Some of the most attractive aspects of the game of basketball at the professional level are the feats of athleticism that are a nightly routine. Rim-shattering poster dunks, gravity-defying layups, and other jaw-dropping maneuvers are all the norm in any NBA game and something you won’t see down at your local YMCA. Some of the greatest athletes in the world reside in the National Basketball Association but there have been very prominent examples of the opposite throughout NBA history as well.
There is a long track record of star NBA players that no one would think of as athletic off the top of their heads. Of course, there are in the NBA so some athleticism is present but when measured against their peers, it’s night and day from each other. These players became great by using other attributes that are essential to success on the basketball court such as IQ, controlling the pace of the game, and picking apart opponents with precision rather than power or speed. The 10 players below are perfect examples of hard work taking their games to heights you wouldn’t imagine at first glance.
These are the 10 greatest least athletics players in NBA history.
10. Zach Randolph
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Zach Randolph is the perfect way to kick off our list as one of the more dominant non-athletic players in NBA history. Armed with a vertical that barely got over a piece of paper, Randolph punished opponents in the post with his footwork and lateral movement. Even before his days in Memphis when he got much more recognition on the court, Randolph stuck out like a sore thumb due to his size and not exactly looking the part of a star basketball player in the NBA.
Randolph spent the first six seasons of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he steadily evolved into a 23.6 PPG and 10.1 RPG player. After a season split with the Knicks and Clippers in 2008, Randolph moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies, where his legacy was truly written. He became an All-Star in his first season with Memphis while becoming one of the faces of the Grit and Grind era. He would become an All-NBA Team selection in 2011 with Memphis and an All-Star again in 2013 averaging 16.8 PPG and 10.2 RPG over eight seasons with the Grizzlies.
9. Marc Gasol
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From one Memphis Grizzlies icon to another as we introduce the fans to the Gasol brothers over the next two spots on our list. Marc Gasol certainly looked the part of unathletic but that didn’t stop him from being an impactful force on both sides of the ball in Memphis. Gasol was a solid interior defender who would earn three All-Star selections in 11 seasons with the Grizzlies as well as a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013 as well as an All-Defensive Team selection.
Gasol would also become an icon for the Grizzlies during their Grit and Grind era but even later in his career would make a tremendous impact elsewhere. Gasol would be traded to the Raptors in 2019 and serve as one of the catalysts for their improbable championship run that season. He started all 24 games at center for them that postseason and averaged 9.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.1 BPG to win his and Toronto’s first NBA championship. Gasol is not only celebrated for his contributions to the NBA but for his amazing career for the Spanish National Team as well.
8. Pau Gasol
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Pau Gasol was slightly more athletic than his brother and certainly a bit greater in terms of their NBA careers. Gasol was a Swiss army knife standing 7’0’’ tall and doing a little bit of everything on the court. He was lethal from the high post both as a poser and shooter and was an elite rebounder and defender for a period of time as well. Gasol played his first seven seasons with the Grizzlies from 2002 thru 39 games into 2008 becoming an All-Star in 2006 and leading them to the playoffs three times.
When he was traded to the Lakers in 2008, no one fully understood the impact Gasol would have on the franchise. The team would make three straight NBA Finals appearances and take home back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. Gasol was key to the Lakers’ success averaging 18.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 1.4 BPG over that three-year span. Gasol recently had his number retired by the Lakers and is considered to be one of the greatest power forwards in franchise history.
7. Luka Doncic
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Luka Doncic is the youngest player on this list and is already on an all-time great trajectory in his career at the age of 24. There are times when it seems like Doncic is playing the game in slow motion the way he methodically moves down the court, but it has yet to be contained on a consistent basis. Doncic can score, pass, and make plays among the best guards in basketball and his list of accomplishments may not be long just yet, but you better believe the accolades are coming.
Doncic has been with the Mavericks for five seasons now and is already a four-time All-Star as well as a three-time All-NBA First Team selection. Doncic has averaged 29.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 8.5 APG, and 1.2 SPG over the last three seasons with Dallas and helped them advance to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. If Dallas can begin to build a team around him that can compete with the other juggernauts in the NBA, Doncic is capable of bringing multiple championships to the organization.
6. John Stockton
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Over the last 10 years, it seems to be a way for the world to underrate the amazing career of John Stockton. Now looking at a skinny white guy who wore his shorts a bit too high would not yield any fear from many NBA players in the game today. However, you ask anyone who had to oppose him during his prime in the 1990s with the Jazz, and they will tell you what a warrior he was. Stockton wasn’t the fastest or the strongest, but he was one of the smartest on both sides of the ball.
Over the course of 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz, Stockton rewrote the NBA history books. He set the NBA record for total assists and steals, taking home an NBA record nine assists titles as well as two steals titles. Stockton helped the Jazz reach two NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 but unfortunately fell to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Although he wasn’t going to beat you with his scoring ability, Stockton became one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, using his wits and precision to pick apart defenses and control opponents defensively.
5. Steve Nash
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Steve Nash is another all-time great who became one of the greatest playmakers and point guards in NBA history. Nash’s career got off to a slow start as a member of the Phoenix Suns during the late 90s, rarely seeing the floor and getting little to no opportunity to showcase his skills. After two seasons, Nash was traded to the Mavericks where he would spend the next six seasons earning two All-Star appearances and averaging 14.6 PPG and 7.2 APG.
Nash returned to the Suns in free agency in 2004 and was immediately entrusted with running the most high-octane and offensively potent lineup in basketball. Nash took his game to new heights in his second stint with the Suns, earning back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006. Nash would earn six All-Star appearances during the 2000s and 2010s with Phoenix as well as five assist titles and numerous NBA records.
4. Nikola Jokic
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Aside from Luka Doncic, one of the best examples of athleticism not being needed to excel in the NBA is Nikola Jokic. You cannot turn on one television show or one social media app without someone bringing up the way Jokic looks when he plays the game of basketball. However, despite being slower or less coordinated than others around him, Jokic has found a way to dominate the NBA as a scorer, rebounder, passer, and playmaker.
Nikola Jokic has already proven to be the best passing big man we have ever seen, with an ability to see openings and opportunities that most point guards would even miss. Jokic was named a back-to-back MVP in 2021 and 2022 while in serious consideration for a third straight in 2023. Jokic has averaged 26.1 PPG, 12.2 RPG, and 8.6 APG since the 2020-21 season while leading the Nuggets to playoff berths despite being without his second and third-best players for most of that time. He has shown he can lead a team to the playoffs, and all that is left is an NBA championship to silence the critics he has left.
3. Dirk Nowitzki
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Let’s be clear, no one is expecting a 7-footer to be this unbelievable athletic specimen with a 40-inch vertical and handles like Kyrie. Dirk Nowitzki certainly wasn’t, and he still went down as one of the top 20 players in NBA history. Although his defense was subpar at best, Nowitzki was so talented offensively, it didn’t much matter. In 20 seasons with Dallas, he used his unbelievable shooting ability and unstoppable one-legged fadeaway to become a Top 20 scorer in NBA history as well as a top five power forward.
Nowitzki became a 20.0 PPG scorer in just his third season with the Mavericks and a perennial All-Star in his fourth season. He would make 11 straight All-Star Games from 2002 through 2012 and averaged 24.3 PPG and 8.6 RPG as well as 1.0 BPG over that time. He was awarded the MVP in 2007 when he led the Mavericks to the best record in the West. In 2011, Dirk went ballistic and ended up defeating the Lakers, Thunder, and Miami Heat who were all loaded with stars for his first and Dallas’ first NBA championship as well as Finals MVP honors.
2. Tim Duncan
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There is no one on the planet who can look at me with a straight face and tell me one of Tim Duncan’s best features was his athleticism. To be fair, he didn’t need it. Duncan mastered the art of the fundamentals of basketball to become the greatest power forward in NBA history as well as one of the winningest players ever. He dominated the game on defense and was nearly impossible to stop once he got going on offense which led to one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history forming with the San Antonio Spurs.
Duncan’s effect took hold nearly immediately as he led the Spurs to their first NBA title and won Finals MVP in just his second season in 1999. What proceeded after that was one of the greatest careers in NBA history. Duncan would lead the Spurs to four more NBA championships before his career was over, claiming three Finals MVP awards in total. He was also awarded two MVP awards and earned 15 All-NBA Team selections to go with 15 All-Defensive Team selections in his career. Duncan has become one of the most disrespected stars in NBA history, with fans failing to fall in love with his “boring” playstyle.
1. Larry Bird
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Whenever someone brings up the greatest non-athletic players in NBA history, Larry Bird’s name almost always comes up immediately. Bird was a killer on the court, and although he didn’t look the part, he was as dangerous as any man in basketball during the 1980s. His rivalry with Magic Johnson saved the NBA from extinction during the early 80s as no one could fathom just how good a “slow” and less athletic player like him could dominate the talent that surrounded him.
Bird quickly dashed all criticism by winning Rookie of the Year in 1980 and his first NBA championship in 1981. Bird’s peak could only be considered from 1984 thru 1986, when he took the NBA over and put it in a chokehold. He would win three straight MVP awards over this time averaging 26.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 6.7 APG, and 1.8 SPG over this time. He would help Boston advance to three straight NBA Finals, winning two in 1984 and 1986 while claiming both Finals MVP awards. The Celtics rivaled the Lakers for control of the 80s, and it was all led by the “unathletic” Larry Bird.
Source: fadeawayworld
