Hall of Fame basketball center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer. He won six NBA titles, five with the Los Angeles Lakers, over 20 years.
Forward Carmelo Anthony is one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. Drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2003, he was traded to the New York Knicks in 2011.
Retired NBA player Charles Barkley was part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic "Dream Team" and was named one of the league's 50 greatest players in 1996.
Hall of Fame NBA forward Elgin Baylor was a prolific scorer and rebounder for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers.
Larry Bird is a retired professional basketball player known for his years with the Boston Celtics and his deceptively nimble skills on the court.
Kobe Bryant is an NBA athlete who's one of the leading players in career points, having earned multiple championship rings. He has also won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. basketball team.
Wilt Chamberlain was the first NBA player to score more than 30,000 cumulative points over his career, and the first and only player to score 100 points in a single game.
American professional basketball player Jason Collins became the first active openly gay male athlete in the four major North American professional sports.
Basketball player Tim Duncan has led the San Antonio Spurs to multiple championships and is widely hailed as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.
Kevin Durant is a top-scoring American professional basketball player, who plays for the National Basketball Association's Oklahoma City Thunder franchise.
Teresa Edwards is an American basketball player best known for winning five Olympic medals in women’s basketball including four gold and one bronze.
Hall of Fame basketball forward Julius Erving, or "Dr. J," was an acrobatic player in the NBA and ABA. His dunks and graceful play helped change the game.
Patrick Ewing is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player best known for winning Olympic Gold Medals in 1984 and 1992 for U.S. Men's Basketball.
Spanish professional basketball player Pau Gasol is a two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was Spain's flag bearer during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
American professional basketball player Dwight Howard began playing with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012. Prior to that, he was a star with the Orlando Magic.
LeBron James, one of the NBA's leading players, is the youngest player to win the Rookie of the Year Award, among several other distinctions. He led the Miami Heat to an NBA champion victory in 2012.
For 12 years, Earvin "Magic" Johnson dominated the court as one of America's best basketball players. In 1991, he announced that he had the AIDS virus.
Michael Jordan is a former American basketball player who led the Bulls to six national championships and earned the NBA Most Valuable Player Award five times.
Professional basketball player Jason Kidd is one of the top point guards in the sport. He helped the Dallas Mavericks win the NBA Championship in 2011.
Lisa Leslie was an All-Star basketball player, Olympic gold medalist and WNBA league MVP.
With a string of wins in early 2012, New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin has become one of basketball's most famous players.
A former ABA star and three-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Hall of Fame center Moses Malone was the first basketball player to skip college and go pro.
Basketball player George Mikan won five NBA championships with Minneapolis. He was one of the tallest players and increased modern height expectations.
Standing 7 feet tall and weighing 315 pounds, Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant players in the NBA. After his 2011 retirement, he became an on-screen league analyst.
Lamar Odom is an American basketball player for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, best known for playing seven seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, and for marrying reality star Khloé Kardashian.
Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships during the peak of his magnificent 18-year professional career.
Basketball coach Patrick James Riley participated in both basketball and football, playing professionally with the San Diego Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Hall of Fame basketball guard Oscar Robertson played 14 NBA seasons. He averaged more than 25 points per game and retired as the league’s all-time assist leader.
Retired NBA basketball player David Robinson spent his entire14-year pro career with the San Antonio Spurs. He’s widely considered one of the game’s all-time great centers.
Dennis Rodman is considered one of professional basketball's all-time great rebounders. He helped lead the Detroit Pistons and later the Chicago Bulls to multiple titles.
American basketball player Rajon Rondo is an all-star point guard who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship in 2008.
Hailed as the greatest winner in sports, Basketball Hall of Fame center Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented 11 championships in just 13 seasons.
Isiah Thomas is generally regarded as one of the best point guards in the history of basketball. He played for the Detroit Pistons.
Jim Thorpe was a Native American professional football and baseball player, known for his all-around athleticism. He was a gold-medal runner at the 1912 Olympics.
Basketball star Dwyane Wade plays as a guard for the Miami Heat, with which he has won two NBA Championships, in 2006 and 2012.
Jerry West is a former basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers who went on to become the team’s head coach and general manager.
Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, is a professional basketball player known for his fierce defensive play and 2011 name change.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1914–1956) was named "Woman Athlete of the Half Century" in 1950 for her skills in basketball, track & field, and golf.