Honourable mentions - Oscar Robertson. Guy was probably one of if not the best all round player in NBA history. Averaging a triple double all season? Enough said. Only won 1 ring though which could be a knock against him.
Kobe Bryant- I know Eden gonna kill me but thats where I have him when I thought about it really hard. It was tough leaving some of the names out the top 10 and Kobe falls under that. Knock for me was that Kobe didn't make the players around him better. Basketball is a team sport but there are players who just elevate and "carry" their teammates. Still you have to admire how confident he was in himself and how he came back from that injury in 2013 speaks volumes about how much of a competitor he was. The closest person in the league to be like MJ.
Jerry West- Mr Clutch himself, the NBA logo. Like Kobe was supremely confident and one of the great shooters in the league. Played when there was no 3 point line yet and no doubt if there was he'd be even higher on a lot of lists. Knock against him being not many rings but then again him and Chamberlain were up against Russell and the Celtics.
10)Hakeem Olujawon- This was a really tough one. Was almost unguardable in the post with his footwork and low post moves. Even to this day, you want to learn to live in the post? Seek out Hakeem. There wasn't anyone better. Some may have been more physical specimens but Hakeem combined his physicality with such mastery in his moves. Defensively a monster too, all time leader in blocks. Probably the closest anyone can say to carried his team to a ring. Only knock against him? They came when Jordan wasn't around.
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9) Shaquille O'neal- One word to describe him in his prime. Dominant. An absolute force on both ends of the floor. Destroyed the big men he came up against. Had brute physicality but also a rather swift grace for someone his size. If this guy had the same attitude as Kobe in his work ethic he could have been even more monstrous which is a terrifying thought. Knock against him is the later part of his career was pretty unspectacular compared to the first part. Oh and not too mention that free throw shooting...
8) Larry Bird- 3 straight MVP's . Hell of a trash talker that just summed up how damn competitive he was. Awesome vision that sometimes doesn't get enough credit for just how good of a passer he was. The best scorer on a team that wasn't short on scoring talent either. His defending wasn't too shabby either combined with his rebounding abilities. There's a lot of people who if they had to have someone taking the last shot with the game on the line that would have picked Bird over anyone else. Celtics Lakers games of that era were legendary. Only knock against him was injuries which happened just too often. If not for that Celtics probably would have won another 1-2.
7) Bill Russell- I know some people are gonna say Bill Russell? so god damn high? But in my opinion the greatest winner in sports and part of the greatest dynasty ever. Some people say he only had to face a couple of teams but that could have meant more teams with multiple superstars, also could have meant less competition overall depending on how you feel. The ultimate teammate/glue guy. Awesome defender and rebounder. His blocks weren't meant to swat them into the stands, they were almost carefully done to help his team quickly counter and transition from defence to offence just from his blocks. Underrated vision too. Guy stopped Robertson and West from winning so many times.
6) Tim Duncan - Mr Fundemental. 5 rings. All won throughout his career. Team and the league kept evolving around Tim but he never got lost in the evolution of the game. He adapted. From the twin tower duo with Robertson to the trio of Ginobelli him and Parker. Quiet player but got the job done to win and win he did. Only Rookie to make first team and tied oldest with Kareem to make all NBA team. He was dependable the only way you can put it. Defensively? Superb. The greatest player of his generation and if you had to pick a cornerstone to start a new franchise, Duncan would be the pick.
5) Wilt Chamberlain- If we go by statistics? The GOAT. Scored at insane levels. 100pt game, 50.4pt average over a season. Most 50 point games in NBA history. The rules were freaking changed to stop him from dominating so much! Rebounding? monstrous absolutely monstrous, he swallowed the ball if it didn't go in. Even though he probably could have passed more and maybe should have he did also lead the league in assists which no other person has lead the league in assists and rebounds at the same time. Not enough rings would be the knock on Chamberlain. *
4) Lebron James- The freak/ the chosen one whatever you want to call him. If you want a player to completely 180 your losing franchise? You pick Lebron. Probably will end up close to most points or there abouts. Brought the city of Cleveland a ring for crying out loud. Cleveland the eternal failures no longer largely thanks to James. Has put in some of the best finals performances of all time. Losing effort against Golden State comes to mind. No one has ever had to deal with the amount of hype and pressure James had when he came into the league. Awesome passing forward to which makes him such a dual threat. Knock on him? The decision perhaps how it was handled and also the performance in the 2011 finals which left a sour taste in some peoples mouths. *
3) Magic Johnson- Most NBA titles during probably the best era so far in NBA history. The body of a forward but probably the best passer in NBA history. Averaged unbelievable numbers in the finals. You could watch this guy play and no score a bucket yet be so fixed on how amazing his vision was. Revolutionised the point guard play. He could do it all, for all the talk about how good an assister he was? He was a great shooter, and rebounder and stealer. He could slot in from 1-5. 3 finals MVP's and 3 league MVP's. Magic Johnson was magic, you almost feel like he was a puppet and controlling the rest of the players such was how good his ability to dictate the tempo of the game. The ultimate showman but also so damn competitive. Knock was his career was cut short sadly for all of us.
2) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- The all time leader in MVPs, points and win shares. 19 all star game selections. Finals MVP in 1970 then another 15 years later. His sky hook was near on impossible to stop, that it almost looked like he wasn't trying and it was inevitable that he'd score every time. KAJ was also damn durable during his career for a big man. The guy was the very definition of sustained excellence. His personal credentials you probably wouldn't swap with anyone in the history of the game. College career was insane too for that matter. Brilliant defensively but that always gets overlooked due to just how good he was offensively. The knock that some might use against him? That he wasn't the best player on some of the title winning teams and that he had Robertson and Magic as his guards but one could say they also had him.
1) Michael Jordan- Who else but Mike? Jordan was the 90s. Scoring ability was insane, he just took the game by the scruff of its neck and beat the **** out of it. It was his world and everyone else was living in it. Mr clutch, never lost in the finals or to teams that the Bulls were favourites against seeding wise. Everything he did just looked unbelievable, and when you thought Jordan couldn't top it, he would the next game. Elite defender too, all defensive team 9 times which he gets overlooked sometimes because of Scottie Pippen. Jordan was no slouch defensively either. Unguardable. His combination of athletics, basketball IQ and work ethic just made him the dream player. Jordan didn't take breaks on defence, he was 100mph all game. Lock down the person he was guarding then flat out embarrass him up the other end. If you had to say someone was perfect at to watch it would be Jordan. Not to mention his off the court influence. Whatever you say about MJ it doesn't feel like you do him enough justice to how good he was. Knocks against him? The crying Jordan meme. Take an L for that one Mike. Seriously though nothing. This guy is probably the most convincing GOAT in all sports.