The 1970s era was the period when the NBA was stuck in a media mess. The NBA players were named as the characters of the Barry White songbook, “Except for One”. At that time, the league was guided by some of the outstanding players of the NBA including Jamaal Wilkes, Pete Maravich, Earl Monroe, George Gervin, and Julius Erving. Moreover, all these players played under Darryl Dawkins, nicknamed “Chocolate Thunder”.
The Boston Celtics team had an impressive performance between the period of the late ’50s and ’60s. This team set a new record for participating in 11 NBA championships over 13 years. It was a golden period for the NBA as the hard work of NBA teams and dedication to sports helped develop the NBA.
During this era, the NBA team helped to develop confidence in those players who cannot play at high levels. They encouraged them to go to the city schoolyard jungles and practice basketball. It helped the players to develop confidence and play at the national level basketball championships in the future.
In the mid ’70s, the NBA was having a rocking performance with the presence of talented players such as Abdul-Jabar, John Havelick and Rick Barry. In addition to this, the NBA had hardworking players like Wes Unseld, Dave Cowens and Willis Reed.
Along with an impressive performance in the decade, the NBA faced a downfall in 1978 and 1979. The league faced the uneven usage of cocaine, poor imaging and non-televised games. Moreover, the NBA Finals of 1978 and 1979 were also delayed.
From a basketball fan's perspective, this time of downfall didn’t have much effect on the league. Overall, the practice sessions of young players in the schoolyards at that time played a vital role in the league’s continuous success.
Let’s look at some of the shining stars of the 70s and the total games and points they averaged during this period.
| Names | Games Played | Average | Points |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 773 | 28.6 | 22,141 |
| Elvin Hayes | 815 | 23.2 | 18,922 |
| John Havlicek | 719 | 21.9 | 15,747 |
| Pete Maravich | 615 | 25.0 | 15,359 |
| Gail Goodrich | 729 | 20.2 | 14,692 |
| Bob Lanier | 644 | 22.8 | 14,686 |
| Bob Dandridge | 760 | 19.0 | 14,465 |
| Bob McAdoo | 525 | 27.4 | 14,405 |
| Lou Hudson | 683 | 20.7 | 14,125 |
| Calvin Murphy | 722 | 19.0 | 13,692 |
| Jo Jo White | 746 | 18.2 | 13,546 |
| Walt Frazier | 668 | 20.2 | 13,502 |
| Earl Monroe | 713 | 18.3 | 13,020 |
| Dave Bing | 665 | 19.2 | 12,784 |
| Bob Love | 602 | 21.1 | 12,705 |
| Rick Barry | 564 | 22.5 | 12,695 |
| Spencer Haywood | 570 | 22.0 | 12,534 |
| Nate Archibald | 536 | 23.0 | 12,351 |
| Dave Cowens | 660 | 18.6 | 12,252 |
| Randy Smith | 650 | 18.7 | 12,143 |
| Sidney Wicks | 640 | 18.7 | 11,974 |
| Rudy Tomjanovich | 654 | 18.2 | 11,900 |
| Dick Van Arsdale | 605 | 17.2 | 10,382 |
| Tom Van Arsdale | 617 | 16.7 | 10,331 |
| Jimmy Walker | 548 | 18.5 | 10,137 |
FAQs
A. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 22,141 points during the 70’s which is the highest among all players.
A. The 1980s era was the best period in NBA history as it had the most talented players.
A. The time between the ’80s and ’90s is the Golden Era of basketball.
A. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the best player during the 1970s.
