Bottom line: Zach Randolph is perhaps the most durable, underrated and, to be honest, the most intimidating player of his generation. The mystery player will play in the Standard NBA leagues. The right answers 1. Bottom line: Larry Fousts toughness came in the form of brute strength as a "clear out the block" post player. Van Lier died unexpectedly in 2009 at 61 years old, the same day as former Bulls coach Johnny "Red" Kerr. 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. 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. Magic Johnson, quite simply, may have been the single most versatile player in NBA history. Laimbeer also was durable. Bottom line: Wes Unseld was only 6-foot-7 but dominated on the boards like few players in NBA history, thanks to being 250 pounds. Here are the toughest, and easiest, places to play in this year's NBA Playoffs. Hell, even Shaq who didnt win many was a victim of it. Johnsons nickname "Gladiator" is one of the most appropriate in league history. Malone averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds every night in 11 seasons, and about the only reason hes not a little bit higher on this list is the fact that his career shooting percentage was a shade under 50% from the field. Grandfather Hust Stockton won an NFL championship with the Frankfort Yellow Jackets in 1926. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Quiz. Most of us know plenty about our favorite players in the NBA, especially the lore-laden rosters of the Boston Celtics. After an excellent debut in last season's playoffs, Edwards . Whats unique about his career was that style of play, at that time, was ahead of its time feed the ball to one player and let the game hinge on that. Key stats: 1,270 G, 20.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 43.9 FG%, NBA titles: 8 (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976). It seems hard to be one without people thinking youre not also the other. In the 1970s, it was Bob Dandridge, who scored more points in the NBA Finals in that decade than any NBA player while winning a title in 1971 alongside Oscar Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar on the Bucks, then alongside Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld on the Bullets in 1978. Hes not in the biggest or flashiest market down in Dallas, but theres no denying what an unstoppable offensive player he has been for most of his career. Use all the clues to your advantage - You get a lot of information when you enter a guess, so make sure to guess unique players that will fill out as many of the hints as possible. He did all of this by just not being good, but by playing with a unique brand of intensity and skill a combination that was light years ahead of where the NBA was at when he broke in as a 19-year-old in 1995. In order to play a decade in the NBA like Skiles did, and be that size, it takes some innate toughness. "I am mean," said Payton's father, who died in 2015. Bottom line: Xavier McDaniel set a baseline for what it meant to be tough when he was still playing for Wichita State University and became the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in points and rebounds in 1984-85. Most points in a single game Record : 100 Held by: Wilt Chamberlain Dennis Rodman may have been one of the strangest men to ever play in the NBA, or in any sports league for that matter, but this video goes to show just how you get the best of a bully in a big time situation. Unseld wasted little time putting the league on notice, and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to win Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season. His career has been yeoman-like, with six teams over 11 seasons, but hes been steady and his toughness is unmatched for some pretty incredible reasons. A lot of that comes from his upbringing. Thats when America got to know his trademark goggles (and beard) on the way to NBA Finals losses to the Bulls and Pistons. Chris Bosh with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James on the Heat in the 2010s. 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 spending his first two years in the NBA as a sixth man, Love's hard work paid off during the 2010-11 season, when he led the league in . Originally Answered: Was Michael Jordan the hardest working NBA player in the NBA's history? Despite never shooting even 50% from the floor in his career, he was able to use his physical talents to pour in just under 27,000 points in his career. The five-time NBA Most Valuable Player needed to define toughness to succeed in his era, with his direct counterpart none other than Wilt Chamberlain, the only other player besides Russell to grab 50 rebounds in a single game. Bottom line: Anyone who saw Dave Cowens play back in the day can tell you this was a guy who played with reckless abandon to the point of putting himself in danger. Williams spent his first eight seasons with the Nets but became a household name during his seven seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. Its hard to argue against listing the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, who possessed the single most unstoppable shot anyones ever seen in the sport of basketball, topping this list. The Penguins acquired a third-rounder in the Blueger deal and upped their available salary cap space to $6.3 million. Now that hes transitioning into more of a stretch four than a natural small forward, it makes him even more of a nightmare matchup for opposing teams. Its also a clear indicator of where his toughness came from he trails only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell in that category. Bottom line: Alonzo Mourning crafted a career as one of the greatest defensive players in basketball history, putting the world on notice by leading the nation in blocked shots as a freshman at Georgetown University. For the prime example of Jordans mentality, look to the 1997 NBA Finals Game 5 "The Flu Game." Show answer. Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (1979-81), Detroit Pistons (1981-91), San Antonio Spurs (1991-92), Key stats: 984 G, 12.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, 46.4 FG%. Mason was known for the wild designs he would have shaved into his head, sure, but he was more known for a bruising, physical style of play that used every square inch of his 6-foot-7, 250-pound frame. Teams: New Jersey Nets (1989-90), Denver Nuggets (1990-91), New York Knicks (1991-96), Charlotte Hornets (1996-2000), Miami Heat (2000-01), Milwaukee Bucks (2001-03), Key stats: 882 G, 10.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 50.9 FG%. Because 16.2 rebounds per game is just insane. The stories of Z-Bos toughness are legendary in NBA circles and the fact that he played at least 70 games in 12 of 18 seasons cannot be overlooked. I guess what bothers me more is the fact that the 12th guy on the bench sits there for 46 mins and MAY get to play that night or not. Green is one of the more outspoken players in the game today, and its tough to see his legacy as not having his Game 6 suspension from the 2016 NBA Finals front and center alongside his titles. Bottom line: Dave DeBusschere was one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history, making the All-NBA Defensive Team six times in his career. Stockton, the NBA career leader in assists and steals, was as durable as any player in NBA history. Story continues " I just think the [comfort] of the offense and the confidence in it, I guess, is the biggest . Ultimate Lakers Quiz! So whether it's now or in . 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. The retired NBA player-turned-TNT analyst spoke with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's 'First Take' to discuss the issue that has increasingly become a hot topic among league execs and players. Teams: Charlotte Hornets (1992-95), Miami Heat (1995-2002, 2005-08), New Jersey Nets (2003-04), Key stats: 838 G, 17.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 52.7 FG%. Hes already a five-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection (in just eight seasons), NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and has won three NBA titles. Luka leads all the box score composites. Thurmond set the NBA record with 18 rebounds in one quarter, was the first NBA player to record a quadruple-double but only played in the NBA Finals once, losing to Chamberlain and the 76ers in 1967. Starks bounced between three different junior colleges in Oklahoma before landing in the checkout lane at a supermarket, bagging groceries. For most of his career, that was enough to make him the most dominant scorer of his era. NBA Trivia Ep.1 32,756 views Apr 23, 2018 374 Dislike Share Hoops Culture 20.5K subscribers 10 active NBA players in 2018. bclc lotto app not working; signs your internship will turn into a job; mary suehr schmitz. Bottom line: Kendrick Perkins was basketballs version of a hockey enforcer on some truly great teams the Celtics in the late 2000s that included an NBA title in 2008 and several almost-great Oklahoma City Thunder teams with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the early 2010s. This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a Timed Quiz Game or as shown below. However, the Hornets are currently on a five-game winning streak, defeating the Detroit Pistons in their last matchup. He played in an age where African-American players were fighting for equal rights on and off the floor and was one of the leaders of that movement. Speaking of which, Garnett played at an elite level for a decade after coming straight to the NBA from high school, which might require a little intestinal fortitude. The 6-foot-1 guard played his last college season for Arkansas in 2007-08, then bounced around foreign pro leagues until 2013, when he made his NBA debut with the Houston Rockets. 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%. Bottom line: Most of Americas introduction to Gary Payton came via one of the most iconic Sports Illustrated covers of all time, when he was a senior at Oregon State University in 1990. He was at his best on the Nuggets when he partnered with a young Carmelo Anthony, whom he also played with on the Knicks. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar poured in more than 38,000 points in his 20 year career, dipping below 1,000 points in a season only once, and averaging 24.6 points-per-game for his career while shooting a sizzling 55.9% from the field. He continued to play, leading his team to the 2017 Eastern Conference finals before being sidelined with a debilitating hip injury. Popular Quizzes Today. It will be interesting to see how the second half of his career plays out. Chicago Bulls Trivia! France. Newspaper headline writers in the 1990s. Perhaps thats why he was such a valuable commodity. The 6-foot-4, 205 pound Robertson was simply too strong and athletic for any other guards of his era to handle, which is a big part of the reason he finished his career in 11th place on the NBA scoring list with 26,710 points. The NBA is gaining more backlash as star players continue to sit out games, and basketball legend Magic Johnson agrees with the . A lot of people will be quick to credit much of Karl Malones success to his running mate John Stockton and the way they perfected the pick and roll, but you cant deny the pure consistency that the Mailman showed throughout the course of his career. NBA star Ja Morant 'flashed a gun at a 17-year-old after punching him 12 to 13 times' at his Tennessee mansion days after 'threatening' a Memphis mall security guard last summer, according to a . Jordan played in an NBA era where you had to essentially fight your way out of games, with every opponent he faced trying to physically break him. 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