Bernard King

Bernard King was one of the most lethal scorers of the 1980s, a small forward who turned the mid-range and the low block into a hunting ground. Over 14 seasons with five teams, he averaged 22.5 points and piled up 19,655 of them, peaking with the 1984-85 Knicks when he led the league at 32.9 a night. What set him apart wasn't just volume — it was his release, a lightning-quick turnaround jumper he got off before defenses could load up. Then came the ruptured ACL in March 1985, the kind of injury that ended careers in that era. King rebuilt his knee and his game, and by 1991 he was back in the All-Star Game with the Bullets, a four-time All-Star whose comeback validated an entire generation of sports medicine. Enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2013.