NBA: 50 greatest players who aren’t in the Basketball Hall of Fame

50 greatest players who aren’t in the Basketball Hall of Fame: 24. Rolando Blackman

The Dallas Mavericks may not have won a championship during the 1980s, but if you’re ever looking for great YouTube material, watch those teams play. An explosive offensive unit with a wide array of players whose names you’d recognize, Dallas was about as fun as it got.

One of the best players from those teams is an individual who quietly ranks amongst the better shooting guards in the history of the sport: Rolando Blackman.

Although not a Hall of Famer, Blackman produced big scoring numbers across 13 NBA seasons and even compiled a solid list of individual accolades. He scored 17,623 points for his career, finishing with an average of 18.0 per game over the course of 980 regular-season appearances.

That includes three seasons above 21.0 points per game and 10 consecutive seasons at or above 17.7, with nine being well over 18.

Compounded by the fact that he shot 49.3 percent from the field, 84.0 percent from the free throw line, and even developed into a capable three-point shooter—37.7 percent over his final four seasons—Blackman was the complete package.

To this day, Blackman trails only Dirk Nowitzki in terms of career points as a member of the Mavericks. Blackman also ranks top-10 all-time in franchise history in rebounds, assists, and steals. That tremendous company speaks for itself.

As far as what that meant for team success, Blackman and the Mavericks pushed the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games in the 1988 Western Conference Finals. Blackman was also a veteran presence for the New York Knicks when the team from The Mecca reached the 1994 NBA Finals.

As far as numbers, Blackman averaged 21.6 points and 4.1 assists per game during his 48 postseason outings between 1984 and 1990.

With four All-Star Game appearances and his No. 22 jersey retired by the Dallas Mavericks, Blackman’s place in history is safe.