Ranking The 10 Best NBA Players In The 1980s Decade

The 1980s decade saved the NBA. After merging with the ABA in 76, the league struggled to get attention. Finals games were on tape delayed, other sports were way more popular at the time. Until the 1979 NCAA title game, with two of the very best college players, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, going toe to toe, forming the biggest rivalry the game of basketball has ever seen. These two players brought the league to new heights, forming dynasties of their own. Boston and LA took home 8 of the 10 titles of the decade. How's it going guys, my name's Wilson. Today, we'll take a look at 10 of the very best NBA players in the 1980s decade. Number 10, a very close call between Dominic Wilkins and George Girvin. Both have very similar numbers. Girvin was better in the early 80s, Wilkins dominated the late 80s. Both of them never got far in the playoffs, had different types of games, but I'm slightly going with the human highlight film. Although he never won a title or competed for the MVP, a dominant scorer and solid rebounder, hosted numbers of 26 points, 7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, a steal and a half on 47% shooting, 4 all-star appearances for all NBA teams, won first team in 86, finished top 5 in MVP voting twice, led his Hawks to 50-plus wins 4 times, won the 85 dunk contest, and had one of the greatest individual showdowns with Larry Bird in Game 7 of the 88 semis. An instant classic, Wilkins averaged over 31 for the series, Bird 26.5 points. Despite Dominic's 47-point effort in Game 7, Bird poured in 20 of his 34 in the 4th. Because of this big playoff moment, I rank Wilkins slightly ahead of Girvin in the 80s top 10. Number 9, James Worthy. Magic Johnson called him one of the top players in playoffs history during Worthy's retirement news conference. Posted regular season numbers of almost 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block on almost 56% shooting in 552 games, his numbers simply don't show how valuable he truly was. Worthy might not have as many accolades as other stars, made 4 all-star teams from 86 to 89, left out the all-NBA team in the 80s. Since he was never the first option on his team, the 6'9 small forward could have averaged in the mid-20s as a first option for another team, but simply showed up when it mattered most. Deserved a lot of credit with his defense against Larry Bird. Worthy averaged 23 a game in the 85 finals, pretty much the second option when Kareem was getting old can do it all. A very underrated passer, his numbers increased in the postseason, most remembered for his excellent Game 7 in the 88 finals, a stat line of 36 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 finals MVP, averaged close to 25 a game in the 89 playoffs, never shot below 53% in any of the 80 seasons. The great Larry Bird said Worthy was his toughest matchup throughout his career and created a lot of trouble for the opponent's offensive players. Capable of guarding 4 positions, the quick post moves, transition slams, soft touch, diving for loose balls, and doing all the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet best describes his playing style. Number 8, Kevin McHale. Very underrated and doesn't get as much recognition when talked about amongst the greatest power forwards all time. At 6'10, 210 pounds, he might not look as strong, but arguably has the best post moves of any power forward the game has ever seen. Posted numbers of 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, almost 2 blocks, on nearly 57% shooting in just 32 minutes from 81-89, made 5 of his 7 total all-star appearances, won 2 sixth man of the year awards, won all NBA first team in 87, 5 defensive teams, 3 first, finished 4th in MVP voting in 87. Just like Worthy, McHale could have posted way better numbers on an average team, did what was best for his team. Coming off the bench his first 5 seasons, with Boston's low pay style, McHale used his physical gifts to his advantage. A 7'7 wingspan, extremely quick, and had all the tricks in the world to fool his defenders. Also with an insane growth spurt in high school from being 5'9 to a full 6'11. It wasn't until when Boston traded Cedric Maxwell did McHale become a full-time starter. Averaged 25 a game on 58% shooting. For the 86 playoffs, one of the greatest teams all time, became the first player to ever shoot over 60% from the line in 87. It didn't matter where McHale got the ball on the box, it was almost automatic. Unfortunately, the foot injury started to pile up in the late 80s. The great Charles Barkley said, McHale's the best player he ever had to play against and guard. Number 7, Isaiah Thomas. Who don't look like a villain, being only 6'1, 180 pounds, he was an absolute killer on the court. A star right away, Thomas averaged over 20 points, 2 steals, on 46% shooting. For the decade, made 8 of his 12 all-star teams, starting from his rookie season. 5 All-NBA teams, 3 firsts from 84-86, top 5 in the 84 MVP race, won 2 all-star game MVPs, his first title came in 89. Known for his grit and feistiness, similar qualities to Chris Paul, Thomas handled pain as well as anybody. A dangerous shooter from any spot, and phenomenal passer. Lightning quick, can take over a game at any time, 2 of his most craziest stretches. How about 16 points in the final 94 seconds in the 84 playoffs against the Knicks to send the game to overtime. And setting a record high 25 points in one quarter, in game 6 of the 88 finals, dropped 43 on a badly sprained ankle. Combined with having one of the best handles, because of his negative remarks against Magic Johnson, which ruined their friendship for almost 30 years. Racial comments regarding Larry Bird, and beef with Michael Jordan, Thomas doesn't get much recognition for his success. Number 6, Julius Irving. One of the most spectacular players in NBA history, the doctor was doing all the crazy dunks before social media. Average 22, 6.5 rebounds, 4 assists, almost 2 steals in 2 blocks on 51% shooting from 80-87. Made the all-star team every season of his career. 5 All-NBA teams, 4 first teams, the 81 MVP, was 2nd the year before, 3rd the season after, made 3 finals in the 80s decade. Before Moses' arrival, Irving's Sixers just weren't as good as Kareem and Magic's Lakers. A fantastic all-around player with flair and style, an innovator, still has some of the most incredible jaw-dropping plays all time, far ahead of his time, one of the most influential players in NBA history. His professionalism second to none, I had the great privilege, in interviewing the doctor back in 2014, his thoughts on winning the title in 83. And about your NBA career, tell me how it was like winning the first championship of the Sixers in 83, what were some of your greatest memories? Well, you know, after coming off of the Nets championship years, we had a great expectation of being successful in Philadelphia, and we played for the championship 4 times in 7 years, so we made 4 finals, and you know, we won one, but sometimes you can't be greedy, you just gotta take what you get, and that championship in 1983 was very very special, you know, I was at an age where I was at the latter part of my career, I'd already played for 11 years during that time, and I ended up playing another 5 years, and I have no regrets, I just look at it as what my fate was as a basketball player, to be a multiple champion in both leagues, a multiple scoring leader, and a multiple MVP, and to be ranked as one of the all-time greats. Number 5, Michael Jordan, an instant superstar coming into the league, posted insane numbers of 32.6 points, over 6 rebounds, 6 assists, almost 3 steals over a block on 51% shooting for the 80s, his bowls weren't as good yet, made 5 all-star teams, 4 all-NBA teams, 3 first, 2 defensive first teams, the first player to win the most valuable player and defensive player of the year the same season in 88, took home 2 dunk contest trophies, the 88 all-star game MVP, finished 2nd in 87 and 89, MJ led the league in scoring the last 3 years of the 80s, 1st in steals in 88, made it to the conference finals in 89, MJ just didn't have another all-star on his team until 1990, having postseason numbers of 35.4 points, 2.4 steals over a block on 50% shooting through 37 games of the decade is absolutely insane, most memorable for his epic 63 point game 2 performance against Boston, 4 total 50 plus point games during the 80s postseason, more times than scoring under 20 in the postseason, already the most talented player in the late 80s, as great as Jordan was, the 4 players ranked before him all won the ring during the decade, number 4, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played for 2 full decades, by far the best player in the 70s, the captain won 5 of his 6 MVPs the previous decade, but captured 5 of his 6 titles in the 80s, averaged 20.5 points, almost 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks on 57% shooting, was an all-star every season from 80-89, top 5 in MVP voting 5 different times during the 80s, 6 all NBA teams, 4 first teams, 3 all defensive teams, Jabbar should have won the finals MVP in 80, putting up 33-14, became the oldest player to ever win it in 85 at 38 years old, having the most unstoppable move in NBA history, combined with his longevity, every time the Lakers needed a basket, Jabbar was simply automatic, was between the ages of 33-42, while playing with magic, Kareem's defense was still amazing, despite losing some athleticism and not being the same rebounder compared to his younger days, number 3, Moses Malone, I rank him a hair slightly ahead of Jabbar for the 80s, one of the most underappreciated all-time greats, Big Mo averaged 24.5 points, over 13 rebounds, a block and a half, in 778 games from 80-89, won back-to-back MVPs in 82-83, those years he was arguably the best player in the game, an all-star every season of the decade, 7 all-NBA teams, 3 firsts, defensive firsts in 83, Malone single-handedly dragged the 40 and 42 Rockets to the finals in 81, as the 6th seed, upset the Lakers in 3, Malone also outplayed Jabbar that series, averaged 31-18, Kareem 27-17, his field goal percentage wasn't that high for a big man, since he was nicknamed the chairman of the boards, was the best offensive rebounder the game has ever seen, would intentionally miss a shot on purpose, putting himself in a better position to score after grabbing his misses, won 5 rebounding titles in the 80s, had one of the best single seasons of anybody, winning MVP for the 83 Sixers, going 12-1 in the playoffs, as physical as any big around the rim, aside from Chamberlain and Russell, Malone's arguably the second best rebounder over the last 40 years, behind Dennis Rotman, also got the best of Jabbar in the 83 finals, averaged 26-18, although he wasn't as effective in his 30s, Malone averaged at least 20 points, 11 rebounds every year of the 80s. The last two, very very close between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, they should honestly be 1A and 1B, Magic had the better career, but Bird arguably the better player, burst the better scorer and rebounder, Magic's the better passer, Bird's a little better on defense, and was arguably the second best passer of the decade, Johnson's averages of 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals were incredible, while Bird put up 25-10-6, 2 steals on 50% shooting, both had sensational numbers, Johnson's Lakers won between 54-65 games every season of the 80s, Bird's Celtics won between 56-67 games, from 80-88, only won 42-89, since Larry missed all but 6 games that season, both made 9 all-star teams in the 80s, Magic missed more than half his second season, while Bird almost missed the entire 89th season. For the titles, Magic 5, Bird 3, also has the Finals MVP edge 3-2 over Bird, both were super unselfish, Magic could've scored way more points if he wanted to, Bird could've been the best scorer in the mid-80s, and both these players could've averaged the triple-double if they wanted, Magic made 7 first teams from 83-89, Bird 9 first teams from 80-88, including 3 defensive teams, many assumed Magic would get the nod with his rings, but Bird was already an MVP candidate right away his rookie season, finished 2nd place from 81-83, easily 3-peated and should've won it unanimously in 85-86, had 3 before Magic even won 1, was also top 3 in 87 and 2nd in 88 behind Jordan, a top 3 MVP candidate for 8 straight seasons, while Magic was top 3 every year between 83-91, I have Magic slightly higher on my all-time list, since he accomplished more in the 90s, Bird's back injuries derailed him for the latter part of his career, while Magic won another MVP after the 80s and dragged his team to one more Finals in 91 before testing positive for HIV, both came into the league the same season, although Magic won Finals MVP as a rookie, he had the best player in the game in Kareem, while Bird was single-handedly responsible for leading Boston to 61 wins as a rookie, the franchise won only 29 games the year before, a 32 game turnaround, from 80-86, Bird was clearly the better player over Magic, from 87-89, Magic gets the slight edge, but not by much, the Lakers in my opinion, were a better overall team than the Celtics, Bird had his 50-40-90 years from 87-88, averaged 29-9-7 on 53-41-91 shooting splits, Larry was also almost 3 years older than Magic, which was why he was more established right away, career wise, I give Magic the tiny edge, but just a tiny bit, but in the 80s, I have Larry Bird ranked ahead of Magic Johnson, if the tragedy of Limbayas didn't happen, perhaps Bird would have won more titles than Magic, nobody will ever know, both were amazing all-around players, both responsible for saving the NBA out of its misery, had the smartest brains and IQ, Larry wasn't the fastest, didn't jump the highest, but one of the best shooters all time, one of the most clutch players as well, got the best of Dominique Wilkins, Julius Irving, James Worthy, and never lost to Jordan in the playoffs, those guys would be up there as some of the most athletic guys in the game today, Bird was all brains, just as good a passer as LeBron James, if Larry Joe played in today's NBA, he would absolutely dominate, also the best trash talker the game has ever seen. It's an absolute travesty, some dumb idiots out there today, don't believe Bird would be great in today's NBA, don't know anything about the NBA, and should be ashamed of themselves for making such stupid statements, Larry Legend played as hard as anybody, battled through numerous back injuries in the mid to late 80s, that's why he didn't have good longevity, there was nobody like Larry Bird in the 80s, a lot of modern players also lacked athleticism, but made up for it with amazing fundamentals and intelligence, combined with toughness and leadership. Honorable mentions includes George Girvin, who just missed my top 10, very underrated, Sidney Moncrief, Adrian Dantley, Alex English, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Robert Parrish, and Bernard King amongst many other greats in the 80s. Who do you think is the best player in the 1980s decade? Let me know in the comments below. Thank you so much for watching this video, I love all of you, except for the ones who don't believe Larry Bird would be good in today's NBA, go educate yourselves.