Posted on 02/22/2020 7:52:14 AM PST by Raymond Pamintuan
I've been watching some NBA games on YouTube and decided to update my ranking of the greatest basketball players of all time. The variables are player statistics, the impact the player had on his team, the strength of the opposition, and the strength of the player’s team (such as whether he had someone to elevate his game).
I use a tier system, where arguments can be made for any particular ranking for players within the same tier.
In my opinion, Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time (the GOAT). There’s never been anyone who dominated both ends in a manner he did. He went to the finals six times and won every time – his dominance was so overwhelming, even when he was sick as a dog (such as during the match against the Jazz).
(Note: * Active player as of Jan 1, 2020)
TIER 1: MICHAEL JORDAN
TIER 2 (in no particular order): LARRY BIRD MAGIC JOHNSON KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR KOBE BRYANT WILT CHAMBERLAIN WILL RUSSELL LEBRON JAMES*
TIER 3 (in no particular order): JOHN STOCKTON CHARLES BARKLEY SHAQUILLE O’NEIL KARL MALONE SCOTTIE PIPPEN HAKEEM OLAJUWON TIM DUNCAN JERRY WEST ELGIN BAYLOR JULIUS ERVING OSCAR ROBERTSON BOB PETTIT
TIER 4 (in no particular order): ALLEN IVERSON REGGIE MILLER RUSSELL WESTBROOK* BOB COUSY PATRICK EWING STEPHEN CURRY* KEVIN DURANT* DWYANE WADE RICK BARRY KEVIN MCHALE JASON KIDD MOSES MALONE KEVIN GARNETT STEVE NASH DAVID ROBINSON ISIAH THOMAS GEORGE MIKAN JOHN HAVLICEK PAUL PIERCE DIRK NOWITZKI
Notes: 1. Larry Bird hasn't been given the respect he deserves. There is no doubt that he was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He was definitely its greatest trash talker. The thing that upset his opponents the most was that he’ll tell them what he’s going to do and then he’ll do it, and it didn’t matter if he was double-teamed, he’ll sink the basket. If I were to choose between Bird and LeBron, I’ll choose Bird every time - he NEVER slacked off, he never choked during critical games, and he never left openings in his team’s defense, unlike LeBron.
2. I put James LeBron into Tier 2 due to his dominance and statistics. But he can NEVER compare to Michael Jordan, who is the GOAT because of LeBron's pattern of choking in critical games. He LOST six NBA championships, with teams designed around him. Think about that for a moment. The Chicago Bulls weren't built around MJ - he was its leader and greatest player, but he was just part of a whole.
3. I put my favorite player, Charles Barkley, in Tier 3 despite he probably should be in Tier 2. If he had a Dennis Rodman or John Stockton, he definitely would've made the transition.
4. John Stockton is the NBA’s all-time assist and steals leader. By a wide margin – over 700 more than MJ and over 1100 more than Olajuwon. Think about that. He had the worst luck to be stuck playing for the Utah Jazz his entire career with only Karl Malone as a top player. If Stockton played for the Lakers, Bulls, or Celtics, he would’ve moved up to Tier 2.
5. Kobe v. Shaq. While Shaq was an absolute monster and dominated the league, I honestly couldn't see putting him into Tier 2 because of his inconsistencies. I put Kobe into Tier 2 simply because of his drive for excellence - he never stopped trying to be better. One’s a shotgun, the other’s a .338.
What's yours?
Bill Russell.
Off button
Could it be argued that MJ won his titles when the NBA talent was down with the departure of Magic (well, Magic was at the end of his career) and Bird and that group of players?
When Bird was drafted by the Celtics he made an immediate impact in turning them around and had them contending for championships as did Magic with the Lakers.
Jordan had an impact as well but was never able to contend for championships in the manner of Magic and Bird who won a combined 8 between them (5 v 3).
Don't get me wrong....I'd take MJ on my team any day of the week.
As much as I despise LeBron, he will end up being in the top 1 or 2.
He has longevity, exceptional talent, and he is a natural leader and he “attracts” championships.
That said, it is very difficult to put together overall lists because the rules change and the athletes are better trained.
My personal favorite for best player is Larry Bird. And that is only because I watched him play.
I worked at the Basketball Hall of Fame for a while. The Nicest players of all time are Barkley, Rodman, Satch Sanders, and Chris Mullins. David Robinson is high on that list as well. They were all surprisingly personable.
Pete Maravich may fit in there. Is there a reason he is not? Or maybe I’m blind. Thanks for the list.
Fun exercise, but you’ll also get the people who will Pooh Pooh it as impossible, those who say all current stars are the greatest and those who insist only the long past stars are the greatest.
I have no skin in this game literally, but I do want to say, I happened to see a video of Bird’s huge variety of trick shots and I could not believe it. Does anyone have the skill he had? It was like the Harlem Globetrotters in a real NBA game!
I don’t care.
Michael Jordan ain't the GOAT, either. He's the MOAT (Most Overrated of All Time). There's a reason why it took the guy seven years to win his first NBA title. His reputation is largely due to the dominant team he had around him during those great years in the 1990s.
People tend to remember and vote for the more recent players rather than players who were before their time. I will admit that I am a contrarian, but I think that Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest of all time. They changed the rules of basketball because of Wilt. They didn’t ever do that because of Jordan. Case closed.
Dr. J - Julius Erving
Bird has better stats than Jordan. I would put Bird, Jordan and Magic together. They dominated in their era of play.
The NBA is supposed to be entertaining.
Who were/are the best entertainers?
I think professional athletes should only be paid for wins.
Exercise your free will and don’t click or comment on something you don’t care about...
FReepers: Meadowlark Lemon wasn't in the NBA!
Me: Yep, and this vanity isn't news.
No Adam Morrison?????/s
I’d put Dirk up a tier, but overall, not a bad list!
A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a twelve-time All-Star, he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won eleven NBA championships during his thirteen-year career. Russell and Henri Richard of the National Hockey League are tied for the record of the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. Russell led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, and he captained the gold-medal winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Looking back over time, it's hard to figure out how much of their impact was a result of how WELL they played the game, and how much was really a function of how DIFFERENTLY they played the game.
Wilt Chamberlain might have been one of those players. Two others that immediately come to mind are Babe Ruth in baseball and Bobby Orr in hockey.
What are you smoking? What stats are you talking about? In terms of stats, Bird doesn't come close to Jordan.
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