We've just finished the NBA Finals for the 2016-2017 season and invariably, the topic of "greatest" or "GOAT" comes up. This year, we had three players that at one point in time, may or may not end up in the discussion for greatest player of all time (one player, LeBron James, is already a part of this discussion, while the other two, Steph Curry, and more likely, Kevin Durant, are closing in on those types of accolades). I'm not a "geezer" by any stretch, but I do know my basketball and have watched it religiously now for almost 40 years. I have read many books, watched countless hours of video, listened to "grizzled" old timers such as Bob Ryan, Frank Deford (RIP), and others "wax eloquent" about the players before my time and I have come up with my definitive list (ha!) of top 10 players of all time in the NBA. Personally, I believe six of my top ten are inarguable. If you are against them, it is personal and not reasoned IMO. Four others though, can be interchanged with a member or two of the list at the end of this post. One other note before we dig in is the fact that I only have one Boston Celtic in my top 10. There's something that feels "wrong" about that, but I can't/won't justify putting a player like Russell in the top 10 because he was the "greatest winner". His greatness is unquestioned, but I don't believe he is a top 10 player of all time. For what it's worth, here we go:
10.
Hakeem Olajuwon
This pains me to put him here, because truth be told, I was/am a huge David Robinson fan. What Hakeem did to the Admiral during the playoffs in the mid-90's was something to behold. It was "other-worldly" in many ways. His footwork, his body control, his unstoppable turn around jumper, his defense, the entire game was there and nobody did it better. I know many people believe that Michael Jordan's Bulls teams would have 8 straight championships if he didn't take his baseball hiatus, but I for one, don't believe this to be the case. Those Houston teams had a ton of weapons to make the Bulls life miserable and the Bulls would have had a devil of a time contending with Hakeem at the height of his abilities. I wish with all of my heart that Jordan wouldn't have taken those two years off, because I would have loved to see what would have happened. The Dream was the best center in an era where there were some great centers in the league with Robinson, Shaq, Ewing, Daugherty, 'Zo, etc. His game was truly special to behold.
9.
Julius Erving
The "forgotten man" in my opinion when people talk about greatest of all time. Dr. J's magic on the court was transcendent and revolutionary for the league. His game alone, kept basketball remotely "relevant" during a decade in which professional basketball did everything it could to alienate itself from the paying public at large. Who can ever forget the red, white and blue ball being palmed gracefully by a majestic and handsome man with a full-blow afro and having said ball dunked over any number of great players of that era? If not for Dr. J's transcendence, the era of Magic and Bird may never have had the opportunity to come into being the way it did. Erving won 3 championships (2 ABA, 1 NBA) and without question is one of the most gifted players to ever play the game. An interesting DYK: Dr. J was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972. If he would have gone there, he would have been teamed up with Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. Yikes!!!!
8.
Wilt Chamberlain
I don't like having him in my top 10. There, I said it. I will stick by my decision to put him in the top 10, but it's not without great reservation doing so. I've seen the numbers (what sports fan hasn't?) I've heard the stories (again, who hasn't?). The reality is, I've also SEEN the video. Wilt played the lion share of his career vs players that were a full half-foot and more smaller than him. He did dominate them and that's exactly the reason he is on this list. Wilt can't change when he was born or who he played again, I get that. But, is there ANYONE who believes that if he played vs Jabbar, Walton, Lanier, Cowens, Reed, etc. from the 70's or Olajuwon, Ewing, Robinson, etc. from the 80's or Shaq and 'Zo from the 90's that he'd be anywhere near the mythical creature he is now? 50 points a game? 25 rebounds a game? A bazillion otherworldly stats also bolster his resumé, but the reality is that Wilt's dominance, however incredible it was, is skewed in my mind's eye. Sorry big guy, your 20,000 doesn't mean anything here either.
7.
Tim Duncan
I could make an argument for this man to be a top 5 player of all time easily. His steady had, his dominance over an entire generation, albeit quietly, is one of the great careers this sport has ever known. I wrestled with who should be higher on this list, Kobe or Timmy D, and I could be convinced with either, but Duncan's steady hand, his deft touch around the basket, his defense, his calming presence were all a thing to behold. I've heard many "talking heads" complain about him being "boring", to that I say: "give me the boring and I'll also take the championships that come along with it."
6.
Kobe Bryant
Maybe the most polarizing figure on this list (only LeBron comes close), Kobe's greatness on the court comes with his fair share of naysayers as well. The reality is this though, Kobe Bryant was a basketball assassin who really didn't care what you thought of him or his game, for his only concern was destroying your will on the court. The stretch in February, 2003 showed the world that he was no "second fiddle" to anyone, not even the great Shaquille O'Neal. People like to give Shaq all the credit for those three championships, but without Kobe's relentless defense and unreal scoring ability, those teams don't win those championships. Shaq played on great teams in Orlando and couldn't get the job done. It wasn't until Kobe was his partner, that Shaq's place in history was solidified as "champion". I could write more on this guy, but I'll leave it be.
5.
Larry Bird
The two players I "hated" most as a fan of the NBA are the next two on my list. As a young person who was a HUGE Lakers fan and maybe even bigger Magic Johnson fan, I could not stand Larry Legend. Nevermind that everything about his game was something that I loved and appreciated. It didn't matter. He was great AND he played for the Celtics, the loathsome, hated Celtics, with whom I wanted to lose every single game they ever played. Larry's greatness is beyond words. Even today, when I watch his "highlight" clip on YouTube, I can't help but be in awe of how great he was. He was a brilliant scorer. He was an extremely intuitive player. He had the uncanny ability to make the right play at the right time, almost every time. It's only towards the end of his career and well after that I fully understood what I was watching all those games on CBS, true basketball greatness in action.
4.
LeBron James
Ahh, the "king". This self-annoited moniker is partially the reason that LBJ drives me and so many others crazy. LeBron James is undeniably a GREAT basketball player. His intellect and physical prowess are off the proverbial charts. There is nobody that can take away from his career accomplishments, no matter how much I'd love to do so. With that though, I do feel there is a certain "stat stuffer" mentality with LBJ though. Not really caring what Vegas says, LBJ has been on a team the past 7 seasons where there has been MINIMUM of three All Stars on each of those teams and still has a losing record in the Finals. Why is that? I don't have all the answers, but something tells me if LBJ was Kobe, Duncan, Jordan, Hakeem, and a host more, he'd have more than three rings (which by the way is nothing to sneeze at). Sometimes it "feels" to me that he'd rather have people say "LeBron did all he can do, look at his numbers" rather than taking the proverbial bull by the horns and willing his team to victory. Reality is this, the refs NEVER call LBJ fairly. How many times does LBJ ever have ever 3 fouls in a game? 20% of the time, tops!!! With that knowledge, he can do whatever he wants on a court and should have done so to seal a few more titles under his belt.
3.
Magic Johnson
I want so badly to put Ervin "Magic" Johnson at the #1 position on this list, but my intellectual honesty gets in the way. Magic Johnson's greatness (like so many truly great players) can't always be told by "numbers". There are many players whose "numbers" far exceed Magic's, but none of them, save maybe a couple, have had more of an impact on the basketball court than Magic did. He was clutch when it was needed most. He wanted to win more than anything else and did whatever it took to make that happen. Magic Johnson is absolutely the reason I love basketball today. His smile, his infectious nature, his skill was everything I wanted as a young person. To think that he was robbed a few years off the tail end of his prime is sad to me. Not sure if anything would have changed in terms of his ranking on this list, but if, and that is a big if, IF he could have made one more Finals appearance and vanquished the mighty Michael Jordan, who knows, their positions may have been switched.
2.
Michael Jordan
MJ was an absolute "force of nature" on the basketball court. His desire to dominate you and your entire being could be felt through the television. His talent and ethic were so far above the rest of the league, that it sometimes felt helpless to try to compete against him. My favorite Jordan moment of all time without question was NOT when he wore his famous #23, but rather when he was wearing #45, shortly after his return from his baseball hiatus. It was a game vs the New York Knicks, nationally televised, and it was DEFINITELY "must see TV" in my home. I couldn't wait for the game to start and when it did, it was something to behold. MJ, after almost two years off and just a few games back, dropped a "double nickel" on their biggest rivals at the time. It's still one of the greatest games I've ever witnessed and it had NOTHING to do with playoffs or championships. I don't need to defend MJ's spot on this list, for his legion of fans can/will do so on a regular basis.
1.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
There is one fundamental flaw in people's assessment of Jabbar's career, they seems to "forget" about the decade of the 1970's, where he was so dominant, that it's virtually breathtaking. I believe that the issues surrounding professional basketball during this decade has much to do with that amnesia, but it has cost KAJ in the GOAT conversation. Take a few moments and check out KAJ's numbers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kareem_Abdul-Jabbar. They are amazing. Let's not forget that Kareem's (then Lew Alcindor) Freshmen squad defeated the defending National Champion UCLA Bruins team in a scrimmage (Freshmen weren't allowed to play on the varsity squad back then) and the reason was that Alcindor dominated the game. This man won 6 NBA Championships, 6 MVP's, and has numbers that can make any grown man weep, he should absolutely be a part of the GOAT discussion.
Invariably on a list such as this, there are going to be players that are left off, and in many cases, a legitimate argument could be made for why they should be included. I've made a list of truly great players who just fall short of top 10 status. Obviously, you could easily justify Shaq's presence on this list as well as the "logo", Jerry West. But, I'll leave that for you to decide. What is your top 10? Who did I clearly "miss" and am crazy for including them? Are you a Jordan or LBJ as #1 guy? Why?
Honorable Mention Greats: Jerry West, Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Russell, Moses Malone, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Isaiah Thomas, David Robinson, Dirk Nowitzki, Gary Payton, Scottie Pippen, Rick Barry, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Dwyane Wade, Clyde Drexler, Kevin Durant, Allen Iverson, Steph Curry, Kevin McHale, Clyde Frazier, Patrick Ewing, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Pete Maravich, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, James Worthy, Reggie Miller, Jason Kidd, Dominique Wilkins, Bernard King, David Thompson, Grant Hill, George Gervin, and more...
