And thats fair, because he almost killed Houstons Rudy Tomjanovich with one punch during a game in December 1977. Key stats: 963 G, 15.1 PPG, 22.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 44.0 FG%, NBA titles: 11 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969). 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. Ultimate NBA Jersey Trivia. Starks bounced between three different junior colleges in Oklahoma before landing in the checkout lane at a supermarket, bagging groceries. Granlund, 31, is not a large forward. The game of basketball had meager beginnings, with a bunch of athletically awkward guys trying to toss a ball into a peach basket. Weddle - NFL Wordle - Guess the NFL player in as few tries as possible. It will be interesting to see how the second half of his career plays out. Wilt "The Stilt" holds the top four single-season scoring averages in NBA history, and no player has even come close to his record setting 1961 - 62 season. You dont find many players who didnt average double figures in scoring or rebounding for their career that can say they were a two-time All-Star and five-time pick for the All-NBA Defensive Team. If you ever happened to catch a game that Skiles played in, you know thats spotting him at least 2-3 inches. Tough: Oracle Arena (Golden State Warriors) Photo: Facebook Capacity: 19,596 Average Regular Season Attendance:. 12 Larry Bird, F - 6-9, 220 pounds / 21,791 points. Bottom line: Larry Fousts toughness came in the form of brute strength as a "clear out the block" post player. This was designed for true NBA fans who feel they can guess a team logo with their eyes closed. A lot of that comes from his upbringing. Lanier, at 6-foot-11, was one of the best all-around big men in NBA history and averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds for his career. Martins innate toughness came from a pretty awful place. 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 6-foot-6 product of UMass spent the first five years of his career in the ABA before becoming arguably the most legendary player in Philadelphia 76ers franchise history, pouring in more than 18,000 points in 11 NBA seasons and over 30,000 points when you include his five seasons in the ABA. However, he played equally hard (I mean, recreationally, not on the court). And he only played one season, his rookie year, with the Baltimore Bullets. In order to play a decade in the NBA like Skiles did, and be that size, it takes some innate toughness. NBA players Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum, and Dominique Wilkins were all born in which country? His Piston Automotive Group, a global auto parts supplier, does almost $2 billion in business annually and employs 8,300 people. 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%. Teams: Boston Celtics (1970-80), Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83), Key stats: 766 G, 17.6 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 46.0 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%. Laimbeer also was durable. Perhaps thats why he was such a valuable commodity. 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%. Despite the Hornets winning five games in a row, fans are calling out the team and its owner, Michael Jordan. Bottom line: Whats most remarkable about Udonis Haslem has been his staying power. Robert Horry Randy Smith A.C. Green John Salley A. C. Green played in more consecutive games (1192) than any other player in NBA history. Wallace was named a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 but somehow wasnt voted in, furthering the notion that the Basketball Hall of Fame is a joke and needs a complete overhaul if it wants to stay relevant. 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. 3. He became tough growing up in Dallas and playing basketball on the playgrounds. The moment Thomas toughness was no longer in doubt was at the end of his tenure with the Celtics, when he was on the verge of getting close to a max contract in free agency in the offseason. Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (2008-14), Cleveland Cavaliers (2014-present), Key stats: 713 G, 18.2 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 44.2 FG%. Guess the most average players - The average NBA height is 6'6" and the average age is 26 years old. Why is Oakley so beloved? Or how much you can dole out. Tyronn Lue is an NBA championship winning coach for the Cavaliers, he was also an NBA player. People these days tend to remember him more for his battle with HIV and his work as an analyst, but the fact of the matter is he was an absolute basketball anomaly: a 6-foot-8 point guard whose unselfishness is pretty much the sole reason he didnt become a 30 points-per-game scorer. Helpful clues! Are You the Ultimate NBA Fan? His Pistons' teams of the late 1980s were made up of some of the toughest players in NBA history, and Mahorn was the undisputed "baddest" of the "Bad Boys.". Bottom line: In 12 NBA seasons, Bobby Jones earned a reputation as one of the classiest players of all time. They didn't get that way because they could score or rebound. Bottom line: There is one statistic that underlines Alvin Robertsons toughness better than all others he is still the NBAs career leader with 2.7 steals per game. I mean I guess you could say Dame's slightly ahead of Curry on advanced stats but not Luka. Cowens was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. "Just like that. "If you played Monday through Saturday and didn't have a fight, you knew you had to be ready for Sunday because you'd surely have a fight. 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. 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. Bottom line: Buck Williams was the definition of an NBA player bringing his lunch pail to work. RAPTOR has Luka 2nd in the league. The best way to sum up Allen Iverson is to describe him as a little man with a very big game. Teams: Philadelphia 76ers (1996-2006, 2009-10), Denver Nuggets (2006-08), Detroit Pistons (2008-09), Memphis Grizzlies (2009), Key stats: 914 G, 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG, 47.5 FG%. For the 1990s video-game kids, he also was one of three players on the original "NBA Jam" who could consistently rebound. Bottom line: Michael Jordans toughness was the stuff of legend, and the five-time NBA Most Valuable Player was legendarily hard on teammates. The 6-foot-10 post player started his career in the ABA before transitioning to the NBA in 1976, and went on to score more than 27,000 points with a career average of 20.3 points-per-game. He helped lead the Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA title and set the tone in the NBA Finals by squaring off with Darryl Dawkins (!) Robertson was found not guilty of human trafficking in 2015, five years after he was arrested and after authorities discovered the accuser made up the whole story. Bottom line: Say what you will about Draymond Green, if his career ended tomorrow, you would have to put him in the discussion as the best defensive player of his era. Show answer. Roundfield died tragically in Aruba in 2012 while swimming with his wife. 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. He shaved his head and eyebrows because he knew what a disconcerting effect the look would have on opponents. His biggest claim to fame came on the New York Knicks teams that won NBA titles in 1970 and 1973, where he cemented his reputation as one of the most physical players of all time. Four times during his career, the Answer averaged more than 30 points-per-game, all despite being beaten and rarely getting the benefit of calls from officials who didnt treat him much like a star due to his attitude. 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. Guess the most average players - The average NBA height is 6'6" and the average age is 26 years old. The deadliness of Kareems sky hook cannot be overstated, particularly because in all of basketball history, he remains the only player to have ever perfected this truly unblockable shot. Chicago Bulls Trivia! 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. 2002, 2009, 2010). The two were unexpectedly caught in rough waters, and he was swept away by the current after getting her to safety. "You exemplify the very best that the human spirit has to offer," Cosell told Reed. Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (1985-90), Phoenix Suns (1990-91), New York Knicks (1991-92), Boston Celtics (1992-95), New Jersey Nets (1996-98), Key stats: 870 G, 15.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 48.5 FG%. Wilkins was a 6-foot-8 dunking machine and one of the most unfairly athletic wing players to ever step on an NBA court. Mahorns toughness seemed to flow directly from his inability to jump very well and what he had to do to make up for that. After an excellent debut in last season's playoffs, Edwards . Each. Jim Tucker. Besides Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, who has the highest-scoring game in NBA history? In high school, he awoke at 4:30 a.m. to do farm chores and walk two miles to school, where he had basketball practice at 7 a.m. At 5 foot 3, Muggsy Bogues is the shorted player in the history of the National Basketball Association. Ultimate Basketball Team Quiz. Of course the guy hes been competing with most doesnt even play anymore, because his name is Michael Jordan. At only 6-6, Hayes is listed as a center on the Sacramento Kings roster, which means on a nightly basis he's going against players five . 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