5 PICKS
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Best Players of The 1980s

The decade that saved the league: the Lakers' Showtime fast break against Larry Bird's Celtics, Magic versus Bird, and the rise of a young Michael Jordan. Scoring was fast and physical, and the rivalry-driven Finals turned the NBA into appointment television.

The 1980s are where the modern NBA was born as a spectacle. Magic Johnson's Lakers turned the fast break into Showtime, while Larry Bird's Celtics answered with a more deliberate, skill-drenched half-court game. Their rivalry — three Finals meetings in four years — pulled the league out of the late-1970s doldrums and onto prime-time television, and the supporting casts around them were as deep as any era you can draft from.

Stylistically the decade rewarded versatility. Point guards were expected to push pace and rebound, forwards passed like guards, and centers still anchored everything. That balance shows up in the pools: the era is rich at every position, not just at the top, which makes its rosters some of the most flexible in the game.

For drafters, the marquee 1980s pools — the Showtime Lakers, Bird's Celtics, the Bad Boys Pistons taking shape late in the decade — give you a true five-deep roster rather than a star and four role players. If your draw lands you here, you can build around two-way balance instead of chasing one scorer.

Top 15 overall

  1. 1Larry BirdSF26.1 ppg · 10.1 rpg · 6.4 apg89
  2. 2Michael JordanSG32.7 ppg · 6.2 rpg · 5.9 apg82
  3. 3Charles BarkleyPF22.1 ppg · 12.0 rpg · 3.5 apg80
  4. 4Magic JohnsonPG19.6 ppg · 7.3 rpg · 11.9 apg77
  5. 5Hakeem OlajuwonC23.0 ppg · 12.1 rpg · 2.0 apg76
  6. 6Clyde DrexlerSG19.8 ppg · 5.9 rpg · 5.6 apg73
  7. 7Kareem Abdul-JabbarC19.4 ppg · 6.8 rpg · 2.5 apg71
  8. 8Julius ErvingSF20.7 ppg · 5.9 rpg · 3.5 apg71
  9. 9Patrick EwingC21.2 ppg · 8.8 rpg · 1.9 apg71
  10. 10Larry NancePF17.3 ppg · 7.8 rpg · 2.6 apg70
  11. 11Jack SikmaC18.5 ppg · 11.1 rpg · 3.7 apg70
  12. 12Moses MaloneC23.9 ppg · 13.4 rpg · 1.4 apg69
  13. 13Moses MaloneC31.1 ppg · 14.7 rpg · 1.8 apg68
  14. 14Kevin McHalePF19.6 ppg · 8.0 rpg · 1.9 apg68
  15. 15Robert ParishC17.8 ppg · 10.5 rpg · 1.8 apg68

Best by position

PG

  1. 1Magic JohnsonPG19.6 ppg · 7.3 rpg · 11.9 apg77
  2. 2Mark PricePG14.2 ppg · 2.4 rpg · 5.9 apg67
  3. 3Sleepy FloydPG17.7 ppg · 3.3 rpg · 6.7 apg65
  4. 4Isiah ThomasPG20.2 ppg · 3.7 rpg · 9.8 apg65
  5. 5Derek HarperPG12.9 ppg · 2.6 rpg · 5.8 apg64

SG

  1. 1Michael JordanSG32.7 ppg · 6.2 rpg · 5.9 apg82
  2. 2Clyde DrexlerSG19.8 ppg · 5.9 rpg · 5.6 apg73
  3. 3Dale EllisSG26.1 ppg · 4.7 rpg · 2.5 apg67
  4. 4Sidney MoncriefSG18.3 ppg · 5.1 rpg · 4.2 apg67
  5. 5Walter DavisSG19.5 ppg · 2.5 rpg · 4.6 apg66

SF

  1. 1Larry BirdSF26.1 ppg · 10.1 rpg · 6.4 apg89
  2. 2Julius ErvingSF20.7 ppg · 5.9 rpg · 3.5 apg71
  3. 3Chris MullinSF19.3 ppg · 3.5 rpg · 3.8 apg67
  4. 4Mark AguirreSF24.6 ppg · 5.7 rpg · 3.8 apg66
  5. 5Alex EnglishSF27.3 ppg · 5.4 rpg · 4.7 apg65

PF

  1. 1Charles BarkleyPF22.1 ppg · 12.0 rpg · 3.5 apg80
  2. 2Larry NancePF17.3 ppg · 7.8 rpg · 2.6 apg70
  3. 3Kevin McHalePF19.6 ppg · 8.0 rpg · 1.9 apg68
  4. 4Tom ChambersPF20.4 ppg · 6.5 rpg · 2.4 apg65
  5. 5Tom ChambersPF25.7 ppg · 8.4 rpg · 2.9 apg65

C

  1. 1Hakeem OlajuwonC23.0 ppg · 12.1 rpg · 2.0 apg76
  2. 2Kareem Abdul-JabbarC19.4 ppg · 6.8 rpg · 2.5 apg71
  3. 3Patrick EwingC21.2 ppg · 8.8 rpg · 1.9 apg71
  4. 4Jack SikmaC18.5 ppg · 11.1 rpg · 3.7 apg70
  5. 5Moses MaloneC23.9 ppg · 13.4 rpg · 1.4 apg69

Teams of The 1980s

LA ClippersSan Antonio SpursCleveland CavaliersSacramento KingsGolden State WarriorsIndiana PacersNew York KnicksChicago BullsHouston RocketsPhiladelphia 76ersPhoenix SunsBrooklyn NetsWashington WizardsOklahoma City ThunderPortland Trail BlazersMilwaukee BucksDetroit PistonsUtah JazzAtlanta HawksBoston CelticsDenver NuggetsDallas MavericksLos Angeles LakersMiami HeatCharlotte Hornets

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