Each National Basketball Association regular season is not complete without bringing together the top five symbolic players. Entering any of them is already a great achievement, much less the first one, which only elite and legendary NBA players access. So which of the best basketball players in league history never earned the honor of being in the top five for at least one season of their career? Let’s remember the history of the “Championship”.
Vince Carter
Vince Carter
Photo: Getty Images
Professional honors: Rookie of the Year (1999), eight-time NBA All-Star, two NBA All-Stars, dunk champion (2000), first All-Rookie All-Star (1999).
One of the best players of his generation, Vince Carter, could never be among the top five players at the end of at least one season of his career. Vinsanity spent his prime with the Toronto Raptors and the New Jersey Nets. Throughout his 22-year career, Vince averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Carter, in his best years, was distinguished by incredible physical attributes that allowed him to open up any defense with his penetrating passes. Above all, the forward is remembered for his mind-blowing dunks, which, one could say, made him an NBA star.
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alex english
alex english
Photo: Rick Stewart/Getty Images
Professional Honors: NBA scoring leader (1982/1983, 1983/1984 season), eight-time NBA All-Star, three All-NBA All-Stars, second All-Rookie All-Star (1977), Hall member of Fame of the NBA.
Alex English is a prominent basketball player who was the leader in total points scored in the 1980s: 21,814. However, he is not known by many people, especially due to his performance in those years with the rather provincial Denver Nuggets. . It was nearly impossible for English to compete for a spot in the NBA’s top five because Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Bernard King and Dominique Wilkins all played the same position as him. Even such outstanding attacking skills did not help the legendary basketball player break into the top five; The Denver leader managed to be in the second symbolic top five only twice.
Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Professional honors: Two-time NBA champion, 10-time NBA All-Star, two NBA All-Stars, three-point shooting champion (2001), member of the Top 75 All-NBA Team, member of the Hall of Fame NBA Fame.
The best three-point shooter before Stephen Curry entered the NBA was Ray Allen. The shooting guard led the Milwaukee Bucks with all his might in the early years of his career. The team, led by Allen, reached the Eastern Conference finals in the 2000-2001 season, but lost to Philadelphia, led by Allen Iverson. Then there was a particularly mediocre period in terms of results, but not productivity, in Seattle, and then Ray, along with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, brought the long-awaited championship to Boston in 2008.
The Celts tried to resist the Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe Bryant, but failed to win the title again. Then Allen decided to move to the camp of the strongest team of that time – the Miami Heat, to which LeBron James and Chris Bosh moved, who created the famous trio with Dwyane Wade.
Now a veteran, Ray performed his youth mentor duties at a high level and hit his famous three-point shot in the playoff finals with the San Antonio Spurs. In the fifth game of the series, the score was 95:92 in favor of the Spurs, and Allen scored a shot with 5.2 seconds left and saved Miami from defeat. As a result, the Florida Club won in the sixth game and then completed the matter in the seventh game. Ray Allen is rumored to have saved LeBron James’ legacy. Think about how great this player was who didn’t make the top five.
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Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce
Photo: Elsa/Getty Images
Professional Honors: NBA Champion (2008), NBA Finals MVP (2008), 10-time NBA All-Star, three All-NBA All-NBA selections, first All-Rookie All-Star (1999) , member of the 75th team, best players in NBA History, member of the NBA Hall of Fame.
Another outstanding player in the history of the National Basketball Association. Paul Pierce was drafted by the Boston Celtics at the turn of the century and spent a significant portion of his career with the Celtics. The basketball player is the second most productive player in Boston history, only surpassed by John Havlicek. At the same time, Pierce, together with Allen and Garnett, won the championship for Boston, which the team had been waiting for since 1986. In turn, the forward was the leader and best player in the finals with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The video can be seen on the NBA’s YouTube channel. Video rights belong to NBA MEDIA VENTURES, LLC.
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Professional Honors: 10-time NBA All-Star, four All-NBA All-Stars, two All-NBA All-NBA, NBA scoring leader (2012/2013 season), member of All-NBA Top 75 team.
From his first years in the League, Carmelo stood out for his outstanding offensive skills. Anthony entered the NBA with LeBron James and spent most of his career trying to give the Denver Nuggets their first championship in NBA history. But despite his playoff setbacks, Carmelo still left his mark on the league. Melo never managed to enter the symbolic top five, despite his impressive performance in the New York Knicks, as he was always hindered by other legends: LeBron James and Kevin Durant. However, his astonishing career average of 22.5 points speaks for itself. At the same time, Carmelo ranks tenth in the list of the most productive players in NBA history.
The video can be seen on the NBA’s YouTube channel. Video rights belong to NBA MEDIA VENTURES, LLC.
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