While basketball is arguably hotter than ever, it wasn’t always the case. The sport boomed in the ’90s with some players you may have forgotten about, but some of the most legendary figures in the game. nba they were racing in the 1980s.
The ’80s were a different time for the NBA, but despite that, several players managed to carve out their legacy and are still often regarded as the best of the best. In fact, many people believe that the ’80s were some kind of unknown golden age for basketball thanks to the sheer quality of the competition at the time.
UPDATE: 2023/03/03 10:06 EST BY ROBERTH PEREZ
When you look at a basketball game from the 1980s, it looks like a totally different game than basketball today. The game didn’t depend on a three-point shot, the game was much tougher, and there weren’t as many complete players as there are today (LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, among others). Still, in the 1980s there were several phenomenal players, who built a great legacy and became legends due to their great performances, and some of those players are still considered the greatest of all time. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top 15 NBA players of the 1980s.
fifteen Dominique Wilkins
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Atlanta Hawks icon Dominique Wilkins came to the NBA in the 1982-83 season and performed amazingly during that decade. The forward averaged 26 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game, with a player efficiency rating of 21.4.
Wilkins was the NBA scoring champion in the 1985-86 season, registering 30.3 points per game. “The Human Highlight Film” led the Hawks to the playoffs six times in the 1980s, but failed to lead them to the title.
14 charles barkley
Charles Barkley made his NBA debut in the 1984-85 season, and he made a huge impact immediately after he began his professional career. In that decade, Barkley played in 389 games, recording 22.1 points, 12 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, with an effective field goal percentage of 59.2 and a rating player efficiency rating of 24.4 (second highest in the 1980s, behind only Michael Jordan).
“Sir Charles” was a phenomenon, and is still regarded as one of the most talented players of all time. After establishing himself as a star in the ’80s, Barkley continued his hall of fame run well into the ’90s.
13 Robert’s Parish
When one thinks of the iconic players of the Boston Celtics in the 1980s, Larry Bird is in the spotlight, but we can’t forget center Robert Parish. This guy was a crucial piece in all three of the Celtics’ championship victories in the 1980s.
Over the decade, Parish averaged 17.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, with a player efficiency rating of 20.2. The Chief was the second-highest rebounding player of the decade (8,195, behind Moses Malone) and was also second in blocks (1,346, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
12 alex english
Alex English was the NBA player with the most points scored in the 1980s (21,018), which is already a solid argument to be considered one of the best players in the league in that decade. English averaged 25.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.0 steals per game, and 0.8 blocks per game, with a player efficiency rating of 20.9.
“The Blade” made eight All-Star game appearances (only Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had more than him) and won the scoring title in the 1982-83 season.
eleven Adrian Dantley
Adrian Dantley is one of the most underrated players of the 1980s, because at least nowadays people don’t talk about him much. In the decade, Dantley played with the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons, making four playoff appearances, but was never a champion.
He was a six-time All-Star and a two-time Scoring Champion (1980-81 and 1983-84), demonstrating his extraordinary scoring ability. In fact, Dantley had the second-highest points-per-game average of the decade (26.5, behind only Michael Jordan).
10 Hakeem Olajuwon
While Hakeem Olajuwon might not make everyone’s top ten players of the ’80s list, players with a more defensive style are forgotten by many NBA fans. Actually, only from 1984, Olajuwon showed the potential of him to be champion immediately.
He wouldn’t win his championships until the ’90s, but he was so good in his rookie year that the only reason he didn’t win Rookie of the Year was because Michael Jordan was able to win that big distinction.
9 isiah tomas
The truly great players tend to stick to one team for most, if not all of their careers, and that was the case for Isiah Thomas. The incredible point guard joined the Pistons in 1981 and spent the rest of his career on the court with the team.
He was named Rookie of the Year when he joined the NBA before leading the team to back-to-back championship victories in the 1988-1989 and 1989-1990 seasons. To this day, Thomas is still considered one of the greatest NBA stars of all time.
8 Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan’s legacy is one that probably every NBA fan is familiar with, which makes it obvious why he was one of the biggest stars of the ’80s. By joining the NBA, Jordan made a huge difference to the Bulls and he was named Rookie of the Year.
The Bulls didn’t hit their stride until the ’90s, but that was thanks to powerhouse teams like the Celtics and Pistons of that era. Jordan still managed to keep the Bulls competitive, even when they weren’t the hottest team in the league.
7 Kevin McHale
Playing in the NBA throughout the 1980s, Kevin McHale managed to stand out as an incredible player on one of the most dominant Celtics teams of all time. It took him a few years to really warm up, but once he peaked at him, no one could keep up.
To this day, McHale is considered to be one of the leading players on what is often considered the greatest NBA team to ever step foot on the court. He was so good that a part of his game ended up getting his own nickname, The Torture Chamber.
6 Julius Erving
Although Julius Erving was already great long before the 80s and retired in the 80s, he still deserves a mention thanks to his incredible game. He became an NBA champion with the 76ers in 1983 in the middle of one of the best fights of the era.
Larry Bird was legendary for his game, but also for his many rivalries, one of which was with Erving. The two men put on some of the most spectacular clinics in sports history when they faced each other, and even had a game named after their rivalry.
5 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
For those who don’t know how legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is, he won six NBA championships throughout his career, with five of them taking place in the ’80s. It could be argued that he wasn’t the most key member of the team to date. late ’80s, but Kareem was still a force on the court.
He was named Finals MVP in 1985 and remained an NBA All-Star throughout the decade until his retirement in 1989. To this day, Kareem still holds a number of impressive NBA records that only a few few men can hope to beat.
4 moses malone
There are many reasons why Moses Malone is one of the best players to ever do it, but his three MVP wins (two of which came in the ’80s) and his 1983 NBA Championship win speak for themselves. same.
After coming close to the championship multiple times with the Rockets, Malone jumped to the 76ers in 1982, eventually winning the grand prix. He remained competitive throughout the 1980s and was named to the All-Star Game nine years in a row during that decade.
3 james worthy
James Worthy, a Los Angeles Lakers veteran, helped lead the team to three separate championships in the late 1980s. Officially joining the league in 1982, Worthy was slow to gain a foothold in the league thanks to a serious injury to his knees. his rookie year.He bounced back quickly, and the Lakers became the most dominant force in the league with additional help from other legends of the sport. Still, Worthy’s ability as a forward was a key piece in the championship-winning team’s success.
2 larry bird
When Larry Bird came to the NBA, he was almost immediately successful. The three-time NBA champion is not only considered one of the best players of the decade, but also of all time.
He is part of one of the most dominant teams in NBA history, the 1986 Celtics, and had legendary rivalries with the likes of Magic Johnson and Julius Erving. He fell off a bit later in the 80s, but when Bird was up it was hard to bet against him.
1 magical johnson
The man, the myth, the legend, Magic Johnson was a five-time NBA champion with every victory coming in the ’80s. He spent his entire NBA career with the Lakers, something that clearly paid off for one of the greatest players who have.
He won NBA championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988, and managed to grab more than a few other awards during that time. His rivalry with Larry Bird is one of the most legendary in NBA history and is still fondly remembered today.