'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Holla! To all of our endearing readers who've followed us through the course of our progress as a significant channel for basketball news, we've got news for you - A Top 50 list of the greatest players in basketball history!
We asked 8 of our writers to name their top 50 players of all time. Giving a weightage of 100 points to the #1 pick and 51 to the #50 pick, we arrived at a list that encompasses much of the storied history of the game of basketball - with all of these players having played out the vast majority of their careers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
In a weekly series, we will be releasing our ranks of the all-time greatest players of the game, as things stand at the end of the 2017-18 season. Here's the countdown from #50 up until #41!
#50 Walt Frazier
Career averages: 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.2 blocks per game
Shooting splits: 49% from the field, 78.6% from the free throw line
Accolades: 2-time NBA champion (1970, 1973), 4-time All-NBA First Teamer (1970, 1972, 1974, 1975), 2-time All-NBA Second Teamer (1971, 1973), 7-time All-Star (1970-76), 2-time All-Star Game MVP (1971, 1975), 7-time All-Defensive First Teamer (1969-1975)
Records: New York Knicks all-time franchise leader in assists
In an era when combo guards began to increase in number across the league, Walt Frazier was an intriguing prospect drafted by the Knicks with the 5th pick in the 1967 NBA Draft. Frazier slowly rose to prominence following his rookie season, increasing his minutes per game by 15 minutes in his sophomore year. His third season saw him break out to an All-Star level offensively, given that he was already a pretty good defender at his position and had earned an All-Defensive team nod in the previous year.
It was his breakthrough that allowed the Knicks to canter their way to an NBA title in the 1970 playoffs. Although they made it to the Finals the next year, the Milwaukee Bucks swept them in 4 games with MVP Lew Alcindor torching them in the frontcourt. The following season, they were back to the Finals but lost this time to Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain's Lakers team.
Frazier and Earl Monroe, who joined the team in 1970, finally found a way to break through their Finals barrier, winning the 1973 NBA title in a Finals rematch against the Lakers. It took an all-time great 36 point, 19 assist, 7 rebound, 6 steal performance by Frazier in Game 7 to push the Willis Reed-less Knicks over the line.
Many analysts often rank this as the greatest playoff performance of all time, and most certainly it is the best Game 7 performance of all time in conjunction with a 1988 performance by a player you'll read about later on in this slide.
The Knicks were, however, upstaged in the next couple of years by the resurgent Boston Celtics and a Washington franchise that put together a number of good pieces around John Havlicek and Elvin Hayes respectively. Frazier played 4 more seasons for the Knicks, before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1977 in an offseason trade that met with much outrage among New Yorkers amazed at the trade of their franchise's greatest player.
Frazier retired after 13 years as a pro baller and later on became a color commentator with the Knicks franchise - a role he still plays occasionally. 'Clyde' Frazier is the Knicks' resident franchise overlord and is undoubtedly the most well-respected Knick of all time.
#49 Dennis Rodman
Career averages: 7.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks per game
Shooting splits: 52.1% from the field, 23.1% from the 3-point line, 58.4% on free throws
Accolades: 5-time NBA champion (1989, 90, 96-98), 2-time Defensive Player of the Year (1990, 1991), 2-time All NBA Third Teamer (1992, 1995), 2-time All Star (1990, 1992), 7-time All-Defensive First Teamer (1989-93, 1995, 1996), All-Defensive Second Teamer (1994)
Records: 7-time rebounding champion (1992-98)
Also read: Top 10 Rebounding Leaders in NBA History
The most dominant rebounder in the history of the game, and probably the only person in league history to legitimately be able to guard all 5 positions on the court, Dennis Rodman is the bonafide superstar of role players in the storied history of the league.
So good was he, in fact, that despite never being any kind of a tertiary scorer, Rodman found himself playing in 2 All-Star games at his peak with the Detroit Pistons because of the extraordinary impact he had as a rebounder and defender par excellence - much the same way as Draymond Green has had for the Warriors today.
A second-round pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1986 NBA Draft, Rodman found himself playing the role of starting forward with the Pistons midway through his second season - which is, by itself, a considerably tough achievement for a second-round pick. It was his propensity to grab offensive rebounds at an unnaturally high rate that intrigued coach Chuck Daly - Rodman finished his sophomore year averaging 3.9 offensive boards per game.
As the centerpiece of a historically strong defensive lineup, Rodman was tasked with guarding Magic Johnson in the 1988 NBA Finals, succeeding to a large extent in the limited role he had. The Pistons lost in 7 games largely because of injury to Isaiah Thomas, but they had their revenge with a 4-0 sweep in the next Finals series as Magic Johnson and Byron Scott went down for the Lakers in 1989. They would go on to repeat with a 4-1 win over the Trail Blazers in the 1990 Finals.
Moved to a starting role in the 1990-91 season, Rodman broke out as a dominant rebounder, averaging 12.5 rebounds per game, although the Pistons got swept by the Bulls in the Conference Finals. Following 2 more seasons of excellent all-round defensive play, which also landed Rodman 2 rebounding titles, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs.
After 2 seasons of finding his feet following a tumultuous divorce in a short-lived marriage, Rodman demanded another trade, and this time, he was sent to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Will Perdue and cash considerations.
The Bulls, buoyed by Rodman's presence in place of Horace Grant in the starting lineup, went on what was then a regular season record run of 72-10. They went on to win 3 titles in Rodman's 3 years with the Bulls, despite Rodman not having any kind of an off-court relationship with Michael Jordan.
Rodman had put together a staggering 7-year run of rebounding titles despite being only 6'7" and 220 pounds in this while, and he continued to be a dominant rebounder during his short-lived tenures with the Lakers in 1999 and the Mavericks in 2000. He announced his retirement after 2000, although he went on to play for various other teams thereafter while pursuing a career in movies.
Rodman will forever be a cult figure to remember the NBA by. His #10 jersey was raised to the rafters at the Palace after his retirement.
#48 Gary Payton
Career averages: 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.2 blocks per game
Shooting splits: 46.6% from the field, 31.7% on 3-pointers, 72.9% from the free throw line
Accolades: NBA Champion (2006), Defensive Player of the Year (1995-96), 2-time All-NBA First Teamer (1998, 2000), 5-time All-NBA Second Teamer (1995-1997, 1999, 2002), 2-time All-NBA First Teamer (1994, 2001), 9-time NBA All-Star (1994-1998, 2000-2003), 9-time All-Defensive First Teamer (1994-2002)
Records: NBA steals leader (1995-96), Supersonics franchise leader in steals
Also read: Top 10 Assists Leaders in NBA History
Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich heralded Gary Payton as the most complete point guard in the history of the league. It is precisely this notion that nearly made me drop off my chair when Payton nearly dropped out of our top 50, as 3 panelists failed to mention his name among the top 50. Nevertheless, he still makes the cut in 48th place, although he should be nearer to the top 30 in my book.
Payton wasn't called The Glove for nothing. The only point guard in NBA history to be awarded a Defensive Player of the Year title, The Glove was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 2nd pick in the 1990 NBA Draft. He was a very raw prospect and found his rookie season to be a steep learning curve as he averaged only 6 points per game.
Payton took his low scoring average personally, working on improving his craft. He was a resounding success at this, increasing his scoring average to 20.7 points per game by his 6th professional season after a steady increase in his scoring ability, year-on-year, up until that point.
Tasked with guarding Michael Jordan in Games 3 to 6 of the 1996 NBA Finals, The Glove held MJ to his lowest points per game average and field goal percentage in 6 Finals series, although the Sonics predictably lost the series 4-2 having initially fallen to a 3-0 deficit.
Payton continued to build his legend in the league as a defensive stopper who, at the height of 6'4", was able to guard 1-4 and lock his opponents down. Despite a storied career with the Sonics, the departure of Shawn Kemp to the Cleveland Cavaliers and a subsequent weakening of the Sonics' roster meant that Kemp became a wantaway star by his 13th season, earning a move to the Milwaukee Bucks at the trade deadline in 2003.
He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2003-04 season along with The Mailman, but the Lakers' fabled starting five came up a cropper in the Finals series against the Pistons as Payton regressed offensively during the playoffs. He became a role player for the Celtics the following season, before finally earning a well-deserved championship ring as the starting point guard for the Miami Heat in their 2005-06 season.
After another season with the Heat, Payton hung up his boots at the age of 39 years. His defensive tenacity inspired a generation of heralded defensive guards after him in Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen and later on, Chris Paul. The Glove was the real deal and has left a lasting impact on the league.
#47 Dominique Wilkins
Career averages: 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks per game
Shooting splits: 46.1% from the field, 31.9% on 3-pointers, 81.1% on free throws
Career accolades: 9-time All-Star (1986-1994), All-NBA First Team (1986), 4-time All-NBA Second Teamer (1987, 1991, 1993, 1994), 2-time All-NBA Third Teamer (1989, 1994), 2-time Slam Dunk Champion (1985, 1990), Euroleague champion (1996), Greece champion (1996)
Records: All-time leading scorer in Atlanta Hawks history with 23292 points (26.4 ppg), 23 consecutive made free throws in a single game
The Human Highlight Reel and His Airness had quite similar careers if we base our opinion on only the first 6 years of their careers. Unfortunately for Nique, he never had the good fortune of playing in a well-run franchise with enough talent to make a deep playoff run.
Among the greatest scorers of all time, Dominique ranks 13th all-time in points per game average. During his prime, the Hawks compiled a run of 4 consecutive 50-plus win seasons, although they faltered within two rounds of the playoffs due to facing superior teams like the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Pistons and later on, the Bulls and the Knicks.
Nique's enduring legacy will be that of the only superstar basketball player to stage a comeback from an Achilles injury, doing so after it ended his 1991-92 campaign. He made 2 All-Star game appearances after that injury and averaged 29.9 points per game in his comeback season with a field goal percentage of 46.8%.
Despite the Hawks leading their Conference standings at 36-18, they traded their franchise star to the Los Angeles Clippers at the All-Star break deadline following 11 and a half seasons of Dominique's brilliance.
After the 1994-95 season, Greek basketball club Panathinaikos fielded a $7 million contract to Wilkins in exchange for playing in the Euroleague. A trophy-starved Wilkins signed the deal and won 2 much-deserved championships (domestic league and Euroleague) with the Greek outfit.
He returned to the NBA for a final run with the San Antonio Spurs in the 1996-97 season, during which they lost franchise star David Robinson to injury until the end of the season. Sick of the losing, Wilkins retired once, before staging a comeback in the 98-99 season with the Orlando Magic before getting out of the game for good.
Wilkins currently serves as the vice president for the Atlanta Hawks and is their resident Godfather on all things basketball.
#46 Bill Walton
Career per-36 averages: 16.9 points, 13.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.8 blocks
Shooting splits: 52.1% from the field (never attempted a 3-pointer), 66% on free throws
Career accolades: 2-time NBA champion (1977, 1986) NBA MVP (1977-78), Finals MVP (1977), 2-time All-Star (1977, 78), All-NBA First Teamer (1978), All-NBA Second Teamer (1977), Sixth Man of the Year (1985-86), 2-time All Defensive First Teamer (1977, 78)
Records: NBA rebounding and blocks leader (1976-77)
The key to understanding Bill Walton's legacy is to look beyond his per-game numbers and dive into the story of a career, which ranks right up there among the biggest what-ifs in NBA history. Walton came into the league as one of the best-prepared rookies in NBA history, on the back of a college career with the UCLA Bruins that many basketball historians have deemed to be the greatest in history alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Before a foot injury derailed his 1977-78 campaign, Walton was already an All-Defensive First Teamer, a Finals MVP, and the NBA's rebounding leader, as well as the blocks per game leader for the 1976-77 season.
The Blazers had won 50 of their first 60 games, and Walton's impact in those games was enough to warrant the MVP trophy he received that year. A case could be made that Walton's run with the Blazers is among the best playoff runs by any player in the history of the game.
Having moved to the San Diego Clippers as a free agent in 1978, Walton had to sit out two entire seasons with recurring foot injuries, the bane of every injury-prone big man in the history of the game.
He never got back to his dominant best, but in 67 games as a bench player playing 19.3 minutes per game, his impact was enough to be voted as the Sixth Man of the Year for the Celtics in the 1985-86 season. He won a second championship with the Cs then, but injury spelt disaster for his career as he retired in 1987.
His ankle problems became so severe years later that he had to get both of his ankles surgically fused. His saga of injury and failed rehabs was connected to the use of painkillers by the doctor who was assigned to his case. Walton has said repeatedly in his broadcasts that he is just as much to blame for taking the medication as the doctor was for giving it to him.
Walton admitted to contemplating suicide for a time due to the constant pain resulting from injuries sustained during his NBA career. Walton's injuries, along with his 1978–1979 year-long protest, gave him the unenviable record of missing the most games during an NBA playing career.
Nevertheless, Walton forged a successful career as a broadcaster after his retirement with CBS, NBC and ESPN - despite having a stuttering problem that he overcame from his playing days. Walton's monologues behind the microphone are the stuff of legends, as is his Hall of Fame career.
#45 Bob Cousy
Career averages: 18.4 points, 7.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds
Shooting splits: 37.5% from the field, 80.3% on free throws
Accolades: NBA MVP (1957), 13-time All Star (1951-63), 10-time All-NBA First Teamer (1952-61), 2-time All-NBA Second Teamer (1951, 1962), 6-time NBA champion (1957, 1959-63), All-Star Game MVP (1954, 57)
Records: 8-time assists leader (1953-60), second only to John Stockton
The story of Cousy's entry into the league is as quirky as they come. The Celtics picked a center with their first pick, but Cousy's contract dispute with the Tri-Cities Blackhawks led him to signing a deal with the Chicago Stags, who folded soon after. The Celtics were in contention for 3 players available in the dispersal draft - Max Zaslofsky, Andy Philip and Cousy - Cousy being their least favorite.
As luck would have it, Cousy ended up on the Celtics in a draw of lots, and the rest, as they say, is history. A hometown hero and someone who a lot of Boston fans were clamoring for to end up as a Celtic, Cousy set the league alight in his very first season with averages of 15.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while making the All-NBA Second Team and the All-Star team.
Cousy's first 6 years as a Celtic were filled up with playoff disappointments, even as he made the All-NBA First Team for 5 straight years starting with his second season. The Houdini of the Hardwood, however, hooked up with The Secretary of Defense, as Red Auerbach traded All-Star center Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan in one of the watershed moments in NBA history.
Powered by territorial draft pick Tom Heinsohn and Bill Russell, Cousy led the Celtics to a 44-28 regular season record, won the All-Star Game MVP as well as the regular season MVP awards and led the Celtics past the Hawks as their dominant offensive force, alongside Russell as their defensive anchor, in a 4-3 NBA Finals win.
The Celtics made it to 7 straight Finals in Cousy's final years with the Cs and won 6 of them. He was able to take lesser and lesser of a role with the development of Frank Ramsey and Tommy Heinsohn as the franchise's premier offensive players. His best playmaking season came in 1959-60, as he averaged 9.5 assists per game.
Cousy retired in 1963 as a 6-time champion. Although he staged a brief comeback 6 seasons later, that chunk of his career is insignificant enough to be forgotten.
Cousy is responsible for the formation of the National Basketball Players' Association in the year 1954 - the first trade union in the Big 4 American sports leagues. He was an outspoken critic of racism and made it his mission to see through the assimilation of black athletes into American sports.
More importantly from a basketball perspective though, Cousy was the first superstar point guard to grace the league. He made Globetrotter-like dribble moves a part of his arsenal, and was dubbed the greatest offensive player in the history of the game due to his playmaking ability as well as the penchant for bringing the crowd to their knees with exciting plays.
The only knock on his career would be his efficiency, which was decent for his time, but would not be considered even starter-level in the modern NBA. There is no doubt, however, that Cousy is one of the greatest Celtics of all time, with his jersey hung up on the rafters of the Boston Garden in 1971 following his induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
#44 Russell Westbrook
Career stats: 23.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks per game
Shooting splits: 43.5% from the field, 31.1% from 3-point range, 81.4% on free throws
Accolades: 2016-17 NBA MVP, 7-time All Star, 2-time All-NBA First Teamer (2016, 2017), 5-time All-NBA Second Teamer (2011-2013, 2015, 2018), 2-time All-Star Game MVP (2015, 2016)
Records: 2 scoring titles (2014-15, 2016-17), 1 assist title (2017-18), the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double in 2 regular season campaigns
It irks me to have to sing praises for Russell Westbrook so early in this segment because he's undoubtedly better than some players placed before him, but I digress. There's a reason why an underdog who didn't start for his high school team until his junior year, who was 5'8" until that time and was never recruited by a D1 college team is now an MVP and a player who the rest of the world looks up to.
Also read: Russell Westbrook - A Stat-padder or a true contributor?
A kid born and brought up in the era which saw Iverson and Kobe will their teams to victory, night after night, Westbrook embodies the same mentality. He probably does it better than the other two guys I mentioned, honestly, because you can find stretches in both AI's and the Mamba's career, minutes when it looked like fatigue had gotten to them.
Not this kid. In the league today, Westbrook is about the best-conditioned athlete you can find. He gives it more than his all for the entire length of time that he steps on the court, and some of the plays he makes will just leave onlookers in awe of the anger, the menacing fury and the sheer will to win this guy displays.
Number 0 plays every game like it might be his last, and it shows on the box score in a manner that it's only shown on one other player's resume. Ever since Kevin Durant's decision to go to the Warriors as a free agent, Westbrook has been on a mission to put all his doubters and haters on the dock. He tallied 42 triple-doubles in a season to lead the Thunder to a 47-35 record and the 6th seed in the Western Conference when most people had them finishing out of their playoff brackets.
The triple-doubles came less often last season and Westbrook's shooting regressed in the first half, but he came back with a vengeance in the latter half and became the only player in league history to average a triple-double over 2 seasons.
Think about it - of all the physical specimens and dominant players that have played in the league over 71 seasons, Westbrook is the only one to do it over 2 seasons. The only other guy to do it over one season, Oscar Robertson, did it when there were over 250 possessions per game.
Westbrook is here to stay, whether he wows you or whether he makes you want to cringe all the way out of your living room watching him play. You'd better look out for the Brodie straight up taking a dump all over your favorite team, though.
#43 James Worthy
Career averages: 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks per game
Shooting percentages: 52.1% from the field, 24.1% from 3-point range, 76.9% on free throws
Career accolades: 7-time All-Star (1986-1992), 2-time All-NBA 3rd Team selection (1990, 1991), 3-time NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP (1988)
Records: First player to record a triple-double in Game 7 of an NBA Finals series
Big Game James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the #1 overall pick in the 1982 NBA draft - a pick dealt by the Cleveland Cavaliers to them in 1979 that led to the institution of the Stepien rule, which states that a franchise cannot deal its first-round picks from successive years in a trade.
In a 12-year career with the storied Los Angeles Lakers franchise, Worthy achieved everything that a baller dreams of when entering the league. Ever a team player, Worthy found himself in the perfect spot to make use of his effective transition play and prowess from the post, benefiting from Magic's pinpoint passes and the Lakers' Showtime, fast-paced style of play.
He set a Lakers rookie record in field goal percentage with 57.9% shooting from the field, coming off the bench in all but 1 game of his rookie season. But an injury ruled him out of the postseason, and the Lakers succumbed to a 4-0 sweep at the hands of Julius Erving and Moses Malone's Sixers team. They made it back to the Finals next year again, but lost in probably the greatest Finals series of all time to the Celtics in 7 games.
Worthy was an instrumental member of the Lakers team that wrested the title back from the Celtics the following year, and was voted into his first All-Star game appearance in the following season. A 4-1 loss in the Conference playoffs notwithstanding, Worthy raised his scoring volume to counter Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's declining averages and keep the Lakers relevant.
Worthy's increased scoring benefited the Lakers immensely, as they went on to win back-to-back titles in 1987 and 88. Worthy's Game 7 performance in the 88 Finals (36 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists) enabled him to win Finals MVP honors for the first and only time in his career.
They made it to a 3rd successive Finals series in 1989, but the loss of Magic and Scott to injury meant that Worthy's best efforts weren't enough for the Lakers to stave off a sweep at the hands of the Bad Boy Pistons. The Lakers lost in the Conference Finals to the Blazers in 1990 but reentered the Finals for one last time in Worthy's career in 1991 in a battle that pitted him as the primary scorer against college teammate Michael Jordan.
Following Magic's retirement due to an HIV diagnosis, Worthy became the undisputed franchise leader for 3 years. Declining health caused him to retire at the relatively early age of 33, accelerating the Lakers' rebuilding process.
#42 Chris Paul
Career Averages: 18.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 2.3 assists, 0.1 blocks per game
Shooting splits: 47.2% from the field, 37.2% from the 3-point line, 86.8% on free throws
Accolades: 9-time All-Star (2008-2016), 4-time All-NBA First Teamer (2008, 2012-2014), 3-time All-NBA Second Teamer (2009, 2015, 2016), All-NBA Third Teamer (2011), 7-time All-Defensive First Teamer (2009, 2012-2017), 2-time All-Defensive Second Teamer (2008, 2011), 2013 All-Star Game MVP, 2005-06 NBA Rookie of the Year
Records: 4-time assist leader ('07-08, '08-09, '13-14, '14-15), 6-time steals leader ('07-08, '08-09, 2011-2014)
In my view, Chris Paul is the most underappreciated player of this era. Think about this - how many people can rack up 6 straight All-Defensive First Team selections, pairing a couple of them with assist titles, and still not end up on people's list of top 5 players of the day and age?
For a considerable length of time, the Point God was the 3rd best player in basketball. This guy averages damn near 10 assists per game FOR HIS 13-YEAR CAREER, and holds the record for most steals title won over the course of an NBA career!
The likes of David West and DeAndre Jordan have Paul to thank for the All-Star game appearances they made - a testament to how he was not only a great player in his own right but also made his teammates considerably better.
Still going strong at the age of 33, CP3 balled out in the Western Conference Finals, grabbing the Rockets by the scruff of the neck and taking them to a 3-2 lead following a game when they were blown off the court by the Warriors at the Oracle Arena. If it weren't for a hamstring injury that couldn't have come at a worse timing, we might just be having conversations about a Finals MVP who finally got a well-deserved championship for 13 years par excellence.
Chris Paul may not be getting any younger, but I'll be damned if there's a player who understands the game better at a fundamental level and will age like fine wine like he shows all the signs of being able to do so in the near future.
#41 Reggie Miller
Career averages: 18.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.2 blocks per game
Shooting splits: 47.1% from the field, 39.5% from the 3-point line, 88.8% on free throws
Accolades: 5 All-Star teams made (1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 200), 3 All-NBA 3rd Team selections (1995, 1996, 1998)
Records: 5-time league leader in free throw percentage ('90-91, '98-99, '00-01, '01-02, '04-05), became the second member of the 50-40-90 club in 1994-95
When I think about players who dominated in their prime but could've dominated even more in today's game, Reggie Miller is among the first names to spring to my mind. Never an athletically dominant force, the Knicks Killer was one of the first players who could legitimately be considered a threat from just about anywhere in the opponent's half.
Basketball aficionados have been raving about the likes of Kyle Korver, Ray Allen, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson knocking down deep threes coming off elevator screens of late. Reggie was the first one to be guarded in that manner, as leaving him open at the 3-point line usually meant his defender might as well turn around and start walking up the court and focus on the next possession.
Miller hails from an illustrious basketball family - his sister Cheryl Miller was the best women's basketball player in the world and is often cited as among the greatest women to ever play the sport. Jousting with her in their backyards often taught Reggie a lot more about the technical aspects and helped him use his slight frame as an advantage much better than similar-framed players from his time and thereafter.
As clutch players go, Reggie Miller ranks right alongside the best of them. His famous shot over Michael Jordan in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals resonated all around the basketball world, even though the Pacers got beat in the series. His legacy as the greatest Pacer is secure, with his #31 jersey raised to the rafters after his retirement from the game following 18 years of excellence in Indianapolis.
It is a pity that a player of his level doesn't have a single championship on his resume, but Miller has forever left an imprint of the game as the first to regularly be a lethal shooter from 30 feet out.
