Top 10 Best NBA Players of the '80s

You were there for it, or you've heard the legends. The 1980s were a golden era of trash talk, sky hooks, short shorts, and big-time rivalries that still fuel debates today. It was a decade where swagger met skill, and basketball became more than just a game.

Players didn't just win. They changed how the game was played and watched. Style wasn't optional. Defense wasn't friendly. And the word "superteam" didn't mean hopping on a flight to Miami. It meant sticking it out and earning your rings.

Vote for the legends who owned the decade. Raise up the floor generals, the high-flyers, the backboard-breaking big men, and the cold-blooded shooters who could silence an arena with a single shot. The names are here. The stats back them. But your vote tells the story of who truly ruled the '80s.

The Top Ten

  1. Larry Bird

    Larry Joe Bird is a retired American professional basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics in the NBA from 1979 to 1992. He won three NBA championships, was named Rookie of the Year, and earned a Finals MVP award. Bird also won the Three-Point Contest three times and is widely regarded as... read more

    Bird led the '80s in Win Shares, MVPs, and 1st Team All-NBA honors. He won the 1980 ROY Award in a landslide the same year Magic was eligible. He was All-NBA 1st Team for his first nine years (only Bob Pettit and Oscar Robertson ever did that). Magic wasn't All-NBA 1st Team until his fourth year. Bird was 1st or 2nd in MVP voting for six straight seasons - only Bill Russell did that. He was the first player to shoot 50% FG, 40% 3PT, and 90% FT in the '80s (twice). He finished ahead of Magic for MVP in eight out of ten years - one of those years, he only played in six games. He has the highest winning percentage of the '80s at 74.8% (about 62 wins per 82 games). He is still responsible for the greatest single-season improvement when adding just one new starter - the 1979 Celtics went 29-53 without him, and the 1980 Celtics were 61-21 with him. That 1979 team and the Celtics teams from 1980-1989 averaged about 37 wins for every 82 games played without Bird.

    He made the biggest difference in winning and losing, won the most awards, and received the most honors. He's your top guy in the '80s.

  2. Magic Johnson

    Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association for 13 seasons. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.

    Magic went to eight Finals out of the ten seasons between 1979-80 and 1988-89. He was part of five Championship teams in those same ten years. He was second in the NBA in Win Shares during the '80s, but he didn't have the most Win Shares on his own team for the decade until the eighth season (1986-87) - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar owned that distinction. By that time, the Lakers had already appeared in five of their eight Finals and won three of their five titles in the decade.

    Magic is #2 behind Larry Bird.

    Magic had such a creative play style, finding hundreds of different ways to get to the basket.

  3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, a record he held from 1989 until it was surpassed in 2023... read more

    Kareem led the '70s in Win Shares. He was already 32 by the time Magic joined him on the Lakers for the 1979-80 season. Kareem was the 1980 MVP, not Magic, and he was 100% on his way to Finals MVP before he missed Game 6. To put his productivity in that series in context, had he played one minute of Game 6 and scored zero points, grabbed zero rebounds, and blocked zero shots, he still would have led everyone in PPG, RPG, and BPG for the series. He completely dominated the five games he played.

    Magic dominated the one game Jabbar didn't play and stole the MVP because Kareem hadn't made the flight to Philly for Game 6, and the network didn't want to give the MVP to an empty chair. It was awkward. Kareem led the Lakers in Win Shares for the '80s through the first seven seasons, covering the Lakers' first three titles of the decade.

  4. Moses Malone

    Moses Eugene Malone was an American basketball player who competed in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association from 1974 to 1995. A dominant center, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player three times, selected as a 12-time NBA All-Star, and earned eight All-NBA honors... read more

    Moses was third in the NBA in Win Shares for the decade. He won back-to-back MVPs playing for two different franchises (Houston and Philadelphia). He led a 40-42 Rockets team past the Lakers with Magic and Kareem in the 1981 playoffs and then had the same team tied 2-2 in the Finals with Bird's Celtics before losing.

    The next time someone tries to excuse Michael Jordan for being 0-6 against Bird's Celtics in the playoffs or for his 1-9 record in the postseason pre-Scottie Pippen, tell them about Moses Malone.

  5. Julius Erving

    Julius Winfield Erving II, commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American retired basketball player who helped popularize a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and playing above the rim. He was a key figure in the American Basketball Association (ABA) before the merger with the NBA, and... read more

    Based on Erving's awards, honors, compiled stats, and postseason relevancy, I have him as 1st Team All-NBA for the 1980s.

    I would pay to watch Dr. J play. I would not pay to see Bird, Magic, Kareem, or anyone else play.

    Dr. J was more of a player in the '70s, but you can't deny his greatness. He did win a title in the '80s.

  6. Isiah Thomas

    Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who spent his entire NBA career with the Detroit Pistons. He was a 12-time All-Star, won two NBA championships in 1989 and 1990, and was named NBA Finals MVP in 1990. Thomas was inducted into the Naismith... read more

    Based on Isiah's awards, honors, compiled stats, and postseason relevancy, I have him as 1st Team All-NBA for the 1980s.

  7. Michael Jordan

    Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player. Widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, he made six NBA Finals appearances. Jordan won the NBA championship each time.

    He should be #1 because he has the best dunks in the NBA!

  8. Sidney Moncrief

  9. Alex English

    Alex scored the most points in the NBA during the '80s. Had he been more relevant in the postseason, he'd be higher up on my list. I still have him on my All 1980s NBA 2nd Team at one of the forward positions.

  10. Dominique Wilkins

    Jacques Dominique Wilkins is an American retired professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association. Known for his scoring ability and powerful dunks, he was a nine-time NBA All-Star. Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball... read more

    One of the best dunkers of all time. He was an incredible athlete who could dunk over just about anybody or anything.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Patrick Ewing

    Patrick Aloysius Ewing is a Jamaican-American former professional basketball player and coach, born on August 5, 1962. He had a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, most notably with the New York Knicks. Ewing later served as the head coach of the Georgetown University men's basketball team from 2017 to... read more

  12. ?

    Bernard King

    13. The Contenders

  13. Kevin McHale

    Kevin Edward McHale (born December 19, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and analyst who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics.

    Nicknamed "The Torture Chamber" for his exceptional footwork and post skills that consistently overwhelmed opponents... read more

    Talk about a big man. He will always be seen as a sidekick to Larry Bird, but what a great player.

  14. John Stockton

    John Houston Stockton is an American retired professional basketball player. He played his entire NBA career from 1984 to 2003 as a point guard for the Utah Jazz. Stockton is widely considered one of the best point guards in basketball history.... read more

    One of the best point guards of all time. Probably would've been in the top players of all time if it weren't for MJ.

  15. James Worthy

    James Ager Worthy is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. He played his entire NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping them win three championships in the 1980s. Worthy was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame... read more

    A great offensive player and one of the all-time greats.

  16. Charles Barkley

    Charles Wade Barkley is an American retired professional basketball player and current television analyst. He played 16 seasons in the NBA and is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time. Barkley currently appears as a commentator on Inside the NBA.

  17. Clyde Drexler

    Clyde Austin "The Glide" Drexler is an American retired professional basketball player. During his career, he was a ten-time NBA All-Star and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Drexler won an NBA Championship with the Houston Rockets in 1995 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial... read more

    What a beast! He could dunk very well for a guy his size, pretty much a mini Jordan.

  18. Adrian Dantley

  19. George Gervin

    George Gervin, nicknamed "The Iceman," is a retired American professional basketball player. He played in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association. His career included time with the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls.

  20. Dennis Johnson

    The 1983 edition of the Boston Celtics had another good year, but in the Eastern Semifinals, they were badly outplayed by the Milwaukee Bucks and lost all four games in the best of seven. In the off-season, the Celtics made three major changes: 1) a new head coach, K.C. Jones, 2) the acquisition of Dennis Johnson, and 3) a needed winning attitude.

    The Celtics got all three and the missing link in Johnson. As a result, the Celtics had their big three in Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Johnson. Together, the Celtics won two NBA titles in the next three years with Johnson, who found Boston to be the right team for him.

    Its Joeysworld

  21. Robert Parish

  22. Gus Williams

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