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14.6k voters

The Greatest Offensive Players in NBA History

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated November 22, 2018 134.9k votes 14.6k voters 75.8k views227 items

List RulesPlease vote for the players based only on their offensive prowess

The greatest offensive players in NBA history are among some of the best athletes of all time as well as some of the best basketball players of all time. These elite basketball players are best known for putting points on the board as well as putting amazing plays on sports highlights reels.

Some of these players, like Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, are obvious entries onto this list of the best offensive players ever in the NBA, but others are just now coming into their own like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki. Whether the player you're voting for as top offensive player in NBA history is a current NBA player or already an NBA legend, this is the list to determine who the best offensive player ever really is.

What makes the best offensive players in NBA History? Who is the top offensive player in NBA history? Who are the best NBA offensive players ever? There's no slam dunk of an answer here, but this list of the NBA's best offensive players ever seeks to bring some clarity to the top offensive player debate. This is by no means a list of all the best offensive players in the NBA (since there are more that could be added every year) so make sure to add your favorite NBA offensive player to the list if he's not on there. That way, other fans can vote for your top NBA offensive player to move up the list of the greatest offensive players and into the #1 spot as the best offensive player in NBA history.

If this isn't enough NBA action for you, check out the best basketball dunk fails for a glimpse at the other side of basketball.

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1
3,927
1,095
Larry Bird
Small forward, Power forward
Age: 64
Birthplace: West Baden Springs, French Lick Township, Indiana, United States of America
Teams: Boston Celtics
2
3,354
1,689
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Center
Age: 72
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks
3
3,361
1,870
Wilt Chamberlain
Center
Age: Dec. at 63 (1936-1999)
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia Warriors, San Francisco Warriors
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4
2,079
1,056
Allen Iverson
Point guard, Shooting guard
Age: 45
Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States of America
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets
5
2,580
1,376
Kevin Durant
Small forward
Age: 32
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States of America
Number: 35
Teams: Brooklyn Nets
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6
4,225
2,374
Michael Jordan
Shooting guard, Small forward
Age: 56
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls
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7
2,530
1,078
Stephen Curry
Point guard
Age: 32
Birthplace: Akron, Ohio, United States of America
Number: 30
Teams: Golden State Warriors

8
2,067
1,134
Shaquille O'Neal
Center
Age: 48
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat
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9
1,330
707
Hakeem Olajuwon
Center
Age: 56
Birthplace: Lagos, Nigeria
Teams: Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors
10
845
427
Charles Barkley
Small forward, Power forward
Age: 57
Birthplace: Leeds, Alabama, United States of America
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets
11
3,894
2,205
Kobe Bryant
Point guard, Shooting guard
Age: 42
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Number: 24
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
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12
3,406
1,907
LeBron James
Small forward, Power forward
Age: 36
Birthplace: Akron, Ohio, United States of America
Number: 23
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
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13
645
302
Bob Pettit
Power forward, Center
Age: 87
Birthplace: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Teams: Milwaukee Hawks, St. Louis Hawks
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14
1,187
653
Karl Malone
Power forward
Age: 56
Birthplace: Summerfield, Louisiana, United States of America
Teams: Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers
15
1,361
1,208
Oscar Robertson
Point guard, Shooting guard
Age: 82
Birthplace: Charlotte, Tennessee, United States of America
Teams: Cincinnati Royals, Milwaukee Bucks
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16
1,219
404
James Harden
Shooting guard
Age: 31
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Number: 13
Teams: Brooklyn Nets
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17
1,770
1,026
Magic Johnson
Point guard, Power forward
Age: 61
Birthplace: Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
18
891
550
Jerry West
19
1,106
1,151
Pete Maravich
Shooting guard
Age: Dec. at 41 (1947-1988)
Birthplace: Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Number: 44
Teams: Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Jazz
20
999
1,186
Tracy McGrady
Shooting guard, Small forward
Age: 41
Birthplace: Bartow, Florida, United States of America
Teams: Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors
21
933
1,196
Dwyane Wade
Point guard, Shooting guard
Age: 38
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Number: 3
Teams: Miami Heat
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22
1,776
40
Dražen Petrović
Shooting guard
Age: Dec. at 29 (1964-1993)
Birthplace: Šibenik, Croatia
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets
23
522
693
Paul Arizin
24
396
555
Kawhi Leonard
Shooting guard, Small forward
Age: 29
Birthplace: Riverside, California
Number: 2
Teams: Los Angeles Clippers
25
57
74
Steve Francis
Point guard, Shooting guard
Age: 42
Birthplace: USA, Takoma Park, Maryland
Teams: Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, New York Knicks
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