All-Time Eastern Conference Bench
G Allen Iverson
G Dwyane Wade
F Julius Erving
F Charles Barkley
F Giannis Antetokounmpo
C Bill Russell
C Joel Embiid
Allen Iverson, or "AI", is one of the most talented and entertaining players in NBA history and is one of the best players in history to never win an NBA title (right up there with his teammate in this game Charles Barkley). Iverson is most known for his 10.5-year stretch with the 76ers to start his career where he averaged 28.1 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 4.2 RPG (and he won the 2000-01 league MVP). He averaged over 30 points per game in four different seasons while in the East.
D-Wade is one of the more underrated players of his generation and is arguably the best mid-range shooter in NBA history. He was the best player on a championship-winning team in 2006 (on a team that included Shaq), and he won two more titles alongside LeBron James in the 2010s. He averaged 23.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 5.8 APG on 48.8% shooting across 12 seasons in his first tenure with the Heat. He also had a six-year stretch where he averaged 27 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 6.5 APG and won the 2009 scoring title. He spent his entire career in the East with career averages of 22 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.4 APG, and 1.5 SPG on 48% shooting.
Julius Erving, commonly known as "Dr. J", is one of the most influential players in NBA history. Many of the players who took the game to new heights in the 90s and 2000s listed Dr. J as a player that they looked up to. Erving spent several strong seasons in the ABA before joining the 76ers in 1976. He then spent 11 years in Philly where he averaged 22 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.8 SPG, and 1.5 BPG on 50.7% shooting. He won the 1980/81 MVP and finished top 5 in MVP voting six times total. He also helped lead Philly to the 1983 NBA title.
Charles Barkley was also a tough player to put between the East and the West. He spent 8 seasons in both the East and the West, but his numbers were better in the East. Barkley averaged 25.5 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 4.0 APG on 58% shooting in his final six seasons in Philly (1986/87-1991/92). Although he won his only MVP in his first season in the Western Conference, he only averaged over 20 PPG four times in the West and began to fall off after that. Thus, I'm putting him in the East.
One of the few active players on this list, I believe that Giannis has done just enough to earn his inclusion on this list. While it took him a little while to get going, he's been among the top handful of players in the league for the last 7.5 seasons (this season being the 0.5 one). He's averaged 28.1 PPG, 11.2 RPG, and 5.6 APG on 55.7% shooting in that stretch. He also won the NBA title in 2021 and took home back-to-back MVPs in 2018/19 and 2019/2020 (and is in the running for the award once again this season).
Bill Russell is not only one of the best centers in NBA history, but he's also arguably the most accomplished player in NBA history. He won 11 NBA titles and 5 MVPs in his 13 NBA seasons (all with the Celtics in the East). For his career, he averaged 15.1 PPG and 22.5 RPG on 44% shooting. He's the best winner in NBA history and a great big man on top of that.
There aren't many players who are more talented or have had a better stretch of several seasons in NBA history than Joel Embiid. After missing the first two years of his career due to injury, Embiid has career numbers of 27.8 PPG, 11.2 RPG, and 3.6 APG on 50.4% shooting. However, Embiid's last 3.5 seasons have been even better. Over that span, he is averaging 31.6 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 4.1 APG on 52.3% shooting (and has also developed a 3-point shot at 36%). He won the MVP award last season.