78. Hal Greer
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One of the first true greats and game changers to make our list. Other players who have made the list have had an impact on the game but not like Hal Greer, who played his entire career with the Nationals/Sixers franchise and was a guard who revolutionized the game.
Greer attended Marshall University where he did not have the impact he would have in the NBA. He played three seasons at Marshall and averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds in 71 career games.
The Syracuse Nationals selected Greer in the second round of the 1958 draft. He was the 13th overall pick that season because the NBA because the NBA had only 8 teams. Yet, despite being the 13th player taken in the draft Greer is probably the second best player in the draft behind only Elgin Baylor.
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Greer’s rookie season was solid but not spectacular. He averaged 11 points and 3 rebounds in a sixth man role. He would be the sixth man for the nationals until 1960-61 when he took over duties as a full time starter. The 60-61 season saw Greer average 20 points for the first time in his career and make the first of 10 all-star games.
Greer would average 20 or more points 10 consecutive seasons from 1960-61 until the 1970-71 season. Greer would spend the first five years of his career with the Syracuse Nationals than in 1963 the Nationals moved to Philadelphia because Philadelphia’s former team the Warriors had moved to the bay area.
Part way through the 1965 season the Sixers acquired big man Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain took away number one options from Greer but Greer’s numbers actually did not suffer and did improve in some seasons. He averaged a career high of 24 points in 1967-68, that same year he would win all-star game MVP.
The Sixers won the 1967 NBA title, their first in Philadelphia and the franchises 2nd overall. The 66-68 seasons were the zenith of Greer’s career with him and Chamberlain making the Sixers one of the toughest teams in the NBA in an era when the game was controlled by the Boston Celtics.
Chamberlain left the Sixers after winning the 1967 title to join the Lakers and the team was once again lead by Greer. The Sixers continued to make the playoffs until 1972 when they missed the playoffs for the first time in their history. The run from 1949-71 is the longest in NBA history and produced two titles and 4 NBA finals appearances.
Injuries kept Greer out most of the 72-73 season as he appeared in only 38 games before calling it a career. In total Greer had appeared in 1,122 games with averages of 19 points 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
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