In my eyes, LeBron James is the best all round basketball player I have ever seen. His physicality, his finesse, his ball handling, his passing, his dunks, his dribbling, his court vision... all amazing.
Jordan was more impressive, more magnificent, more aerial, more vocal.
But LeBron is the better basketball player in my book.
I do take issue with the quote they used for Kareem at #3..."His unstoppable skyhook allowed him to score more points than anyone in league history, and while he wasn't flashy, there has arguably never been anyone better.". Clearly they think there have been two better or he wouldn't be at #3. Just saying.
I still hate MJ and he doesn't deserve to be at #1 over players like Kareem and Russel. I love that Duncan gets his due. I never realized he has won the most regular season games with the same team.
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge" -Stephen Hawking
ESPN's list:
- MJ
- Bron
- Kareem
- Bill
- Magic
- Wilt
- Larry
- Tim
- Kobe
- Shaq
It's pretty hard to argue with the names on this list. I was no Shaq fan but anyone that thinks he wouldn't be dominant in any era of NBA basketball is batsh*t crazy. Leaving Kobe out of the top ten, ridiculous. I don't care about the MJ vs Bron argument, they both dominated their times. I agree with the poster that said Kobe was basically MJ (without the UNCheat baggage). Bill is too high IMHO, he was a great team guy but on this list I'd have him at 9 or 10. Kobe is too low, Larry is too high. Tim is probably 10. I would have MJ, Bron, Kareem and Wilt as my top 4 in some order. Followed by Magic, Larry, Kobe, Shaq in some order.
"We are not provided with wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can take for us, an effort which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world." --M. Proust
He has a more complete skill set. He's the most complete player I've ever seen.
But Jordan remains the best IMO. He was able to impact game momentum on both ends of the floor unlike anyone I've ever seen, especially when the stakes were the highest. The single biggest reason Jordan enjoys that mythic status is because he produced... period. In that respect, it stsrtd and ends with what he did on the court.
I agree with a lot of your thinking. But for the last two in the top 10, I'd include the Big O and Hakeem (over Malone and David Robinson) - I think the Dream is underrated especially because defense doesn't get as much due.
I was also thinking if I had to pick one starting five to win a 7 game series, factoring in complementary skills, shooting, defense passing, etc. who would be on it. And came up with:
Magic
Jordan
Bird (tough call over LeBron)
Duncan
Kareem
Singler is IRON
I STILL GOT IT! -- Ryan Kelly, March 2, 2013
My guess too is that the way media has evolved and how we crave the 24/7 news cycle has altered how we see LeBron in a way Jordan didn't have to deal with on that scale (Hello internet boom).
It's like music. A good song is on the radio, you like it but it gets played so much you tire of it and then begin disliking it. Yeah Jordan had insane media attention for the time but it isn't like today. I get the feeling Jordan wouldn't be so popular in today's culture with his misdeeds being plastered as breaking news at all hours every few days.
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge" -Stephen Hawking
Think Kyrie either deserves to be on this list or could get on it in the future? I mean, he has to be considered for the top ball-handling skills in history. Plus, he has the championship and was clearly the most pivotal player from game 5 onwards. Overall stats certainly qualify for discussion. I assume it is his perceived attitude and chemistry issues that keep him off the list... But is that enough to off-set what is clearly a tremendous career and talent?
I'm a bit surprised Grant Hill doesn't sneak into the top 74. Even with the chronic injuries, he had a really solid career. I suppose the lack of postseason success hurts him a lot, but there more than a few guys who never really won anything on the list, such as Vince Carter, T-Mac, etc. To be fair, he would be lower than those two guys, but from a talent standpoint, I think Grant absolutely should be in the top 74
These lists and the attention we pay to them, are a little frustrating for me. Everybody mentioned is a good player but there is now way to objectively rank the greatest players when we can't even agree on the criteria.
I guess we don't have much else to do now but this exercise seems a bit futile
So true. Just take the MJ discussion. The lynchpin in the pro-MJ argument is that he Just. Refused. To lose.
Of course, any several things could have altered his career arc. What if that team had existed with today’s CBA? What if Pippen tore an Achilles? Could they still have won six rings? Who knows.
Carolina delenda est
I don't want to pick on you in particular (sorry - but your list was convenient). However. this is typical of what people have proposed. It shows a definite bias toward recent players that is also there in threads looking at Duke players or games.
How about considering
Russell
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
Wilt
Cousey
Those all deserve top 10 consideration - and actually more than just consideration.