Perhaps more than any other professional sports league, NBA teams rely on their star players to carry the load. While we all know it is a team game, certain individuals have emerged to show they are on a different level than their teammates, and their competitors. Basketball fans can argue at great lengths over who the best players of all-time are. However, it is difficult to come up with any definitive answers, as people use different criteria for determining what makes a player great. Be it longevity of their greatness, number of championships won, or how good they were at their best, people can not seem to agree on what it means to be the best.
I decided to take a look at the latter-- who was the best, while at their best? There is nothing more enjoyable for a fan than to marvel at a great athlete while they are putting together a career year. With that, here is a ranking of the top 10 individual seasons in NBA history.
[ new page = Bob McAdoo ]
10) Bob McAdoo, 1974-1975
In just his third season in the NBA, Bob McAdoo put together one of the most impressive statistical years the NBA has ever seen. The 6’9 McAdoo led the NBA in scoring for the second year in a row, with a career best 34.5 point per game. McAdoo also pulled down just over 14 boards, to go along with 2.1 blocks, and 2.2 assists per game. The scoring machine with a freakish wingspan was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1975, as he carried the Buffalo Braves to a 49-33 record, good enough for third in the Eastern Conference. McAdoo was ahead of his time, as he was a center who could shoot from the outside, as well as handle the ball.
[ new page = Larry Bird ]
9) Larry Bird, 1984-1985
The ‘86 Celtics were the best team Bird was a part of, but he had his best year in 1985. The Hick from French Lick averaged a career best 28.7 points per game in 1985, as he won his second of three MVPs in a row. The Celtics came up short against the Lakers in the finals, but it does not take away from the incredible season Bird had. Larry Legend led the Celtics to a 63-19 record, while being second on the team in rebounds and assists per game with 10.5 and 6.6. Bird was so good in 1985, even the Atlanta Hawks could only sit back and laugh as he dropped 60 points on them in a regular season game.
Keep an eye on the Hawks bench towards the end of the video.
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8) Kobe Bryant, 2005-2006
In 2006 the Los Angeles Lakers had a pretty terrible roster, excluding including Kobe Bryant, of course. In Bryant's second season playing with out Shaquille O'Neal, he proved to the league that he was an all-time great scorer. The Black Mamba had 27 games in which he scored 40 or more points, including an 81 point performance, the second most points ever scored in a game. Bryant would go on to average a career best 35.4 points per game, to go along with 5.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds. Despite that, the voters decided to give Steve Nash his second straight MVP. Bryant nearly got even with Nash when the Lakers faced the Suns in the first round of the playoffs. However, Kobe Bryant's 50 points were not enough for the Lakers to win game 6, as they dropped the final two games of the series, after having a 3-2 lead.
[ new page = Bill Russell]
7) Bill Russell, 1961-1962
In 1962 Bill Russell led the Celtics to their fourth of eight straight championships. On top of that, the 6'10 center averaged career bests in points per game (18.9) and field goal percentage (.457). The kicker is that he also averaged 23.6 rebounds per game while being one of the most imposing defensive players the league has ever seen. Russell beat out Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain to collect the third of the five MVP awards he would win during his 13 year career. The Celtics consecutive championship streak was most at risk in 1962, as they were down 3-2 in the NBA Finals to the Lakers before rallying back and winning Game 7 in overtime, making this title particularly sweet. Russell averaged more than 20 rebounds per game for 10 straight years, but 1962 stands out as his best.
[ new page = Magic Johnson ]
6) Magic Johnson, 1986-1987
Magic Johnson put together his best season in 1987, as he was named the league’s MVP for the first of three times. Magic averaged a career high 23.9 points per game, while leading the league in assists with 12.2. With Magic leading the way, the ‘Showtime Lakers’ were at their peak in 1987, as they cruised through the regular season with a 65-17 record. Magic could not have capped of his season any better, as he defeated his longtime rival Larry Bird and his Celtics in the Finals, who had beaten the Lakers the year before.
[ new page = Lebron James]
5) Lebron James, 2011-2012
In 2012 Lebron James was still receiving heavy criticism for the way he had left Cleveland, and for his poor performance in the 2011 NBA Finals. However, Lebron used all that negative energy and turned it into motivation for him to have his best season of his career. Lebron averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while winning his third MVP in four seasons. But most importantly, Lebron won his first ring in 2012, finally getting monkey off his back. Lebron then teamed up with the likes of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant to help team USA win the gold medal over Spain in the Beijing Olympics. After 2012, all debate stopped on whether or not Lebron would be remembered as an all-time great.
[ new page = Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ]
4) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1971-1972
The NBA's all-time leading scorer had his best season in just his third year in the league. Using his unguardable hook shot, Abdul-Jabbar averaged a career high 34.8 points per game, while shooting an efficient 57.4 percent from the field. Abdul-Jabbar actually carried the Milwaukee Bucks to their only championship in franchise history the year before, but 1972 was his masterpiece. In '72 he averaged 10.2 more points, 5.4 more rebounds, 1.2 more assists than his career averages, while on his way to winning his second straight MVP.
[ new page = Michael Jordan ]
3) Michael Jordan, 1995-1996
Michael Jordan won his fourth MVP, and fourth NBA championship in his first full season back from spending time in the Chicago White Sox farm system. The 1996 Bulls may have been the best team in NBA history, as they won a record 72 games during the regular season. Jordan paced the Bulls by averaging 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. The Bulls capped off the season by defeating the Seattle Supersonics in six games in the Finals, as Jordan was named Finals MVP for the fourth time.
[ new page = Oscar Robertson ]
2) Oscar Robertson, 1961-1962
Oscar Robertson became the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double throughout an entire season in 1962. In just his second year in the league, Big O averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game while leading the Cincinnati Royals to a second place finish in the Western Conference. Robertson is still one of the most athletic players the NBA has ever seen. The 6’5 point guard fell victim to playing during the same era as Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain, resulting in him having to wait until 1971 to win his only NBA championship.
[ new page = Wilt Chamberlain ]
1) Wilt Chamberlain, 1961-1962
Wilt Chamberlain put together the most impressive statistical season in NBA history in 1962. Wilt broke two scoring records in that year, the most points ever scored in a single game, 100, and the most points averaged throughout an entire season, 50.4. Not to mention, the 7’1 University of Kansas product grabbed 25.7 rebounds per game. But perhaps even more impressive than his scoring and rebounding, was that he averaged a record 48.5 minutes per game. Despite all that, Chamberlain did not even with the MVP in 1962. The award instead went to his longtime rival Bill Russell.