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The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares

By Cal Durrett

Earvin Magic Johnson #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls during an NBA Finals basketball (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
Earvin Magic Johnson #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls during an NBA Finals basketball (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 23: Assistant coach Adrian Dantley of the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2010, in New York City. NBA (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 23: Assistant coach Adrian Dantley of the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2010, in New York City. NBA (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images) /

Greatest NBA Player #35: Adrian Dantley-134.22

At his best, small forward Adrian Dantley was among the most effective scorers in league history. In addition to being an elite scorer, Dantley was highly efficient, and he averaged at least 30 points per game an incredible four times in his career.

However, his best season was in 1980–1981, when he averaged 30.7 points per game while shooting 55.9% from the field. He accomplished that by playing primarily in the post, despite being only 6’5 and being able to get to the free-throw line at will.

Dantley led the league in free throw attempts per game six times during his career and he made an NBA record of 28 free throws in a game. Those two skills combined to give him a blistering .617 true shooting percentage, making him the second-most efficient player on this list.

That is no small feat since he finished with more than 24,000 points, something only 30 players have ever done. Surprisingly, despite being in the top 30 in win shares, he failed to make the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team. That is a pretty obvious snub, but at least the numbers prove his rightful place in NBA history.