Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary

Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 62 – Hal Greer

On NBA 50 at 50 List

Career: 1958 – 1973

Achievements: 1967 NBA Champion; All-NBA (7x); All-Star (10x)

In the years before Jerry West entered the league, Hal Greer was the league’s premier shooting guard. The 6’2″ guard was a dynamite scorer, helped by his generation’s adoption of the jumpshot as he molded it into a reliable and beautiful shot. In an era where most of his guard contemporaries were shooting under 40 percent, he averaged 45.2 percent from the field for his career.

Greer put together a long and prolific career, 15 seasons in all for the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers. When Greer retired he was the career leader in games played. He made 10 straight All-Star selections and was a seven-time All-NBA player, all the more impressive given he was battling with Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson.

1966-67 was the 76ers’ best season, as they won 68 games and eventually the title. Greer and Wilt Chamberlain were a deadly combination, and those 68 wins were an NBA record at the time. During that postseason run, Greer averaged 27.7 points per game to help secure his only career title.