When it comes to professional sports, few leagues can claim to have as many transcendent athletes than the National Basketball Association. From Lebron James and Kobe Bryant to Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudamire, the NBA provides its fans with more star power than any other sport.

The league came to fruition in 1949, and has made plenty of changes over its history. The NBA reached as small of a size as eight teams in 1954, but over the next fifty years, it has grown to its current 30 teams. Over those many years, there have been many great players. Many of those dominating players have played for two franchises, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. As of 2008, the two have combined for 31 championships and have 30 players enshrined at the Basketball Hall of Fame. The rivalries of Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell to Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson help make the Celtics-Lakers rivalry one of the best in sports.