While basketball is arguably hotter than it’s ever been now, that wasn’t always the case. The sport saw its huge boom in the 90s with some players you may have forgotten about, but some of the most legendary figures in the NBA were competing back in the 1980s.

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The 80s were a different time for the NBA, but despite that, a number of players managed to carve out their legacy and are still often considered to be the best of the best. In fact, many people believe that the 80s were a kind of unsung golden era for basketball thanks to the sheer quality of competition at the time.

UPDATE: 2023/09/20 18:00 EST BY LIZZY FLANAGAN

The 1980s remains one of the most iconic eras in the history of basketball; during this time we saw the rise of some of the biggest stars ever to grace the sport, including Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The game itself was very different than it is today, too. Basketball was much more physical and relied much more on mid-range shots than three-pointers. The 80s brought out numerous Hall of Famers, making this list a truly star-studded lineup. With that said, let's take a look at who we have.

18 Sidney Moncrief

Sidney Moncrief of the Milwaukee Bucks might feel like a bit of a sleeper pick for this list. This is because he lacked the explosive, jaw-dropping offensive skills possessed by the most recognized all-time greats. He was impressive on offense, but Moncrief's real asset was his defensive skills; over the course of his career, Moncrief became a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in addition to being a five-time All-Star. Nearly his entire career was spent with the Bucks save for a single season with the Atlanta Hawks in the 1990s.

17 Michael Jordan

Obviously, Michael Jordan in his prime would be at the top of this list. But in the 1980s, Jordan was still growing as a player. He made his NBA debut in 1984 as a skinny, unassuming kid from North Carolina. He won NBA Rookie of the Year that season and won NBA MVP in 1988. The 1980s also saw one of the most iconic moments in his career as he shattered the glass with a slam dunk during an exhibition game in Italy. This was a major moment not for his professional career, but for the marketing brand of Jordan.

RELATED: Michael Jordan's Mustache (And 9 More Controversial Things About Him)It wasn't until the 1990s that Michael Jordan achieved the legend status we recognize him with today, but even within his first 5 years in the league, he was already an extraordinary player.

16 George Gervin

George Gervin, also known as "The Iceman," is one of the best shooting guards to ever play in the NBA. He has several accolades under his belt, which include being a six-time NBA All-Star and a two-time NBA scoring champion. He isn't very high on this list given his limits as a defensive player, but still earns a spot for his offense.

Gervin joined the NBA in 1974 and played for the San Antonio Spurs for over a decade before playing one season for the Bulls and then leaving to compete in Europe.

15 Dominique Wilkins

Atlanta Hawks icon Dominique Wilkins came to the NBA in the 1982-83 season and performed amazingly throughout that decade. The small forward averaged 26 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game, with a Player Efficiency Rating of 21.4.

Wilkins was the NBA's scoring champion in the 1985-86 season, recording 30.3 points per game. "The Human Highlight Film" led the Hawks to the playoffs six times in the 1980s, but was unable to lead them to the title.

14 Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley made his NBA debut in the 1984-85 season, and he made a huge impact immediately once his pro career began. In that decade, Barkley played 389 games, recording 22.1 points, 12 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, with a 59.2 effective field goal percentage and a 24.4 Player Efficiency Rating (second highest of the 1980s, only behind Michael Jordan).

“Sir Charles” was a phenom, and he is still considered as one of the most talented players ever. After already establishing himself as a star in the 80s, Barkley continued his hall-of-fame career well into the 90s.

13 Robert Parish

When one thinks of iconic Boston Celtics players in the 1980s, Larry Bird gets the spotlight, but we can't forget center Robert Parish. This guy was a crucial piece in three championship victories for the Celtics in the 1980s.

In the decade, Parish averaged 17.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, with a 20.2 Player Efficiency Rating. The Chief was the second player with the most rebounds in the decade (8,195, behind Moses Malone) and was also second in blocks (1,346, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).

12 Alex English

Alex English was the NBA player with the most points scored in the 1980s (21,018), which is already a solid argument to be considered as one of the best players in the league in that decade. English averaged 25.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.0 steals per game and 0.8 blocks per game, with a Player Efficiency Rating of 20.9.

“The Blade” made eight All-Star game appearances (only Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had more than him), and won the Scoring Title in the 1982-83 season.

11 Adrian Dantley

Adrian Dantley is one of the most underrated players of the 1980s, because at least nowadays people don't talk about him much. In the decade Dantley played with the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons, making four playoff appearances, but was never a champion.

He was a six-time All-Star and two-time Scoring Champion (1980-81 and 1983-84), demonstrating his extraordinary scoring ability. In fact, Dantley had the second-highest points per game average of the decade (26.5, behind only Michael Jordan).

10 Hakeem Olajuwon

While Hakeem Olajuwon might not be on every person's top-ten players of the 80s list, a lot of NBA fans forget the players with a more defensive style. In reality, only beginning in 1984, Olajuwon showed his potential to be a champion immediately.

He wouldn’t win his championships until the 90s, but he was so good in his rookie year that the only reason he didn’t win the distinction as Rookie Of The Year was that Michael Jordan was able to snag that great distinction.

9 Isiah Thomas

Truly great players tend to stick to a single team throughout most if not all of their career, and that was the case for Isiah Thomas. The incredible point guard joined the Pistons in 1981, and spent the remainder of his on-court career with the team.

He was named Rookie Of The Year when he joined the NBA before eventually leading the team to back-to-back championship wins in the 1988-1989 and 1989–1990 seasons. To this day, Thomas is still considered to be one of the greatest NBA stars of all time.

8 Michael Jordan

The legacy of Michael Jordan is one that every NBA fan likely knows, making it obvious why he was one of the greatest stars of the 80s. Upon joining the NBA, Jordan made a huge difference on the Bulls and was named the Rookie Of The Year.

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The Bulls wouldn’t hit their stride till the 90s, but that was thanks to powerhouse teams like the Celtics and the Pistons of that era. Jordan still managed to keep the Bulls competitive, even when they weren’t the best looking team in the league.

7 Kevin McHale

Playing in the NBA throughout the entirety of the 80s, Kevin McHale managed to stand out as an incredible player on one of the most dominant Celtics teams of all time. It took him a few years to really warm up, but once he hit his peak, no one could keep up.

To this day, McHale is considered to be one of the major players in what is often argued as the greatest NBA team to ever take the court. He was so good that a portion of his game ended up receiving a nickname of its own, The Torture Chamber.

6 Julius Erving

While Julius Erving was already great long before the 80s and actually retired in the 80s, he still deserves a mention thanks to his incredible play. He became NBA Champion with the 76ers in 1983 in the midst of one of the best feuds of the era.

Larry Bird was legendary for his play, but also his many rivalries, one of which was with Erving. The two men put on some of the most spectacular clinics in the history of the sport when squaring off, and even had a game named after their rivalry.

5 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

For those that aren’t aware of how legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is, he won six NBA Championships throughout his career, and five of them took place in the 80s. It could be argued that he wasn’t the most key member of the team toward the end of the 80s, but Kareem was still a force on the court.

He was named as the Finals MVP in 1985, and remained an NBA All-Star throughout the decade until his retirement in 1989. To this day, Kareem still holds a number of impressive NBA records that only a few men can ever hope to beat.

4 Moses Malone

There are a lot of reasons why Moses Malone is one of the greatest players to ever do it, but his three Most Valuable Player wins (two of which came in the 80s) and his 1983 NBA Championship win all speak for themselves.

After coming close to the championship multiple times with the Rockets, Malone jumped to the 76ers in 1982 and finally won the big prize. He remained competitive throughout the eighties being named to the All-Star game nine years in a row during that decade.

3 James Worthy

A Los Angeles Lakers lifer, James Worthy helped lead the team to three separate championship wins in the late 80s. Officially joining the league in 1982, Worthy took some time to gain his footing in the league thanks to a serious injury in his rookie year.Related: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Kevin DurantHe bounced back quickly, and the Lakers became the most dominant force in the league with some extra help from some other legends of the sport. Still, Worthy’s skill as a small forward was a key piece in the success of the championship-winning team.

2 Larry Bird

When Larry Bird made it to the NBA, he was pretty much immediately successful. The three-time NBA Champion is not only regarded as one of the greatest players of the decade, but also of all time.

He’s a part of one of the most dominant teams in NBA history, the 1986 Celtics, and he had legendary rivalries with men like Magic Johnson and Julius Erving. He fell off a bit later in the 80s, but when Bird was on top, it was hard to bet against him.

1 Magic Johnson

The man, the myth, the legend, Magic Johnson was a five-time NBA Champion with every single win coming in the 80s. He spent his entire NBA career with the Lakers, something that clearly paid off for one of the best players to ever do it.

He picked up NBA Championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988, and managed to pick up more than a few additional awards during that time. His rivalry with Larry Bird is one of the most legendary in NBA history and is still remembered fondly today.