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Most professional sports leagues are driven by statistics. The NBA can be put into that mix too, as some of its awards are purely determined by quantity. In a sport with too many variables and lots of different statistics, some people have established a new way to measure a player's impact in a game. In the NBA, that way is called Player Efficiency Rating.
Top 5 all-time leaders in the NBA's Player Efficiency Rating
In this article, we will give you the Top 5 leaders in Player Efficiency Rating in NBA history.
ESPN columnist John Hollinger developed the Player Efficiency Rating (PER).
This is Hollinger's own definition of the Player Efficiency Rating measurement:
"The PER sums up all a player's positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments, and returns a per-minute rating of a player's performance."
Despite the differences on NBA rules and stats tracked during the history of the league, Basketball Reference found a good way to establish the Player Efficiency Rating grade for each NBA player.
Last season's NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year winner, Giannis Antetokounmpo, established the single-season record for PER. Antetokounmpo's PER for the 2019-20 season was 31.86. Wilt Chamberlain held the previous record (31.82 in the 1962-63 NBA season).
Without further ado, let us look at the five all-time leaders in career PER.
#5 David Robinson
'The Admiral' was one of the greatest centers during the 1990s. He won an MVP award and Defensive Player of the Year award during that decade, and the advanced stats were usually on his side.
David Robinson's career PER of 26.18 ranks fifth in NBA history, and second among players at his position.
Robinson played 14 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, and earned 10 All-Star, 10 All-NBA, and eight All-Defensive selections.
'The Admiral' (nickname given to him due to his naval service) averaged 21 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks per game in his career.
Robinson led the NBA in PER three times in his career. His highest PER season was 30.7 in 1994 (16th in league history).
#4 Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal was an incredibly dominant NBA player. He usually put up stats that seemed to be taken from a video game. The Player Efficiency Rating of his NBA career was 26.43, the fourth-highest in NBA history.
Shaq's PER is mightily impressive, as he had the longest career among the five all-time leaders of the stat.
O'Neal's PER leads all centers in NBA history.
Shaq led the league in PER five times (consecutively from 1997 to 2002). The highest PER of his career was 30.6.
#3 Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis might be a surprising name on this list. However, despite the collective struggles during his seven years with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, Davis has been a PER machine in his entire NBA career.
The current weapon of the LA Lakers ranks third in this list. Of course, having played just eight NBA seasons helps his case on this list. However, he has been spectacular.
Davis' career PER is 27.42, the highest among power forwards in NBA history. Now that he is an NBA champion and has proven himself in the NBA Playoffs, this stat looks even more impressive.
AD has led the league in PER once (2014-15 season). That season, he had his career-high in Player Efficiency Rating, with 30.8 (14th in league history).
#2 LeBron James
This is not a surprise as LeBron James ranks at the top in most of the NBA's positive statistics.
Whether it is an advanced stat, a career total, or an efficiency rating, 'The King' will be there.
James' career PER of 27.49 ranks second in the history of the NBA. LeBron is arguably the greatest player the NBA has ever seen, and his Player Efficiency Rating has always been huge.
The four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP has led the league six times in PER. LeBron's highest PER of his career to date was 31.7 (fifth-highest in a single season) during his first MVP-winning campaign (2008-09).
#1 Michael Jordan
Often recognized as the greatest NBA player ever, Michael Jordan was certainly a statistical machine. His will to win was unmatched, but his advanced stats were also impressive.
Jordan's career PER of 27.91 is the highest in the history of the NBA. 'His Airness' led the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating seven times during his 15-year career.
His highest PER during a single season was 31.7 in the 1987-88 campaign.
Among the 10 highest single-season scores for Player Efficiency Rating, Jordan's name appears three times on the list, tied with Wilt Chamberlain and more than any other player.
A player has had a PER of at least 30 in 24 different times in NBA history. Jordan had four of those seasons, which is the all-time highest (tied with LeBron James).
Jordan's seven times leading the league in Player Efficiency Rating rank third in NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the league nine times in PER, while Wilt Chamberlain did it eight times.
However, MJ and Wilt are tied for most consecutive years, leading the NBA in PER (seven).
Also read: 5 Toughest NBA Championship runs of the 21st century
