John Stockton getting no love. Right up there among the great points. No rings hurts.
Who are your FIVE greatest basketball players of all time?
- Thread starter GeorgeStrait IU
- Start date
I remember being at the Hall and sitting under the basket when IU was hosting MSU when Magic was a freshman. I’ve never seen a player control his team’s offense the way he did. We couldn’t disrupt his dribble and he looked over the D to repeatedly deliver the rock inside in perfect position to Jay Vincent. Just poetry in motion on the court.
And without Magic there is no MJ. The NBA was just a dead product. My little brother went to school out in LA in the early 80's and I remember visiting him during the 80 finals and if you had a student ID you got into the Forum for $4. Place was still half empty. Nobody cared.
Love Stockton, I actually had his purple jersey in high school. IMO, the best point gets blurry at #4-10.
Stockton
Iverson (pg?)
Kidd
Curry (pg?)
Nash
Cousy
Payton
Archibald
Probably a couple I’m forgetting. Plus I think some modern guys like Lillard, Irving, Westbrook could make a claim.
One thing I will say, the Derrick Rose mvp season was as good as it gets. It’s a shame he got hurt.
Sure, he could have. But part of MJ's ability to globalize the game of basketball has everything to do with Magic/Bird increasing the popularity of the NBA tenfold and paving the way for MJ in such a short period of time.
Agreed. My point is that MJ wasn’t going unnoticed either way. I think he would have kicked it off if Bird/Magic didn’t happen. So, the golden era may have been pushed 5 or so years. Hypothetical……
MJ kept rings off a lot of hands. Stockton/Malone, Barkley, Ewing. Payton/Kemp. Reggie.
Was going to add Drexler but he was lucky enough to leave Portland and play in Houston during MJ's baseball seasons.
If your list doesn't start with MJ and LeBron, you're an idiot. It's them followed by everyone else. Period.
(and there's a lot of idiots here)
(and there's a lot of idiots here)
People always think Stockton think assist and also Stockton and Malone combo. But the steals thing as well. WOW
There were still games being shown on tape delay in that series. Magic and Bird changed that BS. Had they not come along at the same time with that rivalry, who knows what would have happened with all the contracts being propped up with TV money.
1. Jordan
2. LeBron
3. Kareem
4. Wilt (I am somewhat torn on Wilt at this spot because he was such a beast but only won 2 championships which had a lot to do with the Celtics dynasty led by Russell and a cast of other terrific players. I would like to have watched Wilt and Russell square off)
5. Magic (I give the nod to Magic over Bird for this spot. I believe Bird was better during their respective primes but Magic won more titles 5-3.)
6. Larry Legend. He was a bad man.
7. Russell
8. Kobe
9. Duncan (the big fundamental). Who wouldn’t love to play with this selfless super star who is the best power forward of all time!)
10. Shaq (freak of nature with his size).
*. Kevin Durant. Amazing talent. I think he can and will crack the top 10 once it is all said and done. He has been a monster in the Olympics for the USA.
2. LeBron
3. Kareem
4. Wilt (I am somewhat torn on Wilt at this spot because he was such a beast but only won 2 championships which had a lot to do with the Celtics dynasty led by Russell and a cast of other terrific players. I would like to have watched Wilt and Russell square off)
5. Magic (I give the nod to Magic over Bird for this spot. I believe Bird was better during their respective primes but Magic won more titles 5-3.)
6. Larry Legend. He was a bad man.
7. Russell
8. Kobe
9. Duncan (the big fundamental). Who wouldn’t love to play with this selfless super star who is the best power forward of all time!)
10. Shaq (freak of nature with his size).
*. Kevin Durant. Amazing talent. I think he can and will crack the top 10 once it is all said and done. He has been a monster in the Olympics for the USA.
MJ obviously wasn't going to go unnoticed, but not sure he single handily changes the NBA dynamic. The Bulls were a nobody franchise that he obviously turned around, but I'm not sure anyone cares if it weren't for the Bird/Magic rivalry that completely revolutionized the NBA.
Have to remember that Nike was an underperforming company at the time they signed Jordan (Converse and Adidas being the big name brands) and really the only reason Nike lucked into Jordan was because Converse already had the two NBA superstars in Bird and Magic.
Russell and Wilt are so hard to gauge simply because they played so far out of their era and were just monsters among men.
Wilt, Kareem, and Michael, are the 3 locks.
Lebron maybe could have been the 4th lock, but he wanted to play guard more than he wanted to be the 4th lock.
that said, guard is a lot more fun..
Lebron maybe could have been the 4th lock, but he wanted to play guard more than he wanted to be the 4th lock.
that said, guard is a lot more fun..
Lebron physically could have dominated in any era. But watching his career from afar, I think mentally Bird and Jordan would have terrorized him.
everyone has opinions on all of this, and all of these guys individually...but I'm RIGHT THERE with you on Bird. He was a BAD man. And it's comical when he's interviewed now about his shrewdness during his playing years and he gives the calm 'ah shucks' responses. Like it's all made up, overblown, misunderstood, he was really a nice quiet guy. We all know the truth, Legend. Bird was scared of no man.
MJ would have embarrassed him. Bird would have made him cry. MJ was just THAT good. And Bird was just THAT mean.
For those of you not on the Wilt bandwagon, Wilt AVERAGED 50 points per game in 1961-1962. Wilt could do everything Russell could do plus score 20 more points and capture 10 more rebounds. Put Wilt on the Celtics (surrounded by Celtic talent) and put Russell on Philadelphia, SF, LA. Consider how many more rings Wilt would have and ask yourself if Russell would have any.
Did Shaquille, Hakim, Kareem, Nate or anybody else even average 40 for a season?
Did Shaquille, Hakim, Kareem, Nate or anybody else even average 40 for a season?
The simple answer to your silly question is no. None the players mentioned averaged 40 for a season.
It’s reminiscent of the delta between the Big O and Jimmy Brown in their respective sports and the players they played with and against. They were physically so far superior in the eras they played in. Ditto with their skills. I wonder if we are looking at another skills paradigm with players like KD at his size and athleticism who can shoot and drive. The game’s getting scary.
Bird and Jordan would have destroyed today’s NBA.
Guys who changed the way the game was played:
Wilt
Kareem
Dr. J
Magic
Maravich
Guys who played the game at the highest level:
Jordan
Lebron
Kobe
Bird
Oscar
I can’t get to just 5
Wilt
Kareem
Dr. J
Magic
Maravich
Guys who played the game at the highest level:
Jordan
Lebron
Kobe
Bird
Oscar
I can’t get to just 5
My best friend played college ball at Wilmington OH. In the summers, Oscar would show up occasionally and play pick up games with them. When he'd get a rebound and you didn't run, he'd kick you off the court. LOL
I’m not a fan of this guy because there’s something about him that rubs me the wrong way and his commercials are terrible, plus he carries the ball like crazy… but I know a lot of fans and players would put Chris Paul high on your list.
God damn these lists are embarrassing 🤦♂️ Clearly a bunch of old white dudes who haven’t watched the NBA since 1998
If Kareem had been allowed to play as a freshman he would have four NCAA championships. And then he scored more points than anyone in the history of the game. That’s got to count for something. Six-time MVP. 19 All-Star games. 6 championships……
Best player ever.
Best player ever.
The older you get the more players you've seen. LeBron is above average mentally but a lot of NBA players are better winners than him. He just happens to be a dominant physical force who was a manchild at 18.
Going into it deeper, I don't think LeBron was the leader on that first Miami championship team and that is almost inexcusable on a list like this. But his stats and consistency are in a very rarified air. Athletically he is unbelievable and has the full game.
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