Top 10: Greatest NBA Players

10. Julius Erving SG, SF/ Philadelphia 76ers

 Longtime basketball fans say that Julius Erving revolutionized the game of basketball. He was one of the first non-big man to utilize dunking as a high percentage shot, and he was the most well-known ABA player during its merger with the NBA after the 1975-76 season. Between his time in both the ABA and NBA, Erving won three championships, four MVP awards, and three scoring titles.

9. Tim Duncan C, PF/ San Antonio Spurs

Some may say this is too low on the list while others may say that this is too high, but one thing is for sure. Tim Duncan is one of the best all-around big men of all time. He has always been one of the top defenders in the league, while averaging over 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. He led the Spurs, a small-market team with a relatively low salary cap, to four championships, . Timmy Duncan has two MVP awards, three finals MVP awards, and is therefore one of the most underappreciated stars in NBA history.


8. Bill Russell PF, C/Boston Celtics

Bill Russell is the greatest winner of all time. He won 11 NBA Championships, which is a record that will never be broken. He also won five NBA MVP awards in 13 seasons because of wall-like defensive impact. The only reason Bill Russell is not higher on this list is because he did have the offensive game of a dominant player. Despite this, Russell was a presence on the court at all times and he will always be remembered as one of the NBA’s first great players.


7. Shaquille O’Neal C/ Los Angeles Lakers and others

Shaq is not only is one of the most dominant centers of all time, but he is also the greatest personality the NBA has ever had. The four-time champion was an unstoppable force that bullied around any defender that went near him. The only reason why Shaq is not a top-five player of all time is that he could not shoot the ball. However, it is unlikely that any player, including Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, would be able to stop Shaq if they played in the same era. I personally will miss Shaq since he retired from the game of basketball.


6. Kobe Bryant SG/Los Angeles Lakers

Lets start with his stats: 2007-2008 MVP, 5 time NBA champion, 13 time All-NBA Team member, 11 time All-Defensive Team member, 4 time All Star Game MVP award winner, Lakers all time highest scorer.

Kobe Bryant is often referred to as the second best shooting guard in history behind Michael Jordan. He is one of the greatest scorers in history (check out his 81 point performance), and he is one of the most dominant overall guards too.


5. Larry Bird SF/Boston Celtics

Larry is arguably the greatest shooter of all time, and he led the Celtics to three NBA championships in the 1980’s. He was a three time MVP award winner, and he revolutionized the game of basketball with his rivalry with Magic Johnson. Many people do not know this, but Bird was an overall player. He averaged 10 rebounds and over 6 assists per game, and he was a great defender. His name will forever be associated with one of the best basketball players ever.


4. Magic Johnson PG/Los Angeles Lakers

Magic Johnson is often rated as the best point guard of all time. He is a five time champion and a three time MVP. If his career had not been shortened by HIV, Magic may have won more championships and been in the top 2 on this list. He is probably the greatest all around Laker of all time, which is pretty awesome considering there are five of them on this list.


3. Kareem Abdul Jabbar C/Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks

At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's all-time leader in points scored, games played, minutes played, field goals made, field goal attempts, blocked shots, defensive rebounds, and personal fouls. That is pretty damn impressive. He won 6 NBA championships and a record 6 MVP Awards in 20 seasons. He is famous for his “skyhook”, and he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

2. Wilt Chamberlain C/ Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers

100 points in a game. 50 points per game in a season. These are two things that Wilt Chamberlain has done that no other player has ever come close to achieving. His dominance of the NBA was known by all as he dropped 50 points and 20 rebounds frequently. He was a 2 time NBA champion, and a four time MVP. Heck, the NBA had to change a handful of rules due to his dominance.

1 . Michael Jordan SG/ Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards

He is by far the best player of all time. He has five MVP awards, 6 Final MVP awards, and he is one of the most clutch athletes of all time. Jordan is one of the greatest leaders and scorers in NBA history, and he was also a top-notch defender. Jordan's fearlessness and love for the game drove him to do things that no other player has ever done, and his passion has impacted basketball forever. If he hadn’t retired from basketball for baseball, his numbers would have been even more impressive. He is the greatest player to play the game of basketball, and is therefore on the top of this exclusive list.






Notable snubs:


Oscar Robertson- At the time of his retirement, he was first all time on the NBA’s all-time assist list and second all time on the NBA scoring list behind Wilt Chamberlain (See #2). Additionally, he managed to pick up both an NBA championship and an MVP award.


Hakeem Olajuwon- He is the only player to win the MVP award, Defensive Player of the Year award and Finals MVP award in the same season. He won back-to-back championships as the leader of the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995, and he is known as one of the greatest centers of all time.




LeBron James- Settle down LeBron fans. He will be high on this list eventually. Although he should arguably be on this list right now, he still has many seasons to go in which he will add to his already impressive resume: Four MVP awards and two Finals MVP awards.