The 10 Greatest Players in NBA History

Basketball is a sport full of debates.

Adam Aaronson
Jul 23, 2017 · 10 min read

Kobe or LeBron? Bird or Magic? Wilt or Russell? The 2016 Warriors or 1996 Bulls? Michael Jordan or Nick Young? (The answer is Nick Young).

Anyways, the debate that will never end is over who the ten best players of all time are. The arguments have never stopped, and there are millions of different takes thrown out there. This is because different people measure the value of certain things differently. Some think championships is the end all be all, and others think stats are all that matters. However, there’s a right mixture of both. A player won’t make this list simply because they have won titles, but a player who was always great in the regular season and never reached the top of the mountain is likely to be penalized for it. Rings definitely still matter, but they are wildly overrated nowadays.

So, who are the real 10 greatest to ever step on the hardwood?

#10: Wilt Chamberlain

Resume: 13X All-Star, 2X NBA Champion, 4X MVP, scored 100 points in a game, averaged 50.4 PPG in a season

Wilt definitely has the best Basketball-Reference page in NBA history, but his accomplishments are simply overrated. Any player of Wilt’s height would have had a fantastic career if he played from 1959 until 1973. That’s not to totally discredit him, as he was on the most gifted big-men ever. But even in the season he averaged over 50 points per GAME (fifty!), he averaged 48.5 minutes per game. There are 48 minutes in a basketball game. He averaged more minutes per game than the actual amount of minutes in a game. This is because he played every minute of every game, including overtimes, and never fouled out. He never fouled out once in his entire career, which was by design. When he got four or fives fouls, the only effort he’d put in on the defensive end was the effort to avoid going near anywhere.

Chamberlain was certainly not a big-game player. He never was the type of player to step up when the pressure was on. He averaged almost eight less points per game in the playoffs than the regular season. He was 58–84 against his arch nemesis who we’re about to get to, and will forever be remembered as one of the most talented players of all time, but also as a player who was addicted to stats. But to be at the top of this list, you have to be addicted to winning. You know who was addicted to winning?

#9: Bill Russell

Resume: 12X All-Star, 11X Champion, 5X MVP, 11 titles in 13 years

Bill Russell is the greatest winner in the history of sports. He won the championship in 11 of his 13 seasons, including a season where he missed the playoffs with an injury. And, he won two of those titles as a player-coach. Russell maximized the abilities of every player he played with, and many players from his era call him the best teammate in the history of basketball.

Just as important, though, is the fact that Russell was the pioneer of defense. Nobody paid it much attention until he became possibly the best defender to ever play the game. The biggest shame in all of sports statistics is that steals and blocks weren’t recorded during Russell’s career. Because he likely would have set an unbeatable record for blocks. Above all else, Bill Russell will always be known as the best winner ever, and the man who monetized defense.

#8: Tim Duncan

Resume: 15X All-Star, 5X Champion, 2X MVP

The greatest Power Forward of all time takes his spot here at #8. He was a fantastic offensive player, hit all of the big shots, excelled in the big games, and more than anything else, he was a fantastic defender. He is the most laid back superstar in the history of American sports, wanting nothing aside from peace, calm, and titles.

Duncan was the ultimate team-guy; he always had a selfless, calm demeanor that rubbed off on the whole San Antonio Spurs organization. Many credit longtime Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for the Spurs fantastic winning culture, but Duncan deserves more credit. He sacrificed for the better of the team every single time, never once was he selfish, when he had every right to be. When there was no reason for him not to cash in an get a big contract from San Antonio at the back-end of his career, he still took massive paycuts so the team could get better. When they won, he deflected the spotlight onto his teammates. Tim Duncan was truly one-of-a-kind- there will never be another.

#7: Hakeem Olajuwon

Resume: 12X All-Star, 2X Champion, 1X MVP

Hakeem Olajuwon very well may be the most well-rounded big man of all time. He was an elite scorer, known most notably for his phenomenal repertoire of post moves and displaying footwork resembling that of a top-tier soccer player. He was also a world-class defender, averaging over three blocks per game. He also averaged double-digit rebounds for his career, and led his team to a title two years in a row.

There’s a widely accepted claim that Olajuwon would have no titles if Michael Jordan hadn't left to play for baseball for two years. And maybe the first time he wouldn’t have won, but it is certain he still would win the second title if MJ was playing. The reason for this is simple- he was playing. He came back before the playoffs started, and was eliminated by the Orlando Magic. That Magic team went on to get decimated by Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets in that year’s NBA Finals. So let’s stop passing along that totally baseless claim, and give “The Dream” the respect he very much deserves.

#6: Larry Bird

12X All-Star, 3X Champion, 3X MVP

He may not have been a great athlete, but he made up for lost quickness and speed with an extraordinary shooting stroke, even better passing vision, and excellent rebounding for his position. He led the Celtics to three titles, but his career was unfortunately shortened by back injuries.

The craziest part about Larry Bird’s career is this- he never had a season that wasn’t excellent. He only had one full season where he didn’t averaged more than 20 PPG; he only averaged 19.4. He was an all-time great clutch scorer, unbelievably cool under pressure. The legend of Larry Legend lives on with old videos of him calling his shot in the three-point contest, brilliant passes, and shooting so well that he literally had the opposing bench going crazy as he torched their team.

#5: Shaquille O’Neal

Resume: 15X All-Star, 4X Champion, 1X MVP

Before he became a part of the NBA on TNT crew and started doing commercials for every company in all of America, Shaquille O’Neal was busy being the most dominant force in the history of the NBA. At his peak, Shaq was better than anybody else ever. He didn’t use post moves, because he didn’t need them- he could just barrel over his defender and spike the ball in the bucket. And on defense, he was a brick wall- an elite rim protector and post defender.

After the debacle in Orlando that let him depart for the Lakers, he brought LA three straight titles. And Kobe Bryant may have been on that team, but make no mistake about it: those are Shaq’s titles, not Kobe’s. Shaq put up absurd numbers in the regular season and playoffs, forever etching his name in the record books.

#4: Magic Johnson

Resume: 12X All-Star, 5X Champion, 3X MVP

When it comes to making your teammates better, nobody was better than Earvin Magic Johnson. Averaging over 11 assists per game for his entire career, he was a transcendent talent. He had the size of a big, but also possessed unprecedented court vision and passing abilities, to go with great athleticism. He made the triple-double relevant, a threat every time he stepped on the court.

What made Magic so great was the way he played many different roles and remained an elite player in each one. In the 1986–87 season the Lakers needed him to be a scorer, and he averaged 23.9 points per game. For the 1983–84 season, he had t be the best playmaker he could be, so naturally, he averaged over 13 assists per game. Hell, he even filled in and played Center in an NBA Finals game and carried his team to victory. Magic Johnson did it all.

#3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Resume: 19XAll-Star, 6X Champion, 6X MVP, all-time NBA leading scorer

What makes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a whole different animal is the longevity of his success. He was a feared force for nearly two decades, giving him the longest run of sustained success in the history of the NBA. He was a top-tier scorer, averaging well over 20 points per game for 17 consecutive seasons, starting with his rookie year. He also averaged double-digit rebounds for his first 10 seasons.

Kareem was as efficient as possible for someone shooting and scoring as much as he did. He was as good as any big man ever, but he what separates him was that he was that good for so long. His repeated success spanning multiple decades hasn’t been duplicated since, and it likely won’t ever be matched.

#2: LeBron James

Resume: 13X All-Star, 3X Champion, 4X MVP, 8 NBA Finals appearances (7 straight)

No American athlete has ever had more pressure than 18 year-old LeBron James had when he entered the NBA in 2003. And somehow not only did he not fail to live up to they hype, but he actually exceeded impossible expectations. However, he is still the most highly-scrutinized athlete in American history. Every single thing he does is picked apart, from his pass-first mentality to his unfollowing his team on social media. And through all of the unwarranted criticism, he’s been nothing but a model citizen. No scandals, no arrests, no accusations, nothing. He’s given thousands of Akron children a college education they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to get. Anyways, let’s talk about LeBron on the court.

LeBron has been a star from day one. He’s added new elements to his game each year, and has become the total package. When the time comes, he can drop 40 points if he needs to, he can get a triple-double, and he can shut down the opposition’s best player. Don’t get used to LeBron James being #2 on this list, because by the time he retires, he’ll be on top.

#1: Michael Jordan

Resume: 14X All-Star, 6X Champion, 5X MVP, 6 titles in 6 appearances, all-time leader in PPG

The GOAT. Michael Jordan has been considered the greatest to ever play for a long time now, and many are scared of change. Even as LeBron is beginning to clearly cruise by MJ, many will never acknowledge a single player above the god known as Michael Jordan.

Jordan had it all. He scored more points per game for his career than anyone in history (30.1), while also proving to be one of the best perimeter defenders to ever play. He was a lethal competitor, from forever shattering the confidence of Mugsy Bogues to punching teammate Steve Kerr in the face during practice. There may be a new King (James) coming to take the throne, but let’s not forget the greatness of Michael Jordan.


This debate has been going on for the entirety of everyone’s lifetimes, and it will never end. These players, plus others, can be ordered in as many ways as imaginable, and there will always be a new all-timer coming along ready to join the discussion.

The Unprofessionals

Relentlessly honest opinions on all things sports and entertainment.

Adam Aaronson

Written by

Sports writer for The Unprofessionals (unprofession.com)

The Unprofessionals

Relentlessly honest opinions on all things sports and entertainment.

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