Ranked by greatness: The 1992 Dream Team

7. Charles Barkley (28.3 pts, 14.6 rebs, 5.1 asts, 2.2 stls, 1.6 blks)

It’s possible Charles Barkley’s personality has or one day will eclipse most people’s awareness of his career. It was Barkley, remember, who emerged as the star of the Dream Team’s run, leading the team in both scoring and near-international incidents. A deep dive into his NBA career should make it impossible to ever forget what a talent this man really was.

Barkley was a ten-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA selection who won MVP in 1993. Those numbers only sort of acknowledge the swath of destruction he cut through the league over the years. Despite being undersized most nights and being his team’s focus point on offense for over a decade, Barkley still led the league in two-point shooting five times; six times he shot 60 percent or higher from inside the arc. Pound-for-pound, that’s about as remarkable an achievement as any NBA player has ever pulled off. He went up against bigger guys night in and night out, and they knew he was coming, and they still couldn’t even slow him down, much less stop him.

Greatness is doing it all, then doing it all again and again. Perhaps Barkley’s most impressive feats highlight his diverse skill set and his endurance. How many players — ever — could average 28 points a game? 14 rebounds? 5 assists? Over two steals? Nearly two blocks? How many could play 16 seasons and average double-digit rebounds in 15 of them? It’s as true off-the-court as on: “Only Charles.”