Hes arguably become the best player in the NBA at this point. The Big O was a nightmare matchup because he scored in ways few were able to figure out. not ever. To be honest with you the bunch of players that are active would be easily ranked in top 100 in history, guys like Curry, Durant, Paul or Wade are some of the best in history and guaranteed hall of famers. Top 500 NBA Players of All-Time (2021) Maybe, just maybe LeBron James surpasses him in another four or five seasons, but its going take a herculean effort on The Kings part to supplant the greatest center ever whose longevity is practically unrivaled. Sure, Duncan benefited greatly from playing alongside the legend David Robinson and future Hall of Famers Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Pau Gasol, and Kawhi Leonard. But Robertsonbroke the mold almost 20 years before Magic Johnson made his debut. After retiring from his NBA, Duncan became assistant coach of the Spurs for the 2019-2020 season and left on November 12, 2020. That really shows you how hard it is to rank these guys. STOP IT!! After that, he won his first NBA championship and finals MVP. A former professional basketball player and coach is considered one of the best NBA players and the most incredible power forward of all time. Pleasee try guys. For Jordans individual career, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009 and a Dream Team member in 2010. @texasforever, I think you commented about LeBron too soon. Its impossible to talk about Abdul-Jabbar without mentioning his signature shot, skyhook. I personally think its disrespectful to leave Kobe Bean Bryant out ofthe top five of any all time list. Quiz by MitchellOakes Rate: Nominate Last updated: November 3, 2012 You have not attempted this quiz yet. Lonzo Ball didn't work for any of these categories. Faulting statistics for Bird not being on the list is like saying that baseball's ERA is misleading because Willie Mays isn't in the Top 15 of any major pitching stat. yikes. Probably agreed with half of it, but was so respectful he wouldnt say anything until later. After hashing things out, Pop often let Duncan have his way. The Admiral was able to do it all and then some. Michael Jordan played the game on a completely different level than everyone else. Seriously, they made rules to try and limit his dominance since he owns records no player now or in the future will ever come close to eclipsing. If anything, this quiz shows how overrated Larry Bird was. I'm not hating on LeBron Because I like LeBron but kobe has had a better career by far. Even despite losing in the second round to the Boston Celtics this season, Giannis became the first NBA player in historywith 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a single series. 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. That doesn't make the list good or bad inherently, I'm just saying to consider the source. My guy was brought to tears when he looked back at how maniacal he was towards his teammates. He is 19 times NBA All-star, most in NBA history. Besides, Magic has been league MVP 3 times, named to 12 NBA All-Star, and 9 times All NBA First Team honor. I'll give you a hint: you think he's overrated. 24) sold for $5.8 million, which he wore in the 2008 playoffs. Jordan has a record 10 scoring titles to his name and holds records for career scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 PPG in the regular season and playoffs. Werealreadyseeing Stephs impact on basketballas kids start launching from deep earlier than ever in their young careers and on the league with NBA teams putting the mid-range jumper out to pasture and fully embracingthe 3-pointer. Magic and Shaq crowned Kobe as the greatest Laker everafter he retired. KObe has more rings and achievements but statistically wise Lebron has better stats. Complex Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Larry Bird Retired From NBA In 1992 (Source: NBA.com). Russell died on July 31, 2022, at 88, in his Mercer Island, Washington, home. You cant deny how dominant of an offensive force the Greek Freak is in the paint, how incredible of a defender hes worked to become, and how inspiring his journey from a skinny kid in Athens to NBA superstar is to millions of basketball fans. Had a defensive player of the year existed in the 1960s, Russell would probably have won all of it in his 13 years as an NBA player. A 19-time All-Star who 15 times finished in the top 5 of the MVP voting, well spare you from listing out all his accolades because youd be scrolling this fine piece of #contentfor hours. Says something about the danger of relying too much on statistics, which recognize Mookie Blaylock and Shawn Bradley, over performance. Dirk brought about change that fundamentally altered the way the NBA is played. LosingtwoFinals defeats at the hands of MJ and company certainly didnt help. At the start of next season you will have to swap out Havlicek because Paul Pierce is only 79 points away from him, he will probably move up to at least 11th scoring all-time this year, thats only 600 points away. Vince Carter had a ton of nicknames: "Air Canada." "Half Man, Half Amazing.". Now hes the first unanimous MVP in league history (which is pretty stupid, but still) and has four rings to go with another MVP. Anthony Bennett Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports The 2013 NBA Draft might have the distinction of being the worst in modern history. Oscar Robertson once asked. Later, in 2006 and 2007, he won the scoring title. 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. Career Year: 1997-2016. Ever. His hybrid play, like Magic Johnsons, was way ahead of its time. Bird has 2 final MVPs, was named to 12 NBA All-star, and 9 All-NBA First Team selections. He earned just about every individual honor a superstar can earn, most especially six MVPs (one more than Russell and Jordan) and hes still the only player in league history to win an MVP despite his team not making the playoffs. Above all of that impact, Dirks numbers and accoladesback up his spot on this list. He is, without a doubt, thegreatest shooter of all timeafter becomingthe careerleader in made 3-pointers. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Let me know if I misspelled any names or duplicated players. Or Charles Barkley. Disrespect to the history of the NBA. After, with two 3 peats and 6 Finals MVPs, there is no denying why he is the GOAT. In his 20th NBA season, LeBron nailed a 21-foot shot late against the Oklahoma City Thunder by breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 points on February 8, 2023. He averaged 30 or more seven times, including a preposterous 40.6 per over 11 games in 1965. I'd say that longevity wasn't the issue. Hes 2 rings away from #1 all-time. Later, he captured 2 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, and 2 league MVPs in the Heat. A no-brainer Naismith Hall of Famer inductee in 1977, the only thing missing from his sterling rsum was a championship. It's ESPNs from 2016, They were doing a list for the 70th anniversary of the NBA if I remember correctly. Fast breaks and no-look passing alley-oops took Lakers basketball to the next level. 1999-2013. Need to update Nowitzski, Wade and Bosh to now say 2019. He played all five positions in the game and led the Lakers to their first title in nearly a decade. There will never be another Shaq. The Mound Round of Rebound was a beast on the boards, averaging 11.7 for his career even withhis down years in Houston. Jordan may be the GOAT, and the league most definitely altered some of its laws in his wake,but MJnever altered the rule book the way Chamberlain did. There has been a total of 4374 players that have played in the NBA, can you name the top 500? The only guy to even come close to that was Chamberlain, and he also shows up on the above list. Bird didn't play enough to amass the numbers these guys did, but he outpaced just about everyone in the games he actually played. Is Jordans brand skyrocketing in the popularity of basketball? Yeah, injuries cut him down his last few seasons, but from his Rookie of the Year campaign during the 97-98 season through the 2009-10 season, Duncan was good for a double-double. Few guys in the league have everaffected the game in all facets like Antetokounmpo does, even if that 3-point shot forever remains a work in progress. 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 Youre telling me somebodys going to average more than 45.8 minutes per game like Wilt did during his 13 seasons in the NBA? This is why people no longer watch ESPN, besides their political nonsense! Id love to see some of todays greats playing against Elgin. Barkley started J-ing people up and shooting threes, forcing opponents to guard from all over the court and not just on the block. Without Magic Johnson, there would not have beenShowtime Lakers. He was just so damn good. Whenever there is a debate about a GOAT, one name is King James. A guy this young isnt supposed to have so many accolades on his, , especially after he entered the league as such a project. In 2016, Shaq was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 1 spot on this list when his career is over. We update this quiz at the end of every season. As a 2.05 m guard, he is ranked third all-time triple-double with 138. Bird retired because of lower back issues, not because he planned to do so. Durant, another two-time Finals MVP, asserted himself as one of the most prolific scorers in history, averaging a decade-best 28 points. Kevin Love and Blake Griffin shouldn't be on here, and even though I am not a fan of Kyrie Irving, I agree that he should be on this list. Lebron should not be in the top 10. His college career is practically unmatched, but since were talking professional basketball here know that he was the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell to win an MVP between 1960 and 68. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I cannot believe Rodman is not on the all-time rebounds list. Even despite losing in the second round to the Boston Celtics this season, Giannis became the first NBA player in history, Few guys in the league have everaffected the game in all facets like Antetokounmpo does, even if that 3-point shot forever remains a work in progress. Detroit won back-to-back championships in the middle of what many call the toughest era of NBA basketballand made Jordan scratch and claw for years before he finally got the Bulls over the hump. ZF, How much of an explanation do you need here? Bryants Mamba Mentality helped him accomplish everything in his career, and he deserves every right to be in the GOAT debate. If he brings home another title in Brooklyn, he could be pushing top 10 by the end of his career. Cool quiz, vince carter has officially retired plz update. To me the most surprising thing about this list isn't the placement of players or omissionsbut the fact that Vince Carter is still ACTIVE!! But only 1 appears in all 4. 1. i dont see curry thats how yuo know this list is cap, Not to be rude to all the Steph or Stephen Fans whatever Steph or Stephen is not really good hes only good because of the threes are making, please dont take this personally or to the Steph Curry fans. Also surprised about Alvin vs. Oscar Robertson--fewer people got the latter, but he's the one I was aiming for when I typed "Robertson." Using references from famous and reliable sports channels and websites like ESPN, Complex, Bleacher Report, and Clutch Points, here is our top 10 basketball players list. We can talk about the way Kobe impacted the game and the culture of basketball but that shouldnt even be a measurement. Kobe Bryant Drafted By Charlotte Hornets (Source: USA TODAY). Or Elgin Baylor. Gretzky won 10 NHL scoring championships from 1981 to 1994, and never had fewer than 130 points in those heralded seasons.. What a joke! I was told that he was the greatest basketball player ever. The captain of the Showtime Lakersshould firmly be included on anyones NBA top 5 list. ZO, Lets get this out the way first:this isnt a reactionary decision to Kobe Bryantspassing. I typed "Michael Jordan" and thought the quiz would be over. And, oh, yeah, lets not forget he was a member of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 Dream Team. Chuck played bigger than he was and was way more athletic than he was perceived. He returned in the 1992 Olympics to form the most outstanding basketball team, The Dream Team.. I was surprised Dennis Rodman didn't make it. Theres virtually no formula to stop him. You get that because its Bird and Magic were talking about and they basically saved the NBA in the 80s. Just think about how incredible it is that in his first season in the league, Magic started Game 6of the NBA Finals at center and dropped 42 points. Nicknamed " the Hick from French Lick " and " Larry Legend ", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Makes me kind of happy that LeBron isn't in any of these! Bird filled up a box score but he was never strictly a numbers guyhe was just a winner who made ridiculous passes, had a knack for seeing everything unfold seconds before anyone else on the court, and always made the key play that either sealed the deal or keyed a game-defining run. Same thing goes for Bradley, he was one of the top shot blockers in his day. I'm not really an NBA fan, but I've always been a sports fan in general and have always known the "big names" of the day, at least for the last 25 years or so. Top 10 Best NBA Players Of All Time!! LeBron not only matched the hype, but he exceeded it. The toughest debates may not be the obvious ones. James scored 38 points for a new NBA record of 38,390 points on a 130-133 loss against the Thunders, making Kareem #2 all-time scorer. 17 because of the way he changed the game. Bird wasn't an on-the-ball defender, nor was he a shot blocker. According to CNN, the auction house statement marks it as the most valuable Bryants memorabilia ever sold at an auction. His season with the Raptors catapulted him up the all time ranks, if were being transparent. Golden State won their first championship in four decades three years later. LeBron is better then Jordan. Extremely Hard Nba Quiz For myself, Ill never forget Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals. 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. LeBron is a 6'9" freight train of a human being who can play any position and guard all positions on the court. 9. 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