Story continues " I just think the [comfort] of the offense and the confidence in it, I guess, is the biggest . In no small way, he carried the defensive load for some of the greatest teams of all time, and thats not an offhand remark. He played at least 80 of 82 regular-season games seven times, and only missed a handful of games in three other seasons. These are the toughest players in NBA history. From 1989 to 1998, he won five NBA titles with two different teams, the Pistons and Bulls, and averaged at least 15 rebounds per game for seven seasons in that stretch. The two were unexpectedly caught in rough waters, and he was swept away by the current after getting her to safety. Mean" on his customized license plates when Gary was growing up. In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work as a pioneer for civil rights. Kobe has been working his whole life to both emulate and try to surpass Jordan, much like how Tiger Woods has mapped out his entire career as a comparison to Jack Nicklaus. After missing Game 6 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers with a torn thigh muscle, Reed was almost certainly a scratch for Game 7. After being banished to the bench and playing just 24 games in his first two seasons, Mason proved to be incredibly durable. Bottom line: Its safe to say that most point guards who make it from Brooklyn to the NBA are tough. Despite going undrafted, Wallace won an NBA-record four Defensive Player of the Year awards (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) and helped lead the Pistons to the 2004 NBA title and back into the finals in 2005. Simply enter the name of the player, and the app will reveal their team, conference, division, position, height, age, and jersey number. How tough is Adams? You grab your gear and you're like, 'All right guys, I guess I'll see you throughout the year.'" "I taught the kid the look, the intimidation, yeah, the meanness. Although he never won an NBA title in 14 seasons. Name All These NBA Players (Hard Edition)! Chicago Bulls Trivia! Seventeen years and three NBA titles later, hes a legend in Miami. Teams: Phoenix Suns (1996-98, 2004-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-15), Key stats: 1,217 G, 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 49.0 FG%. Nique averaged better than 30 points-per-game twice, and the thing about Wilkins was that he didnt just dunk on you, he threw it down harder than just about any other player in league history. Perkins wasnt just hired muscle, though. Bottom line: Whats most remarkable about Udonis Haslem has been his staying power. He made second-team the other season. 4. Cooper made the All-NBA Defensive Team eight times and was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. Cooper won five NBA titles with the Lakers and was just as good as a coach, winning back-to-back WNBA titles with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002. The most important thing to remember about Dumars as far as gauging his toughness is that Michael Jordan called him the best defender he ever faced and the "Jordan Rules" established by Pistons coach Chuck Daly in the 1990s centered around Dumars unique defensive ability. Key stats: 857 G, 7.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 48.9 FG%. Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield. 18 amazing levels! Despite being too short and overweight most of the time (by NBA standards), Barkley dominated almost the entirety of his career and is the shortest player in history to lead the league in rebounds. Bottom line: NBA connoisseurs can appreciate what Michael Cooper brought to the Los Angeles Lakers' "Showtime" dynasty of the 1980s. Teams: St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1964-69), Phoenix Suns (1969-72), Boston Celtics (1972-76), Denver Nuggets (1976-77), Seattle Supersonics (1977-80), Key stats: 1,254 G, 9.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 43.2 FG%. Teams: Chicago Bulls (1999-2002), Indiana Pacers (2002-06), Sacramento Kings (2006-08), Houston Rockets (2008-09), Los Angeles Lakers (2009-13, 2015-17), New York Knicks (2013-14), Key stats: 991 G, 13.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 41.4 FG%. 1. However, The Iceman went out that night and had 53 points by halftime, cruising to the scoring crown with 63 points at the end of the night. The Diesel was one of the biggest, strongest, and perhaps the most powerful presence in NBA history. To put it in perspective, Foust scored the winning basket for the Fort Wayne Pistons in the lowest-scoring NBA game of all-time, a 19-18 win over the Minneapolis Lakers, a year in which he averaged 13.5 points. Guess the Nation with a Nickname. On that same night who was the next . Teams: Portland Trail Blazers (2001-07), New York Knicks (2007-08), Los Angeles Clippers (2008-09), Memphis Grizzlies (2009-17), Sacramento Kings (2017-19). Damian Lillard 2. Are You The Ultimate Boston Celtics Fan? Its difficult to decide which is more amazing: the fact that Kevin Durant has already scored nearly 15,000 points in his career, or the fact that hes still just 25 years old. Teams: Chicago Bulls (1985-88, 2001-02), New York Knicks (1988-98), Toronto Raptors (1999-2001), Washington Wizards (2002-03), Houston Rockets (2004), Key stats: 1,282 G, 9.7 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 47.1 FG%. "You'd have a fight a week," Johnson told Sports Illustrated in 1992. Bottom line: Theres always going to be some dispute about what Charles Barkleys actual height and weight were during his playing days, but its safe to say it was an inch or two below the 6-foot-6 he was listed at. Bottom line: Its not a coincidence that NCAA Division II Virginia Union put two players on this list because one of them, Charles Oakley, recommended the other one, Ben Wallace, to the school after seeing him at a basketball camp. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and scorers of all time, Bryant won five NBA championships, was an 18-time All . The Dream scored 26,946 points in his 18 seasons, shooting 51.2% for his career as well as 71.2% from the free throw line, a very respectable number for a center whose first athletic love was soccer. Skiles also, famously, took a swing at Shaquille O'Neal in the locker room. Bottom Line: Bob Lanier is one of the most well-respected NBA players of all time and has his iconic No. You were sore from head to toe. He had his number retired by two of the three places he played in his college and pro career, the University of Evansville and Chicago Bulls. France. Roundfield died tragically in Aruba in 2012 while swimming with his wife. Because 16.2 rebounds per game is just insane. Each. He never played less than 79 games in his first 13 NBA seasons before abruptly retiring early in the 1993-94 season after a fight with teammate Isiah Thomas. The mental aspect is just as important. In Moncriefs 10 seasons with the Bucks, his teams lost in the conference finals or conference semifinals eight times. Pettit only played 11 seasons in the NBA and was a first-team All-NBA pick 10 times. Bottom line: Kevin Garnett is the highest-paid player in NBA history, with $326 million in career earnings. In his first 13 seasons, he missed just four games and only missed 22 in his career, with 17 of those coming at the start of the 1997-98 season as he recovered from an injured MCL. They got there because they were tough, and thats something that fans have appreciated since the league first began play. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Weve already watched it a half-dozen times today, in fact. Pettit also was the first NBA Most Valuable Player in 1958 and is tied with Kobe Bryant for most NBA All-Star MVP awards with four. His size, 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, was more NFL defensive end than power forward but also may have been the cause of back problems that ended his career. He never made it past the second round of the playoffs but was an eight-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection and three-time All-Star. Granlund, 31, is not a large forward. While Barkleys attitude and off-the-court antics had their detractors, one thing no one ever questioned was his toughness. When it comes to Pete Maravich, people tend to remember his untimely death and the fact that he averaged 44 points-per-game in college, and they just kind of gloss over the fact that he had a heck of an NBA career as well, averaging 24.2 points to go along with 5.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds in his career. Where Love is toughest has been in his approach to the mental aspects of the game, where hes been open about his struggles with anxiety, rage and depression bringing widespread awareness to an issue that still is considered taboo in some corners. That was just the break he needed. For most of his career, that was enough to make him the most dominant scorer of his era. The mystery player will play in the Standard NBA leagues. Teams: Indiana Pacers (1975-78), Atlanta Hawks (1978-84), Detroit Pistons (1984-85), Washington Bullets (1985-87), Key stats: 813 G, 14.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 48.2 FG%. Teams: New York Knicks (1987-92, 2001-02), Los Angeles Clippers (1992-94), Indiana Pacers (1994-96, 1997-2000), Denver Nuggets (1996-97), Toronto Raptors (2000-01), Utah Jazz (2002-03), Houston Rockets (2003-04), Key stats: 1,296 G, 9.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 8.0 APG, 44.7 FG%. Later in his career, this was a definite disadvantage. Along with Detroits Joe Dumars, NBA legend Michael Jordan said Moncrief was one of the two toughest defensive players he ever faced. For the prime example of Jordans mentality, look to the 1997 NBA Finals Game 5 "The Flu Game." in Game 2, swinging an elbow at Dawkins head and changing the tone of the series as the Blazers rallied for the championship. Key stats: 525 G, 9.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 58.9 FG%. Cowens was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. Dirk Nowitski has long been one of the league's toughest players to match up against, but it has become time for him to pass the torch to Kevin Durant, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can still break down defenders with the dribble, but their explosiveness no longer rivals Chris Paul's and their strength doesn't measure up to that of James Harden. Mainly because he wasnt a bully. Teams: New Jersey Nets (1981-1989), Portland Trail Blazers (1989-1996), New York Knicks (1996-1998), Key stats: 1,307 G, 12.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 54.9 FG%. He finished his career with a scoring average of 24.3 points-per-game, and had one of the best shooting lines in basketball history. The Finnish native is 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds. He made the All-NBA Defensive Team nine times, including eight first-team picks, and was known as a player who would never resort to "dirty" tactics. EXTREMELY HARD NBA QUIZ. Bottom line: Aside from putting together one of the greatest careers in NBA history, Kobe Bryant also had perhaps the most legendary pain tolerance in the history of the game. McHale was always thought of as a uniquely gifted offensive player, but his reputation as being tough or intimidating was centered around just one famous play. Havlicek died in April 2019 at 79 years old. If you were to look at the earliest clips of Hakeem Olajuwon playing basketball in college and then in his first couple of seasons in the NBA, youd probably never have expected him to evolve into one of the most skilled and talented big men in league history. Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard became the second player to reach the 70-point mark this season, torching the Rockets for 71 points on Sunday, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.Playing for the first time since the All-Star break, Lillard made 13 three-pointers on the night, one short of the NBA record, and reached 41 points by halftime. McDaniel combined toughness with intimidation to a maximum degree. Sloans toughness came from his hardscrabble background. Later in his career, Payton managed to shake off his reputation for being brash and became a steady presence in the locker room. The Rangers acquired Kane from Chicago in a three-team trade Tuesday night, adding the three-time Stanley Cup champion to their core that reached the Eastern Conference final last year and a couple of recent additions, including prolific scoring winger . He absolutely had the talent, and he created a mismatch for anyone trying to guard him with his combination of size and skill. Its kind of incredible to think of now, but McHale didnt even become a full-time starter until five years into his career, winning NBA Sixth Man of the Year twice in that stretch. Roundfield earned a reputation for being a physical, tough player, but he had a kind nature that opponents and teammates alike were drawn to. 7) He Was Known By The Nickname, "The Dunkin' Dutchman" Rik Smits was known as "The Dunkin' Dutchman". The toughness of the 6-foot-7 Silas came from what he was asked to do for every team he played on in his 16-year career guard players 4-5 inches taller than him. While there were a lot tough players in my era that I hated to cover, for this list I'm going to stick with the positions I know best: power forward and center. Bottom line: Willis Reed isnt just one of the toughest players in NBA history. Hardest-Working Players in NBA History By Tony Adame on September 25, 2019 Charles Krupa / AP Photo The path to being great in the NBA does not always begin with hard work. But even among some fairly die-hard Celtics fans, we have gaps in our. instead of being the 2001 NBA Most Valuable Player and an 11-time All-Star. Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1973-77), Boston Celtics (1977-78), San Diego Clippers (1978-79), Portland Trail Blazers (1979-82), Golden State Warriors (1987), Key stats: 507 G, 9.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 52.6 FG%. Old-school NBA fans might remember McDaniels signature move on opponents who tried him his gigantic hands around their throats. After he went undrafted in 2002 following a standout career at the University of Florida, Haslem found his only pro opportunity was playing in France, and he showed up weighing almost 300 pounds. To put into perspective just how thoroughly Chamberlain owned the low post, the lane was widened from 12 to 16 feet specifically to make things a little fairer for people not named Wilt. Bottom line: How tough was Jerry Sloan? Gervin averaged 26.2 points during his NBA career, pumping in more than 30 points-per-game twice. 3. I mean, sure, the NFL still reigns supreme in terms of . 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