Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, James Harden, Three From UCLA Ranked Among Top 51 Players Alltime

Former Cal star one of 76 players ranked by ESPN. Where would you rank these six NBA stars from the Pac-12/Pac-10/Pac-8?

One former Cal player and five others from the Pac-12 -- or Pac-10 of Pac-8-- were ranked among the top 51 pro basketball players of all time, in ESPN's ranking of the 76 best players in history.

Back in October, the NBA unveiled its 75th Anniversary Team, a group that covered a  number of eras.  But on Monday, ESPN went one step further by ranking all 76 players in that group.

ESPN's NBA expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head player matchups, taking into consideration the quality and quantity of their NBA contributions.

A list of the rankings of all 76 players follows below, but first we give special mention to the one former Golden Bears star and the five others who played in the Pac-12, although it was the Pac-10 or Pac-8 at the time.

You should be able to guess the one ex-Cal player on the list, even if you did not see the 75th Anniversary Team.

It is none other than Jason Kidd, who played at Cal for two seasons -- 1992-93 and 1993-94.

He is ranked as the 43rd-best player alltime by ESPN.

Here is what ESPN said about Kidd:

No. 43: Jason Kidd

1994-96, 2008-12 Dallas Mavericks; 1996-2001

Phoenix Suns

; 2001-08 New Jersey Nets; 2012-13 New York Knicks

12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.9 SPG

Kidd managed to be a dominant force for almost two decades without ever scoring like a star, finishing his career second all time in both assists and steals. He was mocked as "Ason" early in his career, when he lacked a jump shot. He developed into a very good spot-up shooter after his skills waned in his twilight, one reason he fit so well with Dirk Nowitzki as the leaders of the Mavs' championship team

 

Kidd is ranked .13th among point guards, behind Magic Johnson (No. 4 overall), Oscar Robertson (No. 9), Stephen Curry (No. 16), Jerry West (No. 19, assuming you consider him a point guard), John Stockton (No.24), Isiah Thomas (No. 27), Chris Paul (No. 29), Allen Iverson (No. 31, if you consider him a point guard), Bob Cousy (No. 34), Steve Nash (No. 37), Walt Frazier (No. 41), and Gary Payton (No. 42).

--Click here for a story on Jason Kidd's success as the Mavericks' head coach--

You will notice Kidd is ranked one spot behind Payton, who helped teach Kidd the game of basketball while both were growing up in Oakland.

Payton is one of the five other former Pac-10/Pac-8 players who are ranked among the top 51 players.  Here is what ESPN said about Payton, who was an All-America player at Oregon State:

No. 42: Gary Payton

1990-2003 Seattle SuperSonics; 2003 Milwaukee Bucks; 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers; 2004-05 Boston Celtics; 2005-07 Miami Heat

16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.8 SPG

Remembered as one of the NBA's greatest defenders in the backcourt, "the Glove" teamed up with

Shawn Kemp

to lead the brash, young Sonics to five consecutive seasons of 55+ wins. In 1995-96, the season Payton became the most recent guard to win Defensive Player of the Year, Seattle pushed the 72-10 Bulls to six games in the NBA Finals. Payton would make nine consecutive All-Defensive First Teams and finished fourth in career steals.

Another top-50 player from the Pac-10 is still playing.  It's James Harden, a former star at Arizona State who comes in at No. 50 in the ESPN rankings, with this description.

No. 50: Hames Harden

2009-2012 Oklahoma City Thunder; 2012-2021 Houston Rockets; 2021-2022 Brooklyn Nets; 2022 Philadelphia 76ers

25.0 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.6 RPG

Harden might be the most polarizing player of his generation. His partnerships with several co-stars have produced unpleasant breakups and no championships, and his style of play generates a lot of groans and criticism. But there's no question that Harden is at or near the top of the list of the best isolation scorers in the history of the game. He changed the game with his step-back 3 -- and the NBA changed the rules due to his foul-drawing tactics. 

Three former UCLA players make up the final three players from the Pac-12/Pac-10/Pac-8 in the top 50, plus one.

Reggie Miller barely missed getting into the top 50, coming in at No. 51.

No. 51: Reggie Miller

1987-2005 Indiana Pacers

18.2 PPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 Steals PG, 1.8 3s PG

The Pacers' legend became one of the greatest shooters in NBA history with one of the fastest releases the game has seen. But what defined the Hall of Famer's 18 seasons, aside from his shooting prowess, was his loyalty. He loved being the face of the Pacers and he loved that he played his whole career in Indianapolis. He is one of the last players of his era who didn't start ring chasing at the end of his career. 

Coming in at No. 44 is Bill Walton, whose position on this list is controversial considering he had just three standout NBA seasons. His college career was one of the best ever, without question, but the brevity of his elite status in the NBA gives me pause about his pro career. Analyzing Walton proficiency as a TV analyst is just as controversial

Here's what ESPN said.

No. 44: Bill Walton

1974-79 Portland Trail Blazers; 1979-84 San Diego Clippers, 1984-85 LA Clippers; 1985-87 Boston Celtics

13.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.2 BPG

Every time we talk about the role of health in winning MVP, we're forced to caveat Walton's 1977-78 season, when he won the award playing just 58 games. At the time Walton went down with a broken foot in February, the defending champs were 50-10 behind their center's rim protection and legendary playmaking. Sadly, Walton was never the same dominant force, though he returned to contribute to the 1985-86 Celtics title, winning the Sixth Man award. 

The final UCLA representative in this top-76 list could arguably be No. 1, but Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who was known as Lew Alcindor when he played for the Bruins for three seasons from 1966-67 through 1968-69, comes in at No. 3.

No. 3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

1969-75 Milwaukee Bucks; 1975-89 Los Angeles Lakers

24.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.6 APG

Before MJ and LeBron, Kareem ruled basketball. His résumé stands the test of time with six championships, six MVPs, two Finals MVPs, the scoring record and 15 All-NBA selections. His skyhook was an unstoppable weapon, becoming one of the most iconic shots the game has ever seen. But his legacy is so much more than just basketball. Off the court, Kareem has stood taller than his imposing stature, fighting for racial and religious equality.

-- Youngmisuk

Here is a countdown of the top 76 players, as determined by ESPN's panel of experts:

76. Bill Sharman (1950-1961)

75. Damian Lillard (2012-present)

74. Dave Bing (1966-1978)

73. Dave DeBusschere (1962-1974)

72. Billy Cunningham (1965-1976)

71. Anthony Davis (2012-present)

70. Dolph Schayes (1948-1964)

69. Carmelo Anthony (2003-present)

68. Russell Westbrook (2008-present)

67. Dennis Rodman (1986-2000)

66. Paul Arizin (1950-1962)

65. Lenny Wilkens (1960-1975)

64. Hal Greer (1958-1973)

63. Robert Parish (1976-1997)

62. Paul Pierce (1998-2017)

61. Dave Cowens (1970-1983)

60. Sam Jones (1957-1969)

59. Nate Archibald (1970-1984)

58. Elvin Hayes (1968-1981)

57. Willis Reed (1964-1974)

56. James Worthy (1982-1994)

55. Earl Monroe (1967-1980)

54. Pete Maravich (1970-1980)

53. Clyde Drexler (1983-1998)

52. George Gervin (1972-1985)

51. Reggie Miller (1987-2005)

50. James Harden (2009-present)

49. Nate Thurmond (1963-1977)

48. Wes Unseld (1968-1981)

47. Ray Allen (1996-2014)

46. Jerry Lucas (1963-1974)

45. Bob McAdoo (1972-1986)

44. Bill Walton (1974-1987)

43. Jason Kidd (1994-2013)

42. Gary Payton (1990-2007)

41. Walt Frazier (1967-1979)

40. Patrick Ewing (1985-2002)

39. Kevin McHale (1980-1993)

38. Rick Barry (1965-1980)

37. Steve Nash (1996-2014)

36. Dominique Wilkins (1982-1999)

35. Bob Petit (1954-1965)

34. Bob Cousy (1950-1963)

33. Kawhi Leonard (2011-present)

32. Scottie Pippen (1987-2003)

31. Allen Iverson (1996-2009)

30. Dwyane Wade (2003-2018)

29. Chris Paul (2005-present)

28. George Mikan (1948-1956)

27. Isiah Thomas (1981-1994)

26. John Havlicek (1962-1978)

25. David Robinson (1989-2003)

24. John Stockton (1984-2003)

23. Karl Malone (1985-2003)

22. Charles Barkley (1984-2000)

21. Kevin Garnett (1995-2015)

20. Elgin Baylor (1958-1972)

19. Jerry West (1960-1974)

18. Giannis Antetokounmpo

17. Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2019)

16. Stephen Curry (2009-present)

15. Moses Malone (1974-1995)

14. Julius Erving (1971-1987)

13. Hakeem Olajuwan (1984-2001)

12. Kevin Durant (2007-present)

11. Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2011)

10. Kobe Bryant (1996-2016)

9. Oscar Robertson (1960-1974)

8. Tim Duncan (1997-2016)

7. Larry Bird (1979-1992)

6. Bill Russell (1956-1969)

5. Wilt Chamberlain (1959-1973)

4. Magic Johnson (1979-1991)

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1989)

2. LeBron James (2003-present)

1. Michael Jordan (1984-2003)

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Cover photo of Jason Kidd by Kelley L. Cox, USA TODAY Sports

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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