The 75 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
By Cal Durrett
43. Amare Stoudemire-21.82
Phoenix Suns legend Amare Stoudimire was one of the most explosive big men in NBA history and also one of the most productive. Stoudimire spent the bulk of his career in Phoenix, putting up monster numbers with Hall of Famer Steve Nash setting him up.
Over eight seasons, he posted impressive numbers, including 21.4 points on an outstanding 60.6% true shooting percentage, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, establishing himself as one of the best big men in the game. He even made five all-star teams in that span.
He managed to keep that production up in New York, for a season at least. During 2010–11, Amare put up a career-high 25.3 points per game; despite that, injuries and the arrival of Carmelo Anthony quickly caused his numbers to drop and he was later waived by the Knicks and finished out his career with the Miami Heat.
Although Stoudimire's career was cut short, his peak was as good as most big men on this list, and he was far more efficient thanks to being a terrific finisher and free-throw shooter. As a result, he grades out well in PER.