All-time

Box score, every era uses only the box-score rating, the one measure that exists from 1951-52 to today, so players from different decades are compared on the same footing. It cannot see most defence or the lineup effects the full rating captures: great defenders and big men are understated, and before 1973-74, when steals and blocks were first recorded, more so. Best available uses the full SiPM rating where it exists (1996-97 on) and the box-score rating before; the full rating spreads wider at the top, so in this view recent players rank higher partly because of the measure. Ratings are points per 100 possessions above an average player of that season. Best 3 and best 5 are consecutive seasons of 1,000+ minutes.

What each era can measure

• 1951-52 to 1972-73. Box score without steals, blocks, turnovers or the rebound split; minutes often estimated (R² 0.58 against the full rating on held-out seasons).
• 1973-74 to 1982-83. Box score with some stats filled from season totals (R² 0.70 against the full rating on held-out seasons).
• 1983-84 to 1995-96. Full box score, no lineup data (R² 0.73 against the full rating on held-out seasons).
• 1996-97 to 2006-07. Full sipm, fitted with the model's final weights (approximate).
• 2007-08 on. Full sipm.