10. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
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What? The leading scorer in National Basketball Association (NBA) history is just the tenth-best player of all time? Indeedy. While Kareem scored a staggering 38,387 points during his playing career, I cannot overlook the fact that he spent a significant portion of his career receiving passes from Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson, the two best point guards in NBA history. In addition, the fact that he spent approximately 10,000 years in the NBA increased his career statistics. (Or 20, regardless.) Nonetheless, he was a formidable force that dominated the sport for two decades and created the sky hook, one of the most exquisite shots in the history of the game. Plus, he was hilarious in Airplane! and fought Bruce Lee in Game of Death, so he has the coolest quotient of everyone on this list.
9. Tim Duncan
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During the first half of NBA Game 4, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs blocks a basket attempt by Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat.
Despite being a lifelong Seattle sports fan, I had a fan-fling with the San Antonio Spurs teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Yes, they played the type of slow-paced basketball that left most viewers to sleep by the end of the third quarter, but Tim Duncan’s bank shot was frequently a thing of beauty amidst the tire fire of a 78–71 final score. Duncan, dubbed “The Big Fundamental” by none other than Shaquille O’Neal during his prime, was one of the most fundamentally sound players of all time. Four NBA titles, 14 All-Star appearances, and two NBA Most Valuable Player awards are undeniable evidence of his extraordinary talent, despite the fact that his vanilla playing style and reserved manner prevented him from having the same cultural influence as the other greats.
8. Shaquille O’Neal
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Shaquille O’Neal is the polar opposite of Duncan in terms of “attractive play.” Whereas Timmy would circumvent an opponent in the post with his superior footwork, Shaq would frequently use his enormous size (7’1″ and 315 pounds) to muscle his way to the basket. Once there, he would finish with a thunderous dunk, a surefire strategy that allowed O’Neal lead the NBA in field-goal percentage ten times over the course of his career. Despite his size, O’Neal was surprisingly elegant and had a fine touch on close-range jump shots. On the contrary, his free-throw shooting…
7. Larry Bird
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Larry Bird was one of the fiercest competitors and greatest trash-talkers in NBA history, despite his humble origins at a small college and his nickname of “Hick from French Lick.” The supremely assured Bird possessed possibly the quickest release of any basketball player in history, and he would frequently let his defender know that the shot was going in as soon as it left his hands. In his 13-year career, which was cut short by injuries, he amassed three championship rings and 12 All-Star selections. In addition, his battle with Magic Johnson — who, spoiler alert, you’ll see a bit later on this list — in the 1980s propelled basketball to a level of national prominence that has never been surpassed.
6. Bill Russell
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Russell was the most dominant champion in NBA history. He won the league championship in all but two of his 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics. Even though the NBA comprised of just 8 to 14 teams during Russell’s era, gaining championships was statistically easier for a single organization. However, this does not diminish Russell’s historic achievements. Before Russell joined the team, the Celtics had played for ten seasons without ever advancing to the championship series. Russell significantly altered the trajectory of the franchise during his rookie season and established the Celtics as the NBA’s most successful team. But he did not earn his place on this list through some sort of nebulous “winningness.” Russell was one of the greatest defenders of all time, and he revolutionized the importance of shot blocks, in addition to averaging an astounding 22.5 rebounds per game over the course of his career.
5. Oscar Robertson
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Oh my goodness, what a person! I wish I had a time machine so I could travel back in time to watch him play since his numbers are so astounding. During the 1961–1962 basketball season, “The Big O” averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. Oh, and the 12-time All-Star was also instrumental in bringing real free agency to the NBA through a landmark antitrust complaint, a feat as astounding as his on-court triumphs.
4. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Wilt Chamberlain
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Chamberlain played during a time when post players were substantially smaller and basketball did not attract the athletic wonders we see today, but he was so dominant that he merits a place in the top five regardless of circumstance. In his first four seasons as a professional, Chamberlain posted the four highest single-season scoring averages in NBA history. On March 2, 1962, he scored 100 points in a game, setting an NBA record that is unlikely to be broken. In addition to his unparalleled scoring prowess, Chamberlain was the first player in league history to average more rebounds per game than Bill Russell (22.9) while simultaneously playing more minutes per game than any other player (45.8). In 1970, Chamberlain was limited to just 12 regular-season games due to injury, but he still managed to lead his team to the NBA finals upon his return. This was the only season in his 14-year career in which he was not an All-Star.
3. Johnson Magic
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During the 1980s, the NBA’s popularity skyrocketed due in large part to the charisma of Magic Johnson, one of the NBA’s most vivacious players. Nevertheless, he was much more than a sparkling smile. Johnson’s supernatural demise set the foundation for the “Showtime” L.A. Lakers teams that won five championships during his 13 years with the franchise. Johnson, the NBA’s tallest point guard at 6’9″, not only had the best assists-per-game average (11.2) in league history, but he also had a phenomenal all-around performance. Famously, as a 20-year-old rookie, he filled in for an injured Abdul-Jabbar at center in game six of the 1980 NBA finals, which was the game in which the championship was won. Oh, and while this has nothing to do with his position on this list, it’s still incredibly impressive and noteworthy that he has successfully fought off HIV for over two decades, helped de-stigmatize AIDS through his high-profile advocacy, and launched a second career as an entrepreneur who primarily opens businesses in poverty-stricken areas to spur urban revitalization. So, Magic Johnson is a decent individual.
2. Michael Jordan
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I realize I face the risk of being banished from my beloved Chicago if I dare to claim that His Airness is not the greatest player of all time, but he is not. Most famous player in history? Absolutely. Who was the greatest player ever? Highly likely. Most competitive to the detriment of ever having regular human ties with anyone? Oh my, absolutely. The man’s renowned ambition to be the best carried him to six championships, five MVP honors, All-Star berths in every full season he played, and potentially the title of greatest defensive player of all time. In addition, his career average of 30.1 points per game is the most in the NBA. Nevertheless, he played with another top-25 player in Scottie Pippen and was coached by the strategic mastermind Phil Jackson during his most fruitful years. He was fantastic, but he had a great deal of assistance, at least more than the last person on our list. Moreover, it is quite amusing to tease the Chicagoans who are surprisingly defensive about their sporting achievements. Did you know that the 2013 Seattle Seahawks have the best defensive record in NFL history?
1. LeBron James
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Yes, the man who many fans (mistakenly) regard to be the most overrated choke artist in the game is in fact the greatest player to ever step foot on a court. LeBron James routinely accomplishes feats that should not be feasible for humans. He is considerably larger than the majority of NFL players, yet he moves with the dexterity of the most agile basketball guards. Moreover, he not only endured the immense pressure of being dubbed “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated as a teenager, but he has actually surpassed the enormous expectations placed upon him. James handles the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week media pressures of the twenty-first century with grace, when his predecessors never had to. Through the publishing of this list, James has averaged Robertson-like 27.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 steals per game, but unlike the Big O, he has done so against teams comprised of elite athletes and not players who smoked cigarettes during intermission. When people criticized him for not winning championships early in his career, they ignored the fact that at the age of 22 he nearly single-handedly led an outmatched Cleveland Cavaliers team to the NBA finals in 2007. As a member of the Miami Heat, he has obviously since won two championships (and counting?). Not only does he routinely perform feats I’ve never witnessed, but he has also continually refined his game to address the relative weaknesses for which he was previously chastised. Not much more could be desired from the best ever, would you agree?