who is the greatest NBA player of all time

[dokilar]

just my opinion but when i think of the greatest micheal jordan is the top of my list, my top 5 in no particular order, other than jordan being 1st would be, wilt chamerlain, larry bird, kobe bryant and lebron james

[cherb]

It is nearly impossible to compare the greatest athletes from different eras of sports. You can't compare people like Jerry West, Bird, or Jordan to LeBron, Kobe, or Wade very well because the game is different and the average level of athlete is different. You can say how well they did in their time, but no one knows how Jordan would play out if he started playing today.

[MrSerious]

Lebron could easily win those, but he cba to participate..

I think that speaks volumes. and not in a good way either.

[conscript]

I think that speaks volumes. and not in a good way either.

Because he, and every star, won't play in a meaningless competition and risk injury?

[ANTDrakko]

Jordan, hands down.

[Skarsguard]

Gotta do best players by position that is more interesting.
PG. Magic Johnson (John Stockton slightly beat out)
SG. Michael Jordan
SF. Larry Bird
PF. Tim Duncan
C. Wilt the Stilt (Shaq slightly beat out)

[buck008]

Hmm, by position?

PG- Magic
I kinda discussed this earlier. Stockton is a really close second, but I think Magic gets the edge.
SG- Jordan
No brainer. I think we'll be talking about Kobe in the number 2 spot here eventually.
SF- Bird
This was a really tough one. I love Dr. J for this spot as well, but I think Bird takes it. In 10 years, this may be LeBron James.
PF- Duncan
Also a tough one. I love guys like Garnett and Charles Barkley. Duncan just does everything so well and makes it look so easy.
C- Kareem
I don't even think it's close. I like Shaq. I don't like that Shaq usually took half the season off. I also like Moses Malone and Bill Russell here. I still think Kareem blows them out of the water.

[conscript]

Gotta do best players by position that is more interesting.
PG. Magic Johnson
SG. Michael Jordan
SF. Larry Bird
PF. Tim Duncan
C. Wilt the Stilt (Shaq slightly beat out)

I think that list pretty much sums it up exactly for me with the exception of Bill Russell over Wilt.

[mrmsix6]

If he hasn't already, Lebron will pass Bird relatively easily. Taking defense into account, it isn't even that close.

[Davidbln]

Here is my top:
1. Jordan
2. Karim Abdul Jabbar
3. Kobe Bryant

[kisiel]

BILL RUSSELL

Nobody in ANY sport in the United States, ANY, comes even remotely close to his eleven titles. When you have more rings than fingers, you are the greatest.

[Skarsguard]

BILL RUSSELL

Nobody in ANY sport in the United States, ANY, comes even remotely close to his eleven titles. When you have more rings than fingers, you are the greatest.

Michael Phelps says hi with his 18 gold medals or whatever...you did say any sport right.

[conscript]

Michael Phelps says hi with his 18 gold medals or whatever...you did say any sport right.

Ya that guy is a parrot bot btw. I'm trying to mull over which is more impressive Phelps or Russell and damn is it tough. Russell's titles came in a far smaller NBA with far less parity (then again how do you have parity in an 8 team league when certain teams were stacked with legends) while there were very few black players (limited to four or less per team is the story). Phelps medals, at least his individual ones, are proof that he was definitely the best person in the world at what he was doing. To do that 17 times is impressive. I think I'd still take Russell because Phelps has had a coach for his entire career. Russell was literally his own team's coach for several years.

[Skarsguard]

Didn't Russell have the greatest coach in the history of the NBA thou and no free agents at that time. I would say Phelps because he had to do it by him self not with other players on the team.

[skatblast]

In 10 years Lebron. Right now i think its Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the hype bid goes to MJ of course.

[Skarsguard]

IDK Jordan is Jordan yes we know but Magic was a more complete player and nobody will argue with that.

[Roose]

Give me the heart of Brian Cardinal in Lebron's body and you have the greatest of all time.

Lebron is the most physically gifted athlete I have ever seen. Put any number of brains in that body and they are the best ever.

Seeing as you can't do that. The things that I saw Jordan do when I was growing up will never be topped. He did not need another superstar to help him win. Scottie Pippen was a great player, but he was no superstar. He was nothing without Jordan.

If I was to go with numbers instead of my experience, Kareem.

[Skarsguard]

Pippen and the bulls still went to the finals without Jordan.

[fizzbob]

Pippen and the bulls still went to the finals without Jordan.

no they didn't, they did make it to the ECF though and lost to the knicks in game 7

they won 55 the year after losing jordan and they basically replaced jordan with kukoc and won 2 fewer games.

pippen's numbers, overall, were fucking badass, lebron-esque numbers. something like 22/9/6 with 3 steals per game and career shooting year

i'm a huge pip fan, guy was the most underrated player EVER because he played with jordan but the bulls won a lower % of their games when pippen sat out than jordan

we saw what happened when the cavs lost lebron. they were the first team to go first to worst in a year. ever. jordan's team was a win from the finals
to me that says pippen was great (deserved the MVP but back then ppg > anything else) and the bulls were loaded and jordan's impact on win % was a LOT lower than people want to believe.

i don't care about rings, great players didn't get rings and guys like eddy curry did. to me lebron is the best ever because of what he can do on the court. his ability to make the best play instead of caving to media pressure and forcing every last shot like kobe does is the reason he's the greatest. he knows that if a defense is playing him with more than 1 man that someone is open. someone paid millions to hit shots. if they play him 1 on 1 he can usually beat them. that's smart. that's how you should play. after what he did in the playoffs last year, you just don't have the right to question his greatness. all the white people who question his "mental ability" are usually a little anti-negro, wish more white guys played basketball, from alabama and dumb as a box of dicks.

back in the 90s, jordan had to visit a psychologist because he had an off-season mental breakdown due to media pressure. in the fucking 90s.
he was a gambling addict and the main reason the bulls didn't win 2 more rings, his super secret 2 year suspension where he said he'd come out of retirement IF STERN LET HIM (freudian slip) at his press conference hurt his team more than any missed shot did.

people also forget that people questioned whether jordan had "it" the year he won his first title. they were on him just like they were on lebron and just like they all love lebron now, they all loved jordan AFTER. before they didn't think he could mentally handle it. white media has ALWAYS questioned the black man's "mental acuity" in sports, it's why to this day quarterbacks are supposed to be white

the guy was a jackass through and through (met him in b'ham, he looked like he was 6'6" 180lbs and acted like he was better than every peasant around), got credit for shit he never did, isn't held accountable for what he did do and benefited from the rules of the era that allowed him to hand check the smaller guards (he was the 2nd largest guard in the NBA) and play off the ball a lot while pippen played on the ball. pippen's pressure and defensive performance without jordan is proof that he could do his job regardless and jordan benefited from it

the 80s and 90s was about selling posters

[ciastek]

I am not a sports fan, but I know the answer... Michael Jordan