Top 5 Best Basketball Players Ever: A sport dominated by names from the US for the longest time, Basketball took its sweet time in becoming a truly international sport. Now one of the most popular sports in the world, the debate of who are ‘the greatest Basketball players of all time’ frequently pops up.
Top 5 Best Basketball Players Ever: NBA
But for a game with such an ever-evolving style and priorities, how do you define the best? What part of the game does one take into account more? Are championships more important than scoring records? These questions are at the discretion of the one answering the question.
As per the Top 5 Best Basketball Players Ever, Today, we will be discussing our ranking of the 5 greatest basketball players of all time. While any ranking of this sort can never be anything other than subjective, efforts have been made to make this list a comprehensive one. With that in mind, let’s get to it –
5) Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain was the most dominant scorer in the history of the National Basketball Association – NBA. The man most known for his iconic 100-point game, the Philadelphia native has 4-out-of-5 of the highest points average seasons in NBA history.
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While it is true that in his era (from the 1950s to the early 1970s) being tall and highly athletic was not the norm in Basketball as it is today, Wilt’s inhuman scoring records must put him in any top-5 list of the greatest Basketball players of all time.
But why is a scoring icon like Wilt Chamberlain just on ni.5 on this list? Well, he did win only 2 NBA titles, but that was too late in his career. As per the Top 5 Best Basketball Players Ever, And while he qualified and was ousted in the playoffs each season, another player in his era won championship after championship, that being –
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4) Bill Russell
The player with the most NBA titles in history with 11, Bill Russell was considered ahead of Wilt Chamberlain when the two were active at the same time. That was because while Wilt was busy chasing scoring records, Bill was busy creating a legacy with the iconic Boston Celtics team of the 1950s and 60s.
Scarily quick for a big man in his time, Russell is often considered one of the greatest defensive players in Basketball history. His success and status in Basketball history set the precedent that to be among the greatest players of all time, one has to have their cabinet filled with titles. And there, Bill Russell is unmatched, having more NBA Championship rings (11) than he has fingers (10). He was also a 12-time NBA All-Star in a 13-season career.
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3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remained the all-time NBA leading point scorer for 38 years. With a staggering career total of 38,387 points, he is arguably the greatest big man in Basketball history.
While his scoring record was broken by LeBron James earlier this year, Abdul-Jabbar still holds the record for the most NBA MVP wins with six. His incredible longevity (20 years in the NBA) allowed him to be one of the greatest points scorers in the sport’s history.
As per the Top 5 Best Basketball Players Ever, Kareem was also an absolute treat to watch. His patented skyhook coming from the skies dominated all defensive lines in the NBA for two decades.
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2) LeBron James
Now, this is a debate for the ages – Who is the greatest Basketball player of all time? While many would say that ‘King James’ is worthy of that title, in our opinion, he is ‘just’ the second-best Basketball player of all time.
The all-time leading points scorer in the NBA, LeBron has been the face of the sport in the 21st century. The greatest player of his generation, James’ athleticism for a man of his size is truly inhuman. An absolute beast of a power forward, LeBron is also excellent when it comes to falling back and defending.
As per the Top 5 Best Basketball Players Ever, In every season LeBron has won the Championship, he has also won the Finals MVP. James has also been an NBA ALl-Star for 19 consecutive seasons, a record.
Check Out: Who Is The GOAT Of Basketball – LeBron Or Jordan?
1) Michael Jordan
The greatest Basketball player of all time and the face of the sport all around the world, Michael Jordan was not only undisputedly the greatest player of arguably the greatest Basketball generation ever, but he is, considered by many (including us!) the greatest of all time.
What records of Jordan’s can we talk about that have not been discussed already? The highest Points per Game average throughout his career and an undefeated record in the NBA Finals. The Chicago Bulls legend was the best offensive and defensive player of his time, winning awards both 10 and 9 times respectively.
The greatest NBA Finals player of all time, he won the Finals MVP on every occasion the Bulls won the title. He is not only the greatest Basketball player of all time, but many consider Michael Jordan the greatest Athlete of all time.
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Top 5 Best Basketball Players Ever
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