He was possibly the best player in the world at that time. Similarly, LeBron is the top scorer in a playoff with 7,631 points and ranks first in the all-time point leaders list. Magic Johnson Played 13 Seasons In The NBA (Source: NBA.com). So I get Dave DeBusschere and Earl Mornroe, and miss Dr. J, the Admiral, and Pistol Pete. Done. AD, Theres really only one thing KawhiLeonardhas left to accomplish in his career. He deserves it. You get that because its Bird and Magic were talking about and they basically saved the NBA in the 80s. Same thing goes for Bradley, he was one of the top shot blockers in his day. And I blank on Steph Curry. Mike has more rings but that's because the NBA is so much more competitive then it was 25 years ago. It all started in a YMCA in Springfield, MA for Americans privileged enough to join the club, but basketball games soon began popping up all over the country. There's little doubt Dirk Nowitzi is the Mavericks' best and most important player of all time. Argh. Just about being on the list of all time leaders in these categories. Larry stayed with the Pacers as an advisor and continued serving until July 2022; he stepped back from maintaining an active role with the Indiana Pacers. not now. Surprising the best rebounder of all time isn't on here. Dominant seems like the only adjective to describe Shaqs career. A three-time champion who won three consecutive MVPs in the mid-80s, and obviously made the NBAs 75th anniversary team, Bird knocked down daggers like it was nothing and loved ripping out the hearts of his rivals while talking some of the most underrated trash. This article was last updated by Vandana Thapa on March 1, 2023. Now hes the first unanimous MVP in league history (which is pretty stupid, but still) and has four rings to go with another MVP. In my book, thats the single greatest achievement in NBA history and will be hard to top. If he gets drafted by the Spurs, KG would have hadmore than just one ring to his name. This section of the list includes a lot of legendary big men from NBA history, but Dirk ultimately lands at No. Jordans brilliance set a standard for future-generation players in the league. The Big O was a nightmare matchup because he scored in ways few were able to figure out. He played forever, has a ring, scored 17,000 points despite being on two mostly mediocre teams, led centers in FT% and was the first big man to master the 3-point shot. It's ESPNs from 2016, They were doing a list for the 70th anniversary of the NBA if I remember correctly. Lebron isnt in this conversation. Snowboard- . A 19-time All-Star who 15 times finished in the top 5 of the MVP voting, well spare you from listing out all his accolades because youd be scrolling this fine piece of #contentfor hours. Players dont choose the era they play in, all we can do is look at who dominated it. His season with the Raptors catapulted him up the all time ranks, if were being transparent. ZO, When you talk about best PGs in NBA history, it would be impossible to not have Magic Johnson as No. By his father (and ESPN). One more tiny nitpick: Chris Mullin retired in 2001. larry bird should be 1st all the way boston celtics the best all the way you already know but RIP BILL RUSSEL AND KOBE BRYANT. He was a swimmer and didnt start playing basketball until later as a teen. In 2008, Kobe won his careers first and only MVP award. I think Kobe is 5th, behind Lebron, MJ, and Kareem, and Wilt in that order. Thanks more power jetpunk!. I had the same reaction. Hes still in the top five in assists (he averaged 13.9 apg in 85) and still gets under MJs skin. I remember Artis Gilmore. I hated Larry Bird as much as any self-respecting Lakers fan, but the idea that he was somehow overrated is nuts. In 2016, Shaq was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2001, Julius Erving introduced his former teammate before Malones enshrinement speech and Dr. J joked with the audience that evening, Just think about the sound of that name. Then head over and vote on the best NBA players of the 2010s. In 1998, Bird was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is on track to become top 15 in those also. Your quiz is broken. this needs to be upgraded. Desmond Bane Bio: NBA, Net Worth & Awards, Tom Bradys Son, Jack Edward Bio: Family, Football, Summer Job, Who Is Aaron Rodgers Wife? AD, The Big Ticket is one of those players where the rings convo holds little to no weight. In 2000, Shaq became the third player to claim league MVP, finals MVP, and all-star MVP in the same season. More quiz info >> Start Quiz Comments (6) I am laughing at this comment five years later, and he only just retired last year. On April 16, 2003, Jordan played his final NBA game and received a three-minute standing ovation from his teammates, his opponents, the officials, and the crowd of 21,257 fans. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Can we have a complete change on this quiz? A Dream Team member andtwo-time gold medal winner who was skilled enough to be considered one of the 50 greatestby the NBA in 1996,andone of the 75 greatest players ever in 2021, Pippen did so much more than his averages indicated (16.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 5.2 APG). 1 Les podiums du Ballon dOr 2 Qatar 2022 - World Cup Qualification Quiz. If you think you can make a better list, be my guest. Gretzky won 10 NHL scoring championships from 1981 to 1994, and never had fewer than 130 points in those heralded seasons.. 1 overall pick in the 1958 NBA Draft, the Rookie of the Year in 1959, an 11-time All-Star, and an astounding 10-time First-Team All-NBA selection, Baylor of course resides on the NBAs 75th anniversary team as he more than lived up to the hype when he entered the league and left it averaging 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Clearly a lot of subjectivity with this list, not a lot of science or math involved. Onto his 20th season in the NBA, LeBron James has not slowed down since making his debut. Talking about it, Wilt is responsible for many NBA rule changes like offensive goaltending, extending the lane, and revising regulations regarding free throws and inbounding. Of course Michael Jordan is No. No guard has ever dominated the league like he did, which helps his case when you see him on the top of everyones list. Youre telling me somebodys going to average more than 45.8 minutes per game like Wilt did during his 13 seasons in the NBA? After resigning from his head coaching position at the end of the 2000 season. Duncan grew up in the US Virgin Islands. We could go through all the stats and the awards to prove why James should be where he is on this list, but theres really no need. Late Kobe Bryant is dubbed the most outstanding Laker of all time playing 20 years of his career. Bill Russell might have more titles, Wilt Chamberlain might have all those untouchable records, but Abdul-Jabbar was offensively skilled in ways Russell never was and retired as the league leader in nine statistical categories thanks to an impressive staying power Chamberlain couldnt match. Yeah, per-game statistics are more telling than aggregate statistics. In 2008 and 2009, Bryant led the Lakers to back to the back championship and was named Finals MVP both years. ZO, Call it an overreaction if you foolishly insist, but with all the accolades and the company he now keeps after that epic run through the 2021 NBA Finals, Greek Freak absolutely belongs on thislist. how are you going to put marc gasol in front of harden and kevin love and gail goodrich, like what even man. Only four players have reached 100 points over the past six seasons. The same thing bothered me with counting Schmidt when we typed in Smith on baseball quizzes, but at least there, it's not *not* counting some other Schmidt. After all, "today's players aren't as good as the ones from yesteryear" isn't exactly a good business model. After signing for the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar became a Showtime Lakers captain, leading the team to 5 titles in 14 seasons. Bird's main reason for not appearing on these lists is the short length of his career. LeBron is better then Jordan. Feels like he's been around since the 70s. Says something about the danger of relying too much on statistics, which recognize Mookie Blaylock and Shawn Bradley, over performance. MVP's or championships I will need to do some research. The 3-point line is in the same spot today as it was when Bird was playing. He helped the Sixers make the Finals during his first season in the modern NBA, but lost to Bill Waltons Blazers in six games. I forget Barkley on EVERY NBA quiz that I dothe one time i actually remember to try himhe's not on there. He was just so damn good. But only 1 player appears in all 3. Hes a 7guard. AI is unquestionably a top 30 NBA player ever. From dropping 41 in back-to-back games to the block in Game 7, LeBron leveled up in 2016. KObe has more rings and achievements but statistically wise Lebron has better stats. Test your knowledge in Allstar NBA players. He has only 3 rings, and a mickey mouse tournament win that cannot be regarded as a championship. A member of the NBA 75 team, people forget that he dominated for years as a 66 power forward. There were passionate pleas to weigh unprecedented accomplishments over sustained excellence. There will never be another Shaq. Lonzo Ball didn't work for any of these categories. ZF, The NBAs all time leading scorer and inventor of the most lethal shot in Association history, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar skyhook-ed his way to 38,387 career points. Sure, Duncan benefited greatly from playing alongside the legend David Robinson and future Hall of Famers Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Pau Gasol, and Kawhi Leonard. West legitimately did it all, including leading the league in scoring during the 1969-70 season and assists during his lone championship season. Despite going to nine NBA Finals with the Lakers, West won only one title in 1972. But you can only dominate the competition in front of you and the NBA did its best to reign in The Big Dipper, who rightfully earned a spot on theNBAs 75thanniversarysquad,when opponents couldnt. But Malones accolades compare quite favorably. Since he wasnt flashy, often was called dirty, wore those short shorts, wasnt an athletic outlier,and benefited immensely from playing his entire career with Karl Malone, his brilliance is easily forgotten. I created a quiz for every player who has ever received an MVP vote (over 275 players!). Welcome to the sequel of the popular hit game The Best Quiz! First of all, LeBron is the 3rd greatest player of all time. Russell made over 1 rebound for every two minutes that he spent playing. Six times Malone, nicknamed the Chairman of the Boards, led the NBA in rebounds and for 14 straight seasons, he averaged double-digits cleaning up the glass. Nor were they expected to rip down double-digit boards on a nightly basis. Right now he is also 18th All-Time assists. In 2017, after receiving Life Time Achievement Award, he pointed at Shaq, Robinson, Kareem, Mourning, and Mutombo and said, I would kick your ass.. He would have been a border line All-Star. I only see one player listed on four of the five lists-- Olajuwon. Really? In his 20th NBA season, LeBron nailed a 21-foot shot late against the Oklahoma City Thunder by breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbars record of 38,387 points on February 8, 2023. Sometimes I watch his reverse layup during the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the 1980 Finals against the Lakers andtry to figure out how the hell he was able to stay in the air that long. Keith Durant Duran Durant Kevin Durant Ant Durant 3/10 mavs.com This player is regular for Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 30 or more seven times, including a preposterous 40.6 per over 11 games in 1965. Kawhi Leonard and Damian Lilliard do belong on this list. Later, in 2010 as a Dream Team member, he was seated again in the Hall of Fame. That really shows you how hard it is to rank these guys. Theres absolutely nothing left for Steph to accomplish and thats why he ranks in our top 10 list. They breath different air than the rest of us and thats ok. Lets not forget LeBronis only 1,326 points away from passing Kareemto become the No. Luka Doni Boban Marjanovic Kristaps Porziis Maxi Kleber ADVERTISEMENT Continue quiz 4/10 nba.com/raptors For myself, Ill never forget Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals. 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. He was one of the first players to take full advantage of newly formed 3-pointers. But just because Baylor technically never won a title in his 14 years with the Lakers, two of which he spent in Minneapolis, dont let that cloud how incredible of an offensive force he was and GOAT candidate during the leagues early days. For about 75 years the NBA has been entertaining people around the world with high-flying dunkers, lightning-quick dribblers, lock-down defenders and surgical shooters. Who will ever score 100 points in a game like Wilt did? think something's wrong with the light blue background, Russel Westbrook is still active, he has no background, Wonder how high KD will be in points after this year just reached 15th, Countries by First Two Letters in 90 Seconds. The numbersshow that Malone is easily a top 20 player in NBA history. There just aren't that many players to choose from. | View Desktop Site. The captain of the Showtime Lakersshould firmly be included on anyones NBA top 5 list. Who's the best? He had to get famous. But as great as he was in the regular-season, West shined in the playoffs. Lots of players can specialize in one area and make one of the categories on this list. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. We all know Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and at least a handful of other stars can mess around and get a triple-double practically whenever they want. Besides, Magic has been league MVP 3 times, named to 12 NBA All-Star, and 9 times All NBA First Team honor. Youre not supposed to win NBA Finals MVP awards 14 years apart, but Abdul-Jabbar did. His numbers throughout the NBA career was legendary. The No. If he brings home another title in Brooklyn, he could be pushing top 10 by the end of his career. Onto the final 3, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks third on our list of best NBA players of all time. Jerry West was that lethal shooting the ballan absurd 47.4 percent for his careerand retired after the 1974 season ranked in the top 5 in points scored, points per game, free throws made, and assists. And though Wade played for the Bulls and Cavs later in his career, hell always be rememberedas a member of theHeat. I'd say that longevity wasn't the issue. There has been a total of 4374 players that have played in the NBA, can you name the top 500? In his 20th NBA season, LeBron nailed a 21-foot shot late against the Oklahoma City Thunder by breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 points on February 8, 2023. Robinson averaged a 21.1 PPGand 10.6 RPG double-double for his career while racking up 3.0 BPGin the process. 1 on theirbest NBA players list, this is an easy one to write. But one of the greatest guards ever made the All-Star team each of his 14 seasons in Los Angeles, made 12 All-NBA squads,was a five-time All-Defense selection, and a no-brainer to make the NBAs 75th anniversary team. Theres a reason why theFinals MVP awardis named after him. Probably, his unblockable shot made him score many points. He also won league MVP for 3 consecutive years, which only Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlian have managed to achieve. Top 10 Best NBA Players Of All Time!! Later, in 1995, Abdul-Jabbar was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Thats a league MVP award, but I dont think we should knock him for that if thats missing from his rsum when he ultimately retires. For you guys, know theres still never been a player quite like him. Tim Duncan over Kobe Bryant? The best of the bunch, though, is "Vinsanity.". And the best part? Sure, his game has holes, and Bucks haters will say their run to the title wasnt the hardest. 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