1970s Basketball Players Basketball 1970s vs. now. TGT Play! Odds Deals Podcasts US USA Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maryland Michigan New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Tennessee Texas Virginia 1986 Boston Celtics - Were they the greatest Team? Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. Who are the best basketball players of the '70s of all time? The Top 10 Best Basketball Players of the 1970's, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Walton was so damn good that it's impossible to imagine a world where he stayed healthy and reached his potential. Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez, Tyra Ferrell Votes: 89,504 | Gross: $76.25M 66 (4) Blu-ray 8. For example, Oscar Robertson was one of the most athletic players of his erajust Google Oscar Robertson splits (Ill wait). Gambling Problem? Malone entered 1981-82 ready to exact vengeance. Drake and Bradley are the favorites in the MVC mens basketball conference tournament. I included ABA contributions as warranted. He was a perennial All-Star, won the scoring title in 1970 and had four All-NBA first team nods in the decade. Which NBA player from the 1980's & 1990's helped popularized basketball and turn it into a global game? What survived was the hoops cognoscenti, made up notably of writers, musicians and actors who were active followers on both coasts. In the 10th and 11th round, the Atlanta Hawks drafted Mexican Manuel Raga and Italian Dino Meneghin; both were playing in the Italian league at the time. Goose Givens won National Player of the Year. The Logo retired in 1974, but he did enough in those first five seasons of the decade to warrant inclusion. Absolutely. Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time MVP and six-time NBA champion, cementing his legacy as not just the greatest of the decade but one of the greatest in league history. Artis Gilmore: The best stiff ever. But ONeal wasnt just pure physicalityhe was surprisingly graceful for such a massive man and he had a deft touch with his close-range jump shots. He led the league in scoring three straight times from 1974-1976, pouring in over 30 points per game in each season. Call 1-800-522-4700. thegruelingtruth.com is available in the following countries: The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. He was never the best player in either league -- Dr. J and Kareem ensured that -- but he was always in that second tier as a really great scorer. Most famous player ever? There was actually a good deal of legal wrangling over the reserve clause, the ABA merger, draft eligibility and What Team Rick Barry Would Be Playing For. Sure Barry was an asshole, but he was also a prolific scorer who averaged 24+ points, 6+ rebounds, and 5+ assists per game during the 1970s across the NBA and ABA; during the decade, he was also a 9x All-Star and 7x All-ABA/NBA selection who took home Finals MVP in 1974-1975 while guiding the Golden State Warriors to the championship. On NBA 2K23, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is All-Decade 1970s All-Stars' highest rated player, followed by Julius Erving in second place, and Walt Frazier in third. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. He was also a double-double machine, averaging over 12 rebounds per game for the decade. The '70s were a time of chaos in pro basketball, but the chaos was caused by the fate of pro basketball being completely up in the air. He made eight All-Star games in the seventies, only missing out in his rookie year and in 1978-79 when he was injured. Walt Frazier 7. Once there, he would finish with an emphatic dunk, a foolproof strategy that helped ONeal lead the NBA in field-goal percentage 10 times in his career. Two answers: the ABA and free agency. In 1975-76, Brewer had his best season as a Cavalier, averaging a. Cowens was only 69 at the center position, but he was one of the most prolific rebounders of the era. Most importantly, free agency also gave players newfound leverage in negotiations. The one time in his 14-year career that he was not an All-Star was in 1970, a season in which an injured Chamberlain was limited to just 12 regular-season games and yet he still managed to will his team to the NBA finals upon his return. Top 21 ACC Basketball Players of All Time: Where does Michael Jordan Rank? His patented skyhook was unguardable, and he used it to score over 22,000 points during the decade. Erving was one of the defining figures of the game during the decade, combining exceptional athleticism and finesse in a style that has remained popular all these years later. College basketball career scoring leaders. Captured consecutive state championships in 1970 and 1971 3-time All State choice Charles Smith - Harding - 1984 1984 McDonald's All American 1 st Team Parade Magazine All American in 1984 Captured state championships in 1983 and 1984 2-time All State honoree Chris Smith - Kolbe Cathedral - 1988 1988 Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year Top 9 Greatest World Series Upsets of All Time, Top 10 Pound for Pound Boxers of the 1980s, NBA Top 10 Power Rankings at the All-Star break: The Ten teams that can win it all, The Greatest College Basketball Team of All Time, Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89), Ranking the decade: Top ten NBA point guards of the 2010s. He led all players in the seventies in scoring and blocks, and he was second in both minutes and rebounds.. He pulled down 14 rebounds per game from 1970-1980, and any game that he finished without a double-double was a rarity.. In 1970, the average player earned a $35,000 salary (equivalent to around $224,000 today). During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. Fearing bankruptcy and finally willing to concede to player movement, the summer of 1976 witnessed the first crop of NBA free agents. During the decade, Gervin was a 6x All-Star and 5x All-NBA/ABA selection which put up 24+ points, 6+ rebounds, and 2+ assists per game, including two straight scoring titles to close out the decade. He was an All-Star every year from 1970-76, and from 1970-75 he was named to both an All-NBA Team and an All-Defensive Team for each season. In addition to scoring, Gervin was also a proficient rebounder and excellent defender. Find out more. Players hit 40 or more home runs 20 times in the 1970s with Willie Stargell, Johnny Bench, and George Foster reaching the total twice. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1970-71 Topps Basketball Complete Set - Premier 7.5 - NM+ at the best online prices at eBay! RUSTON - The Southland Conference, as part of its year-long 50th Anniversary commemoration, has announced its 1970s and 1980s All-Decade Men's Basketball teams which includes 10 former Louisiana Tech greats. (Photo on right by: Ronald Martinez/ Getty Images) These days, when basketball players hit the court, there is so much swish-swashing of damn clothing going on, it's hard to focus on anything else. In retrospect, it's a minor miracle that we got as much of Walton's career as we did, but what a world it could have been. Dr. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. $179.99. The Doctor was the original Dunk king. Best-known for his underhand free throw technique, Rick Barry was not someone to be taken lightly on the basketball court.He was a 12-time All-Star selection between the ABA and NBA, and also made a total of 10 All-League teams between the two leagues. 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Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati: 2,973 points (1957-58 to 1959-60) "The Big O" averaged 35.1, 32.6 and 33.7 points in his three seasons. But it was in New York, and specifically in the World's Most Famous Arena, where the '70s made their strongest impression. reserve clause similar to that which existed in Major League Baseball. But he was so much more than a dazzling smile. After the Converse "Chuck Taylor All Stars" and before Michael "Air" Jordan was the 1970's. Unfortunately, Maravich was a consummate showman who was stuck on bad teams throughout the 1970s. The shirts were fastened like a current-day body suit to keep them from becoming untucked. Other Links > Basketball > Visit Our Patreon Page to Create Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See Other Bonus Material . Olympic Games Anthropometry for other sports in 2012. This years playoffs confirmed that the NBA is in good hands. Part of the merger agreement was the settlement of the Oscar Robertson lawsuit, which ended the dreaded reserve clause. Years with Cavaliers: 1973-1979 Playing a key role for the Cavs for much of the 70's, Brewer was a strong defender and rebounder. (Editors Note: For a brief excerpt of the book, click here; for author reflections, click here.) Background. Hockey. Yeah. Oh my, yes. Steve Nash Eight-time NBA All-Star Steve Nash first gained the notice of the basketball world in 1993. And, of course, hes since won two titles (and counting?) He was also a three-time MVP in the ABA during the seventies, capturing a three-peat in the award from 1974-1976. Though he was a great offensive player, Cowens made his biggest impact on defense, being named to three All-Defensive teams in his career. Bob McAdoo 5. The 69 Johnson (making him the NBAs tallest point guard) not only posted the best assists-per-game mark in league history (11.2) but had a tremendous all-around game, as well. What is the Best Decade of Basketball in NBA History? To woo top-tier college talent and lure elite players to jump leagues, ABA owners offered much higher salaries than their NBA counterparts. (All this said, it's pretty clear that Kobe eclipsed him as the second best Laker guard ever right around 2009 or 2010. How Many Championships Does Kobe Bryant Have? 15,159 Sets. He wasn't just a pure shooter and scorer. He finished his career eighth all-time in both points and steals as a player who truly had a complete game.His ability to dominate as a wing was something the NBA had not seen much of before, and his mark on the game will always be remembered. Some say the three-time All-Stater and future baseball Hall of Famer was Illinois' first high-school basketball star. His ability to rebound as just a 64 guard was tremendous, averaging six boards per game for his 13-year run in the league. Overall, he averaged 26.6 points per game for the seventies, the third-most of any player. And he never dunked in an NBA game. Michael Ray Richardson 8. In his prime, Duncan, nicknamed The Big Fundamental by no less a nickname authority than Shaquille ONeal, was one of the most sound players of all time.