Who is the most-iconic player for every NBA franchise?

Who is the best player in the history of each NBA franchise? That's a tough question. Who is the most iconic player in the history of each NBA franchise? That's just as tough, if not more so. It's also a lot of fun, and maybe even a bit more enjoyable. After all, there's a degree of subjectivity involved. When you think of an NBA team, who is the first player that comes to mind? Excellence and flair often go hand in hand when it comes to icon status. Here is our pick for the most iconic player for each NBA franchise.

When you are known as “The Human Highlight Film,” you clearly made an impact on NBA audiences. He’s a Hall of Famer, and won two dunk contests with the Hawks. Of course, dunk contests alone don’t make you an icon. Wilkins made nine All-Star Games with the Hawks and was one of the most popular players of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

Shout out to Bill Russell, but it’s hard to call a guy who retired in 1969 the foremost icon of an NBA franchise here in the 2020s. If there wasn’t another good candidate, we could have done it, but the Celtics also have Larry Bird. He and Magic Johnson helped bolster the NBA’s popularity in the 1980s, and Bird was also an excellent player to boot. After all, he was a three-time MVP.

Kidd bopped around the NBA, but Hall of Famers have largely not spent a ton of time with the Nets, at least not in their primes. When Kidd was with the Nets, he was a defensive stalwart and a triple-double machine. He also helped take the Nets to the NBA Finals a couple of times. While they didn’t win, that was still huge for the franchise.

Mourning only played three seasons with the Hornets, but he’s still the franchise’s leading icon to this day. Not great from the Hornets’ perspective! He was a dynamic dunker and a cool player. Plus, in the ‘90s, the Hornets Starter jacket was the height of fashion. Who else would it be? Kemba Walker?

If we were simply trying to deduce the NBA’s foremost icon, we’d go with Jordan. As such, this was a no-brainer. He was a superstar, a cultural icon, and one of the best players of all time. The dunks. The Nike shoes. The six rings. Jordan transcended basketball in a way few players have been able to do.

LeBron probably gets the silver medal for the NBA’s foremost icon. Obviously, he’s also spent quite a bit of time with the Heat and Lakers, but there is no doubt that he is the icon of Cleveland sports, much less the Cavaliers. Let’s put it this way: Until the Cavaliers drafted LeBron, when did anybody outside of Cleveland ever talk about them? We rest our case.

It’s unusually rare for a franchise legend to play for a single team his entire career. Even Jordan played for the Wizards. Dirk, though, never left the Mavericks. The Hall of Famer spent 21 seasons with the Mavericks, helping turn the franchise around and leading them to their only title. Dirk helped change the NBA as a sweet-shooting seven-footer, and he changed the trajectory of the Mavericks as a franchise as well.

He’s not flashy, and he’d rather watch horses race in Serbia than film an ad or do an interview, but Jokic’s play speaks for itself. Without a doubt, he is the best player in Nuggets history. He had three MVPs and led the franchise to its first title. Jokic is the best-passing big man in history, and his ticket to the Hall of Fame has been punched. While he’s not Mr. Personality, he’s still definitely the icon of the Nuggets.

We considered Ben Wallace as the face of the “Going to work” Pistons of the 2000s. However, the Bad Boys era is the defining period of Pistons basketball, and Thomas was the best player on those teams. Plus, Isiah played his entire 13-season NBA career in Detroit, making 12 All-Star Games in the process. He’s a Hall of Famer, and he has two rings to Big Ben’s one. When we think of the Detroit Pistons, Isiah still comes to mind first.

The greatest shooter of all time is an easy call for the Warriors. Like Dirk, he changed the NBA. Curry’s three-point range altered the idea of what a good shot is for a basketball player. Of course, not everybody is Steph. He has two MVPs and four rings, and he became one of the faces of the league for a decade, much less the face of the Warriors.

Olajuwon’s status was helped by Jordan’s brief retirement, but he would likely be here anyway. It’s just that, during Jordan’s two-year hiatus, the Rockets won the title both times. Olajuwon was Finals MVP both times. He was a great player, regardless, an easy call for the Hall of Fame, but when you were the best player on two title teams, it definitely helps cement your legend status.

Before the explosion in three-point shooting, Miller was the NBA’s foremost three-point shooter. He also led the NBA in free-throw percentage five times, by the way. Miller spent his entire 18-year career with the Pacers, and it will take Tyrese Haliburton a long time, and probably a ring, to topple Miller’s status as the foremost icon of Pacers basketball.

It was the dunks. All things considered, when you think of Clippers basketball (in a positive light) you think of Griffin delivering a dunk that sent the souls of the opposition scattering into the ethereal plane. Chris Paul was the better player in the “Lob City” days, but he was not exactly a fun guy to root for. Griffin was an entertaining personality, in addition to being a great player.

Rightfully or not, the Lakers as a franchise have helped bolster the idea that Kobe is the franchise’s foremost icon. Jerry West was the logo, and Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were better players. Kobe, though, was Mr. Laker. He spent his 20-season NBA career with the Lakers. They retired two different numbers in his honor. He was also the face of the Lakers when the internet era began to burgeon, which certainly bolstered his reputation.

When you think of the Grizzlies, you think Grit and Grind. When you think of Grit and Grind, you think of Zach “I don’t bluff” Randolph. Z-Bo was the embodiment of the Grizzlies in their Grindhouse era. He was an undersized big man who still became a two-time All-Star. Had Pau Gasol not headed off to Los Angeles, he would have been the guy, but Randolph feels like the right franchise icon for Memphis.

Don’t forget that LeBron and Chris Bosh came to Miami to join Wade. Wade was the second-best player on all three title-winning teams for the Heat, but he was always there, and also really good. Wade is so beloved in Miami that pretty much everybody was happy that he got to end his career in a Heat uniform. If only he had never left in the first place.

The Bucks took a shot on a raw kid from Greece, and it has paid off in a major way. Giannis may leave the Bucks someday, but even if he does, he’ll remain the franchise’s foremost icon. He has two MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and a Finals MVP as well. Plus, Kareem left as well, and he left earlier than Giannis will, in theory. Here’s hoping Antetokounmpo ends up a lifelong Buck, though.

Anthony Edwards appears intent on establishing himself as the franchise icon for the Timberwolves, but he has a long way to go. The only reason he has a chance is because Garnett left for the Celtics in order to win a ring. KG put the T-Wolves on the map. He was the first star in franchise history, and its only MVP to date. While Garnett couldn’t win a ring there, it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

This was the toughest team to make a call on. The problem is Pelicans fans would probably riot if we went with Anthony Davis, who pouted and goldbricked his way out of town. Zion Williamson can’t stay healthy. David West is the franchise leader in games played and second in total points. Chris Paul has spent so many more years not with New Orleans and his most-iconic run was with the Clippers. If you were a Pirates fan would you want Barry Bonds being called your most-iconic player? People love Herb Jones. He plays tenacious defense. One day he might be Defensive Player of the Year. The Pelicans are a franchise sorely in need of an icon without so much baggage.

Willis Reed had the iconic moment in Knicks history, but Ewing is the most iconic player in Knicks history. From the moment people questioned if the Draft Lottery was rigged to get him to New York, he was on that trajectory. Though the Knicks never won a title during his tenure, Ewing put up a Hall of Fame career built entirely on his time with the Knicks.

A changing of the guard has happened. Both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook went elsewhere in search of titles. Gilgeous-Alexander, now an MVP in his own right, also led the Thunder to their first title. Guys who left in their prime, looking for a title, don’t usually make for franchise icons. SGA brought the trophy to OKC.

So, about that whole “leaving in your prime looking for a title” thing. Shaq was such a force he transcends that concern. After all, he’s “Shaq.” Immediately he was a cultural force with the Magic. He became a celebrity. Yes, he left for Los Angeles pretty quickly, but his impact in Orlando was massive. Besides, who else would it be? Tracy McGrady or Dwight Howard? Neither delivered a title either, and nobody really likes Dwight Howard.

Julius Erving, aka Dr. J, gives Iverson a run for his money. Iverson, though, was a culture changer in the NBA. His style, both on the court and off the court, made him pop. He was an elite bucket getter even though he was an undersized point guard. Iverson changed the paradigm for the NBA, much less the Sixers.

Charles Barkley and his big personality made an impact on the Suns, but his tenure with the team was fairly brief. Two Hall of Famers have played over 700 games with Phoenix: Nash and Walter Davis. With all due respect to Davis, he didn’t make much of a cultural splash. Nash was one of the driving forces of the famed Seven Seconds or Less era, and he was a two-time MVP as well.

Honestly, Lillard’s return to Portland for a swan song to his career was necessary to put him over the hump. The best player in Blazers history is Clyde Drexler. Lillard might best him on that front if he can play a couple more seasons, but Lillard also has panache. Drexler may have been “The Glide,” but he didn’t introduce us to “Dame Time.” The big shots, the bombed threes, Lillard has edged out Drexler as the foremost icon in Portland.

The best player in franchise history played in Rochester or Cincinnati. Oscar Robertson was a great player, but when you think “Sacramento Kings” you don’t think “The Big O.” You think of that late-‘90s, early-2000s era when Peja Stojakovic and, yes, Webber were the stars of the show. Webber, a Hall of Famer, played six-and-some-change seasons with the Kings and was second-team All-NBA three times and first team once. Plus, it helps that Webber arrived in Sacramento already a famous basketball player.

Duncan is the best player in Spurs history, but it’s more than that. During the heyday, the Spurs under Gregg Popovich weren’t about being flashy. Often, they were a little boring, even as they were incredibly successful. Duncan, the man nicknamed “The Big Fundamental,” exemplified that to a tee. He had no flash on the court, and he had no interest in doing media, but he went out there and made 15 All-Star Games while winning five rings with the Spurs.

As rough as things ended for Carter and the Raptors, and as much as Carter hopped around the NBA for years. He’s still synonymous with the franchise. Carter was one of the most popular players in the NBA in his Toronto days, putting the franchise on the map. Without Carter, the Raptors may have gone the way of the Vancouver Grizzlies. When Carter won the dunk contest, he was a Raptor. That kind of locked it in by itself, and we’re not being hyperbolic.

Obviously, this came down to Stockton and Karl Malone, who are synonymous with both the Jazz and one another. Malone left to try and win a title, and Stockton didn’t. That, plus the fact that Stockton is the NBA’s all-time leader in assists and steals, gave him the slight edge.

Gilbert Arenas burned brightly (and turned out to be a maniac), and Bradley Beal’s era was mired in mediocrity, even when he excelled. Unseld played his entire NBA career with various versions of the Bullets, be they in Baltimore or D.C. He was Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. Unseld was a rebounding machine and won Finals MVP when the Bullets won the title. He’s one of the prototypical undersized centers, and the icon for this franchise, even if he never got stuck wearing a silly Wizards jersey.