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.
All very good points. Thank you.
Don’t forget Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt as the most dominant athletes on earth.
Waiting in the wings..Kawhi Leonard.
You know, the only time I ever bought NHL tickets when I lived in Vancouver, was when Gretzky came to town to play the Canucks.
He was magical.
Tier 3.
I couldn’t put him in Tier 2, given the caliber of Tier 2 players.
Good choice.
I have him in Tier 3, together with Shaq, Olajuwon, Malone, and Duncan.
What an awesome story! I’m so jealous!
Larry Bird.
Kurt Rambus or Bill Walton???
” In Game 6 of the 1980 NBA finals, Magic Johnson started at CENTER in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ... and dominated the game with 42 points and 15 rebounds. That’s unbelievable.”
I would go with Magic as well but I wouldn’t point to Game 6 as a reason. Darryl Dawkins was the guy he lined up against. Darryl had a habit of disappearing in games and was an indifferent defender as long as you didn’t provoke him. You can probably tell I am a 76ers fan. But I watched a lot of games around that era and DD was maddening and a terrible waste of talent.
“The first player they changed the rules for was George Mikan. Then came Wilt. Now it is James Harden.”
What did I miss? Are NBA officials going to start enforcing the rule against traveling? Cause James Harden isn’t the only guy that takes an extra step.
Nice list.
I didn’t even consider Pistol Pete in the top four tiers - if I create a Tier 5, then I would’ve put him there.
Maravich was individually great, especially in college, but it never translated to rings. His teams never went anywhere (only got past the second round of the playoffs once, in his last year at Boston) and his injuries prevented him from becoming a transcendent player.
Maravich played on garbage teams for most of his career. I believe he did get a ring with the Celtics as a reserve player.
My apologies - I had David Robinson in my head.
I meant to say, David Robinson.
That’s my assessment of Kobe, as well. Great player, but I think he didn’t make the guys around him better.
Jordan and Russell made the guys around them better, and that’s why they are the greatest, in my book.
I have Kobe in Tier 2. You don’t score on the shots you don’t take.
If Shaq could make free-throws, he might have been the most dominant player. But “Hack a Shaq” shortened his career and his effectiveness.
You might have missed one for that top term position. My vote goes to the Big “O” as it is very difficult not to consider a player that averages a triple double for a season.
But one name I didn’t see was Rick Barry. Hard to ignore his successes:
NBA Rookie of the Year (1966)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1966)
NBA leading scorer in 1967 (35.6 ppg)
NBA highest free-throw percentage 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980
All-NBA First Team (1966, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1976)
All-NBA Second Team (1973)
NBA Finals MVP (1975)
NBA champion (1975)
Eight time NBA All-Star (1966, 1967, 1973–1978)
15 games in NBA career scoring 50 or more points (5th in NBA history)
115 games in professional career scoring 40 or more points — 70 NBA, 45 ABA (4th in professional basketball history after Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant)
And for a shooter, he averaged almost 5 assists a game.
Stats that rate him up with anyone in my mind.
And he did this with no real superstars on the teams he played.
rwood
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