The 25 Greatest NBA Players of the '80s

Magic? Bird? Dominique? Who's your favorite baller from the '80s?

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The '80s saved the NBA. After merging with the more exciting ABA in 1976, the league was struggling to get attention. The NFL, NHL and MLB were all more popular. That was until a kid from French Lick, IN and a kid from Lansing, MI took the league by storm. With that, they ushered in a new era of great basketball. The '80s were rough, rugged and raw. Fights happened regularly and a clothesline was just considered a hard foul. The Lakers and Celtics took home eight of the 10 titles during the decade. But Larry and Magic weren't the only guys to play well during this stretch. Guys like Adrian Dantley and Alex English made scoring look easy. Even old heads like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving also made the cut after conquering the '70s. Check out the rest of The 25 Greatest NBA Players of the '80s.

RELATED: The 25 Greatest NBA Players of the '90s

RELATED: The 20 Best NBA Players of the 2000s

25. Ralph Sampson

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24. Micheal Ray Richardson

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23. Buck Williams

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22. Jack Sikma

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21. Clyde Drexler

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20. Mark Aguirre

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19. James Worthy

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18. Sidney Moncrief

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17. Bernard King

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16. Robert Parish

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15. Dennis Johnson

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14. Charles Barkley

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13. Hakeem Olajuwon

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12. George Gervin

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11. Adrian Dantley

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10. Alex English

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9. Dominique Wilkins

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8. Kevin McHale

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7. Michael Jordan

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6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

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5. Julius Erving

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4. Isiah Thomas

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3. Moses Malone

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2. Larry Bird

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1. Magic Johnson

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