The power forward position features some true icons of basketball
The 5 best power forwards in NBA history
As we announced towards the end of our previous blog about the greatest NBA small forwards of all time, the two remaining positions we still have to cover presented a lot of challenges to find the greatest ones among all the legendary players.
Since your Grosbasket team is never afraid of challenges, we are happy to present our list of the greatest power forwards of all time in the history of the NBA!
5. Charles Barkley & Karl Malone
Right from the start, this list will be different as these two NBA icons get to share the first entry and another glaring common characteristic. Yes, they were both regular season MVPs who never won a championship. The primary reason for this shortcoming was Michael Jordan which definitely creates extenuating circumstances for them. If we were to look beyond this and started listing all of the great things both of them achieved during their careers, this blog/list would become very long…so, we will just post their jaw-dropping highlights:
4. Kevin Garnett
Some may not know that back in the day, players were allowed to skip college and go pro right after high school. Well, KG was one of the first from this group and also among the best who did it like that. Beyond his accolades that include a championship ring with the Boston Celtics and an MVP award with Minnesota Timberwolves, he will perhaps be most remembered for a true warrior spirit that inspired many fans and other NBA players. His personality and attitude have also translated to a successful post-playing career as a commentator, together with his former teammate Paul Pierce.
3. Dirk Nowitzki
His arrival to the NBA was somewhat uninspiring. After he became the first European player ever to receive the regular season MVP award, he also ended up on the losing side of one the biggest upsets in NBA Playoffs history when the “We Believe” Golden State Warriors knocked out his Dallas Mavericks in 2007. The German legend finally made all of these negative narratives go away in 2011 by winning a ring against the “Big Three” Miami Heat led by LeBron James. His statue in Dallas is a lasting symbol of his greatness.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Even if he achieved much less, the story of the Greek Freak would already be truly inspiring. Still, he made every single person who doubted him quiet by dominating in this era of NBA basketball. Almost everyone will agree that the Milwaukee Bucks are a perennial championship contender because of Giannis, while his unique style of play will hardly ever be replicated. On top of all these things, his Nike signature sneaker line continues to be one of the best sellers in our stores.
1. Tim Duncan
There are not that too many NBA nicknames which describe a legendary player as efficiently. This is why many still refer to TD as the Big Fundamental, and that is exactly how he played. Tim kept things simple, rarely showed any emotions (which probably led to one of the most outrageous technical fouls ever in the NBA) and dominated his competition. Along the way, he led the San Antonio Spurs on their way to become a dynasty and helped Gregg Popovich become one the greatest coaches in NBA history. True to his style, Timmy is spending retirement away from the spotlight, while improving his martial arts skills.
Honestly, making this list was not easy, so we will add an honorable mention that could also be a useful piece of information for the next NBA pub quiz you might participate in:
- Bob Pettit, and the main reason for his inclusion is the fact that he is the first ever MVP in NBA history. Yes, he was also an NBA champion with the St. Louis Hawks in 1958.
Hopefully, the list was interesting! Let us know what you think about it, and join us when we break down the all-time NBA centers list!
