Ranking The 10 Best Players In NBA History

Larry Legend was cold blooded. He talked smack with the best of them, and backed it up with a silky jumper, sublime confidence, and a savant level understanding of how the game was played. Bird had poor athleticism collectively, yet he still got to his spots on the floor whenever he wanted. He was as clutch and competitive as anyone in his era — and a guy you did not want to see get going. The leader of the 80s Celtics dynasty, Bird will forever be among the most cherished athletes in all of New England.

Steph deserves his flowers as the best shooter the game has ever seen. For better or worse, he has single-handedly transformed the way basketball is played today. The emphasis on the three-point shot comes directly from Curry’s willingness to be a gunslinger in the best way possible. He’s a smaller, slender player with average athletic ability. You wouldn’t look at him and assume Curry to be an all-time great. However, his lightning-quick release paired with an elite handle has made Curry virtually unguardable. There’s an understated cleverness to his game — and there’s a real case to be made that he is the best ‘traditional’ point guard in the history of the game.

The epitome of workmanlike efficiency, Duncan led the Spurs to five titles during his illustrious career. He went about his business without much fanfare or attention. Duncan is widely considered to be the greatest power forward of all-time. Defensively, he anchored down versus both forwards and centers. His positioning was brilliant — and his long wingspan made him a rim protector of the highest order. Duncan’s fundamentals were also off the chart. He scored with either hand on the block, and his patented bank shot from 17 feet was a virtual layup. Duncan’s other superpower included being immensely unselfish. He deferred — almost to a fault — so that his other teammates could shine. Had Duncan been more intentionally aggressive, his numbers would’ve been even more elite than they already are.

Shaq gets the nod over Duncan for two reasons. One, O’Neal won more head-to-head games compared to Duncan. Secondly, O’Neal remains the most dominant player the game has ever seen. There was not one player who could defend O’Neal without help. The combination of quickness, power, and size was something no one could deal with. A prime O’Neal was a fantastic player — and one that helped the Lakers three-peat. Had O’Neal stayed in peak physical condition, you could’ve seen him even higher up on the list. As it stands, O’Neal was still a wonderful talent.

The late Kobe Bean Bryant still remains the closest thing we’ve seen to Michael Jordan. From the footwork to the unabated desire to win at all costs, Bryant was essentially a carbon copy of MJ. Bryant was one of the best bad shot makers the game has seen. He made turnaround 18 footers from the corner look like two-foot layups. If you ask many current/recently former NBA players, they’ll all say that Bryant is ahead of LeBron James in the pecking order of the ‘best players ever’ discussion. For one generation — the gap between Jordan and James — Bryant was the unequivocal top dog.

New age pundits may knock Russell for the level of competition he went up against in correspondence with the fact he shot a paltry 44-percent from the field for the entirety of his decorated career. However, as a defensive center and a pure winner, Russell is unparalleled. His athletic ability, coupled with his instinctual prowess in blocking shots was truly transcendent for his time. Russell won 11 Championships during his playing career. This included five MVP Awards. While it’s questionable as to how effective he’d be in the current era of NBA basketball, every player considered an all-time great will readily admit that Russell was among the best big men to play the game.

We often hear the term ‘unicorn’ attributed to unique basketball players. As a 6’9″ point guard, Johnson was the archetype unicorn. The passing ability demonstrated by Johnson was otherworldly. It was if he had eyes in the back of his head. He was the straw that stirred the Showtime Era drink for the Lakers throughout the 80s and into the 90s. He’s also one of the few players in the history of the NBA that could play every single position on the floor at an All-NBA level. The joy he visibly brought to the court was integral in making the game more in the vein of entertainment for the audience simply than just a sporting event.

From a longevity standpoint, KAJ set the standard for those who followed his example. The hyper-skilled center thrived at UCLA before becoming a dominant force in the NBA for multiple franchises. It was with the Lakers where Abdul-Jabbar became a global phenomenon. The sky hook remains the most unstoppable move in league history. The 6-time NBA Champion made a whopping 19 All-Star Game appearances. Collectively speaking, Abdul-Jabbar could do it all on the court — whether that meant scoring, rebounding, or defending. He is the best big man in the history of basketball.

There’s a case to be made that James is the best player ever. However, there’s one main distinction one can make between James and Michael Jordan. James has had the best career of any basketball player ever. At the same time, Jordan is the best player ever. Both statement can be true. James revolutionized the game — essentially functioning as Magic Johnson with elite athleticism and durability. We’ve never seen anyone like James physically, and we may never see anyone functioning at this level into his 40s. James has shattered virtually every major statistical record. There’s an outside chance he could catch Bryant by winning five NBA titles. Above all else, James should be highly praised for his unprecedented consistency.

Jordan is the G.O.A.T. — plain and simple. The unabated desire to win has never been exemplified as much as it was with Jordan. He’d sooner die on the court than be bested in any sort of competition — and that was extended to things beyond basketball. One could point to his perfect Finals record. He became the face of basketball through the marketing of his persona on shoes, clothing, bags, and other items. There’s an unshakable aura surrounding Jordan making him virtually untouchable. Though he’d give up some size to LeBron in a hypothetical one-on-one situation, all of your money would still be on Jordan to eventually come out on top.