The 75 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
By Cal Durrett
![Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_37/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/307/01hrmvznbykwtch1qr9g.jpg)
71. Ed Macauley-20.53
Legend Ed Macauley started his career with the now-defunct St. Louis Bombers in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which merged with the National Basketball League to form the NBA. The Bombers lasted just one season post-merger before folding and Macauley was selected by the Boston Celtics in the dispersed draft, and he quickly proved to be a great pick.
Macauley spent six seasons with the Celtics and made six straight all-star teams, averaging an impressive 18.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists over that span. He also shot well above-average for the era, shooting 44.7% from the field and even leading the league in field goal percentage one season.
Macauley would finish out his career back in St. Louis, this time as a member of the Hawks, prior to their move to Atlanta. All told, Macauley spent nine seasons in the NBA—a long career back in the 1950s—and made a total of seven NBA all-star teams.
Unsurprisingly, he has a 20.5 PER, which is all-star level and in terms of career PER, it makes him a top-75 player. In fact, he is one of the few players who played in the 1940s and 1950s to appear on this list, proving that he was elite in his era.