The 10 Best NBA Players of Each Decade: 1980s

Among NBA execs, the 1980s isn’t the topic they want discussed at Thanksgiving. And, why would they?

It was an era fraught with drug abuse among its players; many of the league’s arenas were half-empty and most franchises were on financial life support. And when games were on television, nobody watched.

But just as all hope was lost, the NBA gods sent the league two lifelines — in the form of Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird. The two future NBA legends headline our list of the 10 best players of the 1980s.

1. Larry Bird

Years in the NBA: 1979-1992
Stats: 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Achievements: 3× NBA Champion, 3× NBA MVP, 2× NBA Finals MVP
Bird had legendary status the minute he set foot on the Boston Garden parquet floor — leading the Celtics to a 61-21 record (after they finished 29-53 the previous season).

2. Magic Johnson

Years in the NBA: 1979-1991, 1996
Stats: 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Achievements: 5× NBA Champion, 3× NBA MVP, 3× NBA Finals MVP
The No. 1 pick in the 1979 Draft helped lead the Lakers to an NBA Championshiop his rookie year, even starting at center in the deciding Game 6 (replacing an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), dropping 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Years in the NBA: 1969-1989
Stats: 24.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 2.6 BPG
Achievements: 6× NBA Champion, 6× NBA MVP, 2× NBA Finals MVP
People are marveling at LeBron James’ longevity—and it is remarkable—but Kareem did it first, averaging 20.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 787 games between the 1979-80 and 1988-89 seasons.

4. Julius Erving

Years in the ABA/NBA: 1971-1987
Stats: 24.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.7 BPG
Achievements: 1× NBA Champion, 1× NBA MVP, 2× NBA Finals MVP, 3x ABA MVP
Before kids on the playground wanted to be like Mike, they wanted to be like Dr. J. “Doc” is often considered to have been the main catalyst for the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, and played for 11 years with the Philadelphia 76ers, leading them to the championship in 1983.

5. George Gervin

Years in the ABA/NBA: 1972-1986
Stats: 25.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Achievements: 4× NBA Scoring Champion
Unstoppable as a scorer, Gervin played with a flare that earned him the nickname “Iceman.” With low-key explosive dunking ability, speed, and athleticism, Gervin became the first guard to win three consecutive NBA scoring titles during his career. And, he could finger roll.

6. Isiah Thomas

Years in the NBA: 1981-1994
Stats: 19.2 PPG, 9.3 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Achievements: 2× NBA Champion, 1× NBA Finals MVP
If you like Kyrie Irving’s handle, go watch YouTube videos of Thomas. During the mid-1980s, Thomas — at just 6-foot-1 — carried the Pistons’ offensive load, scoring more than 20 points per game in each season from 1982-83 to 1986-87.

7. Moses Malone

Years in the ABA/NBA: 1974-1995
Stats: 20.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Achievements: 1× NBA Champion, 3× NBA MVP
Remember that old dude at the Y who’d get buckets from Stephen Curry range and who was always on the winning team? That was Malone, who — by his third season (1978-79) — led the league in rebounding (17.6 rpg) and earned his first Most Valuable Player Award.

8. Hakeem Olajuwon

Years in the NBA: 1984-2002
Stats: 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 3.1 BPG
Achievements: 2× NBA Champion, 1× NBA MVP, 2× NBA Finals MVP
How good was “The Dream”? His impact on the league was immediate — when, in 1984, he teamed with eventual Rookie of the Year, 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson, to form the original NBA “Twin Towers” duo. Olajuwon averaged 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.68 blocks in his rookie season.

9. Dominique Wilkins

Years in the NBA: 1982-1999
Stats: 24.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Achievements: 9× All-Star
If we’re honest, his nickname (“The Human Highlight Reel”) wasn’t legendary, but ‘Nique soared above everyone else — literally. Wilkins averaged more than 25 points per game for 10 consecutive seasons, and captured a scoring title in 1985–86 with an average of 30.3 points per game. Wilkins on the run was scary; the high flyer was instrumental in the Atlanta Hawks’ prominence in the 1980s, in the glory days when the club recorded four consecutive 50-win seasons during the decade.

10. Alex English

Years in the NBA: 1976-1991
Stats: 21.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Achievements: 8× All-Star
If you had game like Alex English, your bag was smooth and efficient. If the midrange jumper was worthy of a SportsCenter “Top 10” highlight, English would get all the airtime. One of the NBA’s most prolific scorers during the 1980s, he retired as the seventh-leading scorer with 25,613 points.