NBA: 1990s All-Decade third team
Honorable Mentions:
G – Dominique Wilkins:
1990s Resume: Eight seasons, two-time All-NBA Second Team, one-time All-NBA Third Team, five-time NBA All-Star, 22.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 2.5 APG, 20.9 average PER
‘Nique’s prime was in the 1980s, but a quick glance at his numbers will tell you how effective he still was in the eight seasons he played during the 90s. However, since his best years were spent battling Larry Bird in the 80s, this is as far as we can move him, since the Human Highlight Film started to get a little bit choppy after his Achilles injury in 1992.
G – Mark Price:
1990s Resume: Nine seasons, one-time All-NBA First Team, two-time All-NBA Third Team, three-time NBA All-Star, 14.9 PPG and 6.9 APG, 19.1 average PER
One of the most underrated point guards of all time, Mark Price was the best player on a number of tough Cleveland Cavaliers teams in the 80s and 90s. Price was a deadly shooter and although his best years came in the 80s, Price at least deserves a shout out in the honorable mentions.
G – Penny Hardaway:
1990s Resume: Six seasons, one NBA Finals appearance, two-time All-NBA First Team, one-time All-NBA Third Team, four-time NBA All-Star, 18.6 PPG, 5.9 APG and 4.7 RPG, 19.4 average PER
Oh, what could have been. Penny Hardaway was on pace to become the next Magic Johnson as a 6’7″ point guard who could score, set up teammates, rebound and play a well-balanced game overall. He and Shaquille O’Neal led the Orlando Magic to an NBA Finals appearance, but they were eaten alive by Hakeem Olajuwon and then Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls took over the East from there. After four stellar seasons, injuries would take their toll and prevented what might have been a Hall of Fame career.
G – Mitch Richmond:
1990s Resume: 10 seasons, three-time All-NBA Second Team, two-time All-NBA Third Team, six-time NBA All-Star, 22.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 3.8 APG, 17.8 average PER
Mitch Richmond, who was recently inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, is one of the NBA’s most underrated scorers. Over the course of his entire career, Richmond simply got buckets, either with the Run TMC Golden State Warriors or a bunch of losing Sacramento Kings teams. Had he played for a playoff contender in his career, we might remember the pure shooter Mitch Richmond differently.
G – Kevin Johnson:
1990s Resume: Nine seasons, one NBA Finals appearance, three-time All-NBA Second Team, one-time All-NBA Third Team, three-time NBA All-Star, 18.3 PPG, 9.0 APG and 3.2 RPG, 20.8 average PER
For only being 6’1″, Kevin Johnson was one bad little dude. Just ask Hakeem. KJ led the Phoenix Suns to two Western Conference Finals appearances and once Charles Barkley came over to help, the Suns finished with the best record in the West. Unfortunately, KJ’s poor NBA Finals performance and the 1990s buzz saw that was Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls prevented Johnson’s legacy from being even greater than what it already is.
F – Dennis Rodman:
1990s Resume: 10 seasons, four NBA titles, two-time All-NBA Third Team, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, seven-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, seven-time NBA leader in rebounding, two-time NBA All-Star, 6.4 PPG and 15.1 RPG, 13.7 average PER
The only player in this entire piece with a below-average Player Efficiency Rating in the 1990s, Dennis Rodman did things that didn’t show up on the stat sheet. A two-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner, Rodman led the league in rebounding seven out of his ten seasons in the 90s, not to mention the fact that he played an integral and often underrated part on four championship teams.
F – Tim Duncan:
1990s Resume: Two seasons, one NBA title, one NBA Finals MVP award, two-time All-NBA First Team, one-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, one NBA Rookie of the Year award, one-time NBA All-Star, 21.4 PPG, 11.7 RPG and 2.5 BPG, 22.9 average PER
Had this been the 2000s All-Decade Team, there’s no question Tim Duncan would be First Team. But with only two seasons on his 1990s resume, an honorable mention is as far as we can go for now. Still, those two seasons included a championship, an All-NBA First Team selection, an NBA Finals MVP award and a ridiculous stat line that was just a sign of things to come for a new era of San Antonio Spurs basketball.
C – Shaquille O’Neal:
1990s Resume: Seven seasons, one NBA Finals appearance, one-time All-NBA First Team, two-time All-NBA Second Team, three-time All-NBA Third Team, one NBA Rookie of the Year award, six-time NBA All-Star, one-time NBA leader in scoring, 27.1 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 2.6 BPG, 27.5 average PER
Like a couple of other guys on this list, Shaquille O’Neal had some spectacular seasons in the 90s, but most of his dominance came in a different decade. Because the next three centers on our list are so closely associated with the 90s, Shaq gets the boot here since he really didn’t take over the league until he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. However, that unbelievable stat line is still worth pointing out, and that’s before his career years in L.A.
Other Honorable Mentions: Dikembe Mutumbo, Jason Kidd, Alonzo Mourning, Joe Dumars, Larry Johnson, Vin Baker, Allen Iverson, Glen Rice, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bernard King and James Worthy