Every era of Knicks basketball, one lineup. These are the five highest-rated Knicks legends across the 1960s to today, chosen by iKnoBall's era-adjusted engine — and the record they'd post over a full 82-game season.
Two bigs or a wing-heavy five? That's the engine optimizing for pure rating — exactly the debate iKnoBall is built to settle. Think you'd start a different five? Prove it.
Jalen Brunson anchors the group at a 93 overall — the kind of number only genuine all-time greats reach on iKnoBall's scale. Around Brunson, the model fills out a starting five that balances scoring, playmaking and defense across Knicks history, then simulates all 82 games. The result — 62–20 — reflects both the raw talent and how the pieces fit: a lineup that covers every role and avoids stacking too many ball-dominant scorers projects higher than one built on names alone.
Every Knicks legend in the iKnoBall pool, ranked by era-adjusted overall. The top five above start; the rest form the bench and the debate.
| Player | Era | Pos | PPG | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Ewing | 1990s | C | 28.6 | 93 |
| Jalen Brunson | 2020s | PG | 28.7 | 93 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 2020s | C | 24.0 | 93 |
| Walt Frazier | 1970s | PG | 23.2 | 90 |
| Bernard King | 1980s | SF | 32.9 | 89 |
| Carmelo Anthony | 2010s | SF | 28.7 | 89 |
| Willis Reed | 1970s | C | 21.7 | 88 |
| Jerry Lucas | 1970s | PF | 21.5 | 88 |
| Earl Monroe | 1970s | PG | 21.0 | 85 |
| Zach Randolph | 2000s | PF | 23.6 | 85 |
| Amar'e Stoudemire | 2010s | PF | 25.3 | 85 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | 2010s | C | 22.7 | 85 |
| Walt Bellamy | 1960s | C | 23.6 | 83 |
| Spencer Haywood | 1970s | PF | 23.4 | 83 |
| David Lee | 2000s | PF | 16.0 | 83 |
| Dave DeBusschere | 1970s | PF | 18.1 | 81 |
| Anthony Mason | 1990s | PF | 14.2 | 81 |
| Josh Hart | 2020s | SG | 11.2 | 81 |
| Stephon Marbury | 2000s | PG | 19.8 | 80 |
| Latrell Sprewell | 2000s | SF | 18.6 | 80 |
| Bill Cartwright | 1980s | C | 17.6 | 79 |
| Charles Oakley | 1990s | PF | 10.6 | 79 |
| Tyson Chandler | 2010s | C | 10.0 | 79 |
| RJ Barrett | 2020s | SF | 19.6 | 79 |
| John Starks | 1990s | SG | 17.3 | 78 |
| Jamal Crawford | 2000s | SG | 17.6 | 78 |
| J.R. Smith | 2010s | SG | 18.1 | 78 |
| Immanuel Quickley | 2020s | PG | 14.9 | 78 |
| Allan Houston | 1990s | SG | 20.4 | 77 |
| Eddy Curry | 2000s | C | 16.4 | 77 |
| OG Anunoby | 2020s | SF | 14.7 | 77 |
| Mitchell Robinson | 2020s | C | 7.7 | 77 |
| Bill Bradley | 1970s | SF | 16.1 | 76 |
| Derek Harper | 1990s | PG | 12.0 | 76 |
| Charles Smith | 1990s | PF | 12.3 | 76 |
| Dick Barnett | 1960s | SG | 18.6 | 75 |
| Cazzie Russell | 1960s | SF | 19.8 | 75 |
| Gerald Wilkins | 1980s | SG | 15.2 | 75 |
| Rory Sparrow | 1980s | PG | 10.4 | 75 |
| Tim Hardaway Jr. | 2010s | SG | 16.4 | 75 |
| Iman Shumpert | 2010s | SG | 11.3 | 75 |
| Trent Tucker | 1980s | SG | 11.2 | 72 |
Draft your own all-time Knicks — or any franchise across five sports — set your starting five, and sim a full season chasing a perfect 82–0. Free to play.
Draft Your All-Time FiveGet the AppBy iKnoBall's era-adjusted ratings the all-time Knicks starting five is Jalen Brunson (Point Guard, 2020s), Karl-Anthony Towns (Center, 2020s), Walt Frazier (Point Guard, 1970s), Bernard King (Small Forward, 1980s), Patrick Ewing (Center, 1990s). Together they project to a 62–20 regular season.
iKnoBall's simulation projects this five at 62–20 over an 82-game season, with an average starter rating of 92. The model runs each game as a probability from the lineup's combined strength, so an all-time five contends for a near-perfect year but nothing is guaranteed.
Each player's overall is built from era-adjusted box-score production (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defense) and anchored to the reputations of established greats, so a 25-point scorer in the 1960s and today are measured on the same scale. Only true legends reach the 90s.
Yes — iKnoBall is a free game where you draft one legend per era, set your starting five, and simulate a full season chasing a perfect 82–0. Play it free at play.iknoball.com.
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Ratings are era-adjusted and computed by iKnoBall's simulation engine. Records are model projections for entertainment, not predictions. Player names belong to their respective owners; iKnoBall is an independent fan-made game.