page_title: 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
section_title: Players selected
hierarchical_section_title: 50 Greatest Players in NBA History / Players selected
caption_attribution_description: English: Los Angeles Lakers Shaquille O'Neal 12/20/1999
context_page_description: The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association. These 50 players were selected through a vote by a panel of media members, former players and coaches, and current and former general managers. In addition, the top ten head coaches and top ten single-season teams in NBA history were selected by media members as part of the celebration. The 50 players had to have played at least a portion of their careers in the NBA and were selected irrespective of position played.
  The list was announced by NBA commissioner David Stern on October 29, 1996, at the hotel Grand Hyatt New York, the former site of the Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed on June 6, 1946. The announcement marked the beginning of a season-long celebration of the league's anniversary. Forty-seven of the fifty players were later assembled in Cleveland, during the halftime ceremony of the 1997 All-Star Game.
caption: Shaquille O'Neal was the last active member of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
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