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the fifty greatest NBA players ever.

WILT CHAMBERLAIN (31,419 career points, 30.1 ppg)

For many, Wilt is not only the best scorer, but also the best professional basketball player ever. Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain changed the game of basketball. Many players had great accomplishments over the years, but few can say that they actually changed the way the game was played and caused rules to be altered. Wilt's physical dominance allowed him to score and rebound, literally at will. His statistics are stuff of legend, including the famous 100-point game, and his mind-boggling 50.4 points per game in the 1961-62 season. It doesn't seem possible that anyone would have that kind of season ever again. He still holds the record for all-time rebounds, and Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Karl Malone are the only players to eclipse his all-time record for total points. Again, any discussion of the greatest player ever must include Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain.

I'm sure there are people that I did not discuss which some would say should be on the list of all-time best NBA scorers so I'll add a few honorable mentions. Players like Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Bob Pettit, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Allen Iverson could also be on a list of all-time best NBA scorers. Bryant, James, and Iverson are still playing so their ultimate legacy is undefined, but their statistical ability to score from season to season is certainly worth noting. As mentioned, all these players didn't just rack up points, but they were also the "go-to" players in their respective eras. When the game was on the line, you wanted the ball in their hands.

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