My List of Top 5 Greatest In All Time

One of the most debatable topics in NBA is who is the greatest. To make it even more controversial, who are the top 5 players in NBA history? I was led into this topic after getting off work one day and one Laker fan was quick to throw out Kobe Bryant at being #1 at the top of their list. I, myself, threw out Michael Jordan, as it seems that Michael Jordan has accomplished more in Michael Jordan’s career than Kobe ever will and has. But here is a thing I hate about debating with Lakers fan: Kobe is always #1, MJ is #2, and after that, they don’t know who’s #3, 4 or 5. The more experience fan might say Magic Johnson or Larry Bird, but it almost always starts with Kobe. So, without further a due, I want to throw out my top 5 in NBA history. Some will agree with my list, but most will probably disagree.
I was hoping to work from #5- #1, but I already gave away my #1, so I’ll just start from there.

At the best player in NBA history, this award easily goes to Michael Jordan.

I hate to get into this discussion, as MJ was probably (and could still possibly be) the biggest known athlete all time in any sports. Keep in mind that MJ averaged 31.1 ppg in his entire career (first all time) and 2,514 steals (second all time.) MJ was ROY, appeared in 14 all star games, which he was MVP in three of them, 10 first team ALL-NBA, 9 first team All-Defense, 5 MVP awards, and 6 finals MVP. Also, don’t forget that he won six championships. There is so many talks about Kobe playing in a more competitive league, but remember that Jordan had to play against greats such as Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, just to name a few. This is also just a limited list of who Jordan was playing against.

At #2, Wilt Chamberlin

At #2, choosing Wilt felt like a no-brainer. Keep in mind that the lat season of Wilts career, he shot over 70% from the floor, a record that still stands today. In his rookie season, he won both ROY and MVP. During one season, he scored 100 points in a game and was average 50.1 ppg and averaged 25.7 rebounds. Wilt’s personal achievements can never be overlooked, but his team efforts can. Wilt only won two championships total, as Bill Russell seems to be the clear winner. Still, with the way Wilt was playing, I’d give Wilt #2, and Russell #3.

Woops, I just stated my #3. Bill Russell.

Bill Russell doesn’t have a knack for big scoring numbers, but he does have a knack for grabbing rebounds. He is second all time in rebounds at 21, 620 boards per game. Russell won 5 MVP awards and those 11 rings on his fingers sure does make Russell an attractive option at #3. There’s no way you can put Russell past 5. Argue that he played under a spectacular coach in Red, but coaches don’t win games( or championships), players do.

At #4, I give my hats off Oscar Robertson.

That’s right, Big O. Some say that Robertson is underrated, as he is never talked about in any top 5’s. Well, I can easily say Robertson is one of the greatest of all time. Oscar was the only player to average a triple double in one season (30.8ppg, 12.5 rpg, 11.4 apg) and that was done during his second year in the NBA. He averaged 25.7 during his 14 year career. I can’t say much about Oscar as I have never seen him play before (same goes for Russel and Wilt), but with those stats alone, it’s safe to say that Lebron has a while to catch up with Oscar.

At #5, I found myself struggle to decide who to put here. I decided that Shaq was at probably at the best fit for #5.
(I was debating whether to put Bird, Magic, or Kareem on this list.) I’ve realized one thing, you either love this guy, or you hate him. I think 15 years in the All Star game is enough to prove he dominated the game. He’s tied with Chamberlin in leading the league in fg%, 1 MVP, 3 Finals MVP, 4 rings, and has an average of 25 and 12 in the playoffs. Some argue that Shaq was fat and lazy, but they simply can’t be judging their theories on the old Shaq who played for Orlando and Lakers. At 7’1, Shaq clearly dominated any center that tries to stop him. It was like watching a train vs. a hurricane, take a guess of who’s going to fall off the tracks first. Even in today’s game, Shaq can still push around players with his size.

So if you’ve bared with me and read my article, I just wanted to state that Kobe is #1,2,3,4 or 5. He might not even be 6,7,8,9, and so forth in that matter. Kobe is good, but Lakers fan clearly over estimate him to be the greatest. But hey, what’s one guy’s opinion? Somebody enlighten me with their list of 5 greatest NBA players.

Keep in mind that this is the opinion of me, Jackson. LJ's list could possibly disagree with mines as his love obsesion with Battier could be #1 (no just kidding.)

Sources: Slam Mag.