most aggressive nba players of all time

15 15. Whats unique about his career was that style of play, at that time, was ahead of its time feed the ball to one player and let the game hinge on that. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, 1993-94 MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, two-time Finals MVP, two-time rebounding champ, three-time blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. Sixth Man of the Year. 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. He continued to play, leading his team to the 2017 Eastern Conference finals before being sidelined with a debilitating hip injury. Anyone who has watched him play has taken note of his pre-game ritual of talking to the basket while simultaneously pouring sweat off of him like hes already played a full 48. Myself, I liked to get my fight over on Monday or Tuesday and not worry about it the rest of the week.". A legitimate presence in the middle, Robinson embodied all of the characteristics that make up an ideal center. Williams spent his first eight seasons with the Nets but became a household name during his seven seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Stats: 17.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.7 APG in 21 seasons with Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-96 to 2006-07; 2014-15 to 2015-16), Boston Celtics (2007-08 to 2012-13) and Brooklyn Nets (2013-14 to 2014-15). Stats: 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG in 13 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1979-80 to 1990-91; 1995-96). All Time Leaders. He brought immediate toughness and stability to the roster. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, five-time MVP, 1963 All-Star MVP, four-time rebounding champ, 11-time NBA champion. Later in his career, Payton managed to shake off his reputation for being brash and became a steady presence in the locker room. He averaged 28.2 ppg, (third . LeBron may very well be the most physically gifted athlete weve seen come into the league, but that doesnt make him the best, and certainly doesnt make him the most intense. Bottom line: Bob Pettit was one of the most prolific scorers and rebounders in NBA history, and if you did a double take at his career rebounding average, thats understandable. Bottom line: At one point in NBA history, no player was tougher or more intimidating than Larry Johnson, the No. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. 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: 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. 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. Theres a mental aspect to being tough thats just as important. 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. There was never a call that went unquestioned with Wallace, and he had no trouble illustrating exactly how he felt about everything. Stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG in 16 seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1984-85 to 1991-92), Phoenix Suns (1992-93 to 1995-96) and Houston Rockets (1996-97 to 1999-00). He also was durable, ranking in the Top 25 in games played. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Anyone who has never seen some of Birds closest encounters on the hardwood should hit the YouTube channel immediately. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, five-time assists champ, two-time MVP. Perkins wasnt just hired muscle, though. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1968-69 scoring champ, two-time rebounding champ, 1978 NBA champion. The all time official leaders for the NBA. Bottom line: Most of Americas introduction to Gary Payton came via one of the most iconic Sports Illustrated covers of all time, when he was a senior at Oregon State University in 1990. After being banished to the bench and playing just 24 games in his first two seasons, Mason proved to be incredibly durable. The infamous finger wag. 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. Stats: 17.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG in 12 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1982-83 to 1993-94). Mahorn certainly wasnt afraid to body up; that is what earned him his nickname. Key stats: 650 G, 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 47.6 FG%. Unseld wasted little time putting the league on notice, and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to win Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season. 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. Kevin Johnson 15 of 50 Career stats: 17.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 9.1 apg, 1.5 stl, 0.2 blk, 84.1 FT %, 49.3 FG % Johnson's contributions aren't readily discussed among the most productive point guards of. Although hes turned around his reputation and now does heralded work within the community, Washingtons intensity will never be forgotten. One of the most prolific forwards to ever play, Barkley stuck to his beliefs when it came to what he believed to be rightfully his on the hardwood. 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. Maxwell was called a lot of different things during his career, but it was clear that his intensity was never to be questioned. There was a time during Wallaces career when he was the most feared defender in the NBA. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, 1966-67 Rookie of the Year, 1976 All-Star MVP, 1967-68 scoring champ. Bottom line: Dan Roundfield "Dr. Rounds" could be the next name you drop in a conversation with fellow NBA heads when youre talking about the most underrated, underappreciated players of all time. Whats not a mystery is the impact Billups made on almost every team he played on. Rodman was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. Most Improved Player. He was truly one of a kind when it came to his on-court performance. If you want to watch a highlight reel of how to haul in an offensive rebound, just look up Malones tape. Bottom line: Ron Artest legally changed his name to Metta World Peace in 2011, but no matter what his name was during his 18-year pro career, opponents were in for a dogfight when he stepped on a court. Along with Detroits Joe Dumars, NBA legend Michael Jordan said Moncrief was one of the two toughest defensive players he ever faced. Stats: 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG in 15 seasons with Chicago Bulls (1984-85 to 1992-93; 1994-95 to 1997-98) and Washington Wizards (2001-02 to 2002-03); NBA's career leader in points per game. Bottom line: Kevin Garnett is the highest-paid player in NBA history, with $326 million in career earnings. 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. Seventeen years and three NBA titles later, hes a legend in Miami. He is an American basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 2019. For the 1990s video-game kids, he also was one of three players on the original "NBA Jam" who could consistently rebound. Stats: 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG in 13 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1981-82 to 1993-94). As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th anniversary team includes 76 players. Bottom line: How tough was Jerry Sloan? Bottom line: NBA connoisseurs can appreciate what Michael Cooper brought to the Los Angeles Lakers' "Showtime" dynasty of the 1980s. Chiu/AP Images. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA. Most Improved Player. Each of the last three seasons, NBA players voting in an anonymous poll have listed Adams as one of the three players they would least like to fight in the entire league. Some might think hes a little delusional at times, but theres no questioning Martins passion for the game. Key stats: 857 G, 7.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 48.9 FG%. 2022 NBA Playoffs, 2021 NBA Playoffs, 2020 NBA Playoffs, 2019 NBA Playoffs, 2018 NBA Playoffs, 2017 NBA Playoffs, Playoffs Series History. 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. Thats because Johnson, a second-degree black belt in karate, has been a professional MMA fighter and kickboxer since he was 18 years old and has a 7-0 record in MMA matches and 20-0 record in kickboxing. 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. Did you really expect to see anyone but the best at the head of this list? Speaking of which, Garnett played at an elite level for a decade after coming straight to the NBA from high school, which might require a little intestinal fortitude. Consider also that James has played in three Summer Olympics, two FIBA World Championships and, in 17 years of professional basketball, has never had a major injury. To put it in perspective, Foust scored the winning basket for the Fort Wayne Pistons in the lowest-scoring NBA game of all-time, a 19-18 win over the Minneapolis Lakers, a year in which he averaged 13.5 points. As the first black superstar in NBA history, he had to endure racism at almost every turn but handled it with grace and aplomb. Bottom line: There arent a lot of NBA players that come out of Wyoming, but James Johnson is one of them. He never, ever thought a call that went against him was the right one, and he sought to rise to the occasion whenever his number was called. 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. Kevin Durant. Stats: 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG in 20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers (1996-97 to 2015-16). To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Scott Davis. Sixth Man of the Year. Bottom line: Whats amazing about Rick Mahorns career is that, on paper, it appears to have been pretty average. Stats: 20.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 4.5 APG in eight seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (2013-14 to 2020-21)*. His most iconic play was a baseline, left-handed dunk over Jordan and Horace Grant in the playoffs. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1994-95 MVP, 1991-92 Defensive Player of the Year, 1989-90 Rookie of the Year, 1993-94 scoring champ, 1990-91 rebounding champ, 1991-92 blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. Perhaps one of the most searched for athletes on YouTube thanks in large part due to the fights he found himself in, Johnson didnt do anything to eschew his reputation of being a tough guy around the league. Approximately $200 million in career earnings. Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1969-77, 1981), Washington Bullets (1977-81), Key stats: 839 G, 18.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 48.4 FG%. Throughout his NBA career, Bill Lambier drilled over 200 Three-pointers. Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1986-87), Indiana Pacers (1987-89), Orlando Magic (1989-94), Washington Bullets (1994-95), Philadelphia 76ers (1995-96), Key stats: 600 G, 11.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 43.5 FG%. Parish might not get the love that he deserves for being intense, but theres no questioning his commitment. The complete list of players is in alphabetical order below. 49. Isaiah Rider Guard Isaiah Rider of the Portland Trailblazers stands on the court. 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. From 1989 to 1998, he won five NBA titles with two different teams, the Pistons and Bulls, and averaged at least 15 rebounds per game for seven seasons in that stretch. Bottom Line: Bob Lanier is one of the most well-respected NBA players of all time and has his iconic No. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Starks bounced between three different junior colleges in Oklahoma before landing in the checkout lane at a supermarket, bagging groceries. *All stats/accomplishments for active players are entering the 2021-22 season. Bottom Line: Dennis Johnson was only 5-foot-9 when he graduated from Dominguez Hills High School in Compton, California, where he said he only played "one or two minutes," each game. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Weve already watched it a half-dozen times today, in fact. Skiles also, famously, took a swing at Shaquille O'Neal in the locker room. How do you function when everyone is against you? The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year averaged 13.1 rebounds per game, which stands among the NBAs best career marks. Key stats: 1,270 G, 20.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 43.9 FG%, NBA titles: 8 (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976). The 2020-21 NBA season is about halfway through. He was dominant at both ends of the floor, and his mean mug was enough to scare the opposition before he entered the lane. Hes already a five-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection (in just eight seasons), NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and has won three NBA titles. Sloans toughness came from his hardscrabble background. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1968 All-Star MVP, 1967 NBA champion. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. 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. Roundfield died tragically in Aruba in 2012 while swimming with his wife. Which threw even more fuel on his fire. Why is Oakley so beloved? A lot of that comes from his upbringing. Honorary Enforcer Bill Laimbeer. Unseld was never one to back down from anything, and he crafted his attack around the idea that he was fearless. He made second-team the other season. He has scored the most points in NBA history. He brought an intensity to the court that is highly unlikely to ever be harnessed within another player ever again. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Teams: Detroit Pistons (1986-93), San Antonio Spurs (1993-95), Chicago Bulls (1995-98), Los Angeles Lakers (1999), Dallas Mavericks (2000), Key stats: 911 G, 7.3 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 52.1 FG%, NBA titles: 5 (1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998). Barkley was never shy about getting into a scrappy brawl if it was warranted, but he was far more than just an agitator. Bottom line: Norm Van Lier had one of the more modest, accomplished careers in NBA history in almost total anonymity. Many people know about Sloans legacy as a coach, but his intensity arrived long before his stint on the sidelines. An absolute mountain of a man, Eaton was a dominant shot blocker before the term was readily used to describe players. But no one who ever watched the man play would classify it as such. Abdul-Jabbars skyhook just wasnt fair, as it remains one of the most unguardable moves in all of basketball history.

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