Most Famous Basketball Players of All-Time
The NBA may be one of the most popular sports leagues in the entire world. Featuring some of the greatest basketball players to play the game, the league attracts loyal fans who follow the every move of their favorite player and team.
But with thousands of current and former players to play in the league, just who are the most famous basketball players of all-time?
Below, we are going to review the most famous basketball players to play in the NBA and will include both current and former players whose impact to the game can still be felt to this day.
LeBron James
Perhaps the most famous NBA player currently in the league, LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. He was born to Gloria Marie James, who was just 16 at the time of his birth.
Unfortunately, LeBron’s biological father, Anthony McClelland had an extensive criminal record and was not involved in his life.
LeBron James would begin playing organized basketball in the fifth grade. For high school, LeBron James played for the St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, a private Catholic school. In his freshman year, James would average 21 points and 6 rebounds per game and in that season, the team would go 27-0, making them the only boys high school team in Ohio with an undefeated season.
In his sophomore year, James would average 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 steals per game. And for their home games, the St. Vincent-St. Mary team would play at the University of Akron’s Rhodes Arena, capable of holding 5,492 fans, to accommodate James’ popularity.
As a junior, LeBron would be featured in Slam, an American basketball magazine and would be lauded as, “the best high school basketball player in America right now.” He also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and would be selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team and would also become named to the Gatorade National Player of the Year. In his junior year, LeBron would finish the season averaging 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game.
James would take his game to the next level in his senior year, averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals pr game. He would be named Ohio Mr. Basketball and would be selected again to the USA Today All-USA First Tam and the Gatorade National Player of the Year.
In the 2003 NBA Draft, LeBron James was selected as the first overall pick by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. And while LeBron James has had a storied NBA career, his accolades and achievements are simply too great to list out here. Rather, below are a few notable contributions, awards, and successes LeBron has had in his time in the NBA.
- 4x NBA Champion (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020)
- 4x NBA Finals MVP (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020)
- 4x NBA Most Valuable Player (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
- 18x NBA All-Star (2005-2022)
- 3x NBA All-Star Game MVP (2006, 2008, 2018)
- 13x All-NBA First Team (2006, 2008-2018, 2020)
- 5x NBA All-Defensive First Team (2009-2013)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (2003)
- NBA Scoring Champion (2008)
- NBA Assists Leader (2020)
- 3x Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (2012, 2016, 2020)
- Time Athlete of the Year (2020)
Michael Jordan
What can be said or written about Michael Jordan that hasn’t already been discussed?
Perhaps the most famous basketball player of all-time, Michael Jordan is also widely considered the greatest basketball player of all-time.
Having played in the NBA for 15-seasons, Jordan would win six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. However, Jordan wasn’t just integral in helping to lead the Bulls to six championships but was also integral in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
He played college basketball under coach Dean Smith for three seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels and was a member of the Tar Heels’ national team as a freshman in 1982.
Joining the Chicago Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick, Jordan quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring while gaining a reputation as one of the game’s best defensive players.
In addition, Jordan gained a reputation for his leaping abilities, evidenced by his ability to slam dunk from the free throw line, which helped him to win the Slam Dunk Contest and earned him the nicknames “Air Jordan” and “His Airness”.
And when it comes to individual accolades and awards, Jordan has plenty to speak of.
Including six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, ten NBA scoring titles, five NBA MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game selections, three NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, three NBA steals titles, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
In addition, Jordan holds the NBA records for career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game).
In 1999, he was named the 20th century’s greatest North American athlete by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press’ list of athletes of the century. Jordan was twice inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, once in 2009 for his individual career, and again in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States men’s Olympic basketball team.
Steph Curry
Stephen Curry, or better known as simply Steph Curry, is currently one of the most famous basketball players currently in the league. Widely considered the greatest pure shooter of all-time, Curry has forced the evolution of the league with his utilization of the three-point shot.
The son of former basketball player Dell Curry, he was born in Akron, Ohio at Summa Akron City Hospital, the same hospital where Lebron James was born a little over three years earlier. Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Stephen Curry came from a basketball family, where his father played for the Charlotte Hornets.
Opting to attend Davidson over Virginia Tech, his father’s alma mater, where he was aggressively recruited since the tenth grade.
Stephen Curry had a storied college career. Scoring 502 points in his freshman year. Despite Curry’s game-high 30-points against Maryland, Davidson lost in the first round 82-70.
His sophomore year, growing to his full frame of 6’3”, Curry averaged 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Losing to the Kansas Jayhawks in the third round, Curry had begun to establish himself as a formidable player.
Surpassing 2000 total points scored in his junior year, Curry and his Davidson squad would lose to Saint Mary’s Gaels in the second round. In his final season, Curry would average 28.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.
As an NBA player, Stephen Curry has won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors. He has established himself as a prolific, deadly shooter. As a seven-time NBA All-Star, Curry has been voted as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice and once as the Finals Most Valuable Player.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal, or simply Shaq as he is better known, has made a name for himself both on and off the basketball court. Currently a sports analyst on Inside the NBA, he is regarded as one of the best basketball players and NBA centers to play in the league.
In addition, he is one of the most prolific investors, owning a whopping 155 Five Guys restaurants, 17 Auntie Anne’s, 9 Papa John’s, and 1 Krispy Kreme location.
Having played in the NBA for 19-seasons, he is a four-time NBA champion. And before being drafted to the NBA, he played college basketball for the LSU Tigers where he was a two-time All-American, two-time SEC Player of the Year, and received the Adolph Rupp Trophy as NCAA men’s basketball player of the year in 1991. He was also named college player of the year by AP and UPI.
Drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, he would go on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award for the 1992-93 season and lead the Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995. However, it was his time with the Los Angeles Lakers that he is most popular for.
With the Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal would win three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. He would later be traded to the Miami Heat and alongside Dwayne Wade would win his fourth NBA championship in 2006.
Shaq’s individual accolades include the 1999–2000 Most Valuable Player Award; the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award; 15 All-Star Game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards; three Finals MVP awards; two scoring titles; 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections.
He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000). In addition, he ranks 8th all-time in points scored, 6th in field goals, 15th in rebounds, and 8th in blocks.
O’Neal was honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team in 1996 and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2022. He was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was one of the most polarizing players to play in the NBA. Although he is considered one of the all-time greats to play the game, he did so in his own style. But this style did not come without much criticism, particularly for his almost stubborn willingness to place the game on his shoulders to determine the outcome of the game.
Born on August 23, 1978, Bryant would spend his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. One of the best players of all-time, he helped to continue the NBA’s popularity and spotlight in the post-Jordan era.
Raised partly in Italy, he was recognized as a top American high-school basketball player and would opt to skip a collegiate basketball career to enter the NBA and was drafted, and immediately traded, by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft.
Winning the Slam Dunk Contest in 1997, he was named an NBA All-Star in just his second season in the league. He would help the Lakers, and longtime teammate Shaquille O’Neal to win three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
In addition, in 2006, Kobe would score a career-high 81 points and set the record for the second most points scored by an individual player in an NBA game.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson
With the nickname “Magic”, you know that he had to have been one of the best and most popular NBA players of all-time.
Magic Johnson played 13-seasons in the NBA and remained with the Los Angeles Lakers for the entirety of his career. Widely regarded as the best point guard of all-time, he was honored by the NBA as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
However, before entering the NBA, Johnson played for Michigan State and averaged 17.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game as a freshman. In his sophomore season, Johnson helped lead Michigan State to the NCAA championship game and faced Indiana State, which was led by senior Larry Bird. In what was the most-watched college basketball game ever, Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75–64, and Johnson was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s.
Larry Bird
Alongside Magic Johnson, Larry Bird helped to legitimize and popularize the NBA in the 1980’s. Nicknamed “the Hick from French Lick” and “Larry Legend”, Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Drafted by the storied Boston Celtics, he would play for the team for his entire 13-year career.
Larry Bird was a symbol of Celtics greatness and one of the more recent names to be associated with the team.
Having won three NBA titles, two NBA Finals MVPs, three MVPs, 12-time NBA All-Star, nine-time All-NBA first team, 1980 Rookie of the Year, No. 33 retired by Celtics, Bird was the superstar the Celtics needed to help them through their slump.
In his career, Larry Bird averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. All while shooting 49.6% from the floor and 37.5% from the three-point line.