Top 100 All Time Basketball Players - Who you got?

GarnettFan4Life · May 13, 2020

Even make it 20 if you can't decide!

Post the list, add some words if you feel you need to defend your selections lol!

This is tough!

@hackadeandre 's idea from his mailday thread so thought I'd bring across and get more convo going

GarnettFan4Life · May 13, 2020

Here's mine:

1. Michael Jordan
2. Bill Russell
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. LeBron James
5. Shaquille O'Neal
6. Magic Johnson
7. Kobe Bryant
8. Larry Bird
9. Wilt Chamberlain
10. Kevin Garnett

This is really hard for me doing this top all time list! I have only been following/watching since around 1992. You clearly have to respect the guys like Russell that won 10 rings. I've seen some old Wilt games and thought my god, this guy looks so awkward and is terrible at FT's how did he get the status he has? I've wanted to move Kareem out of the top 10 and bring up people like Shaq, Kobe and Curry but how can you? You can't simply say these guys were dominant in their era cause they were freakishly talented and stood way above the league where all or most of the players who worked a regular job at the butchers or somewhere and then suited up for a NBA game! So complex! And I'm not gonna straight up copy someone elses list or let them decide - everyone gets stuck between eras!

I'm open to, and will update this list at any time especially after LeBron, Curry, Durant retire.

hackadeandre · May 13, 2020

Nice list. You're gonna hate me though but hear me out . I'll defend my top 5 till the cows come home but will take constructive criticism on the last 5 LOL

1. Michael Jordan
1a. Manu Ginobili - hahahahaha i have to put my favourite player in a non-spot
2. LeBron James - I feel it's too late to surpass MJ but it's a 5% possibilty (if he 3 peats with 3 finals MVP's LOL)
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 6 MVP's in the span of 10 seasons, runner-up most of the other years, leading all-time scorer etc etc etc
4. Tim Duncan - forget the achievements (because they alone would justify spot 4) but to bring home the title year 2 in the league (and don't forget that arguably a top 20 all-time player in the admiral didn't even get them close the 8 years prior) and then to basically co-dominate an entire era (and really they were better than the lakers) is absolutely amazing.
5. Magic Johnson - the greatest laker of all-time (only because kareem started at the bucks) and if he played longer probably would have bumped Timmy down a notch
6. Kobe Bryant - second greatest laker of all-time (by literally a hair IMO)
7. Larry Bird - I wish I could put him higher because he was my first favourite player but the lakers boys have got him here
8. Julius Erving - I can't really defend this one but I really like Dr J haha
9. Shaqullie O'Neal - if this dude had of focused more he could have been in spot 2
10. Moses Malone - the guy who continues to get overlooked as the truly dominant force he was!

Notable omissions: Bill & Wilt. Whilst anyone who knows me knows that I love the old school guys more than most, I cannot ignore the fact that in those days there were as little as 8 teams in the entire league and it wasn't a legit professional job and most of the other players were garbage. They are in top 20 though HAHAHAHA

GarnettFan4Life · May 13, 2020

That’s rough, Russell out of the top 10!
I can see your logic though. That’s why I said it’s so tough!

Would the game be the same though if players like Russell and Wilt and Kareem didn’t dominate though and make people copy them and then try and beat them after they learnt from them?

hackadeandre · May 13, 2020

GarnettFan4Life said:
That’s rough, Russell out of the top 10!
I can see your logic though. That’s why I said it’s so tough!

Would the game be the same though if players like Russell and Wilt and Kareem didn’t dominate though and make people copy them and then try and beat them after they learnt from them?

Yes completely agree those guys changed the game for the better. It's hard to say what they could have been like now but seriously the only contenders to the lakers and celtics in that era were probably the hawks and the rest of the teams may as well have joined the college comp. Comparing eras is near impossible but if Shaq, Wilt, and Bill got on the court it would be Shaq body count = 2

muzikandme · May 14, 2020

Lists are pretty spot on, it’s so hard to pick just 10 but I feel like Olajuwon never gets on these lists and he should.

hackadeandre · May 14, 2020

muzikandme said:
Lists are pretty spot on, it’s so hard to pick just 10 but I feel like Olajuwon never gets on these lists and he should.

Yep for sure the dream don’t get enough credit. Probably would have 6 rings himself if he played at any other time than prime Jordan

wasportsfan1 · May 14, 2020

hackadeandre said:
Nice list. You're gonna hate me though but hear me out . I'll defend my top 5 till the cows come home but will take constructive criticism on the last 5 LOL

1. Michael Jordan
1a. Manu Ginobili - hahahahaha i have to put my favourite player in a non-spot
2. LeBron James - I feel it's too late to surpass MJ but it's a 5% possibilty (if he 3 peats with 3 finals MVP's LOL)
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 6 MVP's in the span of 10 seasons, runner-up most of the other years, leading all-time scorer etc etc etc
4. Tim Duncan - forget the achievements (because they alone would justify spot 4) but to bring home the title year 2 in the league (and don't forget that arguably a top 20 all-time player in the admiral didn't even get them close the 8 years prior) and then to basically co-dominate an entire era (and really they were better than the lakers) is absolutely amazing.
5. Magic Johnson - the greatest laker of all-time (only because kareem started at the bucks) and if he played longer probably would have bumped Timmy down a notch
6. Kobe Bryant - second greatest laker of all-time (by literally a hair IMO)
7. Larry Bird - I wish I could put him higher because he was my first favourite player but the lakers boys have got him here
8. Julius Erving - I can't really defend this one but I really like Dr J haha
9. Shaqullie O'Neal - if this dude had of focused more he could have been in spot 2
10. Moses Malone - the guy who continues to get overlooked as the truly dominant force he was!

Notable omissions: Bill & Wilt. Whilst anyone who knows me knows that I love the old school guys more than most, I cannot ignore the fact that in those days there were as little as 8 teams in the entire league and it wasn't a legit professional job and most of the other players were garbage. They are in top 20 though HAHAHAHA

YESSSSS Gino

taffster74 · May 14, 2020

Hmmm, my top ten players....
1. Bill Russell - 10 rings as a player!
2. Kareem abdul jabbar
3. Michael jordan
4. Kobe bryant
5. Tim duncan
6 magic Johnson
7. Kevin Garnett - all-round greatness
8. Wilt chamberlain
9. Oscar robertson
10. Patrick Ewing - didn't have the quality of help others did but still took the kicks to play-offs year after year.

GarnettFan4Life · May 14, 2020

ESPN just updated theirs today! Top 74 list

https://www.espn.com.au/nba/story/_/id/29105801/ranking-top-74-nba-players-all-nos-10-1

10. Shaq
9. Kobe
8. Duncan
7. Bird
6. Wilt
5. Magic
4. Russell
3. Kareem
2. Bron
1. Jordan

GarnettFan4Life · May 14, 2020

taffster74 said:
Hmmm, my top ten players....
1. Bill Russell - 10 rings as a player!
2. Kareem abdul jabbar
3. Michael jordan
4. Kobe bryant
5. Tim duncan
6 magic Johnson
7. Kevin Garnett - all-round greatness
8. Wilt chamberlain
9. Oscar robertson
10. Patrick Ewing - didn't have the quality of help others did but still took the kicks to play-offs year after year.

I LOVE that you put KG in there mate! I didn't have the balls. They shrunk while doing the list. And I wasn't drinking at the time......

ok! New list coming Saturday night!!!!! hahah

hackadeandre · May 14, 2020

GarnettFan4Life said:
ESPN just updated theirs today! Top 74 list (why???? lol)

https://www.espn.com.au/nba/story/_/id/29105801/ranking-top-74-nba-players-all-nos-10-1

10. Shaq
9. Kobe
8. Duncan
7. Bird
6. Wilt
5. Magic
4. Russell
3. Kareem
2. Bron
1. Jordan

Wow your list is very close to this one!

c_davis · May 14, 2020

GarnettFan4Life said:
ESPN just updated theirs today! Top 74 list (why???? lol)

I think they chose 74 because it is the 74th season of NBA at the moment. Kind of like when the NBA named their 50 greatest players in their 50th season.

GarnettFan4Life · May 15, 2020

Came across this on twitter the other day. Dr J famous layup. Awesome shots. Then i thought look how clear are these!? Lenses haven't come very far have they? This was 1980! 40 years ago! Look at some of the quality of the games we get to watch from even the 80's and 90's - terrible! Video storage must degrade the quality so much faster!

Amazing capture of this though!

Dodgydave · May 15, 2020

For once I actually mostly agree with one of ESPN's lists.

The top nine are the guys I would have there, though may shuffle the order slightly but nothing major.

I would not have Shaq 10 though I also don't have a major issue with it. On talent he could have been even higher but it just always rubbed me a bit the wrong way how it always seemed he would start the season out of shape, pick up some injury, miss 15-20 or so games then get things rolling in the second half.

I can understand why he did that on many levels but I just knock him a bit for mailing in approximately 50% of some of many of his prime seasons. Phenomenal offense force all the same.

I would lift up guys like Olajuwon (PC so biased!), West and Robertson above him and then have Baylor and Mikan near as well.

I do appreciate the argument that the 50s and 60s guys were playing a different game against inferior competition but also feel you can only judge them vs who they did play. It's not like Wilt was putting up 20 and 10 back in the day — he would call 30 and 20 a poor season! So while he and Russell, Mikan, Baylor etc were playing lesser competition and almost a completely different game they were absolutely dominating it too!

Anyways, these things are always fun for constructive discussion.

locky82 · May 15, 2020

1 Jordan
2 lebron
3 Kobe
4 shaq
5 Duncan
6 magic
7 bird
8 Kareem
9 A.I
10 Barkley

zephyr_213 · May 17, 2020

I personally can't see how Lebron can be no.2, ahead of greats like Kareem and Bill/Wilt?

I get that he has done great stuff off court, but his finals meltdown vs Dallas and a 3-6 record for me cannot make him 2nd greatest ever. Other than that I agree with that ESPN list.

Matt26 · May 17, 2020

I pretty much have the same top 10 just slightly in a different order.

1. Jordan
2. Kareem
3. Lebron
4. Magic
5. Bird
6. Wilt
7. Russell
8. Duncan
9. Kobe
10. Shaq

GarnettFan4Life · May 17, 2020

zephyr_213 said:
I personally can't see how Lebron can be no.2, ahead of greats like Kareem and Bill/Wilt?

I get that he has done great stuff off court, but his finals meltdown vs Dallas and a 3-6 record for me cannot make him 2nd greatest ever. Other than that I agree with that ESPN list.

Fair point. I think there’s a bit of built-in rank increase because of what he could possibly do/is expected to do before retiring.

GarnettFan4Life · May 18, 2020

How many people on the all time greatest list are actually or do people think are lower because of Jordan?

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