LeBron James overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBAs leading scorer in February 2023.]. 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. Jabbar then went on to finish up the decade with the Lakers. Nicknamed Big Red for his ginger hair, Dave Cowens was the anchor for many great Boston Celtics teams during the seventies. Hayes was responsible for stopping UCLA's amazing college streak when it was Lew Alcindor manning the middle; they went on to play on different coasts most of the time in the pros. David Thompson: Thompson was an incredible scorer whose exploits rivaled those of Gervin and Maravich, and is considered one of MJ's chief inspirations. 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. Here's another argument: the '70s represented a battle for the soul of basketball. Overall, they have won 17 NBA titles. 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. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Julius Erving By decades end, that had jumped to $180,000 ($641,000 today). Top 30 Greatest NBA Players Of The 1970s 1. The '70s were marked by an absence of dynasties. Football. I have a confession to make: even though Im a lifelong devotee to all Seattle sports team, I had a fan-fling with the San Antonio Spurs teams of the late 90s and early 2000s. Part of the merger agreement was the settlement of the Oscar Robertson lawsuit, which ended the dreaded reserve clause. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. All rights reserved. Malone was the league's best player in 1981-82 by nearly every metric. List of all the NBA and ABA Players Born in 1970 | Basketball-Reference.com We've added Women's stats dating back to 2009-10 on College Basketball Reference!. Plus his 30.1 points per game is the NBAs highest career scoring average. . But Maravich was so unbelievably '70s. PSA Set Registry. Unless you agree with me, in which case this was the most meaningful thing Ive ever written. Another, less easily explained difference, is that NBA players coming of age in the seventies grew up playing a game in which *every* shot counted for two points. LeBron James just does things that shouldnt be humanly possible. The curation of this content is at the discretion of the author, and not necessarily reflective of the views of Encyclopaedia Britannica or its editorial staff. 17 Reasons why Jordan is greater than Lebron, 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan, The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History, The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History, The Top 10 Seattle Mariners of all Time, 19 undeniable Lies in Disney's Remember the Titans, If you enjoy hearing from the legends of pro sports, then be sure to tune into The Grueling Truth sports shows, Where the legends speak. Bob McAdoo 5. Learn more about this major update here. Battle for the soul of basketball: Meet the All-1970s NBA (and ABA Bob Lanier 8. Quite possibly. He racked up three championship rings and 12 All-Star appearances in his injury-shortened 13-year career. In 1971, the San Francisco Warriors changed cities and names, leaving the Cow Palace. Calvin Murphy San Diego/Houston Rockets 1970-79 Calvin Murphy was a scoring machine at Niagara and San Diego rolled the dice on the 5-foot-9 guard in the second round of the 1970 NBA Draft.. Artis was great and underappreciated, but Cowens was better. The best basketball player of the 1970s was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Check the Blazers in 77-78 when they were 44-9 the year after they won the title, for an example. One on One (1977) PG | 98 min | Drama, Sport 6.5 Rate 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. Yes, the man many fans (ignorantly) consider the most overrated choke artist in the league is actually the best player to ever set foot on a court. Fast And Free U.S. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Starting in 1966, he served as player-coach for the Celtics, becoming the first Black coach in the NBA and the first to win an NBA championship. 6 of 13. For better or worse, basketball fans love to compare different eras of their favorite sport. Top 10 NBA Players of the 1970s - The Grueling Truth Ranking the top 10 players of the 1970s TGT Tips! 9 Noteworthy Bog Bodies (And What They Tell Us), 12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written, Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution, https://www.britannica.com/list/the-10-greatest-basketball-players-of-all-time. Top 10 Greatest White Basketball Players in History of the NBA & WNBA Courtesy of Flickr. The Best And Worst White Players in NBA History - TheSportster Why take a 30-foot jump shot if making it counted for the same as a two-footer? Just as the game took a step back in the national consciousness, it survived and even prospered in some quarters, such as the Pacific Northwest. Nevertheless, he was an awesome force who dominated the sport for two decades and perfected the sky hook, one of the most gorgeous shots the game has ever seen. The Women's Professional Basketball League was the first attempt to launch a nationwide professional basketball league for women. 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. History of Basketball Uniforms - Allen Sportswear Player/Athlete:. Shipping + Taxes Included In Price. Its time for BritannicaOK, one editor at Britannicato jump into the perpetually unresolved greatest ever in [insert sport here] fray. This years playoffs confirmed that the NBA is in good hands. Our apologies, George Mikan, K.C. 38 Famous NBA Basketball Players in the 80s - Hood MWR Free shipping for many products! They appreciated the game on its merits, and embraced the athletes as individuals and fellow entertainers. If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. $179.99. The 2021 NBA Draft is less than three weeks away. The league was a creation of sports promoter Bill Byrne, who had previous involvement in start-up ventures such as the World Football League (1974-1975) and the American Professional Slo-Pitch League (1977-1980). UK Basketball All-Decade Team: 1970s Edition We present them here for purely educational purposes. After coming over from the ABA in 1976, Gervin led the NBA in scoring three times during the decade, doing so in consecutive years from 1978-1980. eBay item number: 404182195911. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? There were also great centers like Bob McAdoo, Artis Gilmore and Bill Walton. It was this transition, from earth-bound giants to brilliant athleticism, that paved the way for the glorious rebirth that was to come. Oh, and the 12-time All-Star also helped initiate true free agency into the NBA through a landmark antitrust suit, an accomplishment just as impressive as his jaw-dropping on-court exploits. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. He was also a double-double machine, averaging over 12 rebounds per game for the decade. As a sophomore, he led the "Flying Clouds" to . Some say the three-time All-Stater and future baseball Hall of Famer was Illinois' first high-school basketball star. 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 He was integral in helping to popularize the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural icon in the process. The 1970s NBA. Next time you put a pair of Nike Cortez or Vans Sk8 High on know the history behind them. Was . Dave Cowens 9. Though Barry had many of his best seasons in the ABA, he also found success on a team scale in the NBA. The dataset includes stats on over 3000 Players NBA Players from 1947-2018. Dan Issel, Calvin Murphy, Gail Goodrich, Spencer Haywood, Lou Hudson, Paul Silas, Dave Cowens, Bill Walton*, * Bill Walton should have challenged Kareem for decade supremacy but his feet betrayed him at the moment when he was ready to take over. He wasn't just a pure shooter and scorer. Wagers only accepted in CO. For full terms and conditions, click here. 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. Packs. One of the most successful franchises in sports history, the Celtics won 11 of 13 National Basketball Association (NBA) championships from 1957 to 1969. Antoine Davis on verge of breaking Pete Maravich's NCAA career scoring These debates boil down to a very simple premise: basketball was different in the past. Plus, he was hilarious in Airplane! He led all players in the seventies in scoring and blocks, and he was second in both minutes and rebounds.. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. He played in Boston for the entirety of the '70s, and was the engine that allowed Havlicek, Dave Cowens and company to thrive with two titles. On defense, he was one of the most feared rim protectors of his time, swatting away every attempt that was thrown up. He won six MVPs during his career, tied for the most all-time, and was also a six-time NBA champion. Mel Daniels, drafted by both leagues out of New Mexico, signed with the ABA's Minnesota Muskies (great name, by the way) for $36,000-triple what he was offered to play in the NBA. ABA Commissioner George Mikan held a $1 million check he was to give Big Lew. Not once. Havlicek is also one of three NBA players with an unsurpassed 80 record in NBA Finals series outcomes. Cowens was known for his intensity that could get him in trouble with some fights. He was never the best player in either league -- Dr. J and Kareem ensured that --. Erving then reeled off 11 straight All-Star bids in the NBA after the merger. Which basketball team epitomized the decadence of the 1980s? Vtg 70's AAU USA Basketball Shoes Upside Down Swoosh Logo Travis Size 3.5 Scott. Founded in Boston in 1946 by Walter Brown, the Celtics were charter members of the Basketball Association of America, a . Hondo led the C's to titles in '74 and '76, was an All-Star every year of the decade until retiring in 1978 and made four straight All-NBA first teams from '71 through '74. Playing for the Detroit Pistons until he was traded in 1980, Lanier was the heart and soul of his teams and promoted a tough, intense culture. One of the most brilliant scorers ever, David Thompson's wing rival in the late '70s and the first great Spur. Rick Barry Career Highlights UNDERRATED! The consensus 1970 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. Boston Celtics | History, Notable Players, Championships, & Facts One big on-court change was the three-pointer, arguably the most exciting part of the modern NBA. $44.99. He finished his NBA career in '76 having averaged 20-10. National Basketball Association, book | 296 views, 8 likes, 1 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from ABC News Live: "The NBA is the most woke league because the players pushed it to. Were not technically a sports website, but this editor (hi!) They didnt. T&Cs apply. 1970-71 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats | Basketball-Reference.com via Sports Logos.net About logos 1970-71 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 48-34, Finished 1st in NBA Pacific Division Coach: Joe Mullaney (48-34) Executive: Fred Schaus PTS/G: 114.8 (7th of 17) Opp PTS/G: 111.7 (6th of 17) Steve Downing (1970-73) - overshadowed by his high school teammate George McGinnis for a long time, Downing came into his own after McGinnis left for riches of professional basketball. Overall, the NBA in the 60's was good, but I find it hard to say it was the best decade of NBA basketball. He went on to play for Brazil until 1982 before finally calling time on a glittering eighteen-year career in the yellow and green of his home country, retiring as one of the most revered Brazilian . A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. Admittedly, Chamberlain played at a time when post players were significantly smaller and basketball wasnt drawing the types of athletic marvels we see today, but the man was so incredibly dominant that he deserves a spot in the top five regardless of context. J Julius Erving and Skywalker David Thompson headlined the leagues first slam dunk contest in 1976, but their in-game dunks might have been even more impressive. It didnt. PSA . A high scorer and rebounder, the purveyor of the Sky Hook and a thoughtful off-court presence, it's really a shame KAJ isn't more beloved. The four highest all-time NBA single-season scoring averages all belong to Chamberlainin his first four professional seasons. I put Pistol Pete on the first team over Jerry West primarily because my father raised me to believe Pistol Pete was the most exciting player ever. or Best Offer . While Im too young to have ever seen him play, his statistics are so mind-blowing that I wish I had a time machine for the express purpose of going back and seeing him in action. Dr. His ability to rebound as just a 64 guard was tremendous, averaging six boards per game for his 13-year run in the league. He also happens to be one of the top five in-game dunkers ever. His height is 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), and his weight is 205 lb (93 kg). 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. Who are the best basketball players of the '70s of all time? A friend mentioned he'd heard there was a player on the verge of surpassing Pete Maravich's NCAA record 3,667 career points, a mark that's stood since 1970. . In 1975, he led the San Francisco Warriors to an NBA championship, and he was named Finals MVP that year as well. Sure, we still saw centers like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Shaq, Tim Duncan and Yao Ming rise and dominate down the road. I have defended the '70s before, notably in Free Darko Presents: The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History. (LogOut/ Maravich averaged 25+ points, 4+ rebounds, and 5+ assists per game in the 1970s for five All-Star selections, four All-NBA teams, and the 1976-1977 scoring title. 1970s and the Chicago Bulls | NBA.com - National Basketball Association The Knicks also won two championships and it's this team that stands out as the enduring essence of '70s basketball. They were no strong national rivalries, no dynasties, no epic G.O.A.T. At the time, the best basketball players in the world were signed with Adidas and Converse, Nike was creating their first running sneaker, and Vans was makingsneakers tailored specifically for skaters. Star Power: Now we are on the to 70's. Tall Tales and Short Shorts: Dr. J, Pistol Pete, and the Birth of the Modern NBA. Yes, they played the kind of slow-paced ball that put most fans to sleep by the third quarter, but there was often a thing of pure beauty hidden among the tire-fire of a 7871 final score: Tim Duncans bank shot. Jones, George T. Johnson, Andre Drummond and Kawhi Leonard. Other Links > Basketball > Visit Our Patreon Page to Create Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See Other Bonus Material . As Araton put it: "When The Captain and Clyde and the rest of the Old Knicks played, when the city and country convulsed with pain, oh what a beautiful game it was.". For whatever reason, he kept it in his pocket and Alcindor signed with the Milwaukee Bucks for a $250,000 annual salary. Rick Robey was drafted #3 overall. The NBA/ABA 1970s All-Decade Team | Sporting News Canada Card Manufacturer: Topps. We forget how damn good Boston was in the '70s because their success then paled to that experienced in the '60s and '80s. http://www.basketball-reference.com/about/bpm.html, Steph CurryThe Male Machine Gun Molly? Dont be fooled by his humble small-college provenance and the Hick from French Lick nicknameLarry Bird was one of the fiercest competitors and greatest smack-talkers in NBA history. But here again, when I played years ago, if you shot a shot outside and hit it, the next time Im going to be up on top of you. Instead, coaches demanded that players only take the shot during late-game rallies to overcome huge deficits, often done in concert with a full-court pressing defense, hoping to create turnovers. He made eight All-Star games in the seventies, only missing out in his rookie year and in 1978-79 when he was injured. Mel Daniels, drafted by both leagues out of New Mexico, signed with the ABAs Minnesota Muskies (great name, by the way) for $36,000triple what he was offered to play in the NBA. Overall, he averaged 26.6 points per game for the seventies, the third-most of any player. 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. All-Decade 1970s All-Stars on NBA 2K23. It's famously noted that in this era the NBA Finals were on tape delay. Ranking Explanations . You can't just change your wiring on stuff like that. He made the All-NBA Second Team in 1974 and was promoted to the First Team the following year.Although he began to struggle with injuries towards the end of the decade, theres still no doubt that McAdoo was one of the most impressive players of his time. How Many Championships Does Michael Jordan Have? 1970s basketball: More than dunks and dazzling dribbles Best 1970s Basketball Players | Top 70s NBA Player List The Best Players in the NBA in 2022 Greatest Players with No Rings The Best Ever Team Owners Tall Players Over 7'2 Best Players from Foreign Countries Short Players Under 5'9 The Best White Guys in the NBA Hall of Fame Candidates Worst Team Owners of All Time Players with Their Numbers Retired Best NBA Defensive Players of All Time | Stadium Talk (Or 20. For his unbelievable scoring and ball-handling ability, Maravich was a three-time SEC Player of the Year and Consensus First-Team All-American and was the National College Player of the Year in 1969 and 1970. There has never been a more enthralling backcourt than Clyde and the Pearl, and their ingenious styles were balanced by bedrock pros like Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere and the Captain, Willis Reed. Nash led the 15th seeded, and lightly regarded, Santa Clara to an improbable upset win over 2 seed Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Dr. J isn't just symbolically important as a harbinger of the style that would arrive in the '80s: he was a two-time ABA champion and won the last three MVPs of the ABA. Now players could subsist without off-season work and, for the first time in league history, make life-changing money playing pro basketball. You still see them at the Garden and no sport has ever had a more dedicated celebrity fan than Jack Nicholson. Fearing bankruptcy and finally willing to concede to player movement, the summer of 1976 witnessed the first crop of NBA free agents. To learn more about the top ten players of the decade, keep reading below. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In 1970, the average player earned a $35,000 salary (equivalent to around $224,000 today). He won two championships alongside Havlicek in 1974 and 1976, and was also extremely successful as an individual player. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Hes bigger than a good portion of the players in the NFL and yet he still moves as gracefully as the most nimble guards in basketball. Scored the fifth-most points of the decade, Two-time All-ABA selection and seven-time All-NBA selection, Four-time All-ABA selection and six-time All-NBA selection. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. He never averaged fewer than 10 rebounds in the seventies, and also never dipped below two blocks per game.Although Hayes was only 69, he played the center position with more ferocity than nearly anyone else in the game, and was known as one of the toughest competitors in the league. The player who scored the most points in the 1970s was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 12. Hayes and Wes Unseld led the Bullets to three Finals berths and one title, and Hayes was an All-Star every year of the decade. From baggy street clothes to signature form-fitting apparel and back to baggy, basketball uniforms have undergone transition until what has settled today is both comfortable and functional, and invokes a sense of nostalgic pride among players and fans alike. What? Do you have a blog? Two rival leagues (the NBA and ABA) were . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2. Michael Gearon, president of the Hawks, said he believes that as many as half the players in the league may use cocaine and as many as 10 percent may use free base. Bidding wars almost bankrupted both leagues and soon even marginally talented players made six-figure salaries. How 1970s NBA pioneers paved the way for today's game Gilmore wasn't the most fluid looking player, but he dominated the paint on both ends in both leagues. . Rick Barry, a two-time NBA All-Star, made $45,000 in the NBA and jumped leagues for a $75,000 payday. While the 1970's do not have as many classic silhouettes as the 80's or 90's, there are many sneakers that came out during this time thatwe still wear today. Easily the greatest ABA player ever, Julius Erving had no trouble making the transition to the NBA in 1976. Mac remains one of the greatest athletes in Buffalo history, though, which is something. When people knocked him for not winning championships early in his career, they overlooked that he almost single-handedly took an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers squad to the 2007 NBA finals at just 22 years old. Most importantly, free agency also gave players newfound leverage in negotiations. Missouri Valley Tournament 2023: Bracket, schedule, scores, teams, and more. Hondo's back as the star of the post-Russell Celtics. Yeah. 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. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Get the best deals on 1970s Athletic Shoes for Men when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. You had D.C.'s best era with Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes. Despite the creation of the National Basketball Players Association in 1954 (the first team sports players union), NBA owners held most of the power in the league until the merger.
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