The NBA made it into mainstream popularity like never before in the 1980s. After broadcasting the NBA Finals on tape delay and staying in the shadows of football and baseball, superstars like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird opened fans’ eyes to the excitement basketball could elicit if played the right way. The best players of the 1980s raised the bar for greatness and turned the NBA into the worldwide phenomenon it remains today!

1. Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson conjured passes and orchestrated fast-break offenses with revolutionary size and speed. He broke down every barrier relating to positional confines and how the game should be played, elevating Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Los Angeles Lakers to a height they hadn’t seen since the days of George Mikan in Minneapolis.

2. Larry Bird

Larry Bird matched his tongue with his game, often boasting of his insane exploits and following them up with even greater results. There was nothing Bird was afraid to try on the court, from shooting with his off-hand to launching an attempt behind the backboard. Only back injuries prevented the dorky farmer from contending for the status of greatest of all time!

3. Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan became mythical in the 1990s by winning six NBA championships with Chicago, but it was his early days with the Bulls in the 1980s that put the world on notice. Jordan passed the eye test in his first five years by jumping from the free throw line and snatching scoring titles from the best athletes in the world.

4. Moses Malone

Moses Malone didn’t say much on or off the court. He let his game do the talking to the tune of three MVPs and a revelatory title with the Philadelphia 76ers alongside Julius Erving. Malone often got the best of his closest rivals like Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Robert Parish.

5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar started to fade into the secondary role on the Lakers during the 1980s, but Los Angeles wouldn’t have won a single title without the goggled center. Kareem showed the world that great athletes don’t have to quit once they turn 32 years old, scoring and rebounding with the best on the court well into his late 30s and early 40s.

6. Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas made history by becoming the first player under 6 feet 3 inches tall to lead a team to a championship as the best player on the roster. The Detroit Pistons adopted Thomas’ relentless style and energy, and even though opposing fans hated the dirty tactics applied by the team, Thomas climbed to the top of the league during the toughest decade in basketball.

7. Julius Erving

Julius Erving capped a career that mostly transpired in the 1970s with an MVP in 1981 and a championship in 1983. Even as his athleticism tapered off, Erving incorporated wily veteran tactics like a smart post-game and selfless passing attack into his arsenal. The duo of Erving and Moses Malone made even the toughest opponents in the league feel helpless.

8. Dominique Wilkins

Dominique Wilkins shattered athletic barriers in the 1980s with explosive dunking and physicality that overwhelmed the outdated forwards of the previous decades. Wilkins was somehow left off the NBA’s 50th-anniversary team in 1996 but finally received the respect he deserves after being named to the 75th-anniversary group in 2021.

9. Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon would rank much higher on a 1990s list, but even in the 1980s, he started to carve his place into the history books. The Dream didn’t possess his complete repertoire yet, but flashes of greatness sent the Houston Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1986, and he led the league in rebounding in 1989.

10. Kevin McHale

Trying to determine which weapon Kevin McHale would pull out of his toolbox must have felt like playing Russian roulette. McHale always possessed one more fake, one more wrap-around, and one more trick than his competition. If he hadn’t shared the ball with Larry Bird for his entire career, McHale’s scoring numbers would be some of the best in NBA history.

11. Alex English

Alex English started the long-lasting legacy of Denver Nuggets scoring forwards that continued when Carmelo Anthony was drafted. English scored over 25 points per game every season from 1982 through 1989, although the Nuggets were never able to compete with the likes of Los Angeles or Houston in the Western Conference.

12. James Worthy

James Worthy kept a low profile but supplemented Magic Johnson’s passing and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sky hook with swooping around-the-rim finishing. Worthy came out of nowhere to propel the Lakers to titles any time the other stars on the team were unable to give their best. He might be the best third option in NBA history.

13. George Gervin

George Gervin won two of his four scoring titles in the early 1980s before transitioning to a mentorship role with the Chicago Bulls at the beginning of Michael Jordan’s career. Gervin made putting the ball in the basket look easy, often averaging close to 30 points per game on field goal percentages above 50 percent.

14. Sidney Moncrief

Sidney Moncrief set the standard for the hyper-intelligent, physically stout point guard of the modern age. Taking a good dose of defensive skills from players like Walt Frazier, Moncrief valiantly fought for playoff positioning with more talented teams in Detroit, Philadelphia, and Boston. Unfortunately, the Bucks never quite got to the NBA Finals with Moncrief.

15. Adrian Dantley

Adrian Dantley opened doors for smaller players to attack the low post and play bigger than their stature. Dantley won two scoring titles for the Utah Jazz during the 1980s, leaving taller defenders lost in a storm of steady post moves. Dantley would have won a title with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 but was traded during the regular season.

16. Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley learned a lot from Moses Malone and Julius Erving when he was drafted by the Sixers in the mid-1980s. The Round Mound of Rebound slowly evolved his offensive game while not enduring the pressure of a star player, and these learning years facilitated Barkley’s rise to the top of the league in the 1990s.

17. Karl Malone

Karl Malone provided an instant jolt of offense for the Utah Jazz when he was drafted in 1985. Combining with point guard John Stockton in a devastating pick and roll play, Malone bullied smaller defenders with an array of post-ups and mid-range shots. Malone would eventually become a two-time MVP on the back of the foundation he set in the 1980s.

18. Bernard King

Bernard King had high expectations that were unfairly given to him after the success of the Knicks in the 1970s. King was an incredible scorer who should have worked on other parts of his game, but at least he provided some great memories for the Big Apple leading up to the drafting of Patrick Ewing.

19. Robert Parish

Robert Parish always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. On the rare occasion when Larry Bird or Kevin McHale missed a shot, Parish cleaned the glass with tenacity and heart. The Chief became a Boston fan favorite due to his blue-collar work ethic and consistent play year in and year out.

20. Ralph Sampson

Ralph Sampson was Victor Wembanyama before Wemby took social media by storm. Standing at 7 feet 4 inches tall, Sampson presented unsolvable problems to the NBA’s centers in the 1980s. His revelatory skillset took the Houston Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals before injuries tore Sampson’s potential to the ground. He retired from NBA hoops after only nine seasons.

21. Jack Sikma

Jack Sikma remains beloved in the Pacific Northwest decades later after a prodigious career with the Seattle SuperSonics. Sikma introduced mid-range jump shooting to the center position and always put up a fight against Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

22. Mark Aguirre

Mark Aguirre was the missing piece the Pistons needed to get over the hump and win their championships in 1989 and 1990. Aguirre was a perennial 25-point-per-game scorer with the Dallas Mavericks for most of the decade and became the first big star for the team before Dirk Nowitzki was drafted in 1998.