 G, 12.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 54.9 FG%. 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%. Unseld, known for bone-rattling picks, played for a decade before helping lead the Bullets to the NBA title in 1978, when he was named Finals MVP. Bottom line: There is one statistic that underlines Alvin Robertsons toughness better than all others he is still the NBAs career leader with 2.7 steals per game. He never made it past the second round of the playoffs but was an eight-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection and three-time All-Star. Stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG in 14 seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1996-97 to 2006-07; 2009-10), Denver Nuggets (2006-07 to 2008-09), Detroit Pistons (2008-09) and Memphis Grizzlies (2009-10) . Stats: 19.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 3.0 APG in 19 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1997-98 to 2015-16). Stats: 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 3.1 BPG in 18 seasons with Houston Rockets (1984-85 to 2000-01) and Toronto Raptors (2001-02); NBA's career leader in total blocks. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, five-time assists champ, two-time MVP. Stats: 20.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 4.0 APG in nine seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1965-66 to 1971-72; 1974-75 to 1975-76); also played two ABA seasons with Carolina Cougars (1972-73 to 1973-74). Whether a mean stare, a suffocating style of play or a general ability to send electricity. Johnson won three NBA titles in his career, which is almost entirely associated with his time with the Boston Celtics, but that was his third team after he was run off in Seattle and Phoenix because of clashes with coaches. He also was routinely voted among the NBAs dirtiest players during his career. 50 Most Complete NBA Players of All Time - Bleacher Report Where Love is toughest has been in his approach to the mental aspects of the game, where hes been open about his struggles with anxiety, rage and depression bringing widespread awareness to an issue that still is considered taboo in some corners. Teams: Houston Rockets (2013-17), Los Angeles Clippers (2017-present), Key stats: 397 G, 9.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 41.0 FG%. Lets quickly point out that what gets lost in all of this debate is how talented he was a four-time All-Star who averaged almost 10 rebounds per game for his career and led the NBA in rebounding in 1986. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, four-time All-Defensive team, 2017 All-Star MVP, three-time blocks champ, 2020 NBA champion. Over and over, we saw the 6-foot, 165-pound guard take it to opponents who towered over him, and the sight of Iverson dunking over NBA power forwards was unlike almost anything wed ever seen. Newspaper headline writers in the 1990s. Will the Warriors be able to reboot and make another run at a title? Famed broadcaster Howard Cosell summed up Americas feelings toward Reed in the winning locker room after the game. They got there because they were tough, and that's something that fans have appreciated since the league first began play. I'll never understand the hate that Trae . Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1979-89), Atlanta Hawks (1989-91), Key stats: 767 G, 15.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 50.2 FG%. NBA75: Meet the best players in league history, 'Not going out this way': Nets, down 28, stun C's, KD: Mavs tilt, Kyrie meeting 'just another game', Owner: Snyder, Fields will bring Hawks success, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season, Clips' Powell out at least a week to treat shoulder, LeBron to have tendon injury checked in 3 weeks. Stats: 27.4 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 4.3 APG in 14 seasons with Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1958-59 to 1971-72). Thankfully, we know what Billups was capable of when a team was truly put in his hands thanks to his stint with the Detroit Pistons, when he led the team to the 2004 NBA title and was named Finals Most Valuable Player in a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers one of the greatest upsets of all time. Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (1980-82), Detroit Pistons (1982-93), Key stats: 1,068 G, 12.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 49.8 FG%. The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time | Britannica Kemp was unreal during his days in Seattle, and there was a reason that his nickname was Reign Man. He was so intense that he even scared some of his teammates, so just imagine how the opposition felt about lining up against him. Bottom line: One of 18 children, Steven Adams had a rough childhood in New Zealand after his father died in 2006, but basketball took him off the streets of his hometown and put him in a gym. Stats: 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG in 13 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1979-80 to 1990-91; 1995-96). Marches to the beat of his own drum? The NBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary throughout the 2021-22 season, and part of that celebration includes the unveiling of the list of the greatest players in NBA history. Bottom line: The mystery behind Chauncey Billups career lies within the mulitude of inexplicable trades that let him play on seven different teams over his 14-year career. Nobody wanted to challenge him in the lane, and its hard to blame the opposition considering the volume at which he swatted shots away from the rim. He became tough growing up in Dallas and playing basketball on the playgrounds. Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard are deserving, but what separates them from Nikola Joki (an MVP winner), Paul George, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler? Stats: 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1979-80 to 1991-92). If you ever happened to catch a game that Skiles played in, you know thats spotting him at least 2-3 inches. Stats: 15.1 PPG, 22.5 RPG, 4.3 APG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1956-57 to 1968-69). Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, two-time All-Star MVP, 1990 Finals MVP, 1984-85 assists champ, two-time NBA champion. Sloans toughness came from his hardscrabble background. A ridiculous shot-blocker in his own right, Rollins really knew how to bring it when his opposition tried to challenge him. Bottom line: Whats amazing about Rick Mahorns career is that, on paper, it appears to have been pretty average. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time NBA champion. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, 1974-75 MVP, 1972-73 Rookie of the Year, three-time scoring champ, two-time NBA champion. Weve already watched it a half-dozen times today, in fact. Robertson was found not guilty of human trafficking in 2015, five years after he was arrested and after authorities discovered the accuser made up the whole story. Bottom line: There wasnt a better role player to put on your roster in the 1970s than Paul Silas, who won two titles with the Celtics and one with the SuperSonics over the last six years of the decade. Kevin Durant. 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. Most Improved Player. O'Neal became an All-Star 15 times and earned the 1999-2000 MVP . The 20 Greatest NBA Players of All Time The Sporting Blog Nets, down 28 to Celtics, pull off NBA's largest comeback of season The 5 most aggressive Chess Players of all time The moment Thomas toughness was no longer in doubt was at the end of his tenure with the Celtics, when he was on the verge of getting close to a max contract in free agency in the offseason. Stats: 19.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.9 APG in 10 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (2011-12 to 2017-18), Toronto Raptors (2018-19) and LA Clippers (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, five-time MVP, six-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year, 1984-85 Rookie of the Year, 10-time scoring champ, three-time steals champ, six-time NBA champion. In his first 13 seasons, he missed just four games and only missed 22 in his career, with 17 of those coming at the start of the 1997-98 season as he recovered from an injured MCL. 16 retired by both of the teams he played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2020 All-Star MVP, 2014-15 steals champ, two-time NBA champion. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1950-51 Rookie of the Year, 1952 All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, 1956 NBA champion. Its not often a point guard is as feisty as Thomas showed throughout his career. Jones toughness meant playing through a variety of debilitating health problems, including asthma, a chronic heart condition and epileptic seizures that once caused a serious injury when he fell in his kitchen. Bottom line: Kenyon Martin was the last college senior to be picked No. A big part of that came from Paytons father, Al, who famously had "Mr. Whats interesting about World Peaces career is that if hed have been born 10 years earlier, he likely would have been a player with comparable success to Dennis Rodman because his physical, tough style of play was more akin to past generations. Olajuwon didnt take anything from anybody when it came to where he felt his proper position in the lane was. Key stats: 755 G, 14.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 42.7 FG%, NBA titles: 5 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988). Despite going undrafted, Wallace won an NBA-record four Defensive Player of the Year awards (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) and helped lead the Pistons to the 2004 NBA title and back into the finals in 2005. Teams: Portland TrailBlazers (1976-80, 1987-88), New Jersey Nets (1980-81), New York Knicks (1981-82), Phoenix Suns (1982-85), Los Angeles Lakers (1985-86), Seattle SuperSonics (1986-87), Key stats: 1,021 G, 14.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 47.1 FG%. There was a time during Wallaces career when he was the most feared defender in the NBA. NBA legend Michael Jordan. Stats: 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG in 13 seasons with New York Knicks (1967-68 to 1976-77) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-78 to 1979-80). With the NBA celebrating its 75th anniversary this season, USA TODAY assembled a panel of NBA experts to rank the greatest 75 NBA players of all time.