But you can only dominate the competition in front of you and the NBA did its best to reign in The Big Dipper, who rightfully earned a spot on theNBAs 75thanniversarysquad,when opponents couldnt. So I get Dave DeBusschere and Earl Mornroe, and miss Dr. J, the Admiral, and Pistol Pete. Praise or pillar the selections as you see fit. He is probably the best player in the NBA, and his legacy backs the facts. He helped revolutionize the power forward position even more so than Tim Duncan did (hes a center! After winning his first NBA championship, his journey toward being the greatest began. Magic made the game funthats what made Magic so special as a player. not even for one millisecond. But now that hes earned his first championship, Antetokounmpos entered rarified air. He is 19 times NBA All-star, most in NBA history. Lets look at who takes the crown of the greatest. In 1967, Chamberlian won one of his two championships playing for the 76ers, and later, in 1972, playing for the Lakers. His dunking skills were insane, or rather "Vinesane . Ranked by votes from thousands of fans, this list features the all time NBA GOATs, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird. Quiz by MitchellOakes Rate: Nominate Last updated: November 3, 2012 You have not attempted this quiz yet. Without Magic Johnson, there would not have beenShowtime Lakers. Others argued it should be about the numbers andthat awardsdont always end up belonging to the most deserved individual. not now. There has been a total of 4374 players that have played in the NBA, can you name the top 500? Per game, he posted an incredible 24.8/10/6.3 stat line with 1.7 steals to boot. He has the two Defensive Player of the Years, the two Finals MVPs, hes put a franchise on his back en route to an NBA title, he made the NBAs 75thanniversary team, and hes pretty much won his entire career. There should be no shock that Dwyane Wade lands on this list. Also see Top 100 Baseball Players Quiz by Quizmaster Rate: Featured Quiz Last updated: December 14, 2021 You have not attempted this quiz yet. Had a defensive player of the year existed in the 1960s, Russell would probably have won all of it in his 13 years as an NBA player. As for why ESPN placed so many active guys on the list, keep in mind that it's their nature to be biased in favor of the modern era. Tim Duncan over Kobe Bryant? AC, Yet another tough ranking. Haters will counter that Wilt played against a bunch of stiffs in the 60s and 70s when the idea that a 71 center could be the most athletic player on the court was reserved forcomic books. Second, Paul is ahead of Robertson in assists. LeBron James has called him the pound-for-pound best ever. Onto the final 3, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks third on our list of best NBA players of all time. He's on the top-75 anniversary list, but not on this top 100? I typed "Michael Jordan" and thought the quiz would be over. I was surprised Dennis Rodman didn't make it. His numbers and accoladeslook unreal in 2020. Kevin Love does not belong on this list. HD420ev Chamberlain . After four years at Wake Forest, he morphed into a generational talent that every horrible team during the 1996-97 season hoped it would land so he could single-handedly reverse their fortunes. Some will love the rankings, others will loathe them. From the first dribble he took in an NBA game up until now, hes done nothing but live up to the massive hype that was placed on his shoulders coming out of high school in Akron, Ohio. The moments he delivered in South Beach will live in basketball infamy. Theres virtually no formula to stop him. 15. In his 20th NBA season, LeBron nailed a 21-foot shot late against the Oklahoma City Thunder by breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbars record of 38,387 points on February 8, 2023. Bill Russell might have more titles, Wilt Chamberlain might have all those untouchable records, but Abdul-Jabbar was offensively skilled in ways Russell never was and retired as the league leader in nine statistical categories thanks to an impressive staying power Chamberlain couldnt match. James Corden James Harden Jeremy Corbyn James Bond 2/10 nba.com/warriors Who's this Golden State Warrior? He was truly ahead of his time. Nowitzki, a Mav since 1998, is a 12-time All Star and the franchise's leading scorer. To me, thats absolutely silly for a guy who still managed to win just as many or more titles than Bird, LeBron, Wilt, Magic, and Shaq. :-). All other big man bow down to The Captain. Magic started as a center and played all positions, registering 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. 5-on-5 debate: Will Curry pass Magic as the best PG ever? 3 left fans in awe. Chamberlain was named to 13x All-Star, 7 All-NBA First team, and was 1980 Rookie of the Year. I would say something to him and he would stare. The numbersshow that Malone is easily a top 20 player in NBA history. All-Time #NBArank: The 10 greatest point guards in NBA history ; TrueHoop TV: Steph Curry the fourth-best PG of all time? Warriors fans booed then-new owner Joe Lacob on Chris Mullin Night because he gave the team to Steph after trading fan favorite Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut. There were passionate pleas to weigh unprecedented accomplishments over sustained excellence. Barkley started J-ing people up and shooting threes, forcing opponents to guard from all over the court and not just on the block. Hesone of the best big men ever. And no soulwill ever approach his 23,924 career rebounds. A guy this young isnt supposed to have so many accolades on his rsum, especially after he entered the league as such a project. He averaged24.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 1.7 BPG. Later, he captured 2 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, and 2 league MVPs in the Heat. In 1998, Bird was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Since he wasnt flashy, often was called dirty, wore those short shorts, wasnt an athletic outlier,and benefited immensely from playing his entire career with Karl Malone, his brilliance is easily forgotten. Magic Johnson Played 13 Seasons In The NBA (Source: NBA.com). Bird retired because of lower back issues, not because he planned to do so. Here's another hint: he's from French Lick, IN. And nobody on this list comes close to what Russell,and obvious NBA 75thanniversary team member,has done. He is an inspirational figure in the sporting world. Curry doesnt deserve to be on this list aleast toward the top maybe around 60 And add Kyrie Irving. Clearly a lot of subjectivity with this list, not a lot of science or math involved. Kobe Congratulates LeBron On The Court Together (Source: Pinterest). https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/342321/nba-top-10-league-leaders-of-the-2010s. If anything, this quiz shows how overrated Larry Bird was. ZF, The rare legend that bounced around the NBA during his days in the league, know that Malone playing for seven different franchises in the Association shouldnt distract from the fact he is easily one of the best centers of all time. In NBA, 4374 players have at least played one game. Need to update Nowitzski, Wade and Bosh to now say 2019. Top 100 Greatest Nba Players Of All Time Quiz WaldoFinklestein October 22, 2022 0 This quiz includes the 100 greatest NBA players of the modern ERA as judged by a panel of experts for ESPN in 2016. By his father (and ESPN). Next on our list of the best NBA players is Larry Bird, often considered the greatest Celtics player and small forward of all time. This quiz is really out of date. He earned just about every individual honor a superstar can earn, most especially six MVPs (one more than Russell and Jordan) and hes still the only player in league history to win an MVP despite his team not making the playoffs. Top 10 NBA Players At Each Position - All Time Quiz - By milesweber Popular Quizzes Today 1 Flag Border Maze 2 Find the US States - No Outlines Minefield 3 Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield 4 Infinity Stones in Order Sports NBA QUIZ LAB SUBMISSION Random Sports or NBA Quiz Top 10 NBA Players At Each Position - All Time After all, "today's players aren't as good as the ones from yesteryear" isn't exactly a good business model. Ever. This is the new Ultimate NBA collection and is really hyped with the hot topic: Allstar players in the NBA. Small update needed when you get a chance. In 2016, Shaq was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He and Larry Bird literally saved the league in the 80s and while they couldnt have been more different stylistically theres no argument whose influence on the game of basketball was greater. Top 10 Best NBA Players Of All Time!! At the start of next season you will have to swap out Havlicek because Paul Pierce is only 79 points away from him, he will probably move up to at least 11th scoring all-time this year, thats only 600 points away. Fast breaks and no-look passing alley-oops took Lakers basketball to the next level. 1. Nowitzki ahead of Barkley, Robinson, Ewing? Vote up the best basketball player ever, and those who follow close behind. If Bird wasnt Mr. DIY, its staggering to think what else he couldve done since he was never quite the same after that andhorribly hobbled his final few years in the league. There will never be another Michael Jordan. To this day that is still one of the most amazing individual performances on a basketball court that Ive ever seen. For this list, he lands at No. The Spurs lucked out, drafted Timmy, and became a quasi-dynasty. Olajuwonwas not only the MVP for both of those NBA Finals appearances, but he also took home a league MVP in 1994, appeared in 12 All-Star games, isthe NBAs all time leader in blocks with 3,830, and is a member of the NBAs 75th anniversary team. Just because Larry Bird was a better all-around player and a legend, doesn't mean that the statistics are misleading. Kobe ranks fourth among all-time NBA leading scorers with 33,643 career points. Top 1,000 NBA Players (#501-1,000) -. And lets be honest, youre being naive if you dont think he has a chance to take the No. In his 20th NBA season, the Lakers star made history. I forget Barkley on EVERY NBA quiz that I dothe one time i actually remember to try himhe's not on there. Similarly, LeBron is the top scorer in a playoff with 7,631 points and ranks first in the all-time point leaders list. Six times Malone, nicknamed the Chairman of the Boards, led the NBA in rebounds and for 14 straight seasons, he averaged double-digits cleaning up the glass. I think Kobe is 5th, behind Lebron, MJ, and Kareem, and Wilt in that order. The NBA merged with the ABA in 76 because of the Doctor (there were a bunch of other great playerstoolike George Gervin) and he continued to take another league by storm after winning two chips with the Nets in the ABA. Like Magic Johnson before him, Garnett raised the bar as to what a man of his sizecould do on the court. He helped the Sixers make the Finals during his first season in the modern NBA, but lost to Bill Waltons Blazers in six games. Did the people at ESPN who voted on the list ever watch a basketball game before the year 2000? Oscar Robertson is the only obvious one I missed. Faulting statistics for Bird not being on the list is like saying that baseball's ERA is misleading because Willie Mays isn't in the Top 15 of any major pitching stat. ESPN's 100 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time Quiz Popular Quizzes Today 1 2 Ballon d'Or Winners by Age 3 Find the Countries of Europe - No Outlines Minefield 4 Countries of the World Sports NBA Random Sports or NBA Quiz ESPN's 100 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time I have many unique quizzes in my profile you gotta try these hard quizzes. Talking about his accolades and resume, one can write a whole book of 200 pages. Is Jordans brand skyrocketing in the popularity of basketball? He is one of the players whose career stats and achievements are one of the greatest. Only one thing the perfectly describes Shaquille ONealis dominant; with his 2.15 m height and 300 lb, his raw strength, speed, explosiveness, and skills dominated the opposition. Then head over and vote on the best NBA players of the 2010s. Sure, Duncan benefited greatly from playing alongside the legend David Robinson and future Hall of Famers Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Pau Gasol, and Kawhi Leonard. But never forget what the GOAT, Michael Jeffrey Jordan, told us in the documentary: Everybody said I won all these championships, but I didnt win without Scottie Pippen and thats why I considered him my best teammate of all time. If ya dont know, now ya knowwwww.Pippens numbers will likely never wow you because he wasnt the scorer Jordan was. You could go on and on with former and current NBA stars talking about why Iverson was so great and means so much to them. Show some respect. He credits Bruce Lee for teaching him martial arts discipline and spirituality, helping him play in the NBA for 2 decades with quite a few injuries. Later, to honor Bryant, NBA changed the All-Star MVP name to Kobe All-Star MVP in 2020. Shaq was dominant at every end of the floor in scoring, rebound, block, a low post, and fast-break over 2 decades of his career. That said, I was completely shocked that Larry Bird didn't end up in the top 15 of any category at the end of his career. There will never be another Shaq. He went to a 73-9 Warriors team with a two-time MVP and the undisputed greatest shooter of all time in Steph Curry and he made him his Robin. He also played a huge role in the NBA instituting free agency when he brought a lawsuit against the league in 1970 that challenged the legality of the leagues proposed merger with the ABA, the merits of the draft, and the reserve clause that prevented players from pursuing contracts with any team they wished. And lastly, Chamberlain should be #1. Only 33 of the 75 75th Anniversary Team players are in this quiz, implying that 17 people in this quiz are not in the top 75 and 42 of the top 75 players are not in this quiz. Whenever there is a debate about a GOAT, one name is King James. Top 15 players in NBA history: CBS Sports ranks the greatest of all time, from West and Steph to LeBron and MJ LeBron James and Stephen Curry are the only two active NBA players to. Sometimes I watch his reverse layup during the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the 1980 Finals against the Lakers andtry to figure out how the hell he was able to stay in the air that long. Jordan is the name that comes to mind when basketball comes. Dirk brought about change that fundamentally altered the way the NBA is played. LosingtwoFinals defeats at the hands of MJ and company certainly didnt help. Karl Malone Kobe Bryant Michael Jordan Dirk Nowitzki Wilt Chamberlain Shaquille O'Neal Carmelo Anthony Moses Malone Elvin Hayes Hakeem Olajuwon Oscar Robertson Dominique Wilkins Tim Duncan Rebounds Wilt Chamberlain Bill Russell Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Elvin Hayes Moses Malone Tim Duncan Karl Malone Robert Parish Kevin Garnett Dwight Howard | Go To Top A three-time champion who won three consecutive MVPs in the mid-80s, and obviously made the NBAs 75th anniversary team, Bird knocked down daggers like it was nothing and loved ripping out the hearts of his rivals while talking some of the most underrated trash. And hes not all style and flair either. I only see one player listed on four of the five lists-- Olajuwon. After signing for the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar became a Showtime Lakers captain, leading the team to 5 titles in 14 seasons. Try to name the NBA's all-time leaders in scoring, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. From the high-flying dunks to the clutch mid-range jumpers off that patented D Wade pump fake, there was moment after moment where No. As a result, he is the first NBA player to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA MVP in the same season. also it says that alonzo mourning retired in 2004 but he actually finished in 2008, Guys I have NBA unique quizzes. We all know what hes done and will continue to do for at least a few more years. Later, in 2010 as a Dream Team member, he was seated again in the Hall of Fame. No one can dethrone the legendary Michael Jordan. Durant, another two-time Finals MVP, asserted himself as one of the most prolific scorers in history, averaging a decade-best 28 points. As a rookie, he went to a team that had finished with the 2nd-worst record in the NBA and led them to the best record in the NBA. A member of the NBA 75 team, people forget that he dominated for years as a 66 power forward. No disrespect to players who didnt make it into the top 10. His hybrid play, like Magic Johnsons, was way ahead of its time. They haven't proved themselves as hall of fame players. Most. But other than potentially Leonard, Duncan will shine brighter than all the other great players who have ever played for the Spursand just about every other power forward in NBA historybecause of how rock steady solid he was. 4 overall and for good reason. larry bird should be 1st all the way boston celtics the best all the way you already know but RIP BILL RUSSEL AND KOBE BRYANT. For me, what secured James spot in the conversation with MJ was his performance in 2016 when he led the Cleveland Cavaliers back from a 3-1 deficit against the 73-win Golden State Warriors. 18 active and a whole bunch who just retired? On January 26, 2020, 41 years old Kobe Bryant, alongside his daughter Gianna and six family friends, and the pilot died in a helicopter crash. Or Charles Barkley. LeBrons book isnt finished yet and he could add a few more titles along the way, but lets not also ignore everything hes done over his career off the court. NBA All-Time Points Leaders - National Basketball Association - ESPN NBA History - Points Leaders Leaders: Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks Leaders Awards *Active players are. Not a top 50, but I think he makes top 100. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If you look at the all-time Top 50 in Rebounds-per-Game, the all-time Top 50 in Assists-per-Game and all-time Top 25 Points-per-Game, 15 players in NBA history appear in at least 2 of those lists. Bird is well known for his excellent passing and defensive ability. what is the argument that Moses Malone could possibly be ranked higher than Karl Malone? More quiz info >> Start Quiz Comments (119) In 2021, Kobe Bryant was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Werealreadyseeing Stephs impact on basketballas kids start launching from deep earlier than ever in their young careers and on the league with NBA teams putting the mid-range jumper out to pasture and fully embracingthe 3-pointer. But it didnt stop him from averaging 24.3 PPG and 10.0 RPG for his 13 seasons. Says something about the danger of relying too much on statistics, which recognize Mookie Blaylock and Shawn Bradley, over performance. Blocks and steals werent tallied back then, but there are researchers that claim Russell averaged anywhere between 8-12 blocks per game. He had a disk replaced, otherwise he would have retired some years earlier. In fact, it was Magic that he moldedhis game after as a youngster, which led to KG being one of the most versatile big men the NBAhas ever seen. Knock us all you want, but well rest easy knowing Antetokounmpo belongs here as a newly minted. 1. over 4 years laterapparently I still feel the same way. He is on track to become at least 10th all time. Each level has 18 players which you have to guess right. 15-20 range when its all said and done, but this seems like a fair spot to start. Bird has 2 final MVPs, was named to 12 NBA All-star, and 9 All-NBA First Team selections.