Favorite forgotten NBA players from 80s and 90s

[giordunk]

Who are some of your favorite lesser known NBA players from the 80s and 90s? Guys that will probably never get a tribute today, but still made an impression on you.

I was a kid in the 90s who didn't watch basketball but whenever I watch old games I quite like Mookie Blaylock, for his overall defensive tenacity.

Bill Walton as a 6th man is also someone to behold.

Robert Horry on the Rockets was also quite an entertaining player.

These are all relatively big names so I'm relying on some of you guys to name some more niche players that I can pay attention to when I'm binging old games again.

[falcolombardi]

a player that impressed me a lot when i watched a celtics gamr is cedric maxwell, really good post scorer

[henshao]

Mark Price was certainly a candle burning at both ends for a while there, but Joe Dumars is one of my favorite lesser-sung players

[SickMother]

Here's a lineup of guys I liked when I was a kid that I was surprised to see were so impactful as an adult...

PG: Terry Porter (110.39 WS, 64th. More than Westbrook, AI, Isiah)
SG: Hersey Hawkins (90.62 WS, 116th. More than Mocrief, Dumars, Richmond)
SF: Detlef Schrempf (109.52 WS, 68th. More than Carmelo, English, Hill, Mullin)
PF: Buck Williams (120.09 WS, 51st. More than McHale, Bosh, Webber)
C: Jack Sikma (112.46 WS, 62nd. More than Wallace, Mourning, Amar'e)

Sikma got in the HOF at least, but otherwise a group of guys who were never really THEE GUY on a team, but had long careers as important players on good teams that never quite got over the top. Zero rings among them.

[sp6r=underrated]

I'm excluding anyone who made the HOF, regularly made All-NBA/All Star teams and I'm selecting as much for how much I enjoyed them as their actual on-court play.


Larry Johnson (Charlotte Version)
Derek Harper: I'll always love him for the 1994 playoffs.
Robert Pack: Absurdly fun little man dunker.
Clarence Weatherspoon: I have no idea why but I stayed on the train long after every senible person realized he didn't have it
Kevin Willis: looked like he was carved out of granite. Had a smaller wingspan than my mom. I associate him forever with Nique but he played forever bouncing around until he was a senior citizen.

[penbeast0]

Going strictly hometown with my favorite forgotten players from the 80s and 90s with a collection of lesser known Washington Bullets:

Mitch Kupchak -- looked like a future star until he left town for LA and injuries wrecked his career
Jeff Ruland -- Rick Mahorn is the better known of the infamous Bruise Brothers but Ruland was the star until injuries
Jeff Malone -- one of prettiest jump shots of all time, didn't shoot 3's or provide much else
Cliff Robinson -- not Uncle Cliffie, the other one who (again) didn't have a 3 but was a pretty good, nearly forgotten player
Charles Jones -- of the Jones family of lesser talented defensive bigs, maybe the least offensively talented one in the family but coaches loved him
Michael Adams -- tough little guy under 6' tall, shot a lot of 3's
Manute Bol/Muggsy Bogues -- not forgotten really but a lot of fun. Muggsy supposedly dribbled between Manute's legs on a strange pick but I've never found a clip of it.
Pervis Ellison -- from can't miss draft pick to perenially injured. (Shades of Porzingis?) The only major move the Wizards made that could be called betting on the future from 1980 until 2020 (trading Westbrook)
Tom Gugliotta -- we booed his selection in the draft but actually a pretty decent player
Gheorghe Muresan -- Andre the Giant part two, had a really well schooled post game to go with his size and you didn't even have to hit the button to see everything in slow motion.

You won't see the likes of Rex Chapman, Juwan Howard, or Calbert Chaeney here though someone else's list might have them. But it said favorites so I went with guys I enjoyed watching.

[SHAQ32]

Walt "The Wizard" Williams was a consistent yet under-the-radar scorer from the mid-90s to the early 00s. Mainly because he played on bad teams. He was like a taller Jason Terry.
Jerome "JYD" Williams was a really good defensive combo forward that had the toughness to bang inside but also the quickness to guard the perimeter. I think he'd get more love in this era.


Antoine Carr was an athlete/dunker that people forgot about. I think a lot of people remember him from the Jazz.

Watch on YouTube

[Ursusamericanus]

Xavier McDaniel.

[FJS]

Tom Chambers, Dale ellis, ricky pierce

[kcktiny]

I was a kid in the 90s who didn't watch basketball but whenever I watch old games I quite like Mookie Blaylock, for his overall defensive tenacity.

If he's forgotten it's not by those of us that watched a lot of NBA in the 90s. Blaylock was a top PG for most of the 90s - likely the only PG better defensively back then was Payton (maybe Stockton), and Mookie's passing was top notch.

PF: Buck Williams (120.09 WS, 51st. More than McHale, Bosh, Webber)

The best PF in the early-to-mid 1980s. Should be in the HOF.

[sp6r=underrated]

Xavier McDaniel.

I'll go to my grave believing if he had stayed with Knicks after 92, Knicks would have beaten bulls in 93.

[mcraft]

Joe Dumars. He went to college in my town so he was a local hero when I was young.
Dan Majerle
Jerome Kersey

[Ursusamericanus]

Xavier McDaniel.

I'll go to my grave believing if he had stayed with Knicks after 92, Knicks would have beaten bulls in 93.

Fully agree. And maybe we beat the Rockets in '94 too. We were one bucket from a title there...

[sp6r=underrated]

Xavier McDaniel.

I'll go to my grave believing if he had stayed with Knicks after 92, Knicks would have beaten bulls in 93.

Fully agree. And maybe we beat the Rockets in '94 too. We were one bucket from a title there...

I felt we were the best team in 94 and would have won that series a majority of times if they played it over.

[ronnymac2]

Doug Christie - Basically Iguodala before Iguodala
Clifford Robinson - Solid defender and stretch four
Mario Elie - Three titles with two franchises, could hit threes well for the era and solid all-around

Marques Johnson - Even with a few All-Star selections, this guy gets forgotten. He was the best player on those very early 80s MIL teams. Super underrated peak. Potentially a top-50 peak guy. Dude was insanely good.

Rodney Rogers - 2000 Sixth Man of the Year. Used to give Shaq fits with his 3-point shooting.

[penbeast0]

Doug Christie - Basically Iguodala before Iguodala
Clifford Robinson - Solid defender and stretch four
Mario Elie - Three titles with two franchises, could hit threes well for the era and solid all-around

Marques Johnson - Even with a few All-Star selections, this guy gets forgotten. He was the best player on those very early 80s MIL teams. Super underrated peak. Potentially a top-50 peak guy. Dude was insanely good.

Rodney Rogers - 2000 Sixth Man of the Year. Used to give Shaq fits with his 3-point shooting.

Love the mentions of Mario Elie and Marques Johnson. Two of my favorite guys. Otis Thorpe shoutout too though I didn't like Hakeem's Houston as a team particularly.

[Statlanta]

The 90’s Trail Blazers are one of the teams I thought should’ve broke through like the Pistons did.

Guys like Buck Williams were beasts back then.

[The Explorer]

Ricky Pierce and Dale Ellis. Lethal shooters who would thrive in today's era

[70sFan]

Paul Pressey was outstanding all-around player who peaked at lower all-nba level in my opinion. You always want such players on your team - he was excellent defender, very gifted passer and outstanding finisher. Very athletic, yet inteligent player

[migya]

Tim Hardaway and Kevin Johnson are never mentioned among PG greats but they certainly were. Both gave Magic fits and both are great scoring and distributing. Near 20 and 10 for most of the 90s.