The Best NBA Players of All Time

When you think of the NBA, you think of those players who have risen and have become legends. Their stories were heard through basketball, but those same stories have also grown so much that they have gone beyond the game to become culture. From Michael Jordan and his mighty clutch to LeBron James the king himself, the NBA has seen many greats born through this game. 

Basketball itself isn’t just a game but a way of life. Apart from the thrill of top flight competitions, the sport also offers interested players a chance to wager and make some money from their passion. And for fans in Malaysia and Singapore, platforms like 1Win offer exciting ways to bet on the sport.

Now, who is the greatest? That’s the debate now. And this debate holds everywhere, from courtside discussions to people arguing online with serious passion. Fans are never tired of comparing the greats. But these legends are many, and their histories are decades long! So how do you measure greatness fairly? That’s what we’ll be looking at in this article.

First though, let’s look at those things that make greatness in basketball.

Criteria for Selection

To rank high in the list of the best basketball players of all time is not a small thing to achieve, not to even talk of a league that has seen so many numerous talents. Yes, statistics are nice and give you a numerical snapshot of greatness, what truly reveals greatness to us are the things that are not so tangible as such, but actually pulls players into legendary status. 

Here are some of them:

Championships and MVP Awards

Championship rings have become the number 1 proof of players who are capable of massive performance on the biggest of stages. And MVP awards are the showcase of a player’s dominance throughout a season of play. Examples are legends like Michael Jordan and Bill Russel. They have been able to combine their individual brilliance in the game with unmatched team success.

So as much as numbers matter, that ability of a player to perform under pressure is what separates the good from the great and legends.

Impact on the Game

When it comes to greatness, it doesn’t end with what happens on the court, but it begins when a mark is made on the game itself. For instance, look at Steph Curry. The guy turned three pointers into a revolution. And what of Magic Johnson? He literally refined the point guard role. Players who are called The Greats are people who inspired generations of both fans and players, set new standards and create new possibilities in the game. 

Longevity and Consistency

Yes, a flash of brilliance is exciting. But for someone who is a true legend, excellence is sustained over years, sometimes even decades. The perfect example is someone like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar whose career spanned about 20 blessed seasons. Another beautiful example is LeBron James, with a dominating streak going well into his 30s. Great players demonstrate the importance of durability and adaptability in achieving all time greatness.

Top Players List

Now that we’ve established some of the most important things to look out for when deciding legendary greatness in the NBA, it’s now time to look at those players who meet up with these standards and even set standards of their own in the game.

Michael Jordan: The Greatest of All Time

Achievements: 6-time NBA champion, 5-time MVP, 14-time All Star-Star, 10-time scoring champion. 

Get this, the title of the NBA player of all time and Michael Jordan are like five and six. He is called “His Airness” for a reason. When Legends are mentioned, Michael Jordan leads that conversation every time. And Jordan didn’t just rule the court; but he elevated the NBA into a global phenomenon.

Jordan has 6 NBA championship trophies that he won while playing for the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. He also had this competitive playing style that inspired so many players to pour in everything that they had toward achieving greatness. 

But his greatness did not just end with statistics. He has a cultural impact that is unparalleled. He got into a partnership with Nike that gave birth to the Air Jordan sneaker line, and that partnership is still a cultural event today and even now. The former NBA commissioner David Stern said something about Michael Jordan that summarizes it perfectly: 

“Michael Jordan made basketball universal. He brought the game to every corner of the world.”

Right now Jordan is still inspiring new generations, so his greatness wasn’t just for his era. This is the reason why he remains the GOAT.

LeBron James: The King Who Reigns Supreme

Achievements: 4-time NBA champion, all-time points leader, 4-time MVP. 

When LeBron James entered the NBA, he was just a teenager, but he was carrying so many expectations.

But guess what? He exceeded ALL OF THEM. 

LeBron has shattered records and showcased a level of versatility not seen before him. That’s why he’s known as “The King”. He actually created a legacy in adapting excellently to any role he was given.

Lebron’s work ethic and basketball IQ led him to become the all-time leading scorer. And the beautiful thing is that he’s not just a leader on the court but off the court also. Uses a platform for activism and philanthropy. He has set the standard for what it means to be a global athlete. 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The Tower of Consistency

Achievements: 6-time NBA champion, 6-time MVP, second all-time scoring leader (recently surpassed by LeBron James).

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s unique shooting style called the skyhook is a move belonging only to him, and is also the most unstoppable move in basketball history. That graceful arching shot brought to him the all-time scoring title, and he held that title for almost 40 amazing years! If you’ve been asking — who has the most NBA MVP awards? He holds the title.

One of the things that helped Kareem to be so successful for so long was his basketball IQ and how to work as a player. What it did for him was that even as the game of basketball evolved over time, he was able to evolve alongside; and this led to consistency that spanned decades. 

Kareem is a very serious advocate for social justice, and this has put him in a place of respect. In this way he and LeBron James are very similar. His amazing approach to life and to the game have placed him as one of the most respected players in not just basketball but sports history.

Bill Russell: The Ultimate Winner

Achievements: 11-time NBA champion, 5-time MVP. 

If we want to use championships to measure the ultimate success in the game, then we should not look anywhere else when Bill Russell is there. This player is the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty. Bill Russell had such brilliant defensive games and had been such an amazing leader that he has set the gold standard for what it means to achieve team success. 

Russell was not a player alone. But he was a leader. He became known quickly as the kind of person who always lifted up his team spirits and elevated them in the game. This made his team bring a level of intensity to every game that was not easy to rival. He set the standard for shot-blocking and reading the game. This gave a new kind of reputation to defensive games in basketball and set a standard for generations to follow. 

Russell broke barriers in basketball by becoming the first black head coach in the NBA. This symbolized him as someone who is able to achieve progress even during a shaky era. In 2011, President Barack Obama gave Russel the award of Presidential medal of freedom. Obama described him correctly as “a giant not just in stature, but in character”. 

Magic Johnson: The showtime Maestro

Achievements: 5-time NBA champion,  3-time MVP. 

How many players in NBA history have come and defeated the whole of basketball like Magic Johnson has? The truth? Not so many to be very honest. Magic Johnson was the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers during their showtime era in the 1980s. And showtime you did appropriate words because magic turned basketball into a game of fast breaks, no-look passes and unforgettable plays.

At 6’9”, Magic used his big size to control both defense and offense like someone conducting a symphony. His rivalry with Larry Bird became one of the greatest sports of all time and led to very many epic showdowns in the NBA finals. 

Magic’s ability to adapt was seen very well when he had to replace Kareem Abdul-Jabbar In the 1980 NBA finals. And he actually led the Lakers to victory with 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists. Papa from manzo was the performance of ages.

When he’s off the court he’s known as an amazing businessman and activist. He got an HIV diagnosis in 1991 in the beginning to raise awareness about it and inspire millions. 

Larry Bird: Celtics legendary Marksman

Achievements: 3 time NBA champion, 3 time MVP

Of course, we can’t mention Magic Johnson and then not talk about his epic rival Larry Bird. 

Larry wasn’t flashy. In fact he wasn’t someone that you could call athletic, as it were. But what he lacked in raw physical prowess he more than made up for in unrelenting grit, uncanny basketball intelligence and rivaled ability to shoot the lights out. 

In the 1980s the NBA was beginning to dwindle in popularity, and Larry Bird’s rivalry with Magic Johnson was one of the things that revived interest in the game due to their epic showdowns during NBA finals. Their head-to-head battles on three different locations became cultural events.

Larry always wanted to win at all costs, and that made him Boston’s true icon till today.

Shaquille O’Neal: The Force of Nature

Achievements: 4-time NBA champion 3-time finals MVP

How do you stop a 7’1″, 325-pound juggernaut with the ability of a guard? The answer: you don’t. You just don’t. Shaquille O’Neal didn’t just dominate basketball; he overpowered it. 

His thunderous dunks became very popular, and fans called them “Shaq attacks”. They shattered the morale of defenders and made him a nightmare. The amazing thing is, Shaquille was not only just a brute force. He had a nimble footwork that was actually very surprising, and his basketball IQ was very, very sharp. 

Apart from basketball, he did music and even movies too. Today, many people say that his duo with Kobe Bryant is the greatest in NBA history.

Kobe Bryant: The Relentless Competitor

Achievements 5-time NBA champion, 1-time MVP 

This player lived and breathed basketball. He was obsessed with improving and hitting impossible shots. As a result, he was an NBA All Star game celebrity. He was known for the “black mamba by mentality”, and was a player who brought electricity to the NBA.

He led the Lakers to five championships including a three-peat with Shaquille O’Neal from 2000 to 2002. Later Kobe showed that he could win on his own when he earned back to back titles in 2009 and 2010. 

Kobe spoke many different languages and became an ambassador for basketball itself worldwide. It’s really sad that he died in 20020 but his legacy lives on through his foundation.

Tim Duncan: The Big Fundamental

Achievements: 5-time NBA champion 2-time MVP

Tim Duncan was the anchor of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty and led the team to five championships across three decades. Now that’s really long. 

Duncan showed a new style of playing; humility. Teammates admired him for it and his opulence dreaded his super consistency. His leadership and calmness became a culture for the Spurs, and even today they remain one of the NBA’s most respected organizations. 

Duncan showed us that you don’t need to flash to be a legend. 

Wilt Chamberlain:The Statistical Marvel 

Achievements:  2-time NBA champion 4-time MVP 

The numbers this man put up in his career are so staggering that they look more like a fairy tale. Someone had a 100-point game in 1962? Or how come someone plays for a whole season and average over 50 points per game? Wilt dominated the courts like no one else did before or since. 

Yet his career was not without controversy. Some people argue that his dominance was because he played in an era where opponents were smaller and less athletic than he was. For about one year, Wilt took the leading assist and that displayed the breath of his ability as a player. 

Now check this out: He played volleyball after he ended his basketball career. Wilt was as much an entertainer as he was an athlete. And he had a larger-than-life personality.

Debates and Controversies

The greatest NBA player of all time? Ask your friends and you get 10 different answers. 

• Jordan versus LeBron 
• Wilt versus Russell
• O’Neal versus Olajuwon
• Curry versus Johnson 

These debates let us know that according to people, greatness is very subjective. Is it championship or stats? Is it longevity or dominance? These questions help us to see that the NBA isn’t just about players but the conversations they inspire. 

Honorable Mentions

Every list will definitely leave out a few legends to the game. Here are a few deserving names that could have made any list of top NBA players:

• Steph Curry: He turned basketball around with his 3-point shooting. 
• Kevin Durant: this guy is a combo of efficiency and scoring. 
• Hakeem Olajuwon: The master of post moves and defensive dominance.

Conclusion

From Michael Jordan’s transcendent performances to LeBron James’ versatility, the NBA’s greatest players have taken basketball from just a game and turned it into an art. In every NBA players’ comparisons, these legends are mentioned because they inspired millions and defined eras. 

Of course new stars will arise, and will add to the list of the league’s rich tapestry. But the legends of today and yesterday remind us why basketball is more than a game, but a global phenomenon.

So. Who is YOUR pick for the greatest? Let the debates begin.