Last week, NBA Top Shot’s moment czar Austin Kent sent out what looked to be at first glance a pretty innocuous tweet. But it didn’t take long for the Web3 sleuths to deduce the news that (we believe) was hidden in the message: the next RIB pack is going to be of the iconic 1986-1987 NBA Season. It only takes a quick glance at the players who DIDN’T make the All-NBA teams that year to know why this was such a big deal: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Alvin Robertson, Alex English, Patrick Ewing, Julius Erving, and Robert Parish were all deemed NOT among the 10 best players in the NBA that season. The list of NBA legends available to us for this RIB set is truly incredible, but we’ve taken a stab at the 10 players we want to see the most, as well as an incredible list that didn’t make the cut but would in pretty much any other context.
The GOAT
- Michael Jordan – Could it really be?! This would be likely be the biggest news for the platform to date. MJ led the league in scoring with 37.1 ppg in the ‘86/’87 season, earning All-NBA First Team honors and leading the Bulls to the playoffs. And that 37.1 ppg scoring average? It’s the highest in NBA history for any player not named Wilt Chamberlain.
The Legends
- Magic Johnson – We’ve already been teased that another Magic moment will be a part of this set, which is only fitting given that he won the NBA MVP this season. Obviously an MVP season is going to come with a ton of Top Shot-worthy plays, and the Magic Anthology blog mentions that the “Baby Hook” to win Game 4 for the Lakers over the rival Celtics on the way to the NBA Championship will be hidden in this set as a Legendary /32 rather than a RIB. So that leaves one more Magic moment to theorize on.
- Larry Bird – The ‘86/’87 season seems a fitting one to introduce Larry Bird to Top Shot – Bird had the third highest scoring average of his career, as well as the highest assist average of his career (28.1pts / 7.6ast) and led the Celtics to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Lakers 4-2. While we would love for Bird’s first moment to be from his infamous “Left-Handed Game”, that was unfortunately in February of 1986 so we‘ll have to settle for a different Larry Legend play.
- Hakeem Olajuwon – “The Dream” is one of the best centers to ever play in the NBA, and he made an impact even in his early seasons. Coming off of a shocking upset of the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in the ‘85/’86 season, Hakeem put up a ho-hum 23 pt/12 reb/5 stock season on his way to First Team and Defensive First Team honors. Just pick any Dream Shake from this season and watch in amazement.
The Greats Ever-So-Slightly-Less-Legendary Legends
- Julius Erving – The 1986-1987 season marked the last in an iconic career for Julius Erving. Dr. J didn’t actually invent the slam dunk, but he certainly brought it into the mainstream, and his incredible skill helped to legitimize the ABA prior to and after its merger with the NBA in the mid-70s. While Dr. J’s last season was not his best statistically, the fact that he announced his retirement prior to the season made it into an iconic farewell tour filled with adoring fans that is worth commemorating with an awesome Top Shot moment.
- Kevin McHale – While the ‘85/’86 Celtics team is the one considered to be one of the greatest of all time, Kevin McHale still had himself a pretty darn good year the next season. McHale helped lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals, which they lost after winning long series with both the Bucks and Pistons, and was named First Team All-NBA and Defensive First Team. McHale finished 4th in the MVP voting this season, setting career highs in points and rebounds.
- Moses Malone – The Chairman of the Boards was named to the All-NBA Second Team in the ‘86/’87 season, but this is really just an opportunity for us to get a Top Shot moment from one of the games’ greats. Moses Malone was a three-time MVP, on the 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and probably one of the more underrated players of all time. While this season saw him decline slightly from the peak of his powers, he still put up 24 points and 11 rebounds per game for Washington. We’d love to see his 20,000th point be the moment chosen here.
- Charles Barkley – The last of our Legends may be the most iconic for what he’s done since leaving the basketball court, but make no mistake – Chuck could hoop. The Round Mound of Rebound led the league in rebounds in the ‘86/’87 season, making Second Team All-NBA despite missing 14 games. Since watching Chuck get boards over guys 8 inches taller than him is always fun, we’d love to see a putback from his 26 point / 25 rebound game.
- Isiah Thomas – One of the more visible NBA players post-retirement, Isiah is getting the nod for a table-setting ‘86/’87 season. He averaged 20 pts / 10 ast while leading the Bad Boy Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Celtics in 7 games in one of the better series in NBA Playoff history, including 1-point and 3-point losses in Games 5 and 7. Isiah was not only one of the best players on the Pistons, but he was a spiritual leader of a team that defined the late-80s in the NBA.
- Dominique Wilkins – The Human Highlight Film finished second in the league in scoring in the ‘86/’87 season, averaging 29 pts and leading the Hawks to the 2nd round of the playoffs, while setting a then-franchise record for victories in a season. Named 2nd Team All-NBA for the season, Dominique is one of the best dunkers of all time, and we’re sure there’s a smash worthy of a Top Shot debut from one of his breakout seasons.
The Rookie
Dennis Rodman – Dennis Rodman may be one of the more mercurial players to ever play in the NBA, but he’s also one of the best – including a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction. Rodman was drafted in the 1986 NBA Draft, and he immediately fit right in on the Bad Boy Pistons teams of the late 80s and early 90s. Rodman would go on to win multiple titles as a Piston and then as a Bull alongside Michael Jordan. While he didn’t take the league by storm in his first season, a rookie moment from Rodman in this set feels like a must.
8 Hall-of-Famers + 2 More Legends Who Didn’t Make the List!!
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Karl Malone
- James Worthy
- Patrick Ewing
- Robert Parish
- Joe Dumars
- Ralph Sampson
- Alex English
- Fat Lever
- Alvin Robertson