With the NBA play offs underway, experts at Top10casinos.com were eager to find out who is the most valuable NBA player of all time. In order to do so, an index point system, based on various performance variables, was created. These variables included total points, steals, blocks and rebounds.
Through comparing each player’s performance metrics to their inflation adjusted annual salaries, experts at Top10casinos.com were able to establish an individual index score out of ten, revealing the 50 most valuable players of all time.*
The Most Valuable NBA Players of all Time
Top10casinos.com can reveal that Allan Houston is the most valuable NBA player of all time with an index score of 9.44 out of ten – 26% higher than his closest competitor. The New York Knicks shooting guard, active between 2000-2005, has an inflation adjusted salary of $18,179,103 a year. Through scoring high across the board, with a total of 1,206 points and 182 rebounds during his career, it is no surprise Houston has been named the best value for money!
Ranking second is Vin Baker, power forward for the LA Clippers, who rakes in an index score of 7.51 out of 10. Active during 1999-2006, Baker maintained an inflation adjusted salary of $17,703,739 per annum. Despite having 652 less points than Houston (554 points), Baker has achieved 29 more blocks (35 blocks) and 92 more rebounds (274 rebounds) than his main competitor.
Stephen Curry (2009-2021) follows closely in third place with an index score of 7.5 out of 10. With an inflation adjusted salary of $18,848,418 per year, and ranking 15th for the most points scored (1,536 points), the Golden State Warrior point guard ranks amongst the most valuable NBA players of all time.
Curry is followed by Stephon Marbury (7.47/10), Otto Porter Jr. (7.18/10) and the late Kobe Bryant (7.02/10) respectively ranking fourth, fifth and sixth.
The Least Valuable NBA Players of all Time
| Rank | Name | Position | Seasons | Annual Inflation Adjusted Salaries | Index Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Davis | PF | 2012 – 2021 | $17,990,523 | 1.30 |
| 2 | Rasheed Wallace | PF | 1999 – 2013 | $16,086,023 | 1.30 |
| 3 | David Robinson | C | 2000 – 2003 | $16,494,588 | 1.75 |
| 4 | Tim Duncan | C | 2000 – 2016 | $18,328,612 | 1.83 |
| 5 | James Harden | SG | 2009 – 2021 | $20,181,851 | 1.88 |
| 6 | Vlade Divac | C | 1999 – 2004 | $15,440,733 | 2.04 |
| 7 | Karl Malone | PF | 1999 – 2003 | $24,912,063 | 2.08 |
| 8 | Dwyane Wade | G | 2005 – 2019 | $15,900,568 | 2.08 |
| 9 | Russell Westbrook | PG | 2008 – 2021 | $20,453,842 | 2.24 |
| 10 | DeMar DeRozan | SF | 2009 – 2021 | $15,799,492 | 2.36 |
Of the 50 most valuable NBA players of all time, power forwards Anthony Davis and Rasheed Wallace land at the bottom of the pack, with an index score of 1.30 out of ten. Davis ($17,990,523 per year) earns 12% more than Wallace ($16,086,023 per year), however this is accompanied with 43% more points (1,496 points) and 32% more rebounds (641 rebounds) throughout his career.
Davis and Wallace are followed by David Robinson (1.75/10), Tim Duncan (1.83/10) and James Harden (1.88/10), respectively ranking third, fourth and fifth.
*Methodology
- Experts at Top10casinos.com utilised ESPN to collect data on player salaries per season and Individual player statistics. Salaries were only available for seasons proceeding 1999 – 2000. Therefore, only performance metrics between 1999 – 2021 were considered.
- The performance statistics collected per season included: total points, total steals, total blocks and total rebounds.
- To enable accurate comparison of dollar denominated valuation metrics spanning two decades, Top10casinos.com utilised the Consumer Price Index (CPI) published by the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics to adjust annual salaries for inflation.
- For each player and season, the inflation adjusted annual salaries were divided by the collected performance metrics. The resulting variables described player performance with respect to annual salaries i.e., dollars per point scored.
- The computed valuation metrics for the top 50 players by average inflation adjusted salary were then averaged and ranked with a final valuation score out of 10.
All Inclusive
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