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.
I actually went back and forth on Dirk Nowitzki and Allan Iverson but try as I might, I couldn’t justify putting them in the same tier as Stockton, Shaq, and Dr. J.
The Celtics never even made it to the championship series before Russell, even though they had Auerbach, Sharman, and Cousy.
............
With Russell they not only went to the final series, they won 11 of the next 13 championships.
Forgot to mention you should definitely read Ken Dryden’s new book “Scotty”. Bowman picks his top 8 teams ever and does a mythical Stanley Cup playoff to determine the greatest team ever. Pretty sure you’ll like the book.
I think LeBron’s deficits (choking in critical games, losing six championships, and leaving massive gaps in his team’s defense) cannot be overcome, even if he wins another ten championships.
In my book, it isn’t longevity that counts, but overall efficiency and performance. LeBron has already played more games than MJ and has nowhere near the rings.
Michael Jordan dominated both ends of the court. Completely and utterly.
No Jerry West?
Never mind, I missed him when I scanned your list.
Bill Bleepin’ Russell
I would include somewhere Pistol Pete Maravich and certainly Bill Walton (whose carrer was likely shortened by his vegetarianism. He was certainly on the right team ... Portland)
The best “all around” player was Oscar Robertson - no one else is even close.
If Pete Maravich had played with the 3-point shot, he would have averaged 40-pts a game.
No Daryl Dawkins? The guy who invented smashing backboards?
That is definitely true, and many of Wilt’s records will never be broken.
However, I cannot in good conscience put him at the top because the caliber of the opposing teams, as well as the size of the league at the time, made his dominance greater than it would be in today’s league.
It can be argued that the young Shaq and LeBron would dominate a prime Chamberlain. I’m not saying they could, only that the argument can be made. It may also be possible for a prime Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, and Nowitzki to give him a run for his money, especially with Nowitzki’s perimeter shooting.
Oscar Robertson is definitely underrated. However, it might be noted that his career was at almost exactly the same time as Chamberlain’s, so saying that Chamberlain played at a different time would not be a good argument in this case.
Unfortunately, without accurate stats, we’ll never know.
Jerry West was phenomenal, but was he in another tier above John Stockton, Elgin Baylor, and Bob Pettit?
I don’t think so.
But then, that’s just my opinion.
As for Sir Charles, all of what you said is true. I think if he was in a different team with top-caliber players, he could’ve had rings on both hands.
You said it all.
LeBron, already, can never surpass MJ because of his deficits, which drag down his rankings.
Even if he wins another ten championships, it’ll never erase the fact that he LOST six championship games with teams built around him. MJ won six out of six attempts, which is a 100% performance. It’s mathematically impossible to get a 100% success rate when one is already down six championships. LeBron won three out of nine attempts (33.33%).
I’ve seen LeBron choke in critical games and even several where his teammates won the game after LeBron’s errors.
I’ve seen LeBron leave huge gaps in his team’s defense because he would walk so slow towards their own basket, leaving his teammates to scramble to stop the opposing team’s advance. That’s just disrespectful to his teammates.
I kept LeBron in Tier 2 because of his pluses, but cannot in good conscience put him in the top tier because of his negatives. If I had my way, I’ll put him in Tier 3 since he’s the ONLY ONE in Tier 2 with such negatives. No one can honestly say Larry Bird or Magic Johnson didn’t play every minute of every game. No one can honestly accuse Wilt Chamberlain, Will Russell, or Kareem Abdul Jabbar of slacking off and letting his team down. No one can accuse Kobe of not having an overwhelming burning desire to win. But all those accusations can credibly be laid at the feet of LeBron.
I remember that ad/comic!
But the records not being broken is an indicator. Apparently he would still have the record so still be outplaying most of these.
I hear that saw all the time about the old days. But record-breaking and keeping kind of nix that.
Kobe isn’t on your top 8 list?
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