Accomplishments: 17-time All-Star, 17-time All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 2003-04 Rookie of the Year, 2007-08 scoring champ, 2019-20 assists champ, four-time NBA champion. I personally think its disrespectful to leave Kobe Bean Bryant out ofthe top five of any all time list. He was the gold standard and wholly worthy of being cast as the leagues logo, even if he not so secretly disdains the honor. Tim Duncan. Unlike most players in the NBA, David Robinson spent his entire NBA career with one team, the San Antonio Spurs. Despite going to nine NBA Finals with the Lakers, West won only one title in 1972. Donovan Mitchell is the best player on one of the best teams in the NBA: the Utah Jazz. Mark E. Eaton (born January 24, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player who was a member of the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz from 1982 to 1993, with one NBA All-Star selection in 1989, and two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1985 and 1989. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, three-time scoring champ, 2016-17 assists champ, 2017-18 MVP, 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year. 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. Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominating players of his generation, perhaps even of all time. Through the publication of this list, James has averaged a Robertson-esque 27.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 steals per game andunlike the Big Ohe was doing so against teams stocked with elite athletes and not players who smoked cigarettes at halftime. Dirk brought about change that fundamentally altered the way the NBA is played. But decisions had to be made. Instead, the politicking and petty attacks on each others basketball intelligence got really heated, over multiple Zoom calls and text threads, when we tried to properly rank Shaq and Kobe and a bunch of point guards toward the bottom of our30 Best NBA Players of All Time list. Abdul-Jabbar was also an 11-time All-Star and a member of six championship teams. Stats: 26.4 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Milwaukee/St. The complete list of players is in alphabetical order below. If your team doesnt have a big man that can shoot from 3, youre not winning anything. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, four-time All-Defensive team, two-time MVP, 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year, 2016-17 Most Improved Player, 2021 Finals MVP, 2021 NBA champion. Thanks to that remarkable season, Hurts just became the highest-paid NFL player of all time. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, five-time assists champ, two-time MVP. The Mound Round of Rebound was a beast on the boards, averaging 11.7 for his career even withhis down years in Houston. Were not technically a sports website, but this editor (hi!) Theres a specific game against the Clippers that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar attended, and Shaq was playing poorly, and the Lakers were losing, but then he saw Abdul-Jabbar. 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. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, eight-time assists champ, 1956-57 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, six-time NBA champion. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Hes made five All-NBA squads, four times hes been named to one of the NBAs All-Defense teams, hes an All-Star MVP,was the Most Improved Player of the Year in 2017, and was named to the leagues 75thanniversary squad. George Mikan, standing at 6-foot-10, won four of the first five NBA championships as one of the best centers of all time. Plus, he has the record for the most free throws attempted and completed. He did it all and made sure you knew about it along the way. Duncan is one of the greatest big men and arguably the greatest power forward ever. LeBron James. Accomplishments: 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds, 11-time All-Star, three-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, five-time NBA Champion, Hall of Fame Class of 2002. He was given the nicknames "the Hick from the French Lick" and "Larry Legend.". I can only imagine how that shit looked back in those days. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1968-69 scoring champ, two-time rebounding champ, 1978 NBA champion. He holds a record for the most points scored in a career - 38,387 - and earned six MVP awards over his 20-year career. AD, To me, Kevin Durant is the most skilled offensive player ever to play the game. Let us look at the Top 10 NBA Players of All Time. Its the playoff excellence that helps elevate Duncan above the more physically and athletically gifted contemporary power forwards like Karl Malone and Kevin Garnett. Durants biggest criticism was going to Golden State after the Warriors won 73 games the previous season. Stats: 19.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.5 APG in 19 seasons with Boston Celtics (1998-99 to 2012-13), Brooklyn Nets (2013-14), Washington Wizards (2014-15) and LA Clippers (2015-16 to 2016-17). Stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG in 14 seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1996-97 to 2006-07; 2009-10), Denver Nuggets (2006-07 to 2008-09), Detroit Pistons (2008-09) and Memphis Grizzlies (2009-10) . Accomplishments: 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3.1 blocks, 12-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 1993-94 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, two-time NBA Champion, Hall of Fame Class of 2008. The 1964 NBA MVP, the 1961 Rookie of the Year, a 12-time All-Star,an 11-time All-NBA selection, NBA 75 I can keep going. LeBron James overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBAs leading scorer in February 2023. But as great as he was in the regular-season, West shined in the playoffs. Russell was the ultimate winner in the history of the NBA. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1976-77 scoring champ. The Black Mamba. Complex Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tim Duncan Tim Duncan, probably the most incredible power forward of all time, takes the number 10 spot on our list. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, three-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 1979-80 Rookie of the Year, 1982 All-Star MVP, three-time NBA champion. Stats: 25.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.5 APG in 12 seasons with Oklahoma City Thunder (2009-10 to 2011-12), Houston Rockets (2012-13 to 2020-21) and Brooklyn Nets (2020-21)*. Iowa City, IA(PSF)-A few weeks back, I gave the world my top 10 NBA players of all time, starting from one through five. Magic made the game funthats what made Magic so special as a player. Plus, he was hilarious in Airplane! In 251 playoff games, he averaged 19.9 PPG and 11.0 RPG. Larry Bird 7. by Jjones21. The irony of it is that most of his career, LeBron has not been recognized for his scoring ability despite his numbers. When the Complex Sports crew started to put together this list, we didnt waffle over whether LeBron deserved to be ranked higher than MJ. His hybrid play, like Magic Johnsons, was way ahead of its time. An average male aged 20 or older in the United State stands just 5'9.5"whilethe typical height of an NBA athlete is usually around 6'7", but varies year to year. 6'9, 250, power forward, NBA: 2009-Let's stick with combine numbers for Blake Griffin. Accomplishments: Four-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1967 NBA champion. Stats: 17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 APG in 12 seasons with Boston Celtics (1957-58 to 1968-69). Kobe Bryant . Chuck played bigger than he was and was way more athletic than he was perceived. Switching to True Shooting Percentage, we see many of the same names with the notable addition of perhaps the most underrated player of all-time: Adrian Dantley. Nor were they expected to rip down double-digit boards on a nightly basis. The uber-confident Bird had arguably the quickest release of anyone to ever play basketball and hed often let his defender know that the shot was going in soon after it left his hands. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, 2006-07 MVP, 2011 Finals MVP, 2011 NBA champion. Michael Jordan is the best in the top 10 basketball players of all time. But Im still going to remind you that he never played in a Finals Game 7 in six appearances and won a Defensive Player of the Year award (88) along with his five MVPs, six Finals MVPs, and was named to theNBAs 75th anniversary team. There were passionate pleas to weigh unprecedented accomplishments over sustained excellence. The NBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary throughout the 2021-22 season, and part of that celebration includes the unveiling of the list of the greatest players in NBA history. 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. Position: Center Teams: San Antonio Spurs (1989-2003) Honours: Rookie of the Year (1989-90), MVP (1994-95), Defensive Player of the Year (1991-92), 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection, 8-time All-Defensive Team, Hall of Fame Championships: 2 (1999, 2003) Career stats: 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 BPG, .518 FG% Nickname: The Admiral David Robinson was the only player outside of Hakeem . Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Stats: 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG in 14 seasons with Cincinnati Royals (1960-61 to 1969-70) and Milwaukee Bucks (1970-71 to 1973-74). by Trentonl2025. With his unique skillset offensively, it was on the defensive end where KG was at his best. Rajon Rondo. Now just look at the NBA today. 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. Find out more. Magic Johnson 5. From 2011 thru 2018, Griffin averaged 21.6 PPG and 9.3 RPG while earning five All-Star selections and a spot on the Clippers' Mount Rushmore as one of the best players at his position in the . Admittedly, Chamberlain played at a time when post players were significantly smaller and basketball wasnt drawing the types of athletic marvels we see today, but the man was so incredibly dominant that he deserves a spot in the top five regardless of context. Stats: 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG in 13 seasons with New York Knicks (1967-68 to 1976-77) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-78 to 1979-80). The No. NBA 2K23 Play Now Player and Team Ratings Database - 2KRatings.com is updated regularly. If he brings home another title in Brooklyn, he could be pushing top 10 by the end of his career. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. NBA legend Michael Jordan. LeBron not only matched the hype, but he exceeded it. 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. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, four-time All-Defensive team, 2017 All-Star MVP, three-time blocks champ, 2020 NBA champion. You could go on and on with former and current NBA stars talking about why Iverson was so great and means so much to them. Moreover, he not only faced the incredible pressure of being anointed The Chosen One by Sports Illustrated as a teenager, but hes actually exceeded the lofty expectations set for him. He averaged24.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 1.7 BPG. Bill Russell 11. But Malones accolades compare quite favorably. Magic Johnson Magic Johnson. 0. Kevin Durant Career Accomplishments: 2x NBA Champion (2017, 2018), NBA MVP (2014), 2x NBA Finals MVP (2017, 2018), 10x All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP (2012, 2019), 6x All-NBA First Team, 3x All-NBA Second Team, Rookie of the Year (2008), 4x NBA Scoring Champion (2010-2012, 2014), 50-40-90 club (2013) Others argued it should be about the numbers andthat awardsdont always end up belonging to the most deserved individual. Accomplishments: 15-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 12-time All-Defensive Team, 2003-04 MVP, 2007-08 Defensive Player of the Year, 2003 All-Star MVP, four-time rebounding champ, 2008 NBA champion. Accomplishments: Seven-time All-Star, five-time All-Defensive team. Accomplishments: Two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1977-78 MVP, 1977 Finals MVP, 1985-86 Sixth Man of the Year, 1976-77 rebounding champ, 1976-77 blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. That really shows you how hard it is to rank these guys. Then head over and vote on the best NBA players of the 2010s. Jordan retired for the first time at the . ZF, While we can argue all day and night about the value of the triple-double in todays position-less game, when Oscar Robertson became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double over a season it was nothing short of monumental. All you really need to know is that Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest center and its not even a debate. In case you hadn't noticed, the Wiz from Wuerzburg has been outscored by only five playersAbdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. 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