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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 apg91
  2. 2Michael JordanSG32.7 ppg · 6.2 rpg · 5.9 apg84
  3. 3Magic JohnsonPG19.6 ppg · 7.3 rpg · 11.9 apg83
  4. 4Charles BarkleyPF22.1 ppg · 12.0 rpg · 3.5 apg82
  5. 5Clyde DrexlerSG19.8 ppg · 5.9 rpg · 5.6 apg78
  6. 6Hakeem OlajuwonC23.0 ppg · 12.1 rpg · 2.0 apg78
  7. 7Kareem Abdul-JabbarC19.4 ppg · 6.8 rpg · 2.5 apg74
  8. 8Julius ErvingSF20.7 ppg · 5.9 rpg · 3.5 apg74
  9. 9Larry NancePF17.3 ppg · 7.8 rpg · 2.6 apg74
  10. 10Jack SikmaC18.5 ppg · 11.1 rpg · 3.7 apg74
  11. 11Patrick EwingC21.2 ppg · 8.8 rpg · 1.9 apg73
  12. 12Fat LeverPG16.8 ppg · 7.3 rpg · 7.7 apg71
  13. 13Sidney MoncriefSG18.3 ppg · 5.1 rpg · 4.2 apg71
  14. 14Robert ParishC17.8 ppg · 10.5 rpg · 1.8 apg71
  15. 15Derek HarperPG12.9 ppg · 2.6 rpg · 5.8 apg70

Best by position

PG

  1. 1Magic JohnsonPG19.6 ppg · 7.3 rpg · 11.9 apg83
  2. 2Fat LeverPG16.8 ppg · 7.3 rpg · 7.7 apg71
  3. 3Derek HarperPG12.9 ppg · 2.6 rpg · 5.8 apg70
  4. 4Doc RiversPG12.6 ppg · 3.5 rpg · 7.4 apg70
  5. 5Isiah ThomasPG20.2 ppg · 3.7 rpg · 9.8 apg70

SG

  1. 1Michael JordanSG32.7 ppg · 6.2 rpg · 5.9 apg84
  2. 2Clyde DrexlerSG19.8 ppg · 5.9 rpg · 5.6 apg78
  3. 3Sidney MoncriefSG18.3 ppg · 5.1 rpg · 4.2 apg71
  4. 4Ron HarperSG19.4 ppg · 4.6 rpg · 5.0 apg68
  5. 5Paul PresseySG12.0 ppg · 4.5 rpg · 5.8 apg68

SF

  1. 1Larry BirdSF26.1 ppg · 10.1 rpg · 6.4 apg91
  2. 2Julius ErvingSF20.7 ppg · 5.9 rpg · 3.5 apg74
  3. 3Chris MullinSF19.3 ppg · 3.5 rpg · 3.8 apg69
  4. 4Mark AguirreSF24.6 ppg · 5.7 rpg · 3.8 apg67
  5. 5Marques JohnsonSF19.8 ppg · 6.6 rpg · 4.2 apg67

PF

  1. 1Charles BarkleyPF22.1 ppg · 12.0 rpg · 3.5 apg82
  2. 2Larry NancePF17.3 ppg · 7.8 rpg · 2.6 apg74
  3. 3Kevin McHalePF19.6 ppg · 8.0 rpg · 1.9 apg70
  4. 4Larry NancePF16.9 ppg · 8.0 rpg · 2.4 apg69
  5. 5Karl MalonePF23.3 ppg · 10.5 rpg · 2.5 apg67

C

  1. 1Hakeem OlajuwonC23.0 ppg · 12.1 rpg · 2.0 apg78
  2. 2Kareem Abdul-JabbarC19.4 ppg · 6.8 rpg · 2.5 apg74
  3. 3Jack SikmaC18.5 ppg · 11.1 rpg · 3.7 apg74
  4. 4Patrick EwingC21.2 ppg · 8.8 rpg · 1.9 apg73
  5. 5Robert ParishC17.8 ppg · 10.5 rpg · 1.8 apg71

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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