in your opinion, who is the best basketball player of all time?
467409
Truth is, there are about 8 players in NBA history who have a legitimate argument to be called the best (or most dominant) player of all time...\n\nThey are:\n\n1) Wilt Chamberlain\n2) Bill Russell\n3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar\n4) Larry Bird\n5) Magic Johnson\n6) Oscar Robertson\n7) Michael Jordan\n8) Shaquille O'Neal\n\nTim Duncan probably comes the closest to matching the skill level of these guys, in terms of fundamentals...but Duncan does not have a claim to be called the best ever...\n\nWilt was really the most dominant player ever (on BOTH ends of the court), and his basketball skills far exceeded those of Shaquille O'Neal. Although Jordan's strong suit is his scoring, his scoring feats really pale in comparison with Wilt.\n\nRussell led his team to 11 NBA titles in his 13 year career. Were Jordan around back then, he'd be just another guy who lost to the Celtic machine.\n\nJordan and Shaq are the only players on the above list who had the luxury of playing against what amounts to 'high school' players. The level of competition and overall skill levels of todays players is not as good as during, for example, the 1980s. But players today are adjusting to the way the NBA wants the game played. Traveling is never called, nor is 'palming' the ball (probably no one under 25 today even knows what 'palming the ball' even means...)\n\nThe All Defensive teams were not selected until after the 1969 season, so Wilt only made that team 3 or 4 times, but would have made it more often had there been such a thing in the '60s. So the idea that Jordan is the greatest defender ever because of his All Defensive number of selections is not well-founded.\n\nIf anyone thinks that todays players are more highly skilled than players of the 60s 70s and 80s, we need only look as far as the U.S. recent international performances, or lack thereof. Teams from Europe are beating our NBA "All Star" teams on a regular basis the last few years, because they (the Europeans) are still playing the game the way the U.S. played it in the 60s and 70s, when the U.S. truly dominated the world in basketball. They have taken the way we taught them the game and are now using that style against us. The U.S. international teams have been pathetic during the 21st century.\n\nMcGrady is not even close to being the best player of all time... there's no argument that one can make to place him anywhere near the company of the guys on this list. Being able to dunk doesn't make you the greatest player of all time.  If you think T-Mac is one of the two greatest players ever, you obviously haven't watched very much basketball.
597379
I too would have to say Michael Jordan as well. That nigga is the best thing that ever happend to B-ball!!!
601725
Well, it has to be Michael Jordan.  Six championships, numerous MVP awards, and he made all of his teammates on the Bulls better.  However, LeBron James is probably going to replace MJ as the best ever some day.  At 21 he is almost as good as Jordan was in his prime.  We are all witnesses ...
386004
Well, right now LeBron James is the best in the NBA. But, the best player ever is the one and only MJ. But I wouldn't be surprised to see LBJ pass Jordan up.\n\nI LOVE BASKETBALL TOO!
371117
Absolutely Vince Carter, Vinsanity, Air Canada. He is the greatest dunker of all time, without a doubt
1107164
Steve Nash MVP two years in a row and the most unselfish player in the league \n\nDwanye Wade what can i say he's one of the most athletic players in the league\n\nLebron James the best athletic player in the league and the future of the NBA need proof look what he did this playoffs remember the wizards and he pushed the pistons to the brink in his first playoffs!!
99959
Michael Jordan. Best ever. Always will be.
290126
Allen iverson. Why? Because he is the bomb. He is the best point guard ever and he is so sexyyyyyyyyy!
561025
Listen yo, I am a die hard Celtics fan, so I know all about the Lakers. I think Kobe is the best player in the league. He works hard as hell, and those who dis him or hate him (although how can you hate someone you don't know) don't know that, and are jealous of his abilities. That whole publicity stunt that whacko girl pulled in Colorado was BS. His wife is gorgeous why the heck would he cheat on her for a ugly biatch? Listen, my personal favorite player is Paul Pierce, but everybody deep down knows Kobe is the best, better than Lebron, better than Nash and Dirk and Timmy D.
991468
Currently, Bryant. Kobe is THE BEST player in the league right now, no doubt about it.
66845
Shaq\nMJ\nIverson\n\nbtw... there is none better than MJ!!!! Never will be either!
539729
I would probably say Elgin Baylor.\n\n27.4 ppg, 13.5 rebounds per game and 4.3 assists per game (back when an assist was really an assist)... pretty good for a small forward.  \n\nBaylor started the 1972 season with the Lakers, but was forced to retire because his kness were totally shot (they had been for several years). The Lakers did win the championship that year, but Baylor was not around to celebrate.\n\nHe was also the third leading rebounder of the 1960s, after Chamberlain and Russell:\n\nMost Rebounds in the 1960s:\n\n1. Wilt Chamberlain  19,112\n2. Bill Russell      17,501\n3. Elgin Baylor       9,786\n4. Walt Bellamy       9,716\n5. Jerry Lucas        8,831\n\n(As a side note, I hear a lot of people say that Wilt and Russell were only good rebounders because there were more shots missed back then...but if this were the case, EVERYONE'S rebounding numbers would look ridiculous. The reason Wilt and Russell rank where they do, with the totals that they have, is because, quite simply, they were the best, and they wanted the d*** ball).\n\nI would put Malone and Barkley right behind Baylor, and Reggie Miller, Pete Maravich and George Gervin behind them.\n\nI wouldn't put Iverson or Nowitzky in the top five.
367589
I have to agree with GISMCIERI.  Each decade has its player-of-all-time, but it's pretty hard to argue against Jordan.
267348
I think lebron james is the best of the three. because he can do all 3 postions and has more muscle then the other 2 and he has proven that he scores better
716599
Ah, I would probably say Bill Russell for the best defensive player, but all I really know about him is from what I've read about him. I've read that he's an incredible shot-blocker who would block a shot in a way that he'd tip the ball to himself or a teammate, instead of blocking shots into the stands. \nI've read in Big Men Who Shook the NBA by Mark Heisler that someone wanted to find some totals of Bill Russell's blocks. In an era where blocks weren't tallied, it was pretty difficult. But, he was able to find someone who was recording Wilt Chamberlain's stats, and on one occasion Wilt had blocked about 25 shots. And Bill was the best at it, at the time, so you can imagine how many blocks he'd get. Also, the fact that Bill won 11 championships in 13 seasons is pretty amazing.\n\nHere're some stats I've from http://www.hoophall.com/index.htm:\n\nCollege Playing Highlights:  \n-Four-year letter winner under Hall of Fame coach Phil Woolpert\n-All-America (1956)\n-Led San Francisco to back-to-back NCAA championships (1955, 1956)\n-Along with Hall of Fame teammate K.C. Jones, led USF to 55 straight wins and two straight undefeated seasons\n-USA Player of the Year (1956)\n-Scored 1,636 points (20.7 ppg) and grabbed 1,606 rebounds (20.3 rpg) in 79 games\n-Two-time All-Conference, State, District and American\n-NCAA Most Outstanding Player (1955)\n-Member, gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team (1956) \n\nPro Playing Highlights:  \n-Won an amazing 11 NBA championships with Boston Celtics in 13 seasons (1957, 1959-66, 1968-69)\n-NBA Most Valuable Player (1958, 1961-63, 1965)\n-All-NBA First Team (1959, 1963, 1965)\n-All-NBA Second Team (1958, 1960-62, 1964, 1966-68)\n-NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969)\n-Twelve-time NBA All-Star (1958-69)\n-MVP All-Star Game (1963) after 19 points and 24 rebounds\n-Holds the NBA single-game record for most rebounds in a half (32) vs. Philadelphia on Nov. 16, 1957\n-Celtics's all-time leading rebounder (21,620, 22.5 rpg) in 963 games; second best in history\n-Holds career playoff record for most rebounds (4,104, 24.9 rpg) in 165 games\n-Holds NBA Finals record for highest rebound per game average (29.5 rpg, 1959) and by a rookie (22.9 rpg, 1957)\n-Holds NBA Finals single-game record for most free throws attempted in one half (15, April 11, 1961) vs. St. Louis; most rebounds (40, March 29, 1960 vs. St. Louis and April 18, 1962 vs. Los Angeles); most rebounds by a rookie (32, April 13, 1967 vs. St. Louis); and most rebounds in a quarter (19, April 18, 1962 vs. Los Angeles)\n-Grabbed a career-high 51 rebounds vs. Syracuse (Feb. 5, 1960), making him one of two players ever (Wilt Chamberlain) to grab more than 50 boards in a game\n-Had seven games with 40 or more rebounds\n-Led the NBA in rebounding in first three seasons (19.6, 22.7, 23.0) and five times overall\n-Led the NBA in minutes played (1959, 42.5 mpg) and in 1965 (44.5 mpg)\n-Scored 14,522 points (15.1 ppg) in his career and averaged 16.2 ppg in 165 playoff games\n-Declared Greatest Player in the History of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America (1980)\n-NBA 25th Anniversary All-Time Team (1970)\n-NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team (1980)\n-NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)\n-Celtics retired his jersey number 6\n-Named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated (1968)
389627
Best player is LBJ. The best dunker officially is Nate Robinson. But other than that...look at what VC has done. Thrown the ball of the shot clock in a game. People are scared to do that in a dunk compitition
394551
It has to be Tim Duncan. He is a two time MVP, three time NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP, and has been elected to the All NBA First team every season he has been in the league. Yet he is a very quiet and humble person who is just an all round fantastic person. He never complains, never takes his team mates for granted, and is a fantastic guy.