Pro Basketball's All-Time All-Stars

Across the Eras

Robert W. Cohen

• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN:
  9780810887459
• Edition: 1

The history of the NBA has been filled with superstars, names known to fans and non-fans alike. But while comparisons between athletes who competed against each other face-to-face is a common occurrence in the sports world, it is not quite as easy to compare players from different eras. How would Wilt Chamberlain stack up against Shaquille O'Neal? What about LeBron James and Larry Bird, or Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson? In Pro Basketball's All-Time All-Stars: Across the Eras, Robert Cohen not only examines the best players from each era, but also ranks the five greatest players at each position in the history of the pro game.

Dividing the history of professional basketball into five distinct eras, this book first describes the style of play that prevailed during each period. From the slow-paced, rough-and-tumble style of play that characterized the NBA during its formative years, to the up-tempo, high-flying style that currently prevails, Pro Basketball's All-Time All-Stars gives an in-depth view of how the game has evolved. For each of the five eras, Cohen has selected the best players to man the five positions on the court, providing career bios for each. To determine the best of the best, Cohen considers the level of dominance each player reached during his time in the league, his individual statistics, the degree to which he impacted the fortunes of his team, and the extent to which he improved his teammates' level of play. Individual honors and quotes from teammates and opponents alike are used to support the rankings.

Covering NBA greats such as Bob Pettit, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant, this book will appeal to basketball fans of all generations, and to any NBA fan interested in the history of the game.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction: The Pro Game: A Brief Historical Look
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Part I: The Set Shot Era: The 1946–1960 All-Star Team
• Chapter 1: All-Star Center
• Chapter 2: All-Star Power Forward
• Chapter 3: All-Star Small Forward
• Chapter 4: All-Star Point Guard
• Chapter 5: All-Star Shooting Guard
• Chapter 6: All-Star Starting Five
• Part II: The Era of the Superstar: The 1961–1975 All-Star Team
• Chapter 7: All-Star Center
• Chapter 8: All-Star Power Forward
• Chapter 9: All-Star Small Forward
• Chapter 10: All-Star Point Guard
• Chapter 11: All-Star Shooting Guard
• Chapter 12: All-Star Starting Five
• Part III: The Bird/Magic Era: The 1976–1990 All-Star Team
• Chapter 13: All-Star Center
• Chapter 14: All-Star Power Forward
• Chapter 15: All-Star Small Forward
• Chapter 16: All-Star Point Guard
• Chapter 17: All-Star Shooting Guard
• Chapter 18: All-Star Starting Five
• Part IV: The Slam Dunk Era: The 1991–2005 All-Star Team
• Chapter 19: All-Star Center
• Chapter 20: All-Star Power Forward
• Chapter 21: All-Star Small Forward
• Chapter 22: All-Star Point Guard
• Chapter 23: All-Star Shooting Guard
• Chapter 24: All-Star Starting Five
• Part V: The Free Agent Era: The 2006–2012 All-Star Team
• Chapter 25: All-Star Center
• Chapter 26: All-Star Power Forward
• Chapter 27: All-Star Small Forward
• Chapter 28: All-Star Point Guard
• Chapter 29: All-Star Shooting Guard
• Chapter 30: All-Star Starting Five
• Part VI: Pro Basketball’s All-Time All-Stars
• Chapter 31: All-Star Center
• Chapter 32: All-Star Power Forward
• Chapter 33: All-Star Small Forward
• Chapter 34: All-Star Point Guard
• Chapter 35: All-Star Shooting Guard
• Chapter 36: All-Star Starting Five
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• About the Author