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31.8k voters

The Best White Players in NBA History

Updated February 8, 2021 274.9k votes 31.8k voters 467.6k views232 items

List RulesVote up the greatest white basketball players ever to play in the NBA

This list of white NBA players includes some of the games most legendary NBA players as well as some of the biggest modern NBA stars. From NBA legends like Larry Bird, George Mikan, and John Stockton to some of today's biggest NBA stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, and the Gasol Brothers - Marc Gasol and Pau Gasol, this list has them all. We even included Mr. NBA Logo himself, Jerry West. Many of the best white basketball players in NBA history are easily among some of the greatest NBA players of all time.

There are plenty of Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics legends on here as well. NBA legends like Kurt Rambis, Kevin McHale, Paul Westphal, Bob Cousy, and John Havlicek are all included on this list of the best white players in NBA history.

Now it's your turn to tell us which white NBA players you think are the best by voting in the list below. If you see any white NBA players missing from the list, feel free to add them so that other basketball fans and Rankers can vote on your additions!

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1
12,795
1,645
Larry Bird
Small forward, Power forward
Age: 64
Birthplace: French Lick Township, Indiana
Number: 33
Teams: Boston Celtics
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player,... more
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#179 of 210 Celebrities Who Should Run for President#37 of 105 The Most Influential Contemporary Americans
2
9,283
4,866
Dirk Nowitzki
Power forward
Age: 42
Birthplace: Würzburg, Germany
Number: 41
Teams: Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Werner Nowitzki (German pronunciation: [ˈdɪʁk ˈvɛʁnɐ noˈvɪtski]) (born June 19, 1978) is... more
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#42 of 115 The Funniest Professional Athletes#67 of 75 The Biggest Crybabies in Basketball
3
7,500
4,597
John Stockton
Point guard
Age: 58
Birthplace: Spokane, Washington
Number: 12
Teams: Utah Jazz
John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American retired professional basketball... more
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#1 of 27 The Best '90s Point Guards#3 of 20 The Best 80s NBA Point Guards
4
6,867
4,497
Steve Nash
Point guard
Age: 46
Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa
Number: 10
Teams: Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns
Stephen John Nash (born 7 February 1974) is a Canadian former professional basketball player... more
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#17 of 31 The Best NBA Coaches Right Now#47 of 107 The Greatest Lakers of All Time
5
4,087
1,441
Dražen Petrović
Shooting guard
Age: Dec. at 29 (1964-1993)
Birthplace: Šibenik, Croatia
Number: 3
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets
Dražen Petrović (pronounced [drǎʒen pětroʋitɕ]; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Croatian... more
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#247 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time#1 of 32 The Best NBA Shooting Guards of the 90s
6
6,769
4,475
Jerry West
Point Guard, Shooting Guard
Age: 82
Birthplace: Chelyan, West Virginia
Number: 14
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player.... more
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#3 of 150 The Greatest Point Guards in NBA History#5 of 25 The Best NBA Point Guards of the 1970s
7
2,637
1,583
Toni Kukoč
Small forward
Age: 52
Birthplace: Split, Croatia, Yugoslavia
Number: 7
Teams: Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls
Toni Kukoč (pronounced [kukotʃ]; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian retired professional... more
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#45 of 78 The Best Philadelphia 76ers of All Time#48 of 85 The Best Atlanta Hawks of All Time
8
5,743
3,967
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
Peter Press Maravich (June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was... more
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#4 of 86 The Best Second-Generation NBA Players Of All Time#2 of 25 NBA Players Whose Careers Ended Too Soon
9
3,601
2,618
John Havlicek
Small Forward
Age: 80
Birthplace: Martins Ferry, Ohio, United States of America
Number: 17
Teams: Boston Celtics
John Joseph Havlicek ( HAV-li-chek; April 8, 1940 – April 25, 2019) was an American... more
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#2 of 33 The Greatest Ohio State Basketball Players of All Time#85 of 120 The Fastest NBA Players of All Time
10
3,869
2,835
Kevin McHale
Power forward, Center
Age: 63
Birthplace: Hibbing, Minnesota, United States of America
Number: 32
Teams: Boston Celtics
Kevin McHale may refer to: Kevin McHale (footballer) (born 1939), former English professional... more
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#319 of 329 The Most Obnoxious Athletes#29 of 76 The All Time Greatest NBA Coaches
11
3,189
2,332
Rick Barry
Small forward
Age: 76
Birthplace: Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States of America
Number: 24
Teams: New York Nets, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Warriors
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American retired professional... more
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#1 of 24 The Best Small Forwards of the 70s#51 of 77 US Men’s Olympic Basketball All-Time Dream Team
12
2,834
2,077
Bob Cousy
Point guard
Age: 92
Birthplace: Yorkville, New York City, New York, United States of America
Number: 14
Teams: Cincinnati Royals, Boston Celtics
Robert Joseph Cousy (, born August 9, 1928) is an American retired professional basketball... more
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#51 of 150 Athletes You Didn't Know Were Conservative#105 of 904 Celebrity Death Pool 2021
13
3,034
1,869
Nikola Jokić
Center
Age: 25
Number: 15
Teams: Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokić (born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player for the... more
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#11 of 199 The All-Around Best Athletes of 2018#3 of 72 The Best Current NBA International Players

14
2,134
1,552
George Mikan
Center
Age: Dec. at 81 (1924-2005)
Birthplace: Joliet, Illinois
Number: 99
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an... more
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#37 of 96 The Best Rebounders in NBA History#8 of 50 The Best Athletes Who Wore #99
15
3,119
2,294
Bill Walton
Center
Age: 68
Birthplace: La Mesa, California
Number: 32
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, San Diego Clippers, Los Angeles Clippers
William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American retired basketball player... more
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#20 of 133 The Best Boston Celtics of All Time#28 of 165 The Greatest NBA Centers of All Time
16
1,297
826
Paul Arizin
Small Forward
Age: Dec. at 78 (1928-2006)
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Number: 11
Teams: Philadelphia Warriors
Paul Joseph Arizin (April 9, 1928 – December 12, 2006), nicknamed "Pitchin' Paul", was an... more
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#3 of 23 The Best Small Forwards of the 60s#3 of 27 The Best 60s NBA Shooting Guards
17
2,975
2,191
Chris Mullin
Shooting guard, Small forward
Age: 57
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Number: 17
Teams: Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors
Christopher Paul Mullin (born July 30, 1963) is an American retired professional basketball... more
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#50 of 68 The Best Current College Basketball Coaches#8 of 29 The Greatest Small Forwards of the 1980s
18
2,895
2,136
Bob Pettit
Power forward, Center
Age: 88
Birthplace: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Number: 9
Teams: Milwaukee Hawks, St. Louis Hawks
Robert Lee Pettit Jr. (born December 12, 1932) is an American retired professional basketball... more
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#3 of 58 The Greatest LSU Basketball Players of All Time#8 of 168 The Greatest Power Forwards in NBA History
19
2,450
1,506
Kristaps Porzingis
Power forward
Age: 25
Birthplace: Ventspils, Latvia
Number: 6
Teams: Dallas Mavericks
Kristaps Porziņģis (born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the... more
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#2 of 30 The Tallest NBA Players of All Time, Ranked#3 of 31 Every Player Over 7 Feet Tall In The NBA Today, Ranked
20
3,232
2,415
Pau Gasol
Power forward, Center
Age: 40
Birthplace: Barcelona, Spain
Number: 16
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs
Pau Gasol Sáez (born July 6, 1980) is a retired Spanish professional basketball player for the... more
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#412 of 583 The Greatest Entertainers of All Time#34 of 54 The Most Hated Active NBA Players
21
697
389
Nikola Vučević
Power forward, Center
Age: 30
Birthplace: Morges, Switzerland
Number: 9
Teams: Orlando Magic
Nikola Vučević (born 24 October 1990) is a Montenegrin professional basketball player who... more
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#5 of 74 The Best Orlando Magic of All Time#2 of 34 The Greatest USC Basketball Players of All Time
22
1,852
1,376
Arvydas Sabonis
Center
Age: 56
Birthplace: Kaunas, Lithuania
Number: 11
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers
Arvydas Romas Sabonis (Lithuanian pronunciation: [ˈaːrviːdaːs ˈsaːboːnʲɪs]; born December 19,... more
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#17 of 23 The Best NBA Centers of the 1980s#29 of 126 The Best NBA Buys for the Money
23
3,138
305
Luka Dončić
Guard, Small forward
Age: 22
Birthplace: Slovenia
Number: 11
Teams: Dallas Mavericks
Luka Dončić (born February 28, 1999) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the... more
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#76 of 786 The Top NBA Players Of All Time#101 of 161 The Best NBA Players With No Championship Rings

24
2,266
1,694
Peja Stojaković
Small forward
Age: 43
Birthplace: Požega, Croatia
Number: 16
Teams: Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans
Predrag Stojaković (Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг Стојаковић, pronounced [ˌprêdraːɡ... more
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#11 of 146 The Best European NBA Players of All Time#53 of 135 The Best Small Forwards of All Time
25
1,084
705
Steven Adams
Center
Age: 27
Birthplace: Rotorua, New Zealand
Number: 12
Teams: New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder
Steven Funaki Adams (born 20 July 1993) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for... more
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#78 of 96 The Most Overrated Players In The NBA Today#7 of 50 The Best NBA Centers Right Now