All-time · 1946–present
Best forwards.
The greatest NBA forwards of all time, ranked by a transparent model of production, peak, accolades and longevity.
The short answer. By the Balladex model, the greatest NBA forward of all time is Tim Duncan — 5× NBA Champion · 2× NBA MVP · 3× Finals MVP. Next: Larry Bird, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tom Heinsohn.
All-time forwards
Ranked by the Balladex greatest score.
| # | Player | Career credentials | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tim Duncan | 5× NBA Champion · 2× NBA MVP · 3× Finals MVP | 1296 |
| 2 |  Larry Bird | 3× NBA Champion · 3× NBA MVP · 2× Finals MVP | 1165 |
| 3 |  LeBron James | 4× NBA Champion · 4× NBA MVP · 4× Finals MVP | 1149 |
| 4 |  Kevin Durant | 2× Champion + Finals MVP · 1× NBA MVP (2014) · 16× NBA All-Star | 844 |
| 5 |  Tom Heinsohn | 8× NBA Champion · 6× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 774 |
| 6 |  Dirk Nowitzki | 1× NBA Champion · 1× NBA MVP · 1× Finals MVP | 772 |
| 7 |  Karl Malone | 2× NBA MVP · 14× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 769 |
| 8 |  Bob Pettit | 1× NBA Champion · 2× NBA MVP · 11× NBA All-Star | 752 |
| 9 |  Kevin Garnett | 1× NBA Champion · 1× NBA MVP · 1× Defensive Player of the Year | 749 |
| 10 |  Scottie Pippen | 6× NBA Champion · 7× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 682 |
| 11 |  Draymond Green | 4× NBA Champion · 1× Defensive Player of the Year (2017) · 9× All-Defensive Team | 666 |
| 12 |  Julius Erving | 1× NBA Champion · 1× NBA MVP · 11× NBA All-Star | 632 |
| 13 |  Paul Arizin | 1× NBA Champion · 2× Scoring champion · 10× NBA All-Star | 591 |
| 14 |  James Worthy | 3× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 7× NBA All-Star | 568 |
| 15 |  Rick Barry | 1× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 1× Scoring champion | 565 |
| 16 |  Charles Barkley | 1× NBA MVP · 11× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 561 |
| 17 |  Chris Bosh | 2× NBA Champion · 11× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 550 |
| 18 |  Dennis Rodman | 5× NBA Champion · 2× Defensive Player of the Year · 2× NBA All-Star | 540 |
| 19 |  Paul Pierce | 1× NBA Champion · 1× Finals MVP · 10× NBA All-Star | 539 |
| 20 |  Robert Horry | 7× NBA Champion | 535 |
| 21 |  Vern Mikkelsen | 4× NBA Champion · 6× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 525 |
| 22 |  Elvin Hayes | 1× NBA Champion · 12× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 524 |
| 23 |  Giannis Antetokounmpo | 2× NBA MVP (2019, 2020) · 1× Champion + Finals MVP (2021) · 1× Defensive Player of the Year (2020) | 520 |
| 24 |  Dolph Schayes | 1× NBA Champion · 12× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 516 |
| 25 |  Kevin McHale | 3× NBA Champion · 7× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 508 |
| 26 |  Carmelo Anthony | 10× NBA All-Star · 1× Scoring champion (2013) · 🥇×3 Olympic gold | 489 |
| 27 |  Jim Pollard | 4× NBA Champion · 4× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 466 |
| 28 |  Elgin Baylor | 11× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 463 |
| 29 |  Anthony Davis | 1× NBA Champion (2020) · 10× NBA All-Star · 🥇×2 Olympic gold (2012, 2024) | 460 |
| 30 |  Dave DeBusschere | 2× NBA Champion · 8× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 458 |
| 31 |  Jamaal Wilkes | 4× NBA Champion · 3× NBA All-Star | 454 |
| 32 |  Jayson Tatum | 1× NBA Champion (2024) · 6× NBA All-Star · 4× All-NBA First Team | 452 |
| 33 |  Dominique Wilkins | 1× Scoring champion · 9× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 450 |
| 34 |  Jimmy Butler | 6× NBA All-Star · 5× All-Defensive Second Team · 1× Most Improved Player (2015) | 448 |
| 35 |  Adrian Dantley | 2× Scoring champion · 6× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 432 |
| 36 |  Kawhi Leonard | 2x NBA Champion · 2x Finals MVP · 2x Defensive POY | 422 |
| 37 |  Jaylen Brown | 1× NBA Champion (2024) · 1× Finals MVP (2024) · 5× NBA All-Star | 421 |
| 38 |  Alex English | 1× Scoring champion · 8× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 419 |
| 39 |  Bailey Howell | 2× NBA Champion · 6× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 417 |
| 40 |  Pau Gasol | 2× NBA Champion · 6× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 413 |
| 41 |  Pascal Siakam | 1× NBA Champion (2019) · 1× Conference Finals MVP (2025) · 4× NBA All-Star | 388 |
| 42 |  Paul George | 9× NBA All-Star · 1× All-NBA First Team (2019) · 1× Most Improved Player (2013) | 387 |
| 43 |  Horace Grant | 4× NBA Champion · 1× NBA All-Star | 386 |
| 44 |  Jerry Lucas | 1× NBA Champion · 7× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 385 |
| 45 |  Chet Walker | 1× NBA Champion · 7× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 379 |
| 46 |  George Yardley | 1× Scoring champion · 6× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 366 |
| 47 |  Bob Dandridge | 2× NBA Champion · 4× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame | 361 |
| 48 |  DeMar DeRozan | 6x NBA All-Star · 3x All-NBA · 52 Career-high points | 349 |
| 49 |  Mark Aguirre | 2× NBA Champion · 3× NBA All-Star | 347 |
| 50 |  Mikal Bridges | 1× NBA Champion (2026) · 1× All-Defensive First Team (2022) · 2× NCAA Champion (2016, 2018) | 339 |
Method. A transparent Balladex model estimate. Career production, peak, accolades and longevity, ranked across every forward in the database. See the full NBA greatest of all time and the stat leaders.