The 75 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)

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.