3 during his career. I'm somewhat surprised far fewer people got Moses Malone than Karl Malone. 1. He is an inspirational figure in the sporting world. And if you add in the all-time Top 50 in Steals-per-Game, 3 players appear in at least 3 of all 4 lists. The only player in history to come close to matching his winning is Michael Jordan. I can only imagine how that shit looked back in those days. LeBron is a 6'9" freight train of a human being who can play any position and guard all positions on the court. After that, he won his first NBA championship and finals MVP. But just because Baylor technically never won a title in his 14 years with the Lakers, two of which he spent in Minneapolis, dont let that cloud how incredible of an offensive force he was and GOAT candidate during the leagues early days. I personally think its disrespectful to leave Kobe Bean Bryant out ofthe top five of any all time list. About This Quiz. Whenever there is a debate about a GOAT, one name is King James. I'm sorry, is this a 100 Greatest Players in Argentina list? Maybe we have Robinson too low, but when you get to this point, and youre comparing ultra great players to ultra great players, its basicallylike splitting hairs. As for why ESPN placed so many active guys on the list, keep in mind that it's their nature to be biased in favor of the modern era. Likewise, personal accolades in his resume include 15x All-star, 2x NBA MVP, and 3x Finals MVP. He has the two Defensive Player of the Years, the two Finals MVPs, hes put a franchise on his back en route to an NBA title, he made the NBAs 75thanniversary team, and hes pretty much won his entire career. Three-time firstteam All-NBA. I was about to bitch slap the author of this article when I saw Tim Duncan at number 10 and then Shaquille ONeal on this list thinking oh great he has Shaquille above Kobe and Kobe not on the list He is on track to become #1 all time. Hes an enigma in some ways. Later, Magic went on to win 4 more NBA titles and 3 Finals MVPs in his career. not ever. Nicknamed " the Hick from French Lick " and " Larry Legend ", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Robinson averaged a 21.1 PPGand 10.6 RPG double-double for his career while racking up 3.0 BPGin the process. I guess you're just not a Big Baller (TM). I know that this list isn't your choice but we need a complete change. Active players indicated by a light blue background. And who do you give the nod to betweenthree legendary point guardsChris Paul, Steve Nash, and Jason Kiddwhen theres only room for one? Jordan is the name that comes to mind when basketball comes. Says something about the danger of relying too much on statistics, which recognize Mookie Blaylock and Shawn Bradley, over performance. Top 10 point guards. yikes. Dominant. But the debate on a GOAT is a never-ending cycle. This one is started to feel a little dated. But as great as he was in the regular-season, West shined in the playoffs. Tim Duncan. Wilt Chamberlain is ranked higher on this list because his numbers are just too ridiculous, but he couldnt beat Bill even with Jerry West and Elgin Baylors help. The most avid NBA fans among you should take my. Where's Lillard? Four-time NBA scoring champion. Similarly, he is the only NBA player selected in the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams for 13 successive years (1997 to 2010). Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. NBA 75 honoree, five-time champion, three-timeFinals MVP, two-time regular-season MVP, 15-time All-Star,15-time All-NBA and All-Defensive team selection later, Duncan played all 19 seasons inSan Antonio and consistently put up numbers like he was a robotwith the personality, as portrayed by the media,to match. This was just the start for Magic, who at his size, completely changed the way the basketball world looked at guards. Mookie Blaylock was, by far, a better defender than Larry Bird -- without question. Michael Jordan Last Played For Washington Wizards (Source: GQ). Needs to be updated, Paul Pierce is retiring this year. 15. Even with all those accomplishments people try to tear him down with advanced statistics like usage rate and efficiency. Old heads might cringe at putting a 26-year-old, after only eight seasons, up here over a number of worthy legends, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time regular-season MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year, and just earned his first Finals MVP honors after authoring arguably the greatest performance in a close-out game weve ever seen. The younger generationsgetsto enjoy the Chuckster in ways older NBA fans never imagined. On April 16, 2003, Jordan played his final NBA game and received a three-minute standing ovation from his teammates, his opponents, the officials, and the crowd of 21,257 fans. Lebron should not be in the top 10. Thats a league MVP award, but I dont think we should knock him for that if thats missing from his rsum when he ultimately retires. Kobe ranks fourth among all-time NBA leading scorers with 33,643 career points. As each individual involved in this incredibly difficult and necessary endeavor lobbied for the player they thought deserved proper billing, we quickly realized it was going to be hellacious coming to a consensus. AC, Bostons had more than its fair share of Hall of Famers roll through the old Boston Garden, but nobody was as lethal a scorer or as clutch at the end of games like Larry Legend. 17 because of the way he changed the game. He helped revolutionize the power forward position even more so than Tim Duncan did (hes a center! Compared to most of the guys on this list, though, Curry was a slow starter. LeBron joined Miami Heat in 2010 to form BIG 3 alongside Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh after winning back-to-back MVPs. The description needs to be updated to be accurate. No one besides Jordan can top him, and even that's close. He is one of the players whose career stats and achievements are one of the greatest. This is a good list overall. Golden State won their first championship in four decades three years later. A true GOAT. This man won three in a row, left to play baseball, then came back to win three in a row again, and then he came back one more time and was one of the oldest players to average 20 PPGand to score 40-plus in a game. Knock us all you want, but well rest easy knowing Antetokounmpo belongs here as a newly minted NBA immortal. very debatable IMO. Early in his career he was quicker and stronger than everyone else, but as he got older he was able to add more finesse to his game. tim duncan is definitely better than kobe, This list is in serious need of an update. Dominant seems like the only adjective to describe Shaqs career. He also made 11 NBAAll-Star teams, won threeMVP awards across the NBA and ABA, andmade the 75th anniversary team. He nailed a 21-foot shot late against the Oklahoma City Thunder by beating Kareem Abdul-Jabbars 39-year record of 38,387 points on February 8, 2023. Its impossible to talk about Abdul-Jabbar without mentioning his signature shot, skyhook. Likewise, in his last game he dropped 60 points against the Jazz, the most in the previous game by any player. The greatest player ever to play basketball is Michael Jordan. David Robinson is a true generational talent comes in at No. On May 17, 2021, Duncan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Contact Us KD has only averaged under 25 points per game ONCE in his 12 seasons and that came in his rookie campaign. 4 overall and for good reason. Per game, he posted an incredible 24.8/10/6.3 stat line with 1.7 steals to boot. He helped the Sixers make the Finals during his first season in the modern NBA, but lost to Bill Waltons Blazers in six games. You guys just hatin. Statistics accurately portray a number of things. Only eight players in NBA history have won three or more MVP awards and Malone doesnt get anywhere near the love that Larry Bird and Magic Johnsonthe other two players to win three MVPsreceive. I used to be into basketball--not so much now, but Oscar Robertson is a legend. Similarly, LeBron is the top scorer in a playoff with 7,631 points and ranks first in the all-time point leaders list. Nowitzki, a Mav since 1998, is a 12-time All Star and the franchise's leading scorer. He was named to 14 NBA All-Star and 10 times All-NBA First-team selections. I only see one player listed on four of the five lists-- Olajuwon. More quiz info >> Start Quiz Comments (119) This is the new Ultimate NBA collection and is really hyped with the hot topic: Allstar players in the NBA. Social media can be a blessing and a curse so please dont buy into the nonsense that Bryant wasnt as great as he was. A Dream Team member andtwo-time gold medal winner who was skilled enough to be considered one of the 50 greatestby the NBA in 1996,andone of the 75 greatest players ever in 2021, Pippen did so much more than his averages indicated (16.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 5.2 APG). And let's be honest, most of the players in the sixties and seventies would be D-league players at best in today's league. Before Dirk, rarely did you ever see a 7-footer in the NBA launching from deep. I'm happy with the 4 points that my limited knowledge of basketball, NBA Jam, common last names, and reading the comments was able to cobble together for me. From opening a school in his hometown to building his own media empire, LeBron has consistently done everything weve expected from him and then some. BODY. Michael Jordan takes the number 1 spot in our list of best NBA players of all time. And lastly, Chamberlain should be #1. AD, Karl Malone falls into a long list of players from the 90s who were really good but ultimately overshadowed by Michael Jordan and theBulls. I hate lebron but he's in the goat talks. he was a great player, and i agree he's top 100 all time. He was overshadowed by Duncan, whose numbers are slightly better, but Garnett was by far the more fun player to watch. For you guys, know theres still never been a player quite like him. Jordans brilliance set a standard for future-generation players in the league. This quiz is really out of date. Bird retired because of lower back issues, not because he planned to do so. Nor were they expected to rip down double-digit boards on a nightly basis. Dirk brought about change that fundamentally altered the way the NBA is played. AC, Way more than just a sidekick to you know who, Scottie Pippens greatness is sadly taken for granted by many, including those who saw it with their own two eyes along with the ones basing their assessments solely on what they saw in The Last Dance. He also played a huge role in the NBA instituting free agency when he brought a lawsuit against the league in 1970 that challenged the legality of the leagues proposed merger with the ABA, the merits of the draft, and the reserve clause that prevented players from pursuing contracts with any team they wished. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Kemp got destroyed by injuries man, Ben Wallace maybe but steve kerr is a role player, I'm sorry but Allen Iverson should be way higher. But never forget what the GOAT, Michael Jeffrey Jordan, told us in the documentary: Everybody said I won all these championships, but I didnt win without Scottie Pippen and thats why I considered him my best teammate of all time. If ya dont know, now ya knowwwww.Pippens numbers will likely never wow you because he wasnt the scorer Jordan was. I think Kawhi could end up in the Nos. His dunking skills were insane, or rather "Vinesane . Ever. He has also shown his ability to carry G-league teams to NBA Finals, and of course his longevity. Who cares? Oscar Robertson once asked. I know it's not your decision Quizmaster but just my opinion, When you get Lanier, Cunningham, and Arizin, but forget Harden. Besides, Magic has been league MVP 3 times, named to 12 NBA All-Star, and 9 times All NBA First Team honor. People could argue it but its pretty fair and pretty much on point in order of ranking with arguably some exceptions. LeBron not only matched the hype, but he exceeded it. 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