The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the
National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third
anniversary team in the league.[1] Fifty players were selected through a vote by a panel of media members, former players and coaches, and current and former general managers. In addition, the top ten
head coaches and top ten
single-season teams in NBA history were selected by media members as part of the celebration.[2] The 50 players had to have played at least a portion of their careers in the NBA and were selected irrespective of
position played.
The list was announced by NBA commissioner
David Stern on October 29, 1996, at the hotel
Grand Hyatt New York, the site of the Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed in 1946. The announcement marked the beginning of a
season-long celebration of the league's anniversary.[2] Forty-seven of the fifty players were later assembled in
Cleveland, during the halftime ceremony of the
1997 All-Star Game.[2][nb 1] At the time of the announcement, 11 players were active; all have subsequently retired.
The list was made through unranked voting completed by 50 selected panelists. Sixteen of the panelists were former players voting in their roles as players, 13 were members of the print and broadcast news media, and 21 were team representatives: contemporary and former
general managers,
head coaches, and
executives. Of the last group, 13 were former NBA players. Players were prohibited from voting for themselves. Only three voting former players (
Bill Bradley,
Johnny Kerr, and
Bob Lanier) were not selected to the team.
Phil Jackson (left) and
Red Auerbach (right) both made the 1996 list of the top ten coaches in NBA history.
Alongside the selection of the 50 greatest players was the selection of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History. The list was compiled based upon unranked selection undertaken exclusively by members of the print and broadcast media who regularly cover the NBA. All 10 coaches named were alive at the time of the list's announcement, and five of them—
Bill Fitch,
Phil Jackson,
Don Nelson,
Pat Riley, and
Lenny Wilkens—were then active. Six have since died:
Red Holzman in 1998,
Red Auerbach in 2006,
Chuck Daly in 2009,
Jack Ramsay in 2014,
John Kundla in 2017, and
Bill Fitch in 2022. Jackson was the last of the ten to coach in the NBA; he announced his retirement after the
2010–11 season. Nelson was the only member to have never won a championship as a coach, even though he won five as a player. Wilkens was the only member of the coaches list to have been selected as a member of the players list. All ten coaches are also members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, with Fitch the last member inducted in 2019.
Key
Italics
Denotes coach who was active in the NBA at the time of induction
Also included in the NBA's 50th-anniversary celebration was the selection of the Top 10 Teams in
NBA History. The list was compiled based upon unranked selection undertaken exclusively by members of the print and
broadcast media who regularly cover the NBA. Teams were chosen from among all
single-season individual teams. Each team won the
NBA championship, and they combined to average 66 wins per season. The 1995–96 Chicago Bulls had, at the moment, the best single-season record in NBA history with 72 wins.
Six players were on the roster of two teams on the list—
Wilt Chamberlain with the 1966–67 Sixers and 1971–72 Lakers;
James Edwards,
Dennis Rodman, and
John Salley with the 1988–89 Pistons and 1995–96 Bulls; and
Michael Jordan and
Scottie Pippen with the Bulls in both 1991–92 and 1995–96. Three other individuals both played for and coached honored teams, all of whom completed this "double" with a single franchise—
K. C. Jones with the Celtics as a player in 1964–65 and coach in 1985–86,
Billy Cunningham with the Sixers as a player in 1966–67 and coach in 1982–83, and
Pat Riley with the Lakers as a player in 1971–72 and coach in 1986–87.
Phil Jackson, head coach of the Bulls from 1989 to 1998, was the only man to coach two teams that made the list. Although Jackson was under contract to the Knicks as a player in their 1969–70 championship season, he did not play that season as he was recovering from spinal fusion surgery.[68]
The Hall of Famers listed for each individual team are solely those inducted as players, and do not include those inducted in other roles. Players whose names are italicized were inducted after the announcement of the ten best teams.
^Three players were absent:
Pete Maravich, who had died in 1988;
Shaquille O'Neal, who was recovering from a knee injury; and
Jerry West, who was scheduled to have surgery and could not fly.[3]
The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the
National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third
anniversary team in the league.[1] Fifty players were selected through a vote by a panel of media members, former players and coaches, and current and former general managers. In addition, the top ten
head coaches and top ten
single-season teams in NBA history were selected by media members as part of the celebration.[2] The 50 players had to have played at least a portion of their careers in the NBA and were selected irrespective of
position played.
The list was announced by NBA commissioner
David Stern on October 29, 1996, at the hotel
Grand Hyatt New York, the site of the Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed in 1946. The announcement marked the beginning of a
season-long celebration of the league's anniversary.[2] Forty-seven of the fifty players were later assembled in
Cleveland, during the halftime ceremony of the
1997 All-Star Game.[2][nb 1] At the time of the announcement, 11 players were active; all have subsequently retired.
The list was made through unranked voting completed by 50 selected panelists. Sixteen of the panelists were former players voting in their roles as players, 13 were members of the print and broadcast news media, and 21 were team representatives: contemporary and former
general managers,
head coaches, and
executives. Of the last group, 13 were former NBA players. Players were prohibited from voting for themselves. Only three voting former players (
Bill Bradley,
Johnny Kerr, and
Bob Lanier) were not selected to the team.
Phil Jackson (left) and
Red Auerbach (right) both made the 1996 list of the top ten coaches in NBA history.
Alongside the selection of the 50 greatest players was the selection of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History. The list was compiled based upon unranked selection undertaken exclusively by members of the print and broadcast media who regularly cover the NBA. All 10 coaches named were alive at the time of the list's announcement, and five of them—
Bill Fitch,
Phil Jackson,
Don Nelson,
Pat Riley, and
Lenny Wilkens—were then active. Six have since died:
Red Holzman in 1998,
Red Auerbach in 2006,
Chuck Daly in 2009,
Jack Ramsay in 2014,
John Kundla in 2017, and
Bill Fitch in 2022. Jackson was the last of the ten to coach in the NBA; he announced his retirement after the
2010–11 season. Nelson was the only member to have never won a championship as a coach, even though he won five as a player. Wilkens was the only member of the coaches list to have been selected as a member of the players list. All ten coaches are also members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, with Fitch the last member inducted in 2019.
Key
Italics
Denotes coach who was active in the NBA at the time of induction
Also included in the NBA's 50th-anniversary celebration was the selection of the Top 10 Teams in
NBA History. The list was compiled based upon unranked selection undertaken exclusively by members of the print and
broadcast media who regularly cover the NBA. Teams were chosen from among all
single-season individual teams. Each team won the
NBA championship, and they combined to average 66 wins per season. The 1995–96 Chicago Bulls had, at the moment, the best single-season record in NBA history with 72 wins.
Six players were on the roster of two teams on the list—
Wilt Chamberlain with the 1966–67 Sixers and 1971–72 Lakers;
James Edwards,
Dennis Rodman, and
John Salley with the 1988–89 Pistons and 1995–96 Bulls; and
Michael Jordan and
Scottie Pippen with the Bulls in both 1991–92 and 1995–96. Three other individuals both played for and coached honored teams, all of whom completed this "double" with a single franchise—
K. C. Jones with the Celtics as a player in 1964–65 and coach in 1985–86,
Billy Cunningham with the Sixers as a player in 1966–67 and coach in 1982–83, and
Pat Riley with the Lakers as a player in 1971–72 and coach in 1986–87.
Phil Jackson, head coach of the Bulls from 1989 to 1998, was the only man to coach two teams that made the list. Although Jackson was under contract to the Knicks as a player in their 1969–70 championship season, he did not play that season as he was recovering from spinal fusion surgery.[68]
The Hall of Famers listed for each individual team are solely those inducted as players, and do not include those inducted in other roles. Players whose names are italicized were inducted after the announcement of the ten best teams.
^Three players were absent:
Pete Maravich, who had died in 1988;
Shaquille O'Neal, who was recovering from a knee injury; and
Jerry West, who was scheduled to have surgery and could not fly.[3]