NBA: Top-50 players of all-time
1. Michael Jordan (6 Rings, 5 MVPs, 30.1 PP G & 5.3 APG, +0): Jordan was simply and plainly the most dominant player of all-time. He was able to score in every way imaginable. His ability to shoot from the outside, as well as glide through the air and make unbelievably difficult shots puts him above all else. His aggressive defense, countless clutch shots, and killer instinct was just icing on the cake. There had never been a player that had it all, except Jordan (and now LeBron James). And his statistics back up just how great of a player he was. In the top-10, he ranks tied-for-second in rings (6), second in MVP awards (5), tied-for-first in points per game (30.1), and sixth in assists per game (5.3).
2. LeBron James (3 Rings, 4 MVPs, 27.1 PPG & 7.3 RPG, +3): James is the best player since Michael Jordan, at this point, it's extremely difficult to argue that point. And why would you even want to argue that? It's 100 percent true. James is third in points per game (27.1), third in assists per game (7.0), seventh in rebounds per game (7.3) in the top-10, all of which is extremely impressive, but his amount of rings (3), tied-for-seventh could definitely be higher, and probably will be before the end of his career. If James is going to catch Jordan, he'll need to add at least one more ring and one more MVP award to his collection and if that happens, so be it. James is inarguably one of the two best NBA players ever.
3. Magic Johnson (5 Rings, 3 League MVPs, 19.5 PPG & 11.2 APG, -1): Johnson was able to rack up the statistics, and the wins. His five championships are more than five other players in the top-10, and his three MVP awards put him tied with Larry Bird and ahead of Oscar Robertson, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal. At 19.5 points per game, he was not the best pure scorer, but he is the best passer in NBA history. His 11.2 assists per game is higher than anyone else on this list, including John Stockton who comes in at 10.5 assists a game. He was also able to rebound extremely well for a point guard, grabbing more than seven per game. Johnson paved the way for players like Jason Kidd, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and many others.
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6 Rings, 6 League MVPs, 24.6 PPG & 11.2 RPG, -1): Abdul-Jabbar is not only one of the best NBA players of all-time, but is also one of the best collegiate players of all-time. No matter where he was playing, he was nearly unstoppable. Abdul-Jabbar's go-to move was the skyhook, which became what he is well known for. The ability to shot over anyone with such consistency is why he was a great player. His technique led him to six championships, his points per game (24.6) is eighth in the top-25, while his rebounds per game (11.2) is third in the top-10 behind only Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Plus he has the most career points in NBA history, which is a big reason for him being ranked No. 5 overall.
5. Bill Russell (11 Rings, 5 League MVPs, 16.2 PPG & 25.9 RPG, -1): Russell is so high on this list because he was able to win for such a long period of time. The NBA that he played in was dominated by big men, or more specifically it was dominated by him and Wilt Chamberlain (who you will hear about shortly). They had a great rivalry that was dominated on the stat sheet by Chamberlain, but dominated on the scoreboard by Russell. In a game that values winning and rings above everything else, the Celtics legend did just that. He is also one of the greatest rebounders, defenders, and champions of all-time and was the face of the league for much of the 1960's. Russell absolutely has to be in the top-five of this list.
6. Larry Bird (3 Rings, 3 League MVPs, 24.3 PPG & 10.0 RPG, +1): Bird was able to create his own shot in a variety of ways and was in range from most places on the court. That resulted in being the ninth best scorer (24.3) in the top-25. He was also one of the best rebounders at the small forward position in NBA history (10.0), coming in at number one in the top-25. Bird was the key piece on one of the best teams ever, the Celtics teams of the 1980's were dominant. His three rings is seventh in the top-10 and three MVPs is tied for sixth. Bird is the second best small forward of all-time and is deservedly No. 6 on this list. Just watch some of his highlights and you'll understand why it was so difficult to guard this man.
7. Kobe Bryant (5 Rings, 1 League MVP, 25.1 PPG & 4.7 APG, -1): Bryant scored 81 points in 42 minutes. It is still unbelievable to hear that. His best game is one of the most impressive performances in NBA history. And he is one of the best scorers of all-time, plus he has the NBA championships to boost his resume. He also scored 50+ points in four straight games in 2007, and has 133 games of 40+ points. Bryant has been apart of two dominant stretches with the Lakers, winning three straight rings and going to four NBA Finals in five years from 2000-2004, and then winning two straight in 2009-2010. He has had great team success and is one of the best pure scorers this game has ever seen.
8. Shaquille O'Neal (4 Rings, 1 League MVP, 23.7 PPG & 10.9 RPG, +1): O'Neal was unbelievably dominant throughout his career, but his eight year stretch with the Lakers was one of the best spans ever. In those eight seasons, he averaged more than 10.0 rebounds per game every season, averaged more than 2.0 blocks per game in seven seasons, and was top-four in scoring in six seasons. He was also First Team All-NBA in six of those years, and was selected to the Second and Third Team the other two years. O'Neal's four rings are the sixth most in the top-10, while his 10.9 boards per game ranks fourth. He could be a couple of spots higher if he either added more rings, MVP awards, or assists per game.
9. Wilt Chamberlain (2 Rings, 4 League MVPs, 30.1 PPG & 22.9 RPG, -1): Chamberlain was one of the best scorers in NBA history, and that's made clear every year when we pass the anniversary of his 100-point game. But it's not just about that game. He averaged 30.1 points per game for his entire career and somehow grabbed 22.9 rebounds per outing. Both of those are absolutely incredible. He had a pair of rings which helps his case, but the fact that he couldn't even come close to Bill Russell's amount of titles wil forever damage his legacy as we remember them together. Despite that, though, Chamberlain deserves to be near the top of the list and his four MVPs is a testament to that.
10. Oscar Robertson (1 Ring, 1 League MVP, 25.7 PPG & 9.5 APG, +0): Robertson is No. 10 because of pure ability and skill. He was not the biggest player or the fastest player of his time, but he was one of the most skilled. He had the best year of anyone in history, until Russell Westbrook's 2017 year. Robertson's 1961-62 season stood as the only year a player averaged a triple-double until Westbrook repeated the near impossible feat. He totaled 30.8 points, 11.4 assists, and 12.5 rebounds. Then the next year, he had 9.5 assists per game or he could have done it again. His points per game (25.7) is fourth in the top-10, his assists per game (9.5) is second, and his rebounds per game (7.5) is sixth and first among guards.
Rest of the Top-50 (Rings): 11. Tim Duncan (5) (+0) 12. Hakeem Olajuwon (2) (+0) 13. Scottie Pippen (6) (+0)
14. Kevin Garnett (1) (+0)
15. Jerry West (1) (-2) 16. Charles Barkley (0) (+0) 17. Patrick Ewing (0) (+0)
18. Kevin Durant (1) (+6)
19. Stephen Curry (2) (+12) 20. John Havlicek (8) (-2) 21. Isiah Thomas (2) (-2)
22. Steve Nash (0) (-2) 23. John Stockton (0) (-2)
24. Dirk Nowitzki (1) (-1) 25. Karl Malone (0) (-3)
26. Pete Maravich (0) (-1)
27. Dwyane Wade (3) (+10)
28. David Robinson (2) (+0)
29. George Mikan (5) (-3)
30. Moses Malone (1) (-3)
31. Willis Reed (2) (-2)
32. Allen Iverson (0) (+0)
33. Bob Cousy (6) (-3)
34. Bob Pettit (1) (-1) 35. Rick Barry (1) (-1) 36. Walt Frazier (2) (-1)
37. Clyde Drexler (1) (-1) 38. Julius Erving (1) (+0)
39. James Worthy (3) (+0)
40. Reggie Miller (0) (+0)
41. Dominique Wilkins (0) (+0)
42. Elgin Baylor (0) (+0)
43. Kevin McHale (3) (+0)
44. Earl Monroe (1) (+0)
45. Robert Parish (4) (+0)
46. Russell Westbrook (0) (+4)
47. Joe Dumars (2) (-1)
48. Bill Walton (2) (-1)
49. Ray Allen (2) (-1)
50. Jason Kidd (1) (+1)
Photo Credit: Lifestyle.
