NBA

The 1990s NBA All-Decade Team

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#90s

This week on NBA.com, we're dedicating a different day to take a closer look at each decade in league history.

Today, it's the 1990s.

After spending a month with the Last Dance the '90s got a spotlight brighter than ever. We know that Michael Jordan is first-team all-decade, but who has the honour of joining him on the prestigious list? 

MORE: Power Rankings: The best players from the 1990s

Some tough decisions were made, and here's how the All-decade team shakes out...

G: Michael Jordan

#MJ

Let's not waste time explaining why he's on the list and move onto the next guard spot.

G: John Stockton

#Stockton

The most underrated player in NBA history, next to arguably the greatest to ever play the game. Stockton averaged 14.9 points, 11.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game in the decade. He was fourth in win shares, made eight All-Star appearances and nine All-NBA teams. 

Stockton won nine straight assists titles, seven of them coming in the '90s. He was no slouch on defence either making four All-Defence teams. 

F: Charles Barkley

#ChckMVP

He's the only man to make the claim that he legitimately won an MVP in the middle of MJ's prime. Barkley averaged 22.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in the '90s. He led the Phoenix Suns to a 60-win season in 1993 and came within a couple games of winning a title. 

Even when Barkley was "washed" towards the back end of the decade, he still put up decent numbers with the Houston Rockets. 

He may be the funny guy on T.V. now, but in the '90s Chuck was a bad man.

F: Karl Malone

#MaloneMVP

Malone made All-NBA First Team every year of the '90s and was in the playoffs each season. The Mailman averaged 27.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the decade. 

He led Utah to back-to-back Finals appearances, and MJ might be the only reason why he didn't win an NBA title. 

Malone also had two MVPs in the decade, the only player other than Jordan to win multiple MVPs in the '90s. 

C: Hakeem Olajuwon

#Hakeem

When Michael Jordan left the NBA for the better part of two seasons, the Dream took the crown of best player in the league.

Olajuwon led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back titles in '94 and '95. He won league MVP in '94 and took it personal when David Robinson won the award the following year.

Eight All-NBA selections, seven All-Star nods and two Defensive Player of the Year awards. One of the biggest "what ifs" of the '90s is that we never saw Dream's Rockets and MJ's Bulls square off in the Finals.

1990s All-Decade Second Team

#Pippen

G: Gary Payton: One of the best defensive point guards ever, the Glove could lock anyone up — including MJ.

G: Clyde Drexler: Five All-Star appearances in the decade and four All-NBA selections. He may have been stonewalled by MJ in the '92 Finals but he got his ring with the Rockets in '95.

F: Scottie Pippen: The best wing defender in NBA history and the perfect player to play next to Michael Jordan. The Bulls don't win six titles without Scottie.

F: Shawn Kemp: Six straight All-Star appearances from 1992-93 through 1997-98 with three straight All-NBA Second Team selections during that span. 

C: David Robinson: A scoring title in '94, a league MVP in '95, Defensive Player of the Year in '92 — he even gave us a quadruple-double. The Admiral also finished the decade with a title.

1990s All-Decade Third Team

#ShaqMagic

G: Penny Hardaway: Three All-NBA selections — two of them first team. It didn't take long for Penny to burst onto the scene in the '90s.

G: Reggie Miller: A decade-defining player. You can't talk about the '90s without mentioning Reggie Miller.

F: Dennis Rodman: Back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards and seven straight rebounding titles. Hot Rod also added four rings to his resume in the decade.

F: Grant Hill: Short time in the decade, but boy was he good. Four All-NBA selections, four All-Star appearances and finished top 10 in MVP voting for four straight seasons. His best finish coming in '97, placing third behind Jordan and winner Karl Malone.

C: Shaquille O'Neal: The center position was so deep in the '90s that Shaq is third team all-decade. Six-time All-Star, six All-NBA nods and a scoring championship in '95. He wouldn't win his first title until the 2000s, but '90s Shaq was a problem.

Apologies to: No one, if you didn't make the list you didn't make the list.

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Carlan Gay Photo

Carlan Gay is a deputy editor at The Sporting News.